NASCAR Tickets - Gordon's Time to Shine (Again)

Kyle Busch knocked No. 17 Matt Kenseth out of the running for the historical measures of winning NASCAR's first three races in a row at the Shelby 427 last weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but it is the ever-popular No. 24 DuPont car and its similarly-famed driver Jeff Gordon who are celebrating now. Gordon fumbled a bit in Sunday's Las Vegas race as he lost the lead after lap 150, sliding past and missing pit road before consequently getting a flat tire and some fender damage. The mishap led him to fall back to 10th place with around 20 laps left to go in the race, but by the end of the day Gordon had secured a sixth place finish at the Shelby 427, racing to the finish line after first place Kyle Busch and successive finishers Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte.

While Jeff Gordon's sixth place finish wasn't the race-winning finale he had hoped for while leading the race, the points from Las Vegas allowed Gordon to go around Matt Kenseth for the first place ranking in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, where he is up from number two last week. Gordon's current number one standing is significant in several ways, but it is important to the racing league mostly because it is the first time No. 24 has been ranked first after the third race of NASCAR season since 1997, when he won the Sprint Cup Series Championship. Gordon's consistency has brought him into his current first place ranking, as his sixth place finish from last weekend adds up with his 13th place finish at Daytona and second place finish at Fontana last month.

Jeff Gordon may be leading the NASCAR pack currently, but two more names are hot on the heels of this racing legend. One such name that inevitably comes up when mentioning top NASCAR drivers is Kyle Busch, the winner of last weekend's Las Vegas race. Busch has been a top contender for the Sprint Series title all year, and he is also the reigning champion of the Sprint Cup Series from 2008. Busch's win at Las Vegas bolsters his ranking to number six, but No. 18 still has a long way to go after the infamous Daytona crash that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. caused and Busch was involved in earlier in February, leaving Busch at a number 41 finish at the end of race. Kyle Busch has since been playing catch-up, snagging the number three finish in the Auto Club 500 at Fontana on February 22. His Las Vegas win will undoubtedly put him back in the running for the Sprint Cup Championship in 2009.

Another name thought to dominate the NASCAR series this year is Matt Kenseth, who made history by winning the first two races of the season (both Daytona and Fontana) this year, tying Jeff Gordon's record from 1997. Kenseth started up his engine in last weekend's Las Vegas race attempting to become the first driver to win the first three races of the season, but was disappointedly struck down just laps into the race, when his No. 17 Ford Fusion blew a motor and put him as the last place finisher from the Shelby 427.

While Jeff Gordon has some fierce competition in defending his position in the upcoming weeks and months, No. 24 is still sitting pretty atop the Sprint Cup dog pile, keeping NASCAR fans jazzed about his comeback to victory lane. To watch Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth battle it out for top honors at the end of the year, get NASCAR tickets online and pick your favorite races to attend!

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Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/248655/nascar-tickets-gordons-time-to-shine-again

Joe Nemechek Jason Leffler Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet

NASCAR Tracks the Atlanta Motor Speedway

The Atlanta Motor Speedway is in Hampton, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) and has a 1.54-mile oval track with turns banking at 24 degrees. Because these banks and their smooth surface, car speeds have been known to reach 190 mph on occasion. However these sustained high-throttle speeds make it hard on engines at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. You will see a variety of action here as cars will race closely side-by-side along with a lot of pushing and cutting off. All this action at the Atlanta Motor Speedway is made even more exciting by the high speeds.

The Atlanta Speedway offers a variety of options to see the races from premier seating to facilities for camping. The raceways premier seating is the Club One option. Fans purchasing this seating option sit in a location with a great view on top of the Winners Grandstand. It has 65 video screens along with a first-class bar and menu. Probably one of the most exciting features of Club One is the fans get a pre-race pit stop pass.

The Speedway can be rented for all sorts of group occasions too. They have custom packages for weddings, wedding receptions, theme parties, birthday parties, group meetings, and other special gatherings.

You can bring your recreational vehicle or popup tent and camp at the Atlanta Motor Speedway too. Shower facilities are available.

The Speedways website is excellent and has all the information you need. It even has a frequently-asked questions link where you can see the answers on subjects such as getting drivers autographs to bringing your cooler inside the track.

If you ever wanted to get into racing marketing, NASCARs Atlanta Motor Speedway gives you the opportunity through its internship program. This is an unpaid internship program but it gives you the experience needed to get into the career of NASCAR marketing by allowing you to gain working experience at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Plus, with this experience, one can be competitive in the market for the paid NASCAR marketing positions. The qualifications are that the person must be a college-level student (B.A. or B.S.) and a marketing communications major. You will help with the public relations, advertising, and event duties at the track.

The Atlanta Speedway is also the venue for numerous NASCAR driver schools where one can purchase a fantasy racing package and experience the thrill of being a driver for a short time. Now these are not schools to train you to be a professional driver. There is no career path like that. These are schools for the amateurs who just want to do something different and experience the thrill of the drive. There are different levels and of course price ranges. It is patterned a somewhat after the Major League Baseball fantasy camps where you get to play games and train alongside Major League Baseball players.

Richard Petty, the King of NASCAR, runs a driving experience school along with others who have their schools and use the Atlanta Motor Speedway track.

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Nascar Devotion Is Resilient When Change Occurs

There have been many changes to Nascar over the years, but changes are expected by fans and also by driver's who are circling around a racetrack at speeds that exceed 200 miles per hour at times. The driver is an expert at changing speeds and lanes and changing speeds once again to be within the legal limits of those speeds posted on pit row.

Most of the changes in Nascar racing have occurred over time and have been directly related to the high-speed pursuits around million dollar raceways. Some of those changes have been painful ones but the Nascar family has remained strong through each of them. Some of the most violent experiences that occasionally occur at a raceway will no doubt cause some people to rethink their past relationships with sponsors, owners, and family.

The cascading effects of those thoughts might lead drivers to other action and cause them to change their driving commitments and their relationship with the world of Nascar excitement. These changes will in turn, put them on a new career path that is a welcome change but a change that might not be a delight to all fans who do not have a full understanding on why those changes needed to happen.

Some of these changes are due to a repositioning of priorities by a team owner or the change might occur because a driver needs to take a step back and rethink things long enough to begin establishing a new view on self-worth and on the view that commitment to self should take precedence and priority over family persuasion and other control factors. No changes that occur in Nascar should directly impact the drivers ability to keep the commitments that are expected by fans. Fans expect their favorite drivers to give their all to win the race they are in, no matter what team they are driving for that year.

Some changes in Nascar racing can keep that from happening though. In an instant, enthusiasts may have more action than they bargained for when they must see the gut wrenching tragedies unfold in front of them. These tragedies can change people in an instant because the action comes from race cars that inadvertently crash at inopportune moments into the various turns of any raceway. Other drivers are lost while they are enroute to the track.

Fare affected by the change and are committed to remembering those moments many times through the years with reverence. The commitment of fans to Nascar and their driver is what keeps changes from dampening the endearing spirit of the crowds. There is one change that will never occur. The fans will always be there on race day and every day after in some small way.

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Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki

Grab A Career As A NASCAR Mechanic

A career with NASCAR requires complete commitment. It comes with working hours that are not compatible with raising a family. However, once you've settled the commitment issue, a wide range of careers is available on the NASCAR racing circuit. Among the different types of jobs available with NASCAR, jobs for mechanics, car chief, fabricators, shock specialists, painters and engine assemblers are the most pursued.

NASCAR Courses

For a career as a NASCAR mechanic, you will need to enroll at the NASCAR technical institute (NTI), a branch of Universal Technical Institute of Arizona and the exclusive educational strategic partner of NASCAR. At the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI), you are provided with an education that enhances your career to the next level. The institute is the first technical education school to officially combine a complete automotive technology education program with NASCAR specific courses. The institute offers a range of automotive technology courses that will jumpstart your career as an entry-level automotive technician.

The following are the specific-NASCAR Programs:
-Automotive & NASCAR Technology
-Automotive & NASCAR Technology w/ Pit Crew
-Automotive / NASCAR / Ford FACT Technology
-Automotive / NASCAR / Ford FACT Technology w/ Pit Crew
-Automotive Technology w/ NASCAR Engines I & II
-Automotive Technology w/ NASCAR Engines I & II + Pit Crew

The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program:
-Provides the opportunity for qualified candidates to work with NASCAR teams, sponsors, NASCAR'S sanctioning body and other motorsports-related companies.

