poniedziałek, 23 maja 2011
Webber beats Vettel to pole
czwartek, 12 maja 2011
Williams seek to end cycle of decline
If the idea was to attract attention, Williams certainly succeeded. Choosing Mike Coughlan, one of two men at the heart of 2007's 'spy-gate' scandal, to spearhead your attempt to reverse a cycle of decline is guaranteed to get you headlines.
This, after all, is the man who, when he was employed as McLaren's chief designer, sent his wife to photocopy nearly 800 pages of Ferrari technical information in a local shop. Unsurprisingly, the assistant got suspicious, phoned Maranello, and the rest is history. McLaren were ultimately fined $100m and thrown out of that year's constructors' championship.
Coughlan was banned from F1 for two years and has filled his time since designing a vehicle for the army, working in the US-based Nascar stock-car series and, briefly, for the still-born Stefan Grand Prix team.
Now, though, he is back, following a decision by Williams to employ him as chief engineer in a reshuffle of their technical department aimed at recapturing the glory days of the third most successful team in F1 history.
As part of the changes, Sam Michael, who has been technical director for seven years, and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson have both resigned, although they will stay in their current roles until the end of the year.
And in perhaps the most significant change of all, Williams co-founder Patrick Head will retire from his role as director of engineering later this year, although he will remain involved in both the F1 team and specific other Williams sister companies as a shareholder and board member.
Head is one of the most experienced and widely respected men in F1 so, for the many both inside and outside F1 who care about whether this iconic team can recapture at least some of their past form, his continued involvement is reassuring.
As these changes have made clear, though, those hopes can no longer be invested in Head or even, to some degree, team founder and owner Sir Frank Williams, who formed one of the most remarkable partnerships in F1 history.
The man who has been given the reins is the chairman Adam Parr, who was formally named as the man in charge of the day-to-day running of Williams last summer.
The wheels have been coming off at Williams for some time. Photo: Getty
Since then, Parr and the seven-man Williams board have certainly been ringing the changes.
The first was the decision to drop the promising German Nico Hulkenberg, who impressed increasingly in the course of his debut season in 2010, and replace him with Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.
Judging by their careers so far, Maldonado is not Hulkenberg's equal on ability, but he came with a sizeable and lengthy sponsorship deal from his country's state oil company.
The decision to hire him, then, was an effective admission that long gone were the days of Williams being successful enough to choose their drivers on merit and let their performance on track deliver the necessary sponsorship resources. That particular equation had been reversed by the tide of declining results.
A second controversial decision was floating the team on the Frankfurt stock exchange, making it effectively the only F1 team to be a publicly listed company - although of course Mercedes and Ferrari are indirectly listed through their parent companies.
It has not gone especially well so far. The shares fell on their first day of trading and recently had lost a third of their value. They rebounded, though, on Tuesday following the news of the changes at the team.
The fact that there was a resurgence is interesting in itself - it's not necessarily what you would expect in the context of a decision to employ a man at the centre of one of the two biggest scandals in F1 over the last four years.
But while Coughlan's return was certainly a surprise to many in F1, perhaps that reflects an essential truth about his appointment, one voiced by Williams and Parr themselves. Spy-gate was a long time ago, he has served his punishment, it is probably time to move on.
That certainly seems to be McLaren's view of the matter. "The events that led to our decision to terminate Mike's contract occurred nearly four years ago," a spokesman told BBC Sport. "He's an experienced engineer and Williams are a famous team which we would all like to see recover to better fortunes."
The reshuffle at Williams follows the worst start to a season in the team's history, with drivers Rubens Barrichello and Maldonado failing to score points in the first three races. But unacceptable as that was, as Williams have themselves described it, what really prompted the changes was the difference between on-track performance and pre-season expectation.
For a number of years now, Williams have started each F1 season proclaiming that their new car was the one that would deliver a return to form. The difference in 2011 was that this time they really believed it.
The new FW33 is quite a radical design, featuring a remarkably small gearbox, the intention of which was to free up as much airflow as possible to what is now the critical area at the bottom of the rear wing.
"This year, we really thought we'd come out fighting," said the team's head of communications, Claire Williams, Frank's daughter, on Wednesday. "We thought we had the potential for more podiums only to find the reality was we had regressed further. After however many years, that wasn't acceptable any more."
In the short to medium term, it is Coughlan who has been charged with turning the team's fortunes around. The 52-year-old is to be considered for Michael's soon-to-be-vacant role. And even if they ultimately appoint someone else as technical director, Coughlan is responsible for next year's car and will clearly remain a key figure in the technical department for some years to come.
He is a man of vast experience - he has been in F1 since 1984 and has worked for Lotus, Benetton, Ferrari, Arrows and McLaren. He is regarded as very bright, enthusiastic and hard-working, even if he is, as someone said to me on Wednesday, "not exactly Adrian Newey".
That was a bit harsh. Newey, the man responsible for Red Bull's current period of domination, is a genius, one of the greatest engineers in F1 history. The problem for all the other F1 teams is that he is one of a kind. But you can see why the comparison was made - their shared history means it is Newey's shadow that hangs heaviest over Williams.
The team's spell at the very top of F1 ended with his departure for McLaren. The final car he had an influence on, the 1997 FW19, was the last Williams to win a title. And they have never been the same since.
Frank Williams has admitted that letting Newey go, not acceding to his demands for more involvement in the running of the team, was his biggest mistake. But expecting a return to those days, of the fastest car in F1, of seasons - entire eras - of domination, is a pipe dream, as Parr himself admits.
When I asked him on the eve of the season why Williams had not won a race since 2004, he turned the question back at me. "Let's just switch it around," he said. "Why would you expect Williams to beat Ferrari?"
It was a fair point. Years of lack of performance have produced a vicious circle of decline. Lack of results makes it harder to attract the best drivers and sponsors with big money. Lack of resources makes it even harder to produce a winning car. And not being able to attract a man who can transcend it - a Hamilton, an Alonso - makes the results even more elusive. So it goes on.
Even Barrichello's vast experience and highly regarded technical ability, which was instrumental in helping Williams recover from a poor start last year, has not helped them produce a competitive car in 2011.
Coughlan's job, then, is not to return Williams to its previous heights, but to restore respectability, get them back on an even keel. Only then can they think again about going further.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/05/williams_look_for_way_out_of_c.html
środa, 11 maja 2011
Alonso crunches the numbers
Fernando Alonso has been crunching some numbers and has pointed out that while he has scored fewer points in the first four races of 2011 than in 2010, he is actually ahead when the same four events are compared. Last … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/05/11/alonso-crunches-the-numbers/
Chrysler 300C Touring SRT8 "WIP"
This is my first posting of a WIP and also my first resin build. This is going to be the Chrysler 300C Touring SRT 8 that Chrysler sold in Europe. I'm starting with a Jimmy Flintstone 300 Magnum resin body, Revell Magnum SRT8, Revell Chrysler 300 SRT 8 (1/24) and AMT Chrysler 300C. It looks like I will use the rear bumper from the 300 SRT 8 and the dash board. I will use the Magnum for chassis and interior the 300 for the front grill and lights. Here some pictures of what I have. Going with metallic red and Chryslaer gray tones inside.
Picture from the internet.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955857.aspx
Aston Martin Zagato Concept
Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car will make its first appearance at the Villa D?Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at N�rburgring on May 28th. Only one teaser image depicting a rounded sports car has been revealed as of now, so expect more news on this celebratory model in the next few days.
Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world?s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."
The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.
When production for the new Aston Martin Zagato concept car goes underway in 2012, we expect a limited number of units to be produced, much like the 20 unit limit provided by the original model.
Aston Martin Zagato Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 11 May 2011 10:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/aston-martin/2011-aston-martin-zagato-concept-ar109458.html
Best Babes in Formula One (F1) Grand Prix: Pictures, Photos
Women have always been one of the major attractions of Formula 1. The glamour that women bring to this motor sport is wilder than most of the things that you can imagine.
credit: jiazi
When you go to watch any In. These sexy women make the sport popular and far more interesting than any other sport that [...]
credit: jiazi
When you go to watch any In. These sexy women make the sport popular and far more interesting than any other sport that [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/formula-f1/~3/JtNj8l_88d4/
Mosley loses EU privacy case
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has announced that it does not agree with former FIA President Max Mosley that the media should give prior notice of intended publications to those who feature in them. The court argued that the private lives of British people are protected in a number of ways, including [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/mosley-loses-eu-privacy-case/
1955 Chevy Convertible w/ 2010 ZR1 engine.
This is one of my projects i have worked on about 3 weeks start to finish. I hope everyone likes it.
http://public.fotki.com/waddellsbodyshop/1955-chevy-convertible-/
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/957696.aspx
wtorek, 10 maja 2011
Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150
Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history. �The cars [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/
Team orders in spotlight again
 Will Christian Horner regret not utilising team orders in Brazil? |
?The extra seven points Alonso collected when Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to move over for him in Germany earlier in the season are now looking even more crucial. ?And the �65,000 fine they picked up for ruthlessly breaking the rules will seem loose change if Alonso clinches the title in his first year with the Maranello team. ?Red Bull could have switched the result yesterday given their crushing dominance and still celebrated their first constructors' championship just five years after coming into the sport. ?That would also have given Webber an extra seven points, leaving him just one behind Alonso.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says that if Fernando Alonso does take the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari owes a debt of gratitude to Red Bull for their decision not to employ team orders in Brazil.
?If Alonso does take the title next week it would not be inappropriate were he and Ferrari to send a few gallons of champagne to Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes. ?While Red Bull should be heartily applauded for the championship they did win today their apparent acceptance that Ferrari might carry off the more glamorous prize continues to baffle Formula One and its globetrotting supporters. ?Their refusal to make life easy for Webber, who has led for much of the season and is still seven points ahead of Vettel, means that whatever happens in the desert next week Alonso, the only driver who was capable of taking the championship in the race today, only has to secure second place to guarantee his third world title.?The Independent?s David Tremayne is also of the opinion that Red Bull may regret not using team orders in Brazil.
?Had Red Bull elected to adopt team orders and let Webber win ? something that the governing body allows when championships are at stake ? Webber would have left Brazil with 245 points ? just one point off the lead. For some that was confirmation of his suggestion that Vettel is the team's favoured driver ? which generated an angry call from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria and was much denied by team principal, Christian Horner. ?And it sets up a situation where, if the result is repeated next weekend, as is likely, Vettel and Webber will tie on 256, five behind Alonso.?The Mirror?s Byron Young has put Lewis Hamilton?s fading title chances down to an inferior McLaren machine and he admits the 2008 World Champion now needs a miracle.
?Sebastian Vettel's victory sends the world title fight to a four-way showdown for the first time in the sport's history. ?Hamilton goes there as part of that story with a 24-point deficit to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, but with just 25 on offer in the final round in six days' time it would take more than a miracle. ?Driving an outclassed McLaren he slugged it out against superior machinery and stiff odds to finish fourth.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/team_orders_in_spotlight_again_1.php
Bahrain Grand Prix likely to face axe in the F1 2011 Season.
The political unrest that turned Egypt on its head recently arrived at Bahrain, with numerous anti-Government protests rising up across the Middle Eastern nation. The death toll in Bahrain stands at 6 already. Consequentially, the instability of the region is a severe detriment to what would have been a banging opener to the Formula 1 [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/formula-f1/~3/7HfnD4LMBmU/
Need some help guys!....Need all the help I can get...
Hi everyone... I need all the help I can get finding parts to repair some old family models. Will trade have lots of parts, or ? for the parts plastic or resins... Any help would be very much appreciated to save these family models.
60s Cadillac Hearse(Johan)-2 bodies,2sets glass,1 interior tub.
61/63 Falcon wagon-glass.
63 Pontiac Tempest-grilles,bumpers,hood,taillights,taillight bar,frt.seat.
69 Impala-rear bumper,taillights,upper dash pad or dashboard.
65 Fury HT-glass.
64 Buick Wildcat-r.bumper,taillights.
64 Comet-r.bumper,taillights and taillight panel.
69 Bonneville-body,glass,taillights,bumpers.
70 Bonneville HT-body,glass.
63 Ford Fairlane-f.+r.bumpers/grille,hood,taillight panel insert trim.
64 Bonneville-body(if top damaged ok), HT glass.
61 Ford wagon-body,glass,bumpers..
61-63 Ford pickup-hood,glass,taillights,chassis.
63 Bonneville-hood,bumpers/grilles,taillights,glass,headlights..
69 AMX-glass.
73-79 Ford pickup-glass,frame,bumpers,taillights,2WD frt.end.
71-77 Dodge window van-glass,bumpers,taillights and trim for,mirrors.
55 Pontiac Star Chief-bumpers,chassis,glass.
65 Mercury Parklane-f.fender turn signals and anything else.
60 Mercury Parklane-taillight lenses.
69 Ford Galaxie-taillight lenses.
64 Corvair-f.bumper.
66-67 Olds Toronado-hood,bumpers,frt.fender turn signals,taillights,glass,wheel covers or wheels.
65 Olds.Dynamic-body,glass,bumpers/grille,upper taillights.
64/65 Falcon-hood,,interior.
Any help would be greatly appreciated...some are not available in resin....
would also like to find....
Sinclair gas/oil decals....need several for a diorama project.
67-70 Chevy Suburban conversion.
66 Chrysler 300.
69-70 Grand Prix.
68 Bonneville.
Thanks for looking at the list for me! You can reach me by PM here or my e-mail.....
orrmod@yahoo.com Mark
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/942883.aspx
Formula One Goes High Definition
This week FOM, the Formula One Management company run by Bernie Ecclestone, has announced it will be providing native High Definition Formula One coverage for the very first time. �This heralds the entrance of the sport into the super clear broadcast territory. High Definition television has been available for some time now in the United [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/formula-one-goes-high-definition/
F1 2011 Calendar Qualifying and Practice Session Timings
We have covered the race timings of the F1 2011 Grand Prix World Championship. However, we know that there are a lot of people who are as crazy about Formula One as we are. So, this post is for all you Formula One nuts out there who also want to know the details and timings [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/formula-f1/~3/lSsJYyJ-1Iw/
poniedziałek, 9 maja 2011
World Premiere? Trumpeter 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint from JAPAN
My New project is Trumpter 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint.
I got this kit as promotional sample ahead of official delivery from Japanese Trumpeter distributor.
In Japan, This kit will deliver in this weekend.
I build this kit strictly as box stock.
In building process, there are no tricky points. I think this is very nice kit.
Subject : Trumpeter 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint
Reference : Collectible Automobile Magazine, sales burochure, Color chips, "FALCON! the New-size Ford" by Ray Miller(ISBN 0-913056-11-1)
Color of car : “Raven Black” Genuine FoMoCo color
Modified point : Nothing
Time to built : Two Weeks
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/952362.aspx
Send me your questions about F1 2011
Hello everyone,
What a start to the new Formula 1 season it has been! I am filming my first video blogs of the year on Monday. There's a lot to talk about and I'd love to hear your questions.
So if you have anything you'd like to ask me about the Formula 1 season so far, then please post your questions below.
All the best
Murray
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2011/04/welcome_to_2011.html
*WIP* 1969 Pontiac GTO 'The Judge' - More Progress
It's been three months since I last posted anything in the forums. I have a few projects I want to do this summer but I came across this kit at my LHS yesterday and since this is my favourite GTO body style I thought I would give this a shot. I am not fussy on building 1/24th scale models but I can't find this one in 1/25th scale. I used to have the MPC version of this many years ago and I sure wished I still had it today! Anyway, this one will be painted in Tamiya "Bright Red" with a black interior and sport the "The Judge" decals that come with it. This colour is as close as I can get to the factory colour "Carousel Red". Anyway, feel free to post any comments good or bad or if you have any info regarding this kit that would be useful in the construction. Thanks for following my topic.
Some engine parts painted in Model Master "Pontiac Engine Blue Metallic"
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955648.aspx
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
BMW tops Mercedes in U.S. premium sales in April - leads 2011 sales by just 29 units over arch-rival
BMW and Mercedes are on track to beat Lexus this year - the usual leader in U.S. premium sales which won the sales title in 2010.
Bernie Ecclestone: ?I hope these people come to their senses??
Bernie Ecclestone has spent much of today fending off journalistic enquiries about News Corrp/Exor’s interest in buying into F1, mostly with snappy one liners. However he has given a bit more of an insight into his position in a Q&A … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/05/07/bernie-ecclestone-i-hope-these-people-come-to-their-senses/
2012 BMW M6 Coupe spied again
The F12 M6 is expected to share a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 with the upcoming M5. 
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/LgFx9PeivRA/2012-bmw-m6-coupe-spied-again
niedziela, 8 maja 2011
Massa threatened with jail over team orders
 |
?A public raised on a diet of Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna were simply appalled and saddened in equal measure by Massa?s apparent lack of ambition.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/massa_threatened_with_jail_ove.php
Fiat boss Elkann wants to make F1 ?younger?
John Elkann – the boss of both Fiat and the Exor group that has expressed an interest in taking over F1 – says he wants to modernise the sport. The Exor/News Corp saga has dominated conversations in Turkey this weekend. … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/05/07/fiat-boss-elkann-wants-to-make-f1-younger/
Ferrari Launch Their 2011 Car The F150
Ferrari have become the first team to launch their 2011 Formula One car – named the F150. Thw F150 name comes from the fact it is 150 years since Italian unification, the flag bearer for the nation decided it was important to increase exposure of the major event in the country’s long history. �The cars [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/ferrari-launch-their-2011-car-the-f150/
Formula One Goes High Definition
This week FOM, the Formula One Management company run by Bernie Ecclestone, has announced it will be providing native High Definition Formula One coverage for the very first time. �This heralds the entrance of the sport into the super clear broadcast territory. High Definition television has been available for some time now in the United [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/formula-one-goes-high-definition/
McLaren may build street-legal variant of GT3 Racecar
British supercar maker may build a limited edition series of just 20 units of a road-going version of the MP4-12C GT3. 
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