2024 O-NE SUPERRACE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

Since renaming to O-NE SUPERRACE CHAMPIONSHIP for the 2024 season, it brought some noticeable additions apart from the name change such as the Prius PHV Class, the Alpine Class, and the Korea Trofeo, among others. The top-tier Super 6000 class got a shakeup as well, yet it still showcased some intense racing action for drivers behind the wheel of the Super 6000 GR Supra racers.

With Jang Hyun-jin and Kim Jung-gun now 24 points between them, who will be crowned the 2024 champion? It's time to find out in this action-packed season finale at Yongin Everland Speedway.

The first race saw Jung Eui Chul of Seohan GP emerge the winner, beating the two One Racing drivers, Oh Han Sol and Lee Jung Woo. In the final race packed with dramatic turns, table-turning spins, and of course, the last corner drama when the #38 car got spun, One Racing driver Choi Kyung Bin is the winner but second placer Jang Hyun-Jin is coronated champion of the 2024 season. Seohan GP is officially crowned Team Champion and Nexen Tire is still the tire king of Superrace.

Screengrab from Superrace

Congratulations to Jang Hyun-jin for being the 2024 O-NE SUPERRACE Champion!

And that is the end of the 2024 O-NE SUPERRACE CHAMPIONSHIP. See you next year.

FIA WEC S12 - BAPCO Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

The 12th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship is unlike the WEC we know because this season has been streamlined to two classes; the Hypercar class and the all-new LMGT3 class. With Lamborghini joining the fun, the all-new LMGT3 class adds more fire and fury to this season.

The 12th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship is coming to a close with the BAPCO Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain. The title will be fought for by the motoring “axis powers” of Toyota, Ferrari, and Porsche. All the clashing action of this season finale is making it a season to remember.

Screengrab from WEC

With the final eight hours of this season completed, the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 defeated Porsche and Peugeot to win not just this race but the Manufacturer's Championship title. The #55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 wins the LMGT3 class.

As the 2024 season wrapped up with Toyota bagging the manufacturer title, the drivers of the #6 Porsche Penske 963; Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor, and Kevin Estre, are crowned this season's Drivers' World Champions. The #92 Manthey PureRXcing Porsche 911 GT3R became the first to crown as the WEC LMGT3 class champion and the #12 Hertz Team Jota was coronated as Hypercar World Cup Champion.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 WEC Season!

This concludes Season 12 of the FIA World Endurance Championship. See you next year!

Let's Do The News! (November 2, 2024)

                                  

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

- An M4.4 quake hits Itbayat, Batanes.

- Over 300K visited the Manila North Cemetery during the Undas weekend, according to the cemetery's management.

- The last batch of Automated Counting Machines is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines this month, according to the COMELEC.

- In the final days of the campaign trail before the Tuesday election, Donald Trump woos Arab-American voters in Michigan but many people in the said battleground state are angry about the Middle East conflict. US Vice-President Kamala Harris holds rallies in Wisconsin, one of the swing states.

- As the death toll from the Spain floods exceeds the two hundred mark, scientists see a connection between climate change to this recent flooding.

- Support for Microsoft Windows 10 will end in October 2025 but users have an option to spend $30 to maintain Windows 10 PCs' longevity via Extended Security Update.

- Jaguar halted new car sales in the UK as the production of the F-Pace came to a close. The car company is in the process of relaunching and has plans to release a new electric 4-door GT in 2026 as well as a new electric crossover. Both of those new models will be running on the brand-new JEA platform.

- Maserati replaced Davide Grasso with Alfa Romeo's Santo Ficili as the brand's CEO as the luxury Italian carmaker is struggling with poor sales.

- Rockstar Games teases Grand Theft Auto Online's December 2024 update.

- BIGHIT shares an update on TXT member Huening Kai moments after he left the concert mid-performance. During the first night of TXT’s “ACT : PROMISE” encore concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, Huening Kai unexpectedly left the concert midway through due to his health. It is revealed that he left suddenly due to "indigestion" and he's expected to return in the remaining weekend.

