The Golden State Warriors are named as the 2015 NBA Champions after successfully defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers at the score of 105-97 in Game Six to win the NBA Finals 4-2. This is the first win of the team since 40 years ago. Draymond Green recorded the most rebounds by 11 and the most assists by 10 while Stephen Curry scored 25 points per game, six rebounds, and eight assists but the MVP of the season is Andre Iguodala whose record is 25 points, five boards, and five assists. It was one heck of a thriller between two teams vying for the summit.
After moments of speculations, it's official that the BBC announced that radio DJ, not to be confused (and no relation) with the actor of the same name, Chris Evans, is named as the new presenter of the hit motoring TV show, Top Gear.
Serving as one of the replacements of the ousted trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, who left the BBC after the scandal last March, Chris' knowledge and passion for cars as well as his personality might push the famed TV show to the top. The BBC also confirm that shooting for the new Top Gear will commence within a few weeks but in the meantime...
The extended, never-before-seen, Series 22 episode of Top Gear, featuring the ousted trio, will air on BBC Two on Sunday, June 28. The first clip will see the trio driving classic roadsters while the second clip will pit them into driving second-hand SUVs with the finale where the loser faces a much embarrassing punishment.
This is the Lotus Exige S, and it's the fastest and most powerful Lotus ever made thanks to its combination of big power and light weight that is uncanny for most British lightweights. It maybe 500lbs more than the old Exige but it has a Toyota-derived 3.5L V6 engine with added superchargers which develops 345HP of power and 295lb-ft of torque. It does 0-100kph in under four seconds and onwards to 274kph.
Back in the original Horizon, I started to fall in love with Lotus' finest masterpiece not because of its combination of power and lightness but also the agility and the precision it delivers if the setting's left untouched, probably, and it's the same story goes when I drove it on FM5 where all of its goodness starting to come unraveled in most parts of the world. In the world of FH2, it's starting to feel at home when I take it round the parts of the Southern Europe. It's like if love moves in mysterious ways and oh! Speaking of "mysterious", looks like the Exige deserves a special treatment I came up with...
Now here's the little scamp that I came up with and because I'm still in the process of celebrating THE iDOLM@STER's 10th birthday, the theme for my Exige S in FH2 I made is...yes, you've guessed it, Takane Shijou. It's a bit of a "Secret, Secret, I have a secret" thing but trust me, this theme deserves to be persevered because even though she's more of an arrogance and her mysteriousness really keeps you guessing like a nude Irene Adler appeared, you're most likely to spend some time with her until you're fully seduced by her witty charms.
That's why I chose this for my special treatment because this car moves in unpredictable patterns but only when left untouched. On its own, the Exige S is a wonderful car to drive full stop but because it fell onto the category dominated by cars whose power-to-weight ratios eclipsed the almighty Bugatti Veyron, the Exige finds it to be difficult to stick through its opposition and when I improved this car around to Ariel Atom territory, it feels more sensitive when it faces to corner. As a rule, you would never want to max out this car to compete with ultra-light machines because while it's fast on the straights, cornering it can be very nightmarish, and I shall demonstrate it with a championship I've booked for this car.
See? I told you it's much difficult to drive the Exige when maxed out to Ariel Atom levels but still, I've managed to survive all the way to victory. Looks like I won't be doing that again after all this but driving this Exige never made me so thrilling because I had fun driving a Lotus that combines big power and light weight into one unique package and the way it moves is unpredictable. Yes, it's as unpredictable as the design I made for the Exige.
Last year, the BMW 1-Series Coupe has been replaced and renamed as the 2-Series Coupe following BMW's new naming structure where all saloons bear odd numbers while two doors bear even numbers but despite that, the 2-Series name, which is reserved for use with the 1-Series' 2-door equivalent, has been used for their minivans in the case of the front-wheel drive Active Tourer, which caused mayhem for Bimmer fans too many. Anyway, there's now a convertible version of the coupe version of the 1-Series, which is great on your weekend getaway but is it any good?
Under the bonnet lies the same choices from the hardtop equivalent such as the 136PS 1.5L engine from the 218i, 2.0L turbodiesel engine for the 220d, up to the top-of-the-line M235i whose 3.0L turbo engine develops 326PS of power. That's about the same as its hardtop and its M135i hatchback equivalent but even though it delivers the same stuff from its cousins, the cabriolet version is a hundred kilos heavier than its hardtop equivalent so, in the range-topping M235i model, it can do 0-100kph in 5.2 seconds (0.2 slower) and top speed normally limited to 250kph.
So, the cabrio may not be as fast as its hardtop equivalent but how about the way it moves? Well, despite the added weight, the cabriolet model behaves like the hardtop model. If you're in ordinary models, it feels good enough to cruise your brows all the way while in the range-topping M235i model, you can still enjoy the same thrill you'd expect from the hardtop equivalent. It may be as bland as a supermarket hotdog but it still has some taste that you can't get enough of or for better, you might expect some guilty pleasures not by driving in one of those but also by arriving in one of those. Hmmm...
As for value, this car is most likely to be passed out by some because the 2-Series Cabrio model is priced at 32,200 Euros, which is almost five grand more than its hardtop equivalent or a grand more than its chief rival, the Audi A3 Cabriolet, but you should know that the non-quattro models of the A3 Cabriolet are not as engaging to drive as the 2-Series Cabriolet so despite the one-grand-price gap between the 2-Series Cabriolet and the A3 Cabriolet, it's more fun to own than the Audi.
