The new Porsche 911 GT3 has no manual gearbox. What does that mean, exactly? In his latest video for YouTube’s Drive channel, advanced hooner and Porsche enthusiast Chris Harris ponders some interesting philosophical points. The new Porsche 991-generation 911 GT3 is almost upon us, and Chris has spent some seemingly very entertaining time with it. [...]

Über rare and properly mental BMW ALPINA B3 GT3 at Munich Motor Works in Dubai, UAE. Hearing that Munich Motor Works in Dubai had an Alpina in stock didn’t really come as much of a surprise. As an independent workshop specializing in German marques – and an authorized DINAN Performance Centre capable of turning your [...]

Thanks to RSRNurburg we get a sense of life behind the scenes at a mighty VLN race in Germany. VLN races, or Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring if you want us to be proper, could be described as the ultimate test of man and machine. Comprising of 10 mini enduro races throughout the European racing season. Tough, [...]

crankandpiston catches up with The Saudi Falcons drivers Abdulaziz Turki Al Faisal and Faisal Binladen to discuss the team’s 2012/2013 Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup Middle East season. It’s been a mixed year for The Saudi Falcons. Although leader driver Abdulaziz Turki Al Faisal has relinquished the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup Middle East to Gold Cup [...]

We catch up with the Saudi Falcons as they tackle the challenging bike track, Losail, on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar. Two exciting rounds at the Locail circuit on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar saw the Saudi Falcons collect the hand full of wins and podium finishes. The track that is most commonly known as [...]

Reem International Circuit, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Falcons returned home for round four of the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup Middle East, with local boys Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal and Faisal Binladen looking for a good result in front of the home crowd. Safe to say that The Saudi Falcons enjoyed mixed blessings at round four of [...]

Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal is about to race in his eighth Dubai 24 Hours. He’s never won it. He, and the team, want that to change. The paddock at the Dubai Autodrome is moving from a laconic shift to a busy bustle. It’s Wednesday morning in mid-January, two days before the eighth running of the 24 [...]

The paddock at the Dubai Autodrome is moving from a laconic shift to a busy bustle. It’s Wednesday morning in mid-January, two days before the eighth running of the 24 Hours of Dubai and the camera is rolling on the Saudi Falcon team. Over the past few days, containers have been arriving at the race [...]

A quick teaser video of The Saudi Falcons endeavours at the eighth running of the Dubai 24hrs endurance race.   The recent 24 Hours of Dubai endurance race showed the great strength of the race. Now in it’s 8th year, with grids busting with full bore pro teams and gentleman racers alike, the heat was [...]

Britain’s newest GT racing team, Ram Racing, has assembled a high-calibre driver line up for its international race debut at the start of the New Year.  At the wheel of the team’s gleaming white Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 for the Dunlop 24H Dubai will be sportscar racing stars Johnny Mowlem, Gunnar Jeannette and Guy Smith, [...]

We are all champions on the Playstation when we hook up Gran Turismo. Banging the laps in, nailing the fastest laps one after the other and taking the chequered flag wondering where everyone else is. Oh, hang on, you’re not wondering, because you know you are boss. Best get up from your seat and pop [...]

What you’re looking at here, aside from the newest entry to your dream garage, is the lightest Lamborghini ever produced. When we consider the Super Trofeo racers and GT3 monsters currently (or soon to be) roaming the European race circuits, that may seem unlikely. But no. This particular carbon fibre Lambo (designed by Bruce Wayne, [...]

Quite possibly the most successful Middle Eastern racing championship is about to roll out onto the grids for the fourth successive season. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East has continued to grow year on year, bringing with it a grid of talented and fast regional drivers, plus a few fly ins for good measure. [...]

The last time we saw Bentley on the motorsport scene, the boys in British Racing Green were holding a large trophy above their heads with ’24 Heures de Le Mans’ written on it. That was nine years ago though, and give or take another stab at the big prize or two, it looked like that [...]

Behind the rolled down shutter is a crowd on its feet waiting for the GT procession to begin, to end, and for the animals to be let loose. This prancing horse, secluded in its stable, merely sits oblivious to the atmosphere outside. Just waiting for its moment under the spotlight. Waiting… Source – Phunkshon

A conversation arose during a Gran Turismo evening the other night, one which the majority of you will no doubt have had before. Since each of the team was on fire, and the crankandpiston lap times were nothing short of heroic, we naturally assumed as we basked in our respective glories and accepted our virtual [...]

Jann Mardenborough crossed the finishing line at Brands Hatch just two-hundredths of a second ahead of the No.007 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, to take his own and the No.35 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3’s first major race victory a year to the day that he won Nissan’s GT Academy competition. Since winning the competition that turns PlayStation [...]

