Ken Block Scares DC Dudes on Halloween!

Check out this video of Ken Block doing what rally drivers love most – scaring passengers who've never done any serious rallying! The DC crew includes legendary motocross champion Ricky Carmichael, epic snowboarder Devun Walsh, and innovative BMX rider Allan Cooke, as they experience rally driving school, Ken Block style. The video was filmed at the Team O'Neil Rally School in New Hampshire. Take a look at how each of these guys hold up with Ken in the driving seat... horn!!!

Croft Welcomes Roger Albert Clark Rally

Croft Circuit will play host to two special stages in this year's epic Roger Albert Clark Rally on December 3rd. The 20-stage retro rally will take place in the forests of North Yorks, Kielder, the Borders, Dumfries and Cumbria from December 2nd to 5th and will feature some amazing historic rally heroes, including  Ford Escort MKIs & MKIIs, Porsche 911s, Lancia Stratos, Vauxhall Chevette HSRs and Mini Coopers to name but a few. Ace eh? To launch the event, Croft are having a gathering of some of the vehicles entered on Tuesday November 22nd, for the media. We hope to make it... and wish the event every success.

New Lotus Exige spotted at Nürburgring

Short and sweet-sounding spy video sent to us from the Green Hell of the new Lotus Exige being tested, pretty flat out. Looks fast, flat handling and fierce... as you'd expect. But it has a lot to live up too from its bigger brother. What do you think?

British Rallycross: Gronholm on two wheels

Marcus Gronholm, two-time WRC champion, came to Britain earlier this year to take part in the thrilling British Rallycross Championship, in the Best Buy Ford Fiesta Mk7, with fellow driver David Binks, at Lydden Hill in Kent. The record crowds had a serious treat, as Gronholm showed why he's one of the best rally drivers on all surfaces of all time... with a series of phenomenal wins, despite getting the beast of a Fiesta on two wheels, and nearly rolling it, as you can see in this ace video! What an amazing save eh?! And he went on to win! Hero! You can read a report and see some brilliant images of the day in our artile by the team racers, David Binks and Marcus Gronholm, in the latest FREE issue of Road magazine here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_20_small

Corvette C6.R @ Laguna Seca Helmet Cam

Want to know what it looks, sounds and feels like to pilot a 6-litre, 470bhp, 535lb ft, 1245Kg monster of a V8 Corvette C6.R – as featured in the latest FREE issue of Road magazine, here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_20_small  – then check out this awesome helmet camera action from the American Le Mans race at Mazda Laguna Seca 2011. How good does that V8 sound? Handful too...! And read the ace www.ashleyvandyke.com in the latest Road Magazine from the leading Corvette team perspective in Road Magazine. Just click on cover image in the right hand tool bar or follow the link above. And find out more about the awesome Corvettes at www.corvetteracing.com

New VW Polo GTI Video

Nice video of the new VW Polo GTi messing around in the snow, looking good. You can read what we made of the twin-charged (super and turbo) fast and frugal pocket rocket in the latest FREE issue of Road Magazine... via: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_20_small

FREE Monthly Road Magazine Live now!

The latest, 100% FREE, top-notch monthly issue of Road Magazine is live now via http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_20_small. This month, we finish the 2011 motorsport season in style, covering GT racing on American asphalt and gravel spitting here in the UK, with none other than ex-WRC hero and personal hero, Marcus Gronholm: First up, we’ve got two times WRC champion, Marcus Gronholm and north-east ace driver, David Binks, taking on British Rallycross Championships at Lydden Hill in Kent in the awesome ‘Best Buy’ Ford Fiesta Mk7. It's serious stuff. Then our sassy Road Magazine American correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke, follows a top team of Corvette drivers in the six-hour ModSpace American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca... GT Car action at its Stateside best? Finally, Road snapper, Neil Denham gets to grips with some new VW’s – the excellent 170PS Polo GTi, revised Amarok pick-up and the all-new Passat TDi, with BlueMotion technology. But are they any good? Take a peak, share it with a friend and enjoy it, all FREE!

