New season providing memories to savour

I'm sitting on the plane that is bringing me home from the opening trio of races, and I'm reminiscing.

I'm not daydreaming about the first time we heard the engines roar for 2011 in Albert Park, Sebastian Vettel's dominant start to the season, Vitaly Petrov flying or Lewis Hamilton's slow, steady reeling-in of Vettel this weekend.

Nope, I've gone a little further back: I'm re-living 1995. Trawling through the plane's CD library I've stumbled upon the breakthrough album Different Class by Pulp. It reminds me of my mum's pistachio green VW Polo, studying for my A-levels, David Coulthard's first Formula 1 win and me, at 17, thinking the world started and stopped at the Norfolk county border!

However, one thing slightly tainting the fun of air-drumming to Common People is that I've just realised Vettel would have been seven years old at that time. Ouch!

OK, I'm going to park memories of my oversized The Sweater Shop jumper - which was a must-have item for a lanky lad in Norwich in the mid-90s - and cast my mind back to the more recent memory of two races that have set the benchmark for the 2011 season.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates victory at the Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton celebrates victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. Photo: Getty Images

To be totally honest, I think that, while we all enjoyed the opening round in Australia, it disguised just how frenetic this year is likely to be. I was chatting to some guys in the paddock on Sunday who were speculating that if that race was run again tomorrow, Pirelli would bring the even more marginal Supersoft tyre to Australia.

I think that is an indication of the success of having these new tyres. As DC said at the end of the commentary on Sunday: "Thank you Pirelli".

While I agree with that sentiment, I think we should be thanking F1. I've been sharing this flight with the likes of Ross Brawn of Mercedes, Williams designer Sam Michael and Paul Di Resta, who has been mightily impressive for Force India. Those three guys, and the rest of the designers, technicians, drivers and team principles up and down the pit lane, want cars that are fast in every circumstance.

The drivers ask for consistency and reliability, while the manufacturers want something that is so quick it helps shift their road cars. However, they have agreed to totally compromise their work for the sake of you guys sitting at home.

To improve the show. Vettel didn't want a car that simply "dropped off a cliff" as its tyres were worn at the end of Sunday's race. The strategists aren't keen on the pit wall resembling Air Traffic Control as they desperately try to outwit their opponents and make themselves look clever, and team bosses don't want to have to defend strategic mistakes after every race.

Look back to 12 months ago in Bahrain. Hardly an overtake, and most cars stopping once. This year the sport is totally unrecognisable, and it makes for compelling TV.

I don't envy the boys having to call such frenetic racing in the commentary box but I think they're doing well. Particularly DC, whose experience, knowledge, eagle-eyes and quick wit have surprised even me.

As for Martin Brundle, he's welcome to have his grid walk back! Logistically, it was impossible for him to do it in China so I bravely took on the challenge. But I have enough to think about doing 60 minutes of live TV pre-race, with stories developing around me, and I really didn't like having to doorstep the drivers. It felt a bit like walking into your office and shoving a microphone under your nose as you sit at your desk.

Martin has done more than 200 of them whereas Sunday was, believe it or not, the first time I've been on the grid pre-race. I'm just happy to have survived interviewing a seven-time world champion despite DC totally abandoning me!

After I'd finished that, it was time for the racing. Almost 60 stops in Malaysia, a further 55 in China. And amongst it all a chance to look like a real hero. McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh told me on the pit wall after the race that his team had actually got their strategy wrong and wanted to do only two stops.

Yet, while Vettel demonstrated that, even with his skills it was impossible to make such a tactic work, Hamilton and Mark Webber made a stop more and it paid dividends. In fact, the success of the tyres has totally overshadowed the introduction of DRS (Drag Reduction System) and re-introduction of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System).

It is clear the FIA is still fiddling with the DRS rear wing to encourage overtaking. I don't find it artificial as it still takes skill to make a move stick. What I think we need to avoid is drivers overtaking in only one place, following their rival and not making a move until they can use their DRS advantage. We may also see two zones in Turkey.

You couldn't accuse Lewis of lacking ambition when overtaking though, could you? I was watching the race unfold in the McLaren hospitality area and while everyone was leaping around, hands on heads, almost unable to believe what was happening, the messages coming in thick and fast on Twitter were almost identical.

A good example of the power of Twitter was someone tweeting me a photo of Fernando Alonso's DRS operating outside the prescribed zone. I told the producer what I'd seen and the guys in VT called up the same clip and played it to the nation while Martin and David commented on it.

