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Safety car notched up milestone in Abu Dhabi Safety car notched up milestone in Abu DhabiComments Off

Last Sunday’s Abu Dhabi season finale was a significant moment in the history of the F1 safety car.

The first deployment of the sport’s permanent safety car was 250 grands prix ago, at Magny Cours in 1996.

“That was my company car,” recalled current safety car driver Bernd Maylander, referring to the C36 AMG used for that race in France.

According to Motorsport-Magazin.com, the car deployed for that debut race even featured Maylander’s personalised number plate ‘S-BM 300′.

Of the 250 races, the Mercedes safety car – spanning nine separate models and currently the gull-wing SLS AMG – was deployed 135 times.

Moves afoot to move Melbourne GP beyond 2015 contract Moves afoot to move Melbourne GP beyond 2015 contractComments Off

A new venue for the Australian grand prix beyond 2015 could be shaping up near Melbourne.

Earlier this month, Calder Park owner Bob Jane denied a major redevelopment of his circuit was a move to become an alternative for current F1 host Albert Park.

The Australian round, currently hosted on a mainly temporary circuit south of the city, made international headlines last week when an unprecedented $50m taxpayer’s loss for the 2010 edition was revealed.

The local morning newspaper Herald Sun now reports that the state Victorian government, the sanctioning body CAMS, and Jane have signed an agreement.

The report said the agreement might also be to investigate options for a F1-standard circuit at Avalon, about a 45 minute drive from Melbourne, adding that FIA officials were expected to visit Calder Park to assess the suitability of the site.

“I know they are happy at Albert Park,” Jane, who organised non-championship F1 races at Calder Park prior to Adelaide joining the calendar in the 80s, said.

“But in the future there has to be options, and at the moment there are none,” said the former touring car driver, whose circuit is about 25 kilometres from Melbourne.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker played down the news by insisting Albert Park is the best F1 venue for Melbourne because it “showcases the city”.

And government spokesman Luke Enright said there are no plans to relocate the race.

Calder Park not eyeing Australian GP Calder Park not eyeing Australian GPComments Off

A major redevelopment of Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway is taking place, but owner Bob Jane has played down reports the track could be an alternative host for the Australian grand prix.

The plans involve Calder upgrading to FIA standard with some state government backing, sparking rumours the Australian grand prix may no longer be held on the public roads around Albert Park.

“As far as I am concerned, Albert Park is the best venue for the grand prix and I have no plans to have formula one racing out here,” Jane, a former touring car driver and now owner of a popular chain of tyre outlets, is quoted by the Brimbank Leader.

Jane organised non-championship F1 races at Calder Park between 1980 and 1984, before the world championship moved to Adelaide and subsequently Melbourne.

Press ‘certain’ Spa ended Vettel’s title tilt Press ‘certain’ Spa ended Vettel’s title tiltComments Off

Sebastian Vettel was bearing the brunt of the international media’s post-race wrath after the Belgian grand prix.

Italy’s La Repubblica said the Red Bull driver gets involved in incidents “at every race”.

“He could easily have won this world title, but now it is certain that he will not,” said the major Rome-based newspaper.

German Vettel, 23, lost control of his RB6 at Spa-Francorchamps and took out fellow championship contender Jenson Button.

“Vettel is the big loser of this season,” agreed the Milan published Corriere della Sera.

Said triple world champion and commentator Niki Lauda: “We’ll see if this error costs him the world championship.

“There is pressure and you have to deal with it,” added the great Austrian.

But there is support for 2009 runner-up Vettel.

“Check it off and look ahead,” advised seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, according to the SID news agency.

“The worst thing is when so-called experts – and I must include myself – give him all sorts of advice.  He knows what happened and what should have been different.

“All I can say is the year is still long,” added Schumacher.

Former German grand prix driver Christian Danner said: “It’s not that he wants too much — he was just too impatient.”

Swiss counterpart Marc Surer added: “He wanted to overtake and it went wrong.  You can’t blame him; following someone is not his style and I like that.

“Yes, it went bad, but on the other hand, you have to attack.”

And famous German touring car driver Klaus Ludwig said: “The conditions were extremely difficult — you can’t believe how much.  It’s like walking an extremely narrow tightrope.”

Di Resta has ‘fingers crossed’ for Force India debut Di Resta has ‘fingers crossed’ for Force India debutComments Off

Paul di Resta has his “fingers crossed” for a formula one race debut with Force India in 2011.

He is currently the team’s reserve driver, and at Silverstone will make another track appearance during Friday morning practice.

Mercedes-backed di Resta, who also races with the German marque in the DTM series, is managed by Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony.

The 24-year-old is quoted by the PA news agency as remaining focused on his 2010 duties.

“It’s taking one step at a time because it is a big task this year, and hopefully I’m impressing the team enough that I can build a future,” said di Resta, whose cousin is the successful Indycar driver Dario Franchitti.

Although Force India’s current race drivers are Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi, di Resta admitted he would like a seat next season.

“It’s certainly a great team to be part of. I’d love to be driving one of their cars next year, so fingers crossed.”

Michael: safety car use is very likely Michael: safety car use is very likelyComments Off

Before the race on the Ile Notre Dame in Montreal to face the teams on two main questions: Is it early in the race to a safety car period? Which tires should start the race? Sam Michael, Technical Director of the Williams team, explains his thoughts, which he makes in this regard before the clock start at 18 GMT.

“We have not yet decided whether we will start on the hard or soft compound,” said Michael. “There are two different approaches. If one assumes that there will be in the early stages of the race a Safety Car period, take the soft tires, to have used them and they runterzubekommen again.”
“If one does not believe that it is not the safety car comes out, you might want to be on the hard compound to be able to drive around for two long stints,” said Michael further. The Grand Prix of Canada would be one way or another for at least a two-stop race, because you could not possibly survive due to high tire wear, with only one tire change the distance of 70 laps.

Williams is with Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg the two best-placed driver who may choose their tires before the race, free. Michael would therefore not exclude that we could possibly send its pilots with different strategies in the race to be prepared for all eventualities.
But a look into the past leaving Michael to assume that safety car driver Bernd will turn out Mayländer with high probability during the race. “The likelihood of a safety car deployment is very high. It was always like that. We had been in 19 races Safety Car periods, sometimes up to four per race.”

There are many indications that this in this year’s race will hardly be otherwise. “Now we have six more cars on the grid and to two types of tires that will be hard to drive due to the strong graining – all of which increases the probability of safety car interventions,” said Michael concludes.

Grosjean not happy with new Silverstone layout Grosjean not happy with new Silverstone layoutComments Off

May 3 (GMM)  Former Renault driver Romain Grosjean has delivered a less than stirring appraisal after racing on Silverstone’s revised F1 layout.

After his disappointing half-season in F1 last year, the Swiss-born Frenchman now drives a Ford in the FIA’s new GT1 category.

That series was the first to race on the layout incorporating Silverstone’s newly launched ‘Arena’ section.

The 760-metre stretch features some slower bends that could help overtaking, but Silverstone is nonetheless tipped to knock Monza off the perch as the fastest circuit on the F1 calendar.

“It’s nothing special,” Grosjean, 24, told the Guardian newspaper when asked about the new section, which is currently surrounded by building construction works and resembling Bahrain because grass verges have not yet grown.

“We have lost Bridge and the complex which was very nice, and we didn’t gain much with the new part.  I’m not 100 per cent convinced.

“With the single seater cars they are flat-out through Abbey and in formula one it is going to be very fast as well.  I don’t think it gives any overtaking opportunities.  So that’s a bit of a shame,” added Grosjean.

Former F1 safety car driver Oliver Gaven, however – who now drives a Corvette in GT1 – was more positive.

“I think the circuit flows very nicely; I’m very happy with it,” said the Briton.

“It’s got a nice combination of corners and some nice challenging stuff for us.  There are two or three corners that are nearly flat and one or two that you have got to have a lot of commitment.

“The style of Silverstone has been carried on.  They have done a cracking job with it,” said Gavin.

Meanwhile, BBC commentator Martin Brundle doubts the new section will boost overtaking, but fellow former F1 veteran Johnny Herbert thinks ‘Arena’ adds “one” additional overtaking place to the circuit.

Force India engineer runs London Marathon Force India engineer runs London MarathonComments Off

Apr.26 (GMM)  Force India’s chief engineer Dominic Harlow made it back from China in time to contest the 2010 London Marathon.

He completed the 42 kilometre course around the Thames on Sunday in just over three and a half hours.

Even faster was F1′s former safety car driver Oliver Gavin, 37, whose time under 3 hours placed him 657th overall amid 35,000 runners.

“My time today should now be enough to qualify me for the Boston or New York marathons … if I want to do either of them.  My legs need to recover first!” he laughed.

Another F1-related runner was Sir Richard Branson, whose Virgin brand sponsored the event.

He crossed the line after 5 hours.

Jeff Gordon Nascar Profile Jeff Gordon Nascar ProfileComments Off

Jeff Gordon is a famous American race car driver who was born in 1971 in Vallejo, California. He has won the Nascar Winston Cup four times, and he drives car #24 for Hendrick Motorsports. As of this writing, one of his most prominent sponsors is DuPont. Jeff Gordon began racing when he was only five years of age. He loved to race cars, and his family was supportive of him. His family actually relocated primarily because they wanted Jeff to be in a location where he could better harness his racing skills. While he was still a minor, Jeff had already won a number of races and was given the USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year award.

After this, Gordon went on to win the USAC Midget title, and by 1991, he had gained the USAC Silver Crown. He broke a record by being the youngest person to ever capture the title. He went to the Busch Series after this, and had a large number of victories. Gordon crashed his car during the the Hooters 500 race in Atlanta in 1992, and this caused him to be placed in the 31st position. Jeff Gordon was one of many young racers who would be placed on high quality teams early in their careers. The success of Jeff Gordon allowed a younger generation of racers to begin competing in Nascar.

Many critics felt that Gordon was not ready to compete at the professional level because of his habit of racing cars so hard that he crashed them. However, Gordon proved them all wrong during the 1994 season, were he emerged victorious in the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which was a long and difficult race. Gordon would also go on to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. In 1995 he won what would become the first of four Winston Cup Championships. Jeff Gordon is also famous for rising up against the legendary Dale Earnhardt, and he has become a fan favorite.

Many people consider Jeff Gordon to be one of the greatest drivers in Nascar because he achieved so much at a very young age. Even at 35 years of age, Jeff Gordon has successfully won 75 races, which is just one victory behind Dale Earnhardt. Jeff Gordon is also notable for making Nascar a popular sport with mainstream audiences. For a long time, the sport was only regulated to the south, but Jeff Gordon has allowed it to reach a high level of popularity due to advertising and his skills with the media.

Author is a contributer for an auto racing blog at AutoRacingReporter.com. Find more auto racing websites at SportsWebsiteDirectory.com. Purchase sports website marketing at SportsWebsiteMarketing.com.

