During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Formula 1 driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda dropped a pair of glasses with a camera under his visor to record a lap of the circuit from his own perspective.

The video was recorded as part of an installation lap during one of the weekend's practice sessions, and Gasly can be heard communicating his location on the track through his radio to the pit wall, presumably to calibrate the team's GPS and other tracking equipment.

It gives a clear idea of how high the driver's eye level sits when in the car and just how claustrophobic racing on the streets of Monaco can be. Likewise, it demonstrates that the visual obstruction by the "halo" safety structure is minimal, and visibility is arguably still better than that of LMP1 cars.

Gasly would qualify 10th for the Monaco Grand Prix, and finish seventh, taking home his second haul of points in the season, pushing him up to eleventh in the drivers' championship, and his team seventh among constructors.

Across the Atlantic, IndyCar too plays with visor cams on occasion, and has uploaded sporadic videos of on-track action taken from this perspective. One such video was taken from inside Graham Rahal's helmet during the start of this year's Indianapolis 500, which was also held on the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Why these camera angles are not utilized in broadcasts is unclear. Despite the relatively low resolution, the jostling and field of view communicate a sense of speed and proximity with other cars. Maybe we'll see something like this in the future for F1 TV broadcasts.

Ever since we posted the first known picture of the Pentagon's full outfitted special operations mothership—a vessel that is truly designed to hide in plain sight—more information about the shadowy ship's activities has been trickling in. We recently got another fragmented view of it, taken during a port call in Seychelles just two months after it popped up at a dry dock facility in Oman in early January of this year. In the year and a half before its arrival in Oman, it seems to have spent a good amount of time in the Mediterranean and possibly the Baltic Sea as well. But before it left on its maiden voyage in mid-2016, it stopped off in Norfolk, Virginia where it was loaded up with personnel and gear, including what a squad of stealthy special operations fast-boats.

We have wondered what types of craft would fill the now ironically named M/V Ocean Trader's four launch and recovery bays located on the ship's starboard side. The most likely option seemed to be rigid-hull inflatable boats, like the 11 meter Naval Special Warfare RHIB. But it turns out the ship totes around far more advanced vessels in the form of the stealthy Combat Craft-Assault (CCA).

You can read all about the CCA in this past War Zone feature and you can even watch one being tossed out the back of a C-17 in this recent article. But suffice it to say, the type has become a favorite of special operators, and they have been especially active in the Middle East area of operations in recent years.

And yes, this definitely comes to mind when you look at the CCA:

These new images of Ocean Trader came to us from David Kozdron, who was visiting Norfolk in early May 2016. He was on a tour cruise of the bay at the time and thought the vessel looked interesting. After reading our article about it he remembered seeing the ship from that day and had pictures to show for it.

The images are by far the best of the very few photos we have seen Ocean Trader in its finished state. In addition to spotting the types of boats it carries, the photos offer a better view of its massive communications suite and they give a better idea of the overall size of its hangars in relation to the vehicles on its deck.

There also appears to be a launcher for Insitu drones on the ship's stern flight deck area. This makes total sense as those efficient and compact remotely pilot vehicle systems are a favorite not just of the U.S. Navy, but also of special operators. The layout of the ship is also ideal for drone operations as its primary flight deck doesn't have to be fouled during their launch and recovery evolutions, as is the case on many surface combatants and helicopter-carrying vessels.

Even though we have finally seen full high-quality exterior shots of the Ocean Trader, who knows when or where it will pop-up next. The vessel is not trackable via its standard Automatic Identification System transponder. But considering the amount of information we have gleaned just in recent weeks following a long period of time when the ship seemed to of all but disappeared, it probably won't be the last time we will be hearing of this phantom-like vessel.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

A few weeks ago, McLaren flew out to Southern California to test the new Senna hypercar on a race track. The Senna may be primarily marketed as McLaren's most extreme track car to date, but it's still street-legal. Where does one go to test a race car for the road you might ask? According to McLaren, it's South Africa.

McLaren's YouTube channel recently uploaded a video of Andy Palmer, the company's vehicle line director, testing the Senna's ability to handle high speeds under intense heat.

The film takes place on a seemingly endless road in South Africa's Northern Cape. Strangely, this area rarely exceeds temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit according to South Africa's tourist site, so it would probably have been easier to just stay in Southern California and test it on the roads of Los Angeles instead—the results would be the same.

"So the McLaren Senna on the road shares the DNA we've been developing since the first [MP4-] 12C," Palmer explained. "There's a lot of things going on but the senses and the way the Senna plays on your senses, the engagement, the way that the car transmits through the steering wheel, through the seat and really gives you that sense that you're one with the car."

