Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/formula-f1/~3/F75cOQhYomI/
piątek, 29 kwietnia 2011
Fernando Alonso eyes home win at the Spanish Grand Prix 2010
Spanish Grand Prix will kick start on Sunday bring enough joy to the home crowd. The 2010 Spanish Grand Prix will feature three local drivers – Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) and Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber). There is obviously much to cheers about these three lads especially Fernando Alonso if he can [...]
Pirelli to have their say once more in Turkey
With the Easter break now out of the way, the Formula 1 world will slowly lurch back into life with the Turkish Grand Prix on the horizon.
And what a dramatic note to take a three week break on. The http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/FDYNDqtXlAY/pirelli-to-have-their-say-once-more-in-turkey
Alfa Romeo SUV to follow 4C GTA in U.S. - report
According to reports out of Italy, a Jeep-based SUV will follow the Alfa Romeo 4C GTA in the United States.Di Resta takes praise in his stride
In Shanghai
Rookie Paul di Resta has been the subject of high praise in the Formula 1 paddock in Shanghai after scoring a point in each of his first two races.
The Scottish Force India driver was even likened by one journalist to French legend Alain Prost, another rookie who collected points on his debut.
Praise does not come much higher than that - Prost, who first burst on to the F1 scene with McLaren in 1980, went on to win four world championships and 51 grands prix.
But Di Resta is refusing to get caught up in the hype bubbling around him because he views his performances in Australia and Malaysia somewhat differently.
"All I can say is that we expected a bit more but for whatever reason it didn't quite come," Di Resta told BBC Sport.
"It's nice to get [my first points] out the way at the first and second grands prix.
"But that is the job we're out there to do and it has been a realistic target on both occasions."
Talking to Di Resta in Shanghai, I was impressed by his aura of almost palpable steeliness mixed with calm. Here is a man with a definite plan.
If the main priority on his F1 tick-list was collecting his first F1 points, then the second is beating the man in the same machinery.
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Di Resta, who was signed by Force India in January after learning the ropes last season as the team reserve, has already out-qualified team-mate Adrian Sutil twice and finished one place ahead of the German in Malaysia.
He had also been ahead of Sutil in Melbourne but the pair swapped places in the pits because they were running on different strategies and Di Resta crossed the line just behind Sutil in 10th.
"You can gauge yourself against your team-mate," added Di Resta. "And I've got a lot of respect for Adrian.
"I'd like to keep it where it's been and through the races I'm gaining more confidence. I did get the better of him in Malaysia but it's not always going to be like that.
"I wouldn't say he has to be afraid. Adrian is very quick and he's established, all I can say is that our performance has been comparable."
Winning a place in F1 has also given Di Resta, who is the cousin of the three-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, a second chance to test his mettle against his former rivals Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
In his junior career, Di Resta raced against the future F1 world champions, notably beating his then team-mate Vettel to the Formula Three Euroseries crown in 2006 when the German was already dipping his toe into F1 as a tester for BMW Sauber.
Now he has returned to competition with his teenage rivals, does Di Resta think they have grown beyond him in terms of talents?
"They've got good equipment and they're good drivers but at the same time I don't think that anybody's special," he added.
"It's been good [to be competing against them] but at the same time they are a little bit up the end of the grid.
"I'd like to be racing against them. One day I'm sure we will be but I'm not going to compare myself against Sebastian when I'm not in the same car."
Di Resta has out-qualified his experienced team-mate in both races so far. Photo: Getty
And what if Di Resta was alongside Vettel in the second Red Bull?
"I'd be hopeful I'd be as competitive as Sebastian," he added.
"How much he has developed and how much I've developed from 2006 no-one will ever now until we are in the same position again."
Di Resta is refreshingly clear and open about where he finds himself in his fledging F1 career and where he wants to go.
But there are two points on which the Scot would not be drawn; what his ultimate aim is for 2011 and what difficulties he is contending with.
"I've tried not to think about personal targets at the moment," added Di Resta, whose preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix were hampered by a fuel-pressure problem that kept him consigned to the pits for second practice on Friday. "It's too early to do that.
"I'll take it week by week but what I've achieve I want more now of - and you keep wanting more until you've got it.
"I'm not going to speculate on what [I find difficult] as there are people who will pick up on it and I believe that on the outside you need to show you're strong.
"That is the whole idea of competitive nature, you pick someone's weak bits and you bounce on top of it."
There is one wish, however, that Di Resta is happy to talk about and that is the treat he would like for his 25th birthday, which he celebrates this weekend.
"I'd like some more points," he says instinctively. "I'd like some nice cars but there is plenty of time later in life for that, so I'll take some more points."
POST-QUALIFYING UPDATE, 1100 BST, SATURDAY 16 APRIL:
Di Resta's quest to end his birthday weekend on a high with more points to add to his tally was given a nice boost by a career-best qualifying performance in Shanghai.
The 25-year-old had not done any qualifying simulations during his limited running on Friday but he battled his way into the top-10 shoot-out for the first time and claimed eighth on the grid.
Di Resta, who passed Nico Rosberg of Mercedes in Malaysia and almost got the better of Michael Schumacher's Silver Arrow in a battle for ninth place, is now feeling confident he can move forwards during the race.
"Our race pace doesn't seem to be too bad," said Di Resta. "So fingers crossed we can pick up some points again."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/04/di_resta_takes_praise_in_his_s.html
What next for Robert Kubica?
Robert Kubica has been in hospital in Italy for the last 10 weeks, following his rallying accident at the end of February. He says that he is now beginning to feel better and his strength is beginning to return. He will leave the Santa Corona hospitalin Pietra Ligure soon and will then spend a little [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/what-next-for-robert-kubica/
McLaren drivers out of title race
 Is it now a three-way battle for the title? |
?Focus and concentration will be of paramount importance and there is none stronger in this regard than Ferrari?s Fernando Alonso.?The Guardian?s Oliver Owen thinks that it is Mark Webber?s title to lose now, and that this may be the Australian?s last realistic chance of winning the title.
?He has driven beautifully. Monaco and Silverstone spring to mind. He has been an uncompromising racer, not giving Vettel or Lewis Hamilton an inch in Turkey and Singapore respectively. Most importantly, he has largely avoided the bouts of brain fade that can wreck a season ? his on-track hooning in Melbourne when racing Hamilton being the only exception. But there is a feeling that for Webber it is now or never, that a chance of a tilt at the title may never come again. He is certainly driving as if that is the case and that has been his strength.?According to The Mirror?s Byron Young, both McLaren drivers are now out of the title hunt after their fourth and fifth place finishes in Suzuka.
?McLaren's title hopes died yesterday in a weekend from Hell at Suzuka. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth in a Japanese Grand Prix they had to win to have the remotest chance of keeping their title bid alive."The Sun?s Michael Spearman was of the same opinion, saying ?Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's title hopes were in tatters after a shocker in Japan.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/mclaren_drivers_out_of_title_r_1.php
czwartek, 28 kwietnia 2011
Track talk
The Easter break has meant that F1 has been pretty quiet, as everyone gears up for the start of “the European season”, ironically in Turkey, which is not European at all. The races come thick and fast in May with Istanbul on May 8, Barcelona on May 22 and Monaco on May 29 and then [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/track-talk/
Chevrolet Corvette
Most automakers wait for a huge auto show to reveal updates for one of their more popular models, but Chevrolet is changing it up by presenting the 2012 updates for their beloved Corvette at the C5/C6 Bash at the National Corvette Museum. Luckily, the anticipation for a New York Auto Show reveal wasn’t a total bust as somehow or another the first details for the 2012 Corvette were revealed ahead of schedule. Now, Chevrolet is releasing the full spectrum of details just a few days before the vehicle’s grand reveal at the Museum extravaganza.
Most of the changes made to the Corvette show up in the Z06 and ZR1 models, with a new High Performance Package and a new Ultimate Performance Package. The only changes made across the Corvette board will be a host of interior modifications.
UPDATE 04/28/2011: Chevrolet has revealed the full details on the 2012 Corvette before the car’s official debut this weekend at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.
Hit the jump for full details on the Chevrolet Corvette.
Chevrolet Corvette originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 28 April 2011 12:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/chevrolet/2012-chevrolet-corvette-ar108515.html
Fernandes confirms Caterham deal
Tony Fernandes has officially confirmed that Team Lotus Enterprises has taken over Caterham Cars. The company – whose cars are based on the Lotus Seven with which Colin Chapman first made his name – has obvious appeal for Fernandes, who … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/04/27/fernandes-confirms-caterham-deal/
Caterham Seven Team Lotus Special Edition
After a failed partnership with Group Lotus, entrepreneur and Team Lotus boss, Tony Fernandes, has recently expanded his automotive profile with the acquisition of British sports car maker, Caterham Cars. The official confirmation was given at a special event at Duxford?s Imperial War Museum. Both companies have a strong link to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of ’less is more’ and Fernandes’ opportunistic interest in road cars places Caterham’s unique Seven on a pedestal. Proof of that is in the new special edition Team Lotus Special Edition Seven created to start this partnership off on the right foot.
The only distinguishing features for the Team Lotus Seven will be its Team Lotus-inspired livery paint job with matching interior. The most important addition will be a plaque carrying the signatures of Team Lotus F1 drivers, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. Owners will also receive a Seven history book signed by chief designer, Mike Gascoyne.
Caterham managing director, Ansar Ali, said: "Caterham Cars is starting an exciting and hugely important chapter, so it?s entirely fitting that we celebrate our opportunity to take Colin Chapman?s ?less is more? philosophy global, with this special car. Owners of the Special Edition Sevens will have not only a fabulous British sportscar, but a genuine piece of automotive history in their garage."
The new Team Lotus Seven will be limited to only 25 units, each priced at �13,650 or about $22,500 at the current exchange rates. The package can also be applied to any model in the line-up, up to the top of the range Superlight R500.
Caterham Seven Team Lotus Special Edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 27 April 2011 15:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/caterham/2011-caterham-seven-team-lotus-special-edition-ar108792.html
An Audi A7 made out of paper [video]
Taras Lesko took 285 pieces of paper for this 750-part paper-crafted Audi A7 Sportback. The man logged 245 hours of work to get it done.Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/0PJ2w5usHs8/an-audi-a7-made-out-of-paper-video
środa, 27 kwietnia 2011
Five ways to improve F1
 Emerson Fittipaldi in his heyday |
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/five_ways_to_improve_f1.php
Doctors use Formula One pit crews as safety model
American Medical News reports hospitals in at least a dozen countries are learning how to translate the split-second timing and near-perfect synchronisation of Formula One pit crews to the high-risk handoffs of patients from surgery to recovery and intensive care.
"In Formula One, they have checklists, databases, and they have well-defined processes for doing things, and we don't really have any of those things in health care."
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/doctors_use_formula_one_pit_cr.php
Red Bull under the spotlight
 Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium |
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php
wtorek, 26 kwietnia 2011
FAB Design SLS Gullstream details and photos
The Swiss tuner from Hunzenschwil has developed a widebody kit for the Mercedes SLS AMG called the Gullstream.2012 Volvo S60 & XC60 R-Designs gain more power
For the 2012 model year, both vehicles will be outfitted with a revised 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that produces 325 hp (242 kW / 330 PS) and 354 lb-ft (479 Nm) of torque.Hamilton decision-making under the microscope
 Lewis Hamilton has come in for criticism |
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/hamilton_decisionmaking_under_1.php
Jenson Button: ?It?s been an incredible journey??
Jenson Button says he’s delighted with the way the season has started, given the problems that McLaren faced in testing. However the 2009 champ was frustrated to drop to fourth having led the opening stint in China, and admits that … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/04/20/jenson-button-its-been-an-incredible-journey/
Bristol Motors bought by Frazer-Nash
Bristol Motors has announced they have been purchased by Kamkorp Autokraft which is a subsidiary of Frazer-Nash.poniedziałek, 25 kwietnia 2011
Could F1 go pay-per-view?
Formula 1's ability to generate major news stories above and beyond the excitement of the racing has never been in doubt, and this week has been no exception. No sooner had the dust settled on Lewis Hamilton's brilliant victory in the Chinese Grand Prix than reports emerged that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation was considering buying the entire sport.
The stories appeared first on Murdoch-controlled Sky News, quickly followed by the Murdoch-controlled Times newspaper, and they certainly set tongues wagging within F1.
The prospect of the sport being taken off free-to-air television - in the UK, it is currently on the BBC, which took over the contract from ITV in 2009 - and put on pay-per-view has also created debate on social network sites.
So could it happen?
Given that this is F1, it is no surprise that not only is there no definitive answer to that question, but that any explanation of the situation is complicated. I'll try to make it as straightforward as possible.
There are two inter-related issues here - who owns F1's commercial rights, and where it is broadcast. We'll leave the ownership of the sport aside until later and deal with the issue of free-to-air versus pay-per-view first.
F1 is governed by a document called the Concorde Agreement, which binds together the teams, governing body the FIA and the commercial rights holders, currently the private equity group CVC Capital Partners, represented by F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.
The Concorde Agreement is secret - so secret that the teams are not even allowed to retain their own copy - but it is known that it contains a clause which dictates that, in major territories, F1 has to be broadcast on free-to-air television.
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The reason for this is that free-to-air TV has much bigger audiences than pay-per-view, and the bigger the audience, the greater the chance of bigger sponsorship deals and therefore financial security and, for the teams, on-track success.
Take F1 off free-to-air TV and the audience would shrink dramatically. The smaller the audience, the less keen sponsors are to be involved, and the less money those that are involved would pay to the teams and Ecclestone.
However, the current Concorde Agreement runs out at the end of 2012, and negotiations to scope out a new one are beginning - at exactly the time that the global economic climate is making the commercial environment increasingly tough.
So teams are about to discuss the contents of a new Concorde Agreement at a time when several are struggling to raise funds and when the amount of money available from free-to-air broadcasters is, in a lot of cases, stagnating or reducing.
In that environment, might the F1 teams be tempted to try to secure their own short-term financial futures by removing the bar to pay-per-view in the Concorde Agreement, so they can free up the possibility of a big pay-day from, for example, Murdoch?
The short answer is that they don't know yet. While teams are beginning to focus on the need for a new Concorde Agreement, they are, in the words of one team principal, "nowhere" on the subject of broadcasting.
It is going to be a thorny and protracted debate, because so much is wrapped up in it:
- The teams want a bigger share of the total revenue of the sport - they currently receive 47%, with the remainder going to CVC.
- The new FIA president Jean Todt wants to renegotiate the deal that his predecessor Max Mosley signed a few years ago to grant Ecclestone's companies the rights to F1 for 100 years for $380m.
- And there is also the small matter of the 2013 regulations - with Ecclestone and Ferrari unhappy about plans to switch to smaller, more fuel efficient turbo engines on the grounds of cost and, less credibly, the noise they make.
F1 teams are typically short-sighted and self-interested when it comes to such matters - so it is not hard to imagine that some might see the appeal of Sky's millions as a way of securing their own short-term futures.
The risk with that would be that by reducing its audience, F1 could also reduce its appeal, and put its longer-term survival at risk.
You might think that the teams with least resources at the moment - both from TV revenues and sponsorship - would be most keen on a commercial model that raised more money from pay-per-view. But you would be wrong.
I put these arguments to the Virgin team's sporting director, Graeme Lowdon, who said: "My view is that the sport is served much better in the world of free-to-air for all the reasons you mention.
"F1 is an incredibly popular sport. It's talked about by people. It's the ultimate team game and the drivers are the heroes. If you remove the majority of the public, it removes a lot of the spirit of what F1 is about, as well as the ability for the teams to stand on our own two feet without reliance on the commercial rights holder.
The BBC is in the middle of a five-year contract to broadcast F1. Photo: Getty
"It's more important that we have an agenda that grows the popularity of the sport than one that gazes inwardly.
"F1 is way bigger than pay-per-view and deserves its place on the global stage with the viewing figures it gets. We would be concerned if the sport was heading towards a pay-per-view only model.
"The biggest mistake any team can make is to assume you'll never be at the bottom. Look at Williams. They have called it themselves a poor start to the season - and that's an extremely good team. Anyone who assumes they'll always win and argues the financial model on those lines at some stage could come a cropper.
"There are a lot of examples in football - lots of teams have built their model on winning the championship. But only one can win and (beyond that) there's wreckage.
"We have tried to highlight that the model for F1 needs to make sense for the team with the least resources.
"The attraction of free-to-air is it gives you more opportunity to diversify your revenue streams. If we go pay-per-view and find people use other (TV) channels, then we're at risk. At least if you have underlying popularity, you can get your revenue.
"I'd be surprised if a race headlong into pay-per-view would provide F1 with the defences (it needs). Free-to-air provides you with so much flexibility - it means the business is less at risk than if you put all your eggs in one basket."
Of course, there is an opposing view - as expressed by English rugby and cricket executives earlier this week as Sky Sports celebrated its 20th birthday - that pay-per-view can re-invigorate a sport and provide it with much-needed revenues to fund grass roots and youth development. On that subject, the Telegraph has quoted a News Corp source saying the company would "transform" F1.
The issue of who owns F1 is clearly both linked to the debate over free-to-air versus pay-per-view and separate from it.
Ecclestone himself says the potential News Corp sale is a non-story. He told the BBC: "I know Rupert and [News Corp international boss] James Murdoch and Carlos Slim, and if they wanted to do anything they would contact me direct. And they haven't."
Elsewhere, he added: "We would not sell to a media company because it would restrict the ability to negotiate with other broadcasters."
One senior insider said this was one of "Bernie's curve balls - he's always throwing them up; they don't necessarily amount to anything".
And a team principal said he did not think CVC was looking to cash in on its investment in F1. "I think CVC are in it for the long term," he said.
CVC spent $1.8bn on buying F1 in 2006, following the collapse of the previous owners for financial reasons. CVC got into debt doing so, but those debts are scheduled to be paid down within the next two years, after which it can enjoy the huge profits F1 makes.
Any potential sale of F1 is complicated by the fact that the FIA has a veto which it can use if it does not approve of the potential buyer - referred to by Mosley as the 'Don King clause'. And where Todt stands on the issue of News Corp is not known.
Some F1 insiders are sceptical that the story was grounded in reality. "It's built up some momentum pretty quickly," said one, "and I suspect it will die away just as fast."
That may or may not be the case. But the wider conversation is only going to grow in importance over the coming months.
The ownership of F1 is tied up in the Concorde Agreement negotiations. If the teams want a greater split of revenues, that by definition means less for whoever owns the sport. And how does CVC feel about that?
The FIA is also unhappy about its financial arrangements with Ecclestone and CVC. Will it ultimately side with the teams against CVC, with CVC against the teams, or be one of three separate entities all fighting their own corner?
Whether Murdoch is involved in it or not, then, this story is not going away.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/will_f1_go_pay-per-view.html
1969 Charger 'JackHammer' WIP Body Int Chassis Mock-up 4-23-11
Here is the start to what I will call the "JackHammer". I am re-working the front fenders due to a very bad mold of the top front of the fenders. I am blending the bumpers into the body both front and back. The wheels and tires will be out of the Prowler kits.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/952253.aspx
Paasche needle?
I have a Paasche H-series airbrush that I bought in the early 1980s. The shop I bought it from told me that it had the wrong needle in it for painting models and sold me another one. I still have the "factory installed" needle in a little tube that says H3. I think that H3 is the needle that is currently installed in the airbrush, so my question is:
Is H3 the right size needle for model car painting?
-- Steve
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/952020.aspx
SLS 63 Supersport GT by Kicherer
German tuner turns the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG into this SLS 63 Supersport GT with a matte black finish and shark-mouth grill.Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/1HnnXQFYbGo/sls-63-supersport-gt-by-kicherer
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