Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/U4rmk3uZn_w/f1-wag-paola-ruiz
Saturday
F1 WAG: Paola Ruiz
Esteban Gutierrez nearly lost his place in F1 for the 2014 season, but we are glad he didn’t. Not just because he’s a talented racer, but because he brings the lovely Paola Ruiz with him on race weekends. The gorgeous brunette really is one of the more attractive prospects at Sauber this season, and here [...]
Friday
Expectations
I am flying to Kuala Lumpur today and that will give me the chance to forget about the flighty Chinese visa I have been chasing in recent days with a proverbial butterfly net. The folks in Shanghai insist that all will be well and it will all be done in the time available. I have […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/expectations/
Thursday
A potential 1-2 finish went away quickly in the late laps for Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon
On Friday, Jimmie Johnson stressed how it wasn't time for his team to be worrying about getting a win to lock themselves into the Chase. Rather, Johnson said, his team was simply going to keep doing what it was doing and focus on getting good finishes.
On Sunday, Johnson was leading the Auto Club 400 with seven laps to go. Yeah, it was looking like a moment of vindication for the six-time champion's confidence. Going out and winning a race while telling the world and the rest of your competitors you weren't desperate for it? That's a kick in the gut for everyone else, even if they knew to expect it.
However, it was Johnson and the No. 48 team that ended up kicked in the gut. With a lead of about a second over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, Johnson cut down a left-front tire on lap 194 and was forced to head to pit road. It was the second straight tire issue for Johnson, who had a right-front tire unravel at Bristol last week not too long after he was leading.
Johnson was 19th at Bristol. He finished 24th on Sunday.
Gordon, who had reported a vibration not too long before Johnson's tire failure, inherited the lead. As other drivers, like Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose had tire issues after Johnson did, Gordon was cautious with his lead. He had a sizeable gap on Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer, there was no need to push the limits.
But then Bowyer lost a tire and spun. The caution flag was out and Gordon's lead was gone.
After taking four tires on pit road, Gordon restarted seventh, the third driver with four tires. However, he didn't get a good restart into turn one and started falling back, away from the battle for the lead that unfolded at the front between Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart.
Gordon finished 13th. But that might not have been the most dramatic part of his day. Earlier in the race, he had to make his way through the field twice.
On the race's first set of pit stops, Gordon sped on pit road, knocking him from the front of the field to the back. Then after he climbed back to the front, Gordon was caught stuck on track during a caution flag when the pit light was flashing red while the flagman at pit road was waving the green flag to signal pit road was open.
Gordon, Keselowski and Bowyer, the top three cars at the time, saw the lights and stayed out. However, by NASCAR rule, the flag overrules the lights. Why did the flag differ from the lights? According to NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton, the offical at the opening of pit road said his uniform got caught in the fence and he was unable to get to the light switch in time.
Last week at Bristol, the race ended under caution after a NASCAR official in the flagstand bumped the button to turn on the caution lights.
Because of the miscue, Gordon had to pit a lap later and restarted outside the top 30. But once again, he got back to the front.
In addition to the NASCAR official, Gordon and Johnson's teammates had rough days too. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 12th, but he had two flat tires and even hit the wall because of one of them. Kasey Kahne's tough start to the season continued when he had to go to the garage just past the halfway point of the race because of a rear end gear issue. He finished 41st.
- - - - - - -
Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk Mark Blundell
Thoughts about the Malaysian GP
It has been busy since the end of the race in KL. Having crashed out GP+ in five and a half hours, we took off to the airport (right next door but a 15 minute drive around the airport) and we were soon in the Emirates lounge at KLIA, still writing words until the 02.00 […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/thoughts-about-the-malaysian-gp/
Wednesday
Keith Olbermann named TMS President Eddie Gossage his 'Worst Person in Sports' on a show last week
Who knew that Texas Motor Speedway's new big-screen television along the backstretch would generate such hate from Keith Olbermann?
The television host, now back with ESPN, named Eddie Gossage, the president of TMS, his "Worst Person in Sports" for one of last week's shows. The "Worst People in the World" segment is a carryover from when Olbermann had his own show on MSNBC and routinely lampooned world and political figures.
Gossage garnered the dubious distinction because of the track's recent unveiling of the "Big Hoss" screen along the backstretch. It's the largest HD screen in the world and will be in use for Texas' spring race on April 6.
"Here's the problem, you know what they show on it?" Olbermann asked in his trademark sarcastic tone. "Auto racing. Because seeing faceless guys in helmets and visors driving for a few hours can't really be appreciated unless you see them on a giant television two-thirds the length of a football field with you guys staring up at it like the way devil worshipers stare at fires."
A shot at auto racing. How original. But was that a subtle reference to the Tennessee woman stabbing her husband for worshiping the Bristol race? I doubt it, but if so, that deserves some props.
Come on Olbermann, what the heck are you trying to accomplish here? Yeah, sure, Texas Motor Speedway gave the screen a very Texas-like name, but that's the schtick of Texas Motor Speedway. Nothing can be done without a name full of rhetoric.
The speedway is far from the first sporting venue to install a monstrous video board; look at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play and Darrell K. Royal Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns to stay in the state. And it's not even the first NASCAR track. Charlotte Motor Speedway installed one in 2010, which was the largest HDTV at the time.
NASCAR is fighting the same battles that other sports are when it comes to attendance. While attending a NASCAR race in person can be a thrilling experience, it's also one that's much harder to keep track of from the grandstands than on the couch. You can only see so much of a 1.5 mile track at a time, and without the benefit of a scanner to pick up radio traffic or race commentary, you can easily lose the storylines of a race.
Large video boards give another avenue to show the running order and provide close-up views of the racing and instant replays. Much like what happens at football, baseball, basketball and hockey venues around the country.
Hardly something to get angry over, right? Ah, but what likely pushed it over the top for Olbermann was the showing of "Duck Dynasty" on the screen at the official unveiling. In an important detail that he fails to mention in his segment, the April 6 race is the Duck Commander 500. You know, the company of the Robertson family, the stars of the show.
As you know, Phil Robertson was temporarily suspended from the show after he made anti-gay remarks in an interview with GQ. The comments drew the ire of many, including, presumably, Olbermann, and ratings for the show's fifth season have dropped significantly from where they were in the fourth season.
But the show still has a loyal fanbase and it doesn't take much of a stretch to realize that fanbase likely overlaps with a large segment of the NASCAR fanbase. And as ridiculous as the "Duck Commander 500" and subsequent Robertson overkill on race day could be to many, isn't that the point of sponsorship? To identify your target market and appeal to them?
Plus, Texas is no stranger to controversial sponsorships. Last year's spring race was the NRA 500, a race sponsorship that led NASCAR to say that it would take a closer look at each potential sponsor deal.
If Olbermann has an issue with the sponsorship, which was announced a little less than two months after Robertson's quotes were published, then that's one thing. But to take it out on a television screen that will enhance the race experience for fans all along the frontstretch is petty, cheap and misguided. Plus it makes Olbermann seem out of touch.
- - - - - - -
(This post originally said the show aired on Monday, March 24. The YouTube clip was posted March 21. We apologize for the mixup.)
Juan Manuel Bordeu Slim Borgudd Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion
Tuesday
Would F1 Miss Red Bull?
After Red Bull?s latest recruit was disqualified in the opening race of the season. Daniel Ricciardo?s car did not have enough fuel left over and completing the race at the Australian Grand Prix. Formula 1 engines must have a fuel-flow rate of no more than 100kg/h at full throttle. The fuel-flow rate in the engine [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/jXFyj9IWlUA/would-f1-miss-red-bull
Monday
Future Bentley SUV Will Hit 200 MPH
If you?ve ever heard the old saying, ?You can?t have your cake and eat it too,? it usually proves to be true. However, the fine folks over at Bentley are bent on dining on cake whilst enjoying its lavish, unaltered aesthetics. Yes, Bentley is designing its upcoming SUV with a 200 mph V-max.
Bentley?s first utterance of producing an SUV took form at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The EXP 9 concept was a terrific interpretation of what Bentley designers could do with the ?corporate look.? With development still happening, rumors are starting to swirl from insiders about slight redesigns of the vehicle in order to achieve lower drag numbers.
A lowered roofline, smoothed-out rear end, and a carefully crafted underbody aero pan are all playing a role. The Bentley will still be big at a reported 6.5 feet wide, so engineers are having to cut corners and streamline where they can. Undoubtedly, a massive engine will be needed to power the SUV into supercar territory. W-12 anyone?
Bentley hasn?t had issues making cars go fast in the past. Just look at the Continental GT Speed. The issue comes when combining the characteristic of an Autobahn burner with that of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Tires are yet another issue. They?ve got to be tough and knobby enough for powering over muddy slopes while still holding the track at warp factor 10. Such tires aren?t in existence yet, so Bentley will likely partner with a reputable developer/manufacturer for such an ambitions product.
The Bentley — rumored to be called the Falcon — is expected at market for the 2016 model year, with early preproduction mules seen in 2015.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2016 Bentley SUV.
Future Bentley SUV Will Hit 200 MPH originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 27 March 2014 10:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/future-bentley-suv-will-hit-200-mph-ar162914.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)