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Category Archives: motorsport
MOTORSPORT: A history of Toyota’s heartbreaks at Le Mans, Part 02
In Part 01, Toyota ended 1992’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with a second place finish, their best to date, in the TS010. Surprisingly, a 3.6-liter Toyota 92C-V fielded by Trust (GReddy) based on the older generation of Group C racers took … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: A history of Toyota’s heartbreaks at Le Mans, Part 01
This week we learned that Toyota’s Le Mans curse remains firmly in tact, having robbed the team of what seemed like a sure-fire victory. The loss, due to a comically unfortunate mistake perpetrated by another team, prompted President Akio Toyoda … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Drifting is now an FIA-sanctioned motorsport
If you are a fan of both professional motorsports and drifting, your day has come. FIA, the federation that sanctions the likes of Formula One, World Rally Championship, and World Endurance Championship — of which 24 Hours of Le Mans … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Toyota 86 sets world record for the most drifting
Lest you forget what Toyota’s neo-hachiroku is about, the 86 just set a new alleged world record for longest non-stop drift. This is not the first time this has happened; the previous Guinness-certified world record was set in 2014, also … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Why Toyota needs to win Le Mans this weekend
One of the world’s great motoring contests, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, takes place this weekend. Toyota was already a strong favorite to win, but now even more so after Kamui Kobayashi pulverized the track record during his qualifying lap. If he wins, it … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: A giant cutout commemorating the Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo is up for grabs [UPDATE: It’s been claimed]
For years a giant, 15-foot-wide image of Nissan’s championship GTP ZX-Turbo prototype racer has been displayed at the automaker’s marketing agency’s offices in Los Angeles. That piece of history is now up for grabs, completely free, but the catch is … Continue reading
Mitsubishi does not need subwoofers and TV screens
The news that Mitsubishi was seeking West Coast Customs to recreate their first car, the 1917 Model A, was pretty disappointing. Here’s a friendly reminder that Mitsus don’t need useless gimmicks to be cool. That is all.
MOTORSPORT: Honda Civic Racing History
The Honda Civic was a giant slayer if there ever was one. Rarely in history has one model done so many things so well. One of those things was racing, a facet of the Civic rarely covered in Western media. … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Inaugural Mazda Miata Heritage Cup inducts MX-5 into vintage racing world
Vintage racing offers a glimpse into the past — a fantasy world in which all the most interesting and beloved cars don competition equipment and make music on race tracks. It’s like Downton Abbey for car enthusiasts. Needless to say, we at JNC … Continue reading
RIP John Surtees, 1934 – 2017
The world of motorsport lost one of its true legends last week. John Surtees, the only person to win World Championships in both motorcycles and automobiles, and an important player in the emergence of Honda as a racing power, died … Continue reading
VIDEO: Celicas, Civics, RX-7s and Sunnys, racing together, in modern times
Last month in Australia was the Bathurst 12 Hour, an enduro packed with Nissan GT-Rs, BMW M6s, Vipers, Porsches, and Lamborghinis duking it out for supremacy. Nobody cares, though, because the supporting races, filled with JNCs, were about a million times more … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Tomiko Yoshikawa, pioneer in Japan’s racing world
In honor of International Women’s Day, this is the story of Tomiko Yoshikawa, a race car driver and pioneer in the Japanese racing world. Born in 1954 in an Aichi Prefecture, Yoshikawa was a self-described furyou shoujo, a “bad girl” … Continue reading
VIDEO: Nissan R381 “Monster Bird” at Fuji Speedway
Nissan built the R381 race car, affectionately known as the Monster Bird, specifically to prevent the equally monstrous Toyota 7 from winning the Japan Grand Prix. At last year’s NISMO Festival Nissan took the car out for a spin around Fuji Speedway, mixing … Continue reading
VIDEO: Toyota puts the Drift King behind the wheel of his first true love, a 4AG-powered AE86
Keiichi Tsuchiya’s love for the Toyota AE86 is well documented. Though he got his start with the Hachiroku, he’s since driven everything under the sun as co-host of Best Motoring and even scored a class win with an NSX at the 24 … Continue reading
VIDEO: Racing Beat at the 24 Hours of Daytona
The passing of Racing Beat cofounder Jim Mederer dealt a blow to the community of rotary and Mazda enthusiasts. In remembering the accomplishments of Jim and his shop over the years, we were reminded of the magnitude of their contribution to … Continue reading
VIDEO: Watch Adam Carolla hillclimb Paul Newman’s 300ZX
The Drive just concluded their video series following Adam Carolla’s journey to England as he enters his freshly restored, ex-Paul Newman Nissan 300ZX in the Goodwood Festival of Speed‘s hillclimb. Restored in the UK (a proper British restoration, not one of … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Nissan pays tribute to the R32 GT-R at Bathurst
Nissan Australia does some pretty cool stuff Down Undah, things we can only dream of in the States. For example, they take the Altima racing, but instead of cheesy stunts punking normal schlubs, the Aussies turn them into actual race cars by … Continue reading
RIP Tony Adamowicz, 1941—2016
American racing driver Tony Adamowicz (above, third from left) has passed away at the age of 75. Over an accomplished career, he drove just about every type of car imaginable in every type of race imaginable. From Dodge Challengers in Trans-Am to … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: The Prince R380
While other Japanese historic racing cars generate equal amounts of enthusiasm and respect, one particular car has sat in relative obscurity for many years. Known only to a few otaku but integral in both the rising dominance of Japanese cars on … Continue reading
VIDEO: The age old battle of Skyline vs Rotary
Skyline vs Rotary. It’s one of the oldest rivalries in Japanese motorsports, ever since Mazda snatched the Skyline’s widely expected 50th touring car victory in 1972. The folks at Best Motoring have recreated the battle, with tributes to the works Hakosuka GT-R and Savanna … Continue reading
