F1: RBR denies overspending in 2010

RBR denies overspending in 2010 By Jonathan Noble Saturday, January 8th 2011, 17:12 GMT Red Bull Racing has dismissed suggestions it overspent last year and breached Formula 1's Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA), as behind-the-scenes efforts continue to try and frame fresh cost restraints for 2011. Members of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) have been pushing hard in recent weeks to sign off a fresh RRA to run from 2011-2017, after the outline framework for such a deal was agreed at last year's Singapore Grand Prix. Those efforts have so far failed, however, amid a lack of consensus about amendments to the original deal. Related posts:
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Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-rbr-denies-overspending-in-2010/

Jesús Iglesias Taki Inoue Innes Ireland Eddie Irvine

Sam Hornish Jr. May Return to Indy 500

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LAS VEGAS -- Three-time IndyCar champ and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr.'s NASCAR future remains in limbo, but his team owner, Roger Penske, said Thursday that he will likely field Hornish in the Daytona 500 and possibly in the Indianapolis 500, too.

Penske confirmed the news during a sponsorship announcement at his Ferrari dealership in the Wynn Las Vegas Thursday, where the team unveiled Kurt Busch's new No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series and a similar design for the iconic No. 3 Penske car that three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves will drive at Indy next May.

For all his success in open-wheel racing, Hornish has never managed to make a big splash in NASCAR's big leagues, with only a pair of top-five finishes and eight top-10 efforts in 108 starts over three full seasons. And with no primary sponsor signed for his No. 77 Dodge, Penske said Hornish still doesn't have a full schedule set for 2011. Penske said both a limited Cup and Nationwide Series slate were possibilities.

"I told him that, at the end of the day, I'd much rather do a program where we can support you 100 percent than have some pick-up program with not enough sponsors,'' Penske said. "We need to have the continuity. We have a number of opportunities, but we just couldn't get them closed at this point.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/sam-hornish-jr-may-return-to-indy-500/

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WTCC: Coronel switches to BMW with ROAL

Coronel switches to BMW with ROAL By Matt Beer Saturday, January 8th 2011, 09:22 GMT Long-time SEAT driver Tom Coronel will return to BMW for the 2011 World Touring Car Championship, driving for Roberto Ravaglia's ROAL team as it rejoins the series following a one-year absence. Former independents' champion Coronel has driven SEATs every year since 2005, and was a career-best eighth in the overall standings last season Related posts:
  1. WTCC: Coronel gets diesel SEAT for 2010 Coronel gets diesel SEAT for 2010 By Steven English Thursday,...
  2. WTCC: Coronel goes top in second practice Coronel goes top in second practice By Jamie O'Leary Saturday,...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/wtcc-coronel-switches-to-bmw-with-roal/

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Repaved Daytona Track Smooth and Bump-Free, Drivers Say

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The freshly repaved track at Daytona International Speedway is smooth, has plenty of grip and plenty of room for racing, said NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who participated in Wednesday's Goodyear tire tests at the track.

"They smoothed out all the bumps," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 champion. "The track is real smooth. It's got a lot of grip. The track reminds me a lot like Talladega was like when they first finished it.

"The racing during the drafting was exciting and I think it is going to be a good show, a more exciting show for the fans because the cars are going to stay real tight on each other throughout entire runs."

The speedway said 18 drivers took part in the tire test Wednesday -- the first day of a two-day Goodyear test to determine the proper tire compound for the 2.5-mile speedway's new racing surface before the 53rd annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. Drivers turned laps on the speedway in both single car and drafting sessions.

It was the first time race cars have been on the track at speed since the repaving job was completed earlier this month. From July to December, the entire track was repaved for only the second time since it was built and opened in 1959.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/15/repaved-daytona-track-smooth-and-bump-free-drivers-say/

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Your questions answered - Brazilian Grand Prix

Do I think Red Bull should have allowed Mark Webber to win in Brazil instead of Sebastian Vettel? Do I think Mercedes and Renault will benefit from such a tight battle this season? Do I agree with Bernie Ecclestone's comment that Lotus are the only new team to have contributed this season? Do I think heads should roll at McLaren? Who do I think has been the best driver in the bottom five teams? And the big question - who is going to win the title?

Watch my answers below.

