2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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Mario Andretti sees familiar spark in Fernando Alonso at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS - Mario Andretti sees the same spark in Fernando Alonso that drove him to take on all comers at race tracks around the world and said he believes the Spaniard is a threat to win the Indianapolis 500. Alonso set the motor racing world abuzz last month when he said he had been granted clearance by his McLaren Formula One team to miss the Monaco Grand Prix and race in the 101st Indy 500 on May 28 in pursuit of the sport's famed 'Triple Crown' - a Formula One title and Indy 500 and Le Mans wins. While Graham Hill is the only driver to achieve the feat, Andretti also stands alone as the only driver to win a Formula One world championship, an Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. "I embraced the challenges that's why I did it because I was curious," Andretti told Reuters before Alonso settled into the cockpit of an IndyCar for the first time on Wednesday. "Some drivers are very happy specializing. I wasn't. "I see the same spark in Alonso. "I commend him for doing this. I know how he feels because this was always my challenge to go into somebody else's sandbox and see if I could win at their own game. "There's nothing better than that." Despite Alonso having won 32 grands prix and two drivers championships, the 35-year-old was required to undergo IndyCar's rookie orientation program on Wednesday in order to get used to the unique environment of oval racing at the famed 2.5 mile (4km) Brickyard course. "Here you have constant high speed on a super speedway and it is incredibly different from what his (Alonso's) specialty is which is basically road racing," added Andretti. "It's not that he is going to be foreign to 220 mph plus but what he is going to be foreign to is cornering at 220mph plus. "That's the part that obviously he is going to have to deal with and learn how to approach it." McLaren will enter the race with a Honda-engined Indy car run by Andretti Autosport, owned by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti, who put together a detailed game plan for Alonso that began in a simulator. Alonso impressed on Wednesday as he quickly got up to speed with a fastest lap of 222.548 mph (356.825 kph) but Andretti said there was still a lot for him to learn. "As you get closer to qualifying then he is going to have to start flirting with the limit of the car. That's when it gets precarious," said Andretti. "At these speeds when you're flirting with the limits of the car and ready to go then you have to have a pretty good feel.

2015 McLaren 650S Spider Beauty-Roll

For those of you paying attention, we've really ramped up the Autoblog video game lately. Our new series Car Club USA joins Translogic, and The List, and there are more Daily Drivers and Short Cuts than ever. But sometimes, all you care about is the car. The Autoblog Beauty-Roll video series has one goal: bring you glossy video images of cars, and nothing but. We're collecting moving pictures of all the cars we test, inside and out. Each episode comes with a hit of engine sound – start-up and with a few revs – to round out the package. Set your resolution to max, kick it into full-screen, turn up the sound, and enjoy today's subject, the 2015 McLaren 650S Spider.

McLaren 720S on a rutted dirt trail presents many questions

Supercars are capable of many amazing things, but those generally require pavement. Anything other than glassy smooth tarmac is liable to end in disaster for low, stiff speed machines. And yet, this Dutch duo defied the odds, taking a McLaren 720S where probably no 720S has gone before. Or really, should go. As seen above, this McLaren 720S somehow ended up on a somewhat rutted, undulating dirt road, and one of those ruts halted its progress altogether. As such, the passenger hopped out, and revealed that he should be a professional off-road spotter. He seems to be giving directions on where to maneuver the sports car so that the dangerously low front spoiler doesn't get wedged in the dirt and snapped off. It's amazing to see it come through without so much as a light scrape across the dirt. The thing is, as impressive as this feat is, we're left with so many questions. Where were these guys going that required driving on a dirt road like this? And if they knew they were going to be on a dirt road like this, why drive a McLaren 720S? Surely a person with the means to own a 720S owns other vehicles with greater ground clearance. Also, was this the only obstacle they had to overcome? Did they make it to their destination with an unscathed car? Is this actually the Netherlands' answer to the Rubicon trail? We may never know the fate of the marvelous mystery McLaren crew, but we hope the best for them. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: YouTube / AUTONEWS MD McLaren Coupe Supercars Videos mclaren 720s