2024 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - ELEVATED

The 2024 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues with its penultimate round of the season called ELEVATED, held at Grantsville, Utah.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

By unanimous decision, Aurimas Bakchis in his Nissan Silvia defeated Fredric Aasbo to keep his title hopes alive as James Deane is still leading the driver standings. Trenton Beechum settles for third place in Utah.

Will James Deane maintain his lead and win this season's title or will Bakchis steal his thunder and have the last laugh? The Title Fight begins on October 18-19, 2024, at Irwindale, California. Don't miss it!

MG Cyberster

The first-ever Cyberster is the culmination of MG's 100-year history as a carmaker that forever changed the rules of motoring and with prices starting at 54,995 Pounds, it's the most affordable GT car you can drive.

2025 MG Cyberster

The MG Cyberster is a fully electric roadster that was imported from China. It is the first all-electric roadster in Britain. The Cyberster served as the catalyst for MG's 100-year history. Although it's two times more expensive than the Mazda Roadster, it's considered the cheapest fully-electric sports car you can drive.

2025 MG Cyberster

The concept-turned-reality exterior design is one of the key points of the Cyberster. From its round-shaped headlights, the arrow-shaped taillights, the racy side skirts, and the Lambo doors that make its statement, its subtleness is all part of the plan for this electric sports car.

2025 MG Cyberster interior

The MG Cyberster's interior is designed to make you feel like you're on top of the world. It has a triple-screen digital display panel, Y-shaped sports seats with Nappa and Alcantara leather, six-way powered seats, 64-color ambient lighting, a BOSE sound system, and dual-zone air conditioning.

2025 MG Cyberster

The Cyberster is offered in two variants. The rear-wheel-drive single-motor variant produces 250KW of power and with launch control, it does 0-62mph in five seconds and a top speed of 121mph while the driving range is good for 316 miles. The range-topping 4WD dual motor variant has 375KW of power with a 0-62 time of 3.2 seconds, 125mph top speed, and a range of 276 miles. That said, the dual-motor variant is as fast as a Mazda Roadster RF but it's quicker from the starting line thanks to its Launch Control.

On the road, the Cyberster is a silent and smooth GT car. But on the track, it reminds drivers of the Porsche 911 in terms of dynamics. For a car weighing nearly two tons, the Cyberster is all show-and-go and the more you drive it, the more addictive it becomes.

Although controversial for a two-ton sportscar, the Cyberster, hence the name, is armed with noticeable safety features such as lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, lane change assist, forward collision warning system with AEB braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and braking intervention.

MG's return to the sports car business with the first-ever Cyberster is a must-have for speedo boys everywhere. Although it's made in China, it still has the beating heart of a British soldier. This is what 100 years of MG looks like. 100 Years Young.

Photo: MG Motor UK

KING OF PRISM -Dramatic PRISM.1-

The Septentrion boys are back as they face the ultimate challenge in the first chapter of the KING OF PRISM Dramatic PRISM movie saga.

KING OF PRISM -Dramatic PRISM.1-

The world of KING OF PRISM by Pretty Rhythm is back with the first chapter of the KING OF PRISM Dramatic PRISM movie saga as the Septentrion boys are back to kick off their ultimate challenge ever faced. In this movie, set after the events of 2019's Shiny Seven Stars, the Edel Rose and the Schwarz Rose are locked in a titanic clash at the PRISM1, the showdown that will determine who will wear the Prism Champ crown.

In typical KinPri fashion, fans can expect iconic moments such as the songs, the prism jumps, and the appeal that these male idols can pull. Of course, they can expect some crude comic humor, tearful drama, suspense, and a cliffhanger at the end of this film, giving fans what comes next when the first chapter of the Dramatic PRISM saga ends.

The showdown for the Prism Champ crown is a taste of what to expect for Septentrion's ultimate challenge ever faced and when the first chapter ends, be ready for what's next in this dramatic saga from KING OF PRISM.

Let's Do The News! (August 31, 2024)

           

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Britain's John Tinniswood is named by the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living man at the age of 112.

- The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered "immediate suspension" of Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) in the country after the company failed to comply with the court order.

- Ferrari announced the end of their partnership with Santander at the end of the F1 '24 season.

- The Mercedes-AMG F1 team named Kimi Antonelli as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton for the F1 2025 season. Antonelli will race alongside Russell as Hamilton moves to Ferrari next season.

- A group of Alpine F1 staff is reportedly going on strike in protest over plans to axe its engine program in favor of sourcing Mercedes engines instead. Workers at Alpine’s engine HQ at Viry-Chatillon are set to down tools for several hours, while a protest is planned in the grandstands at Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

- Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed when they were struck by a vehicle while riding bicycles, according to the New Jersey police. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.

- Rock band Oasis, ahead of next year's reunion tour, warned the public about tickets listed for over 6,000 GBP on reselling sites minutes after pre-sale.

- News reporter Henry Omaga-Diaz announced his departure from the news program TV patrol after four decades.

TTFN.