ŠKODA Win 1st FIA WRC Title in 110th Year

ŠKODA has won its first FIA World Rally Championship title in its history, after the Red Bull ŠKODA Fabia S2000 crew of Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula (Finland) secured victory on the last rally of this year's Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) – the RACC Rally de España (20-23 October). The world title is a fitting climax to this year's celebrations marking 110 years of ŠKODA motorsport. Run on a mixed surface of both gravel and asphalt, the Rally de España was the longest round of this year’s WRC – with 252.59 miles (406.52kms) of competition spread over three days and 18 special stages in the Tarragona region of north-east Spain. Hänninen drove faultlessly to finish 1st in S2000 and 10th overall to clinch the title, his first at WRC level. His experience, skill and speed paid dividends, as did the reliability of the Fabia S2000, as Hänninen had to change his strategy and drive more tactically after his main SWRC title rival, Ott Tänak (Estonia), retired on the opening day. With one eye on the title, Hänninen continued to set excellent stage times and remained focused throughout to finish 14.9 seconds ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar) and be crowned SWRC champion in style in Spain. Juho Hänninen: "This is a perfect day for all of us and an excellent achievement, one of the milestones of my career. Everything worked perfectly, and although we didn't have to play it risky, we were at the head of the pack throughout this rally. I wish to thank all those who've been helping us on our way to this achievement. We have been provided with all necessary conditions and resources to be able to put in first-class performances, and the World Championship title is a sweet reward for all of us." Raimund Baumschlager, head of the Red Bull ŠKODA team: "Today is a very special day for all of us. Juho has showed his calibre by putting in a technically precise and mature performance here. Moreover, he has been the fastest driver of the season, putting in the most consistent performances of all the drivers. We are really proud of this achievement!" Many congratulations ŠKODA!

UK's 1st National Motorsport Show: Motorsport UK

There's a new show on the UK motoring calendar – the first 100% dedicated to British motorsport – MotorSport UK, "The National Motorsport Show." The new event will be held at the Jaguar Exhbition Hall in the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on November 5th and 6th and will be promoting all types of national racing. The aim is to help get more people into British motorsport. A host of yet to be confirmed motorsport stars will be in attendance from different racing disciplines, and there will be a huge range of trade stands featuring the latest in race, rally, karting, hill climb, off road, motorcycle and track day equipment. And on the live stage, Road buddy and TV star, Gemma Scott will be conducting a series of interviews. Fans will also be able to get up close and personal to some stella UK motorsport cars, like the Speedworks Toyota Avensis NGTC Touring Car. Show Founder and Organiser, Martin Capenhurst explains: "Over the last few years a great number of people I have spoken to have told me there is a need for a motorsport show that breaks down the barriers for new competitors to enter motorsport. MotorSport UK will be an event that allows enthusiasts and competitors to identify and take the next steps in their motorsport careers." Tickets are just £12.50 per day in advance (£15 on the door), £7.50 for under 16s and £30.00 per day in advance for a family of 4 (two adults and two children, or £37.50 on the door) and are available at www.motorsportshow.co.uk. Parking for show visitors is FREE. www.roadmagazine.co.uk and www.roylemedia.co.uk will be there to welcome and report on this new pro-motorsport event. We both wish the organisers every success.

Top Gear Live signs Sabine Schmitz

Ring queen and Road pal, Sabine Schmitz is set to race a prototype Bowler EXR against a Rage Buggy, in a series of super-charged, high octane challenges on the indoor track, when Top Gear Live returns to UK arenas this November. Sabine will be displaying the unique driving skills that have won her legions of fans from across the globe in a battle of the off-road racing cars where the 500 bhp Bowler EXR will put it through its paces against the nippy Rage Buggy. The powerful Bowler EXR is the first of three cars the German racing driver will send around the track during an all-new 80-minute spectacular, taking place in addition to the live theatre show hosted by the Top Gear presenting trio. The EXR being raced at Top Gear Live is a prototype of Bowler’s fourth-generation model and is set to continue the British brand’s reputation as one of the world’s most formidable rally raid participants. Based on Land Rover technology and with up to 500bhp, the EXR will sprint from 0-60 mph in just 4.2 seconds, and with noise and drama on-tap Sabine is sure to enjoy getting behind the wheel of this great addition to the Top Gear Live show. The legendary Ring racer became a friend of the Top Gear TV show having challenged Jeremy Clarkson to a series of races around the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife. Her most famous exploits came when she took a Ford Transit around the track in 10 mins 8 seconds, a record for an un-modified van. Top Gear Live takes place this November at Birmingham’s NEC (11-13) and ExCeL London (24-27). To keep up-to-date and for the chance to win exclusive behind the scenes experiences, keep an eye on facebook.com/TopGearLiveUK, Twitter @TopGearLiveUK and www.topgearlive.co.uk

Tickets for the show start at just £49. For more information about the show or to book tickets visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or call 0871 230 5588.

