Jan 7 (Reuters) - Spanish motorcycle rider Carles Falcon was flown to hospital with serious injuries after he crashed near the end of Sunday's second stage of the Dakar Rally in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Race director David Castera told reporters Falcon had lacked a pulse but was resuscitated by the first doctor to arrive on the scene.
French veteran Stephane Peterhansel took the 50th car stage win of his record-breaking Dakar career as familiar names moved back into the reckoning and Spain's Carlos Sainz took over at the front for Audi.


Peterhansel, known as 'Monsieur Dakar' after 14 overall victories on two wheels and four between 1991 and 2021, finished the stage from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi 29 seconds clear of compatriot and nine times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
The stage win was the 83rd of Peterhansel's career across two and four wheeled categories and the Audi driver now shares the car record with Finnish great Ari Vatanen. The 58-year-old moved up to ninth overall.


Three times Dakar winner Sainz, 61, was eighth fastest on the 463km stage.
Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al Rajhi slotted into second place overall in his Toyota, one minute and 51 seconds behind the Spaniard, with Loeb moving up from 19th to third with four minutes and 17 seconds to make up.
Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar was fourth on the stage, ending up seventh overall and more than 12 minutes off the lead.

"We pushed from the beginning, but after we broke the rear we stopped for more than 10 minutes to repair," said the five times winner.
"With all the problems yesterday and today we are still in the game, it's only 12 minutes in the overall."
Overnight leader Guillaume de Mevius dropped from first to fifth after having to go first on the road and losing 27 minutes to Peterhansel.
"A difficult day for us for sure," said the Belgian.
"We started in front so, the first 200 km was OK I think. And after 200, a little bit more, Carlos passed us when we got lost.
"Then we were in the dust of Carlos and then we got lost a second time and then we got a puncture and then everything after was more difficult."
Botswana's Ross Branch was 11th in the motorcycle stage but retained the overall lead on two wheels with Chile's Jose Ignacio Cornejo two minutes and 55 seconds behind.
American rider Mason Klein, third overnight, hit mechanical trouble and spent two hours on repairs.

Calling all hot dog lovers!
Oscar Mayer is hiring folks to become a member of its coveted "Hotdogger" class — and get behind the wheel of its Wienermobiles. Measuring 27 feet long and 11 feet high — or 60 hot dogs long and 24 hot dogs high, per Oscar Mayer — the Wienermobiles have been on the road since 1936.
The gig pays $35,600 as a base salary, but also includes a weekly allowance of $150 for meals and personal travel, 18 days of paid time off, full health benefits, and all hotel expenses covered.


The new cohorts will continue the 88-year-old tradition of driving the yellow and orange vehicles, as well as handing out Wiener Whistles to meat lovers across the country. They will also be expected to create social content, the company says.
Recent classes of Hotdoggers have also visited Puerto Rico, married 12 couples in Las Vegas and helped introduce the first-ever hot dog-flavored popsicle, per the brand.


Hot dog fans are invited to apply to represent the 37th class for one year in a full-time, paid gig behind the wheel of the iconic Wienermobile. Applications for the position, officially titled Wienermobile Spokesperson, are now open here through Jan. 31, a representative confirmed to PEOPLE.
Hotdoggers traverse an average of 20,000 miles each year, visit at least 40 cities and represent Oscar Mayer at more than 1,200 events, the company says.

“The title of a Hotdogger is a rare and coveted position unique to those seeking adventure and a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ed Roland, senior manager of brand communications at Oscar Mayer, said in a press release.
“Statistically speaking, more people have visited space than driven the Wienermobile!” he said. (It is also harder to be accepted as a Hotdogger than earn admission to an Ivy League university, per Oscar Mayer.)
Added Roland: “We take pride in welcoming the next class who will continue to uphold the tradition of sparking smiles and bringing buns of fun to fans across the U.S."
Besides a deep love of hot dogs — and hot dog puns — qualifications for the position include strong communication skills and a bachelor’s degree, preferably in public relations, journalism, communications or marketing.

