Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Lowe: DRS removes need to change aerodynamics | F1 Fanatic round-up
In the round-up: Paddy Lowe says DRS has removed the need to alter car aerodynamics to aid passing.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/ooyFdawuAKY/
Kevin Cogan Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas
Why are the FIA bringing out their toolkits?
By Matt Carver
It's been two months since Sebastian Vettel was crowned as the Formula 1 world champion of 2010, after what was arguably the most enthralling and closely-fought championship in recent history. But bizarrely, the sports governing body, the FIA, have decided that it needs 'spicing up' with a whole raft of new technical regulations.
Even without these supposed enhancements, the setup for the 2011 season looks stronger than ever. The live TV broadcasts will now be in High Definition, there will be five former world champions on the gird, the teams are closely matched, and worldwide viewing figures are very strong. So this begs the obvious question: If it's not broken, why are the FIA bringing out their toolkits?
The answer can be found in a simple, four-syllable word that sparks a lot of debate: Overtaking.
The Return of KERS
For 2011, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will again be available to all the teams, after its banishment for 2010 following an uninspiring implementation in the previous season. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a KERS unit is essentially just a large battery which harnesses a reserve of energy from heavy braking. This energy can then be fed though the drive train at the press of a button for an 80bhp boost for several seconds per lap.
It was originally intended as a 'push-to-pass' button to aid overtaking, but the unit itself was heavy and had a strong destabilizing effect. The cars that were fitted with KERS were more unstable and thus slower for the majority of a lap, but had the extra muscle on the long straights. So it quickly became more of an overtaking deterrent than an aid, and there is no reason to believe that it will be any different next season.
The Controversial Moveable Wings
The big concern for next season is the introduction of moveable wings, which will allow a chasing car to greatly reduce its aerodynamic drag, allowing for greater top speed, but only when closely following a competitor. This is hugely controversial, for the simple reason that it hands an artificial advantage to the chasing car, effectively handicapping the leading car for having superior track position. The problem here is that it appears to violate a fundamental rule of fair racing. Surely you can't artificially penalize a driver for having track position just to make it more entertaining. This is no different from telling Usain Bolt that whoever wins the silver medal is now allowed to use performance enhancing drungs, but only until he starts winning, then he will be back on the protein 'shakes so that it doesn't get boring.
The Nightmare Scenario
Let's take Spa for example, the much-loved host venue for the Belgian Grand Prix. There is always plenty of overtaking at Spa, mainly due to the layout of the first few turns. The tricky first hairpin leads uphill through the staggeringly fast Eau Rouge bend, onto a lengthy straight, leading down to a tight right hander. It's hard to see how any driver could sufficiently defend their position through this section against a competitor who has artificially increased top speed. This could lead to the nightmare scenario; A driver with a narrow lead may decide to deliberately concede position before starting the final lap, as the advantage of the movable wing could be more beneficial than having track position. This would be a farce in every sense of the word, and could damage the sport's competitive integrity.
There can be no doubt that on some occasions, overtaking in F1 can become almost impossible. In Hungary last year, Vettel was forced to spend more than twenty laps simply staring at the back of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, despite being significantly faster. Alonso's championship hopes eventually faded as he spent the last 40 minutes of the season finale waiting in vain for Vitaly Petrov to plough his Renault into the Abu Dhabi tyre wall. But on other occasions, the wheel-to-wheel action was spectacular. In Turkey, The two Mclarens where bumping wheels for the lead at turn one, just a few minutes after the Red Bulls were bashing each other into the scenery. Robert Kubica provided plenty of excitement whilst scything through half the field in Singapore, and the Japanese fans at Suzuka were amply entertained by Kamui Kobayashi flinging his BMW Sauber past anyone and everyone at the hairpin.
Surely this should lead us to one inevitable conclusion. It is the layout of certain circuits that appears to be curtailing the action. Only time will tell if alterations to the cars themselves will have the desired effect.
This original article "Formula 1's Risky New Regulations" is written by Matt Carver who is a Contributing Writer at Suite101.
Alex Caffi John CampbellJones Adri·n Campos John Cannon Eitel Cantoni
Silverstone gets planning permission
Both Aylesbury Vale District Council and South Northamptonshire Council have effectively approved Silverstone Circuit?s outline planning application, which supports the venue?s 20-year Masterplan – the next big step towards securing the long-term future of the international venue. The circuit is owned by the British Racing Drivers? Club (BRDC), although there are advanced negotiations going on [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/silverstone-gets-planning-permission/
Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes
India ready to spice up Formula 1
The glamorous globetrotters of Formula 1 will stop in South Asia for the first time this week as India makes its debut on the grand prix calendar.
There is a real sense of anticipation within the sport that the race outside the capital city of Delhi will add some spice to the season now both championships have been settled - as well as introducing a new global powerbroker into F1.
"It's a historic and symbolic moment," enthused Narain Karthikeyan, India's first F1 driver, who returns to a seat at the HRT team this weekend.
"Never did I think there would be Indian race in Formula 1 and never did I think I'd be in it. It's going to be the biggest day of my career."