- The top Islamist who staged an attack on an Algerian gas plant in 2013, named Mokhtar Belmokthar (a former senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), has been killed in a US air strike according to officials. He and the other militants were killed in the eastern city of Ajdabiya, Libya, but there have been false reports of his death in the past. The Pentagon continues to analyzing his situation for now...
- A top commander from the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second largest guerrilla group, has been killed according to the Colombian army. The name is Jose Amin Hernandez Manrique, known as Marquitos, and he was killed in the north-western province of Antioquia.
- The death toll from MERS in South Korea has been risen to 16. So far, there has been 150 cases reported overall.
- North Koreatest fired three short-range missiles from a position near Wonsan on the nation's eastern coast.
- Technology provider Smartmaticappealed its disqualification by COMELEC from the public bidding for the lease of 23,000 optical mark reader machines to be used in next year's elections.
- In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Golden State Warriors are in the lead by 3-2 after the score of 104-91 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- To celebrate the upcoming launch of Halo 5: Guardians on XBOX One this late 2015, Ford teamed up with Galpin Auto Sports, Microsoft, and developer 343 Industries to create an F-150 Sandcat truck themed after the Sandcat battle truck on the upcoming installment of the hit video game franchise. It will be displayed at E3 2015.
Ford F-150 Sandcat
- Renaultunveiled the Alpine Celebration Concept during the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans competition and this concept car previews the revival of the legendary Alpine brand that was started by the legendary A110 berlinette.
Renault Alpine Celebration Concept
- "The demon born from the round table". The F-15C Cipher and the F-15C Pixy from the video game Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War spawned themselves limited edition model kits courtesy from Hasegawa Hobby Kits. Priced at 3,000 Yen plus tax, hobbyists can take home and build their own "Demon Lord" as well as Galm 2 "Pixy" and recreate their Belkan War moments. The F-15C Cipher arrives at stores on the 23rd of June while the F-15C Pixy arrives on the 7th of July. "Yo, Buddy. You still alive?"
This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans have seen numerous twists, before, during, and after the race because this year sees the appearance of the world's first front-wheel drive LMP1 prototype, the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, but sadly, all three GT-R LM NISMO racing machines faced numerous setbacks, proving that Le Mans is not welcomed to front-wheel drive machines. Another twist in this year's Le Mans is that Audi's reign as the king of Le Mans is well and truly over as Porsche's improved 919 Hybrid, specifically the #19 919 Hybrid, snagged Audi's crown and helmed as the winner of this year's Le Mans.
When Ferrari created the F12berlinetta, the Italian carmaker wanted to make a sportscar that can match against the likes of the Lamborghini Aventador as well as the Aston Martin Vanquish but in reality, it wasn't made to be a hypercar but rather a powerful grand tourer that incorporates Ferrari's know-how in the realm of motorsports. Sure, it lapped round the Fiorano test track faster than the Enzo but this is in a totally different league.
The F12berlinetta was born to be a purebred race machine with its throaty 6.3L V12 engine which excites most car enthusiasts worldwide. It is a product of Ferrari's passion for motorsports and it's one way of saying "we're the stars of Italy's sportscar realm and Lamborghini must exit here". Well, Ferrari worked so hard to improve their reputation and no matter how many times Lamborghini trying to outpower Ferrari with new and exciting machines that can defect even the most of Ferrari's followers, this carmaker learns how to fight back and for the F12, it knows how to kick back from its opposition.
When I drove this one in the original Horizon, I am already having a great time driving the F12berlinetta despite its handling characteristics that kicked me back like a bottle of Red Horse Beer. Here, in the world of Forza Horizon 2, it's the same story all over, only this time, a little reminiscent of its predecessor that is going to kill me with its car kung fu. Despite its character, the F12berlinetta is a fun car to drive and even novices can unleash its hidden potential from its Italian flair. Even though this is a serious car, this car promises the driver to kick back against his or her opposition as they're trying to reach their goals.
The thing is though, driving the F12 can be a lot of fun if you use your imagination...
What we have here is an F12 that is themed after one of our favorite buttkickers in the world of iDOLM@STER, Makoto Kikuchi, and the reason why I'd picked her for the design that I'd made because upon driving the F12, I'm getting the "kicking" experience while unleashing its power during races and while this is essentially a raw grand tourer that can kick through any rivals it see fit, it will take time for the driver to calm itself down before getting through corners. Its tough personality really reminded me of her's and every time I remember her...I gone into bedwetting mode in my sleep. Ha ha ha...
Anyway, to see how much "fight back" the F12 is, I booked this car for a championship somewhere over San Giovanni, and with some major improvements to make it competitive, the F12's starting to come alive.
Well, that was quite a messy progress but I managed to survive while driving the F12 without getting my pants wet when this car kicks me through. Better still, it was quite an accomplishment that with the F12, Ferrari knows how to fight back.
As I find out, even with the F12 making quite an accomplishment, it signals the end of the traditional V12 powerplant because in the future, all V12 Ferraris will be hybrids, just like the powerful LaFerrari, and while this announcement shocked the world, I am very glad that I made the so-called "last of the V12s" happy. I've finished my run and as the car ticked itself, I knew that its work is done.