-College and university students are given an employment stint in a ten-week summer program specially designed to give them a broader view of the world of NASCAR and the opportunities available in the industry.

The Job Of A NASCAR Automotive Technician

Automotive service technicians and mechanics have more complex jobs than a simple mechanic. Today, mechanics are required to analyze integrated auto electronic systems through complex computers and measure their performance on the road. An automotive service technician will need to study diagnostics and be high-tech problem solver.

You must have knowledge about how components work. You should have a knack for handling electronic diagnostic equipment and technical reference material. You should be able to use your technical skills to inspect, maintain and repair vehicles like automobiles and light trucks with gasoline engines.

Automotive technology has necessitated the need for technicians to keep abreast with the every changing world of technology, but at the same time maintain their skills with traditional hand tools. This change in the occupation has resulted in these mechanics being increasingly called "automotive service technicians".

Imagine the thrill of standing on the racetrack and watching the car you have nurtured hit the finish line ahead of the others. You will be proud to be part of a team who toiled so hard to realize a dream.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Article Source: Grab A Career As A NASCAR Mechanic

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/41339/grab-a-career-as-a-nascar-mechanic

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It's F1 guys... but not as we know it!

As I write this blog, we have just jetted off from the runway into the dark Turkish sky, I've set my watch back two hours to UK time and I'm thinking of rejecting the sausage and mash for a G&T and a few hours' much-needed kip.

As I look out of the window and the lights of our latest destination disappear in the haze far below us, and the music on my phone keeping me awake, I always get a little philosophical about what has gone on over the past few hours.

It sounds silly to say it, but at the time, despite being at the centre of it, there is so much going on that it's only now, a few hours later, that I can actually draw breath and appreciate what we've seen.

Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the Turkish Grand Prix

While Schumacher struggles to turn back time, Vettel continues to show he is the sport's shining light. Photo: Getty

One of the things that usually hits me after a race is how transient this sport is, perhaps all sport. It is no exaggeration to say that just seconds after, or perhaps even during Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso's podium celebrations, the mindset of the sport had already moved on.

We on the BBC have the luxury of re-living replay after HD replay and picking up on the minutiae of the race, from a dodgy pit stop to a collision at 200mph, slowed down so David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan can analyse it in detail.

For the teams and drivers though, it is suddenly about the next race.

Right now, if you went to that track, the security checkpoints, advertising hoardings, glamour and glitz will already be gone. Vettel will have his memories, and the record books will forever show he took the flag, but that's it. It's over that quickly, time waits for no one, and I just hope that while he's at the top he takes the time to savour it.

Michael Schumacher is perhaps the prime example that taking on time itself, gambling with your legacy, is a high stakes game.

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I was really sad to hear Schumacher say he's no longer enjoying Formula 1 after this race. People often say we're biased against Michael, but that's simply incorrect. He has given the sport so much, rewritten the record books, made us reassess what success actually is, and I am certainly not qualified to judge his personal decision to come back. But when the fun and the results are lacking, I feel for him, as what else is there?

I also felt for his former team-mate, Felipe Massa. I've just been chatting to his race engineer Rob Smedley. He's a really good lad and I like him even more after his 'Boro team helped Norwich to Premier League promotion (did you spot my reference to it in the show?).

Smedley was telling me that of Massa's four stops, something went wrong on three of them, slowing him down and releasing him into traffic. That meant battling cars to regain position - and it happened three times!

Sadly for all the teams and drivers, the new-style F1 leaves very little margin for error. It's so close on track, and with up to four stops per race, the smallest margin will have the biggest effect on the race.

Smedely was also saying how exhausted he was. Lotus reserve driver Karun Chandhock agreed. He was commentating for 5 live while Anthony Davidson won another sportscar trophy - well done, Ant - and Chandhok said he, too, was shattered.

I loved the race. It gives us masses to discuss post-race; Lewis Hamilton couldn't even recall how many time he'd pitted, and he only had his race to think about!

For my money it gives us better on-track action, longer, less-predictable racing and gets people excited about the sport. We're lucky, in the same way Twenty20 cricket has revolutionised that sport, I expect F1 will benefit to a similar degree.

As for the moveable rear wing - or DRS - system, remember, governing body the FIA can tweak it until it's perfect.

The FIA is coming from a position that overtaking had become too hard and it is aiming for DRS to make overtaking possible - but not too easy.

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The feeling seems to be that in Australia its wasn't powerful enough, in Malaysia and China it was just about right, but that in Turkey it was too powerful. It's a learning process, as the top people in F1 have always said it would be.

Personally, I had great fun this weekend.

At the end if last year, we sadly waved goodbye to producer Sunil Patel, who was the master of our VTs - or pre-cut films - last season. That role has been taken on by Tim Boyd - or Boydy, as he is known. In BBC Sport there seems to be a rule that we take a surname and add a Y on the end. It doesn't work with mine, though!

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to Boydy and his team, particularly for the effort that went into the Williams front wing piece that we transmitted on Saturday.

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That is the kind off access that brings you guys closer to the sport, breeds greater understanding. But it is also the kind off access that is incredibly hard to get so it's great to see the teams opening up to us. In the long run it benefits everyone.

Also, please do keep your ideas coming in to this blog, my Twitter and on e-mail, as we do read and act upon your thoughts.

It's great to get your response to our programmes, too. Sometimes with all the travel and prep you can get into a bubble where you don't get a true appreciation of people watching our output, as you're never at home to watch it!

However, the weekend before Turkey, I went to watch Lewis Hamilton's brother Nic, who was racing a Clio at Thruxton, and I was blown away. Not only was it great to see grassroots motorsport in this country and what a strong, loyal, knowledgeable following it has, but it also gave me a chance to meet stacks of people not lucky enough to make it to a grand prix, and who follow the racing totally via our output.

We on the BBC team have been delighted with viewing figures being higher than ever this year but, trust me, we're always looking for ways to make it better.

Anyway, have a great couple of weeks. Next up it's Barcelona. Four races in, no big incident at the start, no rain, no safety cars, yet racing so hectic and dramatic that it's hard to keep up.

It's F1 guys... but not as we know it!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/05/its_f1_guys_but_not_as_we_know.html

Iron Horse Jeans Toyota Mike Bliss Shelby Howard Kelly Bires

Why the Monaco GP still packs a punch

Once a year Formula 1 absolutely lives up to its billing as the most glamorous sport in the world and that time comes at the Monaco Grand Prix.

On Friday morning, I had to gingerly step aboard a tender and then climb a rope ladder dangling from the side of a yacht to interview Renault's Nick Heidfeld on deck. Yes, this really could only happen in Monaco.

Without a doubt, the glamour and prestige of the tiny principality, where residents are required to have a significant sum in the bank, inflates F1's wow factor.

"I love it here, it is fantastic," crooned Lewis Hamilton, a Monaco race-winner in 2008 for McLaren. "Wow, this is such a beautiful place to be."

A panoramic view of the course

Monaco's street circuit provides a unique thrill for spectators (Getty)

After a muted showing in recent years, the harbour is once again crammed with multi-million pound yachts. Force India owner Vijay Mallya held a Bollywood-themed party on the Indian Empress while the imposing Force Blue made its return with flamboyant owner and former Renault boss Flavio Briatore on board.

Red Bull and Toro Rosso have also taken to water in their floating motorhome - complete with its own swimming pool - while Ferrari have gone one better by putting up their personnel on a yacht.

With such exotic playthings at hand it's hardly surprising the guest list includes Hollywood A-listers Scarlett Johansson and Leonardo di Caprio.

But for all the privilege and status on show, the Monaco Grand Prix also provides unrivalled access for fans.

The more affluent spectator can fork out up to £3,800 for Sunday's race but the cheapest seat is £65 and offers amazing trackside views and a party atmosphere from the Rochers hill along the side of the royal palace.

It's also the only paddock where fans can walk along the waterfront and peer into the teams' inner sanctums before posing for photos with their heroes as they emerge from the motorhomes.

And when the racing is over and dusk falls, the party begins on the track as fans sip a biere or two at the Rascasse bar.

