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Kitten rides 300 miles in Royal Navy pilot's BMW

The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, has a new recruit–a tiny kitten named Tigger. According to the Royal Navy Online, Lieutenant Nick Grimmer flew in to Birmingham Airport after a vacation refreshed and ready to return to duty. Grimmer, who flies sub hunting Merlin Mk2 helicopters for the Fleet Air Arm's 814 Squadron, then hopped in his BMW and drove 300 miles to his post at Royal Navy Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall. The next day, he heard a quiet, feeble meowing coming from somewhere in his car and began to investigate. "I looked in the boot, under the bonnet, and climbed all over and under it and still couldn't find what was making the noise," Grimmer told Royal Navy Online. "I called up some of our air engineers who came and helped me to start dismantling my pride and joy. On taking off the rear bumper we were greeted with a tiny tiger-striped kitten." Since he was already dangerously close to being late for duty, Lt. Grimmer had no choice but to take his new friend with him to work. His squadronmates, delighted by their newest recruit, named him Tigger in honor of the squadron's nickname–the Flying Tigers. After his harrowing journey in the BMW, Tigger has been a little anxious and unwilling to leave his savior's side. "The place he has felt most comfortable is in my flying helmet, which is the only place he is able to sleep," said Grimmer. "We are more than happy to adopt Tigger as a mascot," Commander Brendan Spoors, CO of the squadron, told Royal Navy. "After all, it's a tradition for Royal Navy units to have a ship's cat!" The 814 has launched a campaign to locate Tigger's owners called "Operation Tiger Kitten". If the 814 can't find Tigger's owners, the kitten may end up serving aboard HMS Ocean along with the rest of the squadron, as they are due to deploy for training exercises in the Baltic and Mediterranean. Tigger's story isn't unusual. We've seen a few stories of kittens surviving rides after crawling into cars to keep warm during the night. Sometimes they drop out of cars at inconvenient times, like when this kitten fell into the middle of a busy intersection. Sometimes rescuing the kitten can cause costly damage, as this man found out after he cut his truck's body to save a trapped kitten. Many more, however, go undiscovered and can die after getting trapped in a wheel well or engine compartment. To prevent unwanted stowaways, give you horn a quick honk to send them running.

Forza Motorsport profiles courageous paralyzed racer

It's easy to look at racing video games as just a time waster or a hobby. In reality, though, they're often powerful tools for aspiring racers to learn tracks, race craft and how to set up a car in an easily accessible, risk-free environment. We aren't just talking about proper computer-based sims, like iRacing. Console-based racers like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo provide a test bed for racers of all sorts.
For Mario Bonfante, Jr., a former motorcycle racer that was involved in a brutal accident that left him in a wheelchair with only limited use of his arms, Forza is a bit more. It allows him to perfect the setup of his personal racecar, a heavily modified E46 BMW M3, complete with hand controls.
Check out Mario's inspiring story.

BMW 1 Series Sedan is a CLA fighter only for China

Mercedes-Benz and Audi have made solid in-roads with small, entry-level sedans. But while the CLA-Class and A3 lure in a new group of consumers, BMW's most affordable vehicles in the US are the small X1 crossover and the 2 Series Coupe. And it's going to stay that way, even though BMW just introduced a new 1 Series Sedan in China. Previewed at the 2015 Guangzhou Motor Show by the Concept Compact Sedan, the four-door 1 Series is a handsome little thing, like a scaled-down 5 Series but with better proportions. But unlike the 5er, the new 1 Series is, unfortunately, front-wheel-drive. It shares its UKL platform with everything from the Mini Hardtop and Clubman to the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and X1. While that'd normally allow us to make a few safe guesses about the powertrain, the China-only nature obfuscates things – expect three- and four-cylinder gas engines, and possibly a plug-in powertrain. But since it's not coming here, we're less concerned with what will power the car. While BMW doesn't seem so keen on building an entry-level range here in the United States, the new 1 Series Sedan is the latest sign of how serious the company is taking the low end of the market in the PRC. Like a lot of cars sold in China, the new 1 is a product of the joint venture between BMW and Brilliance Automotive and is built in the PRC, alongside the 2 Series Active Tourer, X1, and 3 Series. Related Video: