On the new site you can ride along with the seven time Formula 1 champion on the complete range of offerings from Maranello. The site is huge improvement, with slick graphics and plenty of merchandize links. My favorite part? The car configurator where you can explore endless paint scheme variations for your dream F430 Scuderia.
OK, you guys were too good last time or I was too nice, let's make it a touch harder. And no peeking this time, I copied the picture so checking URL's won't help!
The author of this image (who should probably refrain from guessing...) will be revealed and linked when we get an answer.
UPDATE: you guys are too good, it is of course a Veyron, the photo is Endero's. You can find it HERE
Any enthusiast worth his salt will have read Mark Donohue's "The Unfair Advantage" and agree that racing is about finding that creative way around the rules. Brawn left all in the dust as expected, the dominance of the car highlighted by Rubens Barrichello's horrid race still yielding a second place. More on Barrichello later, but this Brawn story is pure gold for Formula 1, another British contender, fodder for the UK dominated motoring press. Ferrari's sprung floor was "cheating", Brawns diffuser, "creative"... Jenson was a dunce last year, sure to be a hero in 2009. Oh well.
If Brawn's domination was both announced and very real, Hamilton's eventual podium spot from last place on the grid was the standout performance of the race even if you factor in the "luck" of having seven cars ahead of him drop out, eight if you include Trulli. He did stay out of trouble and passed many cars with characteristic confidence.
Ferrari qualified with 18 laps worth of fuel but had to pit after nine and ten laps because the soft tires were gone. Whatever you may think about Bridgestone being mandated by the FIA to provide tires designed with entertainment rather than performance in mind, Ferrari's strategy was an obvious failure from the start. Barrichello puncturing one of Kimi's tires and the Finn later putting the Ferrari in the wall did not help.
While you could say that the new aero regulations are quite a success in terms of allowing more passing, the way the safety car was deployed after Nakajima's crash was inexplicable. With a surging Vettel, conspiracy fans are bound to ask why race control waited for Button to pit before sending the pace car out.
The biggest drama of the race was of course the crash between Vettel and Kubica. Vettel admitted fault where he really had none or at least none once he decided to contest the corner. Vettel had a lousy turn one which allowed Kubica to make a charge. Looking at replays they were essentially even at turn in and while Kubica, ever so slightly ahead, had the choice of staying wide and gain advantage on the subsequent left hand turn, he instead decided to turn into the apex leaving Vettel, who was on the inside and on full brakes with nowhere to go. I would be fine with that being deemed a racing incident yet Vettel was harshly punished with a 10 spot penalty for the next race.
Now let's examine Barrichello's race, if you apply the same criteria as were applied to Vettel then he too should get a penalty, and he took out three cars not just one. Examine the video, have your say.
Looks like the 2009 Formula 1 season has it's story line already, to paraphrase the great Bill Murray "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole! "
And indeed it appears to really be all "in the hole" or rather, "holes". I translated this animation from Gazzetta Dello Sport explaining what is going on with Brawn GP's diffuser.
Kudos to to Brawn for finding this loophole though I wonder how this will be handled by the FIA. Ferrari had found a "gray area" solution last season at it was taken away from them. It is worth noting that the Brawns qualified with much more fuel than the rest of the Q3 cars.
Fernando Alonso was observed being quite friendly with Lewis Hamilton, I'm sure he could not resist saying "Now you know how I feel, buddy!"
in Spanish. Because of the time difference I probably will not be able to verify this will work as advertised but our friend Umair swears by it. Hope it helps our cable TV challenged Axis readers! Let us know if it works.
UPDATE: it does work, Final Pracice is on now...looks like Kimi Raikkonen is already screwed with his car stranded on the side of the track after an off!..
If your Spanish is not up to speed, would recommend opening a separate window with THIS English feed (but with bad video) and keeping this one open with the volume down. (thanks Derek!)
There is no doubt about how much smoother the Brawn is compared to the competition. Even the Williams, which scored the fastest practice time looks rather nervous.