Anyway, the Pulp album has now rolled around to Monday Morning so I'm going to return to the 90s and leave you guys to a lovely shortened working week. We've stacks of stuff planned for a few weeks' time when we get to Turkey.

Thanks for setting your alarms in your droves the past month - it's good to know that plenty of you were watching as we marched around the pit lane and paddock. Below are my five favourite moments of the season so far - here's hoping for plenty more until 27 November!

1. Lewis's interview in the garage after his first win of the season. He was as open, honest and relaxed as I've ever seen him. I was blown away by the clarity of thought that he described as he closed in on Sebastian.

2. Petrov''s podium. What a car Renault have produced this year, and how cool was Vitaly in Australia? The first ever Russian podium in F1 and a great reward for the team's faith in him.

3. Eddie Jordan totally forgetting his question to Jenson Button on the F1 Forum in Malaysia. Thankfully DC stepped in as JB and I were both corpsing at that moment. Classic EJ and I missed him in China.

4. The RB7. Adrian Newey is an enigmatic individual who seems to have a God-given ability to design the most incredible racing cars - Williams, McLaren, Red Bull. They must all be so grateful they could afford him.

5. The racing. Paul Di Resta beating his classy team-mate Adrian Sutil, Felipe Massa beating Fernando Alonso, Vettel's dominance, Webber's doggedness, Team Lotus mixing it with the midfield and Kamui Kobayashi's racing instinct. Bodes well for the next seven months, eh?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/04/new_season_providing_memories.html

Hermann Lang Claudio Langes Nicola Larini Oscar Larrauri

NASCAR Tickets - Rain, Crash Overtake Daytona 500

There was no down-to-the-wire photo finish in NASCAR's Daytona 500 race on Feb. 15, but there was plenty of excitement during the big day, especially for Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth, who took his first Daytona victory after one incredible back-and-forth display of stock car action. Kenseth was named the winner of Sunday's race at the Daytona International Speedway after the race was called short due to rain after drivers completed 152 of a scheduled 200 laps.
Matt Kenseth started the day at Daytona toward the back of the pack, racing in a backup car due to a crash in Thursday's qualifying race in his usual No. 17 Ford.

Kenseth worked his way up and avoided the massive pileup of the day to take the lead from Elliott Sadler in the final lap of green-flag action, snagging his first Daytona victory and 17th career win in a total of 329 starts. No. 29 Kevin Harvick had a second place finish after Kenseth, while No. 44 A.J. Allmendinger, No. 33 Clint Bowyer and No. 19 Elliott Sadler rounded out the top five of the Daytona 500. No. 6 David Ragan, No. 14 Tony Stewart, No. 55 Michael Waltrip, No. 43 Reed Sorenson and No. 1 Martin Truex Jr. (who led the first lap of the race) finished out the top 10 positions of Sunday's race.

While the Daytona 500 was a great excitement for Matt Kenseth, it was more than disappointing for a number of drivers including Kyle Busch, who had an early departure from the winner's circle after a momentous pileup late in the race left him (and especially his car) down and out. After leading the race for 88 laps, Busch was taken out on lap 124 of the Daytona race thanks to a tiff between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brian Vickers, in which Vickers blocked a move from Earnhardt and Earnhardt responded with a swift jerk to the right, taking out six cars in the process and leaving Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers and Denny Hamlin dispersed all over the track in a cloud of dust. While Kyle Busch's day was shot after his car suffered massive damage from the crash, No. 2 Kurt Busch went on and landed a Top 12 spot in the race at the end of the day. Earnhardt finished in 26th place after getting back on track.

The Daytona 500 was a significant victory for Matt Kenseth, as he sets the precedent for the up-and-coming NASCAR season. The Sprint Series heads next to Southern California's Fontana on Feb. 22 for the Auto Club 500 at the Auto Club Speedway, and Las Vegas, Atlanta, Bristol and Martinsville are all next up to keep NASCAR fans entertained during the month of March. To get in on all the thrilling stock car action, get NASCAR tickets from StubHub and head down to the speedway to watch Dale Earnhardt Jr. redeem himself and Kyle Busch work his way back up to the top of the game!

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Joe Nemechek Gator com Chevrolet Michael Annett Germain com Toyota

NASCAR Tickets - Labonte to Enter Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame

Bobby Labonte's NASCAR career is far from over, but his phenomenal racing over the past several years has earned him a (perhaps premature?) induction into the elite Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame anyway. On April 1, 2009, Labonte will join the ranks of the top motorsports daredevils throughout the state of Texas in the state's motorsports vault, partaking in an event at the Texas Motor Speedway's Speedway Club to accept his induction into the hall of fame.

