IRC: Wilks secures 2011 Peugeot deal

Wilks secures 2011 Peugeot deal By David Evans Thursday, October 28th 2010, 16:41 GMT Guy Wilks has signed a deal to drive Peugeot's 207 Super 2000 on 11 rounds of next year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The deal is expected to be announced by Peugeot tomorrow morning and will end weeks of speculation concerning the identity of the driver who would take the seat vacated by outgoing IRC champion Kris Meeke Related posts:
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  2. IRC: Meeke hails battle with Wilks Meeke hails battle with Wilks In association with Monday, November...
  3. IRC: Meeke leads while Wilks gives chase Meeke leads while Wilks gives chase In association with Friday,...
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Source: http://doxcar.com/irc-wilks-secures-2011-peugeot-deal/

Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon

NASCAR Tickets - Hylton Yearns for One More Start

74-year-old racing legend James Hylton is NASCAR's Energizer Bunny, and as the 2009 racing season gets well underway, Hylton still just keeps going and going. James Hylton is the owner of the Hylton Motorsports race shop in South Carolina and has been for 45 years, but he just can't get racing out of his blood, as this famed driver has recently expressed interest in competing in one last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race before relinquishing his driving powers to the next generation of NASCR contenders.

Last summer, Hylton became the oldest driver ever to start a Nationwide Series, qualifying Johnny Davis' No. 01 Chevrolet and completing 82 of 105 laps while coming in at 36th place. This racing icon also holds the record as the oldest driver to ever qualify for an ARCA race, and now he's going for records across the boards as he has recently expressed interest in snagging the Cup Series record for oldest driver, which currently belongs to Jim Fitzgerald and Hershel McGriff (who were each 65 when they made their respective final races). While hardships with sponsorship and finances keep Hylton off the track for now, the racing legend still thinks it's feasible to make a Sprint Cup start in the near future, saying, "One more Cup race. I want that record. I've put my whole life into this thing, and I feel like I'm still capable of doing it. If I thought I was endangering any of the competitors or I was in the way or I was somebody out there to cause a wreck... I ain't going to cause anybody no wreck. That's not saying I won't wreck, I've wrecked several times, had bad crashes. But the worst crash I've been in wasn't my fault."

James Hylton grew up in the backwoods of Virginia as one of 13 kids in his family, immersed into stock car racing culture at a young age. Hylton started out in the racing realm working as a mechanic for Rex White, but he eventually got into the driver's seat himself, capturing loads of fans when he made his strong NASCAR debut in 1966, popularizing the No. 48 car before Jimmie Johnson could get to it and winning the league's Rookie of the Year Award the same racing season. The next decade was an absolute racing frenzy for the great James Hylton, who finished the NASCAR championship in second place three times and finished a season in 11th place or better for 10 consecutive seasons.

Hylton retired from the full racing circuit in 1982 but has since gone on to set a number of records, now feasting his eyes upon one last Sprint Cup Series race. Hylton attempted a Daytona 500 race two years ago when Richard Childress supplied him with a bright orange car for the event, yet engine trouble kept him from starting the race, ultimately failing to capture the Sprint Cup record. The big question mark in NASCAR today still stands as whether or not James Hylton will ever accomplish his dream of starting one more Sprint Cup race, and if he does, which one it will be. In case Hylton does get to start one final Cup race soon, get NASCAR tickets online and cheer on this racing sensation, as you won't want to miss this record-setting event!

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 - Hylton Yearns for One More Start

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/254220/nascar-tickets-hylton-yearns-for-one-more-start

Niki Lauda† Roger Laurent Giovanni Lavaggi Chris Lawrence

McLaren drivers' hopes hanging by a thread

"It's not been our greatest weekend," McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted even before the Japanese Grand Prix started. Two hours later, it did not even look that good for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Hamilton's pre-race assessment of it being one of his "worst weekends" was pretty much spot on.

After the race, Whitmarsh put a brave face on things, saying it was not the "bigger disaster" he had feared at some points over the weekend. But the reality is that Suzuka dealt a heavy blow to the championship hopes of both McLaren drivers.

Button finished fourth, a place ahead of Hamilton, but their three title rivals - Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber of Red Bull and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso - annexed the podium, and for the first time all season both Englishmen are more than a win off the championship lead.

That watershed moment - as it may well turn out to be - has come at the worst possible time, with just three races to go and with both the Red Bull and the Ferrari expected, on current form, to be quicker cars than the McLaren at those tracks.

Given the expected dominance of the Red Bulls at Suzuka, Japan was always going to be an exercise in damage-limitation for McLaren. Instead, the damage was to some extent self-inflicted.

Hamilton started things rolling with his crash in first practice on Friday morning, which was exactly what he did not need after accidents had put him out of the last two races.

That meant Hamilton managed only six flying laps on Friday and put him on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. And things got worse when it emerged that McLaren had to change his gearbox, earning him a five-place grid penalty.

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This, it emerged, was as a result of damage it incurred in Hamilton's race-ending collision with Webber in the previous race in Singapore. McLaren hoped that it would survive, but it became clear through Saturday that it would not, and they had to take the hit.

After the wash-out on Saturday, Hamilton qualified third on Sunday morning, a quite superb performance given his lack of track time. But that became eighth following his penalty, and from there he was never going to beat the Red Bulls or Alonso.

Bringing back memories of his stunning drive to third in a poor car in Suzuka last year, though, Hamilton gave it a go. He was fantastic both before and after another gearbox problem intervened and he lost third gear, and subsequently fourth place to his team-mate.

That second gearbox problem meant Hamilton, despite his Friday crash, ultimately got as many points as he was ever going to get at Suzuka. But, as he put it himself, the last three races have made winning the championship "very difficult".

For his part, Button's gamble on taking the harder tyre for qualifying failed to pay off.

Whitmarsh believed it cost Button a place on the grid and if that is true it could have been the difference between finishing third and fourth in the race.

Alonso made a poor start from his fourth place so, had Button been ahead of him on the grid, it is inconceivable to think the world champion would not have beaten the Ferrari into the first corner.

That would have given him critical track position. Alonso was faster than Button in the race but had the Englishman been ahead Button would probably have beaten the Ferrari anyway.

For Button, that would have meant being 28 points off the championship lead rather than 31 as he is now. In such a tight season, that could make a huge difference.

Trying to emphasise the positives, as all the best managers do, Whitmarsh pointed out both that there are still 75 points available and that McLaren have more developments to come in the final three races.

But the team's promises of performance have not always delivered what they expected on the track this season and the fact remains that McLaren have had the third fastest car at the vast majority of the races this season.

Only at Spain, Turkey and Canada has it been demonstrably faster than the Ferrari, and only in Turkey, Canada and Italy than the Red Bull. McLaren and Hamilton had got into the championship lead by maximising their potential better than either of their rivals. That ability seems to have escaped them for now.

What made it worse was that Suzuka, actually, was one of McLaren's better races in terms of performance - and it was always going to be Ferrari's weakest of the final four.

Had the weekend gone smoothly for McLaren they might well have beaten Alonso with both cars - they certainly had the qualifying pace for that. To miss that opportunity could prove very costly indeed.

"Anything can happen," Whitmarsh said. "The leading guys could fall off at the next race, Lewis could win, and all of a sudden you'd be right back in it."

That's what the Japanese GP did for McLaren - realistically, they know the championship is now out of their hands, and they are relying on something going wrong for the top three.

Webber, meanwhile, has extended his lead in the championship, from 11 points over Alonso going into the race to 14 after it. But the Australian will be feeling anything but comfortable.

Vettel is now tied on points with Alonso - although classified only third because he has won one less race - and the result means that, were Red Bull to finish one-two in all the remaining races, Webber can not finish second to his team-mate in all three and still win the championship.

On pure performance, that is what Red Bull should do. But, as Alonso pointed out, that must be considered unlikely on the evidence of the season so far.

"Of the 16 races of the championship," he said, twisting the knife a little, "15 of them were Red Bull circuits and they won only seven. So in the remaining three races, I think it will be difficult for Red Bull to be one and two every race because always something seems to happen.

"If something does happen, we need to take the opportunity. If not, it will be hard because we know in 2010 the Red Bull has been the dominant car."

Alonso may, though, be playing down his chances.

The changes to the rules on bodywork flexibility seem to have brought Red Bull back towards their rivals - their advantage in Japan was nowhere near as big as it was in Hungary, a similarly favourable track.

On top of that, none of the remaining circuits are likely to be as good for Red Bull as Japan.

South Korea, on 24 October, is an unknown quantity, but while there are a lot of corners at Yeongam that will favour the Red Bull so, too, are there long straights which will tip the balance back to the Ferrari and the McLaren. That may leave things dead level between all three. It will be fascinating to see.

The bumps and long straights at Interlagos in Brazil may also give Ferrari the chance to take on Red Bull on a level playing field. Only at Abu Dhabi may Red Bull reasonably expect a significant advantage.

There are doubtless many twists to come in the best F1 championship in years, decades even - but for Hamilton and Button, at least for now, it looks a long shot.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/10/mclaren_drivers_hopes_hanging.html

GT Vodka Chevrolet Landon Cassill Morgan Shepherd Kroger Ford

Turkish GP: Hamilton gains victory by Red Bull collision

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TALFBmgvmsI/AAAAAAAAGRQ/5QY8ohrEmTo/s1600/Hamilton+gains+victory+by+Red+Bull+collision.jpg

May 30 '10

Lewis Hamilton won today's Turkish Grand Prix with a bit of a luck from the collision of the Red Bull mates, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton's first win of the season. His team mate Jenson Button finished second and Mark Webber who was leading the race before the incident, finished third.

The McLaren duo of Hamilton and Button, who were running first and second after the incident between the Red Bull drivers, were racing against each other despite warnings from their crew about ?critical? fuel shortages.

According to F1Fanatic, The McLaren drivers could scarcely believe their fortune but Button, now up to second, fancied his chances of a third win. He drew alongside his team mate on the outside of turn 12 and scrambled past.

That left Button on the outside of the last corner and Hamilton used his momentum to get back alongside. The pair touched wheels as they dived into turn one side-by-side and Hamilton seized the lead back."

Details of the race below, thanks to the Formula 1 broadcaster and journalist, James Allen's tweets.

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Video of the incident between Webber and Vettel

According to iTV, "Winning this race would be about seizing the precious moment. Vettel felt his had come when he got a run on Webber exiting ?Faux Rouge?, the right-hand kink in the back straight.

It was a squeeze but he got alongside and had the inside line for turn 12. He was slightly ahead too, and clearly felt he had earned the right to drift over for a slightly less compromised line.

Webber didn?t see it that way. Perhaps hoping to pinch his team-mate in order to get a run on him through the second part or even the exit of the left-right-left combination, he held his line.

The Red Bulls touched and Vettel spun down the road, almost collecting Webber in the run-off area before marching away from his wreck while giving the universally accepted hand signal for ?crazy?."

Michael Schumacher finished a strong fourth in his Mercedes ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg in fifth. Kamui Kobayashi scored his first points of the season and also his team's. Both the Saubers finished the race for the first time this season.

Hamilton?s first win of the season moves him up to third place in the driver's standings (84 pts), Webber retains the lead (93 pts). Button moves to second (88 pts). Vettel, who jointly led the championship heading into this race, falls to fifth (78 pts). McLaren lead the constructor's championship, ahead of Red Bull and Ferrari.

Turkish Grand Prix Race times

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps 1hr 28m 47.620s
2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +00m 02.6s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +00m 24.2s
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 31.1s
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 32.2s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault +00m 32.8s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 36.6s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 46.5s
9. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +00m 49.0s
10. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.6s

11. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.9s
12. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +01m 07.8s
13. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
14. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
15. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +1 lap
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
19 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
20. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +6 laps

Rtd Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 46 laps completed
Rtd Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 39 laps completed
Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 33 laps completed
Rtd Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 32 laps completed


Fastest lap:

Vitaly Petrov Renault -Renault 1m 29.165s lap 57

Images (C) Daylife, F1Fanatic

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/ro5uN5uROP0/turkish-gp-hamilton-gains-victory-by.html

Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard

Nascar And The Critique It Faces

Nascar has faced a lot of criticism for a lot of things over the last few decades. We can attribute the criticism to the popularity of Nascar. Apart from the environmental impact of Nascar which has led to criticism, there are other technical reasons as well. One of the reasons is the oval shape of most Nascar racing circuits. Driving enthusiasts have severely criticized the difficulty of these race courses when compared to the extremely difficult twisting and turning race courses of Formula 1. They say that it involves going round and round for 500 miles and nothing else.

Some courses of the Formula 1 put up to 5 or 6 G's of stress on the body of the driver. This is totally absent in Nascar. But Nascar has denied these allegations and countered by saying that there are certain race series in which road courses are included. But again it is for a very small percentage of the race. Nascar has also brought to light the fact that even the Indy racing league uses mostly oval tracks.

The Grueling Season
The grueling racing season of Nascar is also a reason for its criticism. While a Formula 1 race has 22 cars in its beginning, a Nascar Nextel cup race has 43. Add the 36 point races for the entire series, and the session becomes extremely hectic. The drivers are left with just a few hours to practice. Some of the drivers have even quit the sport because of their inability to cope with such stress.

Drivers who have been reasonably successful in road racing circuits have been unable to duplicate that success record in Nascar. The prime reason is the difference in the entire structure of the two.

The Cars
The technology behind the cars is another reason that Nascarhas faced so much criticism. The cars are mostly fitted with accessories from the 1950s. The carburetors, cast iron engine blocks and most primarily the use of leaded fuel have triggered huge criticism against Nascar. The reluctance of Nascar to add safety devices has also aggravated the criticism against them. The use of this equipment places more emphasis on getting an undue advantage rather than focusing on the skill of the driver.

The Business
The last thing that has received flak from critics is the Nascar business structure. The majority of revenue generated by the entire Nascar racing goes towards the France family, as they control most of Nascar . Many say that the drivers do not have a voice in Nascar and it is like a dictatorship. The penalties and fines that Nascar levied on its drivers for using foul language in the media have also been a reason for criticism against it.

This author is a HUGE fan of NASCAR licensed merchandise

Article Source: Nascar And The Critique It Faces

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/111183/nascar-and-the-critique-it-faces

Citifinancial Ford Reed Sorenson Paul Menard Richmond Menards Ford

Nascar And The FX Race Technology

With the coming of engineering in the 21st century, reality television has made the front seat. As more and more proficiencies are formulated to make TV more interactional and advanced, sporting events are not left far behind. Nascar has started the race F/X technology, which has enhanced the interest further amongst TV audiences. Well, the technology was primitively started by FOX, which started trailing the hockey puck on national television. The trick was hot, and it became an instant hit.

Nascar brought in a synonymous technology to track their cars. But tracking a puck on a hockey field and tracking a car moving at 200 mph on a racing circuit are two different matters entirely. In Nascar, the commentators talk about a car and then the car is spotlighted with a glowing halo around it. It looks incredibly cool on television. The statistical information about the car is also presented just above the car.

The Technology Behind The Trick
Race F/X uses a wide range of parameters to showcase their final product. GPS orbiters form an integral component of the Race F/X technology. They are used to dig up the cars as they move around the circuit. They work in tandem with an earth-based navigation system. The tracking is so accurate that the car is tracked up to 20 millimeters distance from its real position.

In-car sensing elements in the cars also play a important part in enhancing the telecasted event. They help the GPS locate the cars and also help the networks to collect as much statistical data about the car as possible. The info is highly detailed and contains minute contingents like RPM, acceleration, speed, fuel consumption, and even braking. This information is gathered at the speed of ten times a second. So you can rest assured that it is most recent information that you see on top of your favorite Nascar cars.

You Will Be In It
The day is not very far when you will be able to control the Nascar cars race F/X technology and you will be able to select and highlight the car that you want to follow. This will be done with the help of a set top box, Nascar says. A video game variation of Nascar is also on the advent. This will enable you to race your own virtual car on the racing circuit with the greats of racing. So the days are not far when your own car will be racing beside Jeff Gordon and you will be in your living room all the time. Now isn't that cool?

This will propel Nascar racing into a entirely different realm altogether. So, get ready, get set, GO!

This author is a HUGE fan of NASCAR licensed merchandise

Article Source: Nascar And The FX Race Technology

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/111182/nascar-and-the-fx-race-technology

Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon

NASCAR Gifts For Men

Do you have a man who is a NASCAR fan? NASCAR gifts are loved by men. Whether that gift is intended to be a Father's Day present, a birthday present, or a just because you want to show him how much you love him. He probably already has a Nascar hat and a Nascar t-shirt. If you would like to purchase unique NASCAR gifts for your father, husband or friend, checkout some of these great NASCAR gifts for men.

With spring and summer quickly approaching, racing themed barbeque tool sets make great gifts for men. Get a barbeque tool set with you man's favorite driver's number printed on the handles. These specialty racing themed barbeque tool sets often come with matching storage cases or bags. These NASCAR grill tool sets are great, but affordable, gifts for men who like to grill outside.

Did you know that they make NASCAR patio sets? Yes they do. An outdoor patio set with a racing theme is a great, yet unique NASCAR gift idea. Now these aren't real cheap so this is probably more suited for a very close family member, husband or dad. Make sure that the racing patio set has your loved one's favorite nascar driver on the seats and table. Some have the names of the drivers and some have the nascar driver's number. A NASCAR patio set will allow your nascar fan to barbeque in style on race days.

Companies also make racing themed canopy sets. These canopy sets are also really awesome gift ideas for men who love NASCAR. And, you will have to look long and hard to find someone else who has a race car canopy set.

What goes hand and hand with watching a race? That's right beer or another cold beverage. You man would love to have a NASCAR compact refrigerator with is favorite driver on it. I would love to have a Jeff Gordon compact refrigerator or may a Dale Jr refrigerator. These compact refrigerators would look great in your game room or a dormroom.

If you are looking for a NASCAR gift for a child, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school aged children love NASCAR diecast cars. NASCAR diecast cars make very affordable gifts. In fact, most grown men that I know love racing diecast cars. My son and I play racing all the time with diecast cars. He always plays with his Jeff Gordon diecast car and I play with my Tony Steweart diecast car. He won't let me play with the Jeff Gordon diecast car.

I hope that these gift ideas help you to pick out the perfect NASCAR gifts for men.

Find out more about NASCAR at Nascar Diecast Cars. Nascar diecast cars make great collections. Check out these great Dale Earnhardt Jr Diecast cars and these Jeff Gordon Diecast cars.

Article Source: NASCAR Gifts For Men

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/62969/nascar-gifts-for-men

Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli

Ashley Phalen Killed in Driving Experience Crash at Auto Club Speedway

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- A woman crashed a replica Indy race car into a wall at a high rate of speed and died while taking part in the Mario Andretti Driving Experience at a Southern California motor speedway.

The San Bernardino County coroner's office says 24-year-old Ashley Phalen of Los Angeles was killed early Friday when her vehicle slammed into a wall and overturned at the Auto Club Motor Speedway in Fontana. She died at a nearby hospital.

Phalen was participating in what is described on andrettiracing.com as the "World's Fastest Racing Experience." The website says people can drive a race car with 600 horsepower for an eight-minute session and reach speeds up to 160 mph.

The San Bernardino Sun reported that the crash occurred at 9:32 a.m. PT Friday and that the car struck an inside wall before overturning.

An after-hours phone message for the Andretti Driving Experience wasn't immediately returned.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/10/16/woman-killed-in-driving-experience-crash-at-auto-club-speedway/

Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene

Your classic grand prix - race 16

The 1993 Japanese Grand Prix is the selected race in the latest edition of our classic Formula 1 series.

Last week, we asked readers to tell us which of three great races they would most like to see - the 1990, 1993 and 1995 Japanese Grands Prix - and the overwhelming choice was Ayrton Senna's victory in 1993.

The full 'Grand Prix' highlights programme broadcast on the BBC at the time is embedded below, with the shorter highlights of it and the other races linked underneath. There are also short and long highlights of Sebastian Vettel's victory in an incident-packed Suzuka race last year, too.

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WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1990 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1993 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1995 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
WATCH LONG HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

Because of the Commonwealth Games, the classic races will not be shown on the red button, either on digital and satellite or on Freeview.

I have to say that I was surprised by just how popular the 1993 race was - it outdid the other two choices by something like five to one.

The 1993 race witnessed a great drive by Senna, and was full of action and intrigue both during the race and afterwards, but I have to say I thought the famous crash between Senna and Alain Prost at the start in 1990 would be the most popular choice.

There was all the drama of the start, Nigel Mansell putting paid to his chances by breaking his Ferrari's driveshaft with an over-exuberant getaway from a tyre stop, and the unusual podium of two Benettons and local hero Aguri Suzuki.

The 1995 race also made a strong case for itself - a superb drive from Michael Schumacher, comedy retirements from Williams drivers Damon Hill and David Coulthard (although it's fair to say the team's no-nonsense technical director Patrick Head wasn't laughing) and a battling drive from Ferrari's Jean Alesi before his retirement (also with a driveshaft failure).

Having said that, it is hard to argue against 1993. It was one of Senna's great wet-weather victories after a race-long battle with arch-rival Prost and there was the sub-plot of Eddie Irvine's electrifying grand prix debut.

Drafted in by Jordan for the last two races of the year, the Northern Irishman qualified an excellent eighth, and used his knowledge of Suzuka gleaned from three years in Japanese Formula 3000 to pass Schumacher and Hill at the start.

Later in the race, while battling with Hill, Irvine had the temerity to unlap himself from Senna. And when the great Brazilian, a little the worse for wear, confronted Irvine about it after the race, he did not find the novice as apologetic as expected - the two got into a heated argument which ended with Senna punching Irvine.

A number of you asked on my last blog whether there was film of this argument. There isn't. But the journalist Adam Cooper was in the room with Irvine at the time, and he recorded the whole thing. A transcript of the row was published in Autosport magazine - for which both Cooper and I were working at the time - and you can read it here.

There were also questions about why we had not chosen the 1996 race, when Hill clinched the world title.

The answer is in the name of this series - classic grands prix. Hill is a popular man, and with good reason, but in no way could that race be called an all-time classic in comparison with others we have chosen.

To recap, the title battle had distilled by the time of Japanwhich was the last race of the season, into a fight between Williams team-mates Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

Hill led by nine points going into the race - which meant the only way Villeneuve could be champion was if he won and the Englishman was out of the points.

Villeneuve increased the tension by qualifying on pole, ahead of Hill, but his chances were effectively ruined within seconds of the green light, when the Canadian made a poor start and dropped to sixth, behind Hill, Benetton's Gerhard Berger, Mika Hakkinen's McLaren, Schumacher's Ferrari and Irvine's Ferrari.

Villeneuve managed to get past Irvine, but was still in only fifth place when he retired when a rear wheel came off going into Turn One with 15 laps to go. Hill, meanwhile, led untroubled from the start, going only as fast as he needed to, keen to conserve his car.

A popular result, yes, especially in Britain. But a classic grand prix it was not.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2010/10/your_classic_grand_prix_-_race_3.html

Kevin Harvick Brad Keselowski Ruby Tuesday Dodge Trevor Bayne

Turkish GP: Hamilton gains victory by Red Bull collision

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May 30 '10

Lewis Hamilton won today's Turkish Grand Prix with a bit of a luck from the collision of the Red Bull mates, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton's first win of the season. His team mate Jenson Button finished second and Mark Webber who was leading the race before the incident, finished third.

The McLaren duo of Hamilton and Button, who were running first and second after the incident between the Red Bull drivers, were racing against each other despite warnings from their crew about ?critical? fuel shortages.

According to F1Fanatic, The McLaren drivers could scarcely believe their fortune but Button, now up to second, fancied his chances of a third win. He drew alongside his team mate on the outside of turn 12 and scrambled past.

That left Button on the outside of the last corner and Hamilton used his momentum to get back alongside. The pair touched wheels as they dived into turn one side-by-side and Hamilton seized the lead back."

Details of the race below, thanks to the Formula 1 broadcaster and journalist, James Allen's tweets.

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Video of the incident between Webber and Vettel

According to iTV, "Winning this race would be about seizing the precious moment. Vettel felt his had come when he got a run on Webber exiting ?Faux Rouge?, the right-hand kink in the back straight.

It was a squeeze but he got alongside and had the inside line for turn 12. He was slightly ahead too, and clearly felt he had earned the right to drift over for a slightly less compromised line.

Webber didn?t see it that way. Perhaps hoping to pinch his team-mate in order to get a run on him through the second part or even the exit of the left-right-left combination, he held his line.

The Red Bulls touched and Vettel spun down the road, almost collecting Webber in the run-off area before marching away from his wreck while giving the universally accepted hand signal for ?crazy?."

Michael Schumacher finished a strong fourth in his Mercedes ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg in fifth. Kamui Kobayashi scored his first points of the season and also his team's. Both the Saubers finished the race for the first time this season.

Hamilton?s first win of the season moves him up to third place in the driver's standings (84 pts), Webber retains the lead (93 pts). Button moves to second (88 pts). Vettel, who jointly led the championship heading into this race, falls to fifth (78 pts). McLaren lead the constructor's championship, ahead of Red Bull and Ferrari.

Turkish Grand Prix Race times

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 58 laps 1hr 28m 47.620s
2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +00m 02.6s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +00m 24.2s
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 31.1s
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 32.2s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault +00m 32.8s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 36.6s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 46.5s
9. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +00m 49.0s
10. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.6s

11. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.9s
12. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +01m 07.8s
13. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
14. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
15. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +1 lap
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
19 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
20. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +6 laps

Rtd Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 46 laps completed
Rtd Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 39 laps completed
Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 33 laps completed
Rtd Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 32 laps completed


Fastest lap:

Vitaly Petrov Renault -Renault 1m 29.165s lap 57

Images (C) Daylife, F1Fanatic

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/ro5uN5uROP0/turkish-gp-hamilton-gains-victory-by.html

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