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PSA: Mark Webber can't text and drive and neither should you

Texting and driving is dangerous. You shouldn't do it. We really can't stress that enough. But if you won't listen to us, maybe you'll listen to Mark Webber. The Australian driver is one of the most accomplished in motor racing. As Sebastian Vettel's former wingman at Red Bull, he won nine Formula One grands prix and scored over a thousand championship points. And now as the headline driver in Porsche's endurance racing program, he and his teammates behind the wheel of the 919 Hybrid are currently in the lead to win the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship with just one round to go. Suffice it to say, then, that he knows a thing or two about the concentration it takes to drive. And it doesn't involve looking at your phone while doing so. To drive that point home (so to speak), he and Porsche put together this little public service announcement. It shows a distracted Webber piloting a 911 GT3 Cup around the Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates, messing up his racing line, missing his apices, spinning out, and nearly trashing the thing. Does the idea of looking at your phone while lapping a race track strikes you as ludicrous? Well, it should. But then, at the risk of coming across as preachy, so should the idea of texting while driving. Because if a racing driver should know better, so should you. Don't take our word for it, though... take it from Mark in the video above.

Porsche 911 R might be manual-only with a GT3 engine

Two of Porsche's best cars only come with two pedals and a PDK transmission. That automatic is inarguably one of the very best on the planet, but it's still not the same. The debut of the latest Porsche 911 GT3 was met with much moaning and groaning when it was revealed it would be PDK-only. A rumor from our friends at Car and Driver could signal that three-pedal fans may finally get the Porsche they really want. C/D is claiming that Porsche might resurrect the 911 R badge for a limited-edition Carrera. Such a vehicle would feature not only a nearly 500-horsepower, naturally aspirated flat-six derived from the GT3's engine, but also a do-it-yourself manual transmission. We're betting it'd be the Carrera's well-regarded seven-speed manual, provided it could handle the output. As for how this car will look, that is perhaps the most exciting angle. According to C/D, Porsche insiders called the 911 R "a wolf in sheep's clothing," describing subdued sheetmetal that won't trumpet this car's high-performance nature. Yes, there's could be a sleeper 911. We'll keep our eyes open for anything that corroborates Car and Driver's rumor, but until then, take this news with a grain of salt. If the 911 R does see the light of day, it will likely be in March at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. News Source: Car and Driver Rumormill Geneva Motor Show Porsche Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance rumor porsche 911 r

Ken Block's Gymkhana 8 to feature Dubai Police cars?

Yesterday we showed you the shiny Ford Fiesta that Ken Block will slide, spin, and hoon through the next Gymkhana video. In case the image above isn't clear, that video will drop at midnight EST on February 30th on the Ford Performance YouTube channel. We don't know all the entire premise of the video yet, but this Tweet from the man himself reveals that the video will be set in Dubai. Block is standing on the Fiesta we saw yesterday, and arrayed behind him are a handful of those famous Dubai Police cars you're probably familiar with. The force has a fleet of sportscars and supercars, and the purpose is outreach and goodwill among its citizenry, not necessarily the pursuit of criminals. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. From left to right, we can see a Maserati GranTurismo, Porsche 911, what looks to be a Nissan GT-R obscured by Block's Fiesta, a McLaren (likely a 650S), Ford Mustang, and a Ferrari 599 of some ilk. Will they take part? Maybe Block will try and run from what might be the most horsepower-intensive police fleet in the world. We'll have answers (and a few minutes of pure Block hooniganism) in a few days. Related Video: