#even though it seems that Clarkson is on the right track due to his status as a player for the Utah Jazz. But Reyes praised Brownlee for his

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MAGSASAMA SA WORLD CUP: JORDAN CLARKSON, KAI SOTTO | PAANO NA SI JUSTIN BROWNLEE?

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Koenigsegg has been in the news this week for setting a new production car ultimate speed record.  However it hasn’t been easy for the small Swedish hypercar company to prove its credentials.

Imagery from Koenigsegg

It’s not often a new company who jumps in the deep end succeeds in the car business.  It seems like every other day a new supercar maker pops up with a press release and a new car to sell to the well-heeled of the world.  Fuelled by dreams of emulating Enzo Ferrari, Ferdinand Porsche or Ferruccio Lamborghini.  In the last 30 years, only two have succeeded.  Italy’s Pagani and Sweden’s Koenigsegg.

Genius and Vision

From humble origins and at the age of just 22, Christian von Koenigsegg set about making his eponymous cars.  Naturally gifted with an aptitude for tinkering and the technical, he was able to produce a prototype to his own design by effectively crowd-sourcing know how and work.  A pretty novel idea for 1994.

Christian von Koenigsegg and the CC Prototype

Never trained as an engineer, Christian von Koenigsegg learned to be one.  A modern inventor in every sense of the word, his early innovations included a clever catalytic converter that reduces exhaust back pressure without loss of emission control.  A clever supercharger response system that replaced the blow-off valve and a pressurised dry-sump system.

In 2003 he would deliver the first production car, the CC8S to his first customers.  The car was certified by Guinness to have the world’s most powerful production engine.  It was lighter, more powerful and with less drag than the McLaren F1.  That made it, theoretically the fastest production car in the world.  It wouldn’t be until 2005, however that they were able to get the budget together to get on a track and prove it.  At Italy’s Nardo in the upgraded CCR, they were able to wrest the record from the McLaren by a scant 1.46km/h.  The record theirs, the theory proven.

Koenigsegg CC8S

Koenigsegg CCR

  Goal Posts, Moved

Later that year, the Bugatti Veyron came along and re-set the bar for hypercar makers.  No longer was 600 or 800hp acceptable, 1000hp was the new black.  The owner of Bugatti, Volkswagen, owned one of the two race tracks in the world where you can do those speeds.  From 2012, they would own both.  When you own the playground, you get to choose who gets to play.  Big companies like Volkswagen don’t let small upstarts take away their records at their own facilities.

Koenigsegg quite famously preferred not to fit a rear spoiler to the cars to preserve low drag and high speed.  That is until on Top Gear, the Stig had a high speed snap oversteer in a CCX.  Despite the portrayal on Top Gear – Clarkson is never one to shy away from embellishment for the benefit of story – the “Top Gear wing” was already offered as an optional extra.  The car would return with tyre removed, front bar fixed and wing fitted to set the ultimate fastest lap on Top Gear.  From this point onward Koenigsegg turned away from the fastest top speed stuff and moved on to ultimate all round performance.  The cars started to grow wings and other downforce-creating devices.

It was at this point a new performance benchmark would be devised.  0-300-0km/h.  A true test of engine, chassis and brakes, top speed be damned.  Driven by Sport Auto’s Horst von Saurma the CCX set the benchmark at 29.2 seconds.  Some supercars don’t even get to 300km/h in that time, let alone stop.

Koenigsegg would go about lowering the 0-300-0 bar over the coming years.  In 2011 the Agera R lowered the mark to 21.19 seconds.  In 2015 the One:1 would lower it again to just 17.95 seconds.

The Big Guys Start Taking Notice

Then Bugatti decided to change the game.  Not merely happy with Konigsegg’s 0-300-0 benchmark, they set about upping the ante.  In August 2017, the Chiron set the marker for the 0-400-0 test at 41.96 seconds.  With Juan Pablo Montoya driving in a relaxed business shirt and jeans no less.

