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Watch a motorcycle racer nearly rub the wall at Macau's track

Motorcycle racer John McGuinness is no stranger to dangerous racetracks, having scored multiple victories in the frequently deadly Isle of Man TT. In this video, he trades the Snaefell Mountain Course's winding roads for the incredibly tight confines of the Macau Grand Prix circuit. The track is like China's version of the Circuit de Monaco, and it looks barely wide enough for two bikes to fit at some points in this clip. The claustrophobic layout makes the street track famously difficult for racing and occasionally deadly. McGuinness gives viewers a great tour of the track on his Honda Fireblade, and he frequently has his shoulders nearly grazing against the wall. You really get a sense of just how narrow the course gets. The ride looks both terrifying and very fun. If you want to see more of McGuinness' skill, here's a clip of him riding at Le Mans at night. We look forward to watching him at the Isle of Man again this year, too. McGuinness not only set a new electric bike lap record there in 2015 but also won the SES TT Zero Challenge. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Honda production knocked offline by ransomware cyberattack

Honda has suspended automobile and motorcycle production at several facilities around the globe due to a suspected ransomware cyberattack. According to reports in Japan, domestic production is back online and shipments are flowing out of its Japanese plants. Facilities in Ohio, where popular models like the Accord and CR-V are produced along with the Acura ILX, TSX and NSX, as well as those in Turkey, India and Brazil are reportedly still offline. "On Sunday, June 7, Honda experienced a disruption in its computer network that has caused a loss of connectivity, thus impacting our business operations," Honda said in a statement. "Our information technology team is working quickly to assess the situation." The suspected attack affected Honda’s production globally starting on Monday, forcing some plants to stop operations as the company needed to ensure that its quality control systems were not compromised. In addition, the automaker confirmed via Twitter that its Customer Service and Financial Services are currently unavailable. At this time Honda Customer Service and Honda Financial Services are experiencing technical difficulties and are unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding. — Honda Automobile Customer Service (@HondaCustSvc) June 8, 2020 The Telegraph (subscription required) in the UK reports that Honda's servers were infected with the EKANS (that's snake spelled backwards) malware, which encrypts data until payment is made to the attackers, who then provide the decryption key. Related Video:

Honda introducing all-new EV, PHEV models by 2018

Honda finally showed off its FCV Concept (with our first glimpse of its interior) to a North American audience at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show today, but the big news from the Japanese automaker was that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will be joined in the market by two new alternative fuel vehicles by 2018. One is an all-new pure battery electric vehicle and the other is an all-new plug-in hybrid. Details on the new vehicles were slimmer than the skinniest hipster jeans in all of Detroit, but the announcement shows that Honda wants to grow its portfolio of alt-fuel powertrains in the not-too-distant future. Honda currently sells the Fit EV and various Accord hybrids, and also showed off the upcoming Acura NSX here in Detroit this week. Ryan Harty, Honda's manager of environmental business development, said that these vehicles are all in service of the upcoming stricter CAFE fuel economy requirements. "Leading up to 2025 [the 54.5 mpg level], in order to meet regulation – not just US but globally – and more to meet our customer's expectations, we think big improvements in ICE engines can meet those," he said. "But also very exciting to all of us at Honda is our upcoming electromobility products. We really are building the foundational blocks to get to where we need to go after 2025." "We want to bring these vehicles to market in significant volume." - Ryan Harty That means vehicles that devour electricity. "Honda is very optimistic about the future of electromobility," Harty said, "not just the hybrids that we've already brought out but how those hybrids and our experience with fuel cell vehicles and battery electric Fit EV and Accord plug-in hybrids is giving us the confidence to launch a brand-new generation of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This will be a new sales pillar for American Honda. We want to bring these vehicles to market in significant volume." Honda says that it will also use, "further application of two- and three-motor hybrid systems" in the US. The fuel cell concept will arrive as a production version after March 2016. That is when it is scheduled to launch in Japan, with US deliveries happening some time later. In the near-term, though, expect better VTEC turbo engines to power more Honda vehicles while using comparatively less fuel. Honda says it will invest $340 million at the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio to build a new 4-cylinder engine. Down the road, though, its electrons over petroleum.