Sunday, December 8, 2024

Gran Turismo World Series 2024 FINAL

Amsterdam, The Netherlands is the final destination of the 2024 Gran Turismo World Series. Who will be crowned the champions? What surprises await for GT7 players? All will be revealed in this final event of the 2024 season.

Gran Turismo World Series 2024 FINAL
Screengrab from Gran Turismo

The finale of the Manufacturers Cup took place at Spa-Francorchamps, where teams faced off for the last time in the series. Although the BMW team secured victory in the final race, it was Lexus that narrowly clinched the Manufacturers Cup title, finishing just one point ahead of BMW.

Moving on to the Nations Cup, where the second race previews a new playable Gran Turismo original racing machine coming soon to GT7; the Gran Turismo F3500-A racing machine that was heavily inspired by 1990s F1 racers, the grand finale in the Nurburgring 24hr saw T. Miyazono snatched K. de Bruin's lead in the near end of the final lap to win not just this race but also the Nations Cup title.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Gran Turismo World Series finale!

This concludes the 2024 Gran Turismo World Series.

F1 2024: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Ferrari or McLaren? Which team deserves to be crowned Constructors' champions? What will Lewis Hamilton's final day as a Mercedes driver be before his switch to Ferrari next year? All will be revealed in the F1 2024 finale; the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

As the final race of 2024 began, Sergio Perez spun on the start and retired. while Max Verstappen got penalized for hitting Oscar Piastri on Turn 1. As Lando Norris was leading, Charles Leclerc charged his way to P4 until he went to the pits on Lap 21. Come Lap 28, Franco Colapinto's day in Abu Dhabi is done following mechanical failures. Lap 31 saw Valtteri Bottas send Kevin Magnussen spinning, a heartbreak for Bottas' final race. With 18 laps remaining, Lewis Hamilton threw everything he had until he overtook George Russell and became in P4.

F1 2024: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Screengrab from Formula 1

Lando Norris' victory in Yas Marina earned McLaren its first Constructors' Championships title in 26 years. Ferrari sweeps the remaining podium spots with Carlos Sainz in 2nd place and Charles Leclerc in 3rd place. Other finishers such as Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, and Oscar Piastri.

Congratulations to McLaren for winning the 2024 Constructors' Championship, and thank you, Hamilton, for everything you achieved as a Mercedes driver.

This concludes the F1 '24 season. See you next year.

F1 Academy 2024 FINALE

Abbi Pulling is elected world champion but the F1 Academy 2024 season has only one venue left; Yas Marina. With PREMA Racing and RODIN Motorsport locked in a two-way clash for the Team Champions title, this season finale tells all.

F1 Academy 2024 - Abu Dhabi
Screengrab from F1 Academy

Following the cancellation of the second race in Qatar, the season finale was expanded into a three-race event as compensation. Joining the grid for the final races is the last Wild Card driver of the 2024 season, Logan Hannah, representing Away.

In the first two races, this season's champion, Abbi Pulling, an Alpine driver supported by RODIN, set a new record by winning nine races, surpassing the previous champion, Marta Garcia. In Race 1, Pulling triumphed over Hamda Al Qubaisi and Dorianne Pin. Then, in Race 2, she again defeated Chloe Chambers and Hamda.

However, the final race of the season was filled with corner-cutting incidents and collisions among drivers. Notable incidents included Chloe Chambers crashing into Dorianne Pin, Bianca Bustamante colliding with Chambers, and Lia Block's hopes for a podium finish diminishing after receiving a penalty for colliding with Hamda Al Qubaisi. Ultimately, Ferrari driver Maya Weug emerged victorious for the first time in this chaotic race, with Pulling finishing in second place and Nerea Marti rounding out the podium in third, benefiting from Block's penalty.

Weug's recent victory seals Prema Racing's fate as the two-time F1 Academy team champions.

Congratulations to the winners of the F1 Academy 2024 finale!

This concludes the 2024 season of F1 Academy. The 2025 season is going to be bigger than before with an increased grid thanks to a new team addition, the additional China race, and others. See you next season!

Autobacs Super GT 2024 Series FINAL

Originally supposed to serve as the fifth round of the 2024 season before it got postponed due to weather, Suzuka Circuit serves as the ending to Super GT's 30th anniversary celebration and this final race will decide which team is the champion.

Autobacs Super GT 2024 Series FINAL
Screengrab from Super GT

Wrapping up Super GT's 30th-anniversary celebration is the #36 au TOM'S GR Supra of Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita winning the final race of the 2024 season, earning it the right to be crowned the GT500 champion. The #100 Stanley Civic Type R-GT finished in 2nd place and the #3 Niterra Motul Z finished in 3rd place. 