2000bhp Rolls Royce Dragster!

Here's something you don't see every day... an 8-second quarter mile Rolls Royce Pro Street car with over 2000bhp, capable of 200mph in 6.9s! The beast luxury dragster is filmed here in the UK at Santa Pod Raceway. Just watch the bad boy launch and hear that burbling 9.6-litre twin turbo V8 on the start line. Simply awesome British drag racing eccentricity! We love it!

McLaren MP4-12C: Nurburgring Testing

McLaren chief tester, Chris Goodwin and Pirelli Test driver, Rudi Adams take the awesome MP4-12C for some testing at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, in this nicely shot and edited video, which certainly shows the car's pace and poise. No full lap video yet, but there's talk of a sub 7m28s lap from germany's Sport Auto magazine! Jees... impressive.

MLR Night Sprint

  The MLR (Mitsubishi Lancer Register, www.lancerregister.com) held a sprint with a difference this weekend – the MLR Sprint Series final, held at Teeside Autodrome, on Saturday night. The sprint, which featured a huge range of Mitsubishi Lancer Evos and a few other cracking sprint cars (including a Mk2 Escort, BMW M3, Peugeot 205 and TVR Griffith), took place in fabulous evening dusk sunshine at 3:30pm right up until 10:30pm at night, under floodlights. Big fun was had by all the typically flamboyant MLR drivers, as you can see by visiting this photo link (by MLR's Daz): http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=391851 . We applaud you MLR – one of the most active, imaginative and fun car clubs in the UK. Got a Lancer? Then join up with like-minded enthusiasts... 

Automotive PR Offer from Royle Media

Got an automotive brand or company that needs to be heard? Don't want to spend a fortune on an effective PR & marketing campaign? Want direct, 1-2-1 customer service from industry experts with over 15 years national media and PR experience? You need www.roylemedia.co.uk. Royle Media specialise in offering affordable, high-impact, innovative and creative PR solutions for automotive brands. Perfect press releases, amazing eye-catching design work, social media campaigns, website and brand development, media coverage and consultations... it's a one-stop-shop for all your automotive PR needs. Contact Phil today via the Royle Media website and give your company the recession boost it needs, for a lot less than you might think, or have been quoted elsewhere – as Mitsubishi Motors, Castle Combe Circuit, Chevron Racing Cars, RMA Track Days and many others have discovered. Quote 'Road offer' to get special introductory rates.

Colin McRae Metro 6R4 Big Moment: Donegal Rally 2006

Following on from the last clip... check this out. Throttle mended, the 6R4 is flying. Watch as Colin and Nicki get into their perfect stride around the 2:30 mark of this stage, really flying down the narrow Donegal stages, back end sliding on every turn. The stage gets mighty complicated after this point, with the Welsh Wizzard gunning out the notes like a machine gun (impressive stuff!). Then a seriously quick high speed section calls, into a narrow, slippy, rutted braking area... enjoy! "That was lucky," was the typically understated response from Colin, as they narrowly avoid a huge one. Nicki just laughs! Pair of nutters. We love it! Fabulous interior and exterior shots and editing bring this clip alive. Wowzers!

Colin McRae Jammed Throttle: Metro 6R4, Knockalla. WOW!

Its been too long since we ran a video of much-missed Road buddy (we co-drove with him!), Colin McRae, in combination with the awesome co-driver, the Welsh Wizard, aka Nicki Grist... the very best of British rallying. It's a classic, on a true giant of a rally stage, Knockalla on The Garrygort Stages Donegal, Ireland. Sadly, the throttle jams on the beast of a V6 in the Metro 6R4... which slows them, for a bit... Pump it up and sit and watch the dream team at work in 2006. Heroic stuff... R.I.P Colin.

