motorsport

FutureTech Studio at the 2025 SEMA Show: Hydrogen Racing, Flying Cars, and AI Mechanics

The 2025 SEMA Show promises to be the most innovative yet, with FutureTech Studio emerging as the epicenter of automotive evolution. Running November 4-7 in Las Vegas, this year’s interactive experience brings together over 45 cutting-edge displays, 30 vehicles, and breakthrough technologies that will define the future of mobility. Future Fuels Yamaha’s Hydrogen Golf Car Leading the hydrogen charge is Yamaha’s Drive H2 concept, a groundbreaking hydrogen-powered golf car that made headlines at the 2024 PGA Show. This innovative vehicle represents Yamaha’s first foray into hydrogen combustion engines for consumer applications. The Drive H2 utilizes two high-pressure hydrogen tanks (25L each) strategically positioned under the driver’s seat and behind the rear seat. Based on Yamaha’s popular Drive2 Concierge4 four-seater, this

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The Psychology of Speed: What Formula 1 Drivers and Successful Bettors Have in Common

Adaptability, focus, professionalism, and quick recovery are qualities of Formula 1 Drivers that successful bettors also need. So, if you thought these two industries were not related, you have never been more wrong, as you’ll see in a moment. Formula 1 is the most reputable motor racing competition around the world, the tip-top of motorsport, and the superior class of international racing for single-seater formula racing competition. Participation requires a high level of fitness, precision, strategy, and discipline. Formula 1 Drivers and Bettors both have to depend on others to participate in the game. For the  Formula 1 Driver, he depends on his team to execute the pit change routine within sub 2.5 seconds, thereby providing him a good platform

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Tech In The Fast Lane With Online Gaming and the Motor Industry Racing Down the Same Road

Self-drive cars, instant information, virtual buzz; sounds like the future of motoring, doesn’t it? As luck would have it, it’s the future of online gaming as well. Here’s how two unrelated industries are following different paths to the same technologically driven destination. You might not immediately link online casinos with the automotive world. One’s about high-speed machines and rubber-burning performance, the other about spinning wheels and digital jackpots. But take a closer look under the hood, and you’ll notice that both industries are fueled by some of the same cutting-edge tech. From artificial intelligence to augmented reality, and from gaming to personal customers, the intersection is not coincidental, it’s a precursor to how innovation evolves between divergent divides. If you’re

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Chicagoland Speedway Returns to NASCAR in 2026, Replaces Mexico City

The announcement that Chicagoland Speedway will return to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2026 has racing fans and sports bettors excited. After being absent for several years, the 1.5-mile tri-oval in Joliet, Illinois, will replace the Mexico City race. This move marks a significant change in the NASCAR calendar and promises an exciting return to one of the sport’s most iconic tracks. A Look Back at Chicagoland Speedway Having opened in 2001, Chicagoland Speedway has been home to many of NASCAR’s most thrilling races. The track has earned a reputation for nail-biting finishes and high-octane racing, often serving as the stage for underdog triumphs. The track’s return to the Cup Series in 2026 is crucial since it adds a

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What Makes for a Successful Racing Driver

There’s nothing that captures the imagination quite like the roar of engines come race day. Whether it’s Formula 1, endurance events or touring cars, those that make it onto the list of the world’s best racing drivers are idolised. And while fans argue over things like stats, rivalries, and historic wins, there are just some drivers who simply stand out from the rest… not just because of their talent but because of all of the qualities they bring to the sport.  Much like how horse racing fans scour through horse racing odds to try to guess which one will cross the finish line first, racing fans love to do the exact same thing with their favourite drivers… and they love

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#283, Veteran WSJ reporters debut insiders’ look at Formula 1 failures, successes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:13 — 85.2MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreJonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson are colleagues in The Wall Street Journal’s virtual sports department. Clegg, the sports editor, is an Englishman who lives with his family in New York. Robinson is an American based in London. They share global sporting interests, particularly soccer and motorsports. The duo’s reporting expertise has led to a long collaboration away from daily journalism. They’re now book co-authors for the third time. The most recent effort, published on March 12, is titled “The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport.” (Mariner Books, 304 pages, ISBN: 9780063318625; $29.99). With co-host Bruce Aldrich

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Expected Features of Modern Racing Games

The features of modern racing games offer an escape from real life and the chance to do things you usually can’t, such as enter street races for money in a supercar. From entering tournaments to immersing yourself in a race through virtual reality, here are some to expect. Grinding for In-Game Cash As part of a live service game, in-game or virtual currencies are often used to purchase things inside a game. You can earn this for free or pay for it using real-world cash. This helps monetize the game and allows developers to keep the service going. G rinding for in-game money almost always takes a long time. You can use modded accounts to get what you want in

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TV Producer and Motor Sports Enthusiast Randy Douthit on the Through Line Between Racing and Television

Long before Randy Douthit had any inkling that someday he’d be directing and producing a pair of long-running, reality-based court TV shows for the dynamo “take no prisoners” personality Judge Judith Sheindlin — 25 years of the original Judge Judy series; three and counting of Amazon Freevee’s Judy Justice — he, like many kids of his generation caught Speed Racer fever. Douthit harbored Mach 5 dreams and hopes that someday he too might become a race-car driver like the eponymous Speed… or the mysterious Racer X. (Having a go-kart track practically in the backyard of his boyhood home probably didn’t hurt, either.) But it was during an early gig as a sports reporter that Randy Douthit initially began to notice

