Honda All Ladies Race makes a historic debut at HOMR Season

Yet another chapter was added to Chennai’s Motorsport legacy when city’s riders Sarath Shankar Kumar, Aravind B and Rihana Reya clinched the respective championships to bring curtains on the 2015 Honda One Make Race Championship 2015 at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

Sarath Shankar Kumar from Ten 10 Racing, who came into the final read with an unassailable lead, clinched the CBR 250R Championship without having to take to the tracks on Sunday. His 186 points tally was built on the back of 6 consecutive wins including ‘a double’ at the Buddh International Circuit during Round 4. His absence from the grid was fully capitalized on by Ranchi’s Sumit Lucas Toppo (Pro Lap Racing) and Chennai’s Dinesh Kumar D (United Tech Torque Racing), winning Race 1 and Race 2 respectively. Sunday also witnessed Ten 10 Racing clinch the Team Championship for 2015 season.

The CBR 150R Championship escalated into a 3-way showdown between joint leaders Sivanesan S and Aravind B (from Chennai); and Kishoar VS from Coimbatore, who had started the day on pole position. However, in the final race, Aravind B edged-out Sivanesan to the second spot and claim championship glory after latter had failed to finish his race.  Kishoar VS, from Coimbatore, showed great composure to clinch both the races on Sunday, and finish the Championship on third position.   

In a step towards achieving a greater democratization of Motorsport, and to encourage more women participation, Honda today flagged-off the first ever Honda All Ladies Race in Chennai. Amid huge cheers, 10 women from all over India took to the grid for this historic race. In the end, despite Pune’s Pooja A Dhabi best-efforts, it was Chennai’s Rihana Reya who rallied brilliantly to jump two-places from her starting position and emerged triumphant in this inaugural race. Pooja finished second while Soundari (from Chennai) who finished third.

Picture Gallery: SKODA Superb

ŠKODA AUTO India has launched the third generation of its flagship model, the SKODA Superb at Rs 22.68 lacs (Ex-showroom Mumbai). The Superb will be powered by the new 1.8 TSI/132kW (180PS) and the 2.0 TDI/130kW (177PS). ŠKODA will reintroduce the exclusive Laurin & Klement (L&K) moniker which will be placed at the top of the model range. The new Superb will be available in 4 colours: Candy White, Brilliant Silver, Magnetic Brown, and Business Grey is available at all SKODA dealerships across the country.

Sharing a few pictures from the event:

Lewis Hamilton is the proud owner of £145,000 Porsche 911 Turbo S

The three-time Formula 1 world champion, Lewis Hamilton has added another sports car to his collection. He became the proud owner of a silver Porsche 911 Turbo S which retails in excess of £145,000.

The racer took his Porsche for a ride for a spin to Sugar Fish in Beverly Hills where he met hi friend for lunch.Lewis Hamilton put on a cool display in a striped longline t-shirt and torn light blue jeans.

Lewis's new car can reach a top speed of 205 mph and is capable of doing 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds. It is the latest addition to a collection which includes LaFerrari, Pagani Zonda 760RS, SLS Blackseries, Shelby GT500 and 1967 472 Cobra.

The world champion has had a busy week testing Mercedes' 2016/2017 car in at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Source

Suzuki win inaugural edition of India Baja with CS Santosh and Joshua Pramod

Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited began its off-road adventures this year on a high note, taking top spot in the Moto and third overall on the Quad at the inaugural India Baja 2016!

Baja, one of the most popular forms of off-road racing, involves 24 hours of racing on dirt tracks measuring more than 300 kilometres and poses the additional challenge of night racing, which changes the nature of the game significantly.

India’s top rally-raid rider, CS Santosh, piloted his Suzuki RMX450Z to deliver an incredible performance to win the Moto category of India Baja by a massive margin of over 58 minutes.

To add to that, Santosh’s team partner Joshua Pramod took his Suzuki Quadsport Z400 to finish third in the Overall Time classification as well!

The overall times for the event were as follows:
1. CS Santosh – Suzuki RMX450Z – 4:19:17
2. Jes David – 5:17:39
3. Joshua Pramod – Suzuki Quadsport Z400 - 6:07:25

Suzuki clearly dominated the proceedings with 2 of the top 3 overall positions!

Unveiling Video of the Ferrari 488 GTB sports car

Italian Luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari has unveiled the stunning 488 GTB model in India at Rs 3.88 crores (ex-showroom). 

The 488 in the car’s moniker indicates the engine’s unitary displacement, while the GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. The new Ferrari 488GTB is powered by a 3.9 litre, V8 turbo-charged petrol engine that comes mated to a 7-speed F1 dual clutch transmission. The engine churns out maximum 660bhp power output and 760Nm torque. 

