In war-torn Ukraine, professional medical staff and well-equipped ambulances are essential for treating injured soldiers. After driving an ambulance a thousand miles to where it’s needed, Adam Hay-Nicholls meets the medics saving lives behind the front line.
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Living off grid isn’t for the faint-hearted, says Adam Hay-Nicholls, but, for some, it can be a life-changing (and saving) experience.
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The second season of the innovative Extreme E series has provided plenty of car-rolling drama, a few new locations and a different winner. So, how’s it progressing? Adam Hay-Nicholls went to the 2022 finale in Uruguay to find out.
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Lining up in some of the most inhospitable locations on the planet, Extreme E is motor sport with an environmental message. Adam Hay-Nicholls travelled to the frozen wilderness of Greenland to find out what all the noise (or lack of it) is about.
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We put the Lamborghini Urus through its paces on a daring drive to the top of volcanic Mt Etna – but can this powerful supercar really take the heat?
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They just went for cigarettes – and ended up among headhunting tribesmen, piranhas and pockets of malaria. In search of the ultimate adventure, the Land Rovers that competed in the Camel Trophy in the 1980s and ‘90s literally went to the end of the world. We look back at their jaw-dropping stories.
Continue readingAs the black cloud of the Second World War descended, three grand prix drivers came together to fight the Nazis. Only one would live to return to the race track. Adam Hay-Nicholls recounts the thrilling and tragic tale of the Bugatti spies.
Continue readingThe year was 1982. The British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, rerouted an RAF Hercules over foreign territory and requested the scrambling of jets and choppers and ground troops. The diplomatic cables burned back-and-forth. President Reagan expressed concern. The situation was desperate.
Adam Hay-Nicholls goes sideways at speed in the sub-zero Swedish wilderness. Continue reading
From huskies to supercars, the wilderness of Finland is transformed is transformed into a billionaires’ playground by McLaren. Words: Adam Hay-Nicholls
GQ is in Sölden, Austria, 3048 metres above sea level and inside the summit of the Gaislachkogl Mountain. The slate grey entrance door is concealed against the side of the cliff face, and as it swings ajar it triggers the searing horns, piano and strings of Writing’s On The Wall, the opening theme to James Bond’s 24th mission.
My wild Indonesian beach horse had a split personality. We headed to the tip of the three-mile-long Nihiwatu beach, me giving the animal polite but firm kicks to the ribs, yet it refused to so much as trot or go near the water. Then, and I knew this was going to happen, once we turned around and it saw where it lived it went, in two-wheeled terms, from being a push bike to a Ducati 1299 Superleggera. It went faster than anything I’ve seen at Ascot. It rode through the surge of the Indian Ocean, which was fun for the first mile. But as I pulled on the reins, and the nag refused to heel, the cartilage in my back went on strike and it felt like nails were being hammered into my spine. So, there I am, flat-out aboard one tonne of pot roast, and I see a couple on a romantic sunset stroll. Rather than scream HELP I decided to grit my teeth and try to look cavalier as I galloped past, leaning backwards ever further, knowing that at the end of the beach was a huge infinity pool and no way round it. Finally, as the frontier of sunbathers appeared, it slammed on its anchors, pulled a 90-degree left into its stable and, shaking and sweating, I prized myself off its saddle and gingerly slipped off.
Adam Hay-Nicholls tackles Scotland’s NC500, one of the world’s most amazing circuits, in the Maserati Levante.
Throughout its history, the lure of the America’s Cup has seduced tycoons, pioneers and moguls. As the 35th America’s Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton unfurls this month in Bermuda, THE RAKE takes a look at the dramas on land and sea that make the world’s longest running sporting event such a compelling spectacle. By Adam Hay-Nicholls.
Driving onto a frozen lake with traction and stability control switched off, I’m starting to regret the 20-course meal of pig’s head, decomposing leaves and bird’s liver custard that’s in my belly. But that’s the price you pay for experiencing the finest and wildest that Sweden has to offer.
A truck is bearing down on me. A hulking great Kamaz truck, it’s slaloming down a valley between cappuccino-coloured dunes like an obese skier who’s barely in control. The driver wrestles the wheel to get some traction. He’s caught me by surprise. The bikes, quads and cars that have already passed through on this stage of the Dakar Rally took a different, tighter line to the trucks. Continue reading
Adam Hay-Nicholls 