Sunday, August 18, 2024

FIA World RX 2024: World RX of Benelux

The 2024 FIA World RX's "Battle of Technologies" continues in Spa-Francorchamps for the World RX of Benelux. The drivers are back to their usual rallycross action after the long summer and Olympic breaks.

FIA World RX 2024: World RX of Benelux
Screengrab from World RX

The first part saw Timmy Hansen's winless streak vanquished after winning the race with Ole Christian Veiby in 2nd and his brother Kevin in 3rd. The final part, meanwhile, saw domination for Johan Kristofferson as he edged out Kevin and Veiby to wrap up the Belgian campaign. As expected, the ICE side leads over the EV side following Kristofferson's recent win.

The next event is the World RX of Portugal this September 7 to 8, 2024.

DTM 2024: Nurburgring

DTM's 40th-anniversary celebration continues at the Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit. The weather was wet at the beginning of the race and cloudy at the end. This is the true nature of the Nurburgring GP that the DTM drivers faced.

DTM 2024: Nurburgring
Screengrab from DTM

In the first part of the Nurburgring campaign that saw the drivers facing arduously wet conditions, Kelvin van der Linde in his Team ABT Sportsline Audi R8 survived all the way to the end and won the race, edging the likes of Mirko Bortolotti and Maro Engel. In the final part, which witnessed an accident between Rene Rast and Maro Engel, it was Kelvin van der Linde's turn to drive his Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 to victory.

After Nurburgring, Kelvin van der Linde is leading with 140 points, Mirko Bortolotti is in 2nd with 133 points, and Maro Engel is in third with 128 points.

The next race is at Sachsenring from September 5 to 8, 2024.

2024 Repco Supercars Championship - NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship continues with the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint. The drivers are returning to their usual racing action after the summer and Olympic breaks.

Screengrab from Supercars
Screengrab from Supercars

The first part saw Nick Percat fend off Chaz Mostert to win the race while Broc Feeney finished third. The second part saw a victory for Mostert amid the chaos Thomas Randle caused to Broc Feeney in the middle of the race. Brown and Bryce Fullwood round out the podium.

After Tasmania, Brown leads with 1980 points while Chaz Mostert is in 2nd with 1899 points and Broc Feeney is in 3rd with 1782 points.

Enduro season in the 2024 Supercars Championship begins as the next race is the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 in Melbourne this September 12-15, 2024.

ALIEN: ROMULUS

The Alien universe is back with a new installment that is sure to bring fear straight to your face. This new film in the franchise is sure to terrify audiences.

ALIEN: ROMULUS
ALIEN: ROMULUS

Starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu, ALIEN: ROMULUS is set two decades after the first ALIEN movie and nearly four decades before ALIENS. A group of young space colonizers are scavenging the remains of an abandoned space station, only to come face-to-face against...the deadliest creature that ever existed.

Romulus is a terrifying chapter in the Alien franchise. It's sure to make your skin crawl. No one is safe from the extraterrestrial punishment this installment delivers even when you fully watched the entire film. 

It's difficult not to forget the grotesque moments this film delivers because, like the visual, it goes straight to your face in a parasitic fashion.

You've been warned, fans and newcomers to the Alien franchise. This newest installment is the grotesque way to end your summer break in a parasitic manner.

NTT IndyCar Series 2024 - Bommarito Automotive Group 500

The summer break in IndyCar racing is over. The 2024 season continues this weekend with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

Polesitter Scott McLaughlin led the grid to the starting line as the green flag waved and the action in St. Louis truly began. As David Malukas charged his way to P2 on Lap 8, a caution was triggered when Katherine Legge and Ed Carpenter got involved in a fender bender. Lap 17 saw Conor Daly get spun after being nudged from behind by Kyle Kirkwood. In Lap 196, Josef Newgarden got spun. With 22 laps left, Malukas crashed, and with 10 laps left, a red flag-triggering incident happened in the middle of a restart when Alexander Rossi's car got lifted following a collision with Will Power.

NTT IndyCar Series 2024 - Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Screengrab from IndyCar

After an incident-packed oval racing action in St. Louis, Josef Newgarden emerged from the spin and won the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Scott McLaughlin finished 2nd and the rookie driver Linus Lundqvist finished 3rd.

After St. Louis, Alex Palou leads with 443 points while Colton Herta is in 2nd with 384 points and Scott Dixon is in 3rd with 378 points.

