Awesome Racing

Poke your head inside the cockpit of a modern Formula 1 race car, and you won’t see an ordinary steering wheel. Instead, you’ll see a detachable controller with a bunch of cryptic buttons and dials on it. WTF1 went inside the pits at a race for a rapid-fire explanation of what everything does on a Mercedes F1 car wheel.

With 24 released installments, and at least nine canceled ones, the Need for Speed video game franchise has been around since 1994. Noodle takes a look back at the popular racing series’ origins and evolution of the game, from its roots as a Road and Track tie-in to slick CG action. The opening animation alone is worth the watch.

We’ve always wanted a proper cockpit for playing racing sim games, but most of the ones you can buy aren’t exactly living-room friendly. Maker Chris Salamone built this elegant sit-down racing rig from wood, and it looks like an expensive piece of modern furniture that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.

Corso Concepts’ single-passenger reverse trike is a track day beast. It has a steel roll cage and carbon composite shell, and a curb weight of just 1,000 pounds. Its rear wheel is driven by a Hayabusa motor that makes 175 hp and spins at 11,000 RPM. Not awesome enough for you? Let the in-car footage convince you.

LEGO Technic expert The Brick Wall shows off a neat machine that uses motors, gears, magnets, and a turntable to allow tiny RC LEGO cars to drive around its surface. After rigging it up to drive with one vehicle, they upgraded it to become a two-player racing game. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s now a four-player version.

This POV footage from the motorcycle racing game Ride 4 running on a PS5 is some of the most photorealistic game footage we’ve ever seen. The reflections, lighting, shadows are so spot on that we can’t believe this was rendered in real-time by a game console. Watch at 4K 60 FPS and HDR if your system can handle it.

Performance carmakers test their vehicles on the Nürburgring. But did you know that Germany’s challenging 13-mile track is a public toll road that anyone can drive on? The rules of the road apply, though there is no speed limit. Tom Scott took a ride along with a pro driver for a look at the famed circuit and how they handle track safety.

Microsoft is ready to delight racing game fans with the latest installment of the Forza Horizon series. Take a look at the game’s gorgeous environments and buttery-smooth frame rates, as racers including a Ford Bronco, a C8 Corvette, a classic Porsche 911, and a Mercedes-AMG ONE each make a dramatic entrance.

Pro racer Travis Pastrana smashed his own record at the Mt. Washington Hill Climb driving the same 862 hp Subaru WRX STI he used to shred tires in Gymkhana 2020. He absolutely nailed the butt-clenching twists, turns, and drop-offs, recording a time of 5 minutes 28.67 seconds – smoking his closest competitor by 45 seconds.

Hop on board for a fantastically fast and quiet ride around Laguna Seca in Unplugged Performance’s 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid aka “Dark Helmet”. With Randy Pobst behind the wheel, the car set an EV track record, with a 1:28.213 lap time. The tuned car has a stock drivetrain with upgraded aero, suspension, and tires.

Ever wonder just how much a car’s steering system has to deal with while drifting at high speeds? Team Ponydrift Racing Gear shared this under-car POV footage of their 815 hp Rasmus Nissan Silvia S14 powersliding around a race track and steering at insane angles. Here’s another drift car with a similar setup.

To celebrate the 2021 British Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen took on a series of British icons. The fun-filled video pits the Honda RB7 agaisnt a double-decker bus, a classic black cab, and even a Supermarine Spitfire airplane. Even with a healthy headstart, the other vehicles had their work cut out for them.

Enduro racer Mani Lettenbichler takes us behind the scenes of the Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble, also known as the hardest dirt bike race in the world. The race takes place in a steep, rocky, rutted, and unforgiving mine in Austria. Sadly, the 2021 event was canceled due to the pandemic, but the race will return in 2022.

Reducing weight is one most important things you can do when it comes to performance cars. Automotive enthusiast ChrisFix wanted to see just how much weight could be stripped out of his BMW E46 3-series in preparation for track usage. He also tested the impact of the weight loss on acceleration and braking.

Outside of Bangkok, Thailand, adrenaline junkies pilot longtail wood boats with modified car engines that can make 500 hp or more. The boats can hit speeds upwards of 70 mph (112 km/h) as their captains steer inches from their powerful motors. CB Media offers a first-hand look at one of the world’s most bonkers activities.

We were fortunate to be among the first to take a ride in the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. Pro race driver Townsend Bell gave us a speedy tour of Texas’ Eagles Canyon Raceway, sliding deftly through the corners in the 472 hp V8-powered RWD sports sedan. The exhaust note sounds fantastic on this thing too.

Excited about the Indianapolis 500? Hy-Vee sure is. This is Hy-Vee’s second time at the Indy 500. Last year, the Midwest-based grocery chain sponsored one car with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and this year they’re sponsoring two drivers in the race.

Smartphone racing games often require tilting the screen to steer. While it’s not a bad control method, we prefer this clever design, which places the phone in a cradle that’s been rigged up to a metal frame and steering wheel. Though if your game requires acceleration or braking, that’s another problem.

Get ready to race with this arcade racer, which brings Hot Wheels action to consoles and gaming PCs. The game features crazy tracks with lots of loops, twists, and banks, with online multiplayer for up to 12 racers. It also has a track editor and livery editor for your car collection. Drops 9.30.2021.

The Dakar Rally is known as one of the world’s most challenging and dangerous races. Driver Benediktas Vanagas shared in-car footage of his Toyota Gazoo Racing truck from Stage 9 of the race, as he and his co-driver tore through a stretch of the route that runs along the Red Sea coast then into the desert. (Thanks Algirdas!)

The Martelli Brothers and Mad Media offer up a different take on off-road racing videos, contrasting the quiet and serene setting of Baja, Mexico with the high horsepower action of trophy trucks, buggies, motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs as they tear across the desert, catching air and throwing dirt everywhere.

It’s been a while since we got a Wipeout game, but it sure looks like players have a new one now. Despite having a different name, Pacer features the same breakneck, futuristic racing combat, and looks like a blast. It features eight single-player modes and online multiplayer. Out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Strap in for a thrilling mountain ride in the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, courtesy of driver Kash Singh, who strapped a camera to the front of his turbocharged 2017 Ford Mustang GT. What makes the perspective even more exciting is how low the camera was mounted, offering a tremendous sense of speed.

Developed with professional race car drivers, this modular seating system is designed for serious racing sim fanatics. It features an angled, adjustable seat in nylon or leather, and sturdy metal stands that a steering wheel and pedals can be securely mounted to. Add-ons include a desktop, gear shift mount, and TV mount.

This stylized racing game from the creator of Absolute Drift lets you hoon about challenging courses in classic drift cars. The finished game will offer more than 50 cars, 60 stages, a career mode, weekly challenges, and online leaderboards. Best of all, they’ve released a short playable demo offering a glimpse of what’s to come.

YouTube channel 3Dbotmaker borrows a page from Jelle’s Marble Runs by creating a miniature racing series with high-quality production values and perfectly straight-faced commentary. The videos feature 1:64 scale diecast cars running a tricky rally circuit alongside teensy trees, rocks, and toy spectators.