Roadkill Nights Returns for 2021 With the Debut of the Dodge Hellcat Grudge Race

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Woodward Avenue beckons once again, and organizers are ready to respond with a Dodge Hellcat grudge race to top all others. Eric Malone is the driver to beat. Last year, the pandemic canceled Roadkill Nights, leaving fans to relive the good old days. However, nothing could dampen their enthusiasm.

Roadkill Nights’ appeal grew “tremendously over the past few years,” Stellantis reports. And now that events are back on the schedule, organizers are ready to put on a show. Case in point: this year’s Dodge Hellcat grudge race. Expect drama, fun, and a “grassroots feel.”

A first-timer’s guide to Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge

Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge draws nearly 50,000 fans to street-legal drag racing on Woodward Avenue | Stellantis

Roadkill Nights is a Dodge event that will run for its sixth year in 2021. Car enthusiasts consider it the beginning of a weeklong homage to anything drivable with four wheels. Because Detroit and the automotive industry have always had a love relationship, it made sense to bring Woodward Avenue into play.

The Avenue is a 27-mile premier racing surface that runs from Detroit to Pontiac, Michigan. There, enthusiasts will attend a legal street drag racing event held on the asphalt. Because it’s unusual to hear the words “drag race” and “legal” in the same sentence, the event is a highlight that draws attention. Of course, there are also plenty of other family-friendly events. Roadkill Nights serves as the warm-up for a week of car culture enjoyment.

And this time, fans can get in on the action. This year’s MotorTrend Presents Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. August 14, 2021. Drag racing starts at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern). Tickets are on sale through TicketSpice, and live streams will be available on Dodge’s and MotorTrend’s YouTube channels. And if you want to register to participate, you must apply through RegFox by July 14 at 8 p.m.

Why is the Dodge Hellcat grudge race something you have to see to believe?

If Roadkill Nights bills itself as “automotive chaos theory,” you might imagine the Hellcat grudge race is the cherry on top. This year’s challenge will involve a Challenger or Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, $10,000 in cold hard cash, and carte blanche to modify the vehicles as the participants see fit. The racers are also not your typical Sunday drivers.

Eric Malone is a fan favorite and star of MotorTrend’s series “Fastest Cars in the Dirty South.” He’s the driver to beat and has the most to lose. However, he’s not planning to lose or even make it easy on the competition. A cryptic hint suggests his car will pack more than 1,000 hp.

That said, the competition is not for the faint of heart. Dodge Garage introduces Alex Taylor, a drag racer who’s the youngest participant in Hot Rod Drag Week. It’s fair to say driving and winning are part of her DNA.

Other participants include Tavarish, who regales audiences with rebuilding videos. He can turn salvage vehicles into gold. Westen Champlin likes to push the envelope with builds that nobody else would attempt. Finally, there’s Throtl, a group that loves building project cars and giving one away every three months.

Family-friendly? You bet!

Bring the kids to this family-friendly automotive spectadle. Young Detroiters will love the muscle car shows and simulators. And the next generation of enthusiasts will thrill to Roadkill Nights’ stunt shows, including flamethrowers (need we say more?). Of course, there’s also something for younger fans who might not be quite ready to embrace the flames.

Oh, and don’t forget the food trucks.

RELATED: The 2021 Dodge Durango Offers Much More Than a Hellcat

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No Matter the Bike, Nothing Stops Patricia Fernandez From Racing

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Racers have to deal with obstacles daily, from bad weather to malfunctioning rear brakes. And that’s just racing in general; motorcycle racing has its own complications. That’s especially true of a relatively new series like King of the Baggers. But the most dedicated racers are always ready to compete, learn, and improve—not just themselves, but the sport as a whole. And that’s definitely the case with Patricia Fernandez.

The World’s Fastest Female Roadracer, Patricia Fernandez is ready to race it all

Patricia Fernandez with her Saddlemen King of the Baggers Indian Challenger | Indian

As I learned during our recent Zoom call, Patricia Fernandez didn’t grow up around bikes. Although she “always thought motorcycles were cool,” she didn’t own one until she moved out of her parents’ house. And she didn’t start out with a racing bike: her first motorcycle was a used $4000 Suzuki.

However, after going through the MSF and riding regularly, Patricia Fernandez made friends who regularly did track days. And she “was addicted from day one” once she got out there. Then, after competing in club races, her friends convinced her to try pro racing. Patricia didn’t think she could make it—“I cried the first time I did it,” she told me—but she qualified. And after going pro, teams in the US and overseas were inviting her to compete.

“Once you’re a racer, you’re a racer.”

Patricia Fernandez

As of today, Patricia Fernandez has been a pro racer for nine years, mostly competing in MotoAmerica and roadracing events. Ireland’s Ulster Grand Prix falls into the latter category. And she earned the title ‘World’s Fastest Female Roadracer’ after setting the lap speed record there in 2016, Cycle World reports. Australia’s Phillip Island track is one of her favorites, but she would love to race on a MotoGP circuit like Jerez.

But while she’s mostly raced sportbikes, Patricia Fernandez also likes trying new things. Her partner Cory West owns a dual-sport business, and she regularly rides a variety of dirt bikes. She also owns a Yamaha Ténéré adventure bike and an FZ-07 (MT-07) street bike. Plus, she recently competed on a stock Indian FTR flat-tracker in the RSD Super Hooligans race at Laguna Seca, RoadRacingWorld notes.

However, that’s not the only Indian race bike she’s riding this year.

Patricia Fernandez is the first woman to scrape pegs in King of the Baggers

Patricia Fernandez in sunglasses sitting next to her Saddlemen King of the Baggers Indian Challenger
Patricia Fernandez sitting next to her Saddlemen King of the Baggers Indian Challenger | Indian

For the 2021 King of the Baggers series, Team Saddlemen swapped its Harley-Davidson bike for an Indian Challenger. A Challenger that Patricia Fernandez has been racing, making her the first and so for only female KOB competitor. And as she explained, that’s come with several unique challenges (no pun intended).

Some of these obstacles are physical, or rather, dimensional. Even with lightweight racing components, Patricia Fernandez says the Saddlemen Challenger weighs 635 pounds. It’s 70% heavier than the MotoAmerica Superbikes she typically races, Jalopnik explains. And in many ways, King of the Baggers machines are still prototypes, with multiple one-off parts. “Every session we’re learning—there’s no notes, no data,” she says.

Also, a bagger isn’t shaped like a sportbike. With the latter, “you stay really connected to the bike,” she explains. A King of the Baggers motorcycle, in contrast, almost has to be treated like a motocross bike, she says. “[Racers] are completely disconnected from the bike as far as possible,” Patricia explains, and have to hang far off the bike. That way, the racers can maximize the lean angle without scraping the engine cases and exhausts.

Plus, as she and fellow Indian racer Tyler O’Hara experienced recently, riding a bagger uses noticeably different muscle groups. “It’s a totally different style,” she says. And it doesn’t help that the bagger’s racing-spec seat comes up to the 5’3” Fernandez’s belly button. “You know those little pop-out training wheels? I wish I could have those,” she quipped.

But the other obstacle has little to do with the bike. Patricia Fernandez being the only female KOB racer means she needs women’s safety gear. And even with more women riding motorcycles, their gear is in some ways a step behind men’s gear. “A lot of female suits aren’t airbag-compatible,” she says. And she wears “men’s boots and men’s gloves because…they’re better-padded and more racy.”

But she’s helping make sure she won’t be the last

However, none of this has stopped Patricia Fernandez from racing. She got a feel for the riding style by riding West’s Harley-Davidson King of the Baggers bike. Though that might be putting her test rides lightly, seeing as she ground down his bike’s shifter, she said with a laugh. Being able to test and develop new racing parts for the Challenger and other baggers is also an upside of competing. “I’m doing something that’s literally never been done,” she gushes.