- Game 3 of the PBA Governors Cup finals saw Ginebra stealing the game after defeating TNT 85-73. TNT leads 2-1.

TTFN.

My FH5 Log: 500 miles a day

The Subaru Alcyone SVX is the final prize car of Forza Horizon 5's Back to the 90s update and it's obtainable in this update's Spring Season Playlist. Now that I have one, it's time to get to know the last Alcyone ever made.

Introduced in 1991, the Alcyone SVX stands as Subaru's flagship grand tourer coupe, famously advertised with the slogan "500 miles a day." This remarkable vehicle combines striking Giugiaro-inspired styling with an eye-catching glass-to-glass round canopy, making it a true head-turner.

Under the hood, the Alcyone SVX boasts a robust water-cooled 3.3L boxer-six engine, featuring Subaru's pioneering variable torque distribution electronically controlled four-wheel drive (VTD-4WD). With an impressive output of 230HP and 228 lb-ft of torque, it pairs exclusively with a smooth 4-speed automatic transmission. The strut suspension on both the front and rear wheels, combined with ventilated disc brakes, ensures an exhilarating driving experience.

Despite its substantial weight, the SVX embodies the essence of a luxury grand tourer, delivering unparalleled comfort and responsive handling tailored for those long, enjoyable journeys ahead. Experience the legacy of the Alcyone SVX; it’s more than just a car—it’s a statement of performance and style.

With its introduction done, it's time to give the last prize car of the decade a challenging duel against a top driver in a certain EventLab creation made by a player named "VeIxity". Let's roll the tape.

Well, it may be a performance flop because it's only mated with a 4-speed AT but the SVX is nostalgia shaken and stirred.

And that’s it for Forza Horizon 5’s Back to the 90s. What a way to revisit our childhood memories the Forza way. And with the next update imminent, let’s hope the prize cars will be better than these.

Let's Do The News! (November 1, 2024)

                                 

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

- Leon has weakened into a Severe Tropical Storm and has left the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

- PH President Bongbong Marcos has no comment over Vice President Sara Duterte's attempt to unearth the remains of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

- The PH Department of Health has raised the alert level to Code White across all hospitals in the country.

- The death toll from Spain floods hits nearly 160. Hundreds of people in Spain, aided by drones, have been deployed to a rescue mission after recent flash floods claimed many lives.

- Ofcom fines GB News £100,000 for "breaking due impartiality rules" following live show featuring former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

- Formula E's all-female test was postponed following catastrophic floods in Spain. 

- Jim Mickle will reportedly write and direct a live-action movie adaptation of the Gundam franchise. Mickle aims to start production next year.

- Paul W.S. Anderson will reportedly write and direct a new House of the Dead movie. Production will commence by mid- to late 2025.

- The Takarazuka Revue's Flower Troupe will headline the stage play adaptation of the Castlevania franchise from June to September 2025 in Hyogo and Tokyo.

- PLEDIS Entertainment names Kim Yeon Soo as the agency's new CEO.

- Culinary Class Wars competitor Edward Lee will appear on the JTBC cooking program "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator."

- Bob Costas retires from baseball play-by-play commentary after 42 years.

TTFN.

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

                                

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

- 20 international and domestic flights were canceled today due to Super Typhoon Leon.

- PH Vice-President Sara Duterte's trust and performance ratings according to OCTA were dropped.

- The PNP is tightening security nationwide and providing assistance to drivers for tomorrow's Undas.

- 95 people were killed in Spanish flash floods as King Felipe VI warns of areas cut off by damage. Spain is enduring its worst flooding disaster in decades, with scores of people dead and dozens more missing.

- A first case of the Clade 1b mpox variant is reported in the United Kingdom but health authorities say the risk to the population remains low for now.

- The Vatican unveiled its mascot character Luce in time for next year's Jubilee celebrations.

- Hyundai showcased its Initium Concept, previewing a new Fuel Cell crossover set to replace the Nexo.

Hyundai Initium Concept

- Stray Kids postpones its Kaohsiung concert due to Super Typhoon Leon (Kong-Rey).

- The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series after defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 at the score of 7-6.

