Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/24/jerome-dambrosio-lands-lotus-third-driver-job/
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Jerome D?Ambrosio lands Lotus third driver job
Jerome D’Ambrosio has been announced as third driver for Lotus, alongside Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. D’Ambrosio, who drove for Virgin last year, is managed by the Genii organisation, via its Gravity offshoot. ?It?s an exciting next step in my … Continue reading
Jerome D?Ambrosio lands Lotus third driver job
Jerome D’Ambrosio has been announced as third driver for Lotus, alongside Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. D’Ambrosio, who drove for Virgin last year, is managed by the Genii organisation, via its Gravity offshoot. ?It?s an exciting next step in my … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/24/jerome-dambrosio-lands-lotus-third-driver-job/
Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella
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
Is Raikkonen worth the risk?
Kimi Raikkonen's return to Formula 1 next season creates a field with as much depth of talent as any in the history of the sport.
Six world champions will be on the grid at the start of 2012, with a total of 14 titles between them.
There are also multiple race-winners in Mark Webber and Felipe Massa, plus what I believe are certain future winners in Paul di Resta and Nico Rosberg.
But while Raikkonen's return will add another fascinating thread to an already rich tapestry, will Lotus get the driver they think they are getting?
Kimi Raikkonen left Ferarri and Formula One in 2009 to pursue a career in the World Rally Championship. PHOTO: Getty
There is no doubt that Raikkonen at his best would be a powerful addition to almost any F1 team, but can the 32-year-old reach again the sort of heights that led to victories such as that at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2005, when the Finn claimed victory for McLaren in arguably the greatest race in Formula 1 history?
Having battled up through the field from 17th on the grid, Raikkonen won with a stunningly audacious move at the start of the final lap, overtaking Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella around the outside at 160mph going into the first corner.
Although Raikkonen would go on to win the world title in 2007, the race in Japan was in many ways the pinnacle of his career. He was certainly never as consistently great again as he had been in 2005.
By the end of the 2005 season, it was widely known Raikkonen had signed a contract to move to Ferrari in 2007 as a replacement for Michael Schumacher.
Raikkonen was expected to take over the role of team leader, with Felipe Massa a dutiful number two, but the Finn's performance fell short of what was expected.
His low-key personality was always going to make it difficult to dominate a team in the way Schumacher did - or Fernando Alonso has done at Ferrari in the last two years - but more of a surprise was Massa's ability to match him on the track.
Raikkonen did take the title in his first year at Ferrari - but it was a somewhat fluky win.
Firstly, title rivals McLaren went into meltdown after the partnership between Alonso and rising star Lewis Hamilton soured.
Secondly, Ferrari engineered the victory Raikkonen needed in the decisive final race in Brazil by swapping positions on the track with Massa, who was dominating.
Having won the title, many thought Raikkonen might step up a level in 2008, but Massa became the de facto team leader. This was not what Ferrari expected of Raikkonen, whom they paid a reputed $50m a year, the highest salary in the history of F1.
Midway through 2009, they'd had enough and decided to terminate his contract a year before it ran out. After paying Raikkonen at least a full year's retainer not to drive for them in 2010, Ferrari took on Alonso in his place, despite not knowing whether Massa would make a full recovery from an accident in Hungary that left him with a fractured skull and forced him to miss the rest of the season.
The difference between the relative performances of Alonso and Raikkonen at Ferrari could barely be more stark. Whereas Raikkonen had been evenly matched with Massa, Alonso has destroyed the Brazilian in the last two seasons.
So many questions arise from this comparison.
Was Raikkonen never as good as some thought he was and Alonso simply in a different league? Has Massa been affected by his accident in 2009 in a way neither he nor Ferrari are either aware of or will admit?
Was Raikkonen increasingly demotivated at Ferrari and therefore performing under-par? Was his legendary 'partying' affecting his driving? (There is a famous YouTube film of him falling off the roof of a boat with a drink in his hand and landing on the deck on his head)
Has Massa been unable to cope alongside the dominant personality of Alonso, but was able to give his best alongside Raikkonen, a man who paid no attention to 'working the team' and simply believed his job was to get in the car and drive?
