Monday, March 17, 2025

2025 NASCAR Cup Series - Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube

As spring approaches, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series continues in Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. Sin City has transformed, but that doesn't stop NASCAR's most daring drivers from making things exciting.

As the green flag waved, the action in Viva Las Vegas commenced. Stage 1 saw a loose tire from the No. 19 car on Lap 34. As Austin Cindric wins Stage 1, Stage 2 gets even more intense as Alex Bowman pits over vibration issues, followed by a spin by Shane van Gisbergen on Lap 108, trouble on the restart for Kyle Busch, and Todd Gilliand gets into the wall on Lap 147. With Stage 2 going to Kyle Larson, the final stage saw a multi-car incident on Lap 195, followed by another where Ryan Blaney was the hardest to get hit. The unexpected comes into place with Noah Gragson triggers a caution with only 20 laps left.

Screengrab from NASCAR

For the first time ever, Josh Berry wins the Pennzoil 400 of the NASCAR Cup Series!

The next race is at Homestead-Miami for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 this March 23, 2025.

Sunday, March 16, 2025

2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring

The 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues at Sebring International Raceway for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. With lessons learned from their Daytona campaign, these drivers and teams surely know how to keep Florida heated with intense endurance racing action.

2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring
Screengrab from IMSA

The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 nailed its second GTP win of the season while the #43 Intel Europol Competition Oreca LMP2 07 won the LMP2 class, the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 in the GTD class, and the fan-favorite #77 AO Racing 911 GT3 R in the GTD PRO class.

The next event is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this April 11-12, 2025.

F1 2025 - Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix

The year 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, and the celebrations kicked off at Albert Park in Melbourne, despite a rainy forecast. 

This season will be the last for the current generation of F1 cars before major rule changes in 2026 when Cadillac will join the grid for the first time. 

Notably, Lewis Hamilton has made headlines by switching to Ferrari this season. Additionally, several drivers have changed teams: Carlos Sainz moved to Williams, Nico Hülkenberg is now with Sauber, and Esteban Ocon has joined Haas. 

This season also features a record number of newcomers, including Isack Hadjar for VCARB, Jack Doohan for Alpine, Gabriel Bortoletto for Sauber, Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, and Oliver Bearman for Haas. 

The 75th anniversary season promises to be one for the history books.

F1 2025 - Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix
Screengrab from F1

Lando Norris drew first blood by beating last year’s champion Max Verstappen to win the Australian Grand Prix while Mercedes-AMG driver George Russell completed the podium by finishing 3rd. In addition, Kimi Antonelli appealed the 5-second penalty imposed for his tangle with Hülkenberg. Isack Hadjar’s debut race unfortunately ended in shambles before it started when his car crashed on the second turn.

Norris won his first race of the season but the Mercedes-AMG team is in the offense. F1's 75th-anniversary celebration has truly begun. The next race is the Heineken Chinese Grand Prix this March 22, 2025.

2025 Repco Supercars Championship - MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint

The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship continues in Albert Park, the venue that the Formula 1 camp will be using for the start of its 75th-anniversary celebration, for the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint.

2025 Repco Supercars Championship - MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint
Photo: Supercars

As expected, only those who were inside the track for Supercars action have witnessed it because due to international broadcast rights associated with the F1 2025's Australian Grand Prix, their usual highlights and live video coverage of the Repco Supercars Championship events are not available.

Here's the TL;DR summary. Except for the 4th and final race canceled due to rainfall, three Chevrolet drivers took the win; with Red Bull Ampol Racing's Broc Feeney for the first race, Dabble Racing's Cameron Hill in the second race, and Will Brown in the third race.

Post-Melbourne, Will Brown is leading the championship with 467 points.

The next event is the ITM Taupō Super 440 this April 10-12, 2025.

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Guinness Men's Six Nations 2025 FINAL

The 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations finale pits Italy v Ireland, Wales v England, and France v Scotland. With France and England tied in the lead, which team will deserve to be this season's champions? Time to find out.

Screengrab from Six Nations

The finale saw Ireland defeat Italy at the score of 22-17 while England humiliated Wales at the score of 68-14 and France beat Scotland at the score of 35-16.

Congratulations to France Rugby on their 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations championship! They raked four out of five wins this season with a total of 125 points, which is impressive!

This concludes the 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations season but the Six Nations action continues with the 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations season beginning Saturday, March 22nd.

Friday, March 14, 2025

Let's Do The News! (March 14, 2025)

                

                                        

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

- Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte called out Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, PNP Chief Rommel Francisco Marbil, AFP Chief Romeo Brawner Jr., and CIDG Chief Nicolas Torre III, as well as all those who arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte. On his Facebook account, Rep. Duterte asked the aforementioned individuals where his father was because he said he was not in the International Criminal Court.

- Former President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as his counsel ahead of his appearance before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber.

- The European Union is sending one of its delegates to the Philippines to monitor the May 2025 midterm elections.

- NLEX will undergo various maintenance projects throughout 2025.

- Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees that the war in Ukraine must end but says the plan has to "lead to long-term peace" and "remove root causes of crisis".

- The Ligier JS F4 Series was renamed as Ligier Junior Formula Championship.

- The all-electric Mercedes-Benz CLA was unveiled.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA

- Silent Hill f video game is coming soon to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

TTFN.

Toyota Crown Estate (H38W/H39W)

The introduction of the all-new Toyota Crown Estate completes the quartet of Crown models, which includes the Crown Crossover, the Crown sedan, the Crown Sport, and this one. Now, let's get to know the last addition to this lineup.

2025 Toyota Crown Estate
2025 Toyota Crown Estate

The all-new Toyota Crown Estate starts at 6,350,000 Japanese Yen plus additional costs. The final entry of the Crown quartet of models is obviously the most spacious even though it isn't really an Estate, it's a posh crossover that's about as big as the Harrier.

2025 Toyota Crown Estate
2025 Toyota Crown Estate

Let's start with the exterior styling. The Crown Estate is a luxury crossover comparable in size to the current-generation Harrier. It features the latest Crown logo, similar to the rest of the lineup, but it showcases the signature Toyota design that has been inspired by Ferrari. From the rear, the vehicle's appearance could easily be mistaken for an RAV4, a Harrier, or a Corolla Cross. As they say, it's all part of the family.

2025 Toyota Crown Estate
2025 Toyota Crown Estate interior


2025 Toyota Crown Estate
2025 Toyota Crown Estate interior

Similar to the entire quartet, the Crown Estate's interior embraces a minimalist approach. The driver's side features advanced technologies such as T-Connect, smartphone connectivity, voice control, a heated steering wheel, and a digital rearview mirror, among others.

The Estate, being the most spacious option among the Crown quartet, offers 570 liters of luggage space with the rear seats in use and 1,470 liters when they are folded down. It also features a brand-new luggage space extension board mechanism, which allows for a completely flat space of two meters in length when the rear seats are retracted—a first for Toyota vehicles.

2025 Toyota Crown Estate
2025 Toyota Crown Estate

The Crown Estate is available with two electrified drivetrains. The hybrid Z variant features a 2.5L A25A-FXS Dynamic Force petrol engine paired with two electric motors, producing a total power output of 243 PS. It comes equipped with a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery and an e-CVT gearbox, promising a fuel economy of 20.3 km/L based on WLTC Mode standards.

On the other hand, the plug-in hybrid RS variant utilizes the same 2.5L A25A-FXS petrol hybrid engine as the standard hybrid. However, it is enhanced with powerful electric motor generators, a new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery mounted under the floor, and an improved heat pump HVAC system, delivering a total power output of 306 PS. This variant also features a CVT gearbox and achieves a combined fuel economy of 20 km/L according to WLTC Mode standards, along with an electric-only driving range of 89 km. That's more efficient than what you get from one of its main rivals, the Mazda CX-60 with e-SKYACTIV PHEV.

Similar to the other Crown SUVs in the lineup, the Crown Estate is built on the TNGA-K platform. Although it is only available with four-wheel drive, its driving experience can be somewhat comparable to that of the Audi Q5. This platform makes the ride less sporty, but it does provide a relaxed driving feel, reminiscent of a leisurely Sunday afternoon, thanks to its front MacPherson struts and rear multilink suspension.

With an emphasis on safety as a key priority, the Crown Estate comes equipped with advanced safety features, including the latest Toyota Safety Sense. This system includes up to 12 advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) features. Additionally, it offers the innovative Toyota Teammate advanced driving system, which includes Radar Cruise Control and Lane Tracing Assist. These technologies enable the crossover to perform semi-autonomous driving, allowing it to navigate busy roads like the Shutokou with ease.

Although the Crown Estate is a treason to the Crown heritage, like the Crossover and Sport variants, it is all about space, luxury, and efficiency in the name of common sense. With the Crown lineup of models officially complete, it's hard to decide which variant is the wisest, but if you're interested in space, the Estate is the best bet. It's misleading by name, but it's a serious, posh crossover fit for all walks of life.

Available Colors: Precious White Pearl, Massive Grey, Black, Emotional Red III, Precious Bronze, Black x Precious White Pearl, Precious Metal x Massive Grey, Black x Massive Grey, Black x Emotional Red III, and Black x Precious Bronze.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation