Gran Turismo 6: Goodwood 2015 and SRT Tomahawk

Coinciding with this year's event, the Goodwood Hill Climb on Gran Turismo 6 has been updated for 2015 and to match this year's event, a sculpture featuring the Mazda 787B and the LM55 Vision Gran Turismo has been featured. With this year's Goodwood FoS kicked off for the weekend, looks like this will be the ideal place to showcase some of the cars appeared from numerous updates but first, let's bring our very own VIP guests...



Well, this is one of them. This is the latest addition to the Vision Gran Turismo lineup; the SRT Tomahawk.

The Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo is the two-decade vision of Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology division to deliver performance unlike any other. It's a single-seat MR-AWD (midship-engined all-wheel drive) created on a purpose-built composite chassis and designed around an aggressive powertrain. It's a hybrid racing machine armed with a 6.98L V10 engine and two Pneumatic Power Units; one is a Variable-Fin Quad-Stage in the front and a similar one connected to the V10 engine. This is the most powerful of the Vision GT cars because of its over-thousand HP of power output and that's not the end of the story because the Tomahawk comes with three versions;



This is the S model which is the entry-level version and considered as a beginner-level machine suitable for those who want to get to know more about the SRT Tomahawk in the first place before getting ready for more advanced versions like the GTS-R and the X versions. Despite being an entry-level model, it still has insane power-to-weight ratio capable enough to outpace even the feistiest of the racing machines.



Next is the GTS-R model, which is a track-focused version of the Tomahawk with increased power output, reduced weight, and increased handling grip. Because of such improvements, the driver needs to wear a special G-suit, provided as a gift after the update, to counteract the physiological effects of extreme lateral g-forces. The GTS-R's aerodynamics are enhanced with a dual-element version of the active rear wing and to avoid any high pressure buildup in the wheel wells, each of the four fenders in the car is vented.



Lastly and notably the most extreme of all the Vision GT cars, is the Tomahawk X. With over 2,000HP of power output and the cornering force of a fighter jet, this is the ultimate vehicle for the chosen elite because its performance completely shattered the laws of physics as well as the human reflexes.

The biggest party piece of the X is the low-drag mode and when you hold down the R1 button, all of the X's panels are retracted and seal against the body. This is handy when you're going on the straights and catch them by surprise.

With the three Tomahawks introduced, I sent them to the Goodwood FoS to see which one is the quickest but a word of warning for these three is because of such inhuman performance, drivers need some precise skills and talents to master the Tomahawk trio. Whichever Tomahawk you're driving, you need to be very careful about handling with Vision GT's most powerful machines because there might be some run-offs and run-offs can be very messy and painful if you're not careful. Anyway, not time for advice-giving because I managed to set these three some lap times round the Goodwood FoS and here are the results;

Tomahawk S - 0:44.304
Tomahawk GTS-R - 0:36.074
Tomahawk X - 0:32.117

Based on these results, it's no wonder why these three are like stages of manhood. You started off as a boy, then you work your way up to become a real man. Useful bit of science there but this is no Problem Solving here, this is the appliance of science with the SRT Tomahawk. You start mastering the essentials with the S and work your way up to master the extremely difficult but highly amusing X.

Anyway, with the Tomahawk trio done their thing, it's time for the other cars to let loose and enjoy Goodwood like they never done before!



At the end of the day, here are the lap times they've posted at my very own GT6 Goodwood Festival of Speed;

TS030 - 0:45.140
Concept 2020 - 0:48.300
DP-100 - 0:46.029
GT-R Nismo - 0:51.074
FT-1 VGT - 0:46.065
M4 M Performance - 0:54.625
VIZIV GT - 0:49.924
Chaparral 2X - 0:38.354
Infiniti Concept - 0:50.781
LM55 - 0:40.356
Clubman VGT - 0:49.157
LF-LC GT - 0:45.510
Alpine VGT - 0:47.464
Alpine VGT Race - 0:46.954
GTI Supersport - 0:45.604
Z11SN - 0:47.313
Peugeot VGT - 0:43.112
GT-R LM NISMO - 0:45.148

You know what, these lap times didn't matter here. What matters most in Goodwood is the pride of the cars themselves and it's a great way to represent a carmaker to a much greater audience for the greater good. That's why the Festival of Speed is made; not just for setting lap times but also impressing the crowd with its own visuals, vocals, and dances.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in the US

A historical 5-4 ruling in Obergefell vs. Hodges has led the US Supreme Court officially declared that same-sex marriage is legal all 50 states. That's right. Gay marriage, which is the most important civil rights case in a generation, in the USA is now well and truly LEGAL, because those politicians who supported it pointed out that marriage equality is part of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.