Impractical or not, the Senna's trials in South Africa are the McLaren's final tests before the car is unleashed on the world, with deliveries starting in the third quarter of 2018.

You won't be able to buy one anytime soon, but be on the lookout for them at your local Cars and Coffee event later this year.

The 2018 Pocono Green 250 on Saturday was the third NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocno Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. And just as in the first two races, Saturday’s race was won by a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver, Kyle Busch. Busch led 64 laps of the 100-lap race, including the final 40, on his way to his first Xfinity Series win at the track, but his 92nd, overall, in the series.

“It feels good for as good as our car was,” Busch said. “I tried to screw it up again early this week. My guys are amazing. Joe Gibbs Racing and everybody back in the Xfinity Series. They do a great job in the body shop and chassis shop. This car was on rails this week and last week, too.”

Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, though, failed post-race inspection. The car was too high in the left-front corner, resulting in it not meeting NASCAR’s post-race height requirements. Penalties will be announced in the upcoming week.

Xfinity Series regular Cole Custer was the only other driver to lead more than five laps, running up front for 23. He finished fifth.

“We had a really fast Haas Automation Mustang," Custer said. “We just didn’t have really good long run speed; that was our biggest problem. We just got too tight at the end of a run. It was interesting to run the package and try to learn it throughout the day. I just think we needed a little more there. We were close.”

The aero package for the Pocono race included aero ducts, restrictor plates and a larger spoiler. It was the package the series ran last year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will run again next weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Custer started on the pole but lost the lead to Busch on lap three. Busch then led the remainder of the opening 25-lap stage before a pit road speeding penalty during the caution between the two stages. As a result, Busch restarted the race outside the top-20 while Custer restarted with the lead after a pit strategy of pitting just before the end of the stage.

“We were able to overcome our speeding issue we had this weekend to get back to the front,” Busch said.

Custer then led most of the second 25-lap stage, but lost the lead to Paul Menard on lap 50, giving Menard the second-stage win.

Aside from the two cautions to divide the race into its three stages, the yellow flag waved three other times for a Michael Annett spin on lap 31, a Chase Briscoe incident on lap 57, and a Christopher Bell-Justin Allgaier wreck with 40 laps remaining.

Race results for the 2018 Pocono Green 250:
1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota
2. Chase Elliott, No. 23 Chevrolet
3. Daniel Hemric, No. 21 Chevrolet
4. Austin Cindric, No. 12 Ford
5. Cole Custer, No. 00 Ford
6. Elliott Sadler, No. 1 Chevrolet
7. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Chevrolet
8. Paul Menard, No. 22 Ford
9. Tyler Reddick, No. 9 Chevrolet
10. Ryan Truex, No. 11 Chevrolet
11. Ross Chastain, No. 4 Chevrolet
12. Shane Lee, No. 3 Chevrolet
13. Ryan Reed, No. 16 Ford
14. Matt Tifft, No. 21 Chevrolet
15. Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Chevrolet
16. Kaz Grala, No. 61 Ford
17. Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Chevrolet
18. Alex Labbe, No. 36 Chevrolet
19. Joey Gase, No. 35 Chevrolet
20. David Starr, No. 52 Chevrolet
21. Josh Williams, No. 90 Chevrolet
22. B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Chevrolet
23. Dylan Lupton, No. 28 Ford
24. Brandon Jones, No. 19 Toyota
25. Tommy Joe Martins, No. 8 Chevrolet
26. Garrett Smithley, No. 0 Chevrolet
27. Matt Mills, No. 15 Chevrolet
28. Spencer Boyd, No. 76 Chevrolet
29. Josh Bilicki, No. 45 Toyota
30. Chad Finchum, No. 40 Toyota
31, Vinnie Miller, No. 01 Chevrolet
32. Brandon Hightower, No. 55 Toyota
33. Mike Harmon, No. 74 Chevrolet
34. J.J. Yeley, No. 38 Chevrolet
35. Michael Annett, No. 5 Chevrolet
36. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
37. Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Chevrolet
38. Chase Briscoe, No. 60 Ford
39. Timmy Hill, No. 66 Dodge
40. Jeff Green, No. 93 Chevrolet

Scott Dixon took the checkered flag at Saturday’s IndyCar race in Detroit, successfully disrupting a dominant effort on behalf of Andretti Autosport, whose Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, and Marco Andretti finished in second, third and fourth place, respectively.

Things got off to a tidy start around Belle Isle as pole-sitter Andretti managed to defend against a charging Dixon during the early stages of the race. With fair weather conditions and temperatures considerably lower than last weekend’s scorching Indy 500, Honda managed to commandeer the 2.37-mile circuit courtesy of its star drivers.

In the end, Honda took the first six spots and seven of the first 10 places—not exactly the results that Chevrolet wanted at its home race.

"I'm super proud of everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing, and obviously PNC Bank's first victory,” said Dixon.

“Finishing third in Indy is nice, but really people only care about who wins at that place, so it's always tough leaving Indianapolis unless you've won. But it's always nice to rebound strong in Detroit. Honda has done a superb job, Top six for them here in the Motor City is a pretty big deal and congratulations to them.”

Known for its bumpy racing surface and being tortorous on brakes, Belle Isle didn’t create much drama for spectators until lap 47, when Graham Rahal stuffed his No. 15 United Rentals Honda into the wall at turn 13. The brutal collision destroyed the left side of Rahal’s car and even sent bodywork debris flying into the cabin.

"I'm OK. It was about the worst hit you could take around here,” said Rahal. “I think the car did its job. Obviously, we were going to finish third, at worst, and it looks like a lot of our competitors are struggling today. I'm disappointed in myself. I just lost it before I even really turned in. I don't really know what happened.”

The second full-caution yellow of the day was caused by Carlin’s Charlie Kimball, who ran into the back of Dale Coyne Racing's Santino Ferrucci, sending the 20 year old into the turn seven tire barrier in his series’ debut.

Kimball was ultimately penalized for avoidable contact and Ferrucci finished in 22nd place.

Behind the Andretti train was 2017 Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato, who started in seventh place and managed to finish the first of two Detroit races in fifth place thanks to a genius pass on Ed Jones during the closing stages of the race.

Sunday’s “Dual II” will hold another qualifying session followed by the final 70-lap race of the Detroit Double.

According to Discover, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was able to guide first responders via drone to rescue a Hawaiian man whose home was on the verge of being engulfed by lava from the Kilauea volcano.

The volcano erupted in early May and has resulted in thousands of evacuations and rampant destruction ever since. A few weeks ago, we managed to get a closer look at the situation when one of the Drone Racing League’s pilots, Gab707, captured some aerial footage of the scene.

Last Sunday, the USGS piloted a drone to help an emergency crew navigate the harrowing landscape to save a life.

The USGS provided footage of the entire event as it played out. Its team was able to aerially locate the man trapped on his property and then use the drone to guide a rescue team out of harm’s way.

Additionally, the drone camera’s live stream was able to allow the USGS to direct other residents out of hazardous areas, due to the more informed bird’s-eye view.

“Follow the drone to safety.” USGS UAS mission in K?lauea volcano’s lower East Rift Zone on 5/27/18 helps guide evacuations and leads to the successful rescue of a resident after a lava pond outbreak sends a fast p?hoehoe flow down Luana Street. https://t.co/S3nUtwYMdM pic.twitter.com/kpfjQI9pOX

— USGS Volcanoes???? (@USGSVolcanoes) May 30, 2018

You can see boots on the ground using flashlights to find the man, as the drone whirrs above as a practical mediator between command and the first response team. It’s one way to save lives in a wide array of situations. In this case, a man escaped death by lava, due to a basic camera drone.

We’ve reported on the intersection of scientific research and unmanned aerial vehicles, before, too.

The Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency, for example, uses drones to sample the gases of Mount Agung to study the volcano’s fluctuating phases and chemical shifts. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab partnered with Black Swift Technologies earlier this year for similar studies in Costa Rica.

Mother Nature may have brought rain to the streets of Belle Isle, but Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi was more than ready to set today's qualifying pace after a spectacular performance that saw him finish third place at yesterday's initial Detroit race. Schmidt Peterson's Robert Wickens and Penske's Will Power followed in second and third place.

IndyCar teams pulled the covers off the Firestone rain tires for this morning's qualifying session, which was held under an isolated storm that quickly left the area following the session's conclusion.

The 2.35-mile street circuit is known for its bumpy track surface and narrow corners, and greasy conditions certainly didn't favor the 800-horsepower rear-wheel-drive race cars.

"The wet's hard in any type of condition, especially on a street course like this. I've got to give a shout out to Firestone," said Rossi. "This new tread pattern they came up with was really stout. It had a lot of grip, it was very predictable, I knew where the limit was right away.

"It made the job easier, for sure. It then becomes a session of trying to find the grip and maximizing as much as you can. Fortunately, the No. 27 Ruoff Home Mortgage car had a good balance and allowed me to do that."

Behind the top-three of Rossi, Wickens and Power were the Ganassi duo of Ed Jones and Scott Dixon. Wickens' teammate James Hinchcliffe rounded up the top six, making it an epic Andretti Autosport Schmidt Peterson and Chip Ganassi grid that's bound to deliver thrills come race time.

Of course, not everyone fared well with the slippery conditions, as veteran Tony Kanaan and yesterday's second-place finisher Ryan Hunter-Reay paid the price for pushing just a bit too hard.

The Brazilian triggered a red flag when he crashed and damaged the front wing of his No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet on his out lap, while the American went into the turn three runoff and then spun in turn eight.

Sunday's evening race will be the final of the Detroit Double at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, which so far has been dominated by Honda power.

Horsepower bites, and when it bites, it bites hard. This is the lesson Mark Reuss, head of product development for General Motors learned today while piloting the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 around the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit. Reuss had an entire field of IndyCar drivers waiting for him to kick off the second race of this weekend's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix when he hit the wall and went into a spin.

It all started when Reuss, who has paced the Detroit GP numerous times, began the warmup lap after torrential rains slammed most of Detroit earlier this morning. As a result, a track that is notorious for its slippery surfaces and violent bumps was washed away of whatever rubber it had gained from the two previous days of racing. Not so bad for professional daredevils, but pretty challenging stuff for a company executive turned racing aficionado.

As this video shows, Reuss was minding his own business, enjoying the lovely exhaust note of the ZR1, when a combination of a slight bump and a crest at the exit of turn two upset the 'Vette and induced some serious oversteer.

After sitting at turns one and two all weekend long at Belle Isle, I can attest that the bumps are wild enough to push the best of suspensions to their maximum. In a nutshell, Reuss didn't stand a chance.

With 755 horsepower, the 2019 ZR1 is the fastest Corvette ever produced by the folks at Bowling Green. Even with its massive rear wing and intercut bodywork, this goes to show that no amount of downforce and no computerized nannies can save you from the laws of physics.

Too much power plus little grip, plus non-professional driver, equals an embarrassing moment on T.V.

Update: Reuss is in good health did not suffer any injuries, but the airbags deployed due to the sheer force of the impact. IndyCar veteran Oriol Servia will get behind the wheel of a backup ZR1 for the remainder of the race.

Insurance salvage auctions are like the Wild West of car sales, where caveat emptor is the law of the land. That means doing your due diligence, unless you want to end up with a perfect-looking family SUV that's really been rolled 20 times and patched up with glue. But sometimes, the pictures really do tell the whole story—like this Copart listing for a 2005 Ford GT that appears to have been used for artillery target practice.

Launched in 2004 to commemorate the automaker's 100th anniversary, the Ford GT was a callback to the legendary GT40 racing car that dominated Le Mans in the mid-1960s and showed Ferrari that the Americans could run with the best that Europe had to offer. It's a great story, and part of a key chapter in Ford's development into performance cars. Or things that used to be performance cars.

The reborn Ford GT packed a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine—mounted in the middle, of course—and only came with a six-speed manual transmission. With 505 horsepower and a top speed of 205 mph, it was the fastest production car Ford had ever made, and it's still used as base for standing mile competition cars that routinely top out north of 290 mph.

All this to say, it's not too surprising that of the 4,038 Ford GTs that were built between 2004 and 2006, at least a few would be utterly ruined by now. Granted, we don't know the exact nature of the calamity that befell this particular model. It could have been driven into a brick wall at 150 mph, or crushed by a distracted driver, or incinerated in a forest fire. It doesn't really matter, though, because the end result is the same: complete, abject destruction.

This heap of ashy rubble is still in the rough shape of a car, we'll give it that. There are a few identifiable parts—an exhaust pipe here, a brake rotor there—but the pictures are a grim portfolio. And it's the number of pictures, all from different angles, that really impresses us here. Yes, that's a pile of junk. Maybe it will look a little more complete from this side...no, still a mound of garbage.

We also like the "Transmission: Yes" note in the details, though we're also not sure it's accurate. Really, all you're paying for is a VIN here. But with no reserve price and no current bidders, you just might get this Ford GT for a song.

Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati and acclaimed video game developer Milestone have signed a partnership for the upcoming Ride 3 video game, allowing the Ducati Panigale V4 superbike to be placed on the game's cover. The game will also feature other favorite Ducati bikes.

This partnership makes the Ducati Panigale V4 “the symbol of a title fully dedicated to all motorbikes enthusiasts, which is set to be the most complete motorbike encyclopedia ever delivered.” The Panigale V4 described as "highest peak of technology and Ducati design" by its manufacturer is the replacement to iconic 1299 at the top of the Ducati supersport range. It uses a 90-degree V4 with a displacement of 1,103 centimeters to produce 211 hp of maximum power at 13,000 rpm and 90 pound-feet of torque at 10,000 rpm.

The Ride franchise has been known for its huge array of virtual riding options. The previous iteration, Ride 2 was awarded by the Guinness World Record for Most licensed bikes in a videogame with over 200 examples overall, including "Two Strokes, Supermotards and the Café Racers."

Ride 3 is the third edition of a series dedicated to two-wheelers and a tribute to the motorbike culture. The new game will also feature the most powerful motorcycles manufactured, that you can use to “the most amazing roads in the world on your two wheels companion.”

You will also be able to customize every detail of your in-game bike, matching your riding style and personality. The latest iteration will also showcase a total of 19 Ducati bikes including iconic models like the 916, Monster 900 and Ducati Scrambler Icon.

Ride 3 is expected to be released on Nov. 8 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. scored his second win of the year, beating Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick to the finish line at Pocono Raceway. Heading into the Pocono 400, all eyes (and bets) were on Busch and Harvick for the win. The pair had won nine of 13 Cup Series races this season, so there was no reason to bet against them. What no one expected was that the runner-up, Kyle Larson, and Furniture Row Racing driver Truex Jr. would emerge as top contenders in the 14th race of the season.

In 13 Cup starts this year, Truex Jr. amassed eight top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He also started on the pole four times and made it to Victory Lane once before securing his win at Pocono. Truex Jr. dominated stage wins last season. He captured his third stage win for this season at Pocono Raceway by barely beating Harvick in Stage 1. Harvick, who led 89 laps and finished in third, won Stage 2 for a series-leading seventh stage wins of the season. Truex Jr. led the second most laps of the Pocono 400 with 31. Yet, he was the runner-up for the last two Cup Series races behind Busch and Harvick.

All about the progress. @KyleLarsonRacin reflects on his runner-up finish and where his teams stacks up against the competition. #Pocono400 pic.twitter.com/atHNPW6491

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 3, 2018

When asked whether he should be considered part of the “Big Three” now in NASCAR, referring to Harvick, Busch, and himself, Truex Jr. replied, “If you want to.” He also added, “I think if you look at our season as a whole, you look at the amount of spots we've lost on pit road, we had four weekends where obviously we finished really bad, poorly. We had two blown tires and got caught in two wrecks four weeks in a row, which really hurt us and set us back momentum-wise. But, more so points wise besides them four races, we've been top five all but once. So, if you look at that, it's pretty good and the things that we've had to battle back from to keep finishing in the top five it's hard to do.”

The Monster Energy NASCAR Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway Results

(Position Finished, Driver, Manufacturer, Laps Completed, Laps Led)

1. Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 160, led 31
2. Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 160, 0
3. Kyle Busch, Toyota, 160, led 13
4. Kevin Harvick, Ford, 160, led 89
5. Brad Keselowski, Ford, 160, led 10
6. Ryan Blaney, Ford, 160, led 11
7. Aric Almirola, Ford, 160, 0
8. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 160, led 2
9. Joey Logano, Ford, 160, 0
10. Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 160, 0
11. Paul Menard, Ford, 160, 0
12. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 160, 0
13. Matt Kenseth, Ford, 160, 0
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 160, 0
15. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 160, 0
16. David Ragan, Ford, 160, 0
17. Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 160, 0
18. William Byron, Chevrolet, 160, 0
19. Kurt Busch, Ford, 160, 0
20. Clint Bowyer, Ford, 160, 0
21. Michael McDowell, Ford, 160, 0
22. AJ. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 160, 0
23. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 160, 0
24. Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 160, 0
25. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 160, 0
26. Cole Custer, Ford, 160, 0
27. Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 160, 0
28. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 159, 0
29. Erik Jones, Toyota, 159, 0
30. Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 158, 0
31. Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 157, 0
32. J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 157, 0
33. Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 157, 0
34. Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 152, 0
35. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 146, Accident, 0
36. Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 120, Transmission, 0
37. Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 113, Brakes, 0
38. Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 108, Engine, led 4

From a Raceway to a Speedway

The next stop on the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series is the two-mile Michigan International Speedway, the fastest track on the NASCAR schedule. Average speeds aren’t that fast at Pocono Raceway due to the design of The Tricky Triangle, however, fans can expect to witness some exhilarating racing at Michigan. The FireKeepers Casino 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) will start at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 10, at Michigan International Speedway.

Leaving your pets or kids in a hot car is a bad idea, yet it still happens. That's why auto manufacturers are now starting to install sensors to detect back seat passengers and remind drivers that they're there, reports CBS Moneywatch. Experts say we should expect this technology to become more and more common, perhaps even mandatory.

It's a situation that nearly everyone thinks won't happen to them. Yet more than 800 children, not to mention countless pets, have died since 1990 as a result of being locked inside a hot car, with 35 to 40 more added each summer. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, heat stroke is one of the leading non-accident causes of death among children.