In the GT300 class, meanwhile, the #88 VENTENY Lamborghini GT3 not only won the final race but was crowned GT300 champion, while the #65 LEON PYRAMID AMG finished in 2nd and the #2 muta RACING GR86 GT finished 3rd.

Congratulations to the champions of the Autobacs Super GT 2024 Series!

This concludes the Autobacs Super GT 2024 Series. See you on April 13 for the 2025 season!

ABB FIA Formula E S11 - Sao Paulo ePrix

Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship marked the beginning of the Gen3 EVO era and welcomed new teams KIRO and LOLA to the grid. The competition kicked off in the streets of Sao Paulo, setting the stage for this exciting new season.

ABB FIA Formula E S11 - Sao Paulo ePrix
Screengrab from Formula E

The season opener in Sao Paulo is met with crashes as well as red-flag-triggering moments when Jake Dennis stopped out on track as well as Pascal Wehrlein's big crash at the exit of Turn 6, but the biggest surprise in this race is Mitch Evans of the rebranded Jaguar team.

Mitch Evans started in last place but became the first winner of Season 11 in Sao Paulo. Porsche driver Antonio Felix da Costa finished in 2nd, and McLaren's newcomer Taylor Barnard secured 3rd place.

The next race is in Mexico City this January 11, 2025.

Saturday, December 7, 2024

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Motion to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol scrapped

 

The motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his declaration of martial law earlier this week was scrapped Saturday, after his ruling party defended the embattled leader by refusing to vote.

Even if Yoon has officially avoided impeachment, political turmoil is projected to continue, with the main opposition pledging to repeatedly submit impeachment motions until Yoon is suspended.

The motion was defeated in Saturday's plenary session, after failing to secure the required two-thirds majority, support from 200 out of the 300 members, in the National Assembly.

Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik apologized to the people on "behalf of the parliament" as he announced the Assembly's failure to pass the motion.

Most ruling People Power Party lawmakers left the chamber shortly after voting against a bill to launch a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee. People Power Party Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, who previously said he would vote in favor of the motion if Yoon refused to step down, remained in the chamber to cast his vote. Reps. Kim Yea-ji and Kim Sang-wook left the chamber at first but returned to participate in the vote.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers could not hide their disappointment as ruling party lawmakers walked out of the chamber to protest the vote.

The ruling party, which holds 108 seats in the Assembly, maintained an official stance of voting against the impeachment motion, despite few of its members having expressed willingness to vote in favor, both openly and indirectly, in recent days.

This marked the third time the National Assembly submitted a motion to impeach the president.

The previous two were passed by the Assembly in March 2004 and Dec. 9, 2016 against late President Roh Moo-hyun and former President Park Geun-hye, respectively. The Constitutional Court ultimately rejected the motion against Roh, while confirming Park's impeachment.

The main opposition, around noon, revealed plans to “repeatedly” draft and submit impeachment motions against Yoon if the proposal fails to pass the Assembly on Saturday.

“We will repeatedly float (the impeachment motion until it is passed in the Assembly),” main opposition leader and Democratic Party Rep. Lee Jae-myung said in a press briefing.

The next motion would be submitted and put to vote on Dec. 11, during an extraordinary plenary meeting, according to Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae. The opposition coalition has accused Yoon of committing treason when he had troops break into the Assembly under martial law.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets around 3 p.m. to either call for the ouster of Yoon or for the Assembly to vote against the impeachment motion.

While Yoon has dodged impeachment for the time being, the ruling bloc is expected to try to come up with a solution to stabilize the political situation, which observers said could include measures to loosen the current president's grip on state affairs.

Yoon, in a brief televised address aired Saturday morning, said that he would “leave it up to” his party to “take steps to stabilize the political situation,” including the issue of his term in office. He also apologized to the public for causing concerns due to his surprise martial law decree.

Around noon, the ruling party leader held an 80-minute meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who would serve as the country’s leader in an acting capacity if the president resigned.

The two sides have decided to closely communicate and oversee the economic issues concerning the people’s livelihoods, according to the ruling party chief.

People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon told reporters in the morning that “it is inevitable for the president” to step down from his position earlier than expected after Yoon’s apology to the public was televised. He cited the president’s inability to carry out his duties as president behind his claim.

But he did not provide details on how Yoon should step down such as impeachment or constitutional amendment that would cap the presidential term to four years instead of the current single five-year term. The proposed amendment would allow a president to be elected for a total of eight years, or two four-year terms. This would end Yoon's term early, in May 2026, and he would technically not have the option of reelection.

Several in the conservative ruling bloc in recent days have floated ideas of bolstering the constitutional power of the prime minister. The “pro-Han Dong-hoon” faction ruling party lawmakers pushed for a constitutional amendment to change the limit of the presidential term as a key resolution as another solution.

On top of the main opposition's plan to continue floating impeachment motions, Yoon is expected to be subjected to multiple investigations from law enforcement agencies.

Two law enforcement agencies announced they would form separate investigation teams looking into Yoon’s martial law decree as of Friday, with observers saying the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials could carry out its own investigation.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office announced Friday that it had formed a special investigative unit for the “cases tied to martial law decree.” The team will be led by Park Se-hyun, chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors Office, and will be jointly conducted with military prosecutors, the top prosecution office explained.

Police said earlier in the week they established a designated investigation team of some 120 personnel to look into four complaints accusing Yoon and others of treason, mutiny and abuse of power in connection with his martial law decree.

The revote on a bill that mandates special counsel investigation into multiple scandals surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation case that unfolded more than a decade ago, was held before the vote on the impeachment motion. The bill was scrapped in the revote, with 102 voting against and 198 voting in favor. In a revote, a bill requires at least two-thirds of the Assembly to vote in favor to pass.

The bill, which marks the third of its kind targeting the first lady, was passed by the opposition-led Assembly on Nov. 14, in a simple majority, and was vetoed by Yoon on Nov. 26.

Yoon’s popularity, which has been steadily falling since he first took office in May 2022, fell to a record low of 13 percent, according to the survey conducted by Gallup on 1,001 adults aged over 18 from Tuesday to Thursday. It was down by 6 percentage points on-week.


Source: Korea Herald

My GT7 Log: Legendary Rivalry

The rivalry between McLaren and Ferrari has become a significant part of Formula 1 history. As the 2024 season finale approaches, it will determine which team will be crowned Constructors' Champion. Their Vision Gran Turismo concepts offered in Gran Turismo 7 will help predict which team is likely to claim the title.


Before my little prediction over the duel between the Papaya and the Prancing Horse, let's get to know these two Vision GT concepts envisioned by the two legendary rivals.


First off, let's get to know the McLaren Vision Gran Turismo. This concept imagines what motorsports might look like in the future. Apart from its center-positioned driving layout and futuristic cockpit surrounding the driver, its turbocharged 4.0L hybrid powertrain produces 1134HP of power and 627ft-lb of torque. There's a well-known fact that this concept spawned the track-only Solus GT, making it the first Vision Gran Turismo concept to spawn a production equivalent.


Now, let's get to know the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo Concept. Unveiled at the 2022 GT World Series Finals, the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo celebrates 75 years of the Italian sports car maker while envisioning the future of motorsports in Ferrari's terms. Running on a 3.0L V6 hybrid powertrain through all four wheels, it produces 1363hp of power and 664.2ft-lb of torque.



With the introductions of the VGTs complete, let's focus on the intense rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the Suzuka Circuit, a racetrack known for the memorable battles between the two drivers. 

There's a well-known story about the decisive battle in this track. During the finale of the 1989 F1 season, Senna and Prost, the two McLaren drivers, collided in a decisive showdown. Although Prost retired from the race, Senna managed to finish, but he was penalized for corner-cutting after the crash, which dashed his title hopes and ultimately awarded the championship to Prost.

In the 1990 season, Senna sought revenge by crashing Prost, who switched to Ferrari, out of the race. Both drivers were forced to retire, but this incident allowed Senna to secure his second World Championship title.

Long story short but you get the point. It's time to decide which one stands tall as I search for the answer in this high-octane crystal ball. Roll the tape.


And now the results...

McLaren VGT - 1m50.147s

Ferrari VGT -  1m49.317s

Somewhere, Alain Prost is likely smiling. The Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo narrowly defeated the McLaren Vision Gran Turismo by less than a second, suggesting a small possibility that a Ferrari driver (I’m betting on Charles Leclerc) could outpace a McLaren driver (I’m betting on Lando Norris) by such a slim margin. I understand that neither team holds a clear advantage in today's Gran Turismo World Series finals, but our VGT machines offered us a remarkably close prediction for today's Formula 1 finale.


James Hunt vs. Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton vs. Kimi Raikkonen, and Lando Norris vs. Charles Leclerc—these rivalries have become legendary in Formula 1 history. The competition between McLaren and Ferrari is particularly infamous. With my prediction in place, whether it turns out to be right or wrong, I believe this upcoming duel will be the most exciting of the new era.

I wish them good luck to the two motoring factions.