Ferrari turn focus to 2012

As the curtain fell on the European season in the late summer sunshine of Monza, Ferrari also effectively drew a line under their 2011 campaign.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali explained, with an air of resignation, that another technical set-back had derailed Ferrari and Fernando Alonso's fight back.
"We have stopped the development [of the car]," Domenicali had said. "It is very, very, very, very, very difficult now."

With 13 races run - and just six to go - Alonso's victory in Great Britain in July remains Ferrari's only win of the season.

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Highlights of the Italian GP (UK users only)


At the time Ferrari had celebrated Silverstone as a significant turning point, laughing off suggestions the win might be a one-off because it happened to coincide with a one-race ban on so-called off-throttle blowing of the diffuser and also relied partly on an error at Vettel's second pit stop.

Ferrari were confident they were now able to interpret data from their wind tunnel correctly - something that had hit them in the early part of the campaign - and that a new package of upgrades was giving them strength in their previous area of weakness - high-speed, high-downforce circuits.

At the next race in Germany, Alonso kept up the charge, narrowly losing out to Lewis Hamilton in a three-way fight to the flag, before the wrong tyre strategy and a late spin relegated him to third in Hungary.

But following the summer break, Ferrari fell off the pace again when they were forced to abandon failed upgrades planned for Belgium and Italy.

"We were expecting a bigger step in our development in Spa," Domenicali revealed. "Unfortunately we discovered it was the opposite so we took a step back, and that was also a step back for Monza."

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Ferrari say this time muddled wind tunnel data was not to blame, simply that the upgrades - which focused on a new exhaust system - did not deliver what was expected of them.

Domenicali is optimistic the gap between Ferrari and rivals Red Bull and McLaren will be smaller on Singapore's street circuit, a race Alonso won last year - but closing the gap completely is now a task for 2012.

Pat Fry, who replaced technical director Aldo Costa when the Italian stood down in May, says he is already tackling the development of next season's Ferrari at the team's Maranello headquarters.

Top of the Englishman's to-do list is to improve the car's "absolute downforce" levels and to help with that he says the team will still drip through small developments to the 2011 car for analysis.

Ferrari's failure to effectively interpret new regulations in time for the start of the season has seen them come unstuck in 2009 and 2011.

But with technical rule changes only focussing on the design of the car's exhaust in 2012, Fry is cautiously optimistic that Ferrari can hit the ground running.

"The stability should help," he said. "But it does not mean that automatically you will be able to catch up your opponents.

"We know we have a gap to recover in terms of performance and we need an extra effort to get rid of it: this is one of the main targets of the winter time."

Some F1 experts have ear-marked the former McLaren engineer as the brains behind McLaren's "F-duct" which quickly became 2010's must-have aerodynamic device.

Whether Fry was the anonymous figure behind the creation or not, innovation and fresh-thinking at Maranello will be key when it comes to matching the grey matter of Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

"Adrian's Red Bulls have been the quickest cars in the last two or three years," said Fry, who worked alongside Newey at McLaren in the Nineties.

"[But] to be honest I do not think this is a man-against-man sport, not at all. It is a very complex sport in which a very talented engineer cannot make everything along as he needs the support of many people to succeed.

"At the moment, Red Bull are the reference; our aim is to win, whoever will be our opponents."

President Luca di Montezemolo underlined Ferrari's task when he stalked around the team garage during the Italian Grand Prix weekend and casually strolled across the open pit lane to shake his fist at the tifosi in a gesture of intent.

"I am not happy," said Di Montezemolo, who became founder Enzo Ferrari's right-hand man when he joined the team nearly 40 years ago. "Next year, I expect a competitive car with a clear interpretation of the rules. I hope to win the championship again."

For Fry and Ferrari - and at rivals McLaren where the team are also running over the first interpretation of their 2012 car - the hard work has already begun.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/09/ferrari_turn_focus_to_2012.html

Jan Lammers Pedro Lamy Chico Landi Hermann Lang

Nine wannabe winners

That was another fabulous race in Hungary, with the top three teams fighting for the win but in every Formula 1 race there are 12 teams and 24 drivers.

I've been taking a look at how some of the smaller teams like Force India and Sauber are faring at the mid-way point of the 2011 season, as well as picking the nine drivers who have impressed me most so far.


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If you are outside the UK, you can watch the video here.

Murray gives his thoughts on the new UK television rights deal here.

If you would like to comment on the new UK television rights deal, please go to the BBC's head of F1 Ben Gallop's blog on that subject

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2011/08/nine_wannabie_winners.html

Geki Olivier Gendebien Marc Gené Elmer George

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

Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock Helm Glöckler

Send me your questions about F1 2011

Hello all,

I am filming the next entries for this video blog on Monday and that means I need your help.

As you know, we answer a selection of your questions as well as reviewing the last few races and looking forward to the next stage of the year.

So if you have any questions about F1 2011, please do post them below. We will pick a selection of the best and I will answer them here next week.

Thanks,

Murray

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2011/09/send_me_your_questions_about_f_2.html

Chico Landi Hermann Lang Claudio Langes Nicola Larini

NASCAR Tickets - 50 Years of Firsts at Lowe's Motor Speedway

2009 marks the 50th year of the running of the Coca-Cola 600 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, and to celebrate this NASCAR half-centennial event Lower's Motor Speedway has pulled all stops to bring 50 Years of Firsts to the racetrack. The Speedway recently unveiled the plan of attack for this May madness, and the festivities will all kick off with the help of the Coca-Cola 600 defending champion Kasey Kahne.

Opening on May 4, Kahne will stand alongside Lowe's Motor Speedway officials in opening the gigantic 50 Years of Firsts display outside the racetrack. The exhibit will run through May 24 and will feature all kinds of racing memorabilia from the Coca-Cola 600 through its five decades at the Carolina racetrack. From Bobby Allison's race-winning 1969 No. 12 Mercury to David Pearson's 1971 No. 21 Mercury and several other pieces of NASCAR history, the 50 Years of Firsts display will be decked out in every aspect of stock car racing.

Marcus Smith, president and general manager of the Speedway, said that "for our 50th year, we're inviting every race fan to relive the good times that got us here and make new memories to last a lifetime at the Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600. The 50 Years of Firsts display is our way to honor our fans by giving them the chance to stroll down memory lane and see the things most have never seen before. This will be an exceptional added attraction for fans coming to Charlotte in May."

This year's Coca-Cola 600 will take place at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte on May 24 and will follow the Sprint All-Star Race, which will be held on May 16. This year's Charlotte race will undoubtedly be a battle for first place in series standings, and NASCAR tickets are available now, with racing fans already lining up to reserve a seat in the grandstands for this NASCAR milestone. So far in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009, names like Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and the Busch brothers have been the most prevalent on the NASCAR scene, and races leading up to May's Coca-Cola 600 are sure to shape the season even more.

If this year's Charlotte race turns out to be anything like last year's, be sure to get racing tickets online and early, as the 2008 Coca-Cola 600 was an absolute thriller. Richard Petty Motorsports' Kasey Kahne swept the race last year, snagging first place after leading 66 laps and coming in ahead of Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Carl Edwards and David Reutimann, respectively. Kahne took first place after Jimmie Johnson exited the race with an engine failure and both Earnhardt and Tony Stewart fell to tire cuts. All of these drivers and more are vying for a rematch to last year's Coca-Cola 600, and now with Lowe's Motor Speedway's 50th year anniversary, this is one NASCAR Sprint Cup race that is sure to draw in crowds by the thousands.

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 - 50 Years of Firsts at Lowe's Motor Speedway

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/250668/nascar-tickets-50-years-of-firsts-at-lowes-motor-speedway

Jeff Green Air Guard Ford Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet

Why America Loves NASCAR Racing

NASCAR Racing has become one of the most popular sports in America and its popularity is increasing every year. For those of us who are NASCAR fans we completely understand why it has increased in popularity, but many others don't understand why. To those non-NASCAR fans, they ask, "What is there to love about a sport with just left turns?".

So why is NASCAR racing so popular? It is hard to say, but I think that there are several reasons that come up over and over. This article will explore why NASCAR fans love the sport so much..

The first reason that NASCAR racing is so popular is that it is easy to follow. My wife has watched football all of her life, but to this day she does not truly understand the rules. However, the rules of NASCAR racing are fairly easy. As with any race, the NASCAR driver that finishes first wins. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Over 100,000 NASCAR fans show up at the racetrack every week to watch their favorite NASCAR drivers race toward the Sprint Cup. But many million more fans have a Sunday ritual of watching television on raceday. This doesn't even count the many more who gain access to BUSCH races, qualifying sessions, and practice sessions. There are also many race fans who make big weekend events out of races with tailgating and barbeque grilling.

The second reason why NASCAR racing is so popular is because NASCAR has done a great job making it a family sport. Husbands, wives and children all love to watch the races together as a family. A husband may like Tony Stewart, a wife Dale Jr and the kids liking Jeff Gordon. This is one of the biggest reason why NASCAR racing has seen an increase in popularity. It is a family sport. Both kids and adults like racing.

Another one of the many reasons why NASCAR racing has seen an increase in popularity is because of the drivers. Most racers seem like your average guys. They don't come off as primadonnas like in baseball and basketball. Many NASCAR drivers started racing around dirt tracks and come from normal upbringings just like the fans of the sport..

NASCAR is popular for many different number of reasons. One article can't describe in totality why millions of Americans tune into watch a NASCAR race. However, the results speak for themselves. NASCAR is the fastest growing sport in terms of popularity in the United States. It is showing no signs of leveling out in its grow of fans.

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 Carl Edwards Diecast cars.

Article Source: Why America Loves NASCAR Racing

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/62260/why-america-loves-nascar-racing

Al Herman Hans Herrmann François Hesnault Hans Heyer

F1 in a spin over Bahrain

Three days after motorsport's governing body, the FIA, reinstated the Bahrain Grand Prix on to this year's Formula 1 calendar, the likelihood of the race actually taking place remains as uncertain as ever.

As FIA president Jean Todt was telling the BBC on Monday that the situation in Bahrain was now back to normal following the civil unrest that led to the race being postponed in February, the F1 teams were discussing what to do next.

I understand that the teams all feel that going to Bahrain this season is not a good idea, and that their objections are based on two main points:

Logistical - as Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has pointed out, the F1 team members have been working flat out since January, and shoe-horning an extra race into an already crowded season's end, and extending the championship until mid-December, is a step too far.

Ethical and moral - trying to bring such issues into sports scheduling raises all sorts of difficult questions, such as exactly where you draw the line. After all, Bahrain is not the only country on the F1 schedule about which human rights groups have concerns. Which is why sports' bodies generally try to stay out of politics. But the teams feel that if holding a grand prix in a strife-torn area is likely to exacerbate the situation, then that is on the wrong side of the line.

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No team has made these views public yet, with the only official statement so far emerging from their umbrella group Fota, stating that the issue would be discussed internally and that a joint position may be defined. It may be that this will happen over the course of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

In the meantime, F1 is in a state of limbo that reflects badly on it on several different levels.

How, many outside the sport will ask, can it have taken so long to come to this decision? And how, having done so, can there still be uncertainty about whether the Bahrain Grand Prix will be held this year?

There are different versions of exactly what happened on Friday in the meeting of the FIA World Council that resulted in Bahrain's reinstatement.

FIA insiders have said that while the governing body may be aware of the teams' reported unease, it has received so far only a letter from Brawn and one from the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, outlining their concerns about safety.

So if the teams felt uneasy about the race, why did not any of their representatives raise an official objection?

Equally, though, with the world's media and Amnesty International reporting continuing human rights abuses in Bahrain, was the FIA right to conclude in its own report that the situation is now "very stable and very quiet", as Todt put it?

Even as he justified the world council's decision, though, Todt may have been laying the ground for calling off the race - he gave himself some 'wriggle room'.

After a lengthy exposition on how all major parties in Bahrain backed the reinstatement of the race, and how United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was talking about "restoring a good situation in this part of the world", Todt added: "But we are talking about 30 October, so it will be monitored and things will be taken into consideration. The decision to go ahead was taken regarding how things are now."

Could that be the signal that another U-turn is on the cards?

I'm told that over the next few days the teams are likely to quietly begin to lobby the FIA to reconsider, pointing out that far from helping heal the wounds caused by the violent suppression of February's pro-democracy protests, the decision to hold a race already looked to be doing the opposite.

Only on Monday, the Bahrain Centre of Human Rights indicated that it would be calling for a "day of rage" on 30 October, the date of the rescheduled race, while the UK sports minister warned that holding the race would lead to a "disaster".

While all the teams are uneasy (even McLaren, whose biggest shareholder is a financial group owned by the Bahrain government), I'm told that the greatest concerns are held by three organisations - Renault, Mercedes and tyre supplier Pirelli, none of whom were available for comment.

As the three biggest corporate entities in F1, this would not be a surprise. They have well developed corporate social responsibility programmes, and they have the most to lose from a PR point of view from the inevitable negative fall-out that holding a race this year would create.

Todt acknowledged that it was "their choice" if they wanted to boycott the race - and there is precedent for that in F1.

In 1985, Renault and their fellow French team Ligier refused to take part in the South African Grand Prix, in a country still nine years away from the end of apartheid, following pressure from their country's government. And a number of sponsors of the teams that did take part removed their logos from the cars.

I understand that a boycott is not, for now, on the agenda. Even so, having just announced that the race will go ahead, the FIA finds itself in a difficult situation. But there is a way out.

Suppose, quietly, behind the scenes, the teams make it clear that they are unhappy about the Bahrain Grand Prix going ahead. As part of this pressure, it is made clear to the Bahraini authorities that if they insist on holding the race, some teams and sponsors will not attend. There is even the chance that the sport's tyre supplier would refuse to participate - meaning a race could not happen in any event.

In those circumstances, Bahrain would be faced with a choice.

They could go ahead with the race in the wake of a stream of statements from major global corporate stakeholders that they felt the event was untenable - not exactly a desirable situation for a significant international banking hub.

Or they could quietly announce that, given the circumstances, the risk of further protest, of putting pressure on a sensitive situation, in hindsight they believed that the best action would be to call off the race after all.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/06/three_days_after_motorsports_g.html

Rudolf Krause Robert Kubica Kurt Kuhnke Masami Kuwashima