The new Ferrari 488GTB can touch 100 km/h in just 3 seconds and 200km/h under 8.3 seconds. The car, which has a top speed of 330 km/h, is one of the fastest street legal cars available all around the globe. Sharing a few pictures of the beast, Ferrari 488 GTB.

Picture gallery: Ferrari 488 GTB

Italian Luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari has unveiled the stunning 488 GTB model in India at Rs 3.88 crores (ex-showroom). 

The 488 in the car’s moniker indicates the engine’s unitary displacement, while the GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. The new Ferrari 488GTB is powered by a 3.9 litre, V8 turbo-charged petrol engine that comes mated to a 7-speed F1 dual clutch transmission. The engine churns out maximum 660bhp power output and 760Nm torque. 

The new Ferrari 488GTB can touch 100 km/h in just 3 seconds and 200km/h under 8.3 seconds. The car, which has a top speed of 330 km/h, is one of the fastest street legal cars available all around the globe. Sharing a few pictures of the beast, Ferrari 488 GTB.

UberMOTO (two-wheeler) introduced in Thailand

Uber has introduced a new service in Thailand, UberMOTO. The company is now adding scooter taxis to its arsenal in Bangkok.

The new feature is a pilot program that began yesterday, just a few months after its auto-rickshaw service was shut down in India. Uber says, thanks to traffic congestion in Thailand -- about a 1,500 cars on the streets everyday, UberMOTO enables people looking to save time and money on short trips to book a ride on a motorcycle at the push of a button and enjoy the most affordable option available in Bangkok.

Uber users in Bangkok can now access the UberMOTO option in the app, just as they would a regular car. The riders meanwhile, are subjected to the same security checks as the company's taxi drivers, and will carry a spare helmet for the pillion rider.

Rides are priced at a 10THB (approximately US $0.3) base far, with 3.5THB (approximately US $0.1) for every subsequent kilometre, or 0.85THB (approximately US $0.025) per minute waiting. 

To celebrate the launch of UberMOTO, the company is giving away free rides to first time users. Simply key in BKKUberMOTO to get 2 free rides worth THB 100 each and is valid until March 15, 2016.

Source

Ferrari 488 GTB launched in India at Rs 3.88 crores

Italian Luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari has unveiled the stunning 488 GTB model in India at Rs 3.88 crores (ex-showroom). California T was the first model launched in India for Rs 3.45 crore by the company after its re-introduction. 

Mr. Sharad Kachalia, Director, Navnit Motors Pvt. Ltd. commented, “After receiving an overwhelming response for the California T and F12 berlinetta, we are excited to launch Ferrari’s new V8 model to meet the rising demand from our loyal customers and Ferrari fans in Mumbai.” 

The 488 in the car’s moniker indicates the engine’s unitary displacement, while the GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. The new Ferrari 488GTB is powered by a 3.9 litre, V8 turbo-charged petrol engine that comes mated to a 7-speed F1 dual clutch transmission. The engine churns out maximum 660bhp power output and 760Nm torque. 

The new Ferrari 488GTB can touch 100 km/h in just 3 seconds and 200km/h under 8.3 seconds. The car, which has a top speed of 330 km/h, is one of the fastest street legal cars available all around the globe.

Ferrari 488 GTB Specs:

• Engine : V8 turbocharged
• Displacement : 3902cc
• Maximum power : 492 kW (670 CV) at 8000rpm
• Maximum torque : 760Nm at 3000rpm 
• Maximum speed : 330km/h

Mercedes-Benz drives in ‘Edition E’ to commemorate the first ever ‘Made in India’ luxury sedan

Mercedes-Benz has launched a refreshed version of its highest selling luxury sedan in its portfolio, the E-Class. Termed as the ‘Edition E’, this luxury sedan marks the 20 years of the start of production of the famed E-Class, which has the unique distinction of being the first luxury car to be ‘Made in India’.

L-R_Mr.Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations, Mercedes-Benz India and Mr. Roland Folger, Managing Director with the Edition E class CEOMercedes-Benz India

The ‘Edition E’ comes with 8 airbags and apreventive occupant protection system as standard. The reversible belt tensioners for driver and front passenger seats are activated when a high collision impact/accident is detected. The NECK-PRO head restraints for the driver and front passengercan be activated in a rear impact; a spring mechanism moves the head restraints to reduce strain on the spine.

‘Adaptive brake lights’ is a unique safety feature that flashes red warning signal from the tail lamps when emergency braking is recognized. The powerful LED headlamps feature the Intelligent Light System that intelligently adapts light distribution as per the driving situation. 

