 |
?A public raised on a diet of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were simply appalled and saddened in equal measure by Massa?s apparent lack of ambition.?
Donnerstag, 23. Juni 2011
Massa threatened with jail over team orders
Mittwoch, 22. Juni 2011
Audi to have indoor track at Frankfurt show
Premium German brand is playing catch-up with BMW which already had a test track at the show in 2009.Maurice Trintignant Wolfgang von Trips Jarno Trulli Esteban Tuero
Glamour and controversy in Monaco
I'm writing this blog in the BBC's scorching production office in Monaco. It has huge windows and has been warming up all day long. Thankfully, EJ has just given me a very soggy cuddle and that is starting to cool me down.
The other positive is that after no lunch, the food Pete has bought for the production office is very welcome, and the cheese is awesomely tasty in the warm sun.
Anyway, I'll carry on munching and typing. My jeans are stuck to my legs with sweat, my feet ache and my forearms feel a little sunburned after being out in the heat since midday. It's now 6.50pm.
Incredible, isn't it, that for a race that lasts around two hours, we have been outside for the past seven. That's due to heading to the pit lane half hour before going on air to ensure our technical equipment is working. We then do our pre-race show, the Grand Prix itself, followed by the BBC1 post-show and the F1 Forum.
The whole idea of the F1 Forum is to give you guys the kind of insight that we simply don't have the time to give you on BBC One. Also, it's nice that it retains a little cult status by remaining behind the Red Button and online, only being accessed by those that really want to see it.
And this week I think regardless of your love for F1 it's worth a little watch: DC pleading, EJ diving (hence the soggy cuddle), the three of us walking, and Lewis complaining. Hopefully, as well as generating some headlines, it also made you laugh along the way. Take a look and do share your thoughts on here.
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One of the most controversial moments of this week's Forum was Lee McKenzie's interview with a clearly frustrated and angry Lewis Hamilton.
I'm not condoning what Lewis said specifically, in the heat of the moment, but I will say I'm always pleased to see drivers speaking their mind and being honest. We moan and groan when they are as bland as possible to avoid any potential controversy, so we mustn't be outraged when they share their honesty.
I'm sure you've had bad days at the office. Imagine leaving your desk and having a microphone being shoved under your nose. Not easy to deal with.
Anyway, back to the track. Only last week I was commenting how clean and respectful the racing has been this season: no safety cars, very few incidents and accidents. And then we see two ambulances on the track in two days.
I was very relieved to hear that Sergio Perez and Vitaly Petrov were OK. The timing screens we have at our disposal give us the drivers' timings for each sector of the lap, and for a very long time on Saturday, Sergio's simply stated "STOP" where there should have been a sector time.
It was quite a powerful image to see on the screens and a little eerie if I'm honest.
Cars are so safe these days that young drivers in the sport are sometimes accused of not being as aware about the potential dangers as they should be, and sometimes taking a more blas� attitude to the danger element compared to the era of Moss, Stewart, or even Coulthard.
However, it is quite clear that the sport itself, along with the FIA, have made huge strides in making sure the cars are strong, and the infrastructure and marshaling around the circuits is of the very highest calibre.
I must admit to being concerned that, whenever a corner generates a few incidents, some immediately question its place in a modern Grand Prix circuit. My opinion is that the sport should do all it can to make it as safe as possible without sanitizing the racing or taking away a huge part of the sport - risk. Take away the risk element and what would we have left?
---
The previous few paragraphs were written in the office, I've now walked to our bus, trundled to the airport, eaten some fast food (whoops!), and now I'm 493 miles and 90 minutes from home.
The plane is packed with British F1 fans whom have all had a good weekend, judging by the smiles and sun-blushed red faces all around us. We are such TV geeks on our team that I'm sitting with Robin - one of the editors - and we're listening to potential songs on our iPods to use at the end of our coverage over the next few races.