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#260, Cheap SUVs, racing icon dies and more

From time to time during the more than five years of The Weekly Driver Podcast, co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia catch-up on automotive news instead of having a guest. This week on Episode #260 we visit four diverse topics — cheap SUVs, the death of speed racing icon Craig Breedlove, the most expensive states to own vehicles and no ignition new car It’s no secret, Hyundai and Kia have drastically improved in recent years. The related manufacturers’ vehicles have had some of the industry’s top ratings, from economy to luxury segments. The 2023 Hyundai Venue is also the country’s cheapest SUV. It only has 121 horsepower and its cargo area is a postage-stamp sized at 32 cubic feet. And

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Bentley Le Mans collection wears pieced, race-winning engine

Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is among the most prestigious accomplishments in motorsports. Two decades ago, the Breitling-liveried Bentley Speed 8 finished two laps ahead of the pack, taking the marque’s sixth victory. To commemorate the achievement and the 20 years since that victory, Bentley has produced a limited run of 48 Le Mans Collection Continentals. Each of the Collection’s 48 Continentals keeps the Speed 8 memory alive by incorporating a piece of the 2003 race winner in each of the new vehicles. How is Bentley doing that? It’s as unique as it gets in automotive manufacturing. After the Speed 8’s 2003 Le Mans victory, Bentley removed the 32-valve V8 from its bay and cut 24 of the

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#258, NASCAR at 75 detailed by four authors in new book

Jimmy Creed, born and raised in Talladega, Alabama, is a decades-long journalist whose interest in motorsports and specifically NASCAR racing began when he was a young boy. Creed knows the city’s famous racetrack as well as any journalist. He cultivated his knowledge in his long tenure as the sports editor of The Anniston Star in nearby Anniston, Alabama. As one of four writers who’ve collaborated to write NASCAR 75, a definitive volume of the legendary sport, Creed is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia speak with the veteran journalist about his lifetime involvement in motor racing and his participation in compiling the text and images of the coffee table-sized book. “You

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#249, Formula 1 US nirvana, muscle cars, surveys

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:44 — 34.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreWith the recent announcement of the 2023 Formula 1 schedule, automobile racing’s most lucrative series will have three events in the United States for the first time. The international circuit doesn’t include any drivers from the United States, but enthusiasts in this country can next year travel to Austin, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Miami, Florida to witness the sport’s finest. Formula 1 is expensive for its participants and spectators. A recent article on Robbreport.com detailed one package to attend the new Las Vegas stop on the international circuit for $1 million. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the Formula 1 phenomenon as one

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Wildly modified Porsche 911s scale world’s highest volcano

Porsche 911s are usually more at home on the race track than on the side of volcanos — until now. At the direction of Porsche‘s Vice President of Vehicle Architecture Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, 992 911 lead engineer Michael Rösler was assigned to work with Romain Dumas Motorsport to devise two 911s to climb the highest volcano in the world. Scaling Chile’s 22,615 foot (6.9 kilometers) Ojo del Salado would require a very different 911, and the teams at Porsche Wiessach and Romain Dumas Motorsport delivered. The result was two wild Porsche 911s Carrera 4S and a 19,708 feet (six kilometers) climb through thick snow, intense slopes, loose rock and temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Celsius). Ultimately, unavoidable thick sheets

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Ferrari launches first Le Mans Hypercar in 50 years

Ferrari has unveiled its long-anticipated Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) endurance race car, named the 499P, following months of teasers and a 50-year absence from top-class endurance racing. The vehicle is set to compete in the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023. The 499P has been in design since March of 2021 and is debuting after several prominent automakers, including Porsche, Cadillac and BMW have announced their own prototype racers. Ferrari is unique because it will compete in the LMH class instead of the Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMDH) class, a costlier series due to the powertrains used. Hypercar entrants also have far greater control over their vehicles, as noted by Ferdinando Cannizzo, Ferrari‘s GT track

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#227, Journalist Mark Glover set for 58th Indy 500

Mark Glover, the long-time Sacramento-based journalist, will continue his passion for motorsports this week. He will attend the Indy 500 for the 58th time. It will be a family affair. Glover’s son will accompany his father for the 30th time. Glover is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I talk with the Indy 500 historian about his legacy at the race, the event he first attended with his father when he was a young boy. Glover was also our guest on Episode #39 in 2018. We also talk with Glover in Episode #227 about iconic drivers. From four-time winner A.J. Foyt to Hélio Castroneves and his chances of breaking the career-win record

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Helio Castroneves goes for record fifth Indy 500 win

Eight former winners, including Brazilian Helio Castroneves, are among the field of 33 drivers assigned to cars for the 106th Indy 500 on Sunday, May 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Defending titlist Castroneves, who also won in 2001, 2002 and 2009, will be joined by two-time winners Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015) and Takuma Sato (2017, 2020). Former one-time winners Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Alexander Rossi (2016), Will Power (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019) are also in the field. Castroneves joined A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears in the most prestigious club in motorsports – four-time winners of the Indy 500 with his victory last year. Indy 500: Seven Rookies Racing Castroneves, 47, would become the third-oldest

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