Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews
Sunday, July 31, 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 [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/formula-f1/~3/F75cOQhYomI/
Erik Comas Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine John Cordts
Ham-garoring II
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the second practice session in Budapest, beating Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa. The Mercedes were seventh and eight with Nico Rosberg ahead Michael Schumacher. The Force Indias were next with Paul di Resta beating Adrian Sutil and the two Saubers, Kamui [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/ham-garoring-ii/
Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni
First Audi TT-RS delivered in U.S.
The Audi RS lineup has officially returned to America as veteran racing driver Don Istook has taken delivery of a 2012 TT-RS.
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/ZRfw3SAcBq0/first-audi-tt-rs-delivered-in-us
Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick
Maserati GranTurismo S Superior Black Edition by Anderson Germany
Anderson Germany seems to have a thing for turning already superior sports cars into lean and mean beasts of the road with exquisite black exterior paint finishes and upgraded power outputs. Their most recent transformations have come for the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin DBS, but they are now revealing the GranTurismo S Superior Black Edition. Just like the previously spectacular tuning packages, the GranTurismo S Superior Black takes the standard model and adds the aggressiveness it needs with a matte black exterior finish and other upgraded features, as well as extra thump for the engine.
The body of the vehicle get a cool matte black paint job while the window frames, grill, and the rear logo are covered in a shiny black finish. Anderson Germany then covered the exterior mirrors, tailgate and roof ledges, and the lateral left and right air inlets in carbon fiber before finishing the vehicle off with a new set of 21" glossy black exclusive rims with carbon framing. The use of carbon fiber in these accessories has reduced the GranTurismo’s weight by a total of 28 lbs.
Once the doors are opened, it becomes abundantly clear that Anderson Germany has also used carbon fiber to enrich the inside of the Maserati. The air inlets, door knobs, the switch desk in the roof liner, the door sill panels, the steering wheel, the seat regulation levers, the shifting paddles, and the radio mask are all made of carbon fiber. The luxury continues with black carbon leather seats with black Alcantara, keder piping, and red rhombus seams.
Anderson Germany continued to throw themselves into this tuning kit by providing an exhaust enhancement, racing cats, and software optimization for the GranTurismo’s 4.7 liter V8. These additions brought the output to 492 HP from the standard 440 HP.
Maserati GranTurismo S Superior Black Edition by Anderson Germany originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 29 July 2011 18:00 EST.
Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones Adrián Campos John Cannon
SPOILER WARNING: WSBK - Results, UK Race 2
The Superbike World Championship doubleheader from Silverstone, England will air back-to-back on SPEED on July 31 starting at 2:00pm ET.
Source: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/spoiler-warning-wsbk-results-uk-race-2/
Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy
64 Fairlane.....Re-Build....."Got It Finished"..........7/28
Got this old sorta built and will try to make into a true muscle car.................................
Hope to have some soon.....................
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/968338.aspx
Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison
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 [...]
Luca Badoer Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball
2012 Lexus GS teased [video]
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is less than a month away and Lexus has just released a new teaser video of the 2012 GS 350. 
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/1es-oMBjp5Q/2012-lexus-gs-teased-video
Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Cannonball Run 2011
Okay folks it's that time again. Lets kick the tires and light the fires.
As I've mentioned in the announcement thread, this is the thirtieth anniversary of the film, The Cannonball Run. For me and a lot of others, it helped forge the love of cars and more specificly car movies. It still puts a smile on my face.
The rules.
Your car MUST represent a car that "could" have appeared in the 1981 film. It must be a 1981 or older vehicle, and must use the technology and stylings of the day. If you plan on using some tech or items that someone finds in question it is up to the BUILDER to provide proof that it was in use back in the day. So rule of thumb, if in doubt, do your research. * I'm no auto expert, so I'm relying on the SA community to help keep us honest on this rule.*
The car must represent a car that you would like to race across country. Remember huge horsepower is great quarter mile, but you should be thinking reliability to drive from NY to LA.
Any scale.
No diecast.
The race is open to vehicles of any origin, foreign or domestic. It does not have to be a car that was commercially available in the U.S.. If you wanna race a Holden, by all means do so.
A started kit are allowed as long as you are NOT more than 25% along.
A parts box build or a tear down & rebuild are fine also.
We'd like to see an unstarted kit or whatever mess-o-parts you are starting from.
Wheels are gonna be a bear on this build. Remember 1 millimeter is roughly 1 scale inch if the kit is 1/25. So if your wheels are much larger than 16 millimeters across, they are gonna be too big . Mixing scales is gonna be a pain too, a 1/24 scale rim is 17-18 millimeters across so on a 1/25 scale body they are going to look too large.
The last day of this CBP is going to be December 1st 2011. A bout two weeks prior I'll open a thread for you to post pics of your completed builds. On Dec 2 I'll close that thread and open a poll for our peers here to vote on their favorite.
You may build as many models for this CBP as you have time for, HOWEVER, you may only enter ONE car for the poll in December. So pick your best one. After all you can't drive more than one car at a time can you?
Anyone can enter this CBP AT ANY TIME. As long as we see the beginning, a build progression and an end result, I don't care if you knock one out on the weekend before the race.
Let's get to it.
The 2011 Cannonball Rogue's Gallery - so far that is.
Slantasaurus - Mercury Capri II (a what?)
MillerMeteor - 77 Pontiac Ventura
Alex_bman33 - 69 Chevy Nova
Ace-Motorsport - 79 Mustang II (aka "Shortshot")
Wagonmaster - 69 Plymouth
Wraith - (treating us like mushrooms)
Dingo - Ford Falcon XY 350 GTHO (eventually)
Crazyhorse - Farrah's 76 Mustang Cobra II
Bloodyjaws (aka TheDogAteMyCobra)- 70 Chevelle SS
Zenrat - That 70's Chevy Van (sheesh another van)
Highway76 - Lambo Countach LP500S (very discreet entry)
Jantrix - 53 Studebaker Coupe (bringing some Leowy style)
Bugace - VW Scirocco (challenging all Porsches!)
001Slick001 - 67 Chevelle
Redmountain - 81 Grand Prix 1/16
74F150 - 56 Chevy Bel Air
Jonnogtv - Fiat 500F
Lunajammer - 1968 VW Beetle street machine
Mopardude001 - 1976 Dodge Adventurer 150
Matt21726 - 1970 Monte Carlo
Hvymtl74 - 68 Charger
A.R.C. - 62 Bel Air
VWDave92 - another VW Scirocco - who 'da thunk it, eh?
Pyreman - NJ State Police car.
Generaltso - 79 Bronco
Crzycanuck34 - 79 Camaro
Mamps - Ferrari 308 GTS
Razor 68 - Lotus Super 7 Series II
NewZealand - 67 Chevelle
BKcustoms - 70.5 Camaro
Dvdicvs - 1981 Ferrari 512BB
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/940157.aspx
Peter Collins Bernard Collomb Alberto Colombo Erik Comas Franco Comotti
Hungarian Grand Prix Preview: Is Hamilton now the man to beat?
Think back to the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix: Red Bull dominated the weekend as they took full advantage of their clear speed advantage to claim 1st and 3rd, winning every single session from Friday morning?s practice along the way. Fast forward to 2011 and if you were asked to predict what would happen at the [...]
Tom Bridger Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks
What New Car Models You Would Like to See Released?
..............My list in no particular order..................The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO..............The 73' Buick Riviera with the boat tail roof.............A 1/25 64' and 1/2 Ford Mustang (any body style). A newly tooled version would be an improvement over the back dated eighties 66' Mustang convertible Monogram has released at various times...............The (forgotten) 74-78 Mustang. It may have had only four cylinders and suggested a Ford Pinto on roids, but it was a Mustang. Since the AMT annual was way to over simplified and MPC turned their's into a pro street it is hole in many Mustang collections. It is time to do a new tool................The 73'-78' Chevy Impala coupe/convertible was among the last full size GM products. There is an MPC 76' annual which many of us have bought for trailer; not the soft on detail Impala. It would be great if Revell could do one with all of the detail of their 66' Impala............The Carbon Motors E7 would be a good light commercial subject with its police warning lights built into the roof line, chassis mounted push bars and enough high tech gear in the dashboard to make the Knight 2000 look like a Yugo................The new (Dark Knight) Batmobile in 1/25th scale...............A 2010-11 Ford and/or Chevy full size vans. They would be perfect for light commercial subjects..............The 1941 Chavy van/Suburban. Given the extra door handle in their 41' pickup kit Revell must have thought of it already.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/890936.aspx
Jimmy Bryan Clemar Bucci Ronnie Bucknum Ivor Bueb Sebastien Buemi
I'm looking for Wide Rear Tires.
I 'm in need of some resin or rubber wide rear tires for 1/12th scale. For both Choppers and Super Bikes.
I can scratch build them and take some time., but I would like to just buy them and save some time.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/970908.aspx
Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman
WSBK: Checa On Provisional Pole, Hopper Fifth
Carlos Checa posted the fastest time in Friday's World Superbike qualifying session at Silverstone while American John Hopkins continued to rank near the top of the charts.
Source: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/wsbk-checa-on-provisional-pole-hopper-fifth/
Walt Brown Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni
Friday, July 29, 2011
Eric Boullier: ?I?m not satisfied with where we are??
Lotus Renault boss Eric Boullier says he was disappointed that upgrades for Germany didn’t move the team forward, and says it just has to work harder. Although the car was more competitive than at Silverstone, the true picture was disguised … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/07/26/eric-boullier-im-not-satisfied-with-where-we-are/
Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick
Tempers blow hot in F1's latest engine dispute
A dreary Friday at the British Grand Prix, with limited on-track running because of the wet weather, was enlivened by a public row in a news conference between the bosses of Formula 1's leading two teams.
McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh and Red Bull's Christian Horner disputed the rights and wrongs of the latest ruling from motorsport's governing body the FIA on off-throttle blowing of diffusers.
If that sounds technical, it's because it is - very. But it's also very important, so please bear with me while I explain the complicated bit as simply as possible.
Over the last year, this technology, which was pioneered by Red Bull last summer, has been increasingly prevalent in F1 because of the dramatic effects it has on improving a car's aerodynamics, and therefore its cornering speed and lap time.
Basically, teams have been blowing exhaust gases over the rear floor of their cars even when the driver is off the accelerator going into a corner.
This ensures downforce remains consistent, whereas if you blow your diffuser only when the driver is on the throttle, it produces instability when a driver least wants it - on the entry to a corner.
There are two types of blowing of a diffuser - hot and cold.
Cold-blowing is what was pioneered by Renault and Red Bull in 2010 - the throttles are left open but fuel is not introduced, so only air goes through the exhaust.
Hot-blowing - which generates much more energy and therefore downforce - is when fuel is introduced and burnt but the ignition is retarded to stop the engine pushing the car on while the driver is slowing it down.
Leading engineers say hot-blowing can give an advantage of as much as second a lap over no blowing at all, while cold-blowing is worth about 0.3-0.4secs.
The row started when the FIA decided to introduce a limit of 10% of throttle when the driver was not pressing the accelerator.
Many of the teams objected to that. Mercedes - which supplies McLaren, Mercedes and Force India - argued that they should be allowed to introduce fuel on what is called the overrun, which is when the engine is acting as a brake, for reliability reasons.
Renault objected to this, claiming that it meant Mercedes teams would be getting an advantage, and arguing they should be allowed to cold-blow to provide them with the equivalent advantage. This is what was allowed on Friday at Silverstone.
But Renault's rivals object because the French engine company has now been allowed to have a 50% throttle opening when the driver is entering the corner.
This is what Whitmarsh calls "a very substantial performance benefit". To which Horner responds: "Why is it any more of a performance benefit than fired overrun?"
The irony in all this is that sources say Renault were only using 45% open throttles even before the ruling. If that is true, it means the new rule actually allows them more off-throttle blowing than before.
The Mercedes teams, by contrast, have been "constrained" in terms of the hot-blowing they were doing, according to Whitmarsh. How this all affects Ferrari - who are also believed to have been hot-blowing - is unclear.
Of course, the big question is how those of us watching can be sure that we are watching a level playing field.
I sought out a leading, highly experienced engineer for an answer. He says, in a nutshell, that we can't. But as a reassurance, he did add that "Charlie is very experienced at not having the wool pulled over his eyes."
Charlie being Charlie Whiting, F1's race director.
As a protest against the new ruling, the Mercedes teams ran in second practice with 50% open throttle during braking. Then, there was an explosive exchange in the drivers' briefing with Whiting, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton particularly animated on the matter.
And now all the engine manufacturers have been summoned to another meeting with Whiting.
I would imagine this will run into Saturday and possibly race day, too. F1 loves nothing more than a good row over technology.
For those interested, here is an edited transcript of the row between Whitmarsh and Horner. Those who want to read the whole thing will find it on the FIA website. (http://www.fia.com).
The argument started when I asked whether there was a level playing field and whether this was the end of the matter.
Horner: "First of all there was a technical directive that effectively turned it all off. That was met with reticence by the manufacturers, and it has been very much a manufacturer issue.
"Certain teams were then allowed to have fired overrun, to fuel their overrun, of which there were also secondary benefits, through the exhaust plumes and thrusts that creates.
"Renault presented their position to the FIA - and let's not forget this is an extraordinarily complex matter - to demonstrate that precedent is there that - for purposes of throttle blip (when changing down the gears) and reliability - cold-air blowing, open throttle, was a necessary part of the operation of their engine otherwise it would cause serious issues.
"It would be unfair to allow fired overrun and not allow the same parameters for another engine manufacturer.
"It is a very difficult job for the FIA to pick their way through this and I think all credit to them, they have looked to be as fair, balanced and equitable as they decreed they would be, to come up with a solution that they have.
"We are not totally happy with the solution that we have, that's for sure. I'm sure Martin isn't with his and I'm sure there are a lot of conspiracies in the paddock.
"But that's just circumstantial at the end of the day. The fundamentals are that the engine manufacturers have been treated in a fair and equitable manner."
Whitmarsh: "I'm sure people set out to do that. There have been about six technical directives on the subject so far and when the goalposts are moving part-way through a practice session, it makes it quite difficult.
"To do this in a fairly cloudy, ambiguous and changing way, inevitably in a competitive environment every team feels it's been hard done by. At the moment, potentially a lot of teams will end up making arguments to cold-blow.
"Renault have been in that domain for some time. Other teams haven't and don't have that experience. We are talking a very substantial performance benefit here."
Horner: "Why is it any more of a performance benefit than fired overrun? At the end of the day, Renault is allowed a fired over-run but it can't for reliability purposes."
Whitmarsh: "No, but clearly if under braking the throttles are open 50%, it is a reasonable benefit. It is a lot of gas going through. I would imagine all engines will end up doing that, which isn't what was envisaged when it was said we are going to stop engine blowing."
Horner: "So Mercedes engines aren't firing on overrun?"
Whitmarsh: "They've been constrained."
Horner: "As have Renault."
Whitmarsh: "Providing the constraints are the same for everyone, but clearly the fact we're having this discussion, it's messy.
"The intention people believed was that we were going to stop exhausts blowing when the driver didn't have his foot on the throttle. I think that was a simple concept. But that concept has been deflected. Therefore it hasn't been clear.
"The fact these things were only coming out in the course of today [Friday] is fairly extraordinary. But nonetheless I'm sure we'll remain calm and pick our way through.
"But probably better to make changes to the regulations between seasons and not in seasons, and to make regulations that are clear and unambiguous.