Talking of music, it was already pumping, and the dancing was in full swing as we left the Principality. One of the coolest things in Monaco is that the track by day, becomes a two-mile-long nightclub once the sun sets. Chicanes become soft-seating areas, Tabac corner turns into a cocktail bar, and Le Rascasse becomes VERY loud as party animals keep the action going 24/7.
In fact, just before we took off, EJ told me he was heading there to play on the track with his band tonight. I think I'm better off heading home for an early night tucked up in bed rather than partying with EJ.
Eddie and David were great sports on the Red Bull barge, I thought, once it was clear they were going to get wet. I particularly enjoyed David squeals as his former colleagues lobbed him in the pool, and EJ's attempted duck-dive for his glasses will live with me and the F1 Forum viewers for a long time.
I saw a few comments questioning why we were at Red Bull after the race. My answer to that is that we're there to report the stories, and that was where the story was. I promise you, standing outside a different motorhome with nothing to see but the crews packing up after a frustrating day wouldn't make such great TV. Remember when Lewis won in China? We were right with him on that day too.
Anyway, with Adele's new album (brilliant!) helping to remove the considerable adrenaline from my bloodsteam, and an airline G&T starting to take effect, I'm beginning to feel a little weary. It's time for a power nap.
I'll first sign off by saying, on behalf of the whole team, how proud and delighted we were to win a Bafta last Sunday.
I know the job looks glamorous, and it certainly can be at times. However, there are plenty of airport queues, late nights in the edit and hairy moments behind the scenes as we try to push the envelope of live TV to the limit.
Plenty of the BBC crew travel to each race and never even see a car on track. For that reason, the Bafta is very much dedicated to them, their professionalism, companionship and talent.
Have a great week, thanks for the Tweets and see you all in Canada.
Chevy Sonic RS coming in 2012 - report
Chevrolet introduced the Aveo RS concept at the 2010 North American International Auto Show and a new report is indicating the model is headed for production.Philippe Streiff Hans Stuck Hans Joachim Stuck Otto Stuppacher
Red Bull and America
The news that Red Bull is going to pull out of NASCAR and leave its team to find other partners has led to the suggestion that the Austrian drinks company will probably be spending its US motorsport budget on something else – and the suggestion is that this will be as the title sponsor of [...]
Dienstag, 21. Juni 2011
2013 Mercedes-Benz BLS spied for first time
Spy shots reveal completely new 4-door sedan/coupe, a baby CLS, based on the next-generation B-Class and due in 2013/2014.Maybach may get demoted to a sub-brand of Mercedes
Maybach badge would be like the AMG performance division, except to identify high-end luxury variants of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.3-in-1 kits made between 1958 -1963
As a kid, I started building in this era. I remember the majority of the kits were unbuilt "promo" passenger cars. I was trying to think of what various parts were added to the kit to make ithem a 3-in-1 model?
Dennis
BMW 1-Series M Coupe tuned by TechTec - 450 HP
German tuner offers to bump output up to 450 PS (331 kW / 444 bhp) and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque on the nimble 1-Series M Coupe.Justin Wilson Vic Wilson Joachim Winkelhock Manfred Winkelhock
Montag, 20. Juni 2011
1:16 scale General Lee WIP
This is my first work in progress online so sorry if my progress is a bit slow. I got the recently re-released big scale General for my birthday in April, and have now been working on it for about a month. This kit has a lot of problems because it is based of of a nascar kit ( not sure why!!!!!!!!!!!!!
) so I have had to do numerous modifications and this is my first real experience scratch building. It has been a bit frustrating so far, but I am happy with my results and I plan to take this to the NNL West show next year, hopefully it comes out good enough.
I plan to make this as realistic as possible so hear it goes and thanks for looking!
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This is about how it will sit, but not exactly because the body is only sitting on the chassis. As you can see there hasn't been any body work yet.
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The kit has the exhaust incorrectly end at the headers, so I had to make my own out of 1/8 inch steel rod. The shocks are 1/8 inch OD aluminum tubing with snug fitting aluminum rod slipped inside. The kit has two shocks for each side which is also not correct for a stock 69 charger and the kit ones were rough at best. I figured it would look a lot better if I made my own. The tank straps were made by cutting strips from the frame holding some old photoetched parts and bending them into shape.
