GT SPORT: Renaissance du mythe

It's time to introduce one of the cars that are certified "Gran Turismo exclusive" in the new GT SPORT video game on the PlayStation4 and one of these certified "Gran Turismo exclusive" cars is none other than Peugeot's return to the hot hatch battle, the 208 GTi.



Yes, really, this is the new Peugeot 208 GTi, a grand return to form from a company that is stuck making dreary boxes for too long. In other words, for the first time, a Peugeot that can really make your heart pulse. By reviving the GTi nameplate as seen from the mythical 205 GTi, the 208 GTi tries draw some inspirations from a legendary hot hatch in terms of driving characteristics and by a margin of a doubt, it is.



It's light, it's easy to drive, and in this all new "208 GTi by PEUGEOT SPORT", it's surprisingly very spritey indeed. The pre-facelifted 208 GTi has a 1.6L THP engine that produces 200PS of power output. This facelifted version has 208PS of power, 8 more than the old one, and 300Nm of torque. This results to a 0-100kph time of 6.5 seconds, .5 seconds quicker than the old 208 GTi, while retaining its 230kph of top speed.

Apart from that, the 208 GTi by PEUGEOT SPORT draws some cues from the limited-edition 208 GTi 30th Anniversary special variant such as the Torsen limited slip differential, recalibrated ESP and traction control that you can have it on or off on the go, redefined suspension geometry for lower centre of gravity, recalibrated steering, and new damper settings and spring rates, resulting to a hot hatch that is proven to be better than the best and for Gran Turismo fans, this is good news because if you have many things to hate about a hundred thousand or a million dollar supercar or an overpowered muscle car, consider this hot hatch one of the many things you'll love about GT SPORT.

So go on then, get giddy, you know you wanted to drive this hot Peugeot. Even I always wanted to drive a hot Pug like the 208. It's time to demonstrate just how much you'll love about the 208 GTi on a drive round Tokyo. Let's do this.



Impressed? I bet you are because with cars like these, there's no doubt you would definitely want to come back playing GT SPORT for some GT-exclusive rides like the 208 GTi.



Always wanted to say this but here goes, ahem, the Peugeot 208 GTi - A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE CAR.

Mirai no Bokura wa Shitteru yo

The long awaited second series of the Love Live! Sunshine!! sees the Aqours heroes in a middle of a all or nothing situation when they heard that their school, the Uranohoshi Girls High, is about to get merged with another school and shutting its doors for good. With the upcoming Lovelive complicating their schedules, the Aqours heroes will give everything they got to save their school and their reputation as school idols, no matter what lays ahead to them.

In honor of the second series, the new opening theme song has arrived and those who witnessed the beginning are rewarded with it.

Mirai no Bokura wa Shitteru yo

This new opening theme song is just one of the many reasons why we love listening to some Aqours songs for our free time, in fact, we even got our chance to play with it on the Love Live! School Idol Festival app game from EASY to EXPERT (or MASTER if it's here). Now that the full version of the second series' opening song is here, it's definitely worth the wait.

Be sure to keep watching the second series of the Love Live! Sunshine!! TV series to see what's next for the girls!

TRACK LISTINGS:

01. 未来の僕らは知ってるよ

02. 君の瞳を巡る冒険

03. 未来の僕らは知ってるよ(Off Vocal)

04. 君の瞳を巡る冒険(Off Vocal)

Project CARS 2: AMG GT R vs. COTA

For today's Project CARS 2 session, time to take the spin with the ultimate AMG track monster in one of America's most demanding racetracks in history, so demanding, it even hosted the USGP of the Formula One championship. I'm talking about driving the AMG GT R round the Circuit of the Americas.



Of course, you might ask that I have been awoken from the moment when you saw the AMG GT R driving round COTA before the USGP race started last weekend, with the world's fastest man riding shotgun, and that moment of seeing the beast of the Green Hell going around the Texas-based racetrack gave me the idea to do my thing here on Project CARS 2.



The AMG GT R is a high-performance variant of the AMG GT sportscar that uses an specifically tuned version of the AMG 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine that produces 585HP of power and 700Nm of torque while mated to a 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT. It does 0-100kph in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 318kph.