Ferraris look a bit twitchy mid-corner. Mclaren's pace is incomprehensible unless there is some sandbagging going on. Hamilton, like Massa had a couple of fast laps that were spoiled by near wipe outs.
Some very weird sounds when cars shift up and down on straightaways, real cars now sound like bad video game simulations from a few years ago.
Practice 1
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:26.687 19 2. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:26.736 + 0.049 21 3. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:26.750 + 0.063 24 4. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:27.226 + 0.539 21 5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:27.453 + 0.766 15 6. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:27.467 + 0.780 12 7. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:27.642 + 0.955 24 8. Glock Toyota (B) 1:27.710 + 1.023 24 9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:27.993 + 1.306 20 10. Alonso Renault (B) 1:28.123 + 1.436 16 11. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:28.137 + 1.450 20 12. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:28.142 + 1.455 21 13. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:28.511 + 1.824 22 14. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:28.603 + 1.916 16 15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:28.785 + 2.098 27 16. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:29.042 + 2.355 18 17. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:29.081 + 2.394 7 18. Piquet Renault (B) 1:29.461 + 2.774 25 19. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:29.499 + 2.812 21 20. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:32.784 + 6.097 4
Looks like broadcasters went for a Sci-Fi theme this year. I wonder if the Sci-Fi part will turn out to be McLaren being off the pace or the virgin Brawn breaking through to its maiden victory?
Stewards in Melbourne rejected protests by Red Bull BMW Ferrari and Renault. Teams will probably have to copy the Brawn, Toyota , Williams diffuser solution. If pre-season testing times stand up, this is a huge advantage for the first "away" races part of the season.
Support races in Melbourne this week end will include V8 Supercars, let's take a look at what happened in that series last week end during the Clipsall 500 at the old Adelaide Circuit. Can't miss the Supercars or the driver with the coolest racing name ever; Gaaaath Tendaaah!
Axis of Oversteer, as part of our expanded motorsport coverage this season, will feature first person reports and videos from racers competing in different classes, both amateur and professional. We see this as invaluable to our readers, many of whom are either racers or would like to be more involved in the sport, as a learning tool. We hope to share on-track tips but also equally important experiences in car preparation and gathering of sponsorship.
We are especially pleased that Michael Skeen agreed to share his season with us. Michael was 2008 NASA Spec e30 National Champion dominating with 22 wins and 21 poles over 34 races.
For the 2009 season Skeen is expanding to the newly resurrected TransAm series flogging a nasty sounding Corvette for Atlantic Autosport.
Read Michael's race report and see him slicing through the field during the season opener at Road Atlanta after the jump.
Muscle Milk Trans-Am Series Opener, Road Atlanta March 2009.
Ask anyone in racing, and they will agree that our sport has the highest highs and the lowest lows—perhaps that is what makes it so addicting. For myself and Atlantic Autosport, the season-opener for the 2009 Muscle Milk Trans-Am series was the perfect illustration of this concept. Before getting to the details, I want to back up and give you some of the history behind what brought us to this event at Road Atlanta.
Some of you will remember my participation on Setup, which aired on SPEED about one year ago. During that time, I met Matt Moorefield at a TrackDaze event at VIR and we stayed in contact after that event, doing some SCCA enduros in his ITR BMW. Matt, the owner of Atlantic Retail Construction, was bit hard by the racing bug, and we spoke about how to get involved in some pro racing throughout 2008. When announcements were made about the resurgence of the Trans-Am series with Muscle Milk as the title sponsor, we thought that would be a good fit. Fast cars, action-packed sprint races, and one of the most recognizable series brands in American racing history. What more could you want?
Within the last two months, we formed Atlantic Autosport and found a well-prepared car at Shaver Motorsports. It was a great foundation, but all of our testing was spent fixing small issues that were the result of its dormancy over the last two years. After submitting our entry for Road Atlanta, we still were not sure we would make the event because we were rushing to get the car ready. We made it down for the test day on Friday and the car was running properly for the first time.