That is a mind-bending number and the video was equally impressive.  The four-wheel-drive Chiron seeming extremely well suited to the task of putting its 1500hp to the ground.

Enter a Curious Customer

The 0-400-0 mark wasn’t really on Koenigsegg’s radar.  That is until a customer asked for his car to be used to verify its theoretical performance chops.  Before delivery out to the States, Koenigsegg took the car to a runway in Denmark to attempt the record.  It took the Chiron 3,112m to set its record at Volkswagen’s massive Ehra-Lessien.  The runway Koenigsegg was able to secure for the run was just 2,800m long.

Due to the pre-delivery status of the car, it was on older tyres with heavier testing wheels than the carbon ones it would eventually wear.  The runway was poorly maintained, so traction was poor.  The Agera’s on board computer was still recording wheelspin at 183km/h.  Despite all this the Agera RS smashed the Bugatti’s mark.  36.44 seconds in only 2,441m.

If You Had the Means, You Would Too.

This would only be the curtain raiser to something much more.  Mark, the owner of the red Agera RS wanted to find out what his car could really do.  It turns out Mark is also very well connected, as he was able to get 17km of some of the flattest, straightest public tarmac in the world closed for another record attempt.  In Nevada.

You’re here, so you’ve likely read the news already.  There isn’t much more to say other than watch the video.  The downhill run especially is truly epic.

Click to watch.

The gameplan to work up to the record over a period of two days.  The car felt so good, though, test driver Niklas Lilja decided to go for it right away.  The record was set after only 3 runs, a sighting run and two full blown attempts, one in either direction as prescribed by Guinness.

Given they had plenty of time left, they figured they should have another crack at that 0-400-0 mark.  The car had decent tyres on it and the road was much grippier than the runway in Denmark after all.  The result?  A truly staggering 33.29 seconds over a distance of 2,239.5m.  That’s over 8 seconds faster than the Bugatti Chiron in almost 900m less space.  At this end of the spectrum, a few tenths are celebrated.  In this company 8 seconds is measured with a calendar.

Possibly even more impressive, that’s less than 4 seconds away from the CCX’s time from 0-300-0.

Bravo

Mark is very smart.  He has guaranteed by orchestrating all this is that his dark red Agera RS is truly special.  It’s the record car.  In the future, just like Steve McQueen’s Ferrari 250 California it’ll be the most special of all the Ageras, possibly even more special than a One:1.  Collectability guaranteed.

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For Christian von Koenigsegg, it’s vindication.  Theoretically his cars always were truly special, he just had very limited opportunities to prove it.  Now he has and the lore of the little Swedish company that could gains another chapter.  The saying goes, “Every dog has his day.”  November 4th 2017 is the day Koenigsegg took on the biggest automaker in the world and absolutely wiped the floor with them.

Here’s cheers to Christian von Koenigsegg, for proving that ingenuity and vision can still beat the world’s mega corporations and their R&D budget.

Your move, Mr. Winkelmann.

  If you aren’t fully au fait with the Koenigsegg story, /Drive did a sensational series called Inside Koenigsegg for their online channel.  You can – and should – watch it here:

Season 1

Season 2

The same guys also made a full-length film chronicling the life and times of the hypercar, where Koenigsegg features heavily, I highly recommend it.

Apex – The Story of the Hypercar

It hasn't been easy for small Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg to prove its credentials. Koenigsegg has been in the news this week for setting a new production car ultimate speed record. 

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Grammy Predictions 2017

Today’s the day! Prepare to yell at your TV a lot and scratch your head at the choices the voters make. Cross your fingers for some really memorable performances like last year’s Kendrick Lamar showstopper. And read on for my predictions of who will take home Grammy gold today.  By the way, most of the awards are given out during the pre-televised ceremony, so if you want to watch that portion you will need to go to the Grammy website and stream it. The “Premiere” show starts at 12:30pm PT, which is coming right up. The rest of the show with all the performances and millions of commercials happens this evening. 

I do my best to keep up with a lot of genres of music, but there are plenty that I can’t claim any expertise on. If I left out your favorite category it’s because I don’t feel qualified to comment on it. I’d love to hear your input on those categories though! 

Best Music Film

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Steve Aoki)

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years (The Beatles)

Lemonade (Beyonce) WILL WIN

The Music of Strangers (Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble)

American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry (Various Artists)

Normally I don’t pay a ton of attention to this category, but this year it should be an early indicator of how some of the bigger categories will go. Why? Because if Beyonce loses this one, she may be poised for a night of disappointments. Lemonade was basically THE musical event of the year. I feel pretty comfortable predicting she’ll win this award. I haven’t seen the others so I won’t say who “should” win--but let’s just say I feel like the Beatles already had their time to shine. 

Best Music Video

Beyonce - Formation (WILL WIN / SHOULD WIN)

Leon Bridges - River

Coldplay - Up&Up

Jamie XX - Gosh

OK Go - Upside Down & Inside Out

Again, this is Bey’s to lose; but I am happy to see Jamie XX get some love and OK Go are always setting a high bar for innovation in the video department. 

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Benny Blanco (SHOULD WIN)

Greg Kurstin (WILL WIN)

Max Martin (RUNNER UP)

Nineteen85

Ricky Reed

Looking at the biggest songs of the Grammy year (which runs from September to September), Max Martin and Greg Kurstin are pretty evenly split. Martin had Can’t Stop the Feeling, Dangerous Woman, Into You, Send My Love To Your New Lover, Side To Side, and collabs with P!nk and Katy Perry. Kurstin had Sia’s Cheap Thrills, Tegan and Sara’s Love You To Death, and three giant Adele songs (Hello, Million Years Ago, Water Under the Bridge) plus Ellie Goulding’s Something in the Way You Move. Because the Grammy voters love Adele, I can see this one going to Kurstin. Nineteen85 is the biggest up and comer, but probably too hip hop oriented for voters to truly appreciate (Drake, DJ Khaled, and dvsn are on the list of hitmaker collabs here). Ricky Reed mostly has Meghan Trainor and Phantogram on the resume, although the insanely catchy HandClap by Fitz and the Tantrums is one of his so that could push him over the edge. My favorite, though, is Benny Blanco who worked with my beloved Francis & the Lights on several tracks as well as Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, Major Lazer’s Cold Water, Selena Gomez’s Kill Em with Kindness, and Tory Lanez-Luv. I love the production on all those tracks and I think Blanco is the most deserving in the category.

Best Song Written for Visual Media

Justin Timberlake - Can’t Stop the Feeling (Trolls) WILL WIN

21 Pilots - Heathens (Suicide Squad)

P!nk - Just Like Fire (Alice Through the Looking Glass)

Skrillex & Rick Ross - Purple Lamborghini (Suicide Squad)

Shakira - Try Everything (Zootopia) SHOULD WIN

Peter Gabriel - The Veil (Snowden)

Look, Can’t Stop the Feeling is well named because you can’t stop that song. It landed on the charts about nine months before the actual movie came out, and remained inescapable the entire year. But for my money, the better song is Shakira’s and it fit so well with the themes of tolerance and diversity in Zootopia. I’d love to see an upset in this category but it seems highly unlikely. 

Best American Roots Song

Robbie Fulks - Alabama At Night (SHOULD WIN)

Jack White - City Lights (WILL WIN)

Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars - Gulfstream

Vince Gill (performed by The Time Jumpers) - Kid Sister

Lori McKenna - Wreck You

I’m just excited to see Chicago favorite Robbie Fulks get nominated for a Grammy. Having seen him perform numerous times at The Hideout, having listened to him for the last 12 years, I just hope this leads to bigger things and more recognition to a very deserving performer. I’m sure Jack White’s the biggest name here and therefore he stands the best chance of winning, but damn if it would be a nice surprise if things went a different way. Jack’s got enough awards by now. 