The E 350 CDI “Edition E” comes with a parking package with 360-degree camera. The 360° camera projects the surroundings with a maximum of two views in the display. The Harman Kardon surround sound system includes a 9 channel DSP amplifier and 2-channel booster with an output of 610 watts combined with 14 speakers designed with Dolby Digital 5.1

The E 200 ‘Edition E’ is priced at Rs. 48.60 lakhs, the E 250 CDI ‘Edition E’ at Rs. 50.76 lakhs and the E 350 CDI ‘Edition E’ at Rs 60.61 lakhs (All prices are ex-showroom Pune)

The new ŠKODA Superb launched in India starting at Rs 22.68 lacs (Ex- Mumbai)

ŠKODA AUTO India has launched the third generation of its flagship model, the SKODA Superb at Rs 22.68 lacs (Ex-showroom Mumbai). The Superb will be powered by the new 1.8 TSI/132kW (180PS) and the 2.0 TDI/130kW (177PS). ŠKODA will reintroduce the exclusive Laurin & Klement (L&K) moniker which will be placed at the top of the model range. The new Superb will be available in 4 colours: Candy White, Brilliant Silver, Magnetic Brown, and Business Grey and will be available at all SKODA dealerships across the country from today.

L-R Mr. Werner Eicchorn, Member of Board, Sales and Marketing, SKODA Auto, Mr. Sudhir Rao, CMD, SKODA Auto India, Mr. Ashutoh Dixit , Director, Sales, Services and Marketing, SKODA Auto India (1)

The new Superb’s completely redeveloped chassis with MacPherson front struts and multi-link rear axle offers maximum ride stability in challenging situations. The new Superb is fitted as standard with Electronic Stability Control including Multi-Collision Brake, electronic Tyre Pressure Monitoring, eight airbags, five three-point seat belts with fastening alerts.

The boot capacity at 625 litres, is 30 litres bigger than in the outgoing model. The ŠKODA flagship now has a rear-view camera while the classic handbrake has been replaced with a Auto Held electromechanical parking brake. 

The new ŠKODA Superb is available with an electronic panoramic glass roof and auxiliary heating, a wireless heated wind screen and heated washer jets. The rain/light sensor wiper feature aids the driving comfort. Instead of one umbrella in the rear left-hand door, there is now an umbrella in each of the two front doors.

The system offers Bluetooth, FM radio, RDS, JPEG viewer, an SD-card slot, plus an Aux-In and a USB socket, both of which are located in the central console. The ŠKODA Superb L&K features the Canton sound system as standard twelve speakers.

Tata Motors announces new hatchback, TIAGO

Tata Motors new hatchback, much applauded at its first public showcase at the Auto Expo 2016, in New Delhi (Greater Noida), was renamed TIAGO. The company had announced the intent to rename previously named Zica as the right and responsible action following the hardships caused by the virus outbreak across many countries.

The #Fantastico Name Hunt commenced with a global crowd-sourcing initiative, inviting netizens, both within and outside India, to participate in the name hunt for the car. Within three days, 48 million enthusiasts engaged with the brand on social platforms with more than 37,000 car enthusiasts submitting their suggestions through social and mobile channels. TIAGO became the chosen name from the final three entries – Tiago, Civet and Adore that were opened up for the audience voting.

IO Walk IO Elite Review

Self-balancing scooters or more inaccurately yet commonly known as hoverboards are an incredibly dangerous trend. People have fallen off them, broken bones, gotten into terrible accidents, and the cheaper scooters have even been known to spontaneously combust. Still the demand for them is on a constant high, and for a good reason too – they're bloody fun!

The IO Elite instantly seemed like a much better option as compared to the cheaper scooters I had seen before, both in India as well as Hong Kong. Sure, it had the same indicators and switches, but the overall build seemed a lot more solid, and the rubber surface offered much better friction than what I had experienced earlier. It even came with a remote control to conveniently switch it off once done.

Getting on a self-balancing scooter always comes with a learning curve and though I had the (mis) fortune of trying one earlier, I had a slight idea of what goes into safely getting on and off. The whole things works on unconsciously shifting your body weight for movement and centre yourself for it to stop. It's actually quite simple once you get the hang of it, but the tricky part is to get on flat footed while maintaining your centre of balance.

The IO Elite had quite a powerful motor under it, which could easily handle my 80 kilos of heft. It claims to go as fast as 10 kph, but frankly I didn't check up on how fast I was going on it. It was quick to accelerate, which is something I had to get used to, but once I did, I could somewhat control the increase and decrease in speed.

In the handful of days I had the IO Elite, I wouldn't go as far as saying that I mastered it, but I did enjoy the time I had on it. It's fun, addictive and most importantly, safer than the cheaper unbranded options you get out there. The IO Elite costs Rs 50,000 and is completely worth it.