A B-1B bomber crashed as it was attempting to land at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., on Jan. 4.
All four crew members ejected safely from the aircraft and survived, Ellsworth Air Force Base said in a statement.
The incident occurred during poor weather in below-freezing temperatures with dense fog limiting visibility, according to local weather reports. Radio traffic from local first responders said there was an “active fire” after an “explosion.”
“An Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base crashed at approximately 5:50 p.m. today while attempting to land on the installation,” the base’s 28th Bomb Wing said in a Jan. 4 statement. “At the time of the accident, it was on a training mission.”
The airbase is closed to flight operations, according to a Notice to Airmen/Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) advisory issued soon after the incident. The NOTAM was extended on Jan. 5.
One Airman is currently being treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries, the 28th Bomb Wing said in a Jan. 5 statement. The other three crew members were treated on base for minor injuries. A typical B-1 crew consists of two pilots and two weapons systems officers, all with ejection seats.
A spokesperson for the wing told Air & Space Forces Magazine they could not provide further details of the incident.
Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Ellsworth Air Force Base is near Rapid City. It is one of only two B-1 bases. The 28th Bomb Wing operates over 20 B-1s, according to the base. The Air Force has 45 B-1s in its inventory.
The aircraft was initially designed to operate as a supersonic, nuclear-capable bomber with variable-sweep wings. But the fleet has been used hard over the last two decades in the Middle East after being converted to a purely conventional bomber. The aircraft is known to have a poor mission-capable rate.
Ellsworth is slated to receive the first operational B-21 Raider stealth bombers, which are scheduled to fully replace the B-1.
“The Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident,” the 28th Bomb Wing said.

The end has finally come for three of the most iconic muscle cars of the 2000s. After a lengthy special-edition-packed farewell tour, the last 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger were built at the Stellantis' Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, on December 22. The news was first reported by Automotive News Canada and confirmed by a Dodge spokesperson. The last Chrysler 300 rolled off the line just two days prior.
A Dodge representative confirmed to Car and Driver that the last Charger was a Scat Pack widebody model painted in Destroyer Gray, while the final Challenger was an SRT Demon 170 in Pitch Black. Photos posted to Facebook (later made private), showed factory workers posing with the coupe, which sported flashy gold wheels.

The L platform that underpinned all three burly American machines was first introduced for the 2005 model year with the Chrysler 300. The 300 would go on to become a legend in the hip-hop scene, appearing in numerous music videos and quoted in dozens of songs. It was loved for a look that mixed Bentley-aping decadence with confident, American-gangster swagger.
The Charger followed for 2006, and the Challenger arrived for 2008. Both rear-wheel-drive cars brought V-8 muscle to the masses, becoming the centerpieces of rowdy burnout- and donut-making videos thanks to their 5.7-liter HEMI engines. The Dodge duo became even more hallowed with the introduction of the SRT Hellcat models, which coincided with a refresh for 2015. The Hellcats' supercharged 6.2-liter V-8s produced a sinister whine and more than 700 horsepower at a still relatively affordable price.


While the 300 never received the Hellcat treatment, it went out with a bang with the 485-hp 6.4-liter HEMI-powered 2023 300C. The Charger and Challenger were treated to more fanfare for their send-offs, with a series of "Last Call" special editions that culminated in the Challenger SRT Demon 170, capable of up to 1025 horsepower on E85 gasoline.
The Brampton factory will now retool over the next two years, installing a new paint shop and stamping lines. In late 2025, the facility will start producing the next iteration of the Jeep Compass along with upcoming vehicles that will ride on the STLA Medium platform. These will include both internal-combustion and electric powertrains.
The Charger and Challenger's successor—expected to be consolidated into one model that's previewed by the Charger Daytona SRT concept—will be built nearby at Canada's Windsor Assembly Plant. Two- and four-door versions are likely, and electric powertrains will be joined by Stellantis' latest Hurricane inline-six, which produces up to 510 horsepower in current Jeep and Ram vehicles. The Chrysler 300, meanwhile, won't have a direct replacement, as the moribund brand prepares an electric resuscitation with a series of new EVs in the next few years.

Sometimes a film location deserves to receive equal billing to its stars. With “Ferrari,” the latest movie by US director Michael Mann, Modena, Italy, makes a strong case for itself.

Starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, Mann’s biopic takes on the turbulent life of Enzo Ferrari, founder of the car manufacturer. Set in 1957 in the run up to the Mille Miglia race across Italy, events on track jostle for position with family drama at home, as Enzo and wife Laura grieve the loss of their son, and Enzo contends with his double life as father to a child with another woman. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival in August, Mann’s film arrives in cinemas over the Christmas holidays, with one eye on the Oscars.

Driver, American, and Cruz, Spanish, throw themselves into la vita Italiana, but when it came to location, Mann decided there would be no substitute.

