Formula 1 Became More Exhilarating in the 2011 Season

Due to changes in technical regulations this season, there were more many overtakes than ever before.

Over the last few years, overtakings on the race track became the main worry for Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula 1 racing series boss. As his show gained popularity around the world it also attracted criticism for the lack of overtakings, and the subsequent bore that millions of viewers had to suffer.As a result, a few technical working groups were established in order to find a solution to that problem. And fortunately, it now appears that a solution has been found.

At the beginning of the current season that will come to a close on Sunday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, a new tire supplier, Pirelli,has been drafted to replace previous supplier Bridgestone. Before Pirelli started developing the new tires, Ecclestone gave them a short brief: make the tires last for the least amount of time as possible and make it so drivers will have to change tires at least two or three times in a race.Pirelli took notice and produced soft tires even on the hard compound (two tire compounds are mandatory for each race meeting) and the result was that we saw many more overtaking maneuvers in the first 18 races of the 2011 season.

Not only are the less durable being tires credited for this phenomenon, but also are the DRS mechanism and KERS system.DRS is a mechanism that allows a chasing car open up the rear wing on certain sections of the track in order to reduce drag and increase its speed and to complete the overtaking maneuver before the designated straight's end.And there was also the KERS system, which accumulates electricity during braking and can feed it back to an electric motor for a few seconds every lap and supplement the engine's output with an additional 80hp.

As a result of all these combined measures, overtaking became a common occurrence during the races. From the data summary, it's been found that there have been 1,436 overtaking maneuvers in all categories.When excluding overtakes categorized as 'Lap One' or because of damage, there have been a total of 1,180 maneuvers.The combined total of 'Normal' and 'DRS-assisted' moves - the indicator of what most observers consider to be 'clean' overtaking - is 804 overtakes. This gives an average of 45 normal and DRS overtakes per race. There have been 441 normal overtakes this season and 363 DRS overtakes; from the total of 804 clean overtakes, 55 percent were normal and 45 percent were DRS. 300 overtakes were on the three slowest teams by faster cars, with passes between team-mates accounting for 76 overtakes.The highest number of clean overtakes were recorded in Turkey (85), Canada (79) and China (67). The races with the fewest were Monaco (16), Australia (17) and India (18).

IAA 2011: Mansory BMW X6 M

The Swiss aftermarket specialists from Mansory bring to the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show their own interpretation of the BMW X6 M. The new aftermarket program follows the steps of the X5M by Mansory revealed and just like the X5 M twin, the Mansory BMW X6 M package includes an impressive power upgrade to around 670 HP / 493 kW and a 950 Nm of torque at 5900 rpm.

The Mansory BMW X6M can run from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds and can reach a top speed of 300 km/h.

At the front, the X6 M by Mansory showcases a redesigned front spoiler with larger air intakes and an extra light bonnet made entirely of carbon which, with its ventilation channels, optimizes air flow to the engine.

The car has 70 millimeters more width at the front and 80 millimeters at the rear.

At the back a newly designed skirt comes into play using an integrated diffuser which has room for four stainless steel exhaust pipes from the MANSORY sports exhaust system. A roof spoiler for additional contact pressure and a rear spoiler lip give the MANSORY X6 M more stability at high speeds.

Nearly all the aerodynamic components are fabricated by the engineers from high-tensile polyurethane (PU-RIM) and from prepreg autoclave carbon, characteristic of MANSORY. In the process, the preformed carbon-fiber parts are given a permanent shape in autoclaves by the effects of vacuum and heat which guarantees a perfect surface finish with low weight.

Enjoy the photo gallery!

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Hagwalah This: Saudi Bus Full of Passengers Drifting

Just when you think you have seen it all from Saudi Arabian drifters, along comes a fresh video to remind you that they will always find a new way to endanger themselves, the crowd and other road users.

So what's more dangerous than a Japanese sedan practicing Saudi style drifting known as 'hagwalah'? Why a bus full of people that insist on not wearing their seatbelts, of course!

2014 Kia Sorento Crossover's Updated Looks are a Secret No More

The refreshed for the 2014 model year Kia Sorento has been inadvertently revealed early as a completely undisguised model was photographed (allegedly) in its home market of South Korea.
The obvious bodywork changes concern the redesigned fascia with new headlights sporting "eyebrow" accents on top, a wider upper grille that now extends to the lights and a new front bumper with different air vents and upright fog lamps.

In a similar fashion, the rear end of the crossover model has been reworked and now features new tail lamps (possibly with LED fixtures) together with a redesigned tailgate and a tweaked bumper.

The rest of the body seems to be unchanged.

We still do not know for sure if and what kind of changes Kia will make to the crossover model's interior and engine lineup, but we...promise to tell you as soon as we find out.

First Official Photos of 2012 Seat Toledo Compact Sedan Leaked?

We knew that it was only a matter of time before the Spanish-flavored twin of the Czech Skoda Rapid sedan would make its debut in production trim, but the crew over at the Seat Fans Club speeded the process by dropping what we believe to be the first official photos of the new Toledo.

Not much has changed from the near-production Seat Toledo Concept displayed at the Geneva Salon this past March, with the Spanish brand simply replacing the upscale trim pieces from the study's exterior and interior like the grille surround, large alloy wheels and flat bottom steering wheel with more conventional pieces.

The website that posted the photos says that the production car will launch in Europe with a choice of four petrol engines, including a gutless 1.2-liter three-cylinder unit with 74hp (75PS) and 84hp (85PS), a more peppy 1.2-liter TSI turbo with 104hp (105PS) and a 1.4-liter TSI turbo with 120hp (122PS).

The diesel range is said to include a 1.6-liter TDI CR with 104hp (105PS) and from 2013, a 1.6-liter TDI CR with 89hp (90PS).

The new Toledo compact sedan will be offered with both manual gearboxes and a DGS dual-clutch transmission.

Like its Skoda Rapid twin, the Seat Toledo is expected to make its first public appearance at the Paris Motor Show this fall, with sales to follow shortly after.

Thanks to Bruno for the tip!

Classic 1960s Mercedes SL Pagoda Refashioned by Vilner Studio

Modifying an all-time classic such as the 1963-1971 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster, nicknamed "Pagoda" after its concave hardtop, is never an easy task but it is one that the crew over at Sofia, Bulgaria-based tuning studio Vilner is willing to take.

The design studio prepared the classic SL for one of its clients starting with the exterior that was finished in a warm clay color with a matte mocha hue for details such as the wheels and the racing decals.

The same two colors were used for the interior that was re-trimmed in leather from top to bottom, while Vilner also redid the décor as well as the roadster model's trunk.

As a final touch, the client asked Vilner to add Gentle Pagoda labels both on the exterior and interior of the car.