Some might say we were in over our heads against the professional teams in the series, but we were quietly optimistic. We stayed on old tires all day Friday and Saturday with the intention of saving our one set of sticker tires for qualifying Sunday morning. With decent times on old tires, we expected to qualify within the Top 5 on the good rubber, maybe better if we were lucky. We were also worried about our fuel mileage because we were running the existing fuel cell, which was designed for shorter races. Our plan before qualifying was to get near the front and just follow the top guys as best we could while saving some fuel for the end.
That all went out the window on lap two of qualifying. When I left the pits during that session, the car never felt quite right and we later learned it was because the center of our 3-piece wheel on the left rear had separated, allowing the tire to slowly deflate. At the beginning of the second lap, it deflated quickly and the tire came apart as I entered the concrete-lined esses. Fortunately, the car stayed off the walls and we just picked up some Georgia clay as I cut through the grass and parked the car at the Turn 6 flag station. Without a hot lap in the books, we were stuck at the back of the pack for the race start.
Our new strategy was to go all out from the start and put on the best show we could. Without any sponsors on board, we had to show we could deliver results, even if that meant driving to the front and running out of fuel. Our stellar crew of volunteers worked hard to get tires under all four corners and check over the whole car to make sure it was ready to go. At the start of the race, I carefully picked off cars as quickly as I reasonably could and I found myself in the Top 5 within a matter of laps. About 15 laps into the race, a fuel cut issue we had in testing began to resurface. It was subtle, but by the time I had caught Pickett and Drissi in the Jaguars, I could not accelerate fast enough to stay close at the end of the straights. At this point, I decided I would follow them, save fuel where possible, and wait to see how the cards would play out.
After a few laps of this, we got the blessing we needed in the form of a full course caution for several cars that had wrecked or dropped oil around the track. With numerous areas to be cleaned up, the race could not be restarted in time and we finished under yellow. Securing fastest lap, a lap record, receiving the Flowmaster Star of the Race Award and Sunoco Hard Charger on the podium in our first race was a great moment, and certainly the most exciting of my career. Second place never felt so good.
Round 2 of the 2009 Muscle Milk Trans-Am Series will be held April 17-19 at Virginia International Raceway in conjunction with the SCCA Oak Tree Nationals. Check out MikeSkeen.com for more information and come see us at the track!
Helmet cams are our favorite, the ideal placement and the only one that properly conveys the idea of what the driver sees and where he's looking.
True for your track videos and true for Formula 1 drivers, in this clip the camera is not quite at Felipa Massa's eye level as he drives the F60 around Bahrein but on top of his helmet. We see much more than Felipe ever could....and you still don't see the new 2009 spec wide front wing!
I was puzzled at first, an invitation to a BMW 7 series promotional event which featured a tour of one of New York City's most extraordinary projects, the rehabilitation of the West Side Railroad High Line. The High Line, a 20 block long garden three stories up over the art galleries of lower Manhattan, represents what's great about the spirit of the city and a guided tour by one of the project's creators was eye opening, literally.
Transported above the street into a space cleverly designed to give new prospectives on a familiar landscape had its intended effect: back on the ground, confronted with the latest BMW 750Li, it was impossible not to notice interesting and subtle details. If great design does not call attention to itself, what could illustrate it better than the invisible grab handle built into the door's trim?
The 750 Li is a car of big presence and obvious luxury yet, I suspect, much of its pleasure will be provided by those small details only owners will be aware of.
The Formula One Constructors Association simply pointed out the FIA's own regulations prohibit rule changes so close to the start of the season unless there is unanimous consent from all parties.
The FIA had no choice but retreat to literally "fight another day" and communicated the unpopular rule would be implemented starting with the 2010 season.
Score one for FOTA, but the scoring system still needs a well thought out overhaul.
We said it 247 times already, we'll say it again: want WRC to come back to life? Bring back RWD production rally cars. Take a look at this BMW 135i at the 2008 the Rallye du Var, elegant, no? Why should we be stuck watching 4wd spec cars nobody is excited about?.
Same driver in 1992 at the Rally Corsica
After the jump a selection of thrilling rwd rally action clips!
BMW RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING TEAM EXPERIENCES MIXED RESULTS IN 12 HOURS OF SEBRING QUALIFYING 03/19/2009
Sebring, Fla. – March 19, 2009… Bill Auberlen, driving the No. 90 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3, qualified seventh for the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Auberlen's lap of 2:04.566 minutes around the 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway places him and co-driver Joey Hand in the top-half of the 15-car GT2 class field for the team's debut race. Dirk Müller, driving the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3, experienced mechanical problems immediately after leaving the pits and did not complete a qualifying lap. Müller, who will co-drive with Tommy Milner, will have to start from the rear of the field.
Two more sessions are scheduled before Saturday’s 12 Hours of Sebring. A one-hour-and-forty-five minute practice is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. this evening. A final one hour practice session is scheduled for 9:55 a.m. tomorrow morning. The 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring starts at 10:30 a.m.
One week before the 2009 season start in Melbourne and Formula 1 is in turmoil. If you have not followed the pre season dramatics let me try and summarize for you:
On track:
No doubt you have heard about Brawn GP's miraculous testing times by now. Bernie Ecclestone himself tipped Button for as a possible world championship contender (poor Rubens...).
While the Brawn is obviously a good car, it must be remembered that this is testing and there are no obligations for cars to pass tech inspection. Further scrutiny of slow corner exit acceleration hints the Brawn could be running below fighting weight. Barring vastly superior mechanical grip, the 5 to 6 mph differential observed cannot be explained otherwise, especially as the Brawn is not getting any help from a KERS system.
The buzzword in this 2009 pre-season has been "diffusers" and there have been accusations, starting with Flavio Briatore, but in the last week also Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali, that some teams have interpreted regulations a bit too loosely.
The teams in question are Brawn, Williams and Toyota. Just yesterday the FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting told Auto Motor und Sport that while no official complaint have been made to date, the diffusers in question were designed exploiting a gray area in the regulations.
Will there be a protest similar to Mclaren's protest of Ferrari's sprung floor? A good possibility, especially as limited testing makes successfully coming up with a copy more complicated.
Other assorted tidbits and rumors:
Mclaren's troubles are in part due to a structural problem with their diffuser which flexed enough to disturb the airflow. They tried a different extractor design but if we see a MP4-24/b soon we'll know this was more than conjecture.
Red Bull is sandbagging.
Off Track:
Briatore may like it but I have read not one single positive comment about the last minute scoring change the FIA dictated this past week amongst fans. Stunning, especially as this change was purportedly the result of a fan poll. While last year Hamilton was crowned champion with one less win than Massa, with the new system you might have a champion scoring less points than second place. You might also have the season decided very early in the season. Quite a difference coming from two seasons decided in the last few laps. A simple increase in the points awarded to first place would have worked so much better.
The mandated two tier budgets from 2010 on, unlimited but with technical restrictions or 30 million pounds ($42M) with technical innovations allowed, is very much about money but also about a power struggle between the FIA and the constructor's association, FOTA. FOTA had, amazingly, managed a very united front in its brief existence, the FIA's newfound love for the little guy aims squarely at driving a wedge in the group. It's fairly complicated and appropriately Machiavellian, if you want to delve into it more I highly recommend you read Chris Sylt about F1's commercial rights and then GrandPrix.com's "The danger of getting what you want"
Teams will of course pick the option with allowing technical innovation, and the budget cap? Well there is an obvious solution already used by Red Bull: you run two teams.
Damon Hill takes a journalist on a Vomit Comet ride.
(thanks Andreadebi!)
