NEWS: The Fast Show @ The Pod 2014

If you like tuned cars, drag racing, a spot of drifting, Block-style gymkhana and the occasional pole dance and DJ/MC session – Santa Pod Raceway has the answer, with The Fast Show, March 23rd, where you can get a chance to run the famous 1/4-mile in your own car in Run What You Brung (RWYB) against some of the UK's best tuned motors. 

New for 2014, 'The Pod' organisers have a new entry system "in a bid to keep standards at the top" – with a pre-entry system allowing the best cars to secure their spot in the paddock without having to be one of the first few through the gate, which should attract some of the UK's many monster modified machines.
Out on the hallowed drag strip, there are RWYB trophies available for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the street legal FWD and RWD/4WD classes and trophies for the quickest bike and non-road legal car of the day, where the really quick times should be set.
And this year the club displays have been encouraged to take their game up a gear, with the “Best Club Stand” receiving £250 cash and a Performance Direct trophy, and organisers say there should be in excess of 100 car clubs in attendance.
Naturally, there will also be "the one and only FireForce Jet Car," piloted by Martin Hill – capable of 0-250mph in under 6 seconds, which is a bucket list sight, if you've not already witnessed it.
And in "the Live Action Arena" down in the paddock, multiple time World Record holder and Pod regular, Terry Grant will have his fleet of supercars on hand for his stunts driving, which is well worth a visit. And he will be joined this year by fellow car stunner, Lee Bowers.
And, for those who think they're Kenny-of-the-Block, there's also a free Gymkhana competition in the paddock, which should be a laugh – to do and watch! This event feature is open to all vehicles and participants will be timed around an obstacle course featuring twists, turns, spins, a bit of reversing and more: Think autotesting for the yoof! 

There'll also be a whole host of the UK's top name drifters slewing sideways in the paddock and, as ever, a chance to get up close and personal with all these cars. 

The musical backdrop of the day will be provided car show idol DJ Richie Don and his team who will have the tunes flowing with MC’s and BeatBoxers with competitions and giveaways throughout the day including the famous Miss Fast Show competition someone will be crowned as the girl of the show. 

As ever, weekend tickets with camping are available. And you can maximise your RWYB track time by taking advantage of the unlimited runs available on Saturday (into the evening) and get access to the all-new “N20” heated night club.
Modified car, drag or drift fan? Then get your tickets now and find out more at www.thefastshow.com or call 01234 782828.

VIDEO: MSE Ford Fiesta ST Rallycross Urban Hoon

OK, so Ken Block's got the monopoly on this, but still, here's a fabulous film of the MSE Fod Fiesta St rallycross car hooning around Detroit, the USA home of motors. Enjoy!

VIDEO: Ken Block Russian Go Pro Snow Film

Ken Block messing about on Russian snow, Russian racing hat on, more Go-Pro cameras than you can shake a stick at and all that hooning jazz in his Ford Fiesta Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle. Do I need to say anymore? Frankly, no...

VIDEO: Kenny Of The Block Gymkhana V: Ultimate Urban Plyground, S.F

It's been live for only 24 Hours and already has over 5.1 million hits! Yup, Kenny of the Block is back, with his fifth Gymkhana – The Ultimate Urban Playground, ripping up the streets of San Francisco. It's longer than the others, at almost 10 minutes, and features the usual incredible driving skill antics in Ken's Ford Fiesta Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle (HFHV)... all 650bhp and aggro antilag of it. 0-60mph, just 1.8s! Directed by Ben Conrad and with cinematography by Stephen Blackman, it features some fabulous new wide angle slow mo shots, Kenny helmet camera angles and some fabulous new bullet camera shots of the suspension getting a serious workout over the famous San Fran yumps... BIG air. Our favourite shot is at 5:50, with a huge sideways air shot, and God only knows how ken managed to catch that slide. The big finish with Ken smoking his tyres on a boat in the harbour is amazing too, as is the fact he got the bridge shut for the opening shot. Modern advertising at its genius best... DC Shoes and clothing sales sure to keep on climbing. Bravo Mr Block: Job done!

