Richard Petty and Investors Take Control of RPM From George Gillett Jr.

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CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Richard Petty will once again run his race team and participate in day-to-day operations as chairman of the new ownership group that was announced Monday.

The assets of Richard Petty Motorsports have been sold from George Gillett Jr. to an investment group that consists of Petty, Medallion Financial Corp. and DGP Investments.

"Today is a great day for me, my family, our fans and our wonderful sponsors," Petty said in a statement that listed 10 partners that "have supported me through thick and thin and I thank them from the bottom of my heart."

RPM will field cars for AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose in 2011.

The transfer of assets has been in the works for several weeks because of Gillett's ongoing financial problems. Debt-laden English soccer club Liverpool recently was sold despite the objection of Gillett and business partner Tom Hicks. And a U.S. hedge fund is suing Gillett over what the firm says is more than $117 million in debt he racked up investing in Liverpool.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/29/richard-petty-and-investors-take-control-of-rpm-from-george-gill/

Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory

My F1 2010 season review

I've been watching grand prix racing since before World War II and I can honestly say I have never seen a season with more excitement, drama and intrigue than 2010. This is my review of the year in which Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team really came of age.

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CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE UK

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2010/11/my_f1_2010_season_review.html

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F1: Stewart: Current F1 field is best ever

Stewart: Current F1 field is best ever By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer Tuesday, December 28th 2010, 12:45 GMT Triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart says he rates the current Formula 1 pack as the 'best ever', and believes the likes of Sebastian Vettel can be compared to legends such as Jim Clark, Jack Brabham and Graham Hill. The 2010 season saw one of the most spectacular title battles in F1 history, as Vettel narrowly overcame Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in a season-long, five-way fight. Related posts:
  1. AWARD: Gregor Grant Award: Jackie Stewart Gregor Grant Award: Jackie Stewart By Jamie O'Leary Sunday, December...
  2. F1: Vettel still optimistic about title Vettel still optimistic about title By Jonathan Noble and Pablo...
  3. F1: Hill to join stewards’ panel at two races Hill to join stewards' panel at two races By Jonathan...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/f1-stewart-current-f1-field-is-best-ever/

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Camping at NASCAR Races

If you are a fan of the races, you have probably at least entertained the thought of camping out at the race with other anticipating race fans. There is something about the vibe when camping at a NASCAR race that can't be beat, especially for those die hard fans out there that are truly thrilled b y it all. Getting NASCAR tickets is one thing, but actually having the opportunity to be on the infield as the race is going on is a unique experience in itself, one that no real race fan should have to live without having experienced.

There are different types of camping that can be done at a NASCAR race. Most people have RVs that they like to camp with because they can hook them up and be able to use the water, the facilities, and have electricity in the camper. There are also camping sites for NASCAR races that do not offer hook ups at all, although many of these facilities will make other arrangements for you to dispose of your waste and get clean water. Of course, there is always the option of camping in a tent and that is often the favorite option amongst those who would rather do things simply. Whichever method of camping you choose should not be hard to accommodate.

Why Bother Camping at NASCAR Races?

Many people who travel to NASCAR don't see the point in camping, and the truth is that it is not for everyone. There are many people who make a tradition out of traveling to races like the Coca Cola 600 and the Daytona 500 and camping with a huge group of friends and associates. Then there are people who fly to town and stay in luxury suites; obviously the latter group might not appreciate the experience. There is a camaraderie to be had at camp sites that goes well with the vibrant NASCAR atmosphere.

Camping at NASCAR Is One Big Party

People choose to camp at NASCAR rather than get a room or stay at a bed and breakfast because of the type of experience it offers. It is a great way for a lot of people who are interested in one thing to get together and celebrate it. There is often drinking, cookouts, parties, games, activities—you name it, it is done at a NASCAR campout. It is a good place to bring little ones who you want to enjoy the races with you and teach them how to have some good, wholesome fun.

Where to Camp at NASCAR

Depending on what race you are attending and what track you will be at, there are several different places to camp. Some tracks allow camping on the infield only, while some tracks allow camping inside the track and outside it as well. Other places have campsites very close to the track that are designated for camping NASCAR fans as well, so the venue can change accommodations from place to place and race to race. Check with your race in advance so that you can reserve a spot, and let your friends and loved ones know in advance, especially if there is a distance to be traveled to the race itself.