"At the moment a lot of people are getting emotional about the situation and I can understand why it's frustrating for the engineers not to know what it is we are allowed to do. By cold blowing, you're getting an extra 30 or 40 points of rear downforce in braking and that's quite an attractive thing, so if you can do it you're going to do it."
Horner: "Let's not make any mistake here. Firing on overrun, the thrust that that generates through the exhaust, generates a bigger effect. Let's just be absolutely clear on that."
Whitmarsh: "And that's been largely contained. A lot of those strategies are not permissible now."
Horner: "I read the technical directive that four-cylinder fired over-run was permissible for certain competitors and that includes your engine. As far as we understood, before Renault were allowed their parameters ,obviously there was a significant advantage going to any Mercedes-powered team.
"As you can see, it's a massively complex subject and the one thing Martin and I will agree on is it should have been addressed at the end of the year. But unfortunately here we are."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/07/new_engine_rules_power_f1s_lat.html
Allen Berg Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi
2011 Hungarian Grand Prix practice in pictures | F1 pictures
Pictures from the first day of practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/_JfVwxieAWg/
Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis
Team Lotus Launch Their 2011 Machine The T128
Team Lotus (the one who raced last year) have become the second team to officially pull the covers off their new 2011 car. The green and yellow liveried machine will start be raced by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen this season under the name of Team Lotus as the management’s row with Group Lotus, now [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/team-lotus-launch-their-2011-machine-the-t128/
Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood Bob Christie Johnny Claes David Clapham
Sauber keeps Perez and Kobayashi
The Sauber team has announced that it will run the same two drivers next year. ?We are very pleased with our drivers,” said Peter Sauber. “Kamui has grown into his role extremely well this year. Though it is only his second full Formula 1 season, he is already taking on the responsibilities that naturally fall [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/sauber-keeps-perez-and-kobayashi/
Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
Life in the pit lane
 The Mercedes pit crew prepare for Michael Schumacher in Singapore |
These are not select millionaires but up to 16 ordinary, yet gifted, guys; team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, are paid real-world wages of between �30,000 and �50,000 a year, are drilled to perfection ? and whose split-second synchronisation brings their teams huge rewards.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/life_in_the_pit_lane.php
Ian Ashley Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo
Hanging it up temporarily
Well y'all my sister-in-law and her two toddlers are coming to stay with my wife and I for some time so I have to put everything safely out of reach. We live in a one bedroom apartment and everything I build with is within reaching height of these two wonderful little girls so everything must be boxed up and put up on a shelf in the closet. That's my dilemma. Oh well. Family first right.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/970720.aspx
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 UK preview [video]
Porsche describes the new 911 GT3 RS 4.0 as the "most hardcore street legal 911 yet". 
Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti
Rising star Ricciardo relishing Hispania opportunity
At Silverstone
For a man making his grand prix debut this weekend, Daniel Ricciardo finds himself with an unusual amount of Formula 1 experience.
The Australian Red Bull protege has driven three different F1 cars in the last 12 months.
He piloted Red Bull's championship-winning RB6 car at a test for young drivers at the end of last season, and then became Toro Rosso reserve in 2011 before he was loaned out to Hispania as their race driver for the rest of this season just in time for the British Grand Prix.
Despite going from the fastest car on the grid to the slowest in the space of a few months, Ricciardo is viewing his promotion to Hispania race seat as a big step in the right direction.
"The car can't be compared to the Red Bull but it's still an F1 car," said the 22-year-old with an ear-to-ear smile. "It does some amazing things speed-wise and the potential under braking is still pretty strong. I'm definitely having fun.
"I was only 18 when I was picked up by Red Bull, and I knew there was still quite a few years to prove I could go through the categories and get into F1. It's only become a reality now."
The wet and windy weather that buffeted Silverstone on Friday meant Ricciardo did not have the best conditions in which to show his capabilities during his first full day of practice.
But he made a solid start, closely matching team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi in the morning and beating the experienced Italian by 0.209 seconds in the afternoon.
All drivers use the man on the other side of the garage as their initial benchmark but Liuzzi presents an interesting comparison for Red Bull as they assess Ricciardo. The team know just how far Liuzzi's talents reach because he drove for Red Bull in 2005 before joining Toro Rosso.
Does Ricciardo's future with the Red Bull family hang on whether he can regularly beat the Italian?
"It wouldn't hurt," responded Ricciardo. "I'll drive as fast as I can and where I end up will determine my future.
"Tonio is quite experienced and has spent more time with the team than I have. Going by the pace today I was quite happy to be in a competitive range and we'll see how it goes in the dry.
"The plan is to be around and to race in F1 for many years to come so with that I have to be fast and to prove myself."
Ricciardo asked fellow Aussie Mark Webber for some advice this weekend and there is even speculation that Ricciardo could be fast-tracked into Webber's seat in 2012.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has even compared Ricciardo's situation to Damon Hill's route into F1.
Hill stepped into a race seat with Brabham halfway through the 1992 season when he was a reserve for Williams. The next season, Hill was promoted to a race seat with Williams and four years later he won a world title.
So, does Ricciardo fancy a seat with the fastest car in the field?
"Having a connection and a link with Red Bull, it's somewhere in the back of my mind and it would be nice one day," said the Australian, who handily already lives near the team's headquarters in Milton Keynes.
"The news I got last week has filled up quite a bit of space in my head so I will just try and enjoy that at the moment.
"My main objective this weekend is to finish the race. Of course I'll push and try and get as much as I can from the car.
"I don't think we'll be fighting with Red Bull or Ferrari but I don't plan running at the back and having my own race. If I can be a few more places up the grid then of course I'll go for it. It would be nice to be involved in a good fight and I'll be pushing through all the race."
At the end of his first media session as an F1 racing driver, Ricciardo made another unusual gesture as he gathered up the dictaphones in front of him and handed them back one-by-one to each member of the media.
"There are a few more people here than I thought," said Ricciardo, with another trademark grin. "It's nice that people are taking an interest."
It's fair to say that there are plenty of people watching this space. After all, who's to say Ricciardo won't emulate former Red Bull protege Sebastian Vettel and rise through the ranks of Toro Rosso and Red Bull to become a world champion?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/07/ricciardo.html
INDYCAR: Miller's Mailbag, 7.27
Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.
Source: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-robin-millers-mailbag-727/
JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham
Thursday, July 28, 2011
How do you beat Vettel?
At Silverstone
Sebastian Vettel surveys Formula 1 serenely from a dominant position at the top of the world championship as he heads into this weekend's British Grand Prix, where the Red Bull driver is the hot favourite to win for what would be the seventh time in nine races.
The German's record has been rooted in the dominance of the Red Bull car and it is expected to be as tough to beat as ever at Silverstone, where the track layout could have been designed to suit its superb aerodynamics.
But Vettel is not unbeatable - as McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have already proved this year. If the German is going to be stopped this weekend, or at any other race this year, this is how it is likely to happen.
CHANGE THE RULES
Undoubtedly the biggest talking point ahead of the British Grand Prix is the decision to ban the use of off-throttle blowing of diffusers. This is a technology with which teams blow exhaust gases over the rear floor of their cars even when the driver is not pressing the accelerator, smoothing the airflow and increasing downforce and stability in corners.
This ruling will affect all the leading teams, and it remains to be seen whether it will change the pecking order. Intriguingly, though, it may also affect Vettel in comparison to to team-mate Mark Webber.
Red Bull and engine partner Renault were the pioneers of the technology last year, when they introduced it mid-season. But the run of form that put Webber top of the championship, including dominant back-to-back wins in Spain and Monaco, was achieved before it was introduced.
At that time, Red Bull were blowing their exhausts over the diffuser, but not when the driver was off the throttle, a practice that can lead to instability as the downforce comes off the car just when the driver needs it most - when he lifts off to enter the corner.
Webber found a driving style that minimised the effects of this more effectively than Vettel managed.
The Australian admitted to me that this "might have been a small part" of the reason why he was stronger than Vettel early last summer.
