racing

Earthrace, a novel-looking boat that's trying to circumnavigate the globe on biodiesel and set a record, is apparently back on track.

The group set sail from Barbados on March 10 with a goal of getting around the world in less than 75 days. Unfortunately, a series of snags in Central America slowed it down. Engine problems grounded it in Palau last month. The record became impossible to achieve.

Captain Peter Bethune, however, isn't giving up. Instead, he's re-starting the voyage, and taking San Diego as its starting and finishing point.

"If we continue our current pace, … Read more

SAN MATEO, Calif.--I'm standing on the race track at the Power Tool Drag Races here at Maker Faire, and while I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get killed, I'm not certain.

That's largely because I'm surrounded by little racing machines adorned with what look like very, very sharp saw blades. I assume they will stay on the track as planned, but you never know.

A few years ago, I went to these races when they used to hold them in San Francisco and gasped along with several hundred other racing fans when … Read more

We can already hear the revving of engines and sense the tension as crazy drivers from across the world arrive in London to race some of the fastest, most souped-up automobiles Crave's shielded little eyes have ever seen. Heaven help us--the 2007 Gumball 3000 Rally kicks off this weekend.

To mark the testosterone-drenched occasion, we're giving away two fancy HTC PDAs, complete with sat-nav--the very same ones used by the Gumballers themselves.

The petrolheads will be navigating their way along the 3,000-mile route at an astonishing pace, using an HTC-designed T-Mobile MDA Compact III, pre-loaded with CoPilot … Read more

My preferred mode of transportation is a pair of sneakers, but this may come close to usurping that. It's a bathtub on wheels.

I'm quite surprised they don't have one of these at the Googleplex already. (Actually, maybe they do.) I mean, man oh man does this Bathtub Racer playset look like fun. You get into a motorized bathtub ($9,995 for a set of two), and you zoom around. It's as simple--and as awesome--as that.

Presumably you can jet around in the battery-powered tubs wherever you please, riding them to the corner deli or maybe … Read more

It always weirds me out a little bit when companies come up with "traditional" toys based on video games. You know, like that Nintendo Monopoly board game from a few months back. Now, according to Kotaku, Nintendo has officially licensed a Mario Kart race track. I suppose this is the company's way of reaching out to an audience that might be too young for video games, so that it can indoctrinate them into the Cult of Nintendo.

I suppose a parallel example would be if Apple released a toy iPod for little kids. That'd be weird, … Read more

Continuing today's theme of ridiculous luxury items is, of all things, a high-performance mouse pad. In what could easily be a parody, BornRich says the English-made "Formula 1 Mouse Mat" was designed with "state-of-the-art automotive 3D modeling software." The carbon-fiber pad has inlaid leather with Italian suede backing and, of course, a prominently embossed "F1" logo. The price for a racetrack-grade mouse pad? It lists for 260 pounds, or about $525. But it comes wrapped in F1 tissue paper, so it's not overpriced or anything.

After all the ridiculously over-the-top gaming simulators we've seen lately, it's nice to know that some manufacturers are making some setups that are more affordable (if $700 qualifies, anyway).

The "Hotseat Racer GTX" from Hotseat Chassis isn't a full-scale system but does include surround-sound speakers, as well as built-in steering wheel and pedals, according to I4U News. The stand is sold separately, but the cockpit is still costs a lot less than the thousands you'd spend for simulators from Costco or Ford, not to mention the $300,000 monster from FAO Schwarz.

But if … Read more

All right, so $300,000 may be a tad steep for a simulated racing system. How does $19,000 sound? $4,000?

OK, you can at least pretend to have a racing system--and probably be a lot more comfortable--while continuing to do your work in a "Rally Office Chair" that sports a "genuine 'Cobra' seat" mounted on a swivel base for around $300 or $400. Depending on your price range, you can choose either geniune leather or "'leather look' vinyl." That's one classy ride.

While Skywalker may have favored the force instead of a display helmet, those of us representing the Han contingent should probably stick with high-tech aides when kicking it into hyperdrive.

SportVue showcased a GPS-enabled Heads Up display prototype at last week's 39th Annual Tecate-Score Baja 1000. The helmet display attaches to the visor of your helmet and offers a view similar to that of the SportVue MC1 (shown left). It allows drivers to gauge info without having to take their eyes from the road.

In the case of the GPS-enabled SportVue Heads Up display, drivers were able to read … Read more