Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/
Monday, 1 August 2011
Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident
UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: �http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. �His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While [...]
Perez, Kobayashi stay at Sauber for 2012
Sauber has confirmed that Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi will stay on next season, while Esteban Gutierrez will continue in his role as third driver. Given how successful both drivers have been this year – not to mention the financial … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/07/28/perez-kobayashi-stay-at-sauber-for-2012/
Red Bull under the spotlight
 Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium |
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php
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.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
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
Sunday, 31 July 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/
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 [...]
Custom 2010 Camaro WIP!!!!
heres one of my most recent projects, i started with an AMT 2006 camaro concept and a revell 69 camaro body and molded the front and rear body sections off the 69 onto the 06 concept. its going to get a ZR1 corvette drivetrain and suspension and a custom interior. well enough talk heres the pics!
thanks for looking, let me know what you think. Billy
thanks for looking, let me know what you think. BillySource: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/971135.aspx
Alfa GTV
I'm building this as a part of my trio of 'Top Gear - Alfa Challenge' build, replicating all three Alfas that the boys drove in Season 11, Episode 3. They are each given £1000 to buy an Alfa Romeo to prove they are any good. James buys a 1994 Alfa GTV.
i was able to get a tamiya 16v GTV, which the seller listed as 'mega-rare', despite the fact he had four of them. i've painted it red over grey primer, i'm changing it to RHD. This car is a daily driver, so i've weathered it underneath and underhood.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/970293.aspx
Sebastian Vettel: ?You can say it?s not like last year??
Sebastian Vettel was only fifth in FP2 in Hungary today, and after the session the German made it clear that he expects RBR to be under pressure again this weekend. Vettel was half a second off the pacesetting McLaren of … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2011/07/29/sebastian-vettel-you-can-say-its-not-like-last-year/
Saturday, 30 July 2011
BMW 2002: The product of a father/son build
Not too many things remain static throughout our lives. Yet throughout mine one thing has remained a part of the landscape of my life: my dad?s 1968 BMW 2002. He has had this car since it rolled out of Munich in 1968. I have many childhood memories sitting in those Recaro bucket seats. The learning did not cease; if anything it picked up because as I became more interested in cars, this car become the embodiment of everything I look for in a great car: style, performance, fuel economy. Then my dad and I upgraded virtually every component of it and made it better.
This was my study hall where some of my fondest memories were with my dad installing the engine and soaking up the knowledge like a new sponge. Now as I sit in its seats, the recollections flood back. Yet when I turn the key, the engine rumble prompts me to go out into the world and make new memories.
Details on the 1968 BMW 2002 after the jump.
BMW 2002: The product of a father/son build originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 30 July 2011 06:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/1968-bmw-2002-the-product-of-a-father-son-build-ar112497.html
Dodge Charger & Challenger SRT8 to get supercharger option - report
The Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT8 aren't lacking in power, but a new report is indicating the models will gain a supercharger option for the 2013 model year.Jaime Alguersuari - classic F1
Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari is the latest grand prix driver to pick his five all-time favourite races for BBC Sport's classic Formula 1 series.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has been impressing on the track in recent races, putting to one side speculation about his future with strong drives into the points in the last three races - Canada, Valencia and Silverstone.
Alguersuari is a singular character - outspoken and interesting, with a particularly idiosyncratic approach to his Twitter account.
He has applied that uniqueness to his choice of races for this feature, which we use to whet your appetites for the action to come at this weekend's German Grand Prix.
In chronological order, his choices are as follows:
A no-holds-barred, flat-out battle between F1's then top two drivers - Fernando Alonso and Michael Scumacher. It was reminiscent of a similar fight between Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen six years previously. Alonso, driving for Renault, put huge pressure on Schumacher throughout the race, so much so that the Ferrari's engine eventually broke.
The result did not quite secure Alonso a second consecutive championship but it did put him in a virtually unassailable position - and he made no mistake at the final race of the season in Brazil. This is the first time we have shown highlights of that Japanese race.
Alguersuari remembers that "there was a big casino with the rain and you had whatever Force India was then - Spyker maybe - actually leading the race and a lot of people crashing". He's right. This was a spill-a-minute race, won by Alonso, who was driving for McLaren. More on that in a moment.
"Because it was my first grand prix," says Alguersuari.
It was also the scene of a brilliant victory by Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren car that had started the season more than two seconds off the pace.
The 2010 Australian Grand Prix
This race will long be remembered for Jenson Button's inspired victory for McLaren. It was also enlivened by Alguersuari's brief but exciting tussle with Michael Schumacher, when the Spaniard re-passed the German legend after being overtaken.
"It was the first time I had really had a battle with someone in Formula 1," Alguersuari says. "It was the start of something good, of what was a big season for me in 2010. It was the basis of my championship."
Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber to a comfortable Red Bull one-two but Alguersuari remembers the race because it was the one in which he scored his first F1 points. "That was very nice and something I will not forget," he says.
----------------------------
As always, we choose one of these races to highlight. This time, we have gone for the 2007 European Grand Prix, which was held at the Nurburging, the track that hosts this weekend's German GP.
It was an incident-packed weekend, starting from the moment Hamilton crashed his McLaren at high-speed in qualifying after a wheel came off, leaving the Englishman in 10th place on the grid, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen on pole and Hamilton's team-mate Alonso beside him on the front row.
The Nurburgring, high in the Eifel mountains, is famous for its capricious weather - and this race was no different. After rain hit on the first lap, Spyker's Markus Winkelhock, making his one and only grand prix start, held the lead. The race was then stopped after four laps before Alonso and Raikkonen's team-mate, Felipe Massa, battled it out for the win.
In the dry, Massa pulled out a lead of about five seconds only for Alonso to cut it back in the closing stages. The late rain then gave Alonso the chance he needed.
After both men had fitted intermediate tyres, Alonso was much faster than Massa, the Spaniard passing the Brazilian with a superb move around the outside of Turn Five, the two men banging wheels as the McLaren went through.
The result moved Alonso to within two points of Hamilton in the championship - and set the stage for a cataclysmic sequence of events at the next race at Hungary.
The highlights of that thrilling Nurburgring race are embedded below - Murray Walker is the commentator as he did a one-off stand-in race for BBC Radio 5 live that weekend.
There are also links to short and extended highlights of last year's German Grand Prix, which was held at Hockenheim. During the controversial race, Ferrari asked Massa to hand the lead to Alonso, now his team-mate, to boost the latter's title chances.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 GERMAN GRAND PRIX
CLICK HERE TO WATCH EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 GERMAN GRAND PRIX
A selection of the classic races will be shown on the BBC red button on interactive television in the United Kingdom. These will be Japan 2006, Europe 2007, Malaysia 2010 and extended highlights of Germany 2010.
Satellite and cable viewers will be able to watch them from 1500 BST on Wednesday 20 July until 0855 on Friday 22 July, when our broadcast of free practice starts.
Those watching via Freeview will be able to see the classic races between first and second practice on 22 July, from 1035 until 1255.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/07/jaime_alguersuari_-_classic_f1.html
Robert Kubica Hospitalised Following Rally Accident
UPDATE ON KUBICA’s CONDITION: �http://wp.me/p3uiu-11K Renault Lotus F1 driver Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital following a car accident while competing on a rally. The incident, described as a high speed accident, left the Pole injured and he had to be airlifted to hospital. �His co-driver Jakub Gerber was uninjured in the incident. While [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/robert-kubica-hospitalised-following-rally-accident/
Ferrari 458 Italia engine assembly [video]
Watch Ferrari staff demonstrate the process of assembly for the 458 Italia's 4.5 liter V8 engine.Friday, 29 July 2011
F1: We Need To Raise Our Game Says Vettel
Sebastian Vettel was uncharacteristically off the pace in Friday's second practice in Hungary...
Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-we-need-to-raise-our-game-says-sebastian-vettel/
A look at the BBC/Sky deal
While race fans in Britain and up in arms about the idea of having to pay for Formula 1 coverage, the deal that has been struck might not have been his doing. Just two weeks ago Ecclestone told The Daily Telegraph’s Christian Sylt that: “it isn?t possible that F1 could go on to pay-TV. We [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/a-look-at-the-bbcsky-deal/
In anticipation of the AMT Meyers Manx reissue....
I have campaigned for years publically and behind the scenes for a reissue of the AMT Meyers Manx dune buggy kit. When this kit was first issued in 1969, it was among the most popular kits in all modeling (judging from the stock builds seen at the MPC contests of the day); right up there with Monogram's BadMan kit, and the original AMT Gas Ronda longnose Mustang kit.
To prove my point,, a couple of years ago I built a series of the Manx kits (I had never built one when the kit first came out), to go along with my MPC Dean Jeffries Koyote II dune buggy that I won at one of those MPC contests and built back in the day.
Here's the complete stock buildup (built from several eBay parts kits - I would never pay collector prices for a kit like this). The only non stock part of this is the tires, which are MPC Goodyear Blue Streaks from the same era, and the use of a second set of tailamps to provide quad lamps (a technique seen on some Manxes back in the day). And yes, the if you look closely at the paint, you'll see it is based on the same spray can paint fade technique that I demonstrate in the current (July/August 2011) issue of Scale Auto.
If you'd like to see my entire collection of Dune Buggy builds, including the off-road (bodyless) version of the Manx kit with a kitbashed Corvair engine, just click on the link below.
http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/boyd-dune-buggies/
Like many of you, I can't wait for the AMT Manx reissue to hit the shelves for the first ime in about 40 years,. YEAH! Thanks for looking....TIM
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/968750.aspx
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/
'Space The Final Frontier' 62 Flying T-Bird..."It's Painted"..7/28
I gathered up a large amount of my custom parts and some old ones. Grabed my old T-Bird body and this is what happens.......
