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Superbike World Championship , also known as SBK, is a premier worldwide motorcycle racing event which started in 1988. The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on race tracks across the world. Superbikes are tuned versions of street legal motorcycles available for sale to the public, by contrast with MotoGP where purpose-built racing motorcycles are used. Every ‘round’ has two races and the results of both races are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for riders and one for manufacturers. The championship is regulated by the FIM the governing body of motorcycle racing and managed and promoted by FGSport.

While Europe is the traditional centre for Superbike World Championship's rounds are also held in Qatar and Australia. In 2008 the championship will also return to USA for the first time since 2004. Auto enthusiasts , bike enthusiasts hop from one country to another following the rounds and cheering their favorite rider.

For the current season, TroyBayliss on his Ducati 1098 F08 is leading with 194 points with Neukirchner Max (Team Alstare Suzuki) and Checa Carlos (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) are following closely with 166 and 144 points each. After the first six rounds, the championship is still wide open with eight more rounds to go.

National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports, Stock car racing. Formed in the year 1948, NASCAR will celebrate its 60th B'day this year, 2008.

Rated as the second-most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., NASCAR attracts auto enthusiasts from all over the world. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series.

With its headquarters housed in Daytona Beach, Florida, NASCAR has its regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.) while its international offices are located in Mexico City and Toronto.

2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the top racing series, championship standings are headed by Kyle Busch of Toyota with Jeff Burton (Chevrolet) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevrolet) trailing behind him. Check out some of the car videos.

MotoGP is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, with a season of 18 Grands Prix in 14 countries. auto enthusiasts travel from country to country following and cheering their favorite riders. The championship brings together the world’s top motorcycle manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Ducati, Kawasaki, Aprilia and KTM. Riders from around the world take part in the World Championships including the following; Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, UK and USA.

The Grand Prix Road-Racing World Championship was first organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1949 and has been administrated by commercial rights owners Dorna Sports under the supervision of the FIM since 1992. It is the oldest motorsport World Championship in existence.

Motorcycles used for MotoGP are pure race machines with two-stroke engines. These motorcycles are not allowed to be ridden on public roads. On a Grand Prix weekend there are three individual races, one for each of MotoGP’s three categories: 125, 250 and MotoGP. MotoGP, prior to 2002 was also known as 500 class.

MotoGP began a new era in 2002 when revised regulations allowed bikes with four-stroke engines. For the 2007 season the adaptation of MotoGP bikes from 990cc engine capacity to 800cc resulted in an even more exciting spectacle, with higher corner speeds and even more competitive races – patterns which are continuing this year. Furthermore, in the opening round of 2008, MotoGP become the first motorsports World Championship to host a night-time Grand Prix, with the Losail International Circuit’s state-of-the-art new floodlight system permitting a superb start to the season in Qatar.

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race also known as Indy 500 or just "The 500" is an American auto race, held every year over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at Indiana.

The event, billed as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", is one of the oldest motorsport events, and considered as one of the three most significant motor racing events in the world. The speedway has a permanent seating capacity for more than 257,000 people; auto enthusiasts from all over America and many other countries converge here for the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

The 92nd Indy500 race was held on Sunday May 25, 2008, marking the 63rd consecutive year of the event. Scott Dixon, the winner earned a record $2,988,065 from a record overall purse of $14,406,580. The second and third places were taken by Vitor Meira and Marco Andretti.

Formula One, the highest class of open wheeled auto racing – Grand Prix is a sight for auto enthusiasts. Cars racing at top speeds of 225 mph keep a million hearts throbbing with their engineering geniuses. The right Aerodynamics, electronics, suspension and tyres add to the cars’ performance.

The F1 season starts during late February or early March and goes on till October at different circuits all over the world. The most exciting of all the races is the Monaco GP (the Monaco city streets are converted into race tracks).

For 2008 F1 GP, Lewis Hamilton is leading with 38 points; Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are following close behind with 35 and 34 points respectively. Coming to the constructors standing, Ferrari is leading the pack with 69 points, followed by McLaren Mercedes and BMW Sauber.

After the first 6 races and with 12 more to go, it’s still too early to say who’d emerge as a champion.

The high-end sports cars with superior performance are typically exotic or rare cars – the supercars The Lamborghini Miura was the first one to be called a supercar. They are street legal and factory made cars.
Enzo Ferrari, McLaren F1, Lamborghini Reventón, Porsche Carrera GT are typically some of the best known super cars.

Supercars have rear mid-engine and rear-wheel drive for better weight distribution. There are also some supercars with an all-wheel-drive (like Bugatti Veyron) with new engines for better performance.

For higher acceleration and more agile handling, the supercars have high power engines and low vehicle mass. That’s what supercars are known for – extremely high acceleration. Once a supercar is not a supercar forever- time changes all.

Built for superior cornering speeds, supercar has maximum cornering and road gripping ability. supercars are brand-centric – First the brand proves itself and then it gets to launch a supercar. And brands are also about style – they’ve got to have those ravishing & seductive looks. They are not necessarily rare, but do become rare cars, when they run into limited production. Supercars definitely spice up the roads they vroom on!!!

