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lai lai lai ... what "chicken wings" ya'll expect tonight

<A 670-HP Lancia Delta Integrale EV Will Tackle World Rallycross in 2022 With the FIA's WRX series going electric, now's the time to revive a true classic. Ahh, rallycross going electric. It feels like someone invents a new version of it every week, probably because rallycross sort of has the ideal format for cars with limited range. The races are just 6-9 minutes long, but it's also tough actually making electric cars you can rattle the absolute hell out of around a jump track while keeping the safety standards somewhere north of acceptable. And then there are the costs. The FIA World Rallycross championship is, after years of skirting the issue, finally taking the plunge next season. One of the entrants, French outfit GCK Motorsport, is bringing things back to the old school by using the 500-kilowatt, dual-motor electric powertrain and battery from Kreisel (the people who are also bringing you insane hydrofoil racing) and fitting it to a Lancia Delta Integrale. That car's a volatile legend of rallycross' past, as well as a six-time World Rally Championship title winner. GCK Although there's obviously gonna have to be a fair amount of screwing around with it, this really will have a Delta Integrale chassis, somewhere in its base. The Integrale wasn't the Group B Lancia–that was the completely haphazard Delta S4, a beast with, as you'd expect in rally, more horsepower than sense that could reportedly pull up to 800 hp in a final race. Instead, the Integrale was a Group A competitor that still won over everyone's hearts. But rallying and Lancia Deltas go together like me and standing by the side of the course getting a face full of gravel, so this is more than a welcome development in any case. GCK already made a restomod version of the Lancia Delta Integrale that looks mighty lovely zooming around a smooth circuit because it's a car that's shaped like the most satisfying box and it's got the handling of a modern EV. That's all nice and good and I definitely wouldn't be angry if someone offered to let me (or preferably Stef) hoon one round the Nordschleife. But it's not the roaring, angry, roughness of whatever makes people want to snout rallycross cars around dirt tracks like 670-horsepower truffle hunters. LANCIA The WRX series is very keen to make some, frankly, fairly wild claims about the cars accelerating faster than F1 (yes, for a short period and if the F1 car doesn't have ERS). To be honest, when you're as obscure as rallycross has ended up these days, you can pretty much say absolutely anything and it'll either please all 15 incredibly passionate Estonians following the championship or everyone will just ignore it, anyway. For sure, at least, WRX has a decent grid put together for next year with 14 entrants to the 2022 title. And y'know, 671 horsepower and 880 newton-meters of torque in cars this size is going to be rude and fun as hell whatever you do with it. It took less than that to impress Ken Block, after all. At the very least, this is a more dignified progression of the Delta into the future than what Lancia actually did with it, which was to take on a very 2021 process way back in 2009 and turn what used to be the symbol of manic, gutsy handling into a completely vile crossover it hurts to look at. Please don't bring this one back as electric, Stellantis—you're on watch. LANCIA>

https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/motor-racing/news/15749/12101426/laura-salvo-dies-after-portugal-rally-crash https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/formula-one/motor-racing-spanish-rally-driver-laura-salvo-dies-in-horror-crash So sad. 😭 Rest in peace. 😥

sad to see it lose venues & sponsorships... maybe itll be back in future...

PM Lee to address cost of living, housing, water prices and medical costs at National Day Rally WATCH IT LIVE The English speech will be streamed live on the ST website from 8.15pm. Before this, Mr Lee will be speaking in Malay from 6.45pm, then Mandarin. Things I am going to look out for: - the lease on HDB flats - cost of living - do we have enough of the right people for the jobs - taking care of the aged

Finnish driver Teemu Suninen steers his Ford Fiesta WRC with co-driver Mikko Markkula in Cordoba during the Argentina World Rally Championship. DIEGO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images Sebastien Ogier during the FIA World Rally Championship in Cordoba, Argentina. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool . . . . . .

I'm quite pleasantly surprised by the paternity leave. What are yours?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrYRjV1ijvAThe Red Bull-sponsored Kamaz 4326 is arguably one of wildest racing vehicles on the planet. The 20,000-pound truck has a 1000-horsepower 16.2-liter turbo-diesel V8, 16 forward gears, and enough torque to tear down a building. After winning the Dakar rally back in January, the Kamaz is back for some high-flying snow-filled action. Red Bull released a promotional video yesterday of the Kamaz being driven by 2013 Dakar Rally winner Eduard Nikolaev through a snow covered northwestern part of Russia for some shakedown testing. For the 4326, that means a whole lot of airtime. Thanks to the truck's 11.8 inches of suspension travel and huge spiked ice tires, it's able to launch off snow jumps and drift around frozen corners with ease. Sure, this video is just an advertisement for Red Bull to sell more energy drinks, but it's just too cool not to share. Watch for yourself as the diesel-powered behemoth takes flight over the frozen landscape.

I'm interested to take part in SMSA organized motorsports events...how do I register? Also what are the requirements? Hope someone can give me more information. Thanks...

Shot in Santa Cruz, Bolivia during the Codasur 2016 rally, a stray dog decided to take a walk on a rally stage. With the race still on going, spectators were not able to guide the poor dog away from rally cars that will be passing through. A short while later, a Mitsubishi Evo piloted by Fernando Zuasnabar is seen driving straight into the dog’s path. Will there be an accident? Or will the dog be the luckiest dog alive? Watch and find out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_RPbQggow

Here are today's footage on SMSA car park rally held at Changi Aviation Park Road Enjoy the footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD3E8VBuu9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8rQaYtW45s Two more videos coming up..

16 August 2015 Grassroots autotest at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal Carpark C

Two Brits dead after car plunges 1,000ft off Austrian mountain road during organised rally http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/two-brits-dead-after-car-6130423 The 22-year-old driver and his 25-year-old passenger lost control of their Seat Leon before ploughing through a safety barrier in the Alps They were taking part in an organised rally between the Belgian capital Brussels and Hungary’s capital Budapest that started on July 18. Police estimate that they were travelling at speeds of up to 120mph before the accident at around 7.45am today. Specialist crash investigators are ­examining the scene of the accident for clues as to what happened. At its highest point the road, named as one of the most stunning driving experiences in the world, is 8,215ft above sea level and runs across the base of the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. Although the mountain is a scenic route famed for its spectacular views, it also attracts motorists from all over Europe who are keen to try out the challenging curves and sweeping bends in the road.

Professional Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his Boxer sidekick, Brody, goes for a mad detour in their Ford Fiesta ST after dropping by the supermarket. In the video, the ST is seen getting thrashed hard on an empty construction site and looks at home doing so. Definitely a video for the rally fans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUecT2eRg0M

http://www.nocountryforoldmicra.com/ Incredible. All the best to them.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=713586222021720&set=vb.199289656784715&type=2&theater

Peugeot has had commendable success in the field of motorsports - most recent being the record breaking run at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Now, the French automaker will contest in yet another arena - the Dakar rally. Unknown to many, Peugeot has a very impressive track record at Dakar, claiming four victories out of four entries at the cross country rally between 1987 and 1990. The marque has hired top rally aces - Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres - to pilot its return. Sainz was the event's winner in 2010, while Despres won it five times on his motorcycle. Both of them will take part in the 10,000km rally in the 2008 DKR - a car specially commissioned for the race. The return to Dakar, no doubt, will further enhance the brand's exposure, after it successfully broke the Pikes Peak Hill Climb record with Sebastien Loeb at the helm of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak.

http://dai.ly/x1i70ci We have seen car stunts gone wrong, but few are as lucky as Guerlain Chicherit. The French rally driver was practicing for a World Record jump at the ski resort of Tignes in France when he fell short and suffered a massive crash, Chicherit was attempting a 360-foot (109.7 metres) jump to break the current record of 332-foot (101.2 metres) in his specially prepared MINI. He survived the crash and was taken to the hospital.