Girls at a promotional event

Glitzy promotional events are par for the course in Monaco (Getty)

When Stirling Moss raced here during the Sixties he developed a habit of waving at female fans sunning themselves along the harbour.

Moss said he even used it as a ploy in the 1961 grand prix when he was under pressure from Richie Ginther's chasing Ferrari. Moss took his hand off the wheel to salute a girl and prove he wasn't feeling under pressure.

But can McLaren driver Jenson Button, a Monaco playboy turned triathlete, still have a sneaky glimpse at an average speed of 100mph? "No," he answered sternly.

Whatever you think of Monaco's champagne and celebrity, the yachts and those who pose upon them, Button is spot on - none of it detracts from the racing through the streets.

The miniature land, stacked on a rocky lip of land between France's Mont Angel mountain and the Mediterranean, is just made for the fastest cars in the world to hurtle around.

First comes the noise, the hum hidden among the biscuit-coloured buildings that gathers to a roar as the cars flash past.

Watching the cars fly by the grand Casino, weave nose-to-tail round the hairpin, thunder through the tunnel and then out again in a blink of light past the water and back round to Rascasse is mesmerising, and often nail-biting.

The late Ayrton Senna, who won in Monaco a record six times, spoke of an out of body experience as he glided between the barriers and round the twisting curves.

Driving precision is everything here and there is virtually no let-up, no straights to clear the head over 78 laps.

Two-time Monaco winner turned BBC pundit David Coulthard commented: "For me there's no better challenge for the driver than Monte Carlo and no more glamorous grand prix. For me it's still a thrill."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/05/once_a_year_formula_1.html

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NASCAR Tracks-The Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway, as a half-mile oval with the steepest banking on the NASCAR circuit, is sometimes referred to as "The Toilet Bowl". When the cars line up for the starting flag, they often stretch nearly halfway around the short track. As a result, Bristol is known for its "paint swapping," and races tend to include numerous accidents and caution flags. Bristol Speedway is the last circular track on the NASCAR circuit to install the barrier system. The installation was delayed at Bristol while engineers determined how to install the walls over the track's gates. Bristol Motor Speedway, aside from being an excellent track loaded with potentially wild twists, seems to ooze a sense of brotherhood and awe among the lucky ones with Bristol NASCAR tickets. This year's Nextel Cup and Busch (now the Sprint and the Nationwide) Series will have race fans rushing out to buy tickets, among others, all eager to see their favorite race to victory.

Bristol Motor Speedway has been an integral part of auto racing since 1961. The short track makes for slower speeds, but that is offset by the high banking of the turns at Bristol, a challenging aspect like no other track on the NASCAR circuit.

Race Week at Bristol (BMS) is not just a normal week not only for the people who work there but for the fans as well. When you attend a race at Bristol it's not just go check out the race and that's it. Racers love concrete because it provides a ton of grip and less tire wear than asphalt. Fans love Bristol because no matter which of the 160,000 seats you get, you can see the whole track. Race enthusiasts here did better than that, allowing the wave to continue nearly a half-dozen times after hearing they had set the record.

Bristol has purchased property and developed satellite parking lots on Hwy 11-E. Fees are charged for tent and motor home camping at the Bristol Dragway. Bristol Motor Speedway travel packages complete the experience at one of the favorite NASCAR tracks - the track they call Thunder Valley. Buy Bristol tickets and be part of the huge crowd of nearly 150,000 fans lucky enough to have NASCAR tickets to the Sharpie 500 in August.

The Speedway, aside from being an excellent track loaded with potentially wild twists, seems to ooze a sense of brotherhood and awe among the lucky ones with Bristol NASCAR tickets. This year's Nextel Cup and Busch (now the Sprint and the Nationwide) Series will have race fans rushing out to buy Bristol Motor Speedway tickets, among others, all eager to see their favorites race to victory.

Bristol Motor Speedway could very easily have opened in 1961 under a different name. The original plan was to build in Piney Flats which is 5 miles down the road from Bristol but the idea met local opposition. Otherwise we might have been visiting the Piney Flats Speedway. In the end the speedway was constructed in Bristol on land that was once a dairy farm.

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Georges Grignard Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard

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

Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González