In 2011, team Luk Jao Mae Khlong Prapa of Dhurakij Pubdit University Thailand set a new record at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia by traveling 2,213.4 km on one liter of fuel - beating the previous year's record by almost 700 kms. It was a feat no one thought was beatable. But a year later, the team from Thailand returned to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and proved that they can go further.
Equivalent of driving from Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi in just one liter of fuel, team Luk Jao Mae Khlong Prapa beat their 2011 record by a further 689.6 kms at the Shell Eco-marathon 2012 with a mileage of 2,903 km/l. Meanwhile, Proto from the De La Salle University - Manila (DLSU - M) and TIP Mileage from the Technological Institute of the Philippines (IP) also took home awards for the country.
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Motorsports
Words by Niky Tamayo
Some people say he has terrible taste in shoes, and that he sold out when he spanked a monkey in his last movie. Which may or may not be true. All we know for sure is, he’s called Ken Block.
Motorheads across the world have thrilled to the antics of Ken Block over the past few years and the build up in frenzy for each new Gymkhana film is matched only by the furore over Jeremy Clarkson’s waggling jowls on camera. Yet, after the gimmicky, overproduced Gymkhana 4 failed to capture the raw horsepower and adrenaline of Gymkhana 3 (the most-viewed DC Shoes Commercial to date), the question was: “What’s left?” What could be bigger than having the huge Universal Studios lot as your playground?
I know! Let’s try closing an entire city down for a few days’ worth of hooning! San Francisco, say hello to Gymkhana 5.
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Flynn Jackes is not your typical 9-year-old boy. He races go karts in his free time and began his racing career back in 2010 at the Castrol Champions of the Future karting program - the grassroots karting program of Tuason Racing School (TRS). And last July 1, 2012, Jackes made history by winning the Asian Karting Open Championships (AKOC) - Mini Rock Division in Macau. He was also the only Filipino to finish in the top three spots of the karting series.
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This July 4 to 7, 2012, 134 student teams from 18 countries all over Asia and the Middle East will line up on the grid at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia to see who can travel the farthest on a single liter of fuel. This is the 2012 Shell Eco-marathon Asia.
Six university teams from the Philippines will be participating in this year's competition. The roster includes De La Salle University - Manila, Technological Institute of the Philippines, University of the Philippines - Diliman, and University of San Carlos. Last year, the University of the Philippines’ Team Kidlat won the Diesel Fuel Award under the Urban Concept category by achieving 60 km/L with their car. Meanwhile, the Mapua Institute of Technology won second place for the Safety Award under the Prototype Category and ran 186 km/L of gasoline. The Philippine contingent surely hopes to do one better this year.
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Motorsports
On the 80th running of the most prestigious endurance race in the world, a hybrid qualified on pole for the very first time in history. Bearing car number “1”, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro driven by André Lotterer achieved the fastest lap of 3m 23.787s in the final qualifying session of the 24 Heures du Mans 2012 last Thursday. Lotterer will share driving duties with Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer - the same group who won the race last year.
"The car was running like it was on rails, simply incredible," said the 31-year-old German, which allowed him to improve on last year's best time by nearly two seconds.
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Motorsports
Words by Jopet Tocino
Although it's true that electric-powered cars have been around for quite some time now, the common misconception about them is that they aren't as good as their gas-powered counterparts. Well, at least in terms of performance. Enter the Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution.
The i-MiEV Evolution is the latest Frankenstein to come out from the workshop of Mitsubishi Motors Company (MMC). Set to compete in the upcoming 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this July, this is surely one electric car that's made to give petrol-power a run for their money.
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Motorsports
12 May 2012
End of an Era: Carroll Shelby passes at 89
Words by Niky Tamayo
The first inkling that British lawmakers had that speed limits might be a good idea was a day back in 1963 when a small British sportscar with a big American engine did 185 mph on the fabled M1... or so the story goes. In 1965, Ford produced a limited run of high-performance Mustangs, co-built with the small racing shop that built that 185 mph monster. They leased a number of these to Hertz Rent-A-Car, calling them the GT350H. These rental racers were so good that some came back from customers with the engines swapped out. When Hertz returned the whole consignment, even more of the cars had had those upgrades... borrowed.In the early 60’s, the Ford GT40 racing program, borne of Henry Ford's hate for Enzo Ferrari, was faltering. But in 1966, that same small racing shop straightened out the racing program, and the GT40 came in first, second, and third at LeMans.
Such is the legend of Carroll Hall Shelby. Responsible for some of the most iconic cars in history. Sadly, the great man passed away last May 11, 2012 at the age of 89.
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Tuason Racing School (TRS), the longest-running and only professional racing school in the country, is making the grassroots of racing even more accessible by setting up their very own go kart track in the south. Welcome to Global Karting Westgate (GKW), the first and only race track to feature a bridge and tunnel in the country.
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