F1 - 2008 REVIEW

This is a review by Tom Cary of the Telegraph. Personal favorite? Mosley 'pain in the ass' scandal. you should watch the video. It was 'hilarious'.

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Racial abuse

1. The season starts on a low with Lewis Hamilton the subject of racist abuse at February testing in Barcelona. It was a theme that would return to haunt F1 later in season with rights holder Bernie Ecclestone landing himself in hot water for making light of a Spanish website featuring yet more racist insults aimed at the young McLaren driver.

Mosley scandal

2. Formula One is rocked by video footage released by the News of the World showing FIA president Max Mosley in an orgy with five prostitutes. The paper alleges they are involved in Nazi role-playing, which is vehemently denied by Mosley who later wins a High Court legal case against paper for invasion of privacy. After months of debate and heated calls for Mosley to resign, he wins a vote of confidence at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the FIA on June 3.

Super Aguri bust

3. A sign of things to come. On arrival at Istanbul Park for the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, Super Aguri's trucks and motorhomes are denied entry to the circuit. On May 6 it is confirmed that Super Aguri are to pull out of F1 due to financial difficulties. The Honda-backed company goes into administration a day later leaving British driver Anthony Davidson and his Japanese teammate Takuma Sato without a drive.

FOTA formed

4. A momentous day as the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) is formed on July 29 in Maranello, Italy. Headed up by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, FOTA gives the teams a united voice in their discussions with the FIA and with Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights holder, regarding the future of the sport. The new Concorde Agreement, the division of profits, the proposed introduction of standard engines are all on the agenda.

Hamilton wins at Silverstone

5. After crashing into the back of Raikkonen at a red light in Montreal and then finishing 13th at Magny Cours, Hamilton silences the doubters with a sensational win at Silverstone in the driving rain. "I couldn't see a thing, especially the right side," Hamilton said afterwards. "This would definitely go down as my best win - not only because it was history and my home ground, but because I drove one of my best ever races."

Spa controversy

6. The controversy of the season comes at Spa. A compelling grand prix ends with Hamilton crossing the line first, but he is later judged to have gained an unfair advantage by cutting a chicane when he used a tarmac run off area to avoid hitting Kimi Raikkonen and given a 25-second penalty, thereby dropping him to third and giving Massa the win. Hamilton's world championship lead is cut to two and the sport is embroiled in allegations of fixing.

Singapore night race

7. F1's first night race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore is hailed a roaring success. Co-funded by the Government of Singapore, 110,000 tickets are sold, the event is beamed back to Europe at a convenient time, the pictures look stunning and Bernie Ecclestone's eyes light up with dollar signs. Expet to see more of these in the future.

New young talent

8. The emergence of exciting new drivers such as Sebastien Vettel, Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen was a definite plus of the 2008 season. German Vettel became F1's youngest ever winner by taking the Italian Grand Prix at the age of 21. What is more, he did so in a Toro Rosso having qualified in pole position as well. Robert Kubica was many pundits' driver of the season and was in the title mix until the midway point, while Kovalainen won his first victory at the Hungaroring

Dramatic finale

9. Last corner, last lap, last race. Hamilton's fifth-place finish in the rain at Interlagos, making him F1's youngest ever world champion, was impossibly dramatic and turned the 23-year-old into a global sporting icon. It also gave birth to a whole new generation of petrolheads in Briton. It also showed sportsmanship at its best with Ferrari's desperately unfortunate Felipe Massa truly dignified in defeat.

Honda Ko'd

10. Formula One was hit by a seismic blow that shook it to its core as the year drew to a close. Honda's decision to pull the plug on their outfit due to the severe economic downturn prompted a bout of soul searching and frenzied speculation that other teams would follow in the Japanese manufacturer's wake. FIA president Max Mosley used the paranoia to push for extensive (and essential) cost-cutting, with a raft of new measures ratified at the World Council Meeting on Dec 12.

GP2 - 2009 CALENDAR

With 2008 winding down to its final days, the focus is shifting on next year. So we can expect the major racing series around the world to be setting their calendars for the upcoming season, and GP2 has chimed in with their own.

The open-wheel feeder series is the official support series to Formula One, with GP2 races taking place in parallel to F1 grands prix. The shorter GP2 season means that they don't go everywhere the F1 circus does, but this year the feeder series, run by Renault boss Flavio Briatore and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, will hold one stand-alone race in its first foray into Portugal. Follow the jump to review the full ten-race calendar for the 2009 GP2 series.

11-13 March - Paul Ricard, France Test
23-25 March - Barcelona, Spain Test
9-10 May - Barcelona, Spain Race
22-23 May - Monte-Carlo, Monaco Race
6-7 June - Istanbul, Turkey Race
20-21 June - Silverstone, Great-Britain Race
11-12 July - Nurburgring, Germany Race
25-26 July - Budapest, Hungary Race
22-23 August - Valencia, Spain Race
29-30 August - Spa Francorchamps, Belgium Race
12-13 September - Monza, Italy Race
19-20 September - Portimao, Portugal Race

source

ECONOMY DOWNTIME 1 - NSX 0

Damn those capitalist. I'd waited ages for this NSX. And thanks to them, they are canned.

But get real ya. This time it's a huge problems for the Honda to counter back at every corner to save the business.

It's always better safe than sorry I think. Hope we'll get a whole of it soon. Good bye for now NSX.

SHELBY - UPGRADED 2009 SSC ULTIMATE AERO

Press Release

SHELBY SUPERCARS UNVEILS NEWLY REFINED 2009 ULTIMATE AERO, 15% HORSEPOWER INCREASE.

After holding the "World’s Fastest Production Car" title for the past year, the Shelby SuperCars' Ultimate Aero is receiving several refinements for the 2009 model year. The SSC engineering team equipped the 2009 Ultimate Aero with a 15% increase in horsepower, a revamped front fascia design, and an array of important interior upgrades. The most substantial change is an SSC-designed, 1-piece billet aluminum engine block. A milestone for the limited-production automobile manufacturer, the new block improves structural integrity and oiling capabilities allowing SSC to boost the power output to 1287 horsepower while improving durability.

Armed with the more powerful new engine, the '09 Ultimate Aero will be able to reach world-record speeds of 270 MPH, raising the benchmark for supercars and pushing the limits of current production car technology. In order to accommodate the '09 Ultimate Aero's unique fuel system requirements, SSC turned to American company Aeromotive to develop a flawless system. The aggressive nose is redesigned with enhanced aerodynamics to accommodate the 2009 Ultimate Aero's higher top speed, and carbon fiber louvers on the side intakes draw in an additional 20% of air into the radiators for improved cooling. The improvement in overall performance will widen the already sizeable gap between the Ultimate Aero and its competitors. The '09 Ultimate Aero also introduces the AeroBrakeTM a rear spoiler system that deploys under braking situations. Finished in carbon fiber, the rear spoilers actuate up an additional 8" when the brake pedal is depressed. The speed of the spoiler actuation is set by the amount of brake pedal pressure. The complete AeroBrakeTM system can be disabled by the push of a button, for town driving or situations where braking and downforce assistance are not necessary.

Rounding out the '09 Ultimate Aero's improvements is a revamped interior. A redesigned dash prominently displays sleek, exposed carbon fiber dash halves and inset air vents. Carbon fiber accents run along the doorsills, surround the new gauge cluster, and continue onto a revised steering column, which includes an analog speedometer and tachometer with a sequential shift light integrated into the tachometer needle. The new center console incorporates a digital temperature control unit and tire pressure monitor along with an Azentek PC base Infotainment unit. The revolutionary Azentek unit offers all the capabilities of a PC and processes SSC's onboard diagnostic software.

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I just wrote something about them yesterday and here they goes. They've come out with a new and fully upgraded SSC Ultimate Aero. What a coincidence. LOL.

This time, they've fully restored and by chance increasing everything up to 15% bucket of performance.



Shelby had claim that they've producing a car that can go up to 4++KmH. In that case, they'll renew the record list and rest peacefully, again at the top.

So far it looks like they've started to gain conscious with technology and the only thing that can make this daring literacy being publish is the power and performance upgrade.

A new aluminum cast engine block, designed in-house by the Shelby's engineer, lightens the load and improves oil flow with its sounder structural integrity.

A part of the 1287Hp, big brakes, pimp infotainment, super ugly spoiler I can't seem to bothered about this thing because they need a lot of lighten bodywork, a lot of carbon fibers and I hope it doesn't melt down when the meters went to 4++KmH. Boring!

So far, it looks rather promising for them. And just wait for the price. Serious performance means serious business and not so serious buyers. LOL.


Again, like The Joker said, WHY SO SERIOUS!

TOYOTA PASSO SETTE - PERODUA 2009 MPV?

Exterior Dimension :

lenghtxwidthxheight = 4,180-4,195 / 1,695 / 1,620 (mm)

Wheelbase = 2,700 mm.

Groundclearance = 150 mm.

Interior Dimension :

lenghtxwidthxheight = 2,550 / 1,420 / 1,310 (mm)

weight = 1,170 - 1,250 (kg)

Engine : 3SZ-VE Dohc 16 Valve 109PS/6,000rpm ,14.4kg-m/4,400rpm

AUTOinCAR.com

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Don't know what will we get for 'not ours' Perodua. LOL.

Just slap the Perodua badges all over the MPV, give us the lowest price that we should get.

ZENVO ST1

Another Bugatti killer? Hemmm. Doubt that.

SSC Altimate Aero claimed that they've beat the Bugatti record of the fastest production car in the world. But seriously, the name is already weird enough for a supercar and there's nothing new with the design or the technology itself. So, no one will know the existence of it and I never heard anybody said anything about it although they've beat Buggati record.LOL

But what about this one? A Zenvo ST1. Sounds like a Japanese meal. Does it have what it takes to beat the mighty Veron or the 'not so interesting' but fast SSC?

It was hand built by Zenvo Automotive in Denmark. They turbocharged and supercharged, a 7 liter V8 which producing a whooping 1104HP and 1439NM of torque at 4500 rev. That's a huge amount of torque. I wonder if they have 10 radiators like the Veron. Hemmm. But it looks good.

Sad to know that it's only a RWD. Imagine you're driving a 1+++HP RWD killing machine around corners on the hillside, and simply over rev. Next thing you know you'll be struggling to 'defend' yourself if you're a pro driver, or ends up at the bottom of the hill if you're a rubbish driver like me. LOL. Honestly, to much power for me and might as well overcharged for my pocket.

But, the thing is, I love to see a car that can be push to the limits. As for this monster, I think those electronic limiter should go. Off you go you 'technology gizmo' or what ever you want to call it! Seriously, you pay for half a million car (or maybe in Malaysia, it could be more than half a million thanks to the 'unfriendly' shitty tax) and it makes you to go slower than it should have.

Well, if you want me to choose, maybe I'll stick to the Veron, although it's just a VW. But the taste of a supercar is there, in that VW re badge with the big B. All the ingredients are mix into that one piece of great machine. But hell, everyone got a piece of their own taughts.

for more info here

WRC - SUBARU WITHDRAW FROM WRC

Tokyo, December 16, 2008 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, today
announced the withdrawal from the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) at the end of the 2008 season.

FHI has participated in the WRC together with Prodrive, a motorsports and automotive engineering group in
the UK, over the past 19 years to pursue its goal and philosophy in motor sports activities to enhance Subaru
brand awareness by showing that Subaru vehicles offer safe, comfortable and pleasurable driving no matter
the weather or road conditions, featuring Horizontally-Opposed engine and the Symmetrical All-Wheel drive
system as its core technologies, and to transfer results of race-tested technical improvements into Subaru
passenger vehicles.

Subaru has won three manufacturer’s championship titles and three driver’s championship titles in its history
of rally racing. This has helped enhance the value of the Subaru brand as well as the sales expansion of
Subaru vehicles all over the world.

FHI considers it has achieved its original target in WRC participation. However, while considering
positioning the WRC activity in Subaru branding strategy towards the future, our business environment has
been dramatically changed due to the quick deterioration of the global economy. In order to optimize the
management resources and to strengthen further the Subaru brand, FHI decided to withdraw from WRC
activities at the earliest timing.

As regards future involvement in rally activities, FHI will continue to support teams and drivers that
participate in P-WRC or the Group N category.

President Mori commented that reaching this decision has been an extremely difficult task, not least with
regards to the countless Subaru fans that for many years have cheered the legendary Subaru blue liveried
Impreza World Rally Car; “We would like to express our sincere appreciation for our fans’ strong and loyal
support worldwide. They will remain an invaluable treasure for us.”

Capitalizing on the priceless experience gained throughout the history in the WRC field, FHI will continue to
offer Subaru customers products that integrate sheer excitement, safe, comfortable and reliable driving,
respect of the global environment and peace of mind based on its philosophy of “Customer comes first.”

WRC - NO MORE SUBARU

Recently we've heard Suzuki Rally Team pulls out of the WRC for 2009 season as the economic downtime had took place in every bit of spaces.

But today, Sky News reported that Subaru will joint Suzuki for the same reason.

For this action, it leaves only 4 manufacturer team for next season. That's a heartbrake for WRC.

More news after this.

2010 BMW Z4 - OFFICIAL

SOURCE

ROC - SEBASTIAN LOEB KING OF MOTORSPORT

It's been a cracking day at Wembley. Thanks to Freecaster.TV for the live streaming.

And for the third times, Sebastian Loeb was crown as the 21st Champion of Champions. The rally driver who was said may be one of the driver for 2010 F1, gone head to head with David Coulthard(DC) on the final shootout.

First point went to Loeb in the buggy(ROC Car) but with KTM X-Bow, DC sort of handle it precisely to win the second shootout.

The Frenchman took the third shootout with style and the buggy was prove to be more suitable with his driving style and his talent. I mean, rally driver just love to go sideways and the KTM seems to have to much grip for him to handle.

Congratulations to Loeb, and Team Germany for giving us the best show for this year ROC.

Oppsss. One more thing before I forgot. The identity of the Stig was revealed. I don't know if its true or not but I heard the announcer said that Ben Collins is the Stig and he could not make it to the race because he is busy. WTF? Can you simply announce it to everbody like that? We sort of known it already although no one can confirm it. But hell, that's shocking. Well, at least for me. LOL.


More news of ROC here.