As for the other physical challenges, her road course and Superbike experience come in handy. Superbike road courses regularly see riders hurl down multi-mile straightaways at triple-digit speeds. It’s an intense strain on the body, particularly on the head and neck muscles. Plus, compared to racetracks, road courses have “a significantly higher danger factor,” Patricia Fernandez says. There are obstacles, like hedges and walls, and no real run-off points. “You build up your percentage” gradually, stopping short of 100% for safety. “It’s just psychologically different,” she explains.

“I’m really proud to be the first girl to race [King of the Baggers], but I definitely won’t the last.”

Patricia Fernandez

Also, while she can’t really do much about the gear situation, Patricia Fernandez does her part in bringing in and supporting female riders. She’s been an instructor at Femmewalla, teaching riders to be comfortable on their bikes, RevZilla notes. And being a female racer riding on a ‘relatable’ street bike like the Challenger, she’s inspired other women to ride and compete as well. “I think it’s one of those things that they say, ‘You never think it’s possible until you see someone doing it,’” she muses.

As of this writing, Patricia Fernandez stands at 12th place in the 2021 KOB series. And she wants to come back in 2022. But even if she doesn’t, she’ll still find some way to keep on racing.

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RELATED: How Indian & Polaris Are Celebrating International Female Ride Day 2021

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The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Is One of the Fastest SUVs Ever Made

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT shouldn’t surprise anyone. Porsche SUVs have all been working toward this pinnacle model for quite some time. Unlike the fire-breathing Lamborghini Urus, which seemed to pop up out of nowhere, the 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT rides on the shoulders of many previous iterations that have set this model up for being one of the fastest SUVs ever made. 

2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT | Porsche

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is bad to the bone

We saw the camouflage wraps shed last month as Porsche finally let us drink in the 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT in all its glory. This hell-raising version represents the tippy-top of the Porsche Cayenne range. This means the Hybrid and Turbo are both dwarfed by this all-powerful SPORT utility vehicle. 

Porsche promised that the 2022 Cayenne Turbo GT would not only be the fastest Cayenne, but it is also one of the fastest SUVs, period. Because of this promise, Porsche set the Cayenne Turbo GT’s first public outing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend. 

As noted by CarScoops, the 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the fastest SUV of the line without being the most powerful. The Cayenne Turbo GT retains the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that powers the Turbo Coupe, but it also gets a power boost of 90 hp, giving it a total of 631 hp. Porsche also saw fit to bump the torque up to a massive 626 lb-ft. 

Where did Porsche find all this extra umph?

This new spike in power isn’t a result of just remapping. Porsche went to the mat on the new Cayenne Turbo GT and reworked the crankshaft, turbo, induction, and intercooler. The Turbo GT also now features a lighter titanium exhaust system.

The snarling V8 is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and revised software for the all-wheel drive system. Although this eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox shifts faster than the old one, it still isn’t quite on the same level as the PDK dual-clutch transmissions found in the 911s. 

It might not be the most-powerful SUV, but it is one of the fastest SUVs ever

Porsche Cayenne parked inside a warehouse
2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT | Porsche

As we mentioned previously, the 2022 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is one of the fastest SUVs Porsche makes; it isn’t the most powerful Cayenne. That honor belongs to none other than the Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupe, which boasts 670 hp to the GT’s 631 hp. 

The more powerful Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe can bust a 0-62 mph sprint in a blistering 3.8 seconds. However, the less-powerful Turbo GT absolutely kills the Hybrid with a 0-6mph time of only 3.3 seconds. That is nearly Ferrari 458 or Lamborghini Huracan times. 

The mind-bending acceleration of the 2022 Cayenne Turbo GT isn’t the only trick it’s got. The Turbo GT has a top speed of 186 mph. The more powerful Cayenne Hybrid tops out at 178 mph. This new Porsche Cayenne is a true speed demon. It doesn’t need the biggest hp numbers to be the quickest. Porsche clearly did a great job reimagining what the Cayenne could be capable of and seemed to have cleared this one past the fence and into the parking lot. 