I asked him if he felt, therefore, that the new ruling could work in his favour in his attempt to beat Vettel for the first time this year.
"I don't think it can hurt," he said. "We're going to have a big change in how the cars are probably going to behave - I don't see that as a bad thing, mate."
Vettel adapted incredibly well to the new Pirelli tyres this season, while Webber has struggled to get on top of them - it is one of the reasons the German has dominated so far.
But as Webber says: "It's another start for both of us. You hope it's the other way around for me so I go, 'Bosh'. I might drop on to this a bit nicer than he might."
GET AHEAD OF HIM AT THE START
Vettel has based most of his wins this season on a simple strategy -put the car on pole, lead from the start and control the race.
The only way to stop him doing this is to either out-qualify him - as only Webber has managed to do this year, and then only once - or beat him off the start.
This was achieved by the McLarens in China - a race Hamilton went on to win - and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in Spain.
Do that, and Vettel is suddenly out of his comfort zone.
The limiting factor in races this season has been the sensitivity of the new Pirelli tyres - they lose grip quickly and if you abuse them, you are in trouble.
So leading at the start allows Vettel to treat the tyres gently while building up a small cushion.
He seeks to build a lead of about five seconds to enable him to respond to any attempts by rivals to use what is called "the undercut" - pass him by making an earlier pit stop and using the pace advantage of new tyres to get ahead.
This was demonstrated in Spain - where Vettel twice tried to undercut Alonso when running second to him in the early stages of the race. It failed at the first pit stops, but succeeded at the second, demonstrating the difficulty any driver in front of Vettel will have keeping him behind when he has a faster car.
But it doesn't always work like that.
In China, Vettel was beaten away by both McLaren drivers. He easily had the pace to stick with them during the first stint, but a decision to do a two-stop strategy rather than the three of McLaren backfired - the extra grip in Hamilton's tyres in the closing stages of the race made Vettel a sitting duck.
HOPE RED BULL MAKE A MISTAKE
As well as China, this also happened in Monaco, where a mix-up at his first pit-stop put Vettel on the wrong tyres and forced him into a strategy that would have lost him the race had it not been for a later safety car.
Without that, the advantageMcLaren's Jenson Button built from what would have been a better strategy would have seen him win the race.
Even in the situation that did unfold, Red Bull's strategy might not have paid off - Vettel headed into the closing stages of the race with Alonso and Button right behind him and pressuring him hard on much fresher tyres.
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McLaren believed Vettel's tyres would wear out to the point of him becoming defenceless before the end of the race, but then Vettel had what they call "the luck of champions". A late safety car led to a red flag and he was able to change to fresh tyres for the final eight laps.
DON'T MAKE MISTAKES YOURSELF
Leaving the Spanish Grand Prix in May, the chances of Vettel facing a challenge this year still looked pretty good.
Vettel had won in Barcelona, but only after fending off a clearly faster Hamilton in the closing laps - only the difficulty of overtaking at the Circuit de Catalunya had prevented the McLaren winning.
Coming up were two races on tracks where Hamilton fancied his chances - Monaco and Canada. But instead of beating Vettel, these events turned into a disaster for the Englishman.
A decision to do only one run in qualifying in Monaco led to him qualifying ninth when he had hopes of being on pole, and in the race he collided with two people on the way to sixth place.
In Canada, Hamilton's judgement seemed to have been clouded by qualifying only fifth. After making an impromptu visit to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to discuss his future that evening, he collided with two cars in the space of three racing laps on Sunday and retired. As Button later proved, it was a race Hamilton could have won.
So Hamilton could have been looking at a total of three - maybe four - wins instead of just the one, in which case Vettel would not be anything like as far ahead in the championship.
PRESSURE VETTEL - HE'S VULNERABLE
The vast majority of Vettel's F1 victories have come when he has dominated from the front, a situation in which he is supremely comfortable.
He is much less at ease having to make up positions or fending off pressure - as was proved in the thrilling climax to the Canadian Grand Prix this year.