So damaged had Raikkonen's reputation been by events at Ferrari in the last five years that any return to F1, after a humbling couple of years in world rallying, was never going to be with a top team.
There are too many other good drivers out there, without Raikkonen's baggage, for that to happen. So Raikkonen finds himself in a midfield team struggling to rebuild itself and a long way from finding the form that took Alonso to his two titles in 2005-6.
In theory, Raikkonen could be just what Lotus need. If he returns fully committed, as he says he will, with a raised tolerance of all the things he grew to detest about F1 - the media and PR work - he could be a valuable addition.
But will that motivation remain once the reality of midfield life hits him, when he realises just how much of a struggle he is in for, how far away he is from the top teams where he used to reside?
And will he really help the team progress? On that subject, there's a joke doing the rounds. It's set in the Lotus engineering office at a race some time in 2012. It goes like this: "How was the car, Kimi?" "Good." "How was the car, Vitaly [Petrov]?" "Good." "OK. Debrief over."
On the other hand, put yourself in the shoes of Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez and team boss Eric Boullier. Robert Kubica, who any team would want if he was fit, is still months away from being able to drive an F1 car again - and may never be able to do so.
Having ruled out Rubens Barrichello because there are too many questions about his age - he is now 39 - and motivation, your driver choices are Petrov, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean. Good, solid drivers all - and Senna, particularly, has shown these last few races that he has potential.
But then you remember Suzuka 2005 and other great drives. You remember Raikkonen's championship challenges in 2003 and 2005; his clinical, error-free consistency; how he was always at his best on the great 'drivers' circuits'; the way he grabbed victory by the throat in Belgium in 2009, the only race that year where Ferrari had any chance of a win.
You remember that great drivers just make things happen and you think what Raikkonen could do in your car, how much of a difference he could make.
Then it becomes easier to see why you might take the risk.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/11/is_raikkonen_worth_the_risk.html
Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco
Monday, January 30, 2012
Jules Bianchi lands Force India reserve job
Jules Bianchi is to be Sahara Force India’s reserve driver this year, after weeks of speculation about his chances of landing the job. The Frenchman will drive the new car in testing and will do at least nine Friday morning … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/27/jules-bianchi-lands-force-india-reserve-job/
Cadillac XTS livery sedan announced
Cadillac has quietly announced plans to introduce their newest livery vehicle at the LCT (Limousine, Charter and Tour) Show in Las Vegas.Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco Hans Binder
Bruno Senna Q&A: ?It?s difficult to set objectives??
Hot on the heelss of his announcement Williams has issued the following Q&A with Bruno Senna. Q: Now you?ve been confirmed as a Williams driver, what are your thoughts heading into 2012? BS: I?m really happy to be a part … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/17/bruno-senna-qa-its-difficult-to-set-objectives/
Speed camera prankster gets caught by police [video]
Remember that French prankster who pulled the Mario Kart stunt in the streets? Well, he's back and this time as a road side speed camera - that follows you!Lingenfelter Chevy Camaro Signature Series revealed
Lingenfelter has introduced two new tuning packages for the Chevrolet Camaro. Learn more insideTony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Dominant car? Great driver? Or a bit of both?
Sebastian Vettel's second world championship title was as remarkable for its control as much as the blinding speed of the German and his Red Bull.
Vettel based his season on a strategy of taking pole position, blitzing the first two laps and from then on going only as fast as he needed to.
The plan generally worked to perfection - Vettel took 11 wins and 15 poles from 19 grands prix - but it left you wondering just how fast he and the Red Bull could have gone.
In Brazil, I asked him if, with the title already in the bag, he had ever been tempted to just go for it, to really push the car and himself to the absolute limits. He replied that he had done just that in Korea and India, the scenes of two of his most dominant wins. "We were able to explore and sometimes take a little bit more risk," Vettel told me.
Despite Vettel's domination in 2011, there were very few of the runaway wins normally seen when one car is superior to the rest. Quite often, the races looked competitive, with Vettel tantalisingly close to - but frustratingly just out of reach of - his leading rivals.
Vettel and team boss Christian Horner often insisted the Red Bull had less of an advantage over McLaren and Ferrari in 2011 than in 2010. Yet Vettel won only five races and recorded 10 poles in 2010 on his way to winning the championship for the first time.
Let's examine the two seasons in a little more detail.
In 2010, Vettel's advantage in qualifying over team-mate Mark Webber was only 0.053 seconds when averaged out over the season. In 2011, it was 0.414. Likewise, Vettel's average advantage over the fastest driver not in a Red Bull was 0.077secs in 2010. In 2011, it was 0.317. That is a massive percentage gain from year to year.
There are reasons why Webber was so far adrift of his team-mate. Unlike Vettel, he struggled with the new Pirelli tyres, which affected both his pace in qualifying and his tyre wear in races.
The Australian is also physically bigger than Vettel so was occasionally at a disadvantage with the car's weight distribution, which again impacted on both his pace and tyre wear.
Turn One, race one; Vettel already has a big lead as the rest squabble. The story of 2011. Photo: Getty
The DRS overtaking aid, which gave drivers within one second of a car in front a boost in straight-line speed, also influenced matters.
But it is the tyres which were key. Asked to produce ones that spiced up racing, Pirelli came up with rubber that wore out rapidly, forcing a greater number of pit stops and resulting in more unpredictable races.
It is also worth looking at Red Bull's race strategy in 2011. The team may have had a car whose aerodynamic superiority made it the fastest by far, but it lacked a little straight-line speed compared to the McLarens and Ferraris. On top of that, I understand Vettel thought some of his rivals were perhaps better at wheel-to-wheel racing.
As a result, Red Bull's strategy was based on Vettel taking pole position, then opening up enough of a gap by lap three to prevent anyone from being close enough to make use of the DRS system, which couldn't be used for the first two laps. After that, he would measure his pace to those behind, producing a super-fast lap or two if he needed to.
Such a strategy did have its risks. If Vettel found himself in the pack during a race, he would have problems overtaking as the car was set up for lap time not straight-line speed. In other words, an error in qualifying or at the start could mess up an entire race.
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Red Bull were caught out a couple of times, notably when Ferrari's Fernando Alonso rocketed to the front on the run down to the first corner in Spain and Italy.
In both cases, Vettel managed to get past again. In Spain, he did it by pit-stop strategy, although it took two attempts, while in Monza he achieved it a brave overtaking move around the outside of the flat-out Curva Grande.
Had it been a McLaren that passed Vettel - a car that was faster than the Ferrari over the lap and down the straights - he might have been sat behind for the entire race.
But team boss Horner was adamant the strategy that Red Bull employed was the right one. "As a team, you have to attack the events," he said. "If you are conservative, sometimes you can pay a penalty. If Vettel was in a situation where he needed a big overtake, yes, a gamble was taken. But it was a calculated risk."
So how dominant was the Red Bull, really?
It had a clear performance advantage in at least nine of the races, of which Vettel won eight - Australia, Turkey, Valencia, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Korea and India. The other one was Brazil, where he hit trouble.
That leaves five races at which it was not possible to ascertain whether Vettel's was the fastest race car, although it almost certainly was in most of them. They were Malaysia and Monaco, which he won, and China, Canada and Abu Dhabi, which he did not. And the remaining five races where it definitely was not, out of which he won only in Spain.
The first obvious conclusion is that the Red Bull's pace advantage was restricted by the tyres. On many occasions, Vettel could have gone faster but chose not to because he was concerned about over-using the tyres.
At the same time, Red Bull insiders insist Vettel was not always in the fastest car. There were weekends, they say, when they did not think the car was quick enough yet Vettel still managed to put it on pole. Equally, there were times when Vettel was having to drive on the edge to break the DRS and to hold his advantage at the head of the field.
The Pirellis required something new of the driver - an exquisite feel for the limits of the tyres, the intelligence to drive measured races at exactly the pace the tyres and car could cope with and the consistency to do it at every race.