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2010/11/your_questions_answered_-_braz.html

Jan Lammers Pedro Lamy Chico Landi Hermann Lang

Team orders and F1's radical plan to improve racing

Formula 1 will be changed for ever by the new rules announced by Formula 1's governing body at its world council meeting on Friday.

The decision to switch to vastly different, far more efficient engines from 2013 and the introduction of movable rear wings for next season will change both the way the sport is viewed by the wider world and the action on the track.

The new engine regulations - the adoption of 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo engines with energy recovery and fuel restrictions - mirror the way the car industry is going and are aimed at boosting F1's public image, helping it to survive into the future by opening up new avenues for sponsorship and - most importantly - speeding up the adoption of more sustainable engines in road cars over the next few years, thus dramatically reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

More immediately, the controversial adoption of movable rear wings in 2011 will make overtaking easier. At least that's the hope.

The issue of overtaking is a perennial problem in F1. All stakeholders agree it has been too hard to do in recent years. Races can be processional, or turn on pit stops.

The problem for F1's bosses, who want racing rather than tactics to decide outcomes, is aerodynamics.

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Watch highlights of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Cars are created with quite incredible capabilities but significant limitations when it comes to racing. Cornering forces often reach 5G. To see an F1 car in the flesh as it negotiates a fast corner like Silverstone's Becketts complex is both to doubt your eyes and to marvel at the way it uses physics to test the limits of the possible.

But aerodynamics work most effectively when a car is running on its own. Give it some turbulent air - such as that created by another car directly in front of it - and its ability to produce downforce - and therefore grip - is dramatically reduced. So drivers find it difficult to get close enough to a car in front to try to pass it, even if they are in a faster car.

A number of attempts to change this have been made in recent years, most recently major new rules in 2009 with significant changes to the way cars produced their downforce and the reintroduction of slick tyres. None of them have worked.

So F1's brains have come up with the movable rear wing.

The idea is that drivers will, when on a straight and trying to pass another car, press a button in their cockpit which will move a part of the rear wing.

This will reduce its effectiveness, thereby cutting drag and increasing straightline speed, allowing the driver to get a run on his rival into the next corner. The driver in the car in front who is defending his position will not be able to use his wing at the same time.

The plan is controversial because it appears to be adding a degree of artifice into the situation - and critics are worried it will make a joke of overtaking by making it too easy, particularly when used in conjunction with the Kers energy recovery and power-boost systems that are returning to F1 in 2011 after a year on the sidelines.

The sport's bosses are aware of the concerns. One insider who has been instrumental in writing the rule says: "The idea is to make it work, but not work too well."

The way it will work is as follows:

The FIA will define a time gap between the two cars at which point the driver behind will be able to use the system. Initially, it is likely the driver in the trailing car will need to be within a second as he enters the corner before a straight where it is possible to overtake.

The driver will then get an indication - either via a light on his dashboard or audibly - that he can operate his wing. He will then press the button when he is on the straight, giving him more speed than his rival and thus the potential to pass him.

The problem is that no-one is sure whether the system will work or achieve its objectives until it is used in a race - and the first opportunity will be on 13 March, when Bahrain hosts the first grand prix of the 2011 season.

The bottom line is that F1's bosses want to make overtaking easier but not so easy that it requires little skill.

Had the movable rear wings been in place in 2010, I am told Ferrari's Fernando Alonso would have been able to overtake the Renault of Vitaly Petrov in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and thus keep alive his chances of winning the title.

Instead, the Spaniard was unable to pass Petrov's slower car, which had a prodigious straight-line speed, and therefore unable to chase down his rivals as he went in search of a third drivers' crown.

That would have freed Alonso up to try to catch the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg, who was in the fourth place the Ferrari driver needed to prevent Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel snatching the title from under his nose.

Rosberg was quicker than Petrov but probably marginally slower than Alonso. But because the performance differential between the Mercedes and the Ferrari was much less, getting past Rosberg would not have been a given - even under the new rules.

So rather than watching a race in which overtaking was practically impossible, the audience would have known it was possible, but not inevitable, that Alonso would get by - and would have been on tenterhooks as they watched him try.

Such a scenario would have made the title-deciding race much more exciting.

