4driversonly

© battlecreekcvb

What possesses someone to decide on a career as a monster truck driver? And what is going through a driver's mind in the arena during a Monster Jam show? Gary Porter, who drives the monster truck affectionately known as the "Grave Digger", has a one word answer: chaos. Not that he doesn't plan out strategy before a show begins, it's just that as soon as you are in the ring and you hit the first obstacle, everything can change very quickly.

The truck can be twisted off the planned course and in those cases a driver just has to improvise. As Gary puts it "I just go out and hit the first obstacle and see what happens". The Grave Digger and a field of competitors and taking part in the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam Thunder Nationals this weekend. For Porter, the Grave Digger is not his first monster ride. He began his racing career way back in 1985 with the "Carolina Crusher", and has since graduated to the sport's most popular team.

© comedy_nose

The Aston Martin Company seems to recover after having suffered several changes of ownership. Their new success is called Aston Martin S. Vantage.
British manufacturer Aston Martin thought that an additional performance design would not hurt the beautiful Vantage coupe. Thus, they managed to introduce a new model on the market: Vantage S. Unlike the old Vantage, the new fireball is one step closer to the champion, Vantage, who had great influence in the development of model S.
Under the hood, it is installed a 4.7-liter V8 that develops 430 hp at 7300 rpm and a torque of 490 Nm at 5,000 rpm. Transmission is ensured by robotized gearbox, with seven gears. This is called SPORTSHIFT II, and is the perfected model of Vantage's transmission, having a faster reaction time. It also has a Rear-wheel drive, and benefits from a Limited Slip Differential (LSD).
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage represents the perfect example of modern automotive design.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has included 25 SUV's in its list of the safest 2011 vehicles on the road. The three SUV categories were the small SUV, midsize SUV, and large SUV. The Volkswagen Touareg is the only model that made it in the large SUV category.
The Audi Q5, Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Journey, Ford Explorer, Ford Flex, GMC Terrain, Honda Element, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Patriot (with optional side torso airbags), Kia Sorrento (built after March 2010), Kia Sportage, Lexus RX, Lincoln MKT, Mercedes GLK, Subaru Forester, Subaru Tribeca, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Venza, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC60, and Volvo XC90 have made it on the IIHS's safest SUV list for 2011.
The IIHS determines the crashworthiness of a vehicle by rating it good, acceptable, marginal or poor based on performance tests like high-speed front and side crash tests, roll over tests, and an evaluation of seat/head restraints. The models need to offer electronic stability control as well.

© dmytrok