It's not just the politicians who supported marriage equality that prompted the USA to legalize gay marriage, it's the LGBT community that rejoiced the historic decision, saying that "Love has won".

I'm amazed to see that a nation that was once referred to as the world superpower has welcomed the new age of equality as the ruling to make same-sex marriage constitutional would bring a greater good for the LGBT.

Congratulations America for making gay marriage constitutional nationwide.

Report: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/26/gay-marriage-legal-supreme-court?CMP=tmb_gu

#BGGayStorm

- More line-infuriating with Aling Mary!

- Basketball gags

- Expect delayed reactions from the office workers.

- Typhoons with gay names?! Good idea!

- IKAW AT ANG INA

- Spoof trailers!

- Love at first sight...sorta.

- Naming a dog after your rival may not be a good idea.

- Desiree the Binatilya takes on the bikini open!

- Tsugi or Churva questions!

• Isang Prinsesa Nakaupo sa Tasa - Kasoy
• Si Maria ang panganay na anak ni Jose. Jose ang ___ ng tatay ni Maria. - Pangalan

Let's Do The News! (June 26, 2015)

- The top European Union leaders have agreed to relocate tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in Italy and Greece, part of the ongoing efforts to resolve the ongoing migrant tragedy. Summit chairman Donald Tusk said about 40,000 migrants would be relocated to other European states over the next two years but no mandatory quotas for each nation. The Greek debt crisis was also on the agenda but after talks on Thursday, Greece and its international creditors remain deadlocked.

- French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve ordered a ban on the low-cost car-sharing service UberPOP after a day of nationwide protests by taxi drivers. He said that the service was "illegal" and ordered police and prosecutors to enforce its closure.

- The US Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling allowing subsidies under Obamacare to continue as it handed down the ruling that affirms the healthcare law introduced by US President Barack Obama that allows health insurance affordable for low-income people through government subsidies.

- Davao city mayor Rodrigo Duterte confirms that he's not running for president in next year's elections.

- Her Majesty Queen Maxima of Holland is scheduled to arrive at the Philippines on Monday, June 29 to July 1 in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

- The monster crossover with the GT-R engine is back as the Nissan Juke-R 2.0 Concept is set to debut at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

2015 Nissan Juke-R 2.0 Concept

- The first trailer of the upcoming documentary film titled He Named Me Malala, the story of Malala Yousafzai, the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban, is now here. Check it out and why you should be inspired by this upcoming documentary.

- A 1969 Dodge Charger replicated as the iconic General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard series owned by actor John Schneider, who played Bo Duke from the series, is now up for auction.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 2: Back to the RC

When the Lexus RCF arrived in Forza Horizon 2 via the Top Gear Car Pack, I was given the opportunity to try it out on a Monthly Rivals event just to see how this high-caliber Lexus can do for me and the result is obvious that the RCF is not Lexus' finest hour when it comes to creating a two-door super saloon that can compete with the likes of the BMW M4 and the Audi RS5. There's also another problem with the RCF and it's obvious that some people in the real world bought an RCF because, I might get a point here, they couldn't afford a Nissan GT-R or the Toyota 86 is not quick on its own right.

I'd reckon that things might change if I made the Lexus RC F a star in its own right and to find out, I signed this car on a championship targeted for Super Saloons at Sisteron and find out the RC F is still a wonderful super saloon to drive or not. But first...







Quite a rude joke, isn't it? But anyway, it's now themed after that little girl from THE IDOLM@STER series, Yayoi Takatsuki, and having one in your RCF is what you called a cost-conscious petrolhead-slash-producer.

You see, in Japan, the RCF was priced at 9.53 million Yen, which is a million yen less than the BMW M4, making it a bargain to buy for a cost-conscious petrolhead who can't afford a BMW M4.

Another reason why a cost-conscious petrolhead chose the RCF is because the 5.0L V8 engine that powers it develops more power than the BMW M4's 3.0L six-cylinder turbo engine and it's better sounding too than the artificially-tuned exhaust note of the M4 as well. Hmmm, quite a rough choice but is it cost-effective? Let's see...



