racing

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the Scion FR-S concept unveiled at the 2011 New York auto show. Journalistic objectivity aside, that car is hot! When I heard that Five Axis, the team that built the concept for Scion, was entering an FR-S into the 2011 Red Bull Soapbox Race in downtown Los Angeles, I had to check it out.

What came out of the build process was a tube framed, super deformed FR-S micro-car with space for a single driver. Power is provided by two men who push the FR-S; gravity takes over as … Read more

Death Rally is an iOS adaptation of (and homage to) the classic, much-loved top-down PC racer of the same name. Much like its predecessor, Death Rally has a gritty feel (although much more PG than on the PC) and some of the best racing gameplay and graphics on its platform.

At its most basic, Death Rally is a 2D arcade racer in which you duke it out for pole position in short, brutal races against multiple opponents, with some help from your guns. You control your car with a virtual left joystick (the lack of fancy controls means you need … Read more

Hybrids face the stigma of being more about fuel economy than sport, but the Lexus CT 200h intends to prove it can be a hot hatchback by lapping the Nurburgring. A CT 200h tuned up by Gazoo Racing will compete in the Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy, a six hour endurance race.

Along with suspension tuning, the CT 200h's standard 1.8-liter engine has been swapped out for a 2.4-liter. But the car retains its Lexus hybrid system, letting it use the electric motor from a stop and for added boost under acceleration. This hybrid system will give the CT … Read more

Frisbee Forever is the fully licensed flying disc app that lets you guide a Frisbee disc through colorful obstacle courses. Against a cartoonlike 3D backdrop, you start by flicking your Frisbee onscreen, then guiding the disc through rings and around obstacles, all the while gathering stars as you go. You have the option to use onscreen control arrows, but I found the tilt controls to be much more fun. If you gather all the stars and make it through all the gates to the finish line, you'll be awarded a gold medal along with experience points and Star Coins. … Read more

Looking for a little adventure without getting arrested, getting lost, or upsetting the locals? Try the Cannonball Run Rat Race.

Based on the 1981 movie Cannonball Run, drivers and their co-pilots search for six sequential clues that will lead the winner to a locker full of cash.

According to Cannonball World Event's managing director, Tim Porter, the race is like: "'The Cannonball Run' meets 'Raiders of the Lost Ark."' A 21st century spin might be "Cannonball Run" meets "The Amazing Race." In the "Cannonball Run" movie, Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, and … Read more

Brammo will offer its electric motorcycles with a six-speed transmission beginning in 2012, the company announced today.

The bikes will be unveiled this Friday in Las Vegas shortly before competing in the MiniMotoSX race.

Motorcycle manufacturer Brammo could make a big impact on the motorcycle world with this change.

While electric motorcycles have been around for some time, and even had their own race on the Isle of Man in June 2009, up until now they've mainly been seen as bikes for early adopters interested in green tech, or those who might otherwise consider a moped.

Electric motorcycles are relatively quiet, have a limited range, and arguably offer limited speed and performance when compared to comparable racing bikes with internal combustion engines. They're also fighting an image problem in a market famous for exuding a longstanding sexy, powerful, and adventurous appeal.

"Electric motorcycle design has always been a bit of a balancing act in direct drive systems where great acceleration performance comes at the expense of low top-end speed," Brian Wismann, director of product development at Brammo, said in a statement.… Read more

Snowboard Hero is a 3D snowboarding game that might be the best yet for iPhone--once you get the settings squared away. Start by choosing between Career and Record Chaser modes. In Career mode you'll start by playing as the default character, "Dude," but after racing and beating specific challenges, you'll be able to choose from six different characters with varied skills. Start by going through the tutorial, which gives you the basics for jumping, grinding rails, and performing tricks. From there you'll need to complete challenges that vary from going down the hill as fast … Read more

Looking to breathe a bit of excitement into its electric vehicle efforts, Nissan will be putting its Leaf of the race track--if but in name alone.

Debuting at the 2011 New York auto show, the 100% electric Nissan Leaf Nismo RC (Racing Competition) prototype shares little more than its lithium-ion battery technology, general styling cues, and its name with the Nissan Leaf we're familiar with. The RC wheelbase is 3.9-inch shorter wheelbase, overall height has been chopped by 13.9 inches, and there are two fewer doors. However, the racer is 0.8 inches longer overall and 6.… Read more

A couple of days ago, some long-awaited iPhone hardware news finally hit the Web. No, it's not the iPhone 5 (which some are saying won't be released until fall). The big news out this week is that the white iPhone 4 will finally become available as soon as by the end of this month.

I have to admit that the white iPhone 4 looks pretty cool, but I can't imagine anyone waiting to take the plunge to buy an iPhone based on the color of the device. Is it just me? If anyone reading this has been waiting for the white iPhone 4, let us know in the comments.

This week's apps are an audio-enhancement app that gives your music 3D surround sound and a snowboarding game that might be the best in the App Store.… Read more