How many drivers could do that?
Jenson Button had a great season for McLaren, finishing second behind Vettel in the standings. The 2009 world champion treats his tyres delicately and, at his best, is as good as anyone. However, his form tends to fluctuate depending on outside circumstances, while he is not the best qualifier.
As for Hamilton, his speed and feel are at least equal to Vettel's but the 2008 world champion struggled in 2011, making too many errors and perhaps not fully grasping the demands of the new F1.
Then there is Alonso. The double world champion boasts speed, consistency, adaptability and mental strength. However, the Ferrari was nowhere near fast enough this year and it's rare that the Spaniard transcends the car's abilities in qualifying, although he nearly always does in races.
That is why, in 2011, Vettel was generally in a league of his own, even on the occasions when his car was not.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/12/sebastian_vettels_second_world.html
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
Audi A1 Cabrio, Q4 and A9 get rumored
Audi is reportedly gearing up to introduce an A1 Cabrio, an A9 four-door coupe and a new Q4 crossover. Details insideEnrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh
F1: New Sauber Also Has Ugly Nose 'Bump'
Peter Sauber admits tapered nose is on new car...
Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-new-sauber-also-has-ugly-nose-bump/
Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco
Jerome D?Ambrosio lands Lotus third driver job
Jerome D’Ambrosio has been announced as third driver for Lotus, alongside Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. D’Ambrosio, who drove for Virgin last year, is managed by the Genii organisation, via its Gravity offshoot. ?It?s an exciting next step in my … Continue reading
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/01/24/jerome-dambrosio-lands-lotus-third-driver-job/
Lotus: It?s very difficult to know where Raikkonen should be
Lotus have been speaking about Kimi Rakkonen’s successful return to Formula 1. The former World Champion took part in his first test for the team this week following two years away from the sport. Speaking about how it went, Trackside operations director�Alan Permane said: “From the first run he was pretty much there.” “It’s very [...]
Follow that Mole?
Click here for the latest news from the Motor Racing and Trade Development Department of the Secret Intelligence Service. This week there is scandal involving Tamara E, and Dany B.
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/follow-that-mole/
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Custom Astro van
After working on my mom's Astro over the holidays, I was inspired to pull this one back out and finish it. I grabbed an uptown Escalade kit and molded the front end on to the van. 
I lost one of the Astro mirrors somewhere along the way, so I used the Escalade mirrors.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/998865.aspx
Photobucket problems...am I the only one?
I've had a photobucket account since I first became a member here, and never have had any issues with them. But lately, when I go to Photobucket's website, my anti-virus protection pops up and says it has removed and deleted a "malicious malware software". This happens on their homepage, before I even attempt to log in to photobucket. I did log in once, and every page I would open I would get the same mesage from my anti-virus. Now while cruising around the boards today, I noticed some other member's (using photobucket) photos with just red x's or "this file has been deleted or removed", while others show up just fine. Am I the only one with this problem? I have some pictures to upload of my wip, but really don't want to risk anything until I get this figured out. I've run a full system scan of my computer and everything comes out clean.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/998854.aspx
'The point of no confidence is quite near'
 The wreckage of Jochen Rindt's car at Barcelona |
?Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. ?Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.?A little more than a year later Rindt's Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Some golf, some tennis and a bit of F1 thrown in?
It was a late dinner last night in Abu Dhabi, what with the busy day and the combination of cultures with frenetic Italians meeting laid-back Arabs. It was nearly one by the time we were delivered back to the fancy – and recently renamed Viceroy Hotel, which was called the Yas Island Hotel. It is [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/some-golf-some-tennis-and-a-bit-of-f1-thrown-in/
Better racing - but is it fake?
In Monaco before Christmas, Formula 1's governing body held a meeting to discuss one of the key and most controversial aspects of 2011 - the Drag Reduction System or DRS.
Introduced amid much controversy and no small amount of trepidation in some quarters, questions about the validity of the overtaking aid, not to mention the wisdom of employing it, decreased during the season. So much so that, at the Monaco meeting, it was decided that only small refinements needed to be made to its use for the 2012 campaign.
But while the FIA and the teams all agree that DRS has played a valuable role in improving F1 as a spectacle, they are determined to ensure it performs in the way intended. In particular, no-one wants to cheapen one of the central aspects of a driver's skill by making overtaking too easy.
Sebastian Vettel enters the DRS zone at the Spanish Grand Prix. Photo: Getty
To recap briefly, DRS was introduced in an attempt to solve the perennial problem of there being too little overtaking. After years - decades even - of discussions, F1's technical brains hit on what they thought could be a solution: DRS.
DRS does what it says on the tin. When deployed, the top part of the rear wing moves upwards, reducing drag and giving a boost in straight-line speed. In races, drivers could use it only if they were within a second of the car in front at a "detection point" shortly before the "DRS zone". The DRS zone was where DRS could be deployed, which was usually the track's longest straight.
The idea was to make overtaking possible but not too easy.
There is no doubt that racing improved immeasurably as a spectacle in 2011 compared with previous seasons. But how big a role did DRS play? And did overtaking become too easy at some tracks and remain too hard at others?
It is a more complex issue than it at first appears because it is not always easy to tell from the outside whether an overtaking move was a result of DRS or not.
In Turkey and Belgium, for example, several drivers sailed past rivals in the DRS zone long before the end of it, leading many to think the device had made overtaking too easy.
But, armed with statistics, FIA race director Charlie Whiting says appearances were deceptive. What was making overtaking easy at those two races, he said, was the speed advantage of the car behind as the two cars battling for position came off the corner before the DRS zone.
Whiting showed me a spreadsheet detailing the speeds of the respective cars in all the overtaking manoeuvres that happened in the Belgian GP.
"This shows very clearly that when the speed delta [difference] between the two cars at the beginning of the zone is low, then overtaking is not easy," he said. "But if one car goes through Eau Rouge that bit quicker, sometimes you had a speed delta of 18km/h (11mph). Well, that's going to be an overtake whether you've got DRS or not."
According to Whiting, the statistics show that if the two cars come off the corner into the DRS zone at similar speeds, then the driver behind needs to be far closer than the one-second margin that activates the DRS if he is to overtake.
"One second is the activation but that won't do it for you," Whiting said. "You've got to be 0.4secs behind to get alongside into the braking zone."
Confusing the picture in 2011 - particularly early in the season - was the fast-wearing nature of the new Pirelli tyres, which led to huge grip differences between cars at various points of the races. A driver on fresher tyres would come off a corner much faster and brake that much later for the next one. That would have a far greater impact on the ease of an overtaking move than DRS ever would.
Critics of DRS might argue that while it may be useful at tracks where overtaking has traditionally been difficult, like Melbourne, Valencia and Barcelona, for example, it is debatable whether there is a need for it at circuits where historically there has been good racing, like Turkey, Belgium and Brazil.
According to Whiting, DRS does not diminish the value of an overtaking move at tracks where it is usually easy to pass. It just means that DRS opens up the possibility for more. In other words, it works just as it does at any other track.
McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe is an influential member of the Technical Working Group of leading engineers which came up with DRS. He said people had been arguing for years that engineers should alter the fundamental design of cars to facilitate overtaking.
However, tinkering with aerodynamic design was never going to be a solution, according to Lowe, because F1 cars will always need downforce to produce such high performance, and that means overtaking will always, by the cars' nature, be difficult.
"What's great [about DRS is] at least we can move on from this debate of trying to change the aerodynamic characteristics of cars to try to improve overtaking," added Lowe.
"We've found something much more authoritative, much cheaper, easier and more effective, and adjustable from race to race."
Whiting thinks DRS worked as expected everywhere except Melbourne and Valencia.
Valencia's DRS zone could be extended for 2012. Photo: Getty
So for next season's opening race in Australia, he is considering adding a second DRS zone after the first chicane, so drivers who have used DRS to draw close to rivals along the pit straight can have another crack at overtaking straight afterwards. As for Valencia, traditionally the least entertaining race of the year, the FIA will simply make the zone, which is located on the run to Turn 12, longer.