Apart from the speed it delivers, the GT R features a new active aerodynamics profile hidden underneath the body and when in RACE mode, the aerodynamics produces a Venturi effect, sucking the car onto the road and reduces the front-axle lift by around 40 kilograms at 250 km/h. It even has an active air management system which lets the louvers control the airflow, the AMG coil-over suspension that was suitable for track duty, active rear-wheel steering, AMG TRACTION CONTROL that isolates the grip on the driven wheels and does not affect the stabilisation provided by the ESP, rear-axle limited-slip differential, and speed-sensitive sports steering.



Listening to that crisp V8 exhaust note, despite the turbochargers, the GT R really is all bark and all bite and with all that motorsports knowhow deployed to this car, the GT R is an extreme track toy in its own right, although in the case of aggressive driving scenarios, best to watch out for any anomalies the GT R possess, like for instance, in the event of sliding, it feels like the steering's offline, making it difficult to regain grip through the corners during oversteering. Trust me, it happened to me but if you are experienced enough to ride this ride, you can do things no one else can in an AMG GT R. It may feel dynamic but the more you're driving it, the more you're having fun with it.

Well, with easier said than done, I made a little clip of driving the AMG GT R round COTA GP in a typical Mercedes-AMG test driver kind of way, just to have the sense of what is like driving it in an American Formula 1 circuit located in the Lone Star state.





Well, (chuckle) not the best I can do with it but it goes to show that even though the AMG GT R has some of the motorsport pedigree derived from the AMG GT3 racing machine, in an event of aggressive driving situations, you need to tread carefully or you'll be stuck sliding with the steering wheel offline while trying to regain grip. Still, I had fun driving AMG's latest offering round Circuit of the Americas.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: South Korea and China's defense ministers meet

The defense ministers of South Korea and China held their first bilateral talks in nearly in two years, taking a meaningful step toward re-establishing relations chilled by a standoff over the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo met with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan for about half an hour in the Philippines on the margin of a regional security forum, ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

But he did not elaborate what was discussed in the talks, citing a deal with China to keep related information classified.

Another official pointed out that such meeting between the two nations is meaningful in itself, as it represents both sides' desire to improve ties despite the THAAD issue.

South Korea and China are major trade partners with massive cultural exchanges. China's cooperation is crucial in resolving the North Korea nuclear issue.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (October 25, 2017)

- The Norwegian Government named a new special envoy to the peace process between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. The Oslo-based Idun Tvedt is the new facilitator of the Philippine government and the communist movement's armed-wing's peace talks.

- President Rodrigo Duterte will once again visit Japan this month for a three-day working visit ahead of two regional summits.

- US President Donald Trump will be visiting Manila on November 12 and 13 but will leave before the East Asia Summit, a key regional meeting involving leaders of over a dozen countries.

- Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made a sexual reference against members of the European Union weeks ahead of the expected arrival of world leaders in the Philippines for the ASEAN meeting. He spoke in front of the Filipino community in Britain, Andanar, inspired by his superior's tirade against the EU, criticizes the EU's lack of credibility which triggered Brexit last year.

- Congress is debating a bill that would extend US President Donald Trump's power to spy on American citizens for six years without needed safeguards against abuse. However, a bipartisan group of lawmakers strongly oppose the so-called Section 702 extension. On an unrelated note; a new bipartisan bill in Congress called the HONEST Ads Act will modernize disclosure laws for online political ads and help bolster the integrity of the election. The bill will improve transparency rules by recruiting big social media and online advertising sites to disclose who is paying for the ads, who is being targeted, and how much the ads cost.

- Mazda unveiled the Kai Concept and the Vision Coupe Concept at this week's Tokyo Motor Show, showcasing the future of their design philosophy.

Mazda Vision Coupe Concept

Mazda Kai Concept

- Nissan unveiled the IMx Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, which showcases full capabilities of ProPILOT and 600km of driving range in one full charge.

Nissan IMx Concept

- The Subaru VIZIV Performance Concept has been unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, previewing the next generation of Subaru's high performance sports saloon with cutting-edge driving assist features.

Subaru VIZIV Performance Concept

- Mitsubishi unveiled the e-Evolution Concept which illustrates the strategic direction of a renewed MMC brand that incorporates the strengths of SUV, EV, and the ability to integrate new systems for a connected mobility customer experience.

Mitsubishi e-Evolution Concept

- The Honda Sports EV Concept was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show

Honda Sports EV Concept

- Toyota showcases the Lexus LS+ Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, previewing the next generation of Lexus design.