Best Rap Album

Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

De La Soul - And the Anonymous Nobody

DJ Khaled - Major Key

Drake - Views (RUNNER UP)

Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

I love this category. They mostly got it right--although I’d love to see Danny Brown in here over Khaled, personally. I’m thrilled to see Chance getting the love he deserves, I’m beyond excited to see Schoolboy Q get his due, and while I personally think Pablo is the most inconsistent Kanye album it’s nice to see it here because it’s ambitious as hell and its best moments are pretty fucking undeniable. Drake had a great year so it makes sense he’s on the list. De La Soul have deserved a Grammy forever so I’m happy to see them among all the newcomers. I feel like DJ Khaled is more relevant as a Snapchat star than a musician, but hey good for him nonetheless. I think Chance is the most universally loved so I’m expecting him to win here and that’s great. 

Best R&B Performance

BJ the Chicago Kid - Turnin’ Me Up

Ro James - Permission

Musiq Soulchild - I Do

Rihanna - Needed Me (SHOULD WIN)

Solange - Cranes in the Sky (WILL WIN)

This is a super solid category--no bad songs here, and all artists I’d be happy to see grab a statue. For me, Solange and Rihanna are almost equally deserving but I have listened to Needed Me about a trillion times in the last year, so I’m giving that my vote. I think Solange got a little more critical acclaim and it could be a Knowles night overall so I’m giving her the edge. 

Best Alternative Music Album

Bon Iver - 22, A Million

David Bowie - Blackstar (WILL/SHOULD WIN)

PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project

Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (RUNNER UP)

First of all, this is the most hilariously named category because “alternative” means nothing if these all fall under it. We’ve got an indie singer songwriter, a glam rocker’s swan song, a punk rock god, and then two actual legit members of the 90s alternative cadre coming back into the spotlight. So saying who “should win” here is kind of difficult because I do not think they should be competing against each other at all. Nonetheless, my vote for who will and who should goes to David Bowie. I loved that album, and he’s got the posthumous love going on so I’m guessing Grammy voters will jump on board. If he weren’t there, I’d give my vote to Radiohead who really did make a huge comeback last year and actually ARE alternative at least in broad terms. 

BEST ROCK ALBUM

Blink 182 - California

Cage the Elephant - Tell Me I’m Pretty (WILL WIN)

Gojira - Magma (SHOULD WIN)

Panic! At the Disco - Death of a Bachelor

Weezer - Weezer

This is kind of a garbage category, and the only really good album on this list is by the absolutely killer Gojira. The rest are mediocre to bad in my humble opinion, but maybe I’m just bitter that Car Seat Headrest didn’t get nominated here. 

BEST ROCK SONG

David Bowie - Blackstar (SHOULD WIN)

Radiohead - Burn the Witch

Metallica - Hardwired

21 Pilots - Heathens (WILL WIN)

Highly Suspect - My Name Is Human

OK so two seconds ago Bowie and Radiohead were “alternative,” but now they’re “rock.” Make up your mind, Grammys. Out of this rather odd collection of songs, I think the one with the most airplay will get it so that’s 21 Pilots; but the actual best song on the list is the Bowie track. 

BEST DANCE RECORDING

Bob Moses - Tearing Me Up

The Chainsmokers feat. Daya - Don’t Let Me Down (IF THIS WINS I WILL BECOME A CHAINSMOKER MYSELF BECAUSE I WILL HATE EVERYTHING)

Flume feat. Kai - Never Be Like You (SHOULD WIN)

Riton feat. Kah-Lo - Rinse & Repeat

Sofi Tukker - Drinkee

The only horse I have in this race is Flume. I want Flume to win and if Chainsmokers win I will riot. But this category very rarely goes the way I want it to, so I should probably prepare for disappointment. 