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In contrast to the rest of the kit, this motor is probably the best I have ever worked with. It comes with easy to use plug wires and even the hoses to plumb the motor. I do think the distributor may be a bit out of scale but for me that is as small issue that I am not very conserned about.
Nick Heidfeld - classic F1 2011
Renault's Nick Heidfeld is the latest driver to choose his five favourite all-time grands prix for our new-look classic Formula 1 series.
For those unfamiliar with the format, BBC Sport has asked all the F1 drivers to select their five favourite races and we are serialising their choices before every race this season to whet your appetites for the action to come. Highlights will be shown on this website and the red button on BBC television in the UK.
So far, we have had world champion Sebastian Vettel, F1 legend Michael Schumacher, Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi, Williams veteran Rubens Barrichello and, for his home grand prix in Spain last weekend, double champion Fernando Alonso.
Ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, we have the man who is standing in this season for Robert Kubica, who was injured in a rally crash in February and who will be watching the race from his apartment in the principality.
Heidfeld, a 34-year-old German, is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid and his selection is an interesting mix of races from his career and before his time in F1.
In chronological order, they are as follows:
The 1988 Monaco Grand Prix, which Heidfeld says he has chosen as it was the first F1 race he attended. Most people, though, remember it as one of the defining moments in the career of Ayrton Senna, who dominated the weekend in his McLaren until crashing out of the lead with a handful of laps remaining, handing victory to his team-mate Alain Prost.
Heidfeld's second pick is the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, which Heidfeld calls a "classic F1 moment", and which is proving popular among the current drivers - both Alonso and Buemi also chose this race.
It was also a key event in the careers of Senna and Prost. As many will recall, Senna drove into the back of his arch-rival, who was now at Ferrari, at the first corner at 160mph.
Senna's actions were in revenge for pole position, which he had won, being moved to the 'wrong' side of the track - which he felt was part of a conspiracy against him by then-FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre against him.
Next is the 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix. This was Heidfeld's first appearance on an F1 podium, and came at the end of a thrilling grand prix famous for two stunning overtaking manoeuvres on Ferrari's Michael Schumacher by Juan Pablo Montoya, who should have won the race in his Williams, and McLaren's David Coulthard, who did.
It was an incident-packed race throughout and one in which Heidfeld's sure touch in changing conditions - a feature of his career - was in evidence.
The 2001 US Grand Prix was won brilliantly by Mika Hakkinen, who was to retire following the next race, the season finale in Japan, after winning a tactical battle with team-mate Coulthard and the Ferraris of Schumacher and Barrichello.
It was a fascinating race, typical of F1's refuelling era, but that is not why Heidfeld has chosen it. The event has special memories for him because he finished sixth, scoring points for Sauber, despite the lack of first, second and seventh gears. This race was broadcast during the era when ITV had the rights to F1 in the UK, and unfortunately technical problems mean we cannot broadcast highlights for you.
Finally, Heidfeld has chosen Brazil 2008, not because of anything special he did (he finished 10th for BMW Sauber), but because of its famous finish that saw McLaren's Lewis Hamilton regaining the fifth place he needed to win the title from Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who won the race, on the last corner of the last lap.
As always, we pick one race to highlight to help whet your appetites for the action at the forthcoming grand prix.
Heidfeld has made five excellent choices, but as Monaco is the next race, we have plumped for that event in 1988.
It is worth a bit of back story. Senna was on pole by an astonishing 1.4 seconds from Prost - and was later famously to talk about having what felt like an out-of-body experience while he went faster and faster around the principality.
The Brazilian's utter domination continued in the race, helped by Prost being beaten away from the start by the slower Ferrari of Gerhard Berger.
The Frenchman finally got past on lap 54, by which time Senna had a 46-second lead and was totally in control. But this was only the third race of the 1988 season, for which the Brazilian had joined McLaren, where his main aim was to establish himself as better than Prost, then regarded as the finest driver in the world.
