Tag: driver

Report: Is BTCC driver Gordon Shedden the Stig?

Filed under: Motorsports, Celebrities, TV/Movies

Would BBC’s Top Gear enjoy the same worldwide popularity and near-universal adoration without the silent mystery of its apex-hunting white knight, The Stig? Hard to say in earnest, but we’d like to believe the answer is “no.” After all, the Clarkson blarney can get irritating after prolonged exposure, but solving the riddle of the current Stig is always fascinating.

All of which is why our ears perked right up when we heard that the latest man behind the white helmet may have been revealed as Scottish racing driver Gordon Shedden. Shedden might not be a household name here in the US, but British racing fans will undoubtedly recognize the Scot as the reigning British Touring Car champion and pilot of the Honda Yuasa Racing Team. The 34-year-old driver, nicknamed The Flash, was first called into question as The Stig when it became known that he was the pilot of the 130-mile-per hour Honda racing lawnmower (in this video) that was subsequently featured on Top Gear.

British newspaper The Daily Record out and out asked Shedden if he was the current Stig, to which the driver told the paper, “I don’t think anyone can say that. At the end of the day, it is just a person in a white suit. It’s more about the myth about Stig than who it is.” A practiced non-answer, non-denial if we’ve ever heard one.

Is BTCC driver Gordon Shedden the Stig? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: F1 driver underestimates talent needed for wet-weather burnout

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Ferrari, Humor, Russia, Racing

Whoops. That’s a word nobody wants to hear in racing, and that’s especially true in Formula 1, where the cars cost untold millions to design, develop, build and operate. In other words, just about any ‘whoops’ is an expensive ‘whoops.’

Kamui Kobayashi, who made his F1 debut in 2009 driving for Toyota, has always been known as a bit of a wild card in the sport. He is notoriously difficult to pass, driving as he does with seemingly reckless abandon, and he’s not afraid to get tangled up with the world’s best drivers in the world’s fastest race cars.

That brash attitude sometimes serves him well. Other times… well, not so much. See what happens with Kobayashi tries to show off in a Ferrari F1 car for fans on a wet track in Moscow in the twin videos below.

Continue reading F1 driver underestimates talent needed for wet-weather burnout

F1 driver underestimates talent needed for wet-weather burnout originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jul 2013 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Arrest warrant issued for NASCAR driver Mike Harmon

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal

Mike Harmon

The next step in the off-track saga involving NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Mike Harmon and Jennifer Jo Cobb has been taken, with arrest warrants issued for Harmon and business associate David Novak. In May, Harmon was charged with stealing a car hauler and other goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from Cobb’s shop, and after saying he didn’t steal them and maintaining his innocence, seven of the stolen vehicles were found on two of his properties that same month.

The issue is an acrimonious commercial separation with Cobb on one side, Harmon and Novak on the other. Harmon drives for Novak’s team – and Cobb did too until last year – and Harmon and Novak allege that the stolen property actually belongs to the team, but Cobb took it. Novak and Cobb are in court over the matter, but when a judge declined Novak’s request to have Cobb return the property, it appears he worked with Harmon to get it back the five-finger way.

Harmon and Novak have been charged with breaking and entering, as well as larceny after breaking an entering. At the time of writing, neither man had been arrested, the hauler still hasn’t been found, and as for the cars that were recovered it’s been claimed that they were stripped and are worth something like $10,000 apiece, a steep drop from their original reported value of $150,000 apiece.

Arrest warrant issued for NASCAR driver Mike Harmon originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: José Froilán González, Ferrari’s first F1 race-winning driver, passes at age 90

Filed under: Etc.

José Froilán GonzálezJosé Froilán González, the first driver to win a grand prix race for Ferrari, passed away at the age of 90 on June 15, 2013.