The next race is the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland this August 25, 2024.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Lincoln Nautilus (2nd Gen)

The Lincoln Nautilus is a luxury SUV that was based on the Ford Edge. Sadly, the Edge has been discontinued, so the Nautilus is now on its own as it approaches its second generation.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus
2025 Lincoln Nautilus

Starting below 52 grand in US Dollars plus additional costs, the second-generation Nautilus has matured into a sophisticated crossover that caters to even the most prolific East Coast elites with its new-era Lincoln styling, premium interior, and a suite of tech to toy with.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus
2025 Lincoln Nautilus

By adopting the new-era Lincoln styling inspired by the Star Concept, the all-new Nautilus tries its hand at being frank and polite to its owners. Whether if its kitted with the available Jet Appearance package or indulged in the ultra-premium Black Label, the all-new Nautilus is all about making a statement while cruising from Brooklyn to Wall Street.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus
2025 Lincoln Nautilus interior

The biggest surprise is its new interior and by first impression, it feels like you're driving a concept car from the future. The Lincoln Digital Experience features the largest panoramic display in its class as well as the 11.1-inch center-stack Touchscreen with Google software involved. Call it flashy but its futuristic dashboard layout showcases the loud and proud side of Lincoln's calm, cool, and collected status.

Along with the Revel Ultima 3D audio system, wireless charging ports, and the Lincoln Connect, the all-new Nautilus features an available Digital Scent where drivers can insert whatever scent cartridges they have and release it on its air conditioning. There are different scent cartridges available to purchase so don't be shy.

To deliver sedan-riding comfort for this five-seater crossover, the all-new Nautilus features an array of relaxing features such as Perfect Position massaging seats, and the available Auto Air Refresh. As for boot space, it's between the 70 cu. ft. mark with the rear seats folded down.

2025 Lincoln Nautilus
2025 Lincoln Nautilus

The all-new Nautilus features a choice of a 2.0L turbo and a 2.0L turbo hybrid with the latter producing 310HP of power and a combined EPA-estimated mileage of 30MPG courtesy of its CVT. The petrol variant is mated to an 8-speed AT. Although heavier than the old one, the all-new Nautilus tries hard to be civilized with its independent suspension setups, power 4-wheel disc with Anti-Lock Braking System, AdvanceTrrac with Roll Stability Control, and EPAS. It's spacious, versatile, and comfortable at its own pace.

Although an array of ADAS is not absent for the all-new Nautilus, it features Lincoln's BlueCruise 1.2 with improved versions of its ADAS features from hands-free driving, Lane Change Assist, the new In-Lane Repositioning ability, and other improvements worth noticing.

The all-new Lincoln Nautilus has matured even without its Ford Edge benefactor, and although costly to have one because it's "made in China", it tries to be calm, cool, and collected while navigating the East Coast traffic chaos at ease. 

New Yorkers, here's your new Nautilus.

Photo: Ford Motor Company

Let's Do The News! (August 17, 2024)

    

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

-  Health officials have confirmed the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years. The UN wants to give 600,000 children vaccinations.

- US Vice-President Kamala Harris unveils her economic plan if she wins the November elections.

- ICYMI: AVON Products Inc. files for bankruptcy amid mass lawsuits linking its talc products to cancer.

- About 460 people have been charged so far in connection with the recent disorder in the UK following the death of three young girls in Southport last month. Two men named John Honey, 25, and David Wilkinson, 48, are sentenced for their roles while 41-year-old Roger Haywood from Blackpool was sentenced to two years and six months for violent disorder and assaulting police officers.

- Maserati unveiled the GT2 Stradale. Based on the MC20, the road-legal track toy features some features similar to those of its GT2 race car but with the 640PS Nettuno V6 3.0L twin-turbo engine.

2025 Maserati GT2 Stradale
2025 Maserati GT2 Stradale

- Lamborghini unveiled the Temerario, the long-awaited replacement to the Huracan and the first to be powered by Lamborghini's new 4.0L V8 Twin Turbo engine with three electric motors producing a total of 920PS of power.

2025 Lamborghini Temerario
2025 Lamborghini Temerario

- The Rimac Nevera R was unveiled and its electric powertrain produces 2107hp of power. Only 40 will be made and all units have been sold.

2025 Rimac Nevera R
2025 Rimac Nevera R

- The Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram was unveiled.

2025 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram
2025 Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 Monogram

- The Czinger 21C claimed the COTA production car record with a lap time of 2m10.7s, two-tenths quicker than the Hennessey Venom F5.

- MMA fighter Cain Velasquez pleads no contest to attempted murder in a California court in exchange for a lighter sentence.

TTFN.