Lexus LS+ Concept

- To prepare for the Yo-Kai Watch Shadowside film, hitting theaters this December, Bandai releases the toy replica of the one as seen in the film, called the Yo-Kai Watch Ogre. On sale this early December, the DX Yo-Kai Watch Ogre comes with the Fudou Lightning Sword that you can insert it to the watch. It comes with different sound and lighting effects every time you twist it.

DX Yo-Kai Watch Ogre
and Fudou Lightning Sword

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: UN adds 32 items of prohibited goods for North Korea

A UN committee has added 32 items that have both civilian and military uses to a list prohibited goods and technologies banned from sale or transfer to North Korea.

The committee that monitors sanctions against North Korea said in a report to the Security Council circulated Monday that the additions range from boxes that can be used to carry radioactive materials to continuous cooling systems, flash X-ray machines and seismic detection equipment.

A resolution adopted unanimously by the Security Council on September 11 imposed new sanctions North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests and asked the sanctions committee to come up with new designations of so-called dual-use items.

Other banned items include particle accelerators, "software for neutronic calculations," concentrated forms of nitric acid, equipment to detect, monitor and measure radiation, and "radiation-hardened television cameras."

Source: Associated Press

Let's Do The News! (October 24, 2017)

- US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his ASEAN counterparts discussed views on regional security during informal meetings in Clark, Pampanga. His spokesperson said that Mattis relayed his appreciation for the broad range of US-ASEAN security cooperation.

- According to Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr. President Rodrigo Duterte's tirades on the European Union will not affect the "robust" relationship between ASEAN and the EU.

- The Chinese government officially turned over three million dollars worth of heavy equipment to be used for the rehabilitation of the war-torn Marawi City.

- According to Senator Grace Poe, the graft charges against former Transportation chief Joseph Emilio Abaya and other officials "rests on solid grounds."

- China's Communist Party moved to confirm Xi Jinping's rise to becoming the country's most powerful leader in decades by amending its constitution to add his name and ideology. Xi's concept of "socialism with Chinese characteristics for new era" was added to the party constitution at the close of a twice-a-decade major congress.

- Singapore's Land Transport Authority announced that the growth rate for cars and motorcycles in categories A, B, and D will be zero from next year, according to reports.

- The 2018 Ford Mustang now comes with a Performance Pack Level 2 which comes with the same goodies as Level 1 but with major improvements, including a redesigned front splitter and rear spoiler, wider tires, custom tuned MagneRide dampers, quicker steering calibration, and many others.

2018 Ford Mustang GT Performance Pack Level 2

- Consumer Reports named Toyota and Lexus one of the most reliable car brands of 2017.

TTFN!!!

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - Hollywood Casino 400

The 2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup playoffs continue at Kansas for the Hollywood Casino 400 where the Round of 8 has finally set to those who are gunning for the title.

Before getting to know who made it to the Round of 8, let's find out what just happened around Kansas Speedway. In Lap 76, problems arise at the #42 car of Kyle Larson due to ECU malfunctions while Kyle Busch took Stage 1. In Lap 90, a problem has occurred in one of the tires of the  #78 car of Martin Truex Jr and with them swapped, he's back into action. In Lap 159, Denny Hamlin wins Stage 2. In Lap 188, Jimmie Johnson has slid out on the fourth corner and in Lap 198, disaster strikes when the #77 crashed through the wall followed by the #4 and the #20, and then a pileup occurred in the middle of the race.

Martin Truex Jr. secured the top spot for the Round of 8 and now the recent results;

1) Martin Truex Jr. - 4069pts
2) Kyle Busch - 4,042pts
3) Brad Keselowski - 4,026pts
4) Kevin Harvick - 4,017pts
5) Jimmie Johnson - 4,017pts
6) Denny Hamlin - 4,014pts
7) Ryan Blaney - 4,009pts
8) Chase Elliot - 4,006pts

The playoffs continue at Martinsville Speedway on the 29th.

F1 2017: US GP

The USGP of the F1 2017 season held in Circuit of the Americas at Austin, Texas, is a star-studded feast and behind all the glitz and glamour shining through the Lone Star State, this year's race never get as bigger as the state itself.

After all that star-studded moment to remember for F1 fans, Mercedes-AMG snagged their constructor's championship win and Lewis Hamilton nailed another win in his career while Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari placed 2nd and Kimi Raikkonen placing a dramatic third place after a dramatic dogfight between him and Max Verstappen from Red Bull at the final corner. Other finishers include Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz.