The Argentinian, who was born on October 5, 1922, recorded his historic victory in 1951. The race was at the Silverstone circuit in the UK, and González defeated the legendary Alfa Romeo driver Juan Manuel Fangio, a five-time world champion. González competed in a total of 115 races, winning 46 times, including once at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and was also a successful driver of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow cars when they took part in Formula Libre events in Argentina.

González, who had been nicknamed El Cabezón (Fat Head) by his fellow racers, is survived by this wife, Elena. A full obituary can be found here.

José Froilán González, Ferrari’s first F1 race-winning driver, passes at age 90 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Pickup driver tries to run motorcyclist off the road

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Motorcycle

pickup driver road rage

Pickup driver tries to run motorcyclist off the road – Click above to watch the video after the break

What’s worse than a sportbike-mounted motorcyclist passing a slower-moving vehicle in an area where there are double-yellow lines, indicating that passing is prohibited? The answer, as you’ll see in the rather shocking video pasted after the break, is retaliation from the driver being passed.

A motorcyclist in Bracken County, Kentucky, was out for a ride with a friend on a beautiful Sunday afternoon when he came up on a red Ford F-150 with an ATV in the bed. The truck was moving at a slower speed than the motorcyclists, so the lead rider decided to pass. We’re not going to try to defend the biker crossing in what is clearly a no-passing zone, but that doesn’t excuse what happens next.

The driver of the pickup truck appears to swerve sharply in an attempt to run the motorcycle and its rider off the road. We’re not mind readers, but there’s little doubt that the driver’s intent was to cause the rider to crash, or at least to scare the living daylights out of him. For the next several minutes, the pickup driver gives chase, using both his lane and that of oncoming traffic. At about 4:20 into the video, the pickup driver nearly hits another innocent motorcyclist head-on.

Finally, after about five minutes of hopelessly reckless driving, the pickup catches up to the lead motorcycle, who had stopped and dismounted at a stop sign. Confrontation time – with what appears to be a metal pipe in the hand of the pickup driver. As you would expect, a heated argument ensues in which the pickup driver somehow claims he’s in the right and that he’s – get this – allowed to drive like a maniac because he “grew up on these roads.”

The whole sordid affair ends with a phone call to the police, but according to the local riders from R6-Forum.com, the police, for reasons completely unfathomable to us, have yet to respond. Check out the complete video after the break with your own eyes, but beware, it includes some potentially NSFW language at the very end.

Continue reading Pickup driver tries to run motorcyclist off the road

Pickup driver tries to run motorcyclist off the road originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: GMAC Insurance test suggests one-in-five drivers would fail driver’s test

Filed under: Etc., Safety

driving fail

Our roadways are filled with crappy drivers. It’s an unfortunate fact that we take our lives into our hands every time we strap on a seatbelt and head out on the open road. But at least we all have passed the most basic test of driving skill, right?

Sadly, according to a recent test carried out by GMAC Insurance, a driver’s license may not mean what we think it means. Apparently, one-in-five drivers would fail their driver’s test if they had to retake it today. Such simple rules about what to do when approaching a yellow light and how much distance to leave in between the car ahead were answered incorrectly by a shocking three out of four drivers.

After three consecutive years at the bottom of the list, New York drivers managed to move up to 45th, leaving the District of Columbia to earn their spot as the worst drivers in America. Kansas drivers scored the highest. In other us-versus-them news, men managed to score a significant six-percent better than women, and drivers between the ages of 60 and 65 scored the highest.

Check out the complete press release after the break for more interesting tidbits, and feel free to take a simple test yourself at the GMAC Insurance website.

Continue reading GMAC Insurance test suggests one-in-five drivers would fail driver’s test

GMAC Insurance test suggests one-in-five drivers would fail driver’s test originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Cost to insure a new UK driver? Nearly $10,000/year

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Earnings/Financials, UK

L Plate on a Suzuki Samurai

According to The Daily Telegraph, young drivers in Britain can pay as much as £546 per month for auto insurance. That’s around $890/month at current conversion rates. The report indicates that UK drivers between the ages of 17 and 22 years old pay an average of £5,957 – around $9,640.