There is potentially one big negative about DRS, though.
There is a risk that its introduction could mean the end of races in which a driver uses his skills to hold off a rival in a faster car. Some of the greatest defensive victories of the modern age have been achieved in this way. One thinks of Gilles Villeneuve holding off a train of four cars in his powerful but poor-handling Ferrari to win in Jarama in 1981, or Fernando Alonso fending off Michael Schumacher's faster Ferrari at Imola in 2005.
The idea behind the introduction of DRS was for a much faster car to be able to overtake relatively easily but for passing still to be difficult between two cars of comparative performance. In theory, if that philosophy is adhered to rigidly, the sorts of races mentioned above will still be possible.
However, once an aid has been introduced that gives the driver behind a straight-line speed advantage that is an incredibly difficult line to walk, as Whiting himself admits. "You've got to take the rough with the smooth to a certain extent," he said.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/12/drs.html
Revell 1969 Camaro Z/28 - Daytona Yellow - Body Painted
Staying with the Camaro theme I have decided to do another '69 Camaro Z/28. I did one in "Huggar Orange" several years ago but my building skills have improved since then and I wanted to do this one to go along with my '67 and '68 Z/28's which will complete my 1st generation Camaro series. The 1969 Camaro was my favourite Camaro of the 1st generation Camaros. This one will not be built with the RS option. I always prefered the exposed headlights on these Camaros. The colour will be Model Master factory colour "Daytona Yellow" with black stripes. Interior will be black as well. Thanks for your interest in this topic. Stay tuned for more to come. 
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/998495.aspx
Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari
Friday, January 27, 2012
Heikki Kovalainen - Classic F1
Heikki Kovalainen is the driver picking his five favourite all-time grands prix for the penultimate edition of BBC Sport's 2011 classic Formula 1 series.
The Finn has re-established his reputation with Team Lotus in 2010-11 after two years at McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton that were, by Kovalainen's own admission, "disappointing in terms of results".
So it is appropriate he has chosen five of his own races, as they remind us that he is a race winner in his own right and not simply one of F1's top drivers.
Kovalainen is trying to re-establish his F1 career at Lotus. Photo: Getty
In chronological order, the 30-year-old talks through his choices, starting with the race that stopped him getting the sack after a shaky start to his debut season with Renault:
"A very difficult weekend. One of the low points of my F1 career. I think Flavio [Briatore, the Renault team boss] was very close to getting rid of me. His patience was running out.�I crashed the car on Friday and it didn't look good in the first part of qualifying.�I honestly think he would have sacked me after that race if I hadn't come through the field and finished fourth, fighting actually for a podium with [Williams driver] Alex Wurz.�
"After that, I finished a strong fifth in Indy, beating Kimi [Raikkonen of Ferrari]. From then on, things started to work in the right direction.�I probably didn't realise at the time that it was that much on the line. I just thought: 'It's not working, let's try again tomorrow.'�But looking back now I think my career was at stake. Some other people have told me that. Luckily, he [Briatore] gave me some more races and things started to go well.�
"In Canada, Robert Kubica had a big accident. I was just exiting the hairpin and I saw the accident to my side and thought: 'That's going to be a safety car.'�I was just coming up to a pit stop and I decided to go into the pits myself. I called the team and said: 'There's going to be a safety car.' And they were like: 'No, no, no.' I said: 'Yeah. I'm sure there will be.' And as soon as I left the pits I saw the safety car, so I jumped a lot of people. If I had stayed out I probably wouldn't have been able to finish fourth."
"It was my first podium in F1 and with Renault. It was raining a lot, quite difficult conditions. We started behind the safety car, then [I was] coming through [the field] all the way through the race. I found I was in second place and fighting with Kimi on the last lap. He passed me, I passed him back, and I was able to keep him behind me.�
"Of course, it mattered that it was Kimi and a Ferrari. Kimi was at that time one of the big names, one of the guys fighting for the championship. To be able to beat him as a rookie, in a car that wasn't as good as his car, was a great moment.�
"Obviously, the circumstances worked out very well for us. The strategy was good and the rain maybe it evened out a bit.�It was a tricky race and Kimi was also coming through the field. Maybe a few more laps and he would have got me."