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/969172.aspx
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Mercedes Viano Vision Pearl concept announced
Described as a yacht on wheels, the van has luxurious interior with leather seats, wood floors and brushed aluminum trim.Revamped Silverstone wins over the fans
At Silverstone
Silverstone's owners have spent �40m in the last two years to modernise the historic Northamptonshire circuit that Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone once famously described as a "country fair masquerading as a world event".
Of that cash, raised by the British Racing Drivers' Club, �28m has been absorbed by a state-of-the-art pits and paddock complex, and the rest has gone on improving spectator facilities.
This year, ticket-holders to the British Grand Prix have their own "fans zone" - which curves round the Luffield section of the old grand prix track - new steeped, grass banks to watch from and two brand new grandstands at Farm and along the pit straight.
There's even the equivalent of Wimbledon's "Henman Hill" - which has been unofficially dubbed Hills' Hill after father-and-son world champions Graham and Damon Hill - where fans can watch the racing from a giant screen.
Silverstone has a rebuilt pit lane but not everyone is happy about it. Photo: PA
The philosophy behind the facelift was to give fans the opportunity to rove around in a festival atmosphere - but has the investment improved the experience?
"The last time we came was four years ago and the difference is unbelievable," said Louise Torrance from Aberdeen.
"At the campsites there are now loads of showers, films like The Italian Job at night and a disco as part of the entertainment.
"Was the investment worth it? One hundred percent. We've heard other people saying it's much better than last year, so it can only get better from here on in."
Sarah Davies found herself sharing the weekend with first-time British Grand Prix visitor John Beazley after their mutual friend broke his ankle at the circuit during Friday practice.
Sarah, from Oxford, said: "The medical staff were fantastic. The paramedics took him to the medical centre, set it straight away and took him to hospital."
Beazley, who hails from Sheffield, added: "I've wanted to come for years and years. I've been following motorsport since the Nigel Mansell days and I'm just blown away by the noise and the amazing atmosphere."
The Formula 1 world championship was born at Silverstone 61 years ago when the former World War II airfield hosted the opening round of the sport's inaugural season.
But two years ago Ecclestone was ready to pull the plug on the circuit, leaving the existence of the British Grand Prix in real danger.
The pledge to plunge millions of pounds into Silverstone saved both the circuit and the British GP, and on Sunday a record sell-out crowd of 120,000 fans will come through the gates.
The BRDC can ask for no better vindication than that, but the revamped circuit is not without its problems.
The new pit lane slopes below the level of the track and that means the fans' views of the pit stops from the opposite grandstand are obscured.
The plan had been for the slowest teams on the grid to occupy those garages but the layout was switched so that members of the "Paddock Club" - who pay a premium for their seats - could watch the race-defining stops at Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.
The team principals at Red Bull and McLaren, who have been bickering for most of the weekend over a controversial change in the sport's technical regulations, were united in their criticism of the issue.
"For those in the grandstands, who can't see the pit stops, it's a bit of a shame," said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
His Red Bull counterpart, Christian Horner, added: "The spectators are not going to see many Red Bull or McLaren pit stops this weekend. It's not great."
There are also concerns that the relocated podium isn't in front of a grandstand and so fans could be tempted to surge onto the track, just like in less safety conscious days, at the end of the race.
And in times of austerity, it is no surprise that some spectators find Silverstone's ticket prices challenging.
Sarah Davies added: "The prices are expensive. It cost me �300 this weekend which is a lot of money when you're on a budget. Silverstone could do more."
Surprisingly, there was one thing the fans were, on the whole, not complaining about - the temperamental British weather, which sent sheeting rain and gusts of wind across Silverstone.
After all, for British fans there's no place like home.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/07/revamped_silverstone_wins_over.html
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.
Ricciardo is hoping to impress at Silverstone this weekend. Photo: Getty Images
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
Completed : AMT 2005 Chrysler 300C
Hi.
Well, I am not sure if this particular car fits Muscle Car category but since it's got a Hemi, I decided to post mine here.
This is AMT 300C built completely OOB with some corrections here and there.The kit body had incorrect weather strip moldings and missing C pillar inserts so I corrected them all. I only used parts that came with the kit except for the oil dip stick in the engine bay to see what I can do with a kit which is somewhat underrated. It was all about extensive research for the reference photos and careful detail painting to make it look like this. The paint is mixed silver/blue/cyan to approximate Magnesium Pearl which in real world, too has slight green shade under the light.
The kit seemed a bit dull at first, but after all those corrections I think now it's one crisp 300C. I really enjoyed building this kit with had a typical AMT tooling.
Here're some interior shots.
Oh, and I cut the side windows for more "American" look.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/968955.aspx
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
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
2012 Toyota Camry brochure leaked?
The 2012 Toyota Camry leaks continue as a new image, from a purported brochure, has hit the web.Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/SI6PjMRafU0/2012-toyota-camry-brochure-leaked
Dodge Charger & Challenger SRT8 to get supercharger option - report
The Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT8 aren't lacking in power, but a new report is indicating the models will gain a supercharger option for the 2013 model year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)