I can probably imagine some of the comments... "how can you blame the journalist riding on that wobbly barge?" Give good makes to the guy for being a good sport, many would have demanded the tape be destroyed.... And Hill's final line? Priceless. Home
Hooked on Driving is dedicating its Northeast Region Season Opener, April 29-30 2009 at Watkins Glen to the Hope for Javier Foundation.
Hope for Javier is a nonprofit charitable organization that was founded in 2007 by a Hooked On Driving staff member shortly after his son, Javier, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD is a fatal muscle wasting disease that steals a young boy's mobility, typically between the ages of seven to eleven. Life expectancy is late teens to early twenties. Hope for Javier directs money into the hands of researchers who are hard at work at finding a treatment or cure for DMD with the hope that it comes in time to save Javier.
In addition to the exciting high performance driving and daily lunches Hooked on Driving is holding a sponsored dinner Wednesday night (no charge for registered drivers) at which blind auctions for numerous items will be featured.
All proceeds and donations are going directly to the Hope for Javier Foundation. Additional details to follow in upcoming newsletters. What a great opportunity to attend the first class HPDE program at the premier track in the east AND support a very worthwhile cause. For more information on the Hope for Javier foundation or DMD please visit: hopeforjavier.org
There is a bit of disconnect in this video preview Ferrari released for their new look web site premiering March 29th. Ferraris may be moving sculptures but they really have little to do with Rome and even less to do with Strauss... Still, we can oogle the CGI model of the Scuderia any day right?....Nah, the cheese potential here is high, let's see if the actual web site is better than the preview.
How does Fernando Alonso see the relative strength of the 10 Formula 1 teams after the final tests before the start of the 2009 season?
Spain's La Sexta asked the two time champion to place teams on a grind, based on the strength of the cars from his prospective. The answer was surprising.
Alonso goes on to say that, if last year these might have been a 8/10th difference between first and fifth, this year there is maybe a 2/10th second gap between the first and the eighth team so things are much more volatile. Interesting.
"This is a video that we shot and edited within 24 hours prior to Aston's press release 48 hours later. We recorded the sound using a Zoom H4 audio recorder and shotgun mic and will be making this available as a ringtone in the Audio section of DR.
Soon... we will drive the road going version of Aston's V12 Vantage, although our very own Dickie Meaden drove the prototype at Paul Ricard circuit last March. It was suitably epic, both in a straight line and around the fast sweeping corners of Bernie's F1 test circuit. We will be bringing you much more on this car plus all the other exotica we drive during 2009, so check out DR and make sure you tell us what you'd like to see more of."
In the UK, Formula 1 returns to BBC after a long absence, here is one of the promo shorts released in the buildup to the 2009 season opener in Melbourne.
Hard to pick a favorite here, but I will have to go with Fernando Alonso's outside pass on Schumacher on the outside of Suzuka's 130R.
Hello from Barcelona! Today I made a little boo boo right in front of Herr Schumi. I LOL'd but he was a little angry, maybe he's just worried about this "Barrichello's revenge" everyone is talking about.
Certainly, Maranello's plans for 'ring domination were met with skepticism in the Grüne Hölle parking lot where Ferraris are generally regarded either as moving chicanes on the track or, more commonly, as something taking up valuable parking spots.
Of course we know it's not the cars that are lacking, "there are Ferrari Drivers and Ferrari owners" the Drake once famously said and below is an amusing clip of some Ferrari owners set to us by Darren Langeveld from RingWeekends.com
Amid continuing speculation the car is not behaving as expected, Mclaren engineers have come up with a novel idea to analyze air flow in critical areas without resorting to a wind tunnel: they smeared green paint on the leading edges of the sidepods!
With Norbert Haug admitting to BILD that "...We are certainly not where we want to be.." and Kovalainnen 1.6 seconds off the pace in testing at Barcellona, is this a clever way to get around wind tunnel testing restrictions or a sign of desperation?
All speculation will be resolved in Melbourne in two weeks time an don't forget that with the testing cuts this season, Mclaren might just be testing solutions for different tracks than everyone else.