Ferrari Formula One Ferrari Formula OneComments Off

Ferrari formula one racing is the best in the formula one world. Ferrari fans around the world watch Formula one every week. What makes Formula one so special? It’s hard to say. But Formula one gains more and more interest in public.
Scuderia Ferrari is a division of the Ferrari automobile company, which is concerned with racing. Scuderia means “stable” in Italian and Ferrari is after the name of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the brand. Scuderia was formed in the year 1929 and consisted of 40 racecar drivers including Enzo at that time.
Ferrari achieved great success in the Le Mans Races. The team made its debut into Formula One at the Italian Grand Prix with the model 125F1. Since then the team has been involved in the Formula One Racing and is one of the best racing teams in Formula One history.
Few of the finest drivers such as Niki Lauda, Phil Hill, Lorenzo Bandini and Michele Alboreto have contributed towards the success of the Ferrari Formula One team over the years. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are the current contracted drivers for the team. Both the drivers have been signed for three years contract after the retirement of “Michael Schumacher”. Michael Schumacher was the one of the best race drivers in the history of world racing.
Marlboro was a major sponsor for the Ferrari team since 1984. They backed the team till 2005, but had to withdraw, as tobacco sponsorship was made illegal in the European Union. Acer was one of the sponsors for the company till late 2008. Acer also sold laptops with Ferrari badges. Vodafone was also one of the sponsors till 2005, however they too withdrew in favor of the McLaren team.
Many others played the part of sponsors for the Ferrari racing team. FIAT is a major sponsor of the team including others such as Bridgestone, AMD, and Martini. Ferrari also saw sponsorship from the Gulf, such as Mubadla, an investment company of Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways.
The Ferrari racing team has achieved great success over the years particularly in the Formula One racing championships. The team and its drivers have won the “Mille Miglia”‘ 8 times, the “Targa Florio” 7 times and the “24 Hour Le Mans”, 9 times. Formula One achievements for the team are still marked distinctly.
Most Constructors Championship: 15, Most Drivers Championship: 15, Most wins (all time): 208, Most wins (season): 15, Most podiums (all): 617, Most podiums (season): 29, Most points (all): 4,887.27, Most points (season): 262, Most pole positions (all): 201, Most pole positions (season): 262, Most fastest laps (season): 262, Most fastest laps (all): 215, Highest winning percentage: 26%
The Ferrari team also managed to lead over Ford as the most successful F1 engine manufacturer with 182 wins compared to Ford’s 176 wins.
With years of hardship and trial, the Ferrari team still continues to dominate the Formula One racing world with its unmatchable endurance. The team has witnessed a massive fan following over the years. Italian fans for the team are known as “tifosi”. Recently, the Ferrari Formula one team saw its first win of the year 2008 at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Sports FAQ Sports FAQComments Off

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Montoya Brings Aggressive Driving to Nascar Montoya Brings Aggressive Driving to NascarComments Off

Last summer, Formula One standout Juan Pablo Montoya announced that he will be competing on the NASCAR races. During his announcement he said that he was excited to bring his aggressive style of driving to the motorsport.

In Formula One, Montoya cemented his reputation as one of the most aggressive professional race car drivers today. While his skills combined with his unique style made him one of the most talented drivers today, he seems to be having trouble making friends in NASCAR as his aggressive style of driving seems to be rubbing his fellow NASCAR drivers the wrong way.

While NASCAR racing is more aggressive than Formula One, there is a limit to one’s aggressiveness on the tracks. And that is what Montoya is still trying to find out. Currently, the Colombian driver has already wreaked havoc on his fellow drivers with the season just starting. In Mexico, Montoya accidentally forced his teammate, Scott Pruett, off the road at the road race in the Busch Series. The road race saw Montoya securing his first win in the new field that he has entered. He has also reportedly “annoyed” Jeff Gordon in Atlanta. Montoya also ran into Ryan Newman and Tony Raines at Martinsville. Aside from those incidents, Juan Pablo Montoya also managed to annoy two-time Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart as he tangles with him at the recently concluded Samsung 500 which happened in Texas.

In response to the criticism that he receives over his aggressive driving, Montoya has this to say: “I don’t think Chip (Ganassi) hired me to run 20th every weekend, and I didn’t come here to run 20th every weekend. Is (contact) going to happen? Yeah, it’s going to happen a lot of weekends, but our aim is to run up front.” He added that: “I think anybody that’s seen me race knows that I’m not going to back down.”

In the recent incident involving Montoya and a fellow driver, it seems that the “rookie” will be having a hard time adjusting to the sport. Stewart, the latest victim of Montoya’s aggressive driving style, has this to say: “If you race people with respect, you get respect. You might want to be just a little bit more patient just long enough to learn how everything’s done over here.” NASCAR aficionados have even compared Montoya’s aggressive driving to the skills of NASCAR legends like the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.

