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Crash sends race car driver sliding into first place

A Belgian race car driver won an unexpected victory at the 2016 FIA GT World Cup race last weekend when he slid to victory on the roof of his car. According to Motorsport.com, this year's FIA GT World Cup race at the Macau Guia race track in Macau was more accident prone than usual. The race had already been delayed by one crash earlier in the day when Belgian driver Laurens Vanthoor went into Mandarin Bend too hot chasing Porsche driver Earl Bamber, to whom Vanthoor had just lost his lead. Vanthoor's Audi clipped a wall at about 155 miles per hour causing his car to flipped on to its roof and continued down the straightaway at speed. Thankfully, despite the speed and violence of the crash, Vanthoor escaped mostly unscathed. Officials immediately red-flagged the race and, because of delays caused by the earlier crash, the race was called. Since the race was canceled, officials performed a countback on the previous lap's results and declared Vanthoor the winner despite the fact that he finished upside down. In the aftermath, a shaken Vanthoor questioned whether or not he deserved to win. "I don't really know if I deserved it in a way, as I crashed and made a mistake and I am still a winner – which is very awkward," Vanthoor told Motorsport. "But I don't really know what to say. It would have been a better show for everybody without the crash and a better victory, but I don't know what to think about it." Related Video: News Source: Motorsport.com Auto News Weird Car News Audi Porsche fia macau red flag

NYT profiles Blue Nelson, a reclusive and interesting CA car collector

If it weren't for his Dale Earnhardt Sr. looks, Blue Nelson could be one one of those soft-spoken, nondescript guys whom you meet briefly and never learn much more about. However, as The New York Times shows in a recent profile and video, behind closed doors, Nelson keeps a fascinatingly eclectic collection of automotive oddities and vintage bicycles.
While his main career is in the movie industry, Nelson's other job is as a car hunter. He takes on clients searching for a specific model and helps them find and restore the dream vehicle that they're after. Hiring him takes some dedication, though, because Nelson doesn't advertise his services. "If people want to find me, they know how to find me," he says in the video.
Beyond being an automotive private detective, Nelson has a fantastically varied collection of vehicles of his own. He likes to have models that people don't usually see, and his garage holds a classic Chrysler New Yorker and an extremely rare Rometsch convertible. Although, the one that means the most to him is the 1962 Porsche 356 convertible that Blue came home in as a baby. Check out the video to learn more about Nelson and his philosophy about forming a bond with a car.

Aston Martin renames Vantage GT3 after Porsche throws hissy fit

Porsche has a long history of using the name "GT3" for its hardcore, naturally aspirated 911 models, and that means it's certainly not going to share it with the likes of Aston Martin. See, it seems the arrival of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show didn't sit well with Stuttgart, which opted to lawyer up. According to Goodwood Road and Racing, attorneys from both sides of the Channel have been in discussion for months over the issue, with Porsche arguing it's been using the GT3 name since 1999, and that makes it theirs. Aston, though, argues that the FIA GT3 racing series makes the name fair game for road cars. Moreover, the Brits point out that the alphanumeric was in use well before Porsche got its mitts on it – GRR rightly points out the Lotus Esprit GT3 hit the streets three years before the 996 GT3. And while we're on the subject, Bentley has its own GT3, but we're guessing its status as one of Porsche's siblings means its immune to this kind of squabbling. Rather than getting into a knock-down, drag-out courtroom brawl with one of the Volkswagen Group's prized brands, though, Aston has taken the high road. The company will rechristen both the road-going Vantage GT3 and Vantage racer as the GT12. While Porsche is no stranger to aggressively protecting what it views as its closely held vehicle names, we have to admit, it seems like Aston actually has something of a case. Do you think the Brits were right to settle and change the Vantage's name, or should they have taken the fight to Porsche? Have your say in Comments.