The Largest Motorcycle Rallies in the World

Motorcycle lovers are often like families, once they meet their fellow riders. Meeting a motorcyclist on the road is usually filled with courtesy and pleasant experience sharing. Long have passed the days of motorcycle gangs waging war with one another. Even though that used to be a thing and rivalries still exist, they are often settled at rallies, by racing, rather than using violence.

Speaking of rallies, there are plenty of those in the world, but which ones should you visit if you get the chance? Polish people, for example, love watching Formula 1 which is one of their most-watched racing events. In other countries, another type of racing is popular – horse racing (you can read more about it)! What about the other less famous events? Read all about them here!

The Elephant Rally

This rally is actually called the Elefantentreffen which does translate to Elephant Rally and is held in the Bavarian Forest, near Thurmansbang in Germany, at the end of January or the beginning of February, every year. This meeting is obviously a winter meeting and winters in Germany can really be scenic. You can expect snow and a lot of cold.

It is called the Elephant Rally thanks to the Zundapp KS 601, a green motorcycle and sidecar called the Green Elephant. It was founded in 1956.

It is a rather spartan meeting, where participants cannot bring tents or trailers to the event but must leave them outside and bring everything they need on their motorcycle. The motorcycles present can be stock or modded. The motorcycles have to be street-legal, however. You can expect anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 people at this event.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has been here since 1938 and has been held in Sturgis in South Dakota, United States. The rally was originally meant for stunts and races but expanded over the years.

It is the most popular annual motorcycle rally in the United States and gather around 500,000 fans on average, even exceeding 700,000 in 2015. The event is held in August so expect high temperatures and bring your summer gear.

Penguins Rally

The Penguins Rally takes place in Spain, in a town known as Valladolid, or rather, next to it in a pine forest. Dedicated fans come from all over the world to enjoy this chilly festival, which takes place during the second week of January, as it has since 1982. This is one of the most visited motorcycle festivals in Europe, gathering up to 35,000 motorcycle lovers. It was named a festival of great importance in 2011.

Daytona Beach Bike Week

A direct competitor to the Sturgis Rally for the most visitors and best rally in the United States, the Daytona Beach Bike Week is also a popular motorcycle rally. It takes place in Daytona Beach, Florida. It has been around since 1937 and is as important as the Sturgis Rally. It also attracts around 500,000 and is a 10-day event, held in March.

These are some of the most important motorcycle rallies in the world. They are all in different months so if you are passionate enough, you can visit all of them in a single year. There are more events like these, just check your surroundings for a local rally.

 

The Best Navigation Apps for Cyclists

Cycling used to be an interesting sport back in the day when smartphones weren’t a thing. You had to carry maps with you. Imagine having to stop, dropping your cadence to a zero, getting off your bicycle and opening up a huge map to find where you need to go. Oh wait, can you even find where you are on the map?

Today, with smartphones, you don’t even have to get off your bicycle. There are inventions that strap the phone to your bike’s frame and allow you to use it without complications. You can even browse through interesting betting info on Betminded without stopping for even a second.

If you want to navigate properly, you still need the right software and not all the software is the same. Here are the best navigation apps for cyclists.

Google Maps

Why Google Maps, of all things? Because it’s free and you can use it all over the world. That is one of the best reasons, not to mention that it is accurate. While you will not have all the greatest routes unless you upload them yourself, you will still have maps of every location in the world.

Strava

This is the go-to cyclist app for many cyclists. You can post your own routes and see others’ routes. You can compete with them and post the results of your ride, to see whether you can beat their records. This app is a great navigation app and a kind of a social media app, where you still get to interact with others. You can follow your friends and see their riding history, maybe getting a few tips on what your next destination should be.

Maps.me

We all love open source technology and Maps.me uses open source maps to provide you with offline maps of any country. This means that if you are outside your country and do not want to spend a ton of money by accessing the internet, you can use this app to navigate your way. Since the maps are open source, more and more routes can be added to them, which is essential because many apps lack trail routes.

Viewranger

Do you want detailed topographic maps? Check. This app has a free and premium version, much like every other app which is not Google Maps or Maps.me, and it offers topographic maps of various countries.

It also allows you to find the routes posted by other people in the area. You can search locally or globally, it’s your choice.

These are some of the best navigation maps you need as a cyclist. You don’t need all of them as only one or two will suffice, depending on your needs and preferences. There are other apps, but these ones offer the most, and it is the best to stick to the essentials.

 

The Best Car Shows in the World

Cars are what we use to drive around daily. Some of us are driven, some of us drive and commute, and others use cars occasionally to travel to new destinations. Some of us even like to follow popular car races and even have our own favorite NASCAR team. I personally like to watch these races to see the cars and check out what improvements were made. Innovation is important, especially in the car industry, as competitiveness drives other manufacturers to keep innovating.

Some concepts and new models are often presented at car shows. Here are the most famous car shows in the world.

The International Car Show

This has to be the vaguest name in the history of names. It used to be known as the International Motor Show Germany, but now it is simply the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, which translates to the International Car Show.

It is held biannually, every odd year for passenger vehicles and every even year for commercial vehicles. It was separated due to the number of visitors. You can go to Frankfurt to see passenger vehicles and to Hanover to see the commercial ones. This is one of the most important car shows, as noted by its simple name. You can expect to see the newest models here, as well as concept cars.

The Tokyo Motor Show

This is another very, very important motor show, featuring all the Japanese car companies like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, and Nissan. It is held in Tokyo as it is the country’s largest city and will easily attract the most people.

Upwards of 30,000 cars are displayed here, not to mention motorcycles and commercial vehicles. You can also buy tickets in advance, especially if you want to see the vehicles first. They have something called a Preview Day, which is an exclusive premiere to see the newest models before anybody else (who didn’t buy a Preview Day ticket).

The Paris Auto Show

It is often called the Paris Auto Show, even though its name is actually the Paris Mondial De l’Automobile. It is held biannually, every even year, in the Paris Expo hall, also going by the name of the Paris expo Porte de Versailles. The show is amazing and you can see the newest cars, from a lot of auto manufacturers. Most European manufacturers, if not all, are often present.

The Geneva International Motor Show

The Geneva International Motor Show, or GIMS, is an annual event, held in Geneva, Switzerland. It has been here since 1905 and is one of the most important car shows in the world. There are plenty of vehicles to see here, electric cars, production cars, concept cars, tuners, special parts and accessories as well as new technologies. It is a great annual show for any car enthusiast.

The North American International Auto Show

This motor show is also called NAIAS or the Detroit Auto Show as it is held in Detroit, every year. It is the most popular auto show in the United States, yet it has its own ups and downs. Following the downward trend of luxury cars in the United States, BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz were not present at the 2019 show, alongside other luxury car manufacturers such as Volvo, Jaguar, Porsche and Land Rover.

The Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

This exhibition is also called Auto China, simply put. It is a biannual event and has been held every second year since 1990. China is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, Skoda, Volkswagen, BMW and Lexus have been present, not to mention BMW, Honda, and more. Given China’s size and market, more manufacturers come every year.

These are the biggest and most important car shows in the world.

High-Tech Motorsports Gear – The Gear that Made it Into Our Cars

We once dreamed about having flying cars and not having to drive them. While our cars might not yet be flying, there are plenty of companies testing out artificial intelligence in order to create a working, flawless, self-driving car. Technology has had so many advancements – there are cars with monitors on which you can watch your favorite game, check out the Super Bowl odds or even watch a movie! There have already been cars on the road which managed to travel around 200 kilometers without human input. 

Some pretty neat inventions made it into the cars we drive on an everyday basis, which came from motorsports.

Here are some other interesting newer technologies that made it into our everyday vehicles, originating from motorsports.

Small Engine Capacity – High Horsepower

Small engines have been a trend in the car industry for the last two decades. They have been refined to the point where a 1.2 liter engine has around 180 horsepower while previously having 75. That is a lot of improvement and the list goes on. Hot hatches, or hatchbacks with lots of horsepowers, dropped the 2.0 liter engines and had them replaced with either 1.4 or 1.2 liter ones. That saves weight and allows the already light and quick car to be even quicker.

This change came to be with the advancement of turbochargers and the necessary software which accompanies all modern cars which controls the valves and fuel injection, not to mention the turbo itself. All that work culminates in lighter but still quicker vehicles. These engines were first introduced in Formula 1 cars, as a necessity, as they need to be lighter.

Traction Control – Hated and Loved at the Same Time

People are really bipolar when it comes to traction control. Some will never ever consider buying a car without it, yet when met with their friends, they will spit on it and call it names, cursing it because it doesn’t allow them to do oversteers and similar dangerous things.

Traction control also came from Formula 1, and it was met with disappointment there. Racers wanted nothing to do with it. While it might not help racers perform better, it certainly saves lives on the motorway or rainy and slippery days.

Paddle Shifters – Formula 1 In a Family Estate 

Paddle shifters are also something which came from Formula 1. They were invented so that drivers would never have to take both hands off the steering wheels. Paddle shifters either sit in place behind the steering wheel or move with the steering wheel as you turn it. In regular vehicles, it can be either of those things. There are plenty of semi-automatic cars now, where you press the paddle shifters to feel like a racer in your hatchback.

Buttons on the Steering Wheel – A Nightmare

This became quite a trend for a while, having as many buttons as possible on the steering wheel. While this is necessary for racers in Formula 1, again, it is really a nightmare to people who dislike reading manuals.

These are some of the most interesting technologies that made it into everyday vehicles.

 

Would You Like to Race a Supercar? – You Can in Las Vegas

Racing a supercar, that sounds rather expensive, does it not? Well, if you count in that you need to buy a supercar, see whether it is road-ready, then check whether it is race-ready, fix all the things needed, change the tires and hope that you don’t crash or get caught for speeding, yes, it sums up to a lot of money.

People are aware of this and in Las Vegas, a solution came up.

ExoticsRacing – A Way to Supercar Racing

ExoticsRacing is a company which offers you to race supercars in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. You can schedule to drive one car of more cars, depending on how many you want to rent. You can rent a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, Acura, Nissan GT-R, Mercedes-Benz AMG, Aston Martin and even race cars and go karts should you feel that the supercars are a bit too much for you.

Driving on a Racetrack – Is Experience Needed?

Experience is of course, mandatory, but the level of experience is not essential as all cars are automatics so there is no clutch involved. Most of the cars have paddle shifters, so have that in mind.

You need a valid driver’s licence and a minimum age of 18. You have to attend a technical briefing in order to understand everything you need to know about your car, including braking, horsepower, steering techniques, the proper seating position and accelerating.

An instructor will be with you at all times during your race. You can race for a minimum of 5 laps and a maximum of 60 laps. 

All the Details You Need to Know

You can register your date of racing up front, and even pay in installments. You do have to pay the full sum before your racing day. Insurance and all the safety equipment are required. You will have an instructor with you at all times. You can bring friends and family but they can only ride along in specific vehicles and if they meet an age criteria.

There is a cafeteria on site and you can order food and drinks. Alcohol is forbidden at ExoticsRacing. You cannot wear sandals or high-heels. You are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and footwear.

There are weight and height restrictions but they are based on the car model and are flexible. If you feel uncomfortable in one car, you will be assisted with choosing another exotic, provided that it is available at the time.

If you want to race a supercar and are around Las Vegas or Los Angeles, you can do so provided that you are at least 18 and have a valid driver’s licence, domestic or international.