The concept of Green Cars gained momentum only very recently. Till then it was a futuristic idea never thought to be successful by the masses. But this idea was nurtured by a group of scientists who were in the look out of a safe substitute for conventional cars. The poisonous emissions especially CO2 emissions from petrol and diesel cars resulted in global warming and it reached such an extent that people started looking for ways to deal with this problem and the result was Green Cars.


There are several Green Cars available in the market; Electric cars, Hybrid cars, Fuel Cell cars and Biofuel cars are some of them. Electric cars, as the name suggests, run on electric power. Hybrid car is a combination of two power sources- an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine. Fuel Cell cars rely on hydrogen–fuel cells. Biofuel cars on the other hand have two fuel types: Biodiesel and Ethanol. The other fuel types are LPG and compressed natural gas. Petrol cars and Diesel cars with fewer emissions also come under the Green Car concept.


Though Green Cars are a solution for global warming, it plays a significant role in creating ecological imbalance. Biofuel cars with its two fuel types i.e. Biodiesel and Ethanol, which has an advantage of being readily available as it is made from vegetable oils or animal fats, are an ideal example for this. Many developing countries are cultivating crops for the production of biofuels rather than sustainable food. But still Green Cars are a safe bet because it's environmental friendly and also cost effective.

With petrol prices setting new records everyday and with automakers fighting for the 1 lac ($2500) Nano space in India, Honda has an innovation to present to the Indian Market on its 10th Anniversary, Honda Civic Hybrid Version.

With the growing middle class, India's aggregate gasoline consumption is increasing everyday and there is always a concern about the shortage of gasoline. Alternate fuel is the need of the hour. Honda's Civic Hybrid version would run on petrol and electricity, taking care of the growing gasoline concern in India.

The Price of Honda Civic is not yet finalized but is expected to be more than the non hybrid Civic which is pegged at 14 lacs ($35,000). The price is expected to be a hindrance, with an import duty of over 100%. However the Union government has recently decided to slash prices on Hybrid cars by reducing the excise duty from 24% to 14%. This effectively paves the way for Honda to launch its vehicle in India.

For Interested geeks, Hybrids are no rocket science. It efficiently saves fuel while idling by switching to battery. Thus a hybrid is actually more fuel efficient in traffic jams & city driving conditions than on the highway!!! Watch out for more on Honda hybrid cars to come.

Tuninga standard built car to suit one's personal style or taste has been going on, since the first one rolled off the production line. Most standard cars are built to satisfy an average driver's expectations and road conditions. However, most people don't like to own an average car, as cars are often seen as an extension of one's personality. Today personalizing or modifying cars to suit one's sense of style has become a major business.

Cars are the ultimate toys for big boys. And having one of the fastest street cars is a dream come true for any auto enthusiast or car lover.

Custom carsare the ones that come to their rescue. Most people customize their cars either to improve its performance, sometimes by altering or replacing the engine and transmission or as a personal style statement, making the car look "unique" and unlike any car that might have been factory finished.

The craze for the fastest cars is undying and manufacturers of fast street cars are providing their customers with some exotic car designs, combined with brilliant acceleration and top speed. To increase speed, a car is modified by removing its unnecessary parts and its aerodynamics features are enhanced via side skirts, front and rear bumpers, adding spoilers, splitters, air vents and light weight wheels. A car can also be modified to provide better fuel economy, produce more power at high RPM or the ride comfort may be sacrificed to provide better handling.

This modification market has grown so extensively that some important car manufacturers like Nissan,
Mitsubishis have even started to release certain models to tuning, performance and aftermarket specialists, prior to the actual launch, in order that there are non factory custom modifications ready as soon as the car officially hits the market. It seems that customizing one's car has taken a whole new dimension.

Have you ever heard of a car with muscles?

Yes muscle cars, they are in a breed of their own with extremely powerful torque and high horse power capability. First thing that you'll notice of these cars is their bulky curves and high-performance z rated tires for which muscle cars are very much known.

Muscle cars were giants of the drag racing world way back in 1960's till early part of 1980's. Powered by V8 engine and special trim intended for maximum torque, these cars dominated the 50's – 70's era, with every man dreaming of owning a muscle car. Even females couldn't resist its looks, when a vintage car passed by.

Muscle cars are totally different with supreme torque that can take down any of today's sports cars and with elegant interiors; they make a personal style statement of their own. So next time when you hit the gas in a muscle car; be ready for a jaw-dropping ride!!!

Hot rodsare vintage cars with large engines modified for linear speed. Car owners modify their production car in the attempt to increase acceleration and top end speed. Most Americans are fond of restoring vintage cars as hot rods. Traditional hot rods are made by reusing original, old parts from the junkyard and remanufacturing cars that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. But street rodding is based on building or getting cars built with new parts.

A typical hot rod is heavily modified by replacing the engine and transmission and a few other components, including brakes and steering.Hot rods look great with the abundance of chrome parts, fat tires, modified engine and various body panels removed. Most hot rods are typically painted with a design of flames behind the front wheels.