Part of the reason why this happens is that it can get deceptively hot inside a closed vehicle even at comfortable outside temperatures. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, even a beautiful 70-degree day will heat a car up to a dangerous 104 in just half an hour. Temperatures only go up from there, the longer the car sits or the hotter the outside temperature is.

As a result, some manufacturers have already started reminding drivers to check their back seats when they park. GMC already offers a rear seat reminder as standard equipment on its Terrain, Acadia, and Yukon, SUVs, as well as the Canyon and Sierra pickup trucks. Nissan also offers a rear door alert system on the Pathfinder, and intends to add it to more models in the future.

Aftermarket systems are also available to stop drivers from wandering off without their kids or pets. But the problem with these is that most people don't believe they'll ever need them, and therefore don't buy them. This is why some experts want rear seat alarms made mandatory in all cars, the same way rear cameras just became mandatory in May.

Any Hot Wheels enthusiasts out there looking to take over a whole fleet? If so, you might want to check this out. A few days ago, an ad for a massive Hot Wheels collection was placed on the Middle East website dubizzle, priced at 440,000, dirhams that equals an incredible $119,788.

The seller states that it’s a “HUGE collection that I started over 22 [years] ago.” He also claims to have the largest collection in UAE and probably all of the Middle East region. The whole range is said to consist of “over 8,000 pieces ranging from 1968 [to today].”

One way of looking at it is that, the seller would have had to purchase or be gifted a car everyday from 1996, only then would it amount to that number.

The seller also mentions that, “There are many Hot Wheels clubs [throughout] the world to include UAE. So, if you feel this is a collection that you must have for yourself or [someone] in your family, lets talk. This collection was appraised for over $200,000 [six years] ago.”

The authenticity of these cars is something a Hot Wheels enthusiast would need to confirm, but we did spot duplicates in the collection, which may not appeal to the genuine collector.

As seen from the posted pictures, some of these miniature vehicles have been showcased neatly. The rest, while being in their original packing, were stacked one on top of the other in plastic storage cases almost like they were a bunch of "toy cars," which sort of takes away some of the magic from it all.

There is even a picture of four different Hot Wheels books, but the ad doesn’t mention whether those are also for sale.

California has by far the highest number of electric cars of any U.S. state, so it's not surprising that it continues to spend aggressively on supporting infrastructure. Three California utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison will spend a combined $768 million on electric-car infrastructure.

Together, the three programs are believed to be the largest state-level effort to date by utilities to promote electric cars, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. PG&E will spend more than $22 million to install 230 DC fast-charging stations. PG&E and SCE will spend $236.3 million and $342.6 million, respectively, "on infrastructure and rebates to support electric trucks, buses, and other medium or heavy-duty vehicles," according to the Chronicle.

SDG&E will allocate $136.9 million for rebates for up to 60,000 customers who install electric-car charging stations in their homes. The three utilities also set aside $29.5 million to study the effectiveness of their programs.

California already accounts for more than half of U.S. electric-car sales, and currently has 369,300 all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids on its roads, according to the Chronicle. But Gov. Jerry Brown wants to put 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the state's roads by 2030. That will require a lot more charging stations.

A massive increase in electric cars could be a lifeline to utilities, which are currently wallowing in a stagnant energy market. Building up charging infrastructure now could also lay the foundation for so-called "vehicle-to-grid" systems, where electric cars are used to absorb excess power and discharge it at a later time, smoothing out the flow of electricity and lessening wear and tear on power-generating infrastructure.

But utility-backed electric-car infrastructure projects are not without controversy. A major issue is the potential cost to utility customers, many of whom may not own electric cars and thus won't directly benefit from the projects.

The California utilities did not specify any rate increases for customers, but the Chronicle noted that an earlier PG&E document cited an increased cost to customers of 28 cents per month. The need to promote electric cars may ultimately outweigh utility customers' complaints.

While sales have grown steadily over the past few years, electric cars still make up a small fraction of new cars sold in the U.S. More projects to increase the number of charging stations could help increase sales by reassuring drivers that they will never be left without a place to charge.

An American Airlines employee is lucky to be alive after driving a Ford passenger van off the fourth floor of a Miami International Airport parking garage and falling more than fifty feet to the pavement below, ABC 10 News reports.

Authorities say 59-year-old Orlando Luna was behind the wheel of the E-Series van when it crashed through the low wall on the side of the garage, flipped over in mid-air, and landed on its roof. The impact almost flattened the van and crushed nearly all of its structural pillars. Crucially, the A-pillar supporting the windshield and protecting the driver is the only thing that held up, which is probably why Luna was able to escape serious injury.