The common thinking is that aggressive drivers can have good success in the sport but they have to make sure that their aggressiveness is channeled so that it comes as not to be counter-productive.

Montoya’s start tote season is quite respectable. Being from Formula One, it is expected of him to eventually win in the NASACR races. Currently, the aggressive driving Colombian posted a win at the Busch Series and has already managed to get a couple of top ten finishes in the Nextel Cup. In Texas, the former CART champion managed an eighth place finish. He is driving a Dodge which is yet to win a race at the Nextel Cup. Currently, Dodge, Ford, and Toyota, are being dominated by Chevy at the Nextel Cup series. Equipped with for-race engineered engines which leaves far behind the performance of on-road Chevy vehicles equipped with the Chevy cold air intake system.

While Montoya is yet to show his true worth in NASCAR, drivers in the sport agrees that Montoya has got the talent to be come successful in the motorsport. Even Stewart said that Montoya is the most talented driver in his team. Although admitting Montoya’s flair for the game, Stewart added that: “He didn’t make friends with me [at Texas], so he won’t get any help from me in the future.”

Private Jets No Luxury for Nascar Teams Private Jets No Luxury for Nascar TeamsComments Off

Private jets no luxury for NASCAR teams

Business travel can be a grind, But for NASCAR drivers and race teams who are on the road for 36 races per year travel is unavoidable.

If these teams had to rely on commercial airline schedules travel would be a nightmare, if not a logistical impossibility. That’s why most of the top tier drivers own private jets, and race teams operate fleets of small aircraft to transport pit crew members and team executives to the racetrack each week.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. owns a LearJet 60, which is the top of the LearJet line, and their largest jet. It’s a business jet that can seat up to 10 passengers.

Thanks to the jet Earnhardt can leave his home in North Carolina and be at the racetrack in Daytona or Texas a couple of hours later — about the time it would take to drive to a major airport and clear security.

NASCAR rookie and former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya also owns a LearJet 60. 2006 champion Jimmie Johnson owns a Learjet 31A, and Jeff Gordon owns a British Aerospace Hawker 800.

Most of the drivers leave the flying to professional pilots, but Mark Martin is a licensed pilot who often pilots his own Cessna Citation. Martin lives in a unique community near Daytona Beach called Spruce Creek. It’s a fly in community with it’s own airport. Residents have aircraft hangars in the yard where most of us have garages. Martin can literally park his jet in the garage.

The race teams operate larger planes to ferry the pit crews and team executives to the track. Roush Racing operates a fleet of planes, including a Boeing 737 and several smaller business jets. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. flies it’s pit crew on an Embraer 120, a mid-size turbo-prop that seats 30 passengers.

While cars have vanity license plates, NASCAR teams have vanity aircraft registration numbers. Dale Jr’s Learjet is N8JR, and Jeff Gordon’s Hawker is N24JG. The corporate Embraer at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is N500DE.

NASCAR has come to rely on private jet travel so much that many tracks are located right next to airports. Daytona International Speedway is located right next to Daytona Beach International Airport where private jets and commercial flights arrive daily.

While most tracks are not located so close to a major international airport, some tracks have built their own airports. Right next to Atlanta Motor Speedway sits Tara Field, a small general aviation airstrip that sees little traffic until race week, when more than 600 planes descend on this tiny airfield.

However, some tracks are not as convenient, but when that happens expect the NASCAR drivers to come up with a solution. When NASCAR descends on a track like Dover Delaware some drivers like Dale Earnhardt bypass race traffic by flying from the airport to the racetrack in a chartered helicopter, landing directly in he infield.