The result was a battle of wills, for pride, between the two finest drivers of their generation - and two of the greatest ever. And in Monaco, this was to lead to Senna's downfall.
Free of Berger, Prost started trading fastest laps with Senna. McLaren boss Ron Dennis, concerned that the team might lose a one-two, assured Senna his lead was safe and he backed off.
But when Prost then gained six seconds in one lap on his team-mate, Senna responded by setting two fastest laps - and then crashed at Portier after losing concentration.
Shell-shocked, and in tears, he returned to his nearby apartment, refusing to speak to his team or answer calls. It was the first of many twists in a drama that was to grip sporting fans the world over for the next five years.
The full 'Grand Prix' programme broadcast that evening on the BBC is embedded below, with links below it to shorter highlights and long and short highlights of Mark Webber's dominant win for Red Bull in Monaco in 2010.
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CLICK HERE FOR SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 MONACO GRAND PRIX
CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 MONACO GRAND PRIX
A selection of classic races will be shown on the BBC red button on satellite and cable digital television in the UK from 1500 BST on Wednesday 25 May until 1030 BST on Friday 27 May. The races selected are extended highlights of Monaco 1988, short highlights of Brazill 2001 and Brazil 2008 and extended highlights of Monaco 2010.
Unfortunately, because of a lack of bandwidth caused by our coverage of the French Open tennis, we are unable to broadcast these highlights on Freeview.
Team Lotus Launch Their 2011 Machine The T128
Team Lotus (the one who raced last year) have become the second team to officially pull the covers off their new 2011 car. The green and yellow liveried machine will start be raced by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen this season under the name of Team Lotus as the management’s row with Group Lotus, now [...]
Team order rule needs a re-think
 Jean Todt arives for Wednesday's hearing |
?Whether you are for or against team orders, if the FIA could not back up its own rules and nail a competitor in a blatant case such as this the rule really does need reviewing. Perhaps Ferrari?s thinly-veiled threat to take the matter to the civil courts if they were punished too harshly scared the governing body, who as much as admitted the flimsiness of its rule."Paul Weaver, reporting for the Guardian in Monza, was in favour of the ruling which keeps alive Ferrari?s slim chances in an enthralling championship.
?The World Motor Sport Council was right not to ruin a compelling Formula One season by taking away the 25 points Alonso collected in Germany. That would have put him out of the five-man title race. But the council was widely expected to increase the fine and possibly deduct points from the team, as opposed to the individual. In the end, it could be argued that common sense prevailed. But the decision will dismay those who were upset by the way Ferrari handled the situation as much as anything else.?The Daily Mail's Jonathan McEvoy expressed outrage at the FIA tearing up its own rule book by allowing Ferrari to escape unpunished.
"Although the race stewards fined them �65,000 for giving team orders in July, the FIA World Motor Sport Council, to whom the matter was referred, decided not to impose any further punishment. It leaves the sport's rulers open to derision. It was, after all, their rule they undermined. In a statement, the WMSC said the regulation banning team orders 'should be reviewed'."
Could Hamilton join Red Bull?
As Lewis Hamilton ponders the fall-out from his controversial performance in Canada, he has more on his mind than a few lost points in the world championship.
Formula 1's most exciting driver is pondering his future as he watches Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel canter to a second consecutive world title.
As Mark Hughes explained in his column, Hamilton's frustration is down to the fact that he believes he is the fastest driver in the world, that he would be beat any of his rivals if they were all driving the same car. It is a belief largely shared within Formula 1.
Most would probably say Fernando Alonso was the best driver - by which they mean the most complete - but they would agree that Hamilton is certainly the quickest. Although Vettel is gaining increasing support in both categories.
For Hamilton, it is proving increasingly hard to cope with the fact that he has won the world title just once, in 2008, and that he is facing a third consecutive year in a car that is arguably not really fast enough to allow him to compete for another.