There is more than one voice out there that suggests all is not going quite as planned with the Mclaren MP4-24 as the Silver Arrows have been somewhat off the pace set by Ferrari, Toyota and BMW. All amusing speculation in advance of the first race in Melbourne, what's more interesting to see in this clip are the significant evolutions which have already emerged on many of the cars.
If you look carefully, you can catch a glimpse of Mclaren's radical new floor profile (described HERE). In fact, Mclaren tested a new floor, front wing and engine cover. You can certainly see Renault running a completely different front wing that no longer flips the air up and over the tire but out and around them, a solution adopted by most other teams.
Interesting to see these angled top front wing elements, most pronounced on the Toyota but used also on the Ferrari.
Brawn GP, you may have noticed, is different from all other cars in that it has a low bulbous nose. Speculation is that this is to focus more weight and aero pressure on the front at the expense of airflow volume under the nose cone. How well that works remained to be seen. James Allen has a description of the cars under braking today:
"...The new rules have cut the maximum downforce level available on the cars to below the level they used to have on low downforce tracks. This has meant many things, but one of them is that braking stability is now harder to find, as downforce is an important part of getting the car slowed down. I stood at the heavy braking zone at Turn 10 for a few hours this morning and studied this closely. Everyone is more jittery than they were there last year, but if I had to pick a winner under braking I would say that it’s the Ferrari. The Brawn car is giving a little bit away there compared to the Toyotas and BMWs, and so is the Renault."
Ferrari and BMW seem to be the least changed of the cars, a good omen for them?
Sixth Gear writes: "My return back to track riding after my infamous crash in Turn 1 at Jennings. Special thanks goes out to Kelly at TTRMotorsports.com for all the hard work the week before putting my bike back together. You're awesome!
All footage was taken on a 2007 GSX-R750 with either a GoPro Hero Wide or Vio POV.1 camera. Track was Jennings GP, on the weekend of 7 Feb 09."
We commented before on how pervasive Top Gear's look has become in everything automotive. Now cool means graduated filter, crane shots and if you can fit it some snarky humor.
BMW had a very TG looking video for their BMW Performance Parts teaser where a 335 and a 135 slid around a damp and ominously lit airfield track.
Audi instead decided to mimic one of the innumerable Top Gear challenges, GT-r vs Bullet train, Veyron vs Airplane etc. Sadly the result is more dating video than Top Gear greatness.
This is almost as good as the famous M3 on the the Nürburgring "are you ready?" video and perhaps might explain why the impression is that M3 drivers, in the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, score high on the "cock-o-meter" the world over. It's just painful to watch but you can't stop! (hey, at least these guys made it through 2 turns before crashing on the third...the 'ring guy managed to stuff it on the first one!)
Who knew? Are we going to find out Dr. Phil is a petrolhead? Maybe not but props to Eric Bana who obviously is.
Both Freep and I have kept cars for WAY longer than most of our friends thought we ever should so this will get a thumbs up from at least two of the Axis!
Love the Beast is opening this month somewhere, probably not near you.
Apparently BMW's efficiency does not stop at clever ways to save gas. Not that BMW controls German courts but the resolution to the sordid "Lady BMW" blackmail story was so rapid it could have been engineered by the famous "M" division.
You may recall that Susanne Klatten, one if the heir to the BMW fortune and the richest woman in Germany, had become embroiled in a seedy blackmail plot (read the details from a previous post HERE).
Today after a 4 hour trial, the main suspect, the improbably named gigolo, Helg Sgarbi was condemned to six years in jail for his part in the plot. But what Herr Sgarbi did not reveal is what happened to the money, some 9.3 Million Euros or what happened to the videos or his relationship to the claimed mastermind of the whole operation, Italian Ernano Beretta who with a gang made up of family member and using Sgarbi as the bait, specialized in luring wealthy German ladies to conveniently pre-wired hotel rooms.