Having won the World Rally Championship (WRC) nine times in a row, Sebastien Loeb is widely regarded as the most successful rally racer ever. However, he has already made plans forward after the current season. Loeb's 2013 run in the WRC was on a limited schedule (sounds like part-time if you ask us). The versatile racing driver has decided to take part in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) next year, piloting the Citroen C-Elysee WTCC race car. He will also take part in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) at the season's final race in Macau. While the future looks bright for the talented driver, things didn't look too well at his last WRC career race in France. At the first stage of the final day of competition at the Rally of France, Loeb crashed and landed top down in the forest. Fortunately, both Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena came out of the wreckage unhurt. Jump to the video to catch the in-car footage of the whole accident. http://dai.ly/x15t563

http://dai.ly/x151mnc Motorsports crash scenes are one of the most popular. While we are no sadists, these scenes usually add that bit of extra spice and drama to the sports. But of course, some are more spectacular than others. Let's start by saying even by rally crash standard, this is terrifying. All we can tell is that the driver locked up his brakes, failed to negotiate a turn, went straight into the barrier - and the rest is history. Fortunately, both the driver and co-driver are unhurt from the accident.

SDP speech transcript: Friends and fellow Singaporeans, We have just celebrated our 48th National Day. We take pride in what we have achieved in past decades which has been no mean feat. Through hard work and sacrifice, we have built up a country worthy of praise. But just as we take stock of how far we've come, we must be mindful that our country has arrived at a stage where without change we face a bleak future and all that we have worked for will be lost. Already we are seeing signs of things going wrong.Our economy has been registering disappointing GDP growth this year. Last year, we managed only 1.3% compared to our neighbours who averaged 6% GDP growth. Our workers have seen their real wages diminish even though they work the most number of hours. Income inequality continues to widen. Among advanced economies, Singapore has the widest gap between the rich and the poor. All this has made us the unhappiest people in the world. A global survey of 148 countries showed that Singapore ranked last in terms of happiness. Last year, we recorded 467 suicides - a 30 percent jump from 2011, the highest number in 20 years. How did all this come about? A major factor is that the Government continues to be more interested in keeping up the image of a Singapore that is doing well than tackling the problems that confront ordinary Singaporeans. In his National Day message, PM Lee said that many countries admire Singapore. That's because the world only sees the glitter of the casinos and the billionaires that we attract from other countries. It doesn't see the negative effects of these policies on our people. Still, the SDP commends the Prime Minister's announcement in changes to policies regarding housing, healthcare and education. We are happy to see that some of these changes are aimed at helping Singaporeans who are in need. It is a step in the right direction. Our concern is that these changes are piecemeal and they don't address the root cause of our problems. For example, Mr Lee conspicuously avoided talking about the Government's white paper of pushing our population to 6.9 million, a policy that Singaporeans vehemently oppose. He said nothing about curtailing the excessively liberal intake of foreigners which is causing our island to be overcrowded and the unfair competition for our jobs. The SDP, on the other hand, has proposed an alternative plan. We want to introduce a points system which will rate the qualifications of foreigners, especially PMETs, who wish to work in Singapore. Singaporean employers will then be able to hire these professionals but only if they demonstrate that they have made every effort to employ a Singaporean first but cannot find a local with the required skills. It this way, we ensure that foreigners do not take away jobs that Singaporeans can do while, at the same, not depriving employers of the foreign workers they need. In addition, we can maintain our population at a manageable level and enhance the quality of life and happiness of our people. In the area of healthcare, we welcome the Government's attempt to make the system universal, an initiative that the SDP announced last year. But we are concerned that the Government will still make Singaporeans pay the bulk of their healthcare expenses, a financial burden for the elderly and those who face chronic and catastrophic illness. In 2012, we drew up our National Healthcare Plan: In it, we proposed that Medisave, Medishield and Medifund be scrapped and the funds in our Medisave accounts be returned to our CPF for our retirement. In its place, we want establish a national health insurance scheme into which working Singaporeans pay an average of $40 per month taken from our CPF. In the event that we are hospitalized, we pay only 10% of the bill. The remaining 90% will be paid by the Government through the insurance scheme. To make this scheme work, the Government must assume more of the responsibility by increasing its healthcare expenditure from 30% to 70%. The SDP's healthcare plan ensures that everyone, rich and poor, can afford quality healthcare in Singapore and, equally important, that Singaporeans will not go into debt as a result of high medical bills. As for housing, the Government has proposed changes which do not address the real problem - which is the unaffordability of HDB flats and whose prices are causing a dangerous housing bubble that, when burst, will wreak havoc on our economy. In the SDP's housing plan, we propose two types of flats: Non-Open-Market, or NOM, flats and Open-Market flats. NOM flats is where the Government sells flats without including the land cost. This will make our flats substantially cheaperabout $150,000 for a 4-room flat compared to more than double the amount presently. However, NOM-flat owners cannot sell their flats in the open market. They have to sell them back to the HDB. For Singaporeans who do want to sell their flats in the open-market, they can still purchase HDB flats at current prices. The advantage of the SDP's housing policy is that Singaporeans have a choice of whether to buy an NOM or OM flat. Opting for an NOM flat would mean that owners won't be saddled by huge loans and will have enough CPF to retire on or to make other investments. In addition to these policies we are currently working on our National Economic Plan to further enhance job security for Singaporeans and to ensure that our workers are paid fair wages. We will also be publishing our paper on the education system. The SDP has been working hard over the years to come up with alternative policies because, as I pointed out, things are not going well for Singapore and we need a better set of polices to make our future more secure and happier, a future that is centred on the people. The Singapore Democratic Party will do our part to make this future happen. We will continue to work to be the competent, constructive and compassionate opposition that you want to see. Thank you and I wish you and your loved ones the very best.

