Dakar Rally Champion Cyril Despres

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Meet Red Bull – KTM enduro rider, Cyril Despres. Cyril was born to two restaurateurs in France before moving to Paris to work on motorcycles. He began riding Enduros in 1998 becoming the French champion during his first year. Despres then sold 6,000 bottles of wine to fund his first trip to the Dakar rally in 2000. Cyril has since won the Dakar Rally four times in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2012 tying him for the most wins. All of his Dakar win money goes to support a school for 324 children in Africa. Red Bull released this promo video of Cyril as he prepares for the upcoming 2013 Dakar.


Source: Red Bull on YouTube

Mach 3 Shockwave Model

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Here is more evidence that science and art are not mutually exclusive. It’s a supercomputer model of the shockwave formed when an aircraft hits Mach 3 which is three times the speed of sound. Aerodynamics is still one of the most complicated things that we try to model. Air is a compressible fluid with many codependent variables. Its temperature and pressure can affect that amount of water vapor it can hold which in turn effect its density. Combinations of these variables can actually change how fast sound can travel through air. Unlike the speed of light, the speed of sound (Mach number) is something that has to be calculated based on air conditions. All of these things get even more complicated when we study how air moves. That’s what makes this model of a Mach 3 shockwave made by Swiss scientists using the latest in computer technology so remarkable. The model has two layers: density changes followed by the vorticity magnitude. I’m making an educated guess here, but I think vorticity magnitude is how chaotic the turbulence in the shockwave is. The two models are then broken down in more detail and overlaid on each other. Most of the science is way over my head, but I think the remarkable thing to pay attention to is the formation of the vortex ring.


Source: Physics Central APS on YouTube

1969 AMC AMX-Cess – Big Muscle

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This week’s episode of Big Muscle features a 1969 AMC AMX whose owner, Jimi Day, lovingly refers to as AMX-Cess. It’s a car that he fell in love with while working at a body shop as a kid. The host of Big Muscle, Mike Musto, says the hardcore AMC guys are going to be initially excited that they featured an AMC but then they’ll get mad when they realize there’s not much of the original car left. The AMX-Cess is powered by a GM Poerformance Parts LS3 under the hood with a Keisler 5-speed transmission, Ford 9 inch rear end and Ridetech suspension system. Jimi built it this way because he wanted a car that handled well and would be fun and reliable for track day thrashing. Mike ends up liking the car so much that he says it’s in the Top 2 of cars that he’s driven for the show.


Source: DRIVE on YouTube via BANGshift.com

Audi Quattro GmbH Factory – Motor Trend

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Motor Trend gives us an inside look at the Audi Quattro GmbH (the German equivalent of our LLC Limited Liability Company) Factory. This is where all of Audi’s top of the line sports models have been built since 1983. They are currently responsible for the RS3, RS4, RS5, RS6 and R8. Everything from the aluminum stamping to the painting and final assembly are done in-house.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube

Drag Boat Racing – Hot Rod Magazine

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Mike Finnegan of Hot Rod Magazine takes us into the world of drag boat bracket racing. He built the 1,160 horsepower jet boat that his friend is using to compete at the highest level of the sport. The point of bracket racing is to get as close to a bogey time as possible without going too fast. Finnegan and his friend Jeff are competing in the 9 second bracket. The guys do a good job talking about what it takes to tune the engine power and water jet pressures based on the heat, humidity and water smoothness of the track. It’s something similar to drag racing cars but completely different at the same time.


Source: Motor Trend on YouTube