Recently McLaren unveiled the new-for-2013 McLaren MP4-12C, a production model of which former-Formula One World Champion Jenson Button will put through its paces at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb. Turns out though that there is also a GT3 version on the way too. Now before you get too excited, performance figures have yet [...]

Abdulaziz Al Faisal, who is already building his reputation as one of the Middle East’s top racing drivers at home and abroad, hopes his success can inspire more young Arabs to follow his path to the top. Over the past three years, no driver has done more to generate interest in the sport among young [...]

While checking my emails one mundane Monday morning last month I opened an email from Mercedes-Benz’s friendly PR people asking if I’d like to attend the media day of their AMG road-show. They would have the full line-up of the three-pointed stars AMG models for us to drive at the Yas Marina Circuit. The thing [...]

Karim Al Azhari, one of the UAE’s most experienced racing drivers, aims to sharpen his skills on the race tracks of Europe this summer as he looks to boost his assault on the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East next season. Driving for AL Nabooda Racing, Al Azhari made an immediate impact on the Porsche [...]

Saudi racing driver Abdulaziz Turki Al Faisal scored an impressive podium finish in the ADAC GT Masters series when he finished third at Germany’s Sachsenring circuit. The Saudi Falcons racer, driving with Mirko Bortolotti with the Schubert Motorsport team’s BMW Z4 GT3, followed up a disappointing result in the weekend’s first race with a great performance [...]

There’s just seven days before the green flag drops for the 2012 Le Mans 24hrs. Audi looks good to swipe outright honours, but LMP2 is seemingly wide open if the test day is anything to go by. Look past the OAK Racing, Level 5 Motorsport and Jota pacesetters on the day though and one name [...]

Over 600 drivers – in 170 different cars – took the green flag for the 40th running of the Nurburgring 24hrs last weekend. Even aside from these numbers, it’s difficult to imagine the pressure of racing at the Nurburgring, easily the most famous circuit in Europe and celebrated as one of the most dangerous. Lives, [...]

Standing quarter mile anybody…? We’d hardly blame you if you did. After all, this beast will rip from 0-100kph in less than 4.5s courtesy of its 444hp 3.8l flat-six, and still be picking up speed when it hits the 300kph mark. Actually, now that we think about it, a quarter mile doesn’t seem long enough. [...]

Recently crankandpiston asked me to write a few words about my year competing in the Qatar National Road Racing Championship Open Class in a 1973 911S. This year there’s been a lot of excitement, but it’s also been hard. Very hard! As some of you may know, my 911S is a full-on, International Motorsports Association [...]

Interest ahead of the Nurburgring 24hrs is really starting to hot up. Fresh off the news that Aston Martin will once again compete in the endurance event with a race-spec V12 Zagato, Toyota has now rolled out their confirmed line-up for Germany. And its latest sportscar, the 86, leads the charge. The buzz is really [...]

You may remember crankandpiston’s attendance at the Aston Martin V12 Zagato launch last November. Woops and “whoa!”s were only outdone by the audible sounds of jaws hitting the linoleum and attempts to revive members of the assembled media. Needless to say, the Zagato ticked the right boxes. Likely as not, this will probably get the [...]

Motor racing is expensive, which is why all top drivers have sponsors that help fund their need for speed. Which is great, but sponsors don’t get involved for the love. They expect something in return. Often, that can be very dull PR work. But other times, it can involve belting around a track in a [...]

Sean Edwards is a well known driver in the Middle Eastern Motorsport scene. From running with ARM (Alex Renner Motors) in the UAE GT Championship, to taking top honours at the Dubai 24hrs this year, Sean can usually be found at a major race event in the region. As he is always friendly and up [...]

If the UAE Radical Championship, UAE GTs, the UAE Touring Cars, the Maserati Trofeo, FG1000 and the Porsche Cup Middle East have proven anything during the 2011/2012 season, it’s that limited grid numbers does not equal processional races. There’s plenty of splintered carbon fibre to prove that. Granted we’ve not brought you much coverage of [...]

Back in the 90s, when McLaren rolled out it’s now-legendary McLaren F1, racing was never on the agenda. Mind you, after a couple of cups of tea and a brainwave, the team decided to hit the track, take on the best, and ultimately destroy them. Good decision! So when the MP4-12C was mooted, a race [...]

Austrian Clemens Schmid scored a commanding victory in the penultimate round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Bahrain International Circuit today. The race became a dress rehearsal for next month’s Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, and Schmid survived an early slip to win by just under ten seconds from Saudi Arabia’s Bandar [...]

