No more excuses, say Ferrari

At the Circuit de Catalunya

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali surveys the Formula 1 paddock through mirrored windows from a scrupulously tidy white office on the first floor of the team's pristine motorhome.

What he could see on Friday morning at the Spanish Grand Prix was a world still coming to terms with the news that Ferrari have extended their commitment to Fernando Alonso, rated by many in F1 as the finest racing driver in the world, until the end of 2016.

As Alonso munched his breakfast outside his boss's office, the satisfaction Domenicali took from this development was plain. Yet the genial 46-year-old Italian remains a man with bigger problems to solve.

After the crushing disappointment of handing the 2010 drivers' title to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel after a strategy error left Alonso stranded down the field in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari were expecting to bounce back strongly this season.

Fernando Alonso at the cockpit of his Ferrari

Ferrari have not yet laid down a serious challenge to Red Bull this season

So the reality that their car is lagging a long way behind Red Bull on pace has been something of a shock, and it has triggered a period of introspection and self-analysis at Maranello.

While Vettel has stormed to three wins and a second place in the first four races of the season, Ferrari and Alonso had to wait until the Turkish Grand Prix two weeks ago to score their first podium finish.

The sport's most iconic team has been open about the fact that the problem has a dual cause.

As their president Luca di Montezemolo has said: "We were a little bit too conservative with the new (car) project but also unfortunately we faced something we have never seen before - that the wind tunnel results have not been confirmed by the track. This is not an easy problem (to solve)."

In a rare exclusive interview here, Domenicali projected a tough edge that some in the paddock have at times accused of him of lacking - especially in comparison with his ruthless predecessor, Jean Todt, now president of the governing body the FIA.

"No doubt I was expecting a better car because from the winter testing the feeling was not too bad," Domenicali says. "We have discussed that we have this problem with the correlation from the wind tunnel.

"But as I said to my people, I do not want to speak about this again. The situation is as it is. For the last grand prix it seems not too bad in the race but we definitely need to improve in qualifying otherwise the race is always difficult.

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"That's where we stand now. My engineers (must) just understand that the others are pushing very hard and we need to improve. Full stop."

The wind tunnel problem is one thing - it has arisen from Ferrari's switch from using a 50% scale model of their car to simulate aerodynamic performance to a 60% model, and it is the sort of thing that can happen.

More worrying is the creeping conservatism in the design office. Domenicali admits that the roots of it lay in the team's domination of the early part of the last decade with Michael Schumacher, when a process of gradual iteration of a proven concept delivered five consecutive world titles.

That all changed with the introduction of new regulations in 2009, when Ferrari had their least competitive season for years. They recovered impressively to fight for the title with Alonso last year, but that championship bid was aided by Red Bull's faltering progress - it is not as if Ferrari had the fastest car.

"First of all," Domenicali says, "with all respect you can see I was pushing my team since Turkey 2010 to be more aggressive in terms of design, in terms of approach to the car.
"It's a matter of mentality, ideas and organisation. And I really push with my people to go towards that route that is not really there at the moment.

"That doesn't mean if you are conservative you can't win, because if you remember last year, unfortunately the result was not in our favour, but if Abu Dhabi had been different, the season would have been not great but fantastic.

"So we don't need to throw away all the things that relate to a different methodology, or a more normal approach to the design of the car.

"It is a matter of balance, but for sure I am pushing my people to look ahead in a different way. The new elements of the regulation now are quite clear, and I want to see a step in that direction very soon - different ideas, different concepts."

The Ferrari designers, then, face a period of mounting pressure. Not only is the boss on their back, but the knowledge that Alonso has committed the rest of his career to Ferrari creates a heavy burden that is rooted in its obvious benefits.

Alonso is, as Domenicali says, a "reference", one of very few drivers a team knows they can count on to deliver every last bit of a car's potential, on every lap, of every race of the season.

He has a tireless pursuit of perfection and he drives his employers hard. His view is simple - give me the car and I will win the championship for you.

For their part, the designers know that with Alonso there is no hiding place. Any shortfall in performance cannot be laid at the door of the driver. It can only be that the car is not quick enough.

That, says Domenicali, is the whole point. "That's what I need," he says. "I don't want to hear from my engineers that they have a problem with the wind tunnel. If you have something to improve you have to do it. The time of excuses is finished. I don't want to look for excuses - this is not our style, and it's not mine."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/05/ferrari_conscious_of_need_to_c.html

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NASCAR Tracks - The Martinsville Speedway

The Martinsville Speedway is celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2007.

The Martinsville Speedway track was sold to International Speedway Corporation in 2004 and has been defined as the "biggest deal in NASCAR" to date. Recently, International Speedway Corporation has been purchasing race tracks in an effort to gain a majority in the number of races on the circuit. The Martinsville Speedway ticket office is open daily 9 a.m. The ticket office will be open this Saturday, March 24, from 9 a.m. The Martinsville speedway in Virginia has been home to NASCAR races for the entire time it was constructed except the very first year. Martinsville Speedway was formed in 1947 and hosted various races for the entire year and in 1948 NASCAR was formed and begun racing at the Martinsville Speedway.

Martinsville Speedway is located just miles out of the city of Martinsville, Virginia. This facility is proud to be recognized as the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still hosting Nextel Cup competitions. Martinsville Speedway is one of the oldest venues on the NASCAR schedule; the paper clip shaped track is famous for close, intense action as Nextel Cup stock cars beat and bang on each other for 500 laps.

Martinsville Speedway tickets are worth the expense for any event because of the electrifying atmosphere. Martinsville Speedway opened in 1947 with 750 seats and has grown continuously over the years. But other than being paved in 1955, the track configuration has not changed since Red Byron won the inaugural event. Martinsville Speedway is one of the oldest venues on the NASCAR schedule; the paper clip shaped track is famous for close, intense action as Nextel Cup stock cars beat and bang on each other for 500 laps.

The Martinsville speedway in Virginia has been home to NASCAR races for the entire time it was constructed except the very first year. Martinsville Speedway was formed in 1947 and hosted various races for the entire year and in 1948 NASCAR was formed and begun racing at the Martinsville Speedway. The Martinsville Speedway ticket office is open daily 9 a.m. The ticket office will be open this Saturday, March 24, from 9 a.m.

Martinsville Speedway ran the first NASCAR race there on July 4, 1948. When Martinsville Speedway opened in 1947 it only had 750 seats. Today the track holds over 70,000 race fans and is continually improving the facilities.

The paper clip shaped track is famous for close, intense action as Nextel Cup stock cars beat and bang on each other for 500 laps. Martinsville Speedway is located just miles out of the city of Martinsville, Virginia. This facility is proud to be recognized as the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still hosting Nextel Cup competitions.

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Nascar Keeps Fans Informed

Some fans tend to forget what graphics are on a specific race car that they have seen many times at the Nascar track and when they watch a race on television. They know that they can go to the Nascar sites and get the information that they need in a jiffy and then they will be able to finish the model car that they have been working on for several days.

Nascar makes sure that the fans are always informed on the latest happenings in racing because the fans are a large part of the reason that it has become a successful business enterprise. It keeps fans informed through the use of internet web pages and through podcasts. Fans know that they can listen to commentaries to keep up on the latest Nascar changes.

Fans are entertained by some of the information that Nascar provides and relay that information to friends who might not have internet in their homes. The Nascar fan will most certainly be willing to print off the latest racing schedule so that their friends can make their plans to join in on the fun at a track that is close to their home.

Long trips to Nascar races anywhere in the United States can be fine tuned to include a visit to the Daytona International Raceway. Some fans make their RVs a rolling billboard to show the world how devoted they are to it and Nascar will provide them with all of the information that they can post on the outside of their recreational vehicle.

Some fans might want to join in on the tailgate parties that form at every Nascar track before a race. Nascar is willing to keep fans informed on what the latest crazes are with other fans in the manner that they do their barbeque cooking including any type of Nascar apron fashions that some fans have created that they wanted to share a picture of through an online Nascar related website.

Fans want to hear about the latest tongs designs that are being used to flip burgers and ribs and about the refrigeration supplies that they can create to keep their beer temperatures just right. Fans know how hot the action can be on the raceway and they are well aware of the rising temperatures in the parking lot that require beer to be free flowing and cold all of the time.

Some RV enthusiasts might want to know the rates to park their RV near the park and fans are good about sharing any type of information that makes the Nascar experience more enjoyable for the everyone. In exchange for all of this helpful information, Nascar fans promise to clean up after the tailgate parties so that the next tailgate party will be deemed a success just like the last.

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Behind the glitz and glamour of Monaco shoot

BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey takes you behind the scenes at the shoot for the opening sequence for 2011 Monaco Grand Prix.

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Filmed & edited by Michael Cunliffe, Music - Bright Lights Bigger City by Cee Lo Green & Poker Face by Lady Gaga.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/05/behind_the_glitz_and_glamour_o.html

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NASCAR Tickets - Yates Racing's Kvapil Loses Ride

Even a season-best 18th place finish couldn't keep Yates Racing's Travis Kvapil and his No. 28 Golden Corral Ford Fusion in the running of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after last week's Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Tennessee race was likely Kvapil's last race of the season. The 39th ranked Sprint Cup driver has had incredible difficulty keeping a sponsor this year, and Yates Racing had to make the tough choice this week to pull the plug on his 2009 racing career, suspending operations for this Wisconsin native's car in the wake of hard financial times.

Geoff Smith, president of Roush Fenway Racing (also partner with Yates Racing,) made a statement this week regarding the Kvapil decision, saying, "It's difficult to be in a situation when you have to deal with the consequences of the economy. We're in a situation where there's no extra cash to support running an unsponsored car for any period of time." While this means that the near future isn't looking so bright for Kvapil, Smith did say that "if the economy picks up later in the season maybe we'll be able to pick up something for that team."

Travis Kvapil had a hard break this year after failing to gain substantial backing in the form of a sponsor. Yates Racing and Roush put as much money as the teams could into Kvapil's car, but the demands to keep this stock car running were ultimately more than the team could handle, leaving No. 28 behind. Yates and Roush have been scrambling for sponsorship money for their drivers for a while now, and speculation is also starting to arise about other Roush drivers like Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, as Edwards is currently sponsored by the ailing Aflac and Kenseth's deal with DeWalt expires after this season.

This frustrating situation is tough for the ousted Travis Kvapil to stomach, yet the NASCAR driver is still being optimistic about his Cup Series run in 2009, saying, "We've just had bad luck [in 2009] and haven't had the results to show for it. [Sunday] we ran in the Top 15 most of the day but got the car a little bit off on one run and that hurt us and got us a lap down. I was hoping for a little bit better result to give us something more to sell, but I thought overall we did an OK job. It was fun to drive up through there and race hard. I leave here knowing in every race so far we've had competitive racecars - but it's gonna be a bummer when we realize it might be the end."

While the door has (temporarily?) closed for Travis Kvapil, Yates Racing's other driver Paul Menard is still in the running to rev his engine on race days to come, thanks in part due to his hefty sponsorship with his father's own chain of Menards home improvement stores. Menard is currently ranked 38th in the Sprint Cup Series, and now that Kvapil is gone he has the chance to fend off his position even more. Even though Travis Kvapil has been cut from the NASCAR circuit, the racing must go on, and NASCAR tickets are available now online.

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