NEWS: Manby Motorplex: Ace Motorsport Venue For Sale

One of our favourite shoot locations and motorsport venues, Manby Motorplex near Louth in Lincolnshire (http://www.manbymotorplex.com), is up for sale, for offers over £3.5 million. This is a unique opportunity to purchase a successful motorsport and driver experience venue with prime agricultural land – and save a great motorsport venue, brimming with potential. The stunning, huge, multifaceted and incredibly well-equipped 440 acre site currently operates as a successful motorsport venue and driver experience/training centre offering skid pan, rally and 4x4 school, artic HGV experiences, tank driving days etc. to both private and corporate clients. Offers have been received for the site for agricultural use, but the seller is keen to maintain Manby as a motorsport venue. Manby Motorplex was developed over decades from farmland by MD James Tointon, who has a passion for motorsport and driver training and has taught the likes of WRC and gymkhana star, Ken Block and various top clubman rally drivers over the years at Manby.
James told us: "It’s incredibly sad to be selling Manby Motorplex. It has a high agricultural value, but we have split the site into lots, so the motorsport side could be purchased separately. I’d be very happy to see it run as a motorsport venue, having worked so hard to keep it as a motorsport and motoring venue for all these years. In an ideal world, I’d like to see someone buy the site, develop its massive potential and keep running the popular events, school activities and all we already do here, and keep on the excellent staff. It’s a truly special, unique place and it would be a shame to see a great motorsport venue lost to be developed as housing or turned back to all agriculture, after years of hard work and investment."
The stunning, incredibly versatile site in the valleys just south of the busy market town of Louth in Lincolnshire has been used for motorsport since the 1980s, including: Car rallies, 4x4 trials and challenges, competition safaris, hill rallies, rallycross, supermoto, moto x, motorcycle enduros, grasstrack and quad racing. And this motorsport activity is in addition to the skid pan/rally/4x4/HGV school and fun/corporate driver experience days like double decker buses, tanks, diggers, bulldozers, army vehicles and more for companies like Red Letter Days and Virgin Incentives, as well as to Manby’s own extensive database of clients. Manby has also been used as a test venue for the development of major manufacturer vehicles, rally cars, road cars, 4x4 off-roaders and more over the past three decades. And it’s a very popular venue for film and TV crews including both Top Gear TV and D-Motor and Turbo TV in Germany as well as members of the media as a location, like us at Road Magazine and Mr Ken of the Block.
The site is being sold for personal reasons, to settle a divorce and James Tointon, Manby MD says: "It is with great sadness that we are selling the site and business. I’ve developed the off-road area, rally stages and motorsport and motoring activities from scratch over the years more as a hobby, than a business and people love it here. I’ve lost count of the 1,000’s of incredibly positive comments we’ve had for our unique courses and for the venue – including from World Rally driving star, Ken Block.
"People are amazed how much they learn with us here at Manby. We may not have the shiny cars people like their picture taken with, but people come here to get value for money, to learn and to chuck a car about properly and test it to its limits. That’s a rare and popular formula we’ve found. Our courses are challenging and we love teaching people… and there’s so much we can do with people here at Manby, with its unique, different, challenging venues.
"We are really hoping whoever buys Manby will preserve this venue for motorsport use. There’s a great business here already and so, so much potential left in the site to develop. The five miles of loose rally stages we have require minimal maintenance and are great stages. The limitation is they can’t be used in the wet. But we’ve had interest from the Minicross Drivers Association to develop extra tarmac and gravel stages on site – at their own cost – which would make Manby a leading rally and rallycross venue.
"Manby is already a leading off-road motorsport and hobbyist venue, with acres of some of the most challenging and difficult 4x4 routes in the UK, offering all types of off road challenges, in one compact, diverse area. And the many activities we offer on site for corporate, stag and hen parties and members of the public are a huge success. Manby attracts 1,000’s of clients year on year, many of whom come back, again and again, thanks to its unique charms and the quality of the courses, instructors, staff and facilities on offer here, not to mention the picturesque location."

Manby Motorplex is for sale for offers over £3.5 million via Brown & Co. Brigg office: http://www.brown-co.com
To make an enquiry, contact James Walton at Brown & Co. Agents:
Landline: +44(0)1652-654833
Mobile: +44(0)7920-496350
Email: James.walton@brown-co.com

VIDEO: Ken Block @ Pirelli Winter Attraction Event

Yup, it's another tough day at the office for Ken of the Block – hooning it up at the Igora Park ski resort outside of St. Petersburg, Russia in a 2010 Ford Focus RS WRC for the Pirelli Winter Attraction event. Look at all the motoring hacks working hard for their fees!

VIDEO: On Stage With Ken Block's H.F.H.V. Fiesta

Here's a neat in-car video of Ken Block on one of the stages of the Rally In The 100 Acre Woods event, on his way to a sixth consecutive victory. Impressive... and nice fast stages too where you really don't want to go off. TREE!!!

VIDEO: Ken Block Wins 2012 Rally In The 100 Acre Wood

Rally is getting more and more popular in the states, at last. No doubt that's a lot to do with Kenny of the Block, who just won his 6th Rally In The Woods, the second round of Rally America. Well done Ken! The Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino piloted their 2012 Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. in the dry dusty woods of Salem, MO. Ken blitzed 15 of the 17 stages, winning by a 29.3 second margin over over Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew. The third round of the Rally America National Championship takes place at the Oregon Trail Rally May 4-6 in Portland, OR. For more info see:
www.rally-america.com.