Hara Upsets the Field

The latest round of the Euro Touring Series has just wrapped up at the Dutch MACH circuit, with Atsushi Hara making a rare appearance in the series. Starting from the 4th spot on the grid, Hara was able to take advantage of his raw horsepower (clocking in at a mind boggling 115+ kph/70+mph) on the long backstraight. It was the debut race for the new Hot Bodies TCX platform and Hara clearly reminded everyone why he is still a contender at any event he attends.

Listen to ETS co-organizer and race director, Scotty Ernst, make the call on A2.

Photos and video courtesy of RedRC.net. See more info/photos here.

GO FASTER

Go Faster, The Graphic Design of Racing Cars by Sven Voelker. With sound bytes like "...war paint and visual anarchy," you know it's going to be good.

A fascinating vignette about the nature of motorsport livery and the evolution of necessity.

"You'd never guess it, but these big toys for big boys were at the height of their design during the 1970s – by sheer chance. Mechanics and team members – not designers or marketing strategists – adorned racecars with all of those flashy stripes, logos, numbers and colors prevalent at any Formula 1 race today. After compiling more than 100 examples of sleek cars from this glory age, Go Faster-author Sven Völker takes us for a joy ride at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart for a whip-fast lesson in competitive war paint, visual anarchy and piggish car designs."

And thanks to our colleague, Andy Cruz at House Industries for the original link.

Images courtesy and copyright of Gestalten and Sven Voelker.

STARK + INTERSECTIONS = 21st Century SOAP BOX RACER

Although it's technically NOT a work of motorsport engineering , it's still a marvel. Industrial designer, Phillipe Starck, has created a very memorable one-off soap box-style racer, with all of the typical eye for detail that one would expect from Starck. Elegant lines, quality materials and built for both style and speed.