WRC 2024: Safari Rally Kenya

The 2024 World Rally Championship continues with the toughest race of the season, the Safari Rally Kenya, as drivers are going all-in, do-or-die, to survive and conquer Africa's most punishing terrains.

Screengrab from WRC

As Thierry Neuville grabbed the early lead after the Kasarani Super Special, the Friday leg saw Kalle Rovanpera storming to the lead while Elfyn Evans faced misfortunes due to a punctured tire. Saturday stages, meanwhile, saw no stopping for Kalle Rovanpera's podium hopes gone following tire troubles.

Kalle Rovanpera was crowned the Safari Rally Kenya winner at 3:36:04, 1:37.8 quicker than Takamoto Katsuta, while Adrien Formaux finished 3rd, the best podium finish for Ford today.

The next event is the Croatia Rally this April 18-21.

ABB FIA Formula E S10 - Tokyo ePrix

Formula E's 10th-anniversary celebration continues in its brand new location; Tokyo, Japan. The first-ever Tokyo ePrix brings electric street racing action in the Land of the Rising Sun and a chance for Nissan to shine on its home turf.

Screengrab from Formula E

Maserati beats Nissan on its home turf as Maximilian Guenther beats Oliver Rowland in the fight to the finish. Andretti driver Jake Dennis completes the podium with a third-place finish.

After Tokyo, Pascal Wehrlein leads with 63 points, two points ahead of Nick Cassidy, and Oliver Rowland is in third with 54 points.

The next event will be Formula E's first real circuit racing in Misano this April 13-14.

Let's Do The News! (March 28, 2024)

         

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- ICYMI: Thailand became the first ASEAN country to legalize same-sex marriage.

- Two bodies from the Baltimore bridge collapse were found in the water.

- At least five were killed and others hurt after a Flixbus coach overturned on a German motorway.

- Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu backtracks on talks with the US following the Rafah offensive, moments after the UNSC's resolution vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Washington wants to discuss Israel's invasion plans.

- UN investigators accuse the Burmese military of being behind an online hate campaign against the Rohingya minority ahead of a brutal crackdown in 2017.

- The Kia EV9 wins 2024 World Car of the Year. It also won the 2024 World Electric Vehicle Award as well.

- Toyota fully acquired Primearth EV Energy from Panasonic. The acquisition prompted the renaming of the company as Toyota Battery.

- Volvo will stop making diesel engines and set to become an EV maker by 2030.

- Lola Cars joins the Formula E grid in the 2025 season with a technical partnership with Yamaha.

- Gakuen IDOLM@STER app game casts Reina Kawamura as Hiro Shinosawa.

- The first set of contestants for the upcoming KBS reality show MAKE MATE 1 was announced.

- The UFC's first match in Saudi Arabia this June 22 is headlined by the middleweight match between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker.

- Bruce Springsteen becomes the first international songwriter to be awarded a UK Ivors Academy Fellowship.

TTFN.

Driving Music Vol. 125

 

Ah Holy Week, the time of the year when the entire Philippines went to Silent Mode until Easter Sunday. As you are preparing for another quiet road trip in the middle of the Holy Week exodus, why not simmer down with the latest batch of Driving Music to listen to while in the middle of Visita Iglesia?

1) Time Travelers by Universal Production Music - from the Ford Australia Explorer commercial

2) Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic - from the Mini Countryman commercial

3) Positive Ideas by Ikoliks - from the Honda N-Box Slope commercial

4) Wild Child (Main) by Al Rudd - from the Volkswagen Golf 50th anniversary commercial

5) Crazy for Love (feat. Lucy) by Mondays - from the ENEOS commercial

6) Amandoti by CCCP Fedeli Alla Linea - from the Alfa Romeo Tonale commercial

7) Johnny and Mary by Robert Palmer - from the Renault commercial

8) Equinoxe Part 5 by Jean-Michel Jarre - from the Renault 14 commercial

9) Why? by Bronski Beat - from the Peugeot 205 commercial

Driving Music from Leopaul's Blog is the segment that solves every car enthusiast's questions about the title of the song of car commercials...with the risk of MATCHED THIRD PARTY CONTENT on their status. It's your jam. Drive to the Music You Love.

Let's Do The News! (March 27, 2024)

        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- The Land Transportation Office revealed the full schedule of the release of plastic license cars. For driver's licenses with expiration dates of 4/1/2023 - 8/31/2023 and 4/1/2024 - 4/30/2024, the renewal starts from April 15 to 30, 2024, May 1 to 31, 2024 for driver's licenses with expiration dates of 12/31/2023 and May 1-31, 2024, and June 2024 for driver's licenses with expiration dates of January 1 - March 31, 2024, and June 2024.

- The change of command for the next Philippine National Police chief has been postponed to Monday.

- Philippine President Bongbong Marcos earned support from the US Congressional Delegation following China's recent harassment at the West Philippine Sea.

- A certain health expert warns over a Pertussis "super spreader" event this Holy Week.

- Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship. Search operations are suspended as police say all six missing people were presumed dead.

- King Charles III will attend Easter service at the St. George's Chapel at Windsor, according to the Buckingham Palace.

- Wikileaks founder Julian Assange faces further wait to find out whether he can appeal against US extradition.

- After hearing rival arguments, US Supreme Court judges appear unlikely to limit access to a widely-used abortion drug.

- Nissan plans to launch 30 new vehicles worldwide by fiscal year 2026. 16 of them will be electrified either by e-POWER, PHEV, or fully electric.

- The Mercedes-Benz G-Class range was updated for the 2025 model year. The 3.0L straight-six from the G500 and the six-cylinder diesel from the G450d have gained a 48-volt hybrid boost while the Mercedes-AMG G63 received a new OFFROAD PACK.

2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

2025 Mercedes-AMG G63

- HYBE expands its partnership with Universal Music Group. HYBE officially announced an expansion of their relationship with Universal Music Group that will give them exclusive distribution rights to HYBE artists’ music for the next 10 years.

- K-pop girl group NewJeans announced plans for their May 24 comeback, their Japanese debut, and more.

- NFL owners approved a massive revamp of the kickoff play opting, after three days of discussions at the league's annual meeting, for a format that originated in the XFL.

TTFN.

McLaren Artura Spider

Being around for three years, the hybrid McLaren supercar called the Artura is now made even better for the 2025 model year. It's not just the power increase to its V6 hybrid powertrain but the addition of the new Spider variant makes sense.

2025 McLaren Artura Spider

2025 McLaren Artura Spider

Starting at 221,500 Pounds plus additional costs, the first-ever Artura Spider delivers the open-air experience to the Artura you know while blessed with numerous improvements to get hooked with it for longer.

At first glance, it looks just like the Artura but with a retractable hardtop that can be opened or closed at the touch of a button. It's hard to differentiate it from the normal hardtop Artura, but expect the added weight compared to the normal Artura because the Spider adds 137lbs of weight, Spider's 3212 vs Artura's 3075.

Despite the weight penalty, the performance is almost intact. Thanks to its updated PHEV powertrain with its 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo engine mated to an axial flux motor and a refrigerant-cooled 7.4kWh Li-ion battery producing 700PS of power output, it does 0-62mph in three seconds and a top speed of 205mph (330km/h). Like the hardtop equivalent, the Spider is mated to an 8-speed SSG.

In terms of efficiency, the Spider, like its hardtop equivalent, has a fuel economy of 58.9mpg (4.8L/100km) based on EU WLTP standards and running on electric power alone, it's good for 21 miles (33km), good while you're in the suburbs or in streets of London.

For speedo boys channeling their inner Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, the Artura Spider, like its hardtop equivalent, is McLaren at its best on the road and on the track because of its near-perfect weight distribution courtesy of its carbon bodywork, front double wishbone, multi-link rear, Proactive Damping Control, electro-hydraulic power-assisted steering, Carbon Ceramic Discs, forged aluminum brake calipers, and Pirelli Cyber Tyres that provide real-time data on temperature and pressure to the car and driver, crucial for safety on and off the track. It even has Variable Drift Control that can adjust its drifting angle as well.

With the upgraded hybrid power and the new Spider variant, the first-ever McLaren Artura is now made even better than when it was new three years ago. Be ready for it.

Photo: McLaren

My FM Log: The ultimate 718

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS is the ultimate 718 that knows no bounds when it comes to its serious performance and dynamics, and having won this car from the Ringer Tour until the final Thursday of March, Forza Motorsport allowed me to drive one.

So, what's it all about the ultimate 718? Unveiled at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is the ultimate version of Porsche's mid-engined sports car that pushes beyond its limits on the road and the track.

Using the same 4.0L flat-six naturally aspirated engine from the 992 911 GT3, the 718 GT4 RS produces 500PS of power output, and while mated exclusively with a 7-speed PDK, it does 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 315km/h, faster than the normal 718 Cayman GT4.

Performance aside, the 718 GT4 RS features numerous chassis upgrades such as 30mm lower ride height, ball-jointed suspension mountings, stiffer springs, and anti-roll balls, as well as adaptive Bilstein dampers, 20-inch forged aluminum centre-locking wheels, and the available Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake carbon-ceramic discs.

Thanks to such improvements, it lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:04.511, faster than the base 718 Cayman GT4, with river Jörg Bergmeister behind the wheel.

Because the Nordschleife made its appearance in Forza Motorsport, I decided to take on a merciless punishment with this car as I tried to match the real-world lap time set by this car on this track.

SPOILER ALERT: I failed.

Although I didn't beat the real-world lap time, I had fun trying out the ultimate 718 in the Green Hell. I am extremely grateful to experience the ultimate expression of Porsche's mid-engined masterpiece that tries hard to be the 911's anti-thesis.

Although nearly as good as a 911 GT3, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is unique and spartan as every Porsche should be. The more you know.

Enjoy your new ride.