- England cricket captain Ben Stokes says a gang burglarized his home while his family were there and stole "irreplaceable" items.

TTFN.

Ferrari 12cilindri v Aston Martin Vanquish III

Ferrari's newest masterpiece, the 12Cilindri, is a fitting tribute to the company's 12-cylinder masterpieces spanning from the Testarossa, the 575M, the 599, the F12, and the 812. Let's get to know more about Ferrari's final pure 12-cylinder ICE half-a-million-euro masterpiece.

2025 Ferrari 12Cilindri

2025 Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider

The 12Cilindri comes in coupe and open-top Spider configurations and honors Ferrari’s hard work on iconic 12-cylinder masterpieces. As a car, this model embodies the heart and soul of the brand. The 12Cilindri is the last pure V12 ICE masterpiece.

2025 Ferrari 12Cilindri interior

The Ferrari 12Cilindri was designed with inspiration from past models. The 12Cilindri's fastback styling harks back to the Monza model. The front view is a tribute to the 365 GTB4. The rear design was inspired by the triangular shape of the Testarossa. The interior, meanwhile, dons Ferrari's dual-cockpit layout from the Roma and the Purosangue to make it more driver-focused. Complimented with the handcrafted materials in the making of sports seats and trim, the 12Cilindri shows its true colors as contemporary art on four wheels.

Powering the 12Cilindri is the 6.5L V12 engine with Direct Injection lifted from the 812 Competizione. It produces 830PS of power and 678Nm of torque. Mated to an 8-speed F1 DCT and weighing nearly one-and-a-half tons, it does 0-100kph in 2.9 seconds and flat-out at 340kph. That's supercar quick in Super GT standards.

Being a road-focused GT car, going through the open roads is the main specialty but for the 12Cilindri, that's not the case because while being an excellent road car, it incorporates Ferrari's F1 know-how to make it vaguely usable on the track. It takes a Charles Leclerc-level driver to get a good grip on its dynamic character and with notable track-honed gizmos such as the brake-by-wire, ABS Evo, and the new SSC 8.0, among many other useful gadgets in store, the 12Cilindri is too addictive to be ignored or fully satisfied.

From the road to the track, the Ferrari 12Cilindri is the ultimate V12 Super GT ever made thanks to its addictive features too impossible to miss, especially for those who ended up with the keys to the old 812 Competizione. However, by the time the 12Cilindri made its inception, this is no longer the ultimate V12 Super GT in the world because of this...

2025 Aston Martin Vanquish

2025 Aston Martin Vanquish interior

Yes, Aston Martin managed to resurrect the Vanquish as the ultimate V12 Super GT in the world. The nearly half-a-million-pound Super GT is the must-have for the 2024 Autumn Season.

For the Vanquish's third outing, what the folks from Aston Martin did is make a mashup between the DB12 and the rear view of the non-existent Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake from 2017, don the familiar DB12 interior, make it macho, and Bob's your uncle. This is the Vanquish's third coming the world anticipated and by the looks and feels of it, the Turn 10 Studios people should better think twice before turning a cold shoulder on it.

Powered by an all-new 5.2 V12 Twin Turbo engine, it produces a historical 835PS of power and 1000Nm of torque. Mated to an 8-speed AT, it has a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 214mph. The Ferrari 12Cilindri should be slightly worried about taking this one on.

With its bonded aluminum structure, front double wishbones, rear multilink suspension, a heavily advanced ABS, and Corner Braking 2.0, among other sport-tuned dynamics outlandish for Super GT standards, it takes a Fernando Alonso-level driver to master the Vanquish on the track but no need while on the road because it drives extremely beautiful. Dynamic as expected but like the 12Cilindri, it's too addictive to be ignored to be fully satisfied.

The 12Cilindri and the Vanquish are two of the top V12 Super GTs on the market. It's hard to choose between the two, but the Vanquish is probably the clear winner. The Vanquish features a bonded aluminum structure, front double wishbones, rear multilink suspension, and Corner Braking 2.0. All of these amazing features make for one fantastic car.

Photo: Ferrari/Aston Martin