As Mercedes now gained a constructor's championship win, the fight for the driver's championship title between Hamilton and Vettel still rages on as the gap between them is now 66 points, 331 vs. 265.

Next race is at Mexico on the 29th of October.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: South Korean defense chief in PH for ASEAN meeting

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo arrived in the Philippines to join  regional security forum. He plans to discuss North Korea and other pending security issues with his counterparts from ASEAN countries and additional dialogue partners for a two-day meeting to open later in the day in Pampanga.

Song plans to hold trilateral talks with his American and Japanese counterparts, Jim Mattis and Itsunori Onodera, on the sidelines of the event. He is also pushing for a one-on-one meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan. The South Korean minister will also seek to drum up support for efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (October 23, 2017)

- Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and Baste Duterte, the first children of President Rodrigo Duterte, call for unity in a rally of pro-Duterte supporters and groups amid the political division in the country.

- The Malacanang Palace announced that they accepted the resignation of COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista and said that this would be effective immediately.

- ASEAN defense ministers condemned the Maute group and the Marawi siege which killed thousands and charred the one-bustling central district of the lakeside town hours after the Philippine secretary of defense declared the end of the siege.

- Typhoon Lan (Pablo) made landfall on Japan's Honshu island early Monday local time with winds moving up to 105mph. At least five people were hurt during the storm, according to recent reports.

- Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled the new JPN Taxi and it's on sale now at Toyota and Toyopet dealers starting at 3,277,800 Yen. The new model features a London cab-inspired design, LPG-hybrid powertrain that returns 19.4km/L of fuel economy by JC08 mode standards, and Toyota Safety Sense C. It comes with two trim models such as the entry-level Nagomi and the top-spec Takumi.

2018 Toyota JPN Taxi

- Porsche unveiled a new variant for the 911 called the Carrera T. Designed for grand touring in mind, the 911 T features standard PASM sports chassis, Sport Chrono Package, shortened shift lever, Sport-Tex seat centres, and rear-axle steering.

2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T

- In Game 5 of the 2017 PBA Governor's Cup, the Brgy. Ginebra is one win away on the title after defeating Meralco at the score of 85-74.

- The BBC announced that the celebs who are joining alongside 13th Doctor Jodie Whitaker in the upcoming season of Doctor Who are Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin. They also announced that Sharon D Clarke will be returning in the new season. The new season returns this Fall 2018 with ten episodes beginning with a feature-length hour on the season premiere.

TTFN!!!

GT SPORT: First ride

With the latest Gran Turismo making its debut on the PS4, looks like I am now back to the writing board to talk about the cars of this newest title and how they impress me not just by their looks but by how they react or feel on the track. First up, let's look at the car I obtained on my first day of gameplay with GT SPORT.



Sorry, a little dark with this picture but bear with me folks because this is the car I got on my first day of GT SPORT gameplay. It's the Audi TTS, a semi-high-performance variant of the third-generation Audi TT.

What is it then? The TT S is powered by a 2.0L TFSi petrol engine that produces 310PS of power output while mated with a choice of either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed flappy paddle that can do 0-100kph in 4.6 seconds and a top speed limited to 250kph. Apart from the power, the third generation TT S utilizes the MQB platform from every VW Group vehicle of today, and because of the next-generation Audi Space Frame, it's surprisingly lighter than the previous TT S model, and with Audi's signature quattro permanent all-wheel drive, it's capable through different road conditions, be it rain or shine.



It's quite surprising that everyone who's starting GT SPORT for the first time gets their hands on this but let's not get too excited because this car can get bitey because of its understeering nature. Despite this, the Audi TT S is a nice starting point for those who want to sample the twists and turns of the tracks offered on GT SPORT. It can be mild and tangy but it's the start of many things to come in GT SPORT.

So, care to see what I did with this on the Tokyo highways? Let's roll the tape and thank goodness, I made my first GT SPORT clip for this post.





Mild as I said but the TT S knows how to impress a beginner before setting off to check out some more cars and tracks offered in-game. Needless to say, before you head off to the big leagues, why not take some time to discover the cars and tracks in GT SPORT?  There's so much to discover before getting ready for the race of your lives so take your time before you raise a hand for a challenge.