Despite spreading east and west, it has taken F1 more than 60 years to make its way to the world's second most populous nation.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
The sport's first appearance in India was back in 1982, when the Force India team's co-owner Vijay Mallya, then a young businessman with a fascination for fast cars, drove Nelson Piquet's 1978 Ensign in a series of events around India.
But despite Mallya's early foray, the sport's commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, waited until the mid-nineties before pursuing plans to add India to the calendar. An agreement to stage the race in Greater Noida, a new city outside Delhi, was finally reached four years ago.
Unusually for a new entrant on the F1 calendar, government is not committing any funds to the grand prix. Instead it is a private venture funded by construction specialists the Jaypee Group, which has spent £205m on the new track alone.
Organising the grand prix is the firm's first foray into sport but, despite F1's notoriously high price tag, Jaypee views the project as a strong investment.
The Buddh International Circuit - designed by Ecclestone's favoured architect, Hermann Tilke - has been devised as the centre piece of an ambitious 'Sports City', which will include hockey and tennis stadiums - pitches have already been dug in for a state-of-the-art cricket stadium.
Building cricket stadiums for the sport's devoted Indian audience can be viewed as a pretty safe bet but India's appetite for F1 is more of an unknown quantity.
"You cannot compare F1 with cricket in India because cricket is like a religion," explained president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India Vicky Chandhok, who described himself as Ecclestone's "eyes" in India.
"But F1 is a vibrant sport, it oozes glamour, it oozes sex and we have the perfect audience - the youngest population in the world are in India."
Karthikeyan, who first saw F1 when a friend bought him a 1989 season review video, agrees the sport should not try to compete for the cricket audience.
"F1 is definitely not watched by the same demographic as cricket," he said. "The urban areas are where F1 is most popular, among people who like technology.
"They have other things on their mind in the predominantly rural areas; where there are farmers, I don't the connection with F1 is that big, whereas cricket is accessible to everyone."
Who F1 will appeal to is one thing but the other big question is how many?
The Indian potential audience is huge, with a population of 1.18 billion. However, a large population and a growing economy does not necessarily make for a receptive audience - as has been proved by the lacklustre response to the Chinese Grand Prix, which has been running for eight years but still struggles to attract a crowd.
Before the Indian GP, it is estimated that 27m Indians tune in to watch F1.
ESPN Star Sports is the sport's sole broadcaster in India - although eight national news channels have also been accredited for the race - and F1 is included in part of a satellite subscription package which Karthikeyan says costs less than a pound a month.
Television audiences for the first Indian GP are expected to rise above 30m, with an estimated 200,000 expected to watch from the grandstands over three days.
The novelty of the first race is bound to lure in a new audience but sustaining both interest and growth in F1 when the circus leaves town is a different challenge.
Thousands of fans turned out in Bangalore to meet McLaren star Lewis Hamilton
On the plus side, motorsport has some established some roots, with national karting and rallying championships already in place as well as a three-tiered single-seater series powered by engine manufacturer Suzuki, whose subsidiary Maruti Suzuki is India's biggest car manufacturer.
Chandhok, whose son Karun is the Team Lotus reserve and only the second F1 driver from India, is confident the GP will spark new interest.
"I honestly think there is going to be a huge boom in motorsport," he said. "People like Karun really struggled to make it because of the [lack of] financial backing but the next generation will find it easier."
Karthikeyan is more cautious: "It could go two ways; one like the Korean Grand Prix where it happens, there is some attention and then nothing happens in any form of motorsport for the rest of the year.
"Or it could be like Malaysia where, after F1 arrived, there is a huge interest in the lower formulae and a lot of motorsport is going on there in a big way.
"There are lot of kids who will see the race in India and want to emulate the drivers."
Force India, who regard the grand prix as an "emotional" home race, have launched their own academy to help ensure the Indian GP is not the only outlet for Indian talent.
"There are three sectors," explained deputy team principal Robert Fearnley. "The first is the one-in-a-billion search for an Indian driver, the second is the idea to help bright young Indian aerodynamicists and mechanical engineers through university and the third is a vocational plan to bring in technicians and mechanics."
There is also confidence that F1 and India will go on to forge mutually beneficial commercial partnerships.
Sauber's Indian-born chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn says: "It was always a bit of a mystery why we couldn't attract Indian companies.
"Because the Indian market is so big, most products and brands didn't necessarily see beyond their boundaries, but now they can use F1 as a platform and we offer our partners something additional if India is a big market for them. It's a win-win situation."
There are, then, a lot of expectations weighing on the first Indian GP, whether it is winning the hearts and minds of a nation, acting as a catalyst for grassroots motorsport or building new global business partnerships.
But there is also a warm confidence that F1 and India are only at the beginning of a fulfilling, new relationship - and there should be some fun to be had too.
"I think you'll enjoy it," smiled Karthikeyan. "You'll be in good hands."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/10/the_glamorous_globetrotters_of.html
Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon
Robert Kubica Could Be Ruled Out For At Least A Year Following Accident
Polish racing driver Robert Kubica will spend at least one whole year recovering from a rally crash he suffered this morning, according to his surgeon. Kubica, who races for Renault Lotus crashed the Skoda Fabia rally car this morning and was airlifted to hospital suffering serious injuries. He has spent many hours in surgery, with [...]
Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg Eddie Cheever
Out goes Sutil
The Sahara Force India Formula One Team has confirmed that Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will form its line-up for the 2012 season. This means that the star of the team’s 2011 World Championship challenge, Adrian Sutil,has been left in the lurch. The team did not name a reserve driver. “Our new line-up means [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/out-goes-sutil/
Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes
Friday, December 30, 2011
Riding shotgun in a 1500hp twin-turbo C6 Corvette - extreme acceleration [video]
In the video, the amount of power is clearly evident as the rear steps out at 80 mph momentarily. Surely, it's not an easy car to tame.
Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi
CUP: Stewart Driver Of The Year
Tony Stewart won his third Sprint Cup championship with a splendid run through the Chase?
Source: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-tony-stewart-nascar-driver-of-the-year1/
Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon
Button Steps Up Pre Season Training With Lance Armstrong
Jenson Button teamed up with record breaking cyclist Lance Armstrong, as he continues to prepare for another Formula One season. The McLaren driver excitedly tweeted that he would be riding with Armstrong, the 7 time Tour de France winner, in Hawaii. Armstrong responded via Twitter “I hope he doesn’t ride as srong as he drives [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/
Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa
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'."
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/team_order_rule_needs_a_rethin_1.php
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Karthikeyan Makes Surprise F1 Return With HRT
Narain Karthikeyan has made a surprise return to Formula One after being announced as one of Hispania HRT’s drivers for the 2011 season. The Indian driver was unveiled as the first racer to be working with the Spanish based squad, who look likely to enter into a second season of racing despite on-going financial concerns. [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/karthikeyan-makes-surprise-f1-return-with-hrt/
Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta
Hamilton and Massa clear the air?
Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he has finally cleared the air with Felipe Massa. The pair have clashed on several occasions this year of course, but at the end of the 2011 Formula 1 season, it appears they have settled their differences. Hamilton said: “It was good to have a nice chat with Felipe.” “I [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/R4W_-6an4DY/hamilton-and-massa-clear-the-air
Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Chrysler 300 Luxury Series sedan with 8-speed starts at $40,145
Chrysler has announced the addition of a new luxurious 300 sedan model which will hit the U.S. market in the first-quarter of 2012. 
Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca Gianfranco Brancatelli
Lotus Exige R-GT Rally gets first track test
After making its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this past September, Lotus Motorsport has taken the Exige R-GT, the Rally version of the new Exige S, out of the nest so it can spread it wings for the first time. 
Jack BrabhamÜ Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla Toni Branca
Massacre at Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso will have a completely new driver line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 season, made up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. It will be the first time since the team?s 2006 debut that it will begin the year with an all new line-up. Both drivers have come through the Red Bull Junior [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/massacre-at-toro-rosso/
Duke Dinsmore Frank Dochnal Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate
India ready to spice up Formula 1
The glamorous globetrotters of Formula 1 will stop in South Asia for the first time this week as India makes its debut on the grand prix calendar.
There is a real sense of anticipation within the sport that the race outside the capital city of Delhi will add some spice to the season now both championships have been settled - as well as introducing a new global powerbroker into F1.
"It's a historic and symbolic moment," enthused Narain Karthikeyan, India's first F1 driver, who returns to a seat at the HRT team this weekend.
"Never did I think there would be Indian race in Formula 1 and never did I think I'd be in it. It's going to be the biggest day of my career."
Despite spreading east and west, it has taken F1 more than 60 years to make its way to the world's second most populous nation.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
The sport's first appearance in India was back in 1982, when the Force India team's co-owner Vijay Mallya, then a young businessman with a fascination for fast cars, drove Nelson Piquet's 1978 Ensign in a series of events around India.
But despite Mallya's early foray, the sport's commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, waited until the mid-nineties before pursuing plans to add India to the calendar. An agreement to stage the race in Greater Noida, a new city outside Delhi, was finally reached four years ago.
Unusually for a new entrant on the F1 calendar, government is not committing any funds to the grand prix. Instead it is a private venture funded by construction specialists the Jaypee Group, which has spent £205m on the new track alone.
Organising the grand prix is the firm's first foray into sport but, despite F1's notoriously high price tag, Jaypee views the project as a strong investment.
The Buddh International Circuit - designed by Ecclestone's favoured architect, Hermann Tilke - has been devised as the centre piece of an ambitious 'Sports City', which will include hockey and tennis stadiums - pitches have already been dug in for a state-of-the-art cricket stadium.
Building cricket stadiums for the sport's devoted Indian audience can be viewed as a pretty safe bet but India's appetite for F1 is more of an unknown quantity.
"You cannot compare F1 with cricket in India because cricket is like a religion," explained president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India Vicky Chandhok, who described himself as Ecclestone's "eyes" in India.
"But F1 is a vibrant sport, it oozes glamour, it oozes sex and we have the perfect audience - the youngest population in the world are in India."