Round 5 of the Maserati Trofeo JBF RAK at the Dubai Autodrome saw highs and lows for a number of drivers and some of the most spectacular racing seen so far in the Middle East’s only factory-backed race series. The UAE’s Humaid Al Masaood and Italy’s Patrick Zamparini took a win each during the 30minute [...]

There’s just something about the Nissan GT-R, isn’t there? Nissan’s follow-up to the iconic Skyline GT-R. Will lap the Nurburgring faster than a Pagani Zonda. A launched 0-100kph in under three seconds. Codename, ‘Godzilla’. Yep, we can’t work out why it’s so popular either. Our old mates at clashproduction.com have produced this tribute to the [...]

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East will create its own chapter of motor racing history when the region’s headline series makes a spectacular night-time debut at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit next month. It will be the first Porsche GT3 Cup night racing event staged anywhere in the world since the one-make championship was introduced [...]

Young Lebanese driver Joe Ghanem once again showed his driving prowess in Round 4 of the Maserati Trofeo JBF RAK, which took place at Losail International Circuit in Qatar this weekend. The factory-backed one-make gentlemen’s driver series once again provided some spectacular on track action in most heart-stopping 30-minute races. Friday saw the drivers take [...]

The fourth round of the Maserati Trofeo JBF RAK takes place at Losail International Circuit in Qatar this weekend. With sponsorship from the Alfardan Group, the Middle East’s most exciting race series is set to stun Qatar with two races taking place on Saturday. Friday saw the drivers take to the challenging 5.38km-long circuit for [...]

After playing a patient waiting game to grab victory in Round 8 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, Abdulaziz Al Faisal has taken a major step towards his second driver’s title in three years. The Saudi’s third win of the season on home territory prevented Austrian Clemens Schmid from dominating the race weekend [...]

One hopes the 50th celebration of anything will run without a hitch. That racing legend A.J. Foyt should fall ill shortly before his spell as Rolex 24 grand marshall began wasn’t the best start. Saying that, nobody could have predicted that the bi-centennial running at Daytona would prove to be one of the closest in [...]

Motorsport has moved on so much since its humble beginnings. Improvements to safety. The technical mastery. The sponsorship. The celebrity status. But when all is said and done, outside the competition is camaraderie, and underneath the helmet is a personality. Just like behind the cameras, there’s an individual, and a vision. Our friends at Clashproduction [...]

We’ve not been left wanting for endurance races so far in 2012. The Dakar. The Dubai 24Hrs. The Gulf 12Hrs. The Monte Carlo Rally. Now from across the pond comes the Rolex 24Hr at Daytona International Raceway, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend. Many auspicious names have won the Daytona’s 24Hr headliner – Dan [...]

This weekend’s Gulf 12Hr race has certainly kept our lensmen busy, with action aplenty and a gorgeous array of racing machinery on show. As well as a great selection of high res images, we thought you might also enjoy listening to some of the spectacular engine notes that have been thundering around the Yas Marina [...]

Turns out the tortoise doesn’t always beat the hare. Though not lacking in outright pace, the heavy braking, swooping nature of the Yas Marina Circuit ultimately proved more suited to AF Corse’s and Kessel Racing’s Ferraris than United Autosport’s Audi. Since a quick nap for the prancing horse was unlikely, tactical measures were required to [...]

Turns out you should always read the fine print. Blowing the half-time whistle during an endurance race is not a concept I’m familiar with. The first 6Hr race is now run, with the second due to kick off after, essentially, a 90-minute pit stop. Seems the Gulf ‘12Hr’ is suffering an identity crisis. Saying that, [...]

Endurance racing is very de rigeur at the moment. No sooner had the dust settled on Dubai’s 24Hr event and the 2012 Dakar Rally than the World Rally Championship kicked off its season in Monte Carlo. Closer to home in the UAE, the green flag also dropped for the Gulf 12Hr endurance race. Three hours [...]

The action’s heating up at the Dubai 24Hr.

Karim Al Azhari, one of the UAE’s most experienced racing drivers, says he can’t wait for his debut in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East although he is expecting a difficult entry into the championship during the second half of the 2011-12 season. Al Azhari will make his debut in the Porsche one-make series [...]

Nissan is something of a watchword in the crankandpiston office at the moment. The team’s management fleet now boasts a Juke (more of which to come), and we’re quite keen to see its R-tuned bigger brother in action at this weekend’s Dubai 24 Hr. On top of that, JRM – the team that ran the [...]

It doesn’t take much to realise that we have a love affair with the Porsche 993 here at crankandpiston.com. In fact most Porsche float our boat, but it’s the 993 (1993-1998) that really floats our boat. It’s a fundamental thing that generates that attraction and not simply the gorgeous lines, penned by Tony Hatter. It’s [...]

