Autoblog

Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video]

Jeffrey N. Ross — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Etc., Ford, Off-Road, Racing

The grainy image above is a shot from a video taken just seconds before a truck barreled into a crowd during an off-road racing event in Harrisburg, Ore. on Saturday. With about 1,000 people in attendance at Monster Air 2012, this jacked-up 1970s Ford pickup lost control and veered off course into the nearby crowd injuring three adults.

According to The Register-Guard of Eugene, Ore., fans were separated from the track by a dirt barrier at least eight-feet tall, and after the truck lost control, it went over this barrier and into the area where spectators were watching from folding chairs. Fortunately, the truck had slowed to just 10 mph by the time it made contact with the three victims, none of whom had serious life-threatening injuries. There has been no official word as to what caused the accident, but one witness said he heard something on the truck break just before it headed for the fans.

The accident happened just 30 minutes after the event started on Saturday, but the rest of the three-day Labor Day weekend events continued on as planned. Some reports referred to the truck as a monster truck, but it appears to be just a normal truck with a big lift. The Register-Guard is reporting it was a 1975 F-Series truck with a 950-horsepower engine, and CNN says that it was riding on 48-inch tires. No mention was made of the driver's condition, but he was apparently uninjured as CNN reports he got out of the truck after the accident to check on those who were injured.

One person happened to record the incident on his cell phone so the video quality is low, but it does capture most of the frightening incident. Scroll down to watch the grainy and jumpy video.

Continue reading Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video]

Off-road race truck crashes into Oregon crowd, injures 3 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stadium truck racing returns courtesy of Robby Gordon

Zach Bowman — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Etc., Videos, Specialty, Off-Road, Racing

Robby Gordon has resurrected his Stadium Super Truck series for 2013. The racer describes the spectacle as Baja meets Bigfoot, wherein 600-horsepower beasts with 20 inches of suspension travel race side-by-side in stadiums around the country for a shot at a $60,000 nightly purse. The driver who manages to take home the championship win will walk away with $500,000. The series is patterned after the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Race Series, which gave drivers like Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears their start in racing some 25 years ago.

Each event will feature two days of festivities, including a fan expo, tailgating and side-by-side ATV races. Each truck will have at least some resemblance to production models outside and will run DOT-approved street tires. Check out a very unique season preview as well as a quick clip of one truck in action by scrolling down. We have to say watching a single Stadium Super Truck play in the dirt is about as thrilling as watching paint dry, but the real deal should feature side-by-side competition, and we look forward to the return of stadium truck racing at the Los Angeles Coliseum on May 29, 2013.

Continue reading Stadium truck racing returns courtesy of Robby Gordon

Stadium truck racing returns courtesy of Robby Gordon originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fórmula Truck - The bigger they race, the bigger they crash

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, South America, Racing

When ~~worlds~~ Fórmula Trucks collide - Click above to watch video after the jump

Bruno Junqueira, veteran of both Formula One and IndyCar, is now racing in Brazil's spectacular Fórmula Truck series. Along with moving to a larger series comes larger accidents.

According to reports, Bruno lost his brakes just before a turn on the Interlagos circuit, causing him to run straight into a back of another competitor's truck, with the collision sending him airborne and into the other cab. The result was king-sized carnage and, thankfully - shockingly - only minor injuries for Junqueira and no injuries for Diumar Bueno, the racer whose truck was decabitated. Follow the jump for the stunning video footage.

[Sources: YouTube, ITN, Fórmula Truck]

Continue reading Video: Fórmula Truck - The bigger they race, the bigger they crash

Video: Fórmula Truck - The bigger they race, the bigger they crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 caught playing on Alpen roads

Zach Bowman — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Spy Photos, Performance, SUV, Europe, Volkswagen, South America, Off-Road, Racing

VW Race Touareg 2 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Our camera-happy spy photographers were quick enough to grab a batch of shots of one very distinctive Volkswagen Touareg as it underwent mountain testing. From what we can tell, it's the next iteration of the German manufacturer's successful Race Touareg 2 - the same diesel rally raid beast that has gone toe-to-toe with other competitors in the Paris-Dakar. From what we can tell, the next-gen racer will look nearly identical to the car that competed in the 2009 series, with a few subtle changes.

The prototype our photographers spotted sports a snorkel for high-water crossings and a new brush guard - presumably for pushing obstacles from the Touareg's path and protecting its lightweight bodywork. Who knows what's under the hood, but considering the success the company has had with hits twin-turbo diesel I5, we wouldn't expect too much to change in terms of power delivery unless rule changes warrant it. VW has managed to increase the engine's power output by about 10-15 ponies each year, though, so it wouldn't surprise us to see the oil-burner top 300 horsepower for the first time.

Gallery: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 Spy Shots

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 caught playing on Alpen roads originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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