Something to keep in mind about camping out at NASCAR races is that the more popular the race is and the bigger of a deal the event is, the harder it is going to be to get a space. Sometimes, they require that you reserve a camping space a year in advance or more and that is a bit too long for some people. A lot of things can change in a year, but usually the cost of reserving the space is not too much to ask to have the space reserved when demand for it is going to be so high once the event rolls around.

Camping at NASCAR takes organization. It takes planning, and most of all it takes the will to have a good time. There should only be one rule at a NASCAR camping event and it should be that non race fans and party poopers are not allowed!

Steve Godlewski travels all over the country with his wife Jen, 2 Kids, 2 Dogs, and the cat. Feel free to join us and ride shotgun. Ride with us: http://www.roadwarriorslive.com

Article Source: Camping at NASCAR Races

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/187412/camping-at-nascar-races

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott

IRC: Caffi unfazed by Monte debut

Caffi unfazed by Monte debut By Matt Beer Tuesday, December 28th 2010, 12:33 GMT Former grand prix driver Alex Caffi says he is relaxed about making his top-line rallying debut in the 2011 Monte Carlo Rally. The sometime Osella, Scuderia Italia and Footwork Formula 1 racer is driving a DP Autosport-run Skoda Fabia on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge's famous season-opener next month Related posts:
  1. IRC: Meeke says Monte win not essential Meeke says Monte win not essential In association with Friday,...
  2. IRC: Andersson gets Proton seat for Monte Andersson gets Proton seat for Monte By David Evans Sunday,...
  3. IRC: Kubica returns to Monte Carlo Rally Kubica returns to Monte Carlo Rally By Matt Beer Thursday,...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/irc-caffi-unfazed-by-monte-debut/

Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje

NASCAR Tickets - NASCAR Continues To Thrive

Whoever thought that the current economic turmoil would leave the grandstands empty at sporting events didn't consider NASCAR's dedicated fan base. Stock car racing is one of America's favorite pastimes, and enthusiasts of the racing league have recently been proving their dedication to the sport, as NASCAR tickets have been selling out even despite the hard times during this recession. The gigantic amount of support from NASCAR fans has been overwhelming, and it was proven once again last weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway, when a sold-out crowd came down to the grandstands to cheer on their favorite NASCAR drivers at the Food City 500.

Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee is one of stock car racing's most coveted racetracks, and last week's Food City 500 set a track record, but it wasn't the racecar drivers breaking precedents. For the 54th consecutive event in a row, the half-mile speedway sold out tickets to the track for a race, filling up all 160,000 seats in the stadium with racing enthusiasts set to cheer on their favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors like Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth. While the Bristol Motor Speedway has sold out tickets to the Food City 500 every year since 1982, this year the track and its employees had to work extra hard to turn out tickets to fans, as several corporate sponsors had handed their tickets back in during this economic recession. Bristol nonetheless accomplished this task, letting the tradition live on this year at the Tennessee track. The Food City 500 was also the second race of this NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season to sell out, following in the footsteps of the season opener at the Daytona 500.

At last weekend's Food City 500 race, the sold-out crowd at Bristol Motor Speedway watched anxiously as Kyle Busch zoomed his way to another Cup Series victory, yanking his second win of the season (after Las Vegas earlier this month) and also his second career win at what is dubbed "the world's fastest half-mile." Busch held off Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne (respectively) to whiz down Victory Lane in first place, using all the help he could get from his pit crew to propel him to the top of the NASCAR race. Busch almost lost his race-leading edge after a late pit stop in last week's Food City race, but after communicating with his pit crew, Busch said that, "I told the ladies to man up, and they got it done on the next stop. It is pretty awesome to win here. I should have won last fall here. We've had great cars, we just keep ruining it on pit road."

Kyle Busch now sits in fourth place overall in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, loosening the grip Jeff Gordon has over the league in points and climbing three spots from the last race. Gordon is still in first place in standings after finishing fourth at Bristol, sitting pretty with 794 total points while Kurt Busch has 718, Clint Bowyer has 715, Kyle Busch has 709 and Carl Edwards has 665. It's still anyone's game, however, so get tickets to a NASCAR race online and come out to the track to watch these phenomenal drivers speed circles around their competitors during the rest of the 2009 racing season!

This article is sponsored by StubHub. 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 - NASCAR Continues To Thrive

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/251701/nascar-tickets-nascar-continues-to-thrive

Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard

Who were the top 10 F1 drivers of 2010?

Sebastian Vettel was crowned the youngest world champion in history after a memorable final twist at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but was he the best driver of the year?

It's a subjective question, and so difficult after such a momentous season that I have been wrestling with it for some weeks.

Does Vettel's pace in the dominant Red Bull mean he was Formula 1's top driver? How does that rank alongside the performances of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in inferior cars?

What about Robert Kubica's ability to mix it with the title contenders in the Renault? Or Kamui Kobayashi's attacking verve in the Sauber?

Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Robert Kubica

Vettel is centre-stage among the class of 2010 - but is he number one in our list? Photo: AFP

Here is my list of the top 10 drivers of 2010:

10) After battling for the title with Brawn in 2009, it cannot have been easy for Rubens Barrichello, at 37 going on 38, to drum up the enthusiasm for a season battling to make the top 10 in qualifying with once-great Williams.

But drum it up he did, impressing the team with his technical feedback and producing some excellent drives that resulted in strong points positions when Williams had something of a purple patch mid-season.

The veteran Brazilian was outshone by rookie team-mate Nico Hulkenberg at times as the German found his feet late in the season.

Nevertheless, as he heads into an astonishing 19th F1 season in 2011, Barrichello clearly still has a lot to offer.

9) Kamui Kobayashi emerged as one of F1's most exciting talents with some all-action performances in 2010.

Overtaking is notoriously difficult but the Japanese simply went for it, finding unconventional passing places to liven up such races as Valencia and Japan.

There remain doubts about his ultimate potential, with Sauber drafting in the reliable Nick Heidfeld for the final five races of the season to give Kobayashi a benchmark to measure himself against.

But Kobayashi responded perfectly and gives all the signs of having a great future.

8) It all started so well for Felipe Massa, who out-qualified new team-mate Alonso at the first race of the season. But when Alonso passed the Brazilian around the outside of the first corner, it set the tone for the entire year.

Alonso trounced Massa in 2010, proving faster than him at virtually every race, and there is no doubt the Spaniard's relentless excellence got to the man in the second Ferrari.

There were some good drives from Massa - particularly his third places at Monza and Korea. But he will have to pull something very special out of the bag, not to mention rediscover his mental equilibrium, to reverse this trend in 2011.

7) Nico Rosberg convincingly beat Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher this year and, had he achieved that feat 10 years ago, there would have been no doubt he had emerged as a truly great F1 driver.

But the Schumacher of this year was not the same driver as before, as even the seven-time champion himself effectively admitted.

Rosberg drove a strong season, and some good races, and there are an increasing number of people in F1 who believe he is emerging as a top-class contender.

But until he goes up against - and beats - a driver of the highest calibre, it will be hard to tell whether he deserves to be considered as that himself, or whether he is nearly there, but not quite.

6) Not even Jenson Button probably expected to be leading the championship after winning two of the opening four races of 2010 and out-qualifying McLaren team-mate Hamilton 3-1.

Button's two victories in the wet in Australia and China owed a lot to clever strategic calls but that was not all. The sight of Button pulling away from Hamilton in China on a wet track and on tyres of comparable age proved once and for all that this is a driver of the very highest calibre.

After that, Hamilton got on top and stayed there but Button, who was rarely very far away in qualifying and often more or less matched his team-mate on race pace, provided a convincing answer to those who said he had gained his 2009 triumph more by luck than ability.

5) Mark Webber chose the name Aussie Grit for his Twitter account, and 2010 proved why. Expected to fulfil the role of an obedient number two at Red Bull, Webber went toe-to-toe with team-mate Vettel throughout the season and led him in the championship for most of it.

After a shaky first couple of races, Webber came on song when the season came back to Europe with dominant wins in Spain and Monaco that left Vettel bemused at where his team-mate had found such electrifying pace.

By mid-summer, Vettel had got his edge back, but Webber remained large in his mirrors, ready to take advantage of any mistakes. That he was able to do this despite suspicions that Red Bull were not perhaps being quite as even-handed in their treatment of their drivers as they insisted was all the more impressive.

But his challenge faded in the end, crashing in Korea and failing to make any real impact in the final two races of the campaign.

4) Did Renault's Robert Kubica perform better than any other driver on the grid when you consider the equipment he had at his disposal?

You can certainly make that case. No-one else can claim to have made so few mistakes while extracting what appeared to be the maximum from his machinery.

The Renault was not fast enough for Kubica to regularly mix it with the title contenders but on three occasions he transcended the car's limitations in a way only the truly great can - at Monaco, Spa and Suzuka, F1's three great drivers' circuits.

To qualify second in Monaco, third in Spa and fourth in Suzuka was a momentous achievement - and he backed that up by taking podium places in both Monaco and Belgium before being robbed of another when his wheel came loose in Japan.

There is still a slight question mark over a man who, in 2009, was not able to comprehensively overshadow Heidfeld at BMW. And let's not forget that Kubica was not burdened with the kind of pressure that the likes of Alonso, Vettel, Button and Hamilton were.

But put Kubica in a competitive car and all his rivals would fear him.

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3) Sebastian Vettel is a great talent and a deserving world champion but, considering the stunning pace of the Red Bull car, he should have won many more races and clinched the title much sooner.

The car's fragility did not help - failures in Bahrain, Australia, Spain and Korea cost him a lot of points - but the German also made a number of high-profile errors. He crashed into rivals in Turkey and Belgium, suffered a puncture following a red-mist moment at Silverstone and was penalised for misjudging the safety car in Hungary.

Ten pole positions and five wins speak for themselves to an extent but, as the (slightly) faster driver in comfortably the fastest car, they are to be expected.

Some of those pole laps were stunning, though, with Vettel possessing an Ayrton Senna-esque ability to pull that little bit extra out on his very final lap, no matter what the circumstances, while each one of his wins was a masterpiece of domination.

However, there have to be fewer mistakes, more wins dragged out of adversity and more convincing performances when he is back in the pack for him to be ranked above the next names on the list.

2) Had this article been written after the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton would have occupied the number one spot.

Up to that point, Hamilton had made not a single mistake worth the name and he was leading the championship in what had from the mid-point of the season been the third fastest car.

Hamilton had maintained his exuberant, attacking style and stunning natural pace and had mated it to a consistency that was making him a formidable competitor.

His fantastic victory at Spa - not forgetting the qualifying lap that earned him second on the grid on slicks in a shower of rain - confirmed him as the outstanding driver of the season to that point, notwithstanding the canny Button's two wet wins.

Suddenly, though, it all went wrong. Hamilton crashed out of the next two races in Monza and Singapore and when he crashed again in Friday practice at the next race in Japan his season appeared to be coming apart at the seams.

But then came one of the laps of the season - third on the grid at Suzuka in a car in which he had done just six flying laps before qualifying. It was a reminder of Hamilton's amazing talent. By then, though, as far as the championship was concerned, the damage had been done.

1) Fernando Alonso's first year with Ferrari started with a few shaky races and finished with a strategic mistake that cost him the title. In between the Spaniard did just enough to earn the right to call himself the best driver of 2010.

Early-season errors were born of trying too hard in a car that was not quite on the pace. Combine that with Ferrari losing their way for a while and Alonso was 47 points off the lead at the midpoint of the season.

But in a car that established itself as the second fastest behind the Red Bull, he recovered that margin by driving with a consistent, relentless brilliance that his rivals were not able to match. His victories at Monza and Singapore were stunning. Only Hamilton at Spa and perhaps Webber at Monaco can claim a performance of comparable quality.

That ultimately Alonso did not win a third title was only because of his team's error in Abu Dhabi. For the 2005 and 2006 champion, as he said himself, it was still a great year.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/11/who_were_the_top_10_f1_drivers.html

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British GP: "Number Two" driver, Webber takes perfect win

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July 11 '10

Mark Webber won his first British Grand Prix in style. ?Not bad for a number two driver? radioed Webber to his race engineer after the end of the race.

Lewis Hamilton finished second for Mclaren in front of his home crowd, while Mercedes' Nico Rosberg bagged third.

The Race in brief
Webber overtook his teammate Sebastian Vettel at the start, with the latter experiencing a tyre puncture only seconds later. While the German had to make a short trip to the pits for a new set of tyres, Webber increased his lead from Lewis Hamilton in front of the pack.

Ferrari?s Fernando Alonso had another start to forget, losing 2 spots and dropping to 5th place after the first few corners. He slightly touched his teammate Felipe Massa?s car while trying to defend his position, causing the Brazilian's right rear tyre to burst. Massa then visited the pits and returned to the track in 23rd place.

Although only a couple of seconds separated Webber and Hamilton in front, the trailing group, headed by Renault?s Robert Kubica, dropped no less than 20 seconds to the leading duo until the first round of pit stops. After each driver went to the pits to get new tyres, Webber emerged once again in front of the field, ahead of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg (who passed Kubica thanks to a great team work in the pit lane).

Alonso tried to pass the Pole himself in order not to lose contact with the Top 3 positions, but shortcut a chicane while pushed by Kubica out of bounds ? and passing the Renault driver ? which later got him a drive-through penalty from the stewards. Just when he was about to make his drive-though run, the safety car was deployed due to debris coming out of Pedro de la Rosa?s car. His rear wing practically disintegrated in the start/finish straight, as there was a slight contact between him and Adrian Sutil on the pit straight.

The Spaniard was forced to make his pit lane run when the SC went in, which dropped him to 16 overall.

In front of the field, Webber had no problem maintaining his 1st place in front of Hamilton, while Rosberg did the same in front of the second McLaren driver Jenson Button. The reigning world champion had a wonderful start and climbed all the way to 7th place (from 14th on the grid) after a few laps, which he later turned into 4th place after a good pit stop strategy (added Alonso?s penalty).

Webber the ?Number Two? Driver
Prior to the Saturday qualifying, the Austrian team decided to take the front wing of Webber?s RB6 and hand it to Vettel, resulting in the German driving to pole position in Q3. While obviously furious with the decision, Webber kept his cool and decided to deliver the response on track, winning his first British GP in career and becoming the winningest F1 driver this season (to date).

?Not bad for a number two driver,? Webber told his race engineer via radio at the end of the race, hinting that what happened in Silverstone will still haunt him from now on.

At the press conference after the race, Webber continued to voice his frustrations, insisting that he would have never signed a one-year extension with Red Bull had he known he will be treated the way he was in the UK.

?Yesterday was really a unique situation, and it was the first time we had one bit. I would never have signed a contract for next year if I believed that was the way going forward. I was disappointed. We will see how it goes in the future, I will keep doing what I am doing and I hope it is enough.?

?I have had a few hurdles in my career, sometimes privately as well, so I think you can judge a person's character by how they come back from adversity. Some drivers have that, I've had a bit more than others. It can work but obviously it is not how long is a piece of string - you have to make sure it is not constantly happening because it can test you too much but if the balance is right it can put some fuel on the fire,? added Webber.

The Race as it happened via James Allen
Heading to Hockenheim in two weeks time, Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers championship with 145 points. His team mate Jenson Button is second in the standings with 133 points and Mark Webber climbs to third with 128 points.