Karthikeyan, who first saw F1 when a friend bought him a 1989 season review video, agrees the sport should not try to compete for the cricket audience.
"F1 is definitely not watched by the same demographic as cricket," he said. "The urban areas are where F1 is most popular, among people who like technology.
"They have other things on their mind in the predominantly rural areas; where there are farmers, I don't the connection with F1 is that big, whereas cricket is accessible to everyone."
Who F1 will appeal to is one thing but the other big question is how many?
The Indian potential audience is huge, with a population of 1.18 billion. However, a large population and a growing economy does not necessarily make for a receptive audience - as has been proved by the lacklustre response to the Chinese Grand Prix, which has been running for eight years but still struggles to attract a crowd.
Before the Indian GP, it is estimated that 27m Indians tune in to watch F1.
ESPN Star Sports is the sport's sole broadcaster in India - although eight national news channels have also been accredited for the race - and F1 is included in part of a satellite subscription package which Karthikeyan says costs less than a pound a month.
Television audiences for the first Indian GP are expected to rise above 30m, with an estimated 200,000 expected to watch from the grandstands over three days.
The novelty of the first race is bound to lure in a new audience but sustaining both interest and growth in F1 when the circus leaves town is a different challenge.
Thousands of fans turned out in Bangalore to meet McLaren star Lewis Hamilton
On the plus side, motorsport has some established some roots, with national karting and rallying championships already in place as well as a three-tiered single-seater series powered by engine manufacturer Suzuki, whose subsidiary Maruti Suzuki is India's biggest car manufacturer.
Chandhok, whose son Karun is the Team Lotus reserve and only the second F1 driver from India, is confident the GP will spark new interest.
"I honestly think there is going to be a huge boom in motorsport," he said. "People like Karun really struggled to make it because of the [lack of] financial backing but the next generation will find it easier."
Karthikeyan is more cautious: "It could go two ways; one like the Korean Grand Prix where it happens, there is some attention and then nothing happens in any form of motorsport for the rest of the year.
"Or it could be like Malaysia where, after F1 arrived, there is a huge interest in the lower formulae and a lot of motorsport is going on there in a big way.
"There are lot of kids who will see the race in India and want to emulate the drivers."
Force India, who regard the grand prix as an "emotional" home race, have launched their own academy to help ensure the Indian GP is not the only outlet for Indian talent.
"There are three sectors," explained deputy team principal Robert Fearnley. "The first is the one-in-a-billion search for an Indian driver, the second is the idea to help bright young Indian aerodynamicists and mechanical engineers through university and the third is a vocational plan to bring in technicians and mechanics."
There is also confidence that F1 and India will go on to forge mutually beneficial commercial partnerships.
Sauber's Indian-born chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn says: "It was always a bit of a mystery why we couldn't attract Indian companies.
"Because the Indian market is so big, most products and brands didn't necessarily see beyond their boundaries, but now they can use F1 as a platform and we offer our partners something additional if India is a big market for them. It's a win-win situation."
There are, then, a lot of expectations weighing on the first Indian GP, whether it is winning the hearts and minds of a nation, acting as a catalyst for grassroots motorsport or building new global business partnerships.
But there is also a warm confidence that F1 and India are only at the beginning of a fulfilling, new relationship - and there should be some fun to be had too.
"I think you'll enjoy it," smiled Karthikeyan. "You'll be in good hands."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/10/the_glamorous_globetrotters_of.html
67 Charger stock hubcaps
hi everyone.
Im going to be building a 67 Charger,and Im going to build it stock with a small block and im looking for this style of hubcaps.Is there any kits or resin casters that make these?thanks
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/993364.aspx
Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Hamilton and Massa clear the air?
Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he has finally cleared the air with Felipe Massa. The pair have clashed on several occasions this year of course, but at the end of the 2011 Formula 1 season, it appears they have settled their differences. Hamilton said: “It was good to have a nice chat with Felipe.” “I [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/R4W_-6an4DY/hamilton-and-massa-clear-the-air
Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine
Chandhok considering World Endurance Championship | F1 Fanatic round-up
In the round-up: Karun Chandhok eyes a seat in the WEC.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/GvS2OaiOL2A/
Alex Caffi John CampbellJones Adri·n Campos John Cannon Eitel Cantoni
Porsche celebrates return to Le Mans [videos]
Porsche is celebrating their return to Le Mans with a nostalgic look back at their previous victories. Check out the videos inside 
Alain de Changy Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves Bill Cheesbourg
Stats, speed and success spur on Vettel
It is an open secret in Formula 1 that Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest double world champion in history this year, is motivated at least partly by statistics.
The Red Bull driver himself, though, has been a little shy about admitting it so far - but on Wednesday he went as far as he ever has towards acknowledging that, yes, he would not mind having a crack at the all-time records.
Until Vettel's remarkable run of success, particularly this year, Michael Schumacher's landmarks of seven titles, 91 wins and 68 pole positions looked unbeatable.
But Vettel, at the age of 24, already has 20 victories and 27 poles, as well as those two titles. Suddenly, Schumacher's records don't look quite so impregnable after all.