Nissan R35 GT-R V Lamborghini Murcielago Drag Race

Take the launch out of the equation, and do a rolling start race from 10mph-120mph and which is faster in a straight line drag-off? Nissan's giant-slaying GT-R with its six-speed double clutch transmission and 480bhp 3.8-litre turbocharged V6? Or the mighty Lamborghini Murcielago, with its six-speed manual 'box and 6.2-litre 580bhp V12? Will raw power and engine size win over transmission choice? Old school or new school technology? Turbocharged or normally-aspirated? Italian exotica or Japanese tricks? Big money hypercar, or best value supercar ever built? (By the way, the Nissan is a tad heavier...) Tough call eh? You decide, then watch... place your bets now.

VLN 2011: The Best of Sabine und Klaus

Want to know what it feels, sounds and looks like to be in the front of the viscous VLN Championship pack? Thought so... Then watch this, as Ring queen Sabine Schmitz and burger king partner in crime, Klaus Abbelen – both masters of the Green Hell, and Road friends – fight for supremacy on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, in their Porsche GT3 monster, prepared by Frikadelli. Simply awesome, especially at the 5:30m mark of this edited video, with serious contact and a great dog fight with a fellow 911 on the GP circuit, continued onto the north loop. Go Sabine! Go!

World 1st: Driver's Eye View in F1 car!

Ever wondered what it's really like to strap in and hang on to an F1 car? Then check this out... the world's first driver's eye view from the cockpit of an F1 car, driven by Lucas di Grassi, testing at Barcelona. He said: "I had to drive with only one eye open as the camera was blocking my other eye, quite tricky!" A-M-AZING!

Walter Röhrl - The most amazing onboard ride

One of the best (if too short) bits of on-board rally footage we've seen for an age... naturally, from the legendary Group B era, with hero Walter Röhrl, showing us how to handle the monstrous Audi Quattro.... the best sounding rally car ever?

Ken Block & Olympic medalist Torah Bright in Mk2 Escort

Bear with this one... as Olympic snowboarding gold medalist, Torah Bright, gets to grips with rallying at an American rally school deep in the woods, and learns well. Then the oversteer master steps in, in a Mk2 Escort, Mr Ken Block, and the feel fun begins... seems like Colin McRae's love of Mk2's rubbed off on Ken after they met, as he has his own now... and it sounds goooood!

Porsche Cayenne Trans-Siberia

With some awesome generic Porsche motorsport footage to begin with, then the story of the Cayenne's off-road success in the epic Trans-Siberia rally, covering some 6,600Kms, this is another cracking Porsche video...

Citroën & Pixie Lott: Behind The Scenes

Pixie Lott and Citroen's DS3 Racing star in the pop star's latest video, 'What do you take me for' featuring Pusha-T. Here's some behind the scenes action. Not so much about cars, but well worth a look folks! To watch the music video in full, head to http://www.facebook.com/citroenuk

Top Gear Supercar Showdown Images

Wowzers! How nice is this image? And there's more to see from this incredible Top Gear magazine supercar showdown shoot, on some of the world’s best driving roads, like Italy’s Stelvio Pass. The fabulous, ultimate car magazine shoot included: The fastest production ever, the Bugatti Veyron Supersport, in its first-ever performance car showdown. Ferrari’s new FF. The McLaren MP4-12C. Porsche’s finest ever 911: the GT3 RS 4.0. Jaguar’s new XKR-S. Ariel’s mental Atom Mugen. BMW’s new accessible thrill machine, the 1M Coupe. The Ford Mustang Boss Laguna Seca. The Zonda F. And a few more besides. Altogether, the cars had a combined value of £3,718,090 and some 6,071bhp on tap. Imagine the insurance premium on that! The team then threw the keys to The Stig, and asked him to decide which he liked best... lucky bas***d! You can have a look at the images from one of the most ambitious shoots ever attempted by Top Gear magazine, and you can now download some high-quality examples and wallpapers at http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/wallpaper-2011-09-29. Got to be worth doing, right?