AFRAID (2024 movie)

Since the twilight of the pandemic, AI has become an exploding trend. Most AI applications are beneficial, but some are controversial, and a few are horrifying. From the producer of horror movies such as M3GAN and The Black Phone comes a horrifying twist on the AI trend.

AFRAID (2024 movie)

AFRAID is a horror movie written and directed by Chris Weitz. It's a horrifying twist on the ever-growing AI trend. A family is selected to try out a new home device called AIA. AIA makes their lives convenient until it goes berserk. The family must risk everything to escape AIA's clutches.

This horror movie is proof that this is the future we live in because humans like us over-relied on AI trends such as the ever-popular Amazon Alexa, ChatGPT, Siri, and others. It exposes us to what happens when AI takes control of our lives and leaves us in an inescapable death trap. Welcome to the new normal, people.

What better way to end the summer than to see a horror film that exposes the horrors of our overreliance on AI?

Let's Do The News! (August 30, 2024)

          

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- A magnitude 4.6 quake hits Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.

- The Bureau of Immigration is not yet acquitted in Alice Guo's escape and her lawyer who notarized its counter-affidavit is likely to be disbarred, according to the PH DOJ. Guo and others will be charged with money laundering by the AMLC.

- The Philippine National Police is still halfway through raiding the KOJC compound.

- Partial operation of the MRT-7 to San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, will begin next year.

- US President Kamala Harris defends her White House record as she is grilled on her shifting policy positions in her first interview as presidential candidate.

- Iran has increased its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran's Supreme Leader said he was not opposed to re-opening talks with the US.

- Ukraine's F-16 fighter jet crashed just weeks after it was donated by NATO allies.

- Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat wants sanctions against Israeli ministers for anti-Palestinian "hate messages".

- The Xpeng Mona M03 was unveiled with up to 620km of driving range.

Xpeng Mona M03

- The Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch 21 new models by 2030, including the production version of the N Vision 74 Concept, IONIQ 9, the Genesis Magma lineup, and others. It also confirms the EREV system and Android Auto IT System.

- Audi teases the third-generation Q5 crossover coming next week.

- Things to expect on Forza Motorsport (Xbox Series X|S)'s Year 2 plans and beyond.

- The My Dress-Up Darling TV drama airs on MBS this October, starring Riko Nagase and Kota Nomura.

- Love and Berry from the Oshare Majo Love and Berry game series will make their special guest appearance on the October 6 episode of Himitsu no AiPri.

- Disney announced Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, the sequel to the hit sitcom series Wizards of Waverly Place. It airs on Disney Channel this October 29 and on Disney+ the next day.

- Actor Armie Hammer sold off his truck to start a "new life" after his cannibalism scandal.

- Actor-politician Richard Gomez drew flak over his comment about EDSA traffic.

TTFN.

My FH5 Log: Goodbye Fiesta. Hello New Adventures.

 Ford says:

"It’s been a fun ride over the past years, and we couldn’t be prouder of our spirited, up-for-anything compact vehicle. Even though we will no longer be producing the Fiesta, we think we’ve got a few vehicles in our lineup to fill your criteria for versatility and driving enjoyment to seek out new adventures."

The people behind the Forza games forgot the memo and injected the not-for-US final-generation Fiesta into Forza Horizon 5 as the prize car from the High-Performance Dailies Wet Season Playlist.

Another Ford we never got in the States has popped up during the Forza Horizon 5 High-Performance Dailies update. What's it all about?

The Ford Fiesta Mk8 made its world premiere at Ford's Go Further 2016 event in Germany and it's available only in a hatchback body style in regular, the sporty ST, and the crossover-ish Active. The ST is powered by a 1.5L three-cylinder engine that produces 200PS of power and 290Nm of torque. Mated exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox, it does 0-100kph in 6.7 seconds.

A limited-edition Fiesta ST Edition was unveiled. Available exclusively as a three-door and only 500 units were built and sold only for Europe, it dons the Azura Blue exterior paint and other exclusive features.

Production of the Fiesta ended in June 2023.

To give the not-for-US final-generation Fiesta a rather unnecessary sendoff it deserved, let's drive it to one of the latest Sprint races offered in this update. I've driven the not-for-US final-generation Ford Focus at the Rocosa Sprint as well as the final JDM Toyota Camry at the San Juan Sprint. Now, let's use the Valle Del Rio Sprint as the final destination for Europe's favorite little car. Roll the tape.

Shame.

The Ford Fiesta is a great car. It's stylish, affordable, and fun to drive. Unfortunately, Ford discontinued the Fiesta in the United States. If they had kept it in their lineup, it would have been one of the most affordable high-performance daily drivers on the market. Sadly, it's too late for that.

Ford Fiesta Retired. Now What?

The Ford Fiesta has been a great car for Europe since its introduction in 1976. It became one of the all-time greats, along with the legendary Cortina. For eight generations, this world-proven compact fulfilled its role within Ford's lineup as an efficient and easy-to-drive car that relatively well. Now that the Fiesta's story is done, its outstanding legacy will live on forever. 

Goodnight, Fiesta.