OFF Road Adventure –

To compete in one of the world’s most difficult rally events, the 2007 TransSyberian Rally, Porsche Cars of North America (PCNA) will be fielding three specially prepared Cayennes. Beginning August 3, and covering 3,850 miles of forest, desert, mountains, and plains, the route will pit the Cayennes against 47 other entrants on the 15 day expedition from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

The 2008 Porsche Cayenne S TransSyberia vehicles used for the rally have had a set of special safety equipment added in preparation for the rally. Based on the standard Cayenne S, the race vehicles remain mechanically identical to their street-bound parent right down to the stock 4.8-liter, 385 horsepower V-8 engine. Each participant is fitted with a full rollcage along with racing-style seatbelts, auxiliary lighting, and skid plates, among other features.

The rally will be composed of t more »

2008 has come and gone, many things have changed. We elected the 44th and first black president of the United States, the economy has sunk to a historical low, we’re all living in shacks and looking for new jobs. One thing hasn’t changed however and that is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Yes indeed no matter how things change you can always count on the Sturgis Rally to lift your spirits. This year being the 69th is set for August 3rd – 9th. Are You Ready! Don’t count on the world stopping and waiting for you, it’s time to make your plans. Before we know it, August will be here and we’ll be right back in the middle of Main Street madness and partying mayhem, loving every minute of it!

Many of us begin planning for “next year” soon after leaving “this year”. The excitement and memories are hard to let go, new friends are made and old acquaintances are renewed, de more »

Rally cars race on different courses from other motor sports: rather than racing on a specially created circuit, as for example with most Formula 1 races, rallies take place on public roads, from surfaced roads to rough dirt tracks or mountain roads.

The second main difference between rallying and most other forms of motor sport is that instead of competing directly in head-to-head races round circuits, rally cars compete indirectly over timed stages, setting off at regular intervals in an attempt to record the fastest time. Rallies consist of a number of stages and the team with the fastest time at the end of the final stage win.

The final major difference between rally cars and the cars used in most other forms of professional motor sports is that the rally cars in which drivers race are very close in design to production cars that the public drive in everyday life – indeed, rall more »

ABYSMAL ROTTEN ROADS – A HIDDEN BLESSING

DR SUDHAKAR NATARAJAN

Next time you bump along the strategically placed pot holes on the abysmal roads at a snail’s pace, don’t curse your fate. Our lives will be much easier if we accept the situation, that is beyond the common man’s control, and take the bad roads in our stride. When I was posted here in Feb 2007, I used to fret and fume over the road conditions. My personal new car has taken a good battering due to the bad roads. As the days passed by, I became immune and got used to the bone jangling bumps and my poor car got a new gear shaft , after it broke on these so called black-top metalled roads. If you can’t change it then accept it. Bad roads also have a silver lining. Bad roads have numerous benefits and are a blessing, if this chronic malady is viewed optimistically

1) Bad roads curb overspeeding: Due t more »

by Matthew Harrel

Ice road trucking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. With a job description that includes sub-zero working conditions, long hours with little sleep, and the risk of potentially falling through a road made of ice, it’s amazing that anyone signs up for the job. Incredibly, these are only a few challenges of being an ice road trucker.

Ice road trucking has been dubbed as a two month long “dash for cash.” Road crews spend weeks preparing the ice road for the trucks. Using ground-penetrating radar to measure the ice depth, road crews ensure the ice is thick enough (usually a minimum of about 27 inches) to support the big rigs. In what can become a scheduling nightmare, 600-900 truckers are tasked with delivering 10,000 loads at an average speed of only about 20 miles per hour. Drivers haul loads throughout the day and night, often getting little or no sleep be more »