Well, it's obvious that even though it has more power than the BMW M4 or the Audi RS5, it's still hard to master the RC F's unclever handling characteristics and it's difficult to keep up when its opponent is on a one-sided fight to the finish.

You need to take a lot of time to master the RC F and get things right to have the upper hand against the opposition but no matter how bad the RC F resulted, it's still part of thriving a good example of JDM passion in the world of Forza Horizon 2. It may not have the striking looks nor the European car-like precision but the RC F is all about enjoying it to the fullest. Unpleasant but it takes time to getting used to it.

What's a leap second?

In case you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY missed it or if you were sleeping in the pancitan, there's going to be a leap second that will occur at the end of June (or the beginning of July, depending on where you're on), where an extra second will add so instead of 23:59,59 becoming 00:00:00 GMT, it's 23:59,59 becoming 23:59.60 GMT. Scary isn't it?

So, what's a leap second anyway? Little did you know that the planet Earth, as a clock, loses about 0.6 of a second every year as it fluctuates randomly. The first leap second occurred sometime in 1972 and there were about 25 leap seconds to be added to the calendar.

This little clip will sum everything up about what is a second and why leap seconds occured:

Another possible reason why Earth's losing seconds is because of the motion of the planet and according to some researchers that a powerful earthquake struck Japan in March 11, 2011 made the Earth speed up, shortening the day by just two microseconds. There's a little experiment about a man-made quake where a 50,000+ crowd asked by some presenter to jump at the same time during a certain concert. Here's a little clip that sums everything up;



Could it be that the recent quake struck Nepal months ago have shortened the day within a few microseconds? For me, I'm not so sure but some handful of geniuses have to find out for themselves but in the meantime, the leap second timetable;

Tokyo Time: 15/7/1 08:59:60
Los Angeles Time: 6/30/15 16:59:60
Manila Time: 7/1/15 07:59:60
London Time: 1/7/15 00:59.60

*Concerning London Time and Los Angeles Time, the actual start may differ from those due to "Daylight Saving Time" and "Summer Time" changes.

Renault Kadjar

2016 Renault Kadjar

This is the brand-new Renault Kadjar and although the name sounds like it came from the bits from what you often listened on Love Radio, this is Renault's idea of a active lifestyle vehicle, something you would take it on a long summer holiday, but it's more than that because the new Kadjar served as the replacement for the old, odd-looking Renault Koleos, which the the first full-fledged crossover made by Renault from scratch, and this new model surely wants to pick up where the Koleos left off.

2016 Renault Kadjar

It's basically a Nissan Q###### (sorry, some letters covered for search query reasons) underneath so you might think that the Kadjar feels like the un-Japanese Japanese crossover that some parts of the world get except for Japan and as a matter of fact, it is. Because this is the Renault-Nissan alliance we're talking about and you can expect the same engine choices as the Nissan Q-crossover (which for search query reasons, I can't mention the whole car name to you) such as the turbocharged 1.2L petrol, 1.5L diesel and the 1.6L diesel engine.

2016 Renault Kadjar interior

The design isn't half bad for an active lifestyle vehicle but you can think of the Kadjar like the oversized Captur with a hint of Japanese stuff underneath its French looks. It's not bad too look at its profile but it's not quite a looker when you drive through an urban landscape. On the inside, the Kadjar's becoming more crude to the eyes of the driver even though its seating capacity of five people and ample boot space are good because just like what happened to the new Espace, you won't be needing your CD collection anymore thanks to its new-generation Renault R-Link telematics system with USB and BlueTooth connectivity as well as some other tech. Quite a harsh reality, eh?

2016 Renault Kadjar

In the real world, the Kadjar may not be the most exciting rides you can drive on the long weekend but it's surprisingly civilized, clever, and an all-rounder. If you opt for the 1.6L diesel variant with four-wheel drive, the Kadjar behaves like what a leisure activity vehicle should, although driving one off-road is somewhat a so-so. Let's not forget that the 1.6L variant produces the same power output as the turbocharged 1.2L petrol but it has the highest torque output of all the trim models with 320Nm.

However, if efficiency is you're after, the 1.5L diesel variant is the best bet because of its combined fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km even when it comes with the iffy dual clutch gearbox like you get from the hot Renault Clio.

Price-wise, the Kadjar starts at 22,990 Euros which is somewhat a reasonably priced lifestyle activity vehicle for a start but you would need some more cash to spec it out into something likable with some tech and more oomph.

Photo: Renault