The new season of Porsche GT3 Cup racing in the Middle East kicks off tomorrow, and to give you an introduction to the racing, Porsche has made this little video of the practice sessions at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi. The first races are this weekend (November 4 and 5) at the Dubai Autodrome, so [...]

The guys over at Axis of Oversteer had the pleasure of running in the IMSA GT3 Challenge at Road Atlanta, but had this major moment in practice. Coming over the final corner – a blind 195kph downhill right hander – things went a bit wrong, and the Porsche 911 GT3 went for a bit of [...]

We can hear the clapping from all around. Word is, that Porsche are not following the lead set by many sports car companies, and will be sticking with the old school method of swapping cogs. 0-60 have brought to light a recent interview that took place with Motor Trend,  where Porsche CEO Matthias Muller said [...]

Team Abu Dhabi hot shoe and all round top bloke, Sean Edwards, had a lucky escape after a massive crash in the opening laps of the Porsche Supercup race at Monza, Italy. Luckily he emerged from the car pretty much unscathed, however the crash has put a slight dent in his championship aspirations for the [...]

We are suckers for Orange! We are also suckers for the new McLaren MP4-12C GT3. Add the two together and you have the ingredients for awesome sauce. Thankfully Eric Fabre had the same thoughts as us, so during the recent development run out at the Blancpain 24hrs of Spa, he snapped this killer collection for [...]

It is the end of June/the beginning of July… So what does that mean?  Ah yes, the Goodwood Festival of Speed! As always it certainly holds promise to deliver an incredible selection of cars/toys and glasses of bubbly. The one we are most excited about is the the new MP4-12C GT3, that McLaren has been tweaking since [...]

We brought you the first shots of the stunning Troy Lee Designed, Flying Lizards Porsche Le Mans livery last week… and now we can share with you the behind the scenes creative process of one of the coolest cats in the business.

Flying Lizard revealed today a commemorative livery for the No. 80 and No. 81 Flying Lizard Porsches for the 201124 Heures du Mans. Created by California-based artist Troy Lee, the livery celebrates the history of Porsche at Le Mans, featuring the 28 drivers who have won the 24 Heures du Mans overall in a Porsche. The [...]

The first race car program to pop out of McLaren Automotive since the F1 GTR – Well the credence is well and truly there! We have been waxing lyrical about the McLaren MP4-12C since we first caught sight of it a couple of years ago and now that it is here and the global press [...]

Some of you may know or remember Team Gulf First.  Run by Fabien Giroix and his team, they successfully campaigned a team full of Lamborghini Gallardos across Europe last season and brought said team to the Middle East to run in the Dubai 24hrs.  However the structure of that team has changed and now Gulf [...]

Good Lord. I don’t think a feeling like the one generated by this car has rumbled through the office before. When Mercedes dropped the SLS AMG bomb, most car nuts across the world slipped off the chair they were sat on at the time and now its Mercedes Motorsports turn. Not just interested in DTM [...]

Falken Tyres have got their game face on at the moment. Not only are they pushing the quality of their product and making themselves an honest and competitive option in the black liquorice market, they are out their supporting main stream and grass roots motorsport. With their evocative and stunning blue and teal scollop design [...]

Pikes Peak 2010 – Jeff Zwart Qualifying from Will Roegge on Vimeo. A good omen, lucky charm, bringer of karma. However you look at it, you can’t ignore that for the last two years the teams/drivers that Will Roegge has followed have won their class and set new records at the event that they call [...]

Thanks to Andre and the DXB crew we bring you another great on board video clip with Julian Griffin behind the wheel of the teams awesome and super clean Dodge Viper ACR. Sit back and revel at the competition within the ranks of GTA.

I know we can get a bit Motorsport intensive here at crankandpiston…I make no apologies of that fact especially when we get to see some cool on board footage from our local track in a Porsche 997 Cup Car. So as I just mentioned here is a video from Round 4 of the UAE GT [...]

I have a bit of soft spot for the Ginetta G50. Ignoring the fact that its looks are a bit Marmite, there is no denying its one of the most effective pound for pound GT cars available. You see the G50 is one of those cars that you can tweak and play with and make [...]

I was excited to find out after another Facebook chat, that another great film maker in the shape of Will Roegge will be making the LONG flight from the USA to be in Dubai for the 24hrs. The last time that Rod Chong and the speedhunters.com crew put Will behind a camera at an FIA [...]

I was excited to get down to the Autodrome on Thursday to see the Black Falcon E92 M3 in all it’s glory. For the fifth consecutive year Black Falcon have made the trip out to the desert for the 24-hour race of Dubai. With two containers, two racing cars, nine drivers and more than ten [...]