BEST POP/DUO GROUP PERFORMANCE

The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey - Closer 

Lukas Graham - 7 Years (BARF SOUP)

Rihanna feat. Drake - Work (SHOULD WIN)

Sia feat. Sean Paul - Cheap Thrills (WILL WIN)

21 Pilots - Stressed Out

OK I may be turning into an old person but this category makes me kind of angry. There have to be better contenders out there than the ones they nominated here. At least my beloved Rihanna gets some love. I swear to god if Lukas Graham wins then we might as well stop listening to music altogether. That song is the most treacly awful ear destructor ever. It’s what I imagine is playing on the radio in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron.”

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

Adele - Hello (WILL WIN)

Beyonce - Hold Up (SHOULD WIN)

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself (RUNNER UP)

Kelly Clarkson - Piece by Piece (Idol Version)

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman 

I seriously hope Beyonce wins this, she deserves it the most and Hold Up is probably my favorite song on Lemonade. But we know how much the Grammy voters love Adele, despite 25 being a fairly lackluster album filled with boring ballads. (Sorry Adele. You know it’s true.) I’m not sure why Kelly Clarkson gets to coast into this category when Rihanna or Sia could be here instead. 

BEST NEW ARTIST

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chainsmokers (KILL ME)

Chance the Rapper (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

Maren Morris

Anderson.Paak (MY RUNNER UP)

The two ladies in this category are both country, and this category hasn’t gone country since Zac Brown if I recall correctly so it seems like they’ll either cancel each other out or voters will gravitate toward a different genre. They are really talented though, so if you like country you should give them both a try. I’m super stoked to see Anderson.Paak show up here, and honestly since I think he’s an actual new artist and Chance has been around for a while, that might be a more accurate title to bestow to Anderson. As I’ve stated above, I despise Chainsmokers; so my vote of who will and should win is Chance. He had a huge year and he’s done it all on his own terms. Even a stodgy voting establishment like the Grammy voters should be able to get behind that. 

SONG OF THE YEAR

Beyonce - Formation (SHOULD WIN/WILL WIN)

Adele - Hello

Mike Posner - I Took A Pill in Ibiza

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself (RUNNER UP)

Lukas Graham - 7 Years (THE WORLD WILL UNMAKE ITSELF IF WE ALLOW THIS TO WIN)

I know I should probably predict Adele here but I just can’t bring myself to do that. It does seem like a distinct possibility but I’m just hoping that the Grammys can surprise us all and be a little more up to date by giving it to Beyonce. I’m surprised to see the Mike Posner track here, but hey good for him. It’s a decent song. We’ve been over my feelings on the others. If Beyonce and Adele split the vote and it goes to someone else, I really hope it’s Biebs and not Lukas. 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Adele - 25

Beyonce - Lemonade (WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN)

Justin Bieber - Purpose

Drake - Views

Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor’s Guide To Earth (RUNNER UP)

Again, I should probably expect Adele but I think song for song Beyonce’s got this. If the votes get split between the two heavy hitters, I could see Simpson pulling an Arcade Fire. That blend of roots rock and country is definitely the type of thing Grammy voters love. 

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Adele - Hello (YEAH I KNOW)

Beyonce - Formation (WILL WIN)

Lukas Graham - 7 Years

Rihanna feat. Drake - Work 

Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out

I don’t understand why Lukas Graham gets in here but no JT with Can’t Stop the Feeling, no Drake with One Dance... the list of worthier contenders goes on and on. I’m going big on Beyonce but it could easily be Adele’s prize. That would be a pretty yawn inducing finish but it wouldn’t surprise me. I gotta give props to my girl RiRi who definitely is worthy of this appearance, and even though 21 Pilots aren’t really my thing I’m happy to see some new blood in this category.

Alright--that’s my picks! Tell me yours and let’s watch tonight to see who’s right!