Modena, in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, is integral to the Ferrari story. Enzo was born in the small city and built a workshop there when the former race car driver started manufacturing automobiles of his own. By the 1950s Ferrari had expanded into the nearby town of Maranello, becoming a force to be reckoned with, and Modena was the heart of Italian motorsport itself, with Maserati also calling it home. But while his cars would hurtle around Italy, and later, the world, Enzo was reluctant to stray far from Modena. So it was only right that when Mann was setting up “Ferrari,” he would bring the production to it.
Mann, 80, has his own deep connections with Ferrari. The Chicago-born director behind “Heat” and “The Last of the Mohicans” had been mulling a film on the founder for many years, and has called Piero Ferrari, the current vice chair of the company, a friend for decades (the young Piero plays an important role in the movie).
Most importantly, Modena is still filled with people who work for and love Ferrari. “Ferrari is the home team,” Mann said. “Many of the people who work at the factory (have been there for) two generations. There’s a very strong motor racing dialect.”
“When you’re there, it becomes painfully obvious what Ferrari means to not only the country but that place in particular,” Driver told CNN. “There’s a homegrown-ness element and attitude to Modena that I don’t think you would have gotten shooting (elsewhere).”
“Our set was populated with the town,” he added. “Most people were gone during August when we were shooting it, but we would have someone starting catering one minute and two weeks later they were in the picture.”

The production hired former Ferrari Formula One chief mechanics for Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda for small parts in the film, said Mann, and sourced engine blocks from the Ferrari Classiche restoration department. The barbershop Enzo would visit daily features in the movie, with its second-generation owner playing his father, shaving Driver.
“It was very, very local in this wonderful way,” Mann said. “You came to understand the wit, this kind of tough-minded attitude, that’s not too different from inner-city Chicago, where I grew up.”


Given all this, did shooting on location help Driver slip into character? And did the Modenese – not backward in coming forward – offer their own two cents on Enzo? “Yes and yes,” the actor swiftly replies.
For Cruz, Modena offered a more disquieting picture. The actress plays Laura, Ferrari’s wife and equal partner in the company at the time the film is set. Deep in grief after the loss of their son Dino to muscular dystrophy, she learns about her husband’s infidelity and seeks to leverage her assets while the business is threatened with insolvency.
“There was not a lot of information about her,” said Cruz. “I spent some time in Modena with Michael, with Adam, and Michael took me to a lot of places where she spent time. I just didn’t like the reaction from people. They just wanted to dismiss her and say she was difficult, she was a witch.
“Nobody talked about the pain that this woman went through, losing a child out of an illness when he was 20,” she added.

In the film, Laura is a force of nature. Cruz gives full voice to her grief, including scenes shot in the Ferrari family mausoleum (where Enzo is also buried today). “Ferrari” also wades into Laura and Enzo’s complex and ultimately enduring relationship. The director said he and Cruz met Laura’s doctor, who showed them never-before-seen love letters Enzo was writing to his then estranged wife up to two years before her death in 1978.
After her death, Enzo would give his name to son Piero, who he’d fathered with Lina Lardi, played by Shailene Woodley. Woodley met Piero, now in his late 70s, to discuss his mother. “The thing that was most affecting for me actually wasn’t the stories he shared or his testimony of her, it was the way that he teared up,” she said.
“That his mom was so protective of him and so able to keep him grounded, despite the chaos of what his childhood could have been, was a wonderful thing,” she added.


Mann says his research dug so deep he learned from Lardi’s niece how her aunt would prepare food, and had Woodley replicate it on camera.
“We were so enmeshed in everything,” he said. “There’s so much verisimilitude that there’s a kind of wonderful organic osmosis that seep up into you …. You start truly believing, ‘I’m there, it’s 1957 and I’m in this world.’
“That creates that spontaneity and performance that I think audiences really sense. They believe this is true and it’s happening, and they can transport themselves into it – which is, for me, the ultimate objective.”
In the film, Enzo, teaching his son, says, “When a thing works better, naturally it looks more beautiful to the eye.” He’s talking about his cars, but it could also be Mann discussing one of his films. Engineered to the finest degree, they hide a lot of work beneath their ease and grace.
Modena was Enzo’s inspiration, as so it has proved for the director. “There’s poetry in the drinking water,” said Mann. “I can’t really explain it.”

Another day, another reimagining of the Porsche 911 but when it’s Tuthill that are having a crack at it, you know it’s going to be special. And indeed, the company that teamed up with Singer to create the insane ACS off-road monster, is now bringing us this, the 911K. Summed up? The classic look, but at 11,000rpm. Yes really.
Indeed, while Singer and many others have taken the approach of massaging the classic 911 look with bigger muscles, hot rod touches and in some cases, modern tech, the Tuthill Porsche 911K stays very true to the originals in terms of looks. It also doesn’t use a newer 964 as a base but a genuine earlier car.
This isn’t to say it’s low-tech either. According to Tuthill, the priorities for the 911K were simplicity and lightweighting. Those original-looking body panels for instance, are actually remakes in carbon fibre. These include the bumpers, bonnet, roof, doors, wings and engine lid. Likewise many parts of the chassis, which were originally steel, have been remade in titanium. In all the 911K weighs just 850kg. For some context to really ram it home, that’s in the region of half the weight of the current 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S.
​