Labonte recently made a statement about his entrance to the Texas Motorsports HOF, saying, "I'm honored and humbled to have people in Texas appreciate what I do on the track. I love Texas and will always hold the state and the speedway close to my heart. I was there for the groundbreaking [of Texas Motor Speedway] and have made a few unforgettable career accomplishments there. It's a really nice feeling to know that you've got people behind you in your home state. I've also been lucky enough over the years to have great people behind me; great fans, great owners, great sponsors, great teams. I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of people in the industry and people who love the sport."

The great No. 96 Bobby Labonte is among a celebrated batch of Texans to get the invite to be inducted into the state's motorsports hall of fame, and this Corpus Christi native is among several other racing greats from across the state, including fellow NASCAR drivers A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Lee Shepherd, Kenny Bernstein, Jim Hall, Eddie Hill, Jim McElreath, Mark Martin and, of course, Labonte's older brother Terry Labonte. Bruton Smith will also be inducted into the 2009 hall of fame alongside Bobby Labonte, and other awards given at the April 1 celebration will be given to Rick Hendrick for Legends Award, Scott Dixon for Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship and Carl Edwards for Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year.

Fans with NASCAR tickets have been cheering on Bobby Labonte since 1990, when he ran a full season with the Busch Series. Labonte won his first Busch Series championship in 1991 and has been a threat to the racing world ever since, making numerous Top 10 Sprint Cup Series finishes in the last several years. While the Labonte brothers packed the one-two punch in much of the '90s and '00s with Terry often overshadowing Bobby in the earlier years, it has been Bobby who has had the more fruitful career recently.

Bobby Labonte finished 21st overall in the Cup Series last year with two Top 10 finishes. The Hall of Fame Racing guru was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 alongside his brother, and the much-respected Bobby Labonte is currently in 23rd place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after the Bristol race, having finished 22nd at Daytona, 20th at Fontana, fifth at Las Vegas and 22nd at Bristol (and having engine trouble at Atlanta.) NASCAR tickets to see Bobby Labonte whip around the track live are available now online, so come see this racing legend before he decides to retire!

This article is sponsored by StubHub. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

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Kenneth William Schrader Bradley Reed Sorenson Anthony Wayne Stewart Martin Lee Truex Jr

Di Resta takes praise in his stride

In Shanghai

Rookie Paul di Resta has been the subject of high praise in the Formula 1 paddock in Shanghai after scoring a point in each of his first two races.

The Scottish Force India driver was even likened by one journalist to French legend Alain Prost, another rookie who collected points on his debut.

Praise does not come much higher than that - Prost, who first burst on to the F1 scene with McLaren in 1980, went on to win four world championships and 51 grands prix.

But Di Resta is refusing to get caught up in the hype bubbling around him because he views his performances in Australia and Malaysia somewhat differently.

"All I can say is that we expected a bit more but for whatever reason it didn't quite come," Di Resta told BBC Sport.

"It's nice to get [my first points] out the way at the first and second grands prix.

"But that is the job we're out there to do and it has been a realistic target on both occasions."

Talking to Di Resta in Shanghai, I was impressed by his aura of almost palpable steeliness mixed with calm. Here is a man with a definite plan.

If the main priority on his F1 tick-list was collecting his first F1 points, then the second is beating the man in the same machinery.

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Di Resta, who was signed by Force India in January after learning the ropes last season as the team reserve, has already out-qualified team-mate Adrian Sutil twice and finished one place ahead of the German in Malaysia.

He had also been ahead of Sutil in Melbourne but the pair swapped places in the pits because they were running on different strategies and Di Resta crossed the line just behind Sutil in 10th.

"You can gauge yourself against your team-mate," added Di Resta. "And I've got a lot of respect for Adrian.

"I'd like to keep it where it's been and through the races I'm gaining more confidence. I did get the better of him in Malaysia but it's not always going to be like that.

"I wouldn't say he has to be afraid. Adrian is very quick and he's established, all I can say is that our performance has been comparable."

Winning a place in F1 has also given Di Resta, who is the cousin of the three-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, a second chance to test his mettle against his former rivals Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

In his junior career, Di Resta raced against the future F1 world champions, notably beating his then team-mate Vettel to the Formula Three Euroseries crown in 2006 when the German was already dipping his toe into F1 as a tester for BMW Sauber.

Now he has returned to competition with his teenage rivals, does Di Resta think they have grown beyond him in terms of talents?

"They've got good equipment and they're good drivers but at the same time I don't think that anybody's special," he added.