British Grand Prix Race times

1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 52 laps 1hr 24m 38.200s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +1.3s
3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +21.3s
4. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +21.9s
5. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +31.4s
6. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +32.1s
7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault +36.7s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +40.9s
9. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +41.5s
10. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth +42.0s

11. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +42.4s
12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +47.6s
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +59.3s
14. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +62.3s
15. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +67.4s
16. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth +1 lap
17. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +2 laps
19. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
20. Sakon Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth +2 laps

Rtd. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 44 laps completed
Rtd. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 29 laps completed
Rtd. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 19 laps completed
Rtd. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 9 laps completed


Fastest lap:
Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 30.874s lap 52



Thanks to autoevolution for the article. Image(C) daylife

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/y4hqEGVE374/british-gp-number-two-driver-webber.html

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2010 European Grand Prix weekend review

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TDJIAvV3VSI/AAAAAAAAGbw/jtwXySW3kFM/s1600/2010+European+Grand+Prix+weekend+review.jpg

July 5 '10

It's good to be back!!

Well..First of all, let me apologize to all the F1Insighters for the lack of posts this race weekend. My job took me to a remote location in India where I was unable to access neither the internet nor a Television!! Anyways, now that I'm back I think I'll post some insights on what happened during the Grand Prix weekend in Valencia before the start of the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Practice

European Grand Prix, Valencia - Friday free practice (1)

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Nico Rosberg headed the opening practice in Valencia.

European Grand Prix free practice 1 times
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 41.175s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.339s
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.383s
4. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 41.715s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.182s
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 42.216s
7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 42.275s
8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 42.312s
9. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.421s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 42.463s
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 42.707s
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 42.962s
13. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 43.310s
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 43.380s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.397s
16. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m 43.437s
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.729s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 44.183s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 44.491s
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 45.653s
21. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 47.123s
22. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 47.285s
23. Christian Klien HRT-Cosworth 1m 47.343s
24. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 47.356s

European Grand Prix, Valencia - Friday free practice (2)

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Fernando Alonso topped second practice in Valencia, closely followed by Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

European Grand Prix free practice 2 times
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 39.283s
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 39.339s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 39.427s
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.650s
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 39.749s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 39.880s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 39.947s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 40.020s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 40.029s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 40.174s
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 40.287s
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 40.387s
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 40.618s
14. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 40.906s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 40.945s
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 41.115s
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 41.371s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 41.457s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 42.467s
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 42.993s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 43.811s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 43.854s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 44.095s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 44.566s

European Grand Prix, Valencia ? Saturday free practice
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Sebastian Vettel headed a Red Bull 1-3 in final practice for the European Grand Prix, with Robert Kubica in between.

European Grand Prix free practice 3 times
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 38.052s
2. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 38.154s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 38.313s
4. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.500s
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.513s
6 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.623s
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.676s
8. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.686s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.769s
10. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.816s
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 38.822s
12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.050s
13. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 39.105s
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 39.113s
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.222s
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.392s
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.527s
18. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.699s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 41.303s
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 41.428s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 41.955s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.354s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.611s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.622s


Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed a Red Bull Racing 1-2 in qualifying for the European GP

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Sebastian Vettel scored his 4th pole position of the 2010 season with a wonderful performance on Saturday (June 26) afternoon in Valencia.

Although the Austrian team predicted it would struggle to get its cars to speed on the Valencia street circuit, both Vettel and teammate Mark Webber scored consistently good results in the second part of qualifying, emerging in 1st and 2nd respectively at the end of Q3. Vettel clocked his fastest lap in 1:37.587, while Webber had to settle for 2nd some 0.075 seconds behind.

Third place went to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who made a few mistakes in his last flying lap to lose his initial front row position. However, he did manage to out-qualify the two Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa who, despite the overall improvements brought to Valencia, were unable to keep the pace with the front-runners in the last few minutes of qualify.

Renault?s Robert Kubica finished Q1 in 1st place but had to settle for 6th overall in the end, while in front of the second McLaren MP4-25 driven by Jenson Button. Williams F1?s improvements for the weekend got both their cars inside the Top 10, with Nico Hulkenberg topping his much older teammate Rubens Barrichello for 8th place. The Top 10 was completed by the second Renault driver Vitaly Petrov.

Mercedes GP had a Saturday to forget, with Nico Rosberg barely making the 12th slot on the grid, behind Scuderia Toro Rosso?s Sebastien Buemi, but ahead of Force India duo Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi. After almost failing to make it out of Q1 with a steering problem at his W01, Michael Schumacher scored the 15th best time of Q2, ahead of BMW Sauber?s Pedro de la Rosa and STR?s Jaime Alguersuari.

Top ten drivers in Q3
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 37.587s
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 37.662s
3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 37.969s
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.075s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.127s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 38.137s
7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.210s
8 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.428s
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.428s
10. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 38.523s

Drivers eliminated in Q2
11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 38.586s
12. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 38.627s
13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.851s
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.884s
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.234s
16. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.264s
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.458s

Drivers eliminated in Q1
18. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.343s
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 40.658s
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 40.882s
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.086s
22. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.140s
23. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.600s
24. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.851s


Race

Sebastian Vettel scored his second win of 2010 in the European Grand Prix.
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Sebastian Vettel cruised to his second win of the 2010 Formula One season on Sunday (June 27), as the Red Bull racer drove mistake-free from beginning to end in this weekend?s European Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, the German maintained his lead at the first corner, despite an early charge from McLaren?s Lewis Hamilton, after which he never let go of his 1st place.

His teammate Mark Webber started off poorly in Valencia and lost no less than 7 positions in the first lap, being the first to pit from the entire F1 field on Lap 8. Dropping down to 18th overall, the Australian started his recuperation race behind Lotus? Heikki Kovalainen, but it all lasted for a single lap.

While trying to overtake the Finn, Webber?s car touched the rear of Kovalainen?s Lotus and was practically lifted into the air and projected upside down onto the track, after which it flipped back the right way and smashed into the tyre barriers. Luckily, the Red Bull racer did not sustain any injuries in the accident.

Video:



That caused the first and only safety car of the race, meaning all the drivers visited the pits for tyre change. When deployed, the SC joined the field just ahead of the two Ferraris driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, causing some major time damage for the two drivers.

After the pit stops, Vettel remained in 1st place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kamui Kobayashi, who decided not to change his tyres early on. Alonso dropped to 10th place, while Massa rejoined the field in 15th place.

Shortly after the safety car went in, Alonso attacked Williams? Nico Hulkenberg and went into 9th place, a position which he held until 3 laps to the finish line, when Kobayashi finally made his tyre change stop. In the front of the field, Hamilton made huge efforts to catch Vettel, but was given a drive-through penalty for passing the SC on track and lost approximately 15 seconds in the process.

However, despite the drive-through penalty, Hamilton retained his 2nd place and went on to finish in the runner-up spot, ahead of his McLaren teammate Jenson Button. Fourth place went to Williams? Rubens Barrichello, who finished ahead of Renault?s Robert Kubica and Force India?s Adrian Sutil.

Going in for a new set of tyres 3 laps to the finish line, Kobayashi managed a spectacular surge from 9th to 7th in only one lap, passing both Alonso and STR?s Sebastien Buemi in the last few kilometers of the race. Buemi had to settle for 8th, ahead of Alonso, while the Top 10 was completed by the second BMW Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa.

As the chequered flag was waved, uncertainty is the word of the day in Valencia, as a bunch of cars were announced to be investigated for their pit stop under SC rules.

Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi received 5-second penalties for "failing to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when the Safety Car was deployed."

In the overall classification of the race, Alonso was lifted up one spot to 8th place, while Buemi dropped to 9th. Pedro de la Rosa lost his 10th place in favor of Nico Rosberg.

European Grand Prix Race times
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 57 laps 1hr 40m 29.571s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +5.0s
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +12.6s*
4. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +25.6s*
5. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault +27.1s*
6. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +30.1s*
7. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +30.9s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +32.8s
9. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +36.2s*
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +44.3s

11. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +46.6s
12. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari +47.4s*
13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +48.2s*
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +48.2s*
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +48.8s
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +50.8s*
17. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +2 laps**
20. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth +4 laps

Rtd. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 49 laps completed mechanical*
Rtd. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 8 laps completed accident
Rtd. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 8 laps completed accident


Fastest lap:
Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.766s

* denotes handed 5-second penalty for speeding under safety car conditions
** denotes handed 20-second penalty for ignoring blue flags


Links to websites related to the 2010 European Grand Prix


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Brian Lee Vickers Kenneth Lee Wallace Michael Stephen Wallace Russell William Wallace Jr