Without a doubt, one of the scariest moments in any motorcycle rider’s life is the split-second just before a high-side. This kind of accident often takes place after a turn is taken at high speed and the rider attempts to accelerate out of the corner. The rear tire loses enough traction that it slides out of line with the front wheel, then quickly regains its footing, snapping the bike violently upright. Almost always, this results in a nasty spill, making high-sides extremely dangerous.
This exact scenario played out during the qualifying round for the 250cc MotoGP race in Mugello. Honda rider Raffaele de Rosa was near the end of a fast lap when the bike lost traction and then quickly snapped back up, very nearly throwing de Rosa off the bike. Obviously a skilled rider, he was able to ride the bike as if it were some sort of rodeo bull, remounting the machine and returning to the pits. Truly amazing, and we highly recommend you click past the break to watch the video. Tip of the hat helmet to Karan!
A group of young men with nothing to do and little upstairs decided to get way more creative with an airbag. They strapped a ‘live’ airbag to a skateboard body and blew it up. For some reason, they thought it was a good idea to have one of the guys stand on two chairs with his legs spread apart when the safety device was detonated. The result of this stupidity is one helluva powerful blow to the male reproductive organs. We’ve seen some stupid stunts over the years, but this one has Darwin Award honorable mention written all over it. While you’re watching the clip after the jump, think about how much money you would pay to not have this happen to you, then think about the fact that this guy probably didn’t get a dime to ruin any chance at future offspring.
Barely a week after announcing the Evolution X FQ-330 SST, which features the six-speed twin-clutch SST transmission and a horsepower bump over the previous FQ-300, Mitsubishi Cars UK has announced a new flagship for the Evolution X lineup. The £49,999 EVO X FQ-400 will be the fastest roadgoing version of the Evolution lineup.
Performance-flagship status is conferred by the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine under the hood, which is rated at 403bhp and 387 lb-ft of torque. The power boost comes courtesy of racing-spec high-flow fuel injectors, a new turbocharger and intercooler, and a three-inch exhaust. The ECU has been remapped to help keep the FQ-400 docile at commuting speeds. Mitsubishi reports a 3.8-second 0-62mph run, and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph (249 km/h).
Mitsubishi’s rally-bred Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) gets the power to the road. Active stability control, center differential and yaw control are on hand to constantly monitor and enhance the EVO X FQ-400’s handling. The S-AWC system has three driver-selectable modes for a choice of three different road surfaces; tarmac, snow and gravel. The FQ-400 also has a widened track and the suspension is lowered 30mm. Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks are installed. The Alcon brakes are also modified, with floating sealed discs, lightened components and high-performance pads.
The FQ-400 is set apart from the rest of the lineup visually by its lightweight 18-inch nine-spoke wheels and Toyo Proxes R1R tires. Hood vents and a composite front bumper with extra lighting and HID headlamps give the FQ-400 the look of a roadgoing rally car. The side skirts are made of composite materials. The massive exhaust exits at the center of the rear bumper’s carbon fiber diffuser. The EVO’s trademark roof-mounted “Vortex Generator” and a rear wing that incorporates a gurney strip are also part of the visual package.
Inside, the FQ-400 sports Recaro seats, a carbon fiber shifter and a unique handbrake handle. Standard equipment includes Bluetooth phone connectivity, a 30-gig hard drive for the sound system, DVD satellite navigation and automatic headlamps.
The question of whether the rest of the world will get to experience the explosive performance of the FQ-400 has not yet been answered. We can only hope!
In keeping with Mitsubishi’s FQ tradition abroad, the automaker has developed a new model to fit in between the standard FQ-300 and the insanity known as the FQ-400. The Mitsubishi Evolution FQ-330 (almost) lives up to its namesake by delivering an additional 29 hp (up from the standard Evo’s 300 hp) and an additional 22 lb-ft. of torque for a total of 322. The sprint to 60 mph drops accordingly, with 0.3 seconds shaved from the standard cars 4.7-second time. The minimal powertrain changes consist of a reworked intake, high-flow down-pipe, exhaust and catalytic converter and a re-mapped ECU to make use of the breathing mods. As it’s name would suggest, the FQ-330 is equipped with Mitsubishi’s new six-speed Twin-Clutch Sports Shift Transmission (TC-SST), and the whole packages only commands a £3,000 premium over the standard Evo, at £35,999. Jump for all the details.
When it comes to driving deity Ken Block, words fail. So we’ll keep this brief. Make the jump for the full video of Gymkhana Two, the sequel to Block’s highly successful Gymkhana Practice flick from last year. We don’t want to spoil the surprises, but the new car control epic is rife with original stunts, mythical feats and more sideways, tire-smoking action than ever before. We’ve also posted two more videos after the break, including footage from the premiere party we attended last week and a short audio clip that puts you next to Block as he does a few donuts in his Crawford-prepped STI around the sound man. It’s stellar stuff and it’s all available below the fold.
Sebastien Loeb went to Argentina and did some dancing that wasn’t the tango. The WRC champion performed a demonstration with his Citroen rally car that was reminiscent of gymkhana. Although it’s a little repetitive and nowhere near as mind-blowing as Ken Block’s gymkhana session, it is clear that Seb knows his way around the barriers and over the jumps.