"It's been good [to be competing against them] but at the same time they are a little bit up the end of the grid.

"I'd like to be racing against them. One day I'm sure we will be but I'm not going to compare myself against Sebastian when I'm not in the same car."

Paul di Resta

Di Resta has out-qualified his experienced team-mate in both races so far. Photo: Getty

And what if Di Resta was alongside Vettel in the second Red Bull?

"I'd be hopeful I'd be as competitive as Sebastian," he added.

"How much he has developed and how much I've developed from 2006 no-one will ever now until we are in the same position again."

Di Resta is refreshingly clear and open about where he finds himself in his fledging F1 career and where he wants to go.

But there are two points on which the Scot would not be drawn; what his ultimate aim is for 2011 and what difficulties he is contending with.

"I've tried not to think about personal targets at the moment," added Di Resta, whose preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix were hampered by a fuel-pressure problem that kept him consigned to the pits for second practice on Friday. "It's too early to do that.

"I'll take it week by week but what I've achieve I want more now of - and you keep wanting more until you've got it.

"I'm not going to speculate on what [I find difficult] as there are people who will pick up on it and I believe that on the outside you need to show you're strong.

"That is the whole idea of competitive nature, you pick someone's weak bits and you bounce on top of it."

There is one wish, however, that Di Resta is happy to talk about and that is the treat he would like for his 25th birthday, which he celebrates this weekend.

"I'd like some more points," he says instinctively. "I'd like some nice cars but there is plenty of time later in life for that, so I'll take some more points."

POST-QUALIFYING UPDATE, 1100 BST, SATURDAY 16 APRIL:

Di Resta's quest to end his birthday weekend on a high with more points to add to his tally was given a nice boost by a career-best qualifying performance in Shanghai.

The 25-year-old had not done any qualifying simulations during his limited running on Friday but he battled his way into the top-10 shoot-out for the first time and claimed eighth on the grid.

Di Resta, who passed Nico Rosberg of Mercedes in Malaysia and almost got the better of Michael Schumacher's Silver Arrow in a battle for ninth place, is now feeling confident he can move forwards during the race.

"Our race pace doesn't seem to be too bad," said Di Resta. "So fingers crossed we can pick up some points again."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/04/di_resta_takes_praise_in_his_s.html

Brad Keselowski Ruby Tuesday Dodge Carl Edwards Copart Ford

NASCAR Tracks - The Phoenix International Raceway

The Phoenix International Raceway hosts a variety of NASCAR and IRL events throughout the year. The Phoenix International Raceway was opened in 1988, and the Checkers Auto Parts course is 312 miles long - which equals 312 laps - and last year's race had an average speed of 103 MPH. For all sections of this top raceway the tickets are great and your sure to enjoy the Checker Auto Parts 500 that is run there each year.

The Phoenix International Raceway, built in 1964, boasts the world's fastest one-mile oval paved track for auto racing, and the Manzanita Speedway holds Sprint, midget, and stockcar races. The Phoenix International Raceway was opened in 1988, and the Checkers Auto Parts course is 312 miles long - which equals 312 laps - and last year's race had an average speed of 103 MPH.

Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) is a great track to visit if you want to experience NASCAR but on a smaller scale compared to much larger tracks and spectators. It's easier to bring the kids to this track because it is smaller and therefore the crowds are smaller. Phoenix International Raceway is one of the most unique tracks on the NASCAR schedule. Phoenix International Raceway may the same length as those two Nextel Cup Series venues, but thats where the similarity ends.

Carl has three wins in the all-new car series and could have had a fourth. Thats close to domination of the seven races so far but the good result have come on the super speedways, not the two short tracks. Cars get together and hook up in that second groove. But you can pass just about anywhere on this racetrack. Carved from the foothills of Estrella Mountains in 1964 the Phoenix International Raceway was a new star in the world of open-wheeled racing when it was opened. It wasn't until 1988, when NASCAR came to Phoenix that the raceway became truly world-class sporting venue.

PIR provides two great NASCAR weekends, one in the fall, and one in the spring. Fans from all over visit the Valley of the Sun for these two great weekends filled with the best in Sprint, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series racing. PIR is easy to get to from downtown. Take I-10 west to Avondale Blvd (formerly 115th Avenue), and drive south (left) for 6 miles. PIR is now in the outer suburbs of the fast-expanding Arizona city. The track hosted its first USAC Indy car races in 1964 with AJ Foyt winning the 100-mile event and Lloyd Ruby a 200-miler but it remained underdeveloped.

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Claudio Langes Nicola Larini Oscar Larrauri Gérard Larrousse