RMA Mega Post Goodwood Revival Track Event 2012

More 2012 RMA Track Day news... proving why they are "the king of track days." They have designed a stella 2012 "Track Day Extravaganza" event, designed to follow the ace Goodwood revival meet. It all starts at Brands Hatch full GP circuit 17th September, where Top Gear Live stunt star, Paul Swift will be teaching his neat car tricks in an autotest, where you get a chance to beat him and win champagne. And there's a lunch in the Jackie Stewart suite. Then it's up to a Road fav, Donington Park on September 18th, with a lunch in the fabulous museum. Finally, it's to the home of British motorsport, Silverstone, for a track day, with a secret guest speaker from the British Racing Drivers Club at lunch. All three days will see Ring queen Sabine Schmitz and RMA race ace, Leyton Clarke on tap for tuition, and more attractions will be added, to make this awesome event better still. Road rentals including Audis, Porsche, Ferraris and Bentleys will be laid on and you can also book track day rentals from Caterhams, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and more (at additional cost, obviously). The RMA are also arranging hotels and B&B's to suit all budgets, from as little as £30 PN, so you can share the experience with like-minded individuals. The cost of this incredible event? £1,995 including VAT, with additional drivers at £595 and passengers at £195. To top it all off, RMA are offering hospitality packages for the Revival meet at Goodwood, to get the ball rolling. Can you think of a better way to spend a week? Answers on a postcard please...
To book, or make enquiries, visit www.rmatrackdays.com

Final 2011 RMA Track Day With Michelin

Road Track Day Operator of choice, www.rmatrackdays.com, have just one more event this year – at Silverstone's GP Circuit, Thursday 13th October. The RMA crew will be based out of the new F1 paddock and wing, and will be joined by partners, Michelin – offering a unique opportunity to test their new Pilot Super Sport against its competitors. RMA track hounds will be able to drive identical cars, one Michelin-shod, the other not... and see the difference for themselves. And former Michelin tester, Steve Dolby will be on hand with his expertise. The RMA has also set its first 2012 dates – the staple Brands Hatch Indy, 28th March, from £249, 102 dB(A), and the more exclusive fabulous, historic and hard-to-get Le Mans Bugatti Circuit, August 18th and 19th. That'll be a special one. And there will be Spa-Francorchamps dates up here soon too, so stay tuned. Looks like another vintage year ahead of first rate events from "the king of track days." We'll be there. Will you?

Pixie Lott Hits The Track With Citroen DS3 Racing

The stunning, uber-talented, sexy, sassy Pixie Lott just got hotter – taking to the track with Citroen's DS3 Racing. The triple-platinum selling singer-songwriter took the special edition DS3 Racing for a spin in her new music video for single What Do You Take Me For. Featuring U.S. hip-hop artist Pusha T, the new track, out 7 November, is taken from Pixie’s forthcoming second studio album, Young Foolish Happy. The first single, All About Tonight, debuted at number one in the UK Singles Chart – Lott’s third UK number-one. Directed by Declan Whitebloom, the video is a high-energy sequence of contemporary dance with both Pixie and Pusha T putting their best feet forward in an explosive and upbeat performance.
Pixie fans wanting to be among the first to watch the video can head to Citroën UK’s Official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/citroenuk) on Friday 7 October. Marc Raven, Citroën Communications Director, commented: "Citroën’s association with Pixie is a great way to introduce DS3 to a younger generation of music lovers. Having the video on our Facebook channel is also a fantastic way to reward our loyal fans – almost 70,000 of them and still growing. The new single is a stand-out track, full of energy and fantastic performances – the ideal environment for DS3 Racing." Developed by WRC winning team Citroën Racing, the special edition DS3 Racing fuses sporting pedigree with bold styling, racing inspired design, an uncompromising choice of premium materials and extensive equipment specification. The turbo-charged 207bhp engine delivers a 0-62mph time of just 6.5 seconds, and at the same time is environmentally responsible with 44.1mpg fuel efficiency and just 149g/km CO₂ emissions. Pixie Lott is a 20-year old multi-award-winning artist from London. She rose to fame with her June 2009 debut single ‘Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)’, which went straight to number one in the UK charts. Her debut album produced five consecutive Top 20 singles.  In February, Pixie was awarded Hottest Female in the 2011 Virgin Media Music Awards. And, based on the picture above... who's to argue.