Some people consider private air travel a luxury, but with the hectic schedule of today’s drivers it is a necessity. Following a Sunday afternoon race a driver can hop on his jet and be home by Sunday night. This means they can meet with the crew chiefs and team owners Monday morning to review the previous race, and develop a strategy for the following race. During the week drivers are often on the jet again, meeting with sponsors, shooting TV commercials, making public appearances, and testing. Without a jet this schedule would be impossible. Most drivers agree that having a private jet gives them one to two days per week of productive time, or just allows an occasional day off.

You can see pictures of these jets at JetJit.com and get more detailed information on each airplane.

See photos of these jets and more at JetJit.com

Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Biffle Adds Another Victory Nascar Sprint Cup Series: Biffle Adds Another VictoryComments Off

For the second consecutive time, Greg Biffle managed to advance in the final section of the Camping World RV 400 Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway taking the victory and overcoming the leaders and favorites to win this particular competition. Biffle certainly surprised many of us with his brief running to grasp the title. 

 

The Nascar’s driver Biffle was able to closely drive for most of the race next to the race leaders, but at the point when there were only 15 laps remaining he competed against his teammate Matt Kenseth; this was a very exciting part of the competition as Biffle constantly tried to surpass Kenseth in each lap but Kenseth put up a good race but finally Biffle overcame him with an absolute win. 

 

On the other hand, Carl Edwards achieved a third place despite trying very hard to obtain a better place. He was then followed by Mark Martin in the fourth place driving a Chevy, and the two-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, arrived in fifth place. 

 

Among the top ten positions also were: Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip. Eight of these ten drivers had previously competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, except for Martin and Waltrip. One driver that did not have a good performance as expected was Kyle Busch who ended the race in the 43rd position, which was the last place.

 

Despite the fact that it was a very splendid day for Nascar’s racing it was not such a good day for Busch neither David Gilliland as they both collided hardly against the retention wall. Another crash was that of Patrick Carpentier, which lost control of his Dodge in the first curve, striking the defense of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase contender, Carl Edwards.

 

Another driver Jeff Gordon showed his skills and speed while taking a privileged position along with Hamlin, Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Reutimann, Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

 

During the 64th lap Joe Nemechek caused another yellow flag when his Chevy burst a front wheel and struck the external wall. Some other remarkable drivers who rose to top positions and finished seeded in the top ones were: Reutimann, Johnson, Bowyer, Burton and the race winner Biffle. Toyota’s AJ Allmendinge’s caused another yellow flag some laps later when hitting the retention wall. The sparks continued shortly after the yellow flag when Robby Gordon was put behind McMurray this certainly changed the race which at half point of the competition the Nascar driver Hornish crashed again in the 187th lap.

 

Another highlight of the race was the good performance and rising of the Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya who achieved a 17th place. He has also been improving race after race as he seems to be getting more comfortable with the vehicle he is now driving, he is one of those drivers that will sooner than later surprise us with an unexpected victory in the short run.

Jimmie Johnson voted NASCAR Driver of Year Jimmie Johnson voted NASCAR Driver of YearComments Off

With all respect to Kyle Busch and his 20 victories covering three series, Jimmie Johnson is still the man. Say what you want about driving for Rick Hendrick’s “evil empire,” how much of a factor Chad Knaus adds to the equation and how the Chase arrange (which I personally still despise) has played to his strengths, Johnson has four very large silver bowls in his possession, all with his name engraved as NASCAR champion. Only three another men in the 60-year history of NASCAR can claim to have won at least four Cup championships:Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon . Think about that for just a present moment. We’re talking three of the excellent drivers ever, and Johnson — who just turned 34 — definitely deserves to be a part of that conversation.

Jarrod Breeze
Kyle Busch did some special things this year, most notably in the Nationwide and Truck series. Fiftysomethings Ron Hornaday and Mark Martin pooh-poohed the age thing. Tony Stewart was successful as an owner/driver. Did you know Jeff Gordon led the Cup Series with 25 top-10s and tied for most top-fives with 16? But at the end of the day, at the end of the season, the matter in NASCAR that matters most is the Cup championship. And that title belongs to Jimmie Johnson, the face of NASCAR in 2009. End of discussion.


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