As with the last incident we covered where someone took the fast way down from a high floor, it's an impressive demonstration of how safety standards have made modern vehicles far, far safer than their vintage counterparts. That's a few tons of steel hitting the ground at over 40 mph at one of the van's weakest points, and yet Luna got away with "scrapes and bruises," according to a statement from American Airlines.

It would probably be a different story for any of his passengers, but thankfully he was the sole occupant on Florida's newest and shortest-lived thrill ride. There's also some speculation that the van struck a palm tree on the way down, which may have helped break its fall a little. Miami-Dade police haven't determined the cause of the accident yet, though unlike that scene from The Fate of the Furious, it seems like plain old unintentional acceleration is a likely suspect.

After a three-year hiatus, Texas will once again offer rebates for the purchase of electric cars. The Lone Star State will also offer rebates for plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel-cell cars, and vehicles powered by compressed natural gas or liquified petroleum gas. Despite its reputation as a bastion of big trucks, Texas has been fairly supportive of electric cars in the past.

Under the new incentive scheme, electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will get a $2,500 purchase rebate, according to Dallas News. Vehicles running on compressed natural gas or liquified petroleum gas will get a $5,000 rebate. Rebates can be applied to purchases or leases, and are prorated over three years for the latter. However, it's unclear how many Texas car buyers will actually be able to benefit from the rebate program.

The program doesn't cover fleet vehicles, cutting out the main source of compressed natural gas and liquified petroleum gas vehicle purchases. Relatively few private buyers choose those fuels because of the lack of supporting infrastructure. In addition, none of the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles currently sold in the United States are available in Texas.

This is also a limited-time offer. It applies to vehicles purchased or leased starting Sept. 1, and only lasts until May 31, 2019, or when funding runs out. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which manages the program, will award a maximum 1,000 natural gas-petroleum gas rebates, and 2,000 rebates covering electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell cars.

Texas previously offered 2,500 rebates for both electric and natural gas cars in 2015. That program included slots for 2,000 of each type, and lasted for about a year. The state distributed 1,896 of the electric-car rebates, according to Dallas News, but just 10 percent of the natural-gas rebates, demonstrating the lack of demand for those vehicles outside of fleets.

Texas also has a relatively large number of charging stations, largely because the state was among the first to authorize utilities to build and operate them for profit. The state currently has 997 public electric-car charging stations, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center.

Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran, and their No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac climbed to the top step of the podium at this weekend's IMSA Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, proving once again that it takes a whole lot of determination and a little bit of luck to win on the bumpy streets of Belle Isle. Acura's Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor followed closely in second place.

The 100-minute race got off to an exciting start with the Ligier JSP217 Nissan of Pipo Derani and Johannes von Overbeek leading the pack into the first corner, all while Team Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya began applying pressure from behind immediately while at the wheel of his Acura ARX-05. But as it's always the case at the torturous 2.37-mile circuit, the final result would be far from predicted.

Not long after the green flag fell, Derani suffered from mechanical issues that forced him to fall down the order, and not long after that, a full-course yellow was issued due to debris on the track that played well for some of the teams' strategies. This allowed Joao Barbosa in the Action Express Racing Cadillac to catapult to the front while the rest of the packed dived into the pits for a splash of fuel and fresh tires.

The big surprise of the day came when Nasr took the lead of the race with less than 40 minutes remaining thanks to a clever strategy and others' mistakes. The former Formula 1 driver's wildcard may have worked, but Ricky Taylor's Acura, which had fresh tires, was less than four seconds behind him and was narrowing the gap with a vengeance. When the checkered flag finally fell, Taylor was only 1.01 seconds behind Nasr.

"We were definitely closing in those final few laps, but as everyone knows, it's very difficult to pass here," said Taylor. "So, I'm not 100 percent sure if we would have had enough even if the race had been a little bit longer. Our Acura is definitely fast, but there are still a few areas where we need to improve, and we'll work on those in the lead up to Watkins Glen."

Further down the order, it was the second Acura ARX-05 of Montoya and Cameron that finished third, making it an Acura 2-3 in the Motor City. Luckily for the title sponsor, Chevrolet, Nasr's win at the wheel of a Cadillac meant that a General Motors product has taken the win at every IMSA-sanctioned race since 2007 at Belle Isle.

In the GT Daytona class, it was a different Acura that crushed the opposition at the 14-turn temporary course. Both Acura NSX GT3 racers of Meyer Shank Racing delivered a 1-2 for the Ohio-based organization, with Katherine Legge and Mario Farnbacher at the wheel of the No. 86 car, and Justin Marks and Lawson Aschenbach in the No. 93. Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow, who started in the pole position, finished third at the wheel of their Lamborghini Huracan GT3.