Is This Really Work? Part II

More reasons to make yourself feel sick while you sit at your Mac or PC today. Here's another great 'job' – testing the new 530bhp 6.0-litre V12 Aston Martin Zagato, at the Nurburgring. How good does this car sound? Again... nice work, if you can get it...

Is This Really Work?

Is this the best job you can imagine? Being paid royaly, to be a Porsche test driver, in the latest gen 2012 Porsche 911, in the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle, -31C, in advance of its launch at Frankfurt Motor Show this year. Warm and cosy inside your Stuttgart steed, drifting... in the name of R&D. Nice work, if you can get it. Some people don't know they are born...

Falken's First 2011 ALMS Porsche Win

Thanks to model, Road reader and Falken pit girl, Olivia Korte, for sharing this very cool video of Falken's racing activities in America, in their stunning Porsche GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans series. Loving the livery, and the choice of paddock ladies! Great result at Lime Rock for the team too.

Mugen Honda Civic TYPE R UK-Spec 240HP

Here's a neat video of the Honda Civic Type R, fettled by Mugen, with 240bhp on offer and a raft of aero, suspension and braking modifications to make a great FWD car even better. And you can read about our road trip to the Nurburgring in the Mugen Civic, done by Travis drummer, Neil Primrose here FREE: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_19_small

Forge Summer Performance Car Action Day 2011

In case you missed the mega event in September, here's a great video of Castle Combe's Forge Motorsport Summer Performance Car Action day. More than 1,400 cars on display and out on track, from over 100 car clubs, made it one of the biggest shows of performance cars in Europe. And wit track demos by the Time Attack and UK Drift Championship cars, excitement was guaranteed. Add in BTCC stars, V8 Hot rods and cars competing for car of the show, and you have a stella event, supported by Forge Motorsport, Tarox brakes, Kenwood, Eibach Suspension, Pipercross filters, Scorpion exhausts and Lichfield Imports. Get booked for 2012...

RSR Nurburg VLN Training

Road buddy, Ron Simons from Ring tuition mecca, RSR Nurburg in action in his Lotus CUP260 hire car, and also John Moffat driving their RSR 997 GT3RS, giving two potential VLN Championship drivers a spot of tuition. Watch and learn. And read about Travis drummer, Neil Primrose's trip to see RSR in the Mugen Civic in the latest FREE issue of www.roadmagazine.co.uk here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_19_small

Little Chef Goes Electric

One of Britain's most iconic roadside brands, Little Chef, are going green on our asses... rolling out the biggest deployment of high technology electric vehicle (ev) charging points by a restaurant worldwide, across its UK estate. The project is being carried out in partnership with SSE, the leading generator of renewable energy and Chargemaster Plc, Europe’s most innovative provider of charging technology. Initially, 126 charging points will be fitted to Little Chef diners, then the rest of the chains. Eventually, this will mean 90% of the UK will be no further than 30 miles from a Little Chef equipped with an ev charging point. The vision is for every Little Chef to have an ev charging point by the end of 2012. There is an increasing number of electric cars on the country’s roads and over the next three years major motor manufacturers including Vauxhall, Ford, Renault, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes and Toyota will have plug in cars on the market. And by the end of this decade it is widely forecast that one in ten new cars will be electric. Little Chef is the first national restaurant chain to recognise the need to provide roadside ev charging facilities to service the requirements of this growing band of ‘electric’ motorists. The service will be provided free of charge (until December 2012). Little Chef’s Managing Director, Tracey Mulligan comments: "This represents an important stage in the brand development of Little Chef, we recently launched a completely new brand identity and introduced a top quality grab and go foodoffering, designed for today’s motorist. Our approach to ethical sourcing of our food is absolutely in line with offering electric car charging points. This is just the first phase, we want every Little Chef to offer this service for motorists and are working with the best in the market place, Chargemaster and SSE to deliver this." Norman Baker, Transport Minister said: "I welcome this big thinking from Little Chef, giving a taste of the future in the move towards a first class national recharging network for plug-in cars. It is great to see another example of UK enterprise coming forward to make the most of the opportunity."