Kind of curious, what kind of policy tweaks does people here hope that the Government will announce today? This time round, it seems that the government will announce some BIG changes.... It is kind of interesting the huge emphasis on the OSC this year. I have been to a FEW.... I wonder any of you have been to any and what are your views on this... My take on OSC 1) the people discussing issues did not do due diligence and does not have the relevant information to have an INFORMED discussion. simple things like why land cost is needed to be factored in HDB BTO cost was not even understood. 2) LTA OSC was the best in terms actually getting LTA people to discuss their policies and why some things are done the way it is. My hopes for todays Rally 1) please don't change things to drastically. The citizens need to be given lead time to adjust to the new policies.... EXAMPLE pri 1 admission is something that require years of preparation, be it moving house, doing parent volunteering, joining alumni, etc. Any changes should be deferred at least 2 years after announcement.

2013 marks the debut of Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship. The automaker fielded a couple of their Polo R WRC rally cars and one of them has managed to finish in second place at the Rally Monte Carlo. After months of preparation and testing, the team's efforts have certainly paid off. Behind the wheel of the second placed car was Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver, Julien Ingrassia. Volkswagen motorsport director, Jost Capito, spoke after the rally event and he mentioned that finishing second place in the first ever rally was something more that the team could have expected. He also added that the Rally Monte Carlo was the most complex event in the season calendar and the team has shown that they are ready for the WRC. Finishing in first place was Sebastien Loeb in his Citroen and Loeb's team mate Dani Sordo came in third. Volkswagen's other car, piloted by Jari-Matti Latvala retired from the race after crashing in some snow covered sections at the Col de Turini stage. The Polo R WRC rally car is based on the humble Polo hatchback. But it received an aerodynamic bodykit and a WRC-spec 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which delivers around 300bhp, even with an air restrictor fitted. The next stage, which is the Rally Sweden, will kick off on February 7th.

Crowd is out in full force Source:EDMW

Just recently, Volkswagen unveiled the Polo R WRC which is considered the road version of the rally bound Polo that will participate in the World Rally Championships and not much was said about the racing version or how will it look like. But now, Volkswagen has finally revealed the race version of the Polo R WRC which will make its competition debut at the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally in January. Although Volkswagen did not give out any technical specifications or power figures, the car is built to the latest WRC specifications and that means it is fitted with a turbocharged 1.6 litre four cylinder engine. Even with an air restrictor, the engine is said to make around 300bhp. The engine is mated to a six speed sequential gearbox and due to WRC regulations, a mechanical differential is fixed onto the front and rear axle. An exceptional feature of the engine is the anti-lag turbocharger system. When the driver lifts his/her leg off the acceleration pedal, the turbo