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McLaren's race pace - far superior to its qualifying speed - is clouding the issue slightly, but it's hard to argue with Vettel's five wins and two second places in seven races.
Given these circumstances, it is easy to see why the 26-year-old Englishman might be beginning to wonder whether McLaren is the team to satisfy his burning ambitions.
Not for the first time, the concept of Hamilton joining Red Bull raised its head again in Montreal - and that was even before Autosport revealed on Monday that he had spent 15 minutes in a private meeting with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner on Saturday evening at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
According to Autosport, the meeting was described by a Red Bull "source" as a "social visit". That "source" may or may not be Horner himself.
Hamilton has played down the idea of leaving McLaren, saying the team have a car capable of winning races and that there is no reason to leave while they remain competitive. He also says it is not unusual for him to talk to rival team bosses.
But that is not an outright denial, so the issue of his future will continue to remain a source of speculation.
Could the meeting with Horner be the start of serious negotiations about a move to Red Bull? Certain sections of the media suggest it is wrong to attach too much significance to Saturday's chat, claiming it would be foolish for a driver to walk over to a rival team's HQ in full view of the F1 paddock with the express intention of discussing his future.
But people have either got short memories or do not pay close enough attention.
When Alonso joined McLaren for 2007, it was the culmination of a process that began in 2005. Ron Dennis, who was the team boss of McLaren at the time, mooted the idea to the Spaniard in a chance conversation as both men waited to go out on to the podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso having just won his first world title for Renault.
Likewise, in Belgium in 2007, with his relationship with McLaren in pieces, Alonso strolled over to the Red Bull motorhome, where he discussed the chances of joining the team with Horner as they sat on the open top deck. I know, because I watched them from the upper level of the paddock.
And so the 2011 F1 driver market 'silly season' starts in earnest.
Alonso has just signed up with Ferrari until 2016, the double world champion is not going anywhere. The same goes for Vettel, who is under contract to Red Bull until 2013. So, of F1's big three, that leaves Hamilton.
Theoretically, he is contracted to McLaren until next year, the result of a five-year deal that was signed in the wake of his stunning debut season alongside Alonso in 2007.
That has always been assumed to be a firm five-year contract, which means any move Hamilton makes - to Red Bull, for example - would have to wait until 2013.
However, it would be very unusual for a driver to sign away his future to a team for that length of time without any opt-out clauses, even if - as in the case of Hamilton and McLaren - that team had groomed him for success since he was 11 years old.
And even if the contract is solid, it does not mean Hamilton cannot move. As one veteran driver manager said: "I don't know the details of Hamilton's contract but if the team-driver relationship gets to an irreconcilable point then it won't matter what the contract says."
So a Hamilton move to Red Bull for next year cannot be ruled out, especially in light of the mixed messages coming out of Red Bull about the future of Mark Webber.
On Thursday, Horner said Webber had made it clear he would like to drive for the team next year, adding that he felt the Australian still had the "motivation and desire" and that Red Bull were "very happy with him in the team".
But 24 hours later, Webber did not sound so sure. "We'll see how we go," he said. "There's a bit to go yet in the summer. Keep thinking."
So what is going on?
Horner shrugged his shoulders when I asked why Webber would say that if he had told him he wanted to continue. But when I explained the situation to a man with long experience of the driver market, he said: "I think you can read that as Horner trying to tease another driver out, getting him to make up his mind."
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Could that driver be Hamilton? Is it a coincidence that the Englishman went to speak to Horner two days after the Red Bull boss made those comments to the media?
On the face of it, you might wonder why Red Bull would want Hamilton. They already have Vettel. Putting Hamilton alongside the German would be a wonderful proposition for F1's audience but it would be a massive headache for those inside the team. And such a move would be guaranteed to infuriate Vettel, the company's blue-eyed boy wonder.
But from a global marketing perspective, what could be better? Red Bull have long made a point of letting their drivers race. What better scenario for a company wishing to project an exciting, dynamic, youthful image, than two of F1's three most exciting drivers going at it head-to-head in the same team?