"My first race at McLaren and I came very close to winning it.�[Team-mate] Lewis [Hamilton] had done his second pit stop, I was coming up to mine. I had just done the fastest lap of the race and I was catching him.�
"He was on full fuel and I had a few extra laps before the end of my stint, so I was actually gaining a couple of seconds a lap on him. The team thought about stopping, but we decided to go to the planned end of my stint. Then the safety car came out.�
"I remember being behind the safety car at the head of the queue. Most of the guys behind me had stopped, so I dropped to 10th and eventually fought back to fifth. I overtook Kimi and Fernando [Alonso's Renault]. It was good. But imagine starting your McLaren career with a victory; it would have been quite cool.
"At the time I was annoyed, but what can you do? It was the right choice to stay out to fight for a win. If we had taken the conservative approach and stopped earlier, I would have been second, but we had good pace and going quicker and quicker. It was just unfortunate the safety car came out."
Hungary 2008
"My first win. I was in a good position all the way through the weekend. After Lewis had a puncture, I was running second all the way through the race. Then at the end I was catching Felipe Massa's Ferrari by two seconds a lap.�
"I knew he was in trouble. We were running out of laps. Then I saw his engine go. There are no style points in F1. It was a great moment.�I knew now was a good chance to win the race. I had a good cushion behind me to Timo [Glock's Toyota]. I didn't have to push. I was able to ease off a little bit and finish the job.�It was nice to win a race.
"It was a good part of the season [for me]. I was on pole at Silverstone and I didn't finish off that race. Hockenheim was a little bit unfortunate - I was in a position to be on the podium and then it didn't work out for me with the safety car. Then to get the victory just before the summer break was great."
"Looking at the performance of the [Lotus] car, I think I got everything out of it. I remember fighting with [Renault's Vitaly] Petrov and some other guys in better cars for quite a long time, knocking on the [door of the] top 10.�But then the power steering broke five laps before the end and I had to stop. It was a good race - I was able to build a big gap to the other new teams and join the back of the [midfield] queue."
Kovalainen has chosen Hungary 2008 as his favourite race. The highlights are embedded below, with short and extended highlights of last year's title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix underneath to whet your appetites for the weekend's action.�
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CLICK HERE TO WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
CLICK HERE TO WATCH EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
The classic races will also be available on digital television in the UK. On Freeview, they will be broadcast between the two free practice sessions on Friday 11 November, from 1035 and 1255 GMT. On satellite and cable, they will be available from 1500 GMT on Wednesday 9 November to 1000 on Thursday 10 November, from 1030-1430 and 1830-2000 on Thursday, and from 1035 -1255 on Friday.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/11/heikki_kovalainen_-_classic_f1.html
2002 Camaro Outlaw Drag Radial
here is an old project i finally got to finishing... a few details and I'm calling this done
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/998369.aspx
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
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 [...]
Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh Lucien Bianchi Gino Bianco
Aston Martin to unveil first production V12 Zagato in Kuwait
Aston Martin has announced to plans to unveil the first production V12 Zagato at the Kuwait Concours d' Elegance on February 15th.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
JeanPierre Beltoise Olivier Beretta Allen Berg Georges Berger
Complete: '72 Corolla Levin TE-27
Hey. Fujimi kit, Aoshima wheels & tires, Scalefinishes McLaren orange paint. Thanks for lookin'.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/992080.aspx
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem
GARAGE DIO
....Been thinking about doing a garage dio for awhile now. But didn't want the traditional backyard 2 car one or even a gas station style. After seeing a fellow modelers work with foam board I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm attempting to depict a 1920's era warehouse converted into a service garage during the late 50's - early 60's.......here's what I have so far.....
...the basic layout......
..I have some double doors at one end, a service door at the other, plus a couple of windows. Plan on having a small loft by the double doors and a car hoist by the windows.....
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/899206.aspx
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