Put like that, as long as F1 finds a way to make it obvious to the audience when a driver is using his movable rear wing, the introduction of such a device has at the very least got to be worth a try.

UPDATE 1530 GMT:

The FIA's decision to remove the rule banning team orders will doubtless offend those who did not like Ferrari's application of them in this year's German Grand Prix and who objected to the Italian team "getting away" with "only" a $100,000 fine for doing so.

But the move - telegraphed when the FIA said it would look into the rule after deciding against giving Ferrari further punishment - is the only practical solution open to F1.

However offensive some find team orders, there is simply no way of effectively policing a rule banning them. There are any number of ways a team could employ them without anyone finding out.

Ferrari might have got caught out because of the unsubtle way in which Felipe Massa was asked to let team-mate Fernando Alonso through in Hockenheim but other leading teams also employed what could be termed team orders in 2010 and no one complained about them - or, in some cases, even noticed.

It is about reality not idealism, logic not emotion.

If you cannot police a rule, what's the point of having it? And surely it's better to have it out in the open than to force teams to go through the ridiculous charades some - not just Ferrari - did last season.

The lifting of the ban does not mean all teams will act in the same way as Ferrari, who now don't need to be quite so secretive about Alonso being their number one driver.
It simply means that when teams choose to use them they don't have to cover it up.

In every other way, nothing will change.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/12/f1s_radical_plan_to_improve_ra.html

Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling

Jimmie Johnson Taking Time to Savor Fifth Championship in Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS -- In a luxury suite in the Bellagio Hotel high above the Las Vegas strip, Jimmie Johnson was all smiles and "aw shucks" on the eve of collecting an unprecedented fifth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship trophy. He was at the hotel to meet with a small group of reporters and to unveil the true benchmark of an athlete's success.

Forget the historic five NASCAR titles, Johnson now has a video game named after him: "Jimmie Johnson's Anything With an Engine."

The game doesn't go on sale until 2011, but the concept launch this week meant the vivid collision between two of America's favorite pastimes, video gaming and NASCAR. And it was interesting to observe the hip, young gaming reporters, dressed in black adorned with lots of zippers and skull designs and colorful tattoos, sizing up the NASCAR All-American good guy's entry into their eclectic world.

"So how does it feel to be a legend?'' asked Jon Carnage, a former professional wrestler who is now a reporter from the video game blog Destructoid. He clearly caught the humble Johnson off guard.

"It's still strange to me that I hear that,'' Johnson replied.

Perhaps he should get used to it.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/jimmie-johnson-taking-time-to-savor-fifth-championship-in-las-ve/

Post 9 11 GI Bill Chevrolet Martin Truex Jr NAPA Brakes Toyota Joe Nemechek Washington

NASCAR Tickets - Brotherly Duo Is Double Trouble for Sprint Cup Series

23-year-old racecar driving prodigy Kyle Busch has been all the talk of the NASCAR world so far this season, but after the Kobalt Tools 500 race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, the spotlight shifted to the other Busch - 30-year-old Kurt. The Busch brothers have attracted flocks of fans and undying attention over the past several years as they have proven their place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the elder Busch's recent Atlanta victory has sparked speculation that Kurt and Kyle Busch are the next brotherly duo to dominate the NASCAR realm, perhaps even being one the best sibling pairs of all time to conquer the racing circuit together.

When it comes to Cup Series victories, the Busch brothers stack up as the sixth overall sibling combo with the most wins in NASCAR history, coming in behind some of the best family names in the history of racing. Kurt and Kyle Busch have collectively accumulated 32 wins in their racing careers, but there are still a handful of siblings who beat this remarkable record. The winningest family name in all of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is still the Allisons, as brothers Bobby and Donnie racked up an outrageous 94 combined wins during their reign over stock car racing.

Coming in as the second most winning sibling combination is the Waltrips, as Darrell and Michael have accumulated 88 wins in their joint careers. The Flock brothers (Tim, Fonty and Bob) are third on this list with 62, and Herb and Donald Thomas rank fourth with 49. Rounding out the top five are the Labontes, as Terry and Bobby have 43 victories under their belts. The Buschs are currently at sixth place, but because this brotherly duo is so young, Kurt and Kyle Busch have plenty of time to rack up several more wins on the NASCAR circuit before they retire from the sport, perhaps already making them the best brotherly duo to ever grace the racing scene.