"I'm super pumped with our results today. It was the best possible outcome," said Legge. "I am over the moon happy. Now, we are right there with [the leaders] in the championship, so we have to just move on to the next race to continue the fight. It's for the championship, so we have a different outlook and hopefully, we can keep racing and moving forward."

The IMSA circus now heads to New York for the Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International on July 1.

Subaru has unveiled yet another special edition of its WRX and WRX STI at Sunday's Boxerfest in Washington, D.C. It's called the Series Gray but Subaru has, for some reason, spelled it "Series.Gray" as if it's the last part of an Instagram handle. Was Series_Gray already taken?

Anywho, only 1,000 Series dot Grays will be produced—750 WRXs and 250 WRX STIs. The cars' headlining feature, unsurprisingly, is an exclusive Cool Gray Khaki paint job which, to my eyes, looks closer to blue rather than gray.

The Gray WRX gets black badging, black mirrors, and black 18-inch wheels. As for add-ons that go beyond cosmetics, the car bundles in everything found in the WRX Premium with Performance Package: Recaro seats upholstered in "Ultrasuede," an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat, front brake pads made by Jurid, and a deleted moonroof for a lower center of gravity. To make the driver's life easier, LED headlights that turn with the front wheels, LED fog lights, and keyless entry with push-button start is also present.

Those able to snag an STI Series.Gray can enjoy the same blacked-out trim-and-wheel treatment, Brembo brake calipers finished in silver, and a lot more Ultrasuede on its eight-way Recaros, leather bolsters, and red stitching on the inside. Under the skin, the special edition STI gets its own Bilstein suspension system with Bilstein dampers all around.

The 2019 Subaru WRX Series.Gray starts at $32,595 while its more exclusive and hardcore STI sibling starts at $39,695. Both cars will be available to order in the fall.

Fernando Alonso's World Endurance Championship story started out as expected with a win at the Six Hours of Spa in May. He and the rest of the No. 8 Toyota crew have been predicted as favorites, as well as their stablemates in the No. 7 entry, for this June's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now, as the first tests for the day-long French classic have concluded, Alonso & Co. sit on top of the leaderboard after managing a fastest time of 3:19.066 around the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The Spaniard's best lap was quick enough to clear the No. 3 Rebellion-Gibson R13 by six-tenths of a second. In a session where Toyota claimed the non-hybrid LMP1 entries to be "very serious competitors" to its TS050 Hybrid, the gap was marginal as the No. 7 Toyota of Mike Conway finished the day in third place with a time of 3:20.008.

"It was a lot of fun out there—the track is beautiful and fits perfectly with the LMP1s," said Alonso. "It was enjoyable for me and we got the info we needed from the test."

As for Jenson Button, Fernando's former teammate at McLaren F1, the weekend's tests proposed other concerns. This year will be Button's first attempt at the 24 Hours as well, but as he and his SMP Racing teammates dealt with reliability issues during testing, there will be a significant learning curve to adjust to the endurance epic.

"I was reasonably happy, but in the morning I found it another world—driving around here in a car I don't really know," Button said. "I found it quite disconcerting. But we made some good changes over lunch, and I was much happier with the car in the afternoon. [I had] a lot more confidence. High speed, good confidence, and the braking was much better too."

The 2009 Formula 1 champ continued, "A lot of the corners here are very tight and they come up on you very quickly, which is very different from what I'm used to. I definitely got to grips with it in the afternoon, much happier. But you always want more running, and new tires."

"Hopefully we get some good laps in the Wednesday tests."

The 2018 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours will take place June 16-17.

The Isle of Man TT motorcycle race has claimed another victim during the 2018 edition of the popular event. First-time participant Adam Lyon of Scotland died when he crashed on the third lap of the Supersport 1 race on Monday afternoon.

According to a statement released by the race organizer, the ACU, the 26-year-old rider crashed at "Casey’s," a sector of the track along the 28th mile of the racing course. It's not clear whether the crash was caused by a mechanical failure or rider error, but the four-lap race continued once the cleanup was completed.

Despite his several years of experience as a motorcycle racing rider, Lyon was new to the Isle of Man TT and its dangers. Following the death of Dan Kneen, the race's first casualty this year, Lyon took to his Facebook page to share his excitement for the race and said it was his "dream" to partake in such an event.

"Big thank you to everyone for the support and helping me achieve this dream," said Lyon.

Besides the casualties of Kneen and Lyon, rider Steve Mercer is still in a hospital in Liverpool, England recuperating from an emergency pelvic and leg reconstruction surgery. Mercer crashed against a "course vehicle" on the same day that Kneen died. It's not clear whether the vehicle had entered the course illegally or if it was an emergency responder attending to another accident.

"ACU Events Ltd. wishes to pass on their deepest sympathy to Adam’s family and friends," said an ACU spokesperson.