It would be a tricky situation for Horner to handle, as he has already admitted himself, but why would that be a concern for Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz?
Equally, while Vettel would probably be furious at having Hamilton alongside him to start with, he might well come round to the idea. He already has an advantage as the incumbent and, while he may not be as fast as Hamilton, he is, by reputation, better at working with his engineers to get the best out of his car.
If Hamilton did go to Red Bull, it would be in place of Webber. The Australian will not be drawn on the apparent disconnect between his words in Montreal and Horner's but many believe he will leave the team at the end of the year - either into retirement or to another team for one last hurrah.
That team could be Ferrari, where Felipe Massa's future is in question. The Brazilian has a contract for 2012 but he is an inconsistent performer. He is pretty close to Alonso at some races but nowhere near at others.
Massa, I'm told, will keep his seat if he puts in a strong showing at the next race, the European Grand Prix at Valencia on 26 June. If not, Webber is one of the drivers on Ferrari's list of candidates.
Ferrari are, I understand, also interested in Jenson Button and have had some contact with him. When Button joined McLaren in 2010, it was said that he had a three-year contract. But I am told he is a free agent at the end of this year if he wants to be. The prospect - however slim - of losing both his drivers must be giving McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh sleepless nights.
Ferrari are also interested in Nico Rosberg, who has impressed since joining Michael Schumacher at Mercedes last year. However, the rumours are Rosberg has been offered a big pay packet to stick with the German team.
That is not surprising given the uncertain form of Schumacher, whose excellent performance in Montreal will not bury memories of less convincing races elsewhere.
Schumacher is on a three-year deal but will he continue beyond 2011 if he cannot retain the speed he showed in Canada? If he doesn't, Paul di Resta, who has impressed enormously in his debut season with Force India, must be a strong candidate to replace him, as a Mercedes prot�g�.
How many of these prospective moves actually happen remains to be seen but it certainly promises to be an interesting summer.
Sonntag, 19. Juni 2011
Why the Monaco GP still packs a punch
Once a year Formula 1 absolutely lives up to its billing as the most glamorous sport in the world and that time comes at the Monaco Grand Prix.
On Friday morning, I had to gingerly step aboard a tender and then climb a rope ladder dangling from the side of a yacht to interview Renault's Nick Heidfeld on deck. Yes, this really could only happen in Monaco.
Without a doubt, the glamour and prestige of the tiny principality, where residents are required to have a significant sum in the bank, inflates F1's wow factor.
"I love it here, it is fantastic," crooned Lewis Hamilton, a Monaco race-winner in 2008 for McLaren. "Wow, this is such a beautiful place to be."
Monaco's street circuit provides a unique thrill for spectators (Getty)
After a muted showing in recent years, the harbour is once again crammed with multi-million pound yachts. Force India owner Vijay Mallya held a Bollywood-themed party on the Indian Empress while the imposing Force Blue made its return with flamboyant owner and former Renault boss Flavio Briatore on board.
Red Bull and Toro Rosso have also taken to water in their floating motorhome - complete with its own swimming pool - while Ferrari have gone one better by putting up their personnel on a yacht.
With such exotic playthings at hand it's hardly surprising the guest list includes Hollywood A-listers Scarlett Johansson and Leonardo di Caprio.
But for all the privilege and status on show, the Monaco Grand Prix also provides unrivalled access for fans.
The more affluent spectator can fork out up to �3,800 for Sunday's race but the cheapest seat is �65 and offers amazing trackside views and a party atmosphere from the Rochers hill along the side of the royal palace.
It's also the only paddock where fans can walk along the waterfront and peer into the teams' inner sanctums before posing for photos with their heroes as they emerge from the motorhomes.
And when the racing is over and dusk falls, the party begins on the track as fans sip a biere or two at the Rascasse bar.
Glitzy promotional events are par for the course in Monaco (Getty)
When Stirling Moss raced here during the Sixties he developed a habit of waving at female fans sunning themselves along the harbour.