As of the Atlanta race on March 8, the name Busch has taken the title of a Cup race for two out of the season's four races, with Matt Kenseth sweeping the first two races of the year. Kyle Busch was the victor of the Las Vegas race on March 1 (competing at his hometown track) and brother Kurt followed up the win with a March 8 victory at Atlanta. The Busch brothers are both currently in the Top 12 of the 2009 Sprint Cup standings, with Kurt Busch in third place while Kyle Busch is in seventh, the latter working his way up the totem pole after suffering an early race-ending crash triggered by Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Daytona.

While Kyle Busch is largely considered the favorite of the two Busch brothers, Kurt has proven in the last couple weeks that while he is proud of his brother he certainly won't give up without a fight. With NASCAR tickets you can see both Busch brothers battle for the 2009 Sprint Cup title in person, so browse your favorite online ticket reseller and make your way to the grandstands today to catch these young stock car drivers spin circles around their competitors.

This article is sponsored by StubHub.com. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Article Source: NASCAR Tickets - Brotherly Duo Is Double Trouble for Sprint Cup Series

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/247683/nascar-tickets-brotherly-duo-is-double-trouble-for-sprint-cup-series

Gary Hocking Ingo Hoffmann Bill Holland Jackie Holmes

Nascar's Denny Hamlin - From Boy To Superstar

James Dennis Hamlin Jr. or better known as Denny Hamlin, was born on November 18, 1980 was born in Tampa, Florida but spent most of his childhood in Chesterfield, Virginia. He started racing go karts when he was 7 years old in 1988. He was burning up the go karting tracks in Richmond, Virginia. By the time he was 16, Hamlin had switched to sturdier racing cars. He was racing stock cars and at his first race at Langley Speedway, saw him winning the pole position and the race. From then on, Hamlin raced in the Grand Stock division in 1998 which then spurred him on to Late Model Stock Cars in the year 2000.

Hamlin’s lucky break came when he was 24 and racing in the Late Model Stock Cars full time. It was there that Hamlin garnered the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing who then decided to sign him up for a driver development program. The same year, Hamlin joined the major-league NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races and the NASCAR Busch Series at Darlington Speedway. He managed to secure an 8th place finish and with that, a stable footing in Joe Gibbs Racing. Even though he started at 27th after an unfortunate qualifying session, Hamlin’s skills took over during the actual race and showed Joe Gibbs Racing that he was indeed a good investment.

Hamlin ended up replacing Mike Bliss in 2005 for the Busch Series and he ended the race with a steady 5th spot in the final championship. He also was able to compete in his first NEXTEL Cup Series after which he made his Cup debut after replacing Jason Leffler. He went on to finish the Cup season with 3 top 10 finishes in seven starts and one pole at Phoenix International Raceway. Hamlin had his first full season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series in 2006 and he also drover the Busch Series. During the NEXTEL Cup, he managed to beat the previous season’s pole winners in the 2006 Budweiser Shootout and in doing such, he made history as being the first Rookie of the year candidate to win such an honor.

While during a break at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Hamlin injured his left hand between the pinkie and wrist which brought about 19 stitches as a result from goofing around with some of his crew members. However, despite the serious injury, he still managed to bag the second spot at the Crown Royal 400. He then went on to win his first career Cup Series at the Pocono 500 and he also managed to bring home his second career pole. His second career win was achieved in the same year in the Pennsylvania 500, Pocono Raceway and again made history for being only the 2nd rookie in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup history to get both trophies during the same season.

During the same Cup series, Hamlin scored the Raybestos Rookie of the year with a third finish in the final cup standings. He was in the NASCAR record books once again for being able to score the highest ever points finish for a rookie which then led to him being the first rookie to qualify for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. He has made many important figures in the NASCAR world to sit up and take notice. His excellent performance is also bringing on the heat on his other rival drivers.

Hamlin now lives in Cornelius, North Carolina to be close to the tracks. When he is off track, he spends time with his friends, plays online games and the occasional game of golf.

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Article Source: Nascar's Denny Hamlin - From Boy To Superstar

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/139181/nascars-denny-hamlin-from-boy-to-superstar

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