Macquarie Pass climb with the BMW M3

This footage was recorded back in October 2009, when we spent a couple of days with brilliant BMW M3. The weather was kind to us through our trip and many of the roads were ultra smooth to allow us to experiment with the handling characteristics of this great car.

This particular video was filmed during the Macquarie pass, a hill climb road just 30km’s South West of Wollongong in New South Wales. Its surface is silky smooth, benefiting from a fairly recent re-surface and the 7.7km pass features smooth sweeping turns with only 1 overtaking section near to the top.

The BMW M3 is a very neutral balanced car, which makes it a pleasure to be driven on roads like these. Just listen to the way the V8 engine loves to rev, as we make our way up the pass.

On a technical note, this was the first video I’ve completed featuring a accurate map overlay tracking the cars location as we progress up the hill. This proved pretty time intensive to complete in a accurate way but I am very happy with the tracking results and many thanks to friend Jay Ng for his assistance in this area.

Porsche’s flagship car for a drive – The 911 Turbo

Brendon and I take the keys to Porsches flagship 911 model, the Porsche 911 Turbo. We took a look at some of the details that make up the 911 range-topper, and take it for a hill-climb drive up our usual Macquarie Pass testing road. Along the way we test out the back seats, all the cubby and storage holes and see if we can as usual ‘get a person in the boot of a supercar’.

When this car’s turbo kicks in, its acceleration is as quick as the Lamborghini Gallardo I am not joking, but doesn’t sound half as good.

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I have to say that for me personally I enjoy driving the 997 GT3 over this car as it feels a little more nimble and the steering a little more like my own Lotus in its direct connected feeling. But I also have to say the Turbo impressed me MORE than I thought it would. The Turbo’s feeling of being able to accelerate out of a corner earlier than you can with the GT3 (due to the Turbos 4wd) is a great feeling on the road.

Click the video below to play, or you can watch it in spiffy High Definition by going here and clicking the HD button: http://www.youtube.com/mabedfo#p/u/0/7PhCyiW8ciI 

NYE 2009 in Sydney

Always the unplanned evenings are the best. We were invited to a friend’s concrete patch by the water where he stores his racing yacht out of water (was made of 100% carbon fibre, was very impressed), a barbie would be there but no view of the bridge was promised.

We turned up and there really was a great view of the bridge in fact. After a few hours of drinking, eating, laughing and dealing with around 20 Irish guys trying to jump the security fence to get in our secure compound area we were in, our evening got even better.

With a big electric crane our hosts lifted 2 yachts into the water at 11:15pm and by 11:55pm we were on the front line drifting right in front of the bridge. We were jumping up and down on the deck like little kids. We were in the best city in the world for NYE and we were so lucky to have the BEST seat in the whole of Sydney.

Considering it was a very unplanned NYE, it was the best NYE we’ve ever had! Now have to deal with the ritual hangover the day after.

Happy New Year to all my friends
and family all over the world!

Me with Shawn and James who invited us to the waterfront get-together

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Drinking eating and chatting looking over to the bridge in
the distance, Chris and Christina on the right

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Out on the water just 300 metres from the bridge as close as you are allowed 

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midnight strikes out on the water as we hold onto the boats
boom to watch the spectacular fireworks

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Sanna and me very drunk after midnight on our way back to shore

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Shawn really drunk too and singing, which is good
as he’s so funny when drunk