Champions Red Bull the centre of attention

Valencia

On a cold January morning in Valencia it was hard for Red Bull to bask in their glories of last season's double championship success as they unveiled their 2011 challenger.

World champion Sebastian Vettel wisely wore a woolly hat and a blond beard as he and team-mate Mark Webber shiveringly unsheathed the RB7.

There was even an early attempt to burst Red Bull's bubble when a plucky journalist asked in the team's first media conference of the new season, "Have you thought that this car could be complete junk?"

Webber stared into the middle distance, designer Adrian Newey fashioned a face of indifference and it was left to Vettel to answer in shock, "No!"

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash Installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.

By the end of the first day, Vettel had emphatically answered the question on the track by holding sway at the top of the timesheets.

The world champion was more than 0.7 seconds ahead of the next 2011 car, which happened to belong to the man he beat to the 2010 crown, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Times don't count for much on the first day of winter testing as the teams are furiously tinkering with the cars, running with unknown amounts of fuel on board and learning how to adapt to the Pirelli tyres, which will be used instead of Bridgestone this season.

But Vettel's marker was undeniably a statement of intent - Red Bull are out to defend both titles.

"It's a good sign," Vettel commented after his first day back in the cockpit. "Generally it's better to be on top of the ranking than being at the other end.

"What we achieved [in 2010] made us all very proud and no-one can take it away from us.

"But we have to develop on how good we were last year or the others will pass us. We have to stay focused, keep learning and keep trying to get better. If we just have the same approach as last year then we won't move forward."

Red Bull were cagey about the specific design changes and upgrades to the 2011 car.

Perhaps you cannot blame them when some of the other teams were hovering amid the media throng at the Red Bull launch trying to get a glimpse of Newey's latest creation. One rival team representative was even spotted unsubtly snapping away with a long-range zoom lens.

Red Bull simply say that the car is an evolution of its 2010 championship-winning vehicle and that a lot of the changes are "beneath the skin".

The principal tasks for all teams is in incorporating 2011's regulation changes which include the addition of a movable rear wing to aid overtaking, the return of 2009's Kers energy recovery and power boost system and the removal of the double diffuser, as well as gaining an understanding of the new Pirelli tyres.

Unlike last season, when they skipped the first test to spend more time honing the car at their Milton Keynes factory, Red Bull arrived at the opening test determined to take full advantage of the 15 days of testing before the first race of the season next month.

"We felt that the car was ready to be released," explained Newey. "It's always a balance of research time versus development time in terms of performance and reliability. I was keen to get the car out for the first test.

"It's difficult to design the car for the Pirelli tyres. Packaging for Kers is a challenge and no doubt McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes will have Kers and will be competitive and so for no other reason we need to get it to work for performance off the line.

"In terms of performance we are all struggling to recover the downforce we lost through the double diffuser.

"It is a period of nervousness for us but also a period of excitement."

While Newey grapples with the nuances of designing another peerless car, team boss Christian Horner is tasked with avoiding a repeat of the tensions within his team that threatened to derail last season's championships.

Friction between Vettel and Webber memorably spilled over onto the track at the Turkish Grand Prix when Vettel crashed out in an attempt to pass his team-mate for the lead.

"They'll push each other hard but I don't think they'll push each other too hard as they did in Istanbul," Horner commented.

"They have number one and number two on their cars but that is in many ways irrelevant. We give both drivers equal priority and that's the way we will treat them in 2011."

In their first appearance ahead of the new season, Red Bull presented a united front as a team hungry for more success. With the world champion leading the field, the fastest car on the track and the largest motorhome in the paddock, they already look every inch like being the team to beat when racing resumes next month in Bahrain.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/02/champions_red_bull_the_centre.html

Denny Hamlin Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Parker Kligerman

How To Find Great NASCAR Collectibles And Memorabilia Online

NASCAR is a fast paced sport to enjoy, it is the National Association for Stock Car Racing. Racing has gotten more popular in recent years and NASCAR is at the top of racing news. So it should be no surprise that collecting NASCAR memorabilia is a favorite pastime of many.

Whether shopping for a loved one or for you there are plenty of the popular merchandise to choose from. If you are trying to find the perfect gift for someone else that loves the sport, you can begin a search on the Internet.

Online you can find almost anything. If you want to order tickets to game or even set up a complete vacation revolving around NASCAR, researching prices online at least will save you some money.

If you are looking for NASCAR clothing you will find plenty online. You can also find books about the sport, personalized gifts for fans and replica cars. Getting an autographed picture or shirt is one way to let that special fan in your life know you care.

If you are looking for collectibles for yourself, you may find an array of ideas online. NASCAR pictures are a great search and find item on the Internet. There are so many different ones posted on a variety of sites. With little effort you can find some pictures that not everyone has right now. They may not be quite originals but it is fun to find pictures that are different than the ones in all the stores.
When you do find those uncommon pictures you can use your computer to make calendars, mouse pads, iron on for shirts and hats. You can customize your own clothes and gear.

Looking online you can also get ready for all the races with all the racing schedules. You can also find plenty of history about how the sport began and where it is going now.

Most fans have at least one favorite racecar driver and online you can read the bibliographies of all the drivers. You can also get stats and information on up and coming drivers before the races. Finding out about the latest changes and updates to NASCAR is easy since it is readily available online.

Most websites are free or the charge is minimal to print pictures and read about favorite drivers and races. If you happen to miss a race on television a lot of sites will allow you to watch clips and some even allow complete video segments for viewing online.
If you are looking for a biography about a particular driver, looking online is the best play to start your search. Some of the sport's drivers are into writing their own books and they are readily available online also.

Rare collectible NASCAR items are also worth searching online for. As more and more people connect to the Internet you will be able to buy sell or trade with other fans easily no matter where they are located.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as sports collectibles at http://www.sportscollectiblesandmemorabilia.com

Article Source: How To Find Great NASCAR Collectibles And Memorabilia Online

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/4130/how-to-find-great-nascar-collectibles-and-memorabilia-online

Miguel Ángel Guerra Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney

Champions Red Bull the centre of attention

Valencia

On a cold January morning in Valencia it was hard for Red Bull to bask in their glories of last season's double championship success as they unveiled their 2011 challenger.

World champion Sebastian Vettel wisely wore a woolly hat and a blond beard as he and team-mate Mark Webber shiveringly unsheathed the RB7.

There was even an early attempt to burst Red Bull's bubble when a plucky journalist asked in the team's first media conference of the new season, "Have you thought that this car could be complete junk?"

Webber stared into the middle distance, designer Adrian Newey fashioned a face of indifference and it was left to Vettel to answer in shock, "No!"

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash Installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.

By the end of the first day, Vettel had emphatically answered the question on the track by holding sway at the top of the timesheets.

The world champion was more than 0.7 seconds ahead of the next 2011 car, which happened to belong to the man he beat to the 2010 crown, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Times don't count for much on the first day of winter testing as the teams are furiously tinkering with the cars, running with unknown amounts of fuel on board and learning how to adapt to the Pirelli tyres, which will be used instead of Bridgestone this season.

But Vettel's marker was undeniably a statement of intent - Red Bull are out to defend both titles.

"It's a good sign," Vettel commented after his first day back in the cockpit. "Generally it's better to be on top of the ranking than being at the other end.

"What we achieved [in 2010] made us all very proud and no-one can take it away from us.

"But we have to develop on how good we were last year or the others will pass us. We have to stay focused, keep learning and keep trying to get better. If we just have the same approach as last year then we won't move forward."

Red Bull were cagey about the specific design changes and upgrades to the 2011 car.

Perhaps you cannot blame them when some of the other teams were hovering amid the media throng at the Red Bull launch trying to get a glimpse of Newey's latest creation. One rival team representative was even spotted unsubtly snapping away with a long-range zoom lens.

Red Bull simply say that the car is an evolution of its 2010 championship-winning vehicle and that a lot of the changes are "beneath the skin".

The principal tasks for all teams is in incorporating 2011's regulation changes which include the addition of a movable rear wing to aid overtaking, the return of 2009's Kers energy recovery and power boost system and the removal of the double diffuser, as well as gaining an understanding of the new Pirelli tyres.

Unlike last season, when they skipped the first test to spend more time honing the car at their Milton Keynes factory, Red Bull arrived at the opening test determined to take full advantage of the 15 days of testing before the first race of the season next month.

"We felt that the car was ready to be released," explained Newey. "It's always a balance of research time versus development time in terms of performance and reliability. I was keen to get the car out for the first test.

"It's difficult to design the car for the Pirelli tyres. Packaging for Kers is a challenge and no doubt McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes will have Kers and will be competitive and so for no other reason we need to get it to work for performance off the line.

"In terms of performance we are all struggling to recover the downforce we lost through the double diffuser.

"It is a period of nervousness for us but also a period of excitement."

While Newey grapples with the nuances of designing another peerless car, team boss Christian Horner is tasked with avoiding a repeat of the tensions within his team that threatened to derail last season's championships.

Friction between Vettel and Webber memorably spilled over onto the track at the Turkish Grand Prix when Vettel crashed out in an attempt to pass his team-mate for the lead.

"They'll push each other hard but I don't think they'll push each other too hard as they did in Istanbul," Horner commented.

"They have number one and number two on their cars but that is in many ways irrelevant. We give both drivers equal priority and that's the way we will treat them in 2011."

In their first appearance ahead of the new season, Red Bull presented a united front as a team hungry for more success. With the world champion leading the field, the fastest car on the track and the largest motorhome in the paddock, they already look every inch like being the team to beat when racing resumes next month in Bahrain.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/02/champions_red_bull_the_centre.html

Ryan Truex NAPA Toyota Joe Nemechek Gator com Chevrolet

NASCAR Tickets - Jimmy Watts' Big Mistake

Jimmy Watts might just be the most famous NASCAR crew member of the year, but that doesn't necessarily mean good things for the crew team of Marcos Ambrose and his No. 47 stock car. Watts made national headlines last week after he chased a runaway tire onto the racetrack at the Atlanta Motor Speedway during the Kobalt Tools 500, shocking everyone with NASCAR tickets and violating one of the league's biggest rules while also causing NASCAR to throw out the third caution flag on lap 67 of the race. This huge error in judgment was undoubtedly an instant reaction (and a regrettable one, at that) by Watts, and this gasman will be forced to live with the consequences of his knee-jerk reaction for the rest of this racing season.

When Jimmy Watts went onto the racetrack at Atlanta, he violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 9-15-U (crew members cannot for any reason go onto the racetrack while cars or racing or running under the yellow or red flag, unless a NASCAR official directs the action) of NASCAR code, triggering a four-race suspension and a nine-month probationary period while also penalizing his crew chief, Frank Kerr. Kerr, the chief of Ambrose's No. 47 Toyota, also got slapped with a hefty fine and was placed on NASCAR probation until December 31 for violating Sections 12-1 and 9-4-A (crew chief assumes responsibility for his team members' actions).

Watts works as a fireman while he's not in the pit for Marcos Ambrose's team, and his automatic reaction to chase after the tire could be a result of his instinctive job and intense firefighting training. The gasman did offer an apology to NASCAR after the race, saying, "Everything happened so fast on pit road that I just didn't realize how far I had to go out until I grabbed the tire. I put myself in jeopardy and I know how hard NASCAR works to make the pit crew members safe on pit road. I stand by their decision and will serve my four-race suspension."

The caution flag that resulted from Watts stepping foot onto the racetrack at the Atlanta Motor Speedway may have had an effect on the race's outcome, as NASCAR officials would have waited for the green flag stops to cycle out before calling a caution had Watts not chased after the tire, keeping all the cars on pit sequence. Instead, however, the caution flag went up, and some of the Sprint Cup drivers are not pleased with the results. Matt Kenseth recently made a seething comment about the incident, saying, "Maybe he's new. Maybe he hasn't seen us drive, but we tend to wreck a lot. I wouldn't want to be out in the middle of the grass."

What's done is done, however, and Watts will have to come back from his four-race suspension at the end of April and prove that his talents outweigh his one big mistake. In the meantime, the racing will continue, and tickets to NASCAR races are always available online.

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 - Jimmy Watts' Big Mistake

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/250667/nascar-tickets-jimmy-watts-big-mistake

Barnes Sadler Johnny Andrew Sauter Kenneth William Schrader Bradley Reed Sorenson