After dominating in Montreal throughout, Vettel lost the win on the last lap, half-spinning while being pursued by the flying Button, who stormed through to a brilliant win.
This was not the first time he has made a mistake in a pressure situation, although in Vettel's defence, he was flawless under attack from Hamilton in the closing stages in Spain in May this year.
Nevertheless, Vettel - like anyone - can crack if pushed hard enough; it's getting into that situation that has been the difficulty for his rivals so often this season.
As Hamilton says: "You can push people into mistakes, and as long as you continue to apply pressure that's what you hope they're going to do. But for us to win this championship we have to be finishing ahead of them."
MAKE YOUR CAR FASTER
All of the above is all very well, but the reality is that Vettel's pursuers are fighting a losing battle as long as he has a fundamentally faster car.
"It is difficult to think about how to beat Vettel without a big improvement in our car or in McLaren's car for Jenson and Lewis," says Alonso, the man who was narrowly beaten to the title by Vettel last year.
"Their car so far is too dominant. It is a dominant position that maybe we don't remember since 2004 and Michael (Schumacher)'s time.
"Hopefully here in Silverstone we can see a turnaround of this situation in terms of performance. There is always the motivation to win a race but we need a step forward."
Alonso was not the only man at Silverstone on Thursday to liken Vettel's domination this year to Schumacher's seven years ago, when he won 13 races on the way to the most dominant of his seven championship victories.
So what does the great man himself think? Can Vettel be beaten this year?
"Difficult," Schumacher said.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/07/how_do_you_beat_vettel.html
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Mercedes needs to build more cars to keep up with Audi, BMW
Global premium segment growing for all three German luxury brands but Audi and BMW are inching ahead of Benz. 
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Sauber keeps Perez and Kobayashi
The Sauber team has announced that it will run the same two drivers next year. ?We are very pleased with our drivers,” said Peter Sauber. “Kamui has grown into his role extremely well this year. Though it is only his second full Formula 1 season, he is already taking on the responsibilities that naturally fall [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/sauber-keeps-perez-and-kobayashi/
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attaching photetched parts
what is the best way to attach photoetched parts to a model? It is my first attempt using photoetched parts.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/970748.aspx
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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 [...]
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Richard Hammond to get his own car show in America
Some will argue that Top Gear will only go as far as Jeremy Clarkson takes it, and to a certain extent, there’s some truth to that. But that’s not to say that his co-hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, are scrubs by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, one of them is going to get his own show in, of all places, America.
That’s right. The Hamster himself is crossing over to the other side of the pond. As BBC continues to expand its line-up in our neck of the woods, one of the shows that has already been confirmed will feature Richie Boy in a show called ’Hard Drive with Richard Hammond.’
The show is being being pegged as something along the lines of the World’s Toughest Driving Tests. Hammond will be traveling across the vast expanses of our wondrous land in search of the weirdest machines that he can get to move faster than Captain Slow ever could. We don’t know what kind of contraptions are going to be in store for us, but we’re definitely digging the concept of the show.
Let’s hope that the show more than lives up to the pretty awesome concept.
Richard Hammond to get his own car show in America originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 28 July 2011 12:00 EST.
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Alonso: I need Hamilton?s help
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/9SjKPooomNA/alonso-i-need-hamiltons-help
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I've been away from the bench taking a break from building and focusing more on my airbrush art and using those techniques with figure painting etc. This is my return to my "comfort zone" in automotive building and it's feeling real good. I've got the engine done, and airbrushed up the body. Next up is the interior.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/968358.aspx
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Following the frenetic action at the German Grand Prix on Sunday, Formula1fancast is here to bring you best reaction from the world of Twitter as the best and brightest from the grid express their delight or displeasure in no more than 140 characters! ?Great job by Lewis and the team for another win! Tough day [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/AsFjIcxunIY/tweeting-around-the-circuit-2
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Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/764206.aspx
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Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/karthikeyan-makes-surprise-f1-return-with-hrt/
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/q2-hamilton-goes-top/
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Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 UK preview [video]
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