And you thought it was expensive to get car insurance for your child.

Why the steep price tag for UK drivers with Learner’s tags? It’s no shock to learn that young drivers carry a higher risk of being involved in an accident than their elder counterparts, and as such, insurance companies assign higher premiums to the group. Unfortunately, as a result of these tough insurance prices, it’s estimated that as much as 20 percent of UK drivers between the ages of 17 and 22 are driving without any coverage at all.

Additionally, around 41 percent of UK parents are currently insuring their child’s vehicle in their name to cut costs. Unfortunately, doing so is illegal, and insurance companies can refuse to cover a claim if they find that parents have been fronting insurance for their young drivers.

So what’s the solution? The Daily Telegraph reports that some insurance companies are turning to a black box that measures g-forces from sudden acceleration, braking and cornering, as well as the time of day that the vehicle is being driven and its speed to custom-tailor insurance premiums. Similar measures are being undertaken here in the States as well.

Cost to insure a new UK driver? Nearly $10,000/year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Venezuela issues its first-ever driver’s license suspension

Bus in Venezuela

Venezuela might be seen as something of a hooner’s paradise. Gas is free 12 cents per gallon, drivers’ rights reign supreme, and traffic law enforcement is practically nonexistent. Maybe that’s all changing, though. This week, Venezuela’s national police chief, Luis Fernandez, held a press conference to announce the first-ever suspension of driving privileges for one of its citizens.

41-year-old Ramon Parra was found to be operating his bus in excess of posted limits. It also had too many passengers. Oh, and one of the rear wheels was in the aisle with the passengers instead of on its axle, where one normally might expect to find it. As for Parra, it’ll be a year before he gets to climb behind the wheel again.

Venezuela issues its first-ever driver’s license suspension originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 May 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Italian bus driver fired for driving with elbows while using two phones

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Safety, Videos

Bus Driver with two cell phones in Rome

Bus Driver with two cell phones – Click above to watch video after the jump

The Italians sure do know how to live. Their vehicles are more beautiful, their meals more delicious and their bus drivers more distracted. Just take a look at the video after the jump to see what we mean.

While jostling through the hectic traffic of Rome (of course it’s in Rome, where else?) this particular driver took the time to attempt to set up his email on a new smartphone while speaking to customer service on a second handheld device. That’s right, this guy was rocking two phones at once while ferrying a load of people through the city streets.

Now, you may be wondering exactly how the mechanics of such a situation would play out. Our enterprising pilot took to steering the bus by using his elbows. According to The Guardian, the company that owns the bus service has suspended the driver pending a full investigation. Still, it’s terrifying to know that this guy is likely still behind the wheel of his personal vehicle. Click past the break to see the full video for yourself.

Continue reading Italian bus driver fired for driving with elbows while using two phones

Italian bus driver fired for driving with elbows while using two phones originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video]

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos

State Farm driver feedback app

State Farm Driver Feedback app for the iPhone – Click above to watch video after the jump

Somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind is the desire, surely Freudian, that “I’d like more input and feedback on how I drive, even to the grocery store.” Or, at least, State Farm believes that’s how some of you feel since it has just released a Driver Feedback app for the iPhone that will give you just that.

Invoking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, State Farm says, “Three of the riskiest driving behaviors are hard acceleration, hard deceleration, and hard swerves.” Using the iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer the app will keep track of the trip and how hard or soft your acceleration, braking and cornering and then issues a score for each category. The complete game-ification of safe driving means that you can also compare your trips and scores, and share with others.

We aren’t sure what the criteria are for measuring Light vs. Moderate vs. Severe actions, but if anyone must know it’s State Farm… right? If you need more convincing, check out the short video after the jump.

Us? Well, let’s just say we remain… unconvinced.

[Source: State Farm via cnet]

Continue reading State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video]

State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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