The real kicker though is that shifting its slender mass up the road will be a screaming flat-six engine good for an 11,000rpm redline. Rather than going big on swept capacity, this motor is a short-stroke 3.1-litre four-valve mill. Exact power numbers aren’t available just yet but we’d expect it to comfortably clear 350PS (257kW) at a very rough estimate. That power goes to the 15-inch carbon fuchs rear wheels via a six-speed, magnesium-cased version of the manual gearbox native to 911s from 1972-1986.
You’ll be able to properly hear that engine from the inside too. The scant weight figure shouldn’t be too much of a giveaway to the fact this cabin is if not spartan, quite minimalist. Certainly compared to the bling of Singer and co’.  What is there is nicely trimmed and uses quality materials but it’s very pared back. There’s a titanium half cage where a rear bench might be and a carbon dash, while the enormous hydraulic handbrake is a tell-tale as to Tuthill’s regular rallying remit. Buyers will in the process of ordering their cars be able to specify trims and all but dictate not only the aesthetics but certain aspects of mechanical spec too.

It's been nearly 12 years since a tsunami caused a nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. While the majority of the evacuated areas have since been cleared of all inhabitance, few have returned, and some areas remain part of the exclusion zone. Here, radiation levels remain too high to stay for more than a few hours.
Despite the risk, it has become a somewhat morbid tourist attraction for out-of-towners as well as urban explorers. That's where the YouTubers behind Exploring the Unbeaten Path come in. Recently, the channel's host, Bob, ventured into the exclusion zone to check out some of the vehicles left behind. What he uncovered will undoubtedly make any JDM car enthusiast writhe with jealousy: tons of rare, abandoned Japanese-market cars that will inevitably rot in place or be crushed.
​Bob's adventure around the exclusion zone showed hundreds of abandoned cars and trucks which were left to their own devices immediately following the 2011 incident. Both common and rare, enthusiast-focused vehicles can be seen stowed away in buildings and in tall grass, simply awaiting their date with fate.

In case you were wondering why someone hasn't invested a ton of time into picking up these cars and bringing them somewhere that radiation isn't a concern—property laws aside—there are quite a few safety reasons why these cars have remained in place.
First, the cars themselves may be radioactive due to the exposure. Japan customs also require that a vehicle emit less than a certain amount of radiation in order for it to be exported. Specifically, that measurement is 0.3 microsieverts, which is measured and exceeded by at least one car in the video. There were also reports of radioactive cars being dumped in various countries around the world in 2011 after the Fukushima disaster, including one van sold domestically that was found to be emitting around 110 microsieverts per hour.
There's also the fact that these cars may eventually have a fate worse than rust. Exposing certain metals to radioactive material results in a phenomenon called radiation hardening. This creates a substantially harder material that consequentially becomes more brittle, meaning cracks, surface changes, and malformations can occur over time.
This isn't the first time we've seen some urban explorers checking out the abandoned rides in Fukushima. Back in 2020, we shared some photos taken of classic American cars in Japan which, while still cool, doesn't scratch our never-ending itch for JDM cars. That being said, these forgotten classics probably trigger similar feelings in locals given the nature of American cars in Japan.

A Ferrari-red flying car could soon become every commuter’s dream come true: It would fly over miles of gridlock to work, land and then drive a mile or two to their parking spaces.


Samson Sky’s Switchblade, which has been 14 years in the making, is now ready for its next series of tests. Previously, we reported the Oregon-built vehicle was gearing up for road tests. On July 15, the Federal Aviation Administration determined it was safe for flight testing, so the flying car could be weeks away from going to market.

The innovative vehicle was designed to offer all the amenities of a luxury car, including its hybrid electric-drive system, for a smooth journey in the air. When it lands, its wings fold into the sides of the car. Testing on the Switchblade has been accelerating over the past year in anticipation of the FAA hurdles.


“[The crew] took off their ‘I’m doing R&D,’ and they put on their ‘I am flight-test’ crew hats, and I think that really set the tone for everything after,” Sam Bousfield, CEO of Samson Sky and inventor of the Switchblade, told The Hill regarding the vehicle’s progress. “We’re in a different game now.”

The Switchblade, which holds up to two people, can reach a maximum altitude of 16,000 feet, with a cruise speed of 160 mph. That height is low enough for the pilot and passenger to enjoy the view. The wings allow the aircraft to move from the ground to the air with a seamless transition.
One thing that still has customers guessing is how people will insure the vehicle since insurance for flying cars hasn’t been created. Bousfield says that owners will most likely have to purchase both car and aircraft insurance for full protection against damages.
Other flying cars are also preparing to take flight. Klein Vision’s AirCar was certified by air-transport authorities in Slovakia, with anticipation of being certified across Europe.  Another competitor, Aeromobil, is working on a sporty AM4 model. In the Netherlands, the Pal-V Liberty is also working towards certification.
When the Switchblade hits the market, it will retail for $170,000. The company currently allows customers to reserve their car in advance with a $2,000 deposit due 45 days after the first car takes flight.
So far, over 1,600 are on the reservation list and growing. You can reserve your spot here.

A world famous Vulcan bomber narrowly avoided disaster after it overshot a runway and was just inches away from crashing into cars on a busy road. The XM655 Vulcan bomber careered off the runway as it attempted to 'high-speed taxi test' at Wellesbourne Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks.
Pictures taken at the scene show the bomber’s nose just feet away from Stratford Road. It is understood that no one was hurt in the mishap which happened at around 11am 
​

The aircraft, which draws crowds of visitors, is looked after by the XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society at the airfield. The Vulcan only occasionally makes high-speed taxi runs, and prior to last year had not done one for five years.
Police closed parts of Stratford Road. As the news of the incident emerged, the force said on Twitter: "Part of Stratford Road is closed near Wellesbourne Airfield after a plane came off the runway. Nobody was injured.
It was a startling sight for motorists and villagers, particularly as Vulcans are rarely seen in action. The Vulcan was the UK's airborne nuclear deterrent during much of the Cold War and only occasionally makes high-speed taxi runs.

An expedition that set out in search of the lost ship of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton has found it — 106 years after the vessel sank off Antarctica.
The wooden ship Endurance has been located remarkably intact about 10,000 feet underwater in the Weddell Sea.
The find is "a milestone in polar history," said Mensun Bound, a maritime archaeologist and the director of exploration on the expedition, called Endurance22.
"This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact and in a brilliant state of preservation. You can even see 'Endurance' arced across the stern," Bound said.

As World War I was beginning in 1914, the British explorer Shackleton set out to traverse Antarctica. The plan was for Shackleton to take 27 men on two ships, the Endurance and the Aurora, that would arrive at different locations on the continent to explore two routes by which to sledge across the ice. But in January 1915, the Endurance became trapped in ice off the coast of Antarctica.
The men lived on the ship for months, but pressure from the ice began to slowly crush it. On Oct. 27, 1915, Shackleton gave the order to abandon the Endurance. The men were told to gather no more than 2 pounds each of personal gear from the ship; much of the ship's supplies had already become inaccessible because of broken timbers in the hull. The Endurance finally broke up and sank into the Weddell Sea on Nov. 21, 1915.


The crew made a new camp on an ice floe, and any ambition to cross Antarctica dissipated. The mission was now one of survival, a saga that would stretch into August 1916 before all the men were rescued.
The Aurora also became trapped in ice. Three men from that voyage died before the final members of the crew were rescued in early 1917.

This year's expedition to find the Endurance set sail from Cape Town, South Africa, on Feb. 5.
John Shears, the expedition leader, said the hunt for the Endurance was "probably the most challenging shipwreck search ever undertaken."
​

The expedition used sonar to find the sunken ship. It was located about 4 miles south of where Capt. Frank Worsley had noted the ship's location back in 1915.
Then the team used an autonomous underwater vehicle with a camera on it to swim over the hull and the deck and confirm what the team had found.
"It can only be one ship," Shears said. "In this area, few ships have ever even been here. We're only, I think, the fourth ship to ever get into this place in the Weddell Sea. It's Endurance. It can be nothing else."
Shears says he was stunned by the good condition of the vessel: There's hardly anything living on it, and even some of the original paint is intact.
"You can see inside the hatchways, the stairs. You can see the ropes and the rigging. It's as if it sank only yesterday," he said.
​

The wreck will stay where it was found, protected as a historical site and monument under the Antarctic Treaty. That means that though the Endurance is being filmed and surveyed, it won't be disturbed.
The expedition crew now returns to Cape Town.


Bound, the expedition's exploration director, said the discovery is not only about the past but also about bringing the story of Shackleton and the Endurance to the next generation.
"We hope our discovery will engage young people and inspire them with the pioneering spirit, courage and fortitude of those who sailed Endurance to Antarctica," Bound said. "We pay tribute to the navigational skills of Capt. Frank Worsley, the captain of the Endurance, whose detailed records were invaluable in our quest to locate the wreck."