Lastly, if those figures weren’t enough to prove its dominance, how about the fact that it now holds the Nurburgring fastest SUV record? That’s right; it set a monster lap time at the infamous track of 7:38.9. 

I think it’s fair to say that this new Cayenne is one of the fastest SUVs ever made; it also doesn’t look too bad.

RELATED: The 2021 Subaru Forester Just Killed the 2021 Porsche Cayenne on Consumer Reports

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Tesla Energy Strikes Huge New Solar Roof and Powerwall Deal in Texas

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Tesla has made huge strides in creating electric vehicles that consumers are excited about. The Tesla Model 3 is a favorite among new electric vehicle owners. The American automaker’s models have recently experienced a price reduction and are also eligible for tax incentives that add up to thousands of dollars in savings. The brand’s ambitions don’t stop at creating great vehicles. It also wants to help spread clean energy to homes.

Tesla truck, Model S and Model 3 success

Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles in Shanghai, east China| Xinhua/Ding Ting via Getty Images

The company could be in its golden age thanks to well-timed releases, media coverage, and the charisma of its eccentric CEO Elon Musk. Tesla Stock has tripled in 2021 because the American automaker just doesn’t stop thinking of cool features to add to its fun electric vehicles. Autonomous driving, an infotainment system that plays videogames, a Dog Mode for man’s best friend, Teslas are the future. The new Tesla Model S Plaid stays true to the brand’s ambitions of creating electric cars that can outperform many gas-powered sports cars. The Tesla Model 3 has created a great entry point for new electric car drivers.

Tesla’s truck, the Cybertruck, looks like it belongs in a Sci-Fi flick with a great budget. It’s marketed as extremely safe with the performance specs of a sports car. It does 0-60 miles per hour in less than 6.5 seconds and looks like it belongs on the moon.

The company’s lineup is fun, exciting, and increasingly more affordable as the brand focuses on making entry points for average consumers. In fact, its newest addition will be a hatchback that is rumored to be $25,000. Throw a tax incentive in, and the hatchback will be one of the most affordable EVs on the market. But what good is any electric vehicle if chargers are impractical and hard to find?

EV Supercharger network

A black Tesla charging at a Supercharger.
A Tesla parked at a Supercharger | Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Tesla’s Supercharger network is a large network of electric vehicle chargers that enable fast charging. The company recently announced that its network would soon be expanding to be compatible with vehicles from different automakers. This is huge news because it means that more electric vehicles can benefit from the power of these quick chargers.

The Tesla Supercharger network currently includes over 25,000 chargers internationally. Each charger uses 480 volts of electricity to charge vehicles at superspeed. The network will expand to charge other vehicles toward the end of 2022. Tesla Energy is taking the company’s clean energy efforts even further by bringing more Solar Roofs and Powerwalls to the second largest state in America.

Tesla Energy’s shocking new deal in Texas

The Tesla PowerWall 2.
The Tesla Powerwall 2 | Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images

According to Electrek, Tesla has struck a huge deal in Texas to provide Powerwalls and Solar Roofs for new homes. Tesla Energy entered an agreement with two real estate developers to install the devices into new homes in a large new community. This is huge news because this new community is likely to be the future of many communities where new homes are outfitted with Solar Roofs and Powerwalls.

If everything goes accordingly, Tesla will create a clean-energy community. This community will be especially beneficial to Tesla drivers. If a homeowner in these communities installs a Tesla Wall Connector they could charge their car using energy from their Solar Roof. The company is making ownership of its vehicles as enticing as possible. It is also revolutionizing how people use electricity at home. The brand has successfully infliltrated the auto industry. Now it’s making progress providing clean energy to electric vehicles and homes.

RELATED: Tesla Cybertruck Patent Is Straight Out of Science Fiction

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