Top Gear Live Olympics: Moped Chariot Racing & Car Curling

The wacky, irreverence continues with the forthcoming Top Gear Live show at its new home at London's ExCeL – 24th-27th November – as Clarkson, Hammond and May plan a series of bizarre car olympics, including moped chariot racing and car curling! "Since none of us managed to get tickets in the Olympic ballot we thought we’ll do our own running, skipping and throwing event but with cars…and flames…explosions…and motorised chariots and things," commented Jeremy Clarkson. In a cross between Chariots of Fire and Ben Hur, Clarkson, May and Hammond will compete in the first ever Moped Charioteering Race. Designed by the boys and powered by a bank of four 125cc mopeds, each chariot features easy to misunderstand controls and is capable of ‘dangerous’ speeds. Then there's Car Curling... full-size cars on castors, a target and a powerful motorised sweeper operated by Captain Slow. Other wacky events include a version of that most traditional of English village fair games, Splat the Rat. Here, remote controlled cars will replace the stuffed toy rat target with the boys attempting to crush them in their mechanical weapons of choice. Failure to come first or second will not result in a bronze medal though….the producers have something rather special planned. A spokesman said: "Spanning more floor space than ever, Top Gear Live 2011 promises more petrol-induced mayhem, tyre-squealing noise, exotic metal and mad-cap stunts than ever before. And it’s double-bubble this year as not only will visitors enjoy the traditional mad-cap Arena Show with Clarkson, Hammond and May, they’ll be entertained by an 80 minute Track spectacular on the specially devised Top Gear Live track. The Lotus Motorsport configured tracks will feature a non-stop schedule of noise and action including the new McLaren MP4-12C, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari 599 GTO, McLaren F1 and Aston Martin V12 Vantage." The Top Gear Live event takes place at Birmingham’s NEC and ExCeL London this November (11-13 and 24-27 respectively). Other highlights on the track will include demonstrations from friends of the show Sabine Schmitz, Tiff Needell, Derek Bell plus a unique rendition of Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car with special guests including Radio & TV presenter, Chris Evans. To keep up-to-date and for the chance to win exclusive behind the scenes experiences, keep an eye on facebook.com/TopGearLiveUK, Twitter @TopGearLiveUK andwww.topgearlive.co.uk. Tickets start at just £49. For more information about the show or to book tickets visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or call 0871 230 5588. Looks like a lot of laughs for any petrolhead...

Volvo Drifting: Naughty but Nice!

This is seriously cool: Naughty but nice! Some dude pro driver takes to the snowy streets of Sweden in his Volvo 940 2.3 Turbo and really, really enjoys himself... check it out! The in-car shots half way through and towards the end are very cool. Good old Go-Pro. And the Gossip tune is perfect!

2011 Petit Le Mans Finish: Amazing GT Battle

There was a clear win for the Peugeot 908 at the 14th annual Petit Le Mans, scoring points over the Audi R18 making its American debut, at Mazda Laguna Seca, in the American Le Mans Series. But that was dull compared to the GT class racing. Check out this video which defines close race finishes! Awesome...

Rally France 2011: Kris Meeke Crash

Kris Meeke had a bit of a mare in his MINI WRC en France this weekend, crashing out of the Rallye D'Alsace, after a bit of trouble with set-up and a basic error it appears. Bad luck Kris. Maybe GB will be your chance to show off what the Prodrive MINI can do? Meanwhile, Sebastian Ogier in his Citroen DS3 WRC capitalised on Loeb's exit on Friday with a first victory on his home soil, or should we say tarmac! Now there's all to play for with just Spain (October 20th) and Great Britain (November 10th) to go, and only three points separating the two French Sebastians and their DS3's and Mikko Hirvonen in his Ford Fiesta WRC, also three points adrift of Loeb. It's going to be a gripping last two events. Can Loeb be put off the top spot in these new-breed WRC cars? Or will the master triumph again, setting a new record? Read all about it and see the best videos here...

Scion Racing Team Track Day : California

Seriously cool video of some mega race, rally and drift cars enjoying the many delights of Willow Road Course in Rosamond, California, with the Scion Racing teams. Driving with the regular Scion Racing crew was new team member and X-Games Gold Medalist Bucky Lasek. Good times! Thanks to our Road reporter in the States, www.ashleyvandyke.com for this one...