Vettel on his 2011: "Seasons like this don't happen too often... we want to enjoy it." Photo: Getty
"I like statistics," Vettel said, "as in I care about the sport, I know the sport, I know ex-F1 drivers, the big names, and know a little bit the numbers according to the drivers.
"The only thing I like from time to time is to see if my name is somewhere there. I don't really set myself a target of wins and poles, I am not racing for statistics, so I know some numbers, but not all. I love Formula 1, I always did as a small kid and that hasn't changed."
A little later, the mask seemed to slip a little further when someone asked him who was the youngest three-time world champion.
"I don't know," Vettel replied. "Michael is the youngest seven-time world champion."
So that's the ambition?
"That is a long, long way to go," Vettel said. "Obviously we have had two phenomenal seasons and sometimes then you get over-excited and start to talk about those things.
"But really we know how much it takes to win a race, and a whole championship. That really puts things in perspective. It's a long, long way. I don't think you can set the target to say I want to win seven world titles. What Michael achieved in many ways was outstanding."
Vettel was talking at Red Bull Racing's Milton Keynes headquarters, where a news conference on Wednesday morning preceded a private team party in the afternoon.
Vettel - and Red Bull - have every reason to celebrate, after putting together one of the most extraordinary seasons in F1 history.
With 16 races down and three still to go, Vettel has won 10 races, taken 13 pole positions, finished on the podium in every race but one (when he was fourth) and tied up the title in Japan 10 days ago with four races to spare.
But he admitted that it took the most mundane of things for the fact that he was a double world champion to finally sink in properly.
He arrived home in Switzerland on Monday from the Korean Grand Prix to find that his heating had broken. "It was quite cold, so I put the fire on," he said, laughing. "I won't go into details."
Regardless, he said, "I really enjoyed the moment of opening the door, going into the house, knowing what we have achieved. It's those small things that really make you realise what has happened.
"I really like it when nothing is happening, to enjoy the peace, to enjoy time. I didn't do anything special on Monday - just surfing the internet, sleeping, just enjoy the peace and no stress. That's when things really start to sink in.
"It's a nice feeling, because you know all the hours you have spent in the gym, on the race track, it paid off."
Vettel was in a sunny mood on Wednesday - as he so often is. But there was no mistaking the underlying steeliness that is part of what makes him such a formidable competitor.
Anyone who thought his ambition might have been dulled by such towering success so young will need to recalibrate their expectations.
Can you be as dominant next season, he was asked.
"We try," he said. "You never want to come back and do worse than you have done. We set the benchmark very high, and it has been a special season for both sides.
"I had a very good run and the team had a phenomenal run, reliability was great - we've had no technical failures so far. We'll see. We are working hard and we are extremely motivated."
Sebastian Vettel "drove perfectly" all season, according to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Photo: Getty
None of their rivals at McLaren and Ferrari are under any illusions that Vettel and Red Bull will be anything other than formidably tough to beat next year.
After a 2010 season in which, as Vettel has admitted himself, a series of mistakes made winning his first world title much more difficult than it should have been, he and the team have moved on to another level.
He did make mistakes this year. One thinks of the half-spin on the last lap in Canada that handed victory to a charging Jenson Button. Or another spin when trying to stay in touch with the leaders in Germany, his least competitive race of the season. Or his couple of crashes in Friday practice sessions.
But none of them badly affected him, and overall he "drove perfectly", as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double champion, described it.
Vettel looked at the new form F1 took on this season with deliberately high-wear Pirelli tyres and the DRS overtaking aid, realised what was needed to succeed in races, and ruthlessly used the best car on the grid to crush his rivals.
Race after race, he took pole, used the car's inherent pace advantage to build the lead he needed to protect himself at the first pit stops while taking only what he needed to out of the tyres, and held the cushion for the rest of the race.
This strategy formed the bedrock of his season, and generally worked even on the few occasions when the Red Bull was not the fastest car in the race.
His driving was matched by a team that, operationally as well as in terms of the performance of its car, was in a league of its own.
"After every race, I get a print out of the race results, the championship standings and everything and the first thing I do is rip the championship standings off, because the only thing that matters is what we did on that day," Vettel said.
"If you get beaten, you have to accept it. You shouldn't like it, because then you would be in the wrong sport, but there are other very smart people and other very good drivers, and you never get beaten for no reason.
"This year some of the racing has been close, but if there was a chance to open a gap and benefit from it for the rest of the race we were always in a very strong position and many times used that to go for that.
"But I don't think it's fair to say we had a massive advantage all year long. Seasons like this don't happen too often and that's why we want to enjoy it.
"I am extremely proud and to see my name alongside some of the great names is really special. As much as the first world title, the second one people can't take away from you. Many things in life come and go but this will stay forever."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/stats_speed_and_success_spur_o.html
Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon
Porsche police fleet parades in Qatar
Unless you work in Leipzig or Zuffenhausen, it's not every day you get see a parade of identical Porsche cars rolling down the street. But in Qatar, at least one day a year, particularly on December 18, you do. 
Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain
Porsche 911 GT9 Club Sport by 9ff
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A couple of years ago, 9ff, brought out a tuning package for the Porsche 911 that converted it to the wickedly fast GT9-R. Now, Papa’s got a brand new bag, and it’s fit for the track. The new model is called the GT9 Club Sport and can be had for a total of ?375,000, or about $490,000 at the current exchange rates.
Compared to the standard 9ff GT9 model, the Club Sport also benefited from a new front splitter, widened wheel arches, redesigned side sills, a new rear spoiler, and additional air vents added to the front fenders, upper and lower quarter panels, and roof. These additions get powered up by the lesser of the three GT9 upgrade packages that develops 740 HP and 731 lb-ft of torque out of the modified 3.6-liter 6-cylinder twin turbo engine. This boost will allow the GT9 Clubsport to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, on its way up to 124 mph after another 5.2 seconds (for a total of 8.8 seconds). Top speed goes up to 364 km/h (226mph).
Deceleration is aided by 345mm wide Michelin Cup tires and a ceramic brake system that uses 6-piston calipers with 380mm disks in the front and 4-piston calipers with 350mm at the rear. With this system, the modified Porsche can go from 186 mph to 0 in just 6.7 seconds.
The new GT9 Clubsport looks striking in blue and orange, but we would have preferred the 1120 HP package be applied under the hood as with the original.
Hit the jump for a video of the new Porsche 911 GT9 Clubsport by 9ff.
Porsche 911 GT9 Club Sport by 9ff originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 27 December 2011 16:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/porsche/2011-porsche-911-gt9-club-sport-by-9ff-ar122150.html
Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb
What now for Buemi and Alguersuari?
With Toro Rosso having thrown the babies out with the bathwater, on the orders of Red Bull in Austria, there is not much hope for either Sebastien Buemi or Jaime Alguersuari. The Spaniard will no doubt go looking for HRT – wherever that may be at the moment – and would be a logical choice [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/what-now-for-buemi-and-alguersuari/
Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Webber ready for title tilt next season
Mark Webber believes he can carry his excellent win in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix last month into a full-blown title challenge next year. The Red Bull driver was forced to sit and watch while team-mate Sebastian Vettel conquered all before him as he became the youngest ever double world champion in the history of [...]
Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams Walt Ader Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian
Schumacher made most passes in 2011 | F1 Fanatic round-up
In the round-up: Michael Schumacher made the most overtaking moves in 2011.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/GUmDATVNIb0/
Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler
Massacre at Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso will have a completely new driver line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 season, made up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. It will be the first time since the team?s 2006 debut that it will begin the year with an all new line-up. Both drivers have come through the Red Bull Junior [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/massacre-at-toro-rosso/
Art Cross Geoff Crossley Chuck Daigh Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly
Red Bull set to dominate?
To some, the decision of Red Bull and Ferrari to pull out of the Formula 1 Teams' Association, the umbrella group that represents the teams' interests, could look innocuous enough. In reality it could have far-reaching consequences.
The F1 teams have put a brave public face on it, but behind the scenes there are serious concerns that it could lead to a period of Red Bull domination about which their rivals can do little.
The move by two of F1's most powerful teams was provoked by continuing distrust about whether all of the competitors were adhering to the terms of a document called the Resource Restriction Agreement.
The RRA sets out limits on the amount of staff, external spend and aerodynamic research teams can employ and covers work on the design of the car - with drivers' salaries, marketing and engines excluded.
World Champion Sebastian Vettel's (left) team Red Bull and Michael Schumacher's (right) former team Ferrari announced that they have quit the Formula One Teams Association (Fota). PHOTO: Getty
It is not a budget cap per se, but it does have the effect of keeping costs under control, to the point that the biggest budgets have dropped from in the region of £300m in 2008 to an estimated £150-200m in 2011.
To cite just one example, the RRA limits the amount of hours a team can dedicate to wind-tunnel testing - a key way of honing an F1 car's aerodynamics, the single biggest performance differentiator.
And the more wind-tunnel hours you do, the less simulation of aerodynamics on a computer is allowed (and vice versa).
Because there is only so much of this work that a team can do, there is only so much money they can spend.
The problem that has arisen is that some of the teams - led by Ferrari and Mercedes - believe Red Bull have been exceeding these limits since 2010, the first of their two consecutive title-winning years.
Red Bull insist they have always operated within the RRA - and they counter their rivals' accusations by pointing out that it is easier for an F1 team allied to a car company (as Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren all are) to hide extra work than it is for one that operates in isolation.
A year's worth of talks to try to reach a compromise agreement with which everyone is happy have come to nothing, leading to a situation where Ferrari and Red Bull have run out of patience. They signalled their intention to quit Fota late on Friday - although they have to give two months' notice.
Ferrari's statement was long and detailed, talking about their reluctance at a "difficult decision", their ongoing commitment to cost-reduction and other changes in F1, and emphasising their own central role in Fota since it was set up in 2008.
Red Bull's ran to only two sentences: "Red Bull Racing can confirm it has served notice to withdraw from Fota. The team will remain committed to finding a solution regarding cost saving in Formula 1."
This in itself has led to more suspicion.
It is clear, more than one insider has said, why Ferrari pulled out of Fota - if the organisation could not sort out an RRA, what was the point of it? - but Red Bull's reasoning was very different.
The implication being that the world champions did not like the RRA because they had no intention of adhering to it. Fota had become an inconvenience.
Red Bull were not available for comment.
This suspicion has been poisoning the atmosphere within F1 all year, despite attempts to reduce it.
As well as the endless meetings aimed at bringing the two warring sides together, there was an investigation in the summer by external consultants into the way the teams were detailing their use of resources.
But while Red Bull believe this effectively cleared them of wrongdoing, their accusers disagree. "The analysis showed more than one concern about what Red Bull were doing," one insider told me.
The next step, as laid out by the RRA, was for a full audit of the accounts of the team about which there were suspicions - if a certain number of teams wanted this to happen, the accused team had to agree.
But this point was never reached, and after further meetings at the season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix, Ferrari and Red Bull ran out of patience.
So what happens next? Is this the death knell for Fota? Will the departure of Ferrari and Red Bull lead to a domino effect of teams leaving the organisation?
Alternatively, will a rump stick together, recognising that there can still be strength in numbers, not least in the forthcoming negotiations with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone over a new Concorde Agreement, the document which binds the teams, the commercial rights holder and governing body the FIA together?
That may become clearer after a Fota meeting on Tuesday.
More importantly, does this mean the end for resource restrictions in F1 - and will the sport therefore revert to the 'arms race' spending that led to the RRA in the first place?
On the face of it, the answer to that is no. The RRA is still technically in force. It is a legally binding document which lasts until at least 2012, or perhaps even 2017 - depending on whom you believe, and which version of the document you are talking about.
In theory, if Red Bull's rivals feel that they are breaking the RRA, they can sue them. If that sounds unlikely, one insider I spoke to for this article raised it as a possibility.
Equally, though, Red Bull and Ferrari are due to meet the other members of F1's big four - McLaren and Mercedes - next week to discuss resource restriction and how to move forward on it.
That hardly sounds like the actions of a group of people on the verge of legal action.
In public, everyone in F1 says they want to avoid a return to unrestricted spending.
One of the main reasons for this is that (effectively) unrestricted money is no longer available to top F1 teams - the effects of the credit crunch have reached even this notoriously expensive sport's rarefied climes.
Many of the smaller teams are living hand-to-mouth to a degree, with only the top four existing in relative comfort.
But even they have limitations on what they can spend.
McLaren are a private team who have to live within the budget they can raise from sponsorship and other commercial partnerships.
Mercedes, huge car company though it may be, has set clear limits on the amount of money its team can spend.
Even Ferrari, who 10 years ago could effectively spend what they wanted, now have to be careful with money.
But Red Bull are different, or so their rivals believe.
Team principal Christian Horner insists they have far from the biggest budget in F1 - he ranks them about third or fourth.
But his rivals raise their eyebrows at that, pointing out that Red Bull is worth billions and that the soft-drinks company is weathering the global economic downturn well by comparison with car companies and traditional corporate giants. In that sense, their rivals say, they really can spend what they want.
So whether founded on reality or not, and whether the accusation at its heart contains any truth, the fear at the heart of F1 is quite simple.
If Red Bull, despite the RRA, are prepared to spend what they want, as well as having the best designer in Adrian Newey and arguably the best driver in Sebastian Vettel, who can stop them dominating for years to come?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/12/red_bull_set_to_dominate.html
Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves
Hi to everyone :)
Hi all, my name is Greg and I am from New York. I am just starting to get into the model industry and looking to build a few models of cars that I enjoy looking at and love. I am currently on vacation in florida but when I get back to NY I will be purchasing a few models and start on building them. Any tips for me much appreciated. Have a great night and hope you all enjoyed your Christmas. You guys / gals will be seeing me around here more often.
A little more about my self I am a web programmer and designer and love computers I also am a marketer for a company which sells web hosting & servers.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/993079.aspx
Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise
India ready to spice up Formula 1
The glamorous globetrotters of Formula 1 will stop in South Asia for the first time this week as India makes its debut on the grand prix calendar.
There is a real sense of anticipation within the sport that the race outside the capital city of Delhi will add some spice to the season now both championships have been settled - as well as introducing a new global powerbroker into F1.
"It's a historic and symbolic moment," enthused Narain Karthikeyan, India's first F1 driver, who returns to a seat at the HRT team this weekend.
"Never did I think there would be Indian race in Formula 1 and never did I think I'd be in it. It's going to be the biggest day of my career."
Despite spreading east and west, it has taken F1 more than 60 years to make its way to the world's second most populous nation.
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The sport's first appearance in India was back in 1982, when the Force India team's co-owner Vijay Mallya, then a young businessman with a fascination for fast cars, drove Nelson Piquet's 1978 Ensign in a series of events around India.
But despite Mallya's early foray, the sport's commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, waited until the mid-nineties before pursuing plans to add India to the calendar. An agreement to stage the race in Greater Noida, a new city outside Delhi, was finally reached four years ago.
Unusually for a new entrant on the F1 calendar, government is not committing any funds to the grand prix. Instead it is a private venture funded by construction specialists the Jaypee Group, which has spent £205m on the new track alone.
Organising the grand prix is the firm's first foray into sport but, despite F1's notoriously high price tag, Jaypee views the project as a strong investment.
The Buddh International Circuit - designed by Ecclestone's favoured architect, Hermann Tilke - has been devised as the centre piece of an ambitious 'Sports City', which will include hockey and tennis stadiums - pitches have already been dug in for a state-of-the-art cricket stadium.
Building cricket stadiums for the sport's devoted Indian audience can be viewed as a pretty safe bet but India's appetite for F1 is more of an unknown quantity.
"You cannot compare F1 with cricket in India because cricket is like a religion," explained president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India Vicky Chandhok, who described himself as Ecclestone's "eyes" in India.
"But F1 is a vibrant sport, it oozes glamour, it oozes sex and we have the perfect audience - the youngest population in the world are in India."
Karthikeyan, who first saw F1 when a friend bought him a 1989 season review video, agrees the sport should not try to compete for the cricket audience.
"F1 is definitely not watched by the same demographic as cricket," he said. "The urban areas are where F1 is most popular, among people who like technology.
"They have other things on their mind in the predominantly rural areas; where there are farmers, I don't the connection with F1 is that big, whereas cricket is accessible to everyone."
Who F1 will appeal to is one thing but the other big question is how many?
The Indian potential audience is huge, with a population of 1.18 billion. However, a large population and a growing economy does not necessarily make for a receptive audience - as has been proved by the lacklustre response to the Chinese Grand Prix, which has been running for eight years but still struggles to attract a crowd.
Before the Indian GP, it is estimated that 27m Indians tune in to watch F1.
ESPN Star Sports is the sport's sole broadcaster in India - although eight national news channels have also been accredited for the race - and F1 is included in part of a satellite subscription package which Karthikeyan says costs less than a pound a month.
Television audiences for the first Indian GP are expected to rise above 30m, with an estimated 200,000 expected to watch from the grandstands over three days.
The novelty of the first race is bound to lure in a new audience but sustaining both interest and growth in F1 when the circus leaves town is a different challenge.
Thousands of fans turned out in Bangalore to meet McLaren star Lewis Hamilton
On the plus side, motorsport has some established some roots, with national karting and rallying championships already in place as well as a three-tiered single-seater series powered by engine manufacturer Suzuki, whose subsidiary Maruti Suzuki is India's biggest car manufacturer.
Chandhok, whose son Karun is the Team Lotus reserve and only the second F1 driver from India, is confident the GP will spark new interest.
"I honestly think there is going to be a huge boom in motorsport," he said. "People like Karun really struggled to make it because of the [lack of] financial backing but the next generation will find it easier."
Karthikeyan is more cautious: "It could go two ways; one like the Korean Grand Prix where it happens, there is some attention and then nothing happens in any form of motorsport for the rest of the year.
"Or it could be like Malaysia where, after F1 arrived, there is a huge interest in the lower formulae and a lot of motorsport is going on there in a big way.
"There are lot of kids who will see the race in India and want to emulate the drivers."
Force India, who regard the grand prix as an "emotional" home race, have launched their own academy to help ensure the Indian GP is not the only outlet for Indian talent.
"There are three sectors," explained deputy team principal Robert Fearnley. "The first is the one-in-a-billion search for an Indian driver, the second is the idea to help bright young Indian aerodynamicists and mechanical engineers through university and the third is a vocational plan to bring in technicians and mechanics."
There is also confidence that F1 and India will go on to forge mutually beneficial commercial partnerships.
Sauber's Indian-born chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn says: "It was always a bit of a mystery why we couldn't attract Indian companies.
"Because the Indian market is so big, most products and brands didn't necessarily see beyond their boundaries, but now they can use F1 as a platform and we offer our partners something additional if India is a big market for them. It's a win-win situation."
There are, then, a lot of expectations weighing on the first Indian GP, whether it is winning the hearts and minds of a nation, acting as a catalyst for grassroots motorsport or building new global business partnerships.
But there is also a warm confidence that F1 and India are only at the beginning of a fulfilling, new relationship - and there should be some fun to be had too.
"I think you'll enjoy it," smiled Karthikeyan. "You'll be in good hands."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/10/the_glamorous_globetrotters_of.html
Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt
Aston Martin highlights their winter driving experience [video]
Priced from €2,900 ($3,780 / £2,415), the event allows participants to drive everything from a V8 Vantage to a Rapide on snow and ice. 
Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer
Webber delighted to end year on a high
Mark Webber has spoken of his delight that he has finished 2011 on a high after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. Webber finished ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Jenson Button in Brazil to pick up his first win of the 2011 season. Speaking afterwards, the Australian said: “I felt good all weekend, Sebastian [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/dNIBo5z_9Sw/webber-delighted-to-end-year-on-a-high
Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot
Monday, December 26, 2011
70 Super Boss 429........It's Almost Done...........12/26
I am doing this one a little different..........................
More coming soon.................................
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/989091.aspx
Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
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