Moss said he even used it as a ploy in the 1961 grand prix when he was under pressure from Richie Ginther's chasing Ferrari. Moss took his hand off the wheel to salute a girl and prove he wasn't feeling under pressure.
But can McLaren driver Jenson Button, a Monaco playboy turned triathlete, still have a sneaky glimpse at an average speed of 100mph? "No," he answered sternly.
Whatever you think of Monaco's champagne and celebrity, the yachts and those who pose upon them, Button is spot on - none of it detracts from the racing through the streets.
The miniature land, stacked on a rocky lip of land between France's Mont Angel mountain and the Mediterranean, is just made for the fastest cars in the world to hurtle around.
First comes the noise, the hum hidden among the biscuit-coloured buildings that gathers to a roar as the cars flash past.
Watching the cars fly by the grand Casino, weave nose-to-tail round the hairpin, thunder through the tunnel and then out again in a blink of light past the water and back round to Rascasse is mesmerising, and often nail-biting.
The late Ayrton Senna, who won in Monaco a record six times, spoke of an out of body experience as he glided between the barriers and round the twisting curves.
Driving precision is everything here and there is virtually no let-up, no straights to clear the head over 78 laps.
Two-time Monaco winner turned BBC pundit David Coulthard commented: "For me there's no better challenge for the driver than Monte Carlo and no more glamorous grand prix. For me it's still a thrill."
Do you want to win a Corvette Grand Sport?
With a starting price of $54,770, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport isn’t exactly a vehicle that can be purchased by just anyone. However, if you are a US resident, Chevrolet is giving you the chance to win the American icon, along with a five day/four night trip to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. They’ll even pay for the airfare for two, hotel accommodations, and an $800 travel allowance. Now that’s a contest we can get on board with!
We know it sounds a little sketchy, but Chevrolet is running the contest in recognition of Corvette Racing just winning the 24 hours of Le Mans. The best part is that the contest is pretty easy. All you have to do is click on the source link, answer three questions about Corvette Grand Sport - very simple ones like sprint time, HP, and weight - and then enter your personal information. The winner will be randomly selected on July 1st 2011 and will be notified by email or phone.
The only problem we see with this contest is that, because it’s so easy, many people will be put in the drawing to win the Corvette so you’re chances get slimmer with every click of someone else’s mouse.
Do you want to win a Corvette Grand Sport? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 18 June 2011 12:00 EST.
The final F1 calendar (hopefully)?
Following a fax vote of the FIA World Motor Sport Council and, by unanimous decision, the FIA Formula One World Championship calendar has been ratified as originally proposed. The inaugural Indian Grand Prix will take place on October 30 and the season will conclude in Brazil on November 27. The schedule of remaining races is [...]
Samstag, 18. Juni 2011
Ford LTL 9000 Cannonball WIP
This is my early 80s Ford LTL 9000 that I'm building for the 2010 Cannonball Run CBP. I'm scratchbuiling a custom 180 inch sleeper with a wheelbase of probably about 300-320 inches. I was going to use the kit's older Cummins diesel, but I'm now thinking of something larger, much larger. I'm not sure exactly what will be under the hood, I have a couple ideas, but all I know is I'm like Tim Taylor, I need MORE POWER!! So far I have the cab and hood assembled ready for primer and paint in the spring, and have started the stretch on the sleeper.
To make the frame for the floor of the sleeper, I used evergreen 257 rectangular tubing,
cut it to length,
sanded the edges to match the contour of the sleeper front and back walls,
and used Ambroid Proweld to glue the floor frame together.
Just to give you an idea of the length of the stretch, here's the kit's floor:
I crudely mocked the sleeper up and also with a stock Italeri frame I had laying around (and may donate some length).
I still have to make the sleeper sides and cut and stretch the highrise roof, in addition to lengthening the frame. Stay tuned, more to come.
Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident
UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: �http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. �His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While [...]
Toranosuke Takagi Noritake Takahara Kunimitsu Takahashi Patrick Tambay
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