Klatten was not in court and Sgabi apologized but did not have the nerve to bring up his previously stated justification that the plot hatched to avenge Nazi era slave labor.... guess that one did not pan out too well!
We were troubled to see Brawn GP, using Honda money to buy Mercedes engines to power a car designed by a team who, according to published reports, exists primarily because it would be more expensive to shut down than to keep open, debut sporting the colors of the Republic of San Marcos from the movie Bananas.
Axis loves Ross Brawn so we though we might help out the big guy by dispatched our crack marketing team after some proper sponsorship money so that the car may look presentable in Melbourne.
Details after the jump
The synergistic possibilities between Brawn GP F1 and the Brawny Paper towel company are too numerous to list, especially once Jenson becomes the new face of the Brawny Academy.
On a side note Rubens Barrichello has already threatened to quit when he was featured on mock ups for the lesser know, rugged Brawny bathroom product line. "I know Schumacher was behind this fiasco" he told a Brazilian blogger "When I said I was on a roll , he could not resist the temptation and used his powers to once again prevent me from winning!"
"If you've been participating in "run group" formats at Drivers Education and Club events, and you're wondering what comes next.............we have a suggestion.
David Murry Track Days is a forum for experienced drivers to explore the limits of their skill and equipment at some of the most famous race tracks in the United States.
"As the 2009 track season gets underway, I'm pleased to announce the inaugural David Murry Track Days event at Virginia International Raceway this October 20-21. This event will be pure "open track" format, with participation limited to very experienced drivers, club racers and instructors. There will be no run groups, no students and very limited attendance. We'll offer approximately seven hours of open track each day. I will begin each event day with a dynamic, interactive classroom session, tailored specifically to the track that we're visiting. I will be on hand throughout the event to answer questions, offer advice, etc.". ---David Murry
If you're a club instructor, racer or current open track participant (with verifiable credentials) we're pleased to invite you to participate in a David Murry Track Days event.
With the on-site participation of sportscar legend David Murry, we offer dynamic, interactive classroom presentations, available personal coaching with current professional racers and the unparalleled opportunity to experience world -class racing venues in a true "open track" format.
Each event day will begin with a formal instructional session, hosted by David. These sessions will incorporate professional video, data and static (PowerPoint) elements and will be specific to the race track we're visiting. Once the track goes green after the morning session, David will be available throughout the day to answer questions and offer setup suggestions and driving tips to help you find that "extra tenth" that you've been chasing.
Working together with an experienced team, David's principal objective is to ensure that all participants enjoy the event in a safe and controlled environment without unnecessary intrusion or regulation, but with the underlying knowledge that inappropriate driving or behavior will not be permitted.
David Murry Track Days events are run with an open pit lane enabling unrestricted access to the track. Access will remain unrestricted and the pit lane will remain open for the duration of each event day. Participants are simply requested to respect the "rules" and their fellow drivers. Home
It's not fully clear in this edited video of Ferrari's press conference at the Geneva auto show, but it certainly sounds like the man said the mission of the latest Maranello offerings is to be fastest around the Nürburgring.
This would represent a huge change as Ferrari has historically dismissed the German track for development and testing and only published Fiorano times. However with the 'Ring lap time having become the defacto global benchmark discussed on every enthusiast online forum on the planet, this os obviously changing. You might remember one Michel Schumacher testing first a 599 in 2007 and later getting down and dirty with a 430 Scuderia in 2008.
And now what appears to be the intention of going head to head on the Green Hell with Porsche, Zonda, GM and especially after all the publicity they garnered, Nissan. Call this the GT-R effect, one which you'll also see reflected in the advanced electronics incorporated in the 599XX but especially in the upcoming F430 replacement which is said to sport the most advanced electronic systems even incorporated in a road car.
Ferrari is rumored to aggressively galloping where no prancing horse has before, going after the very successful Bentley GT for example. Apparently a very large percentage of 612 Scaglietti owners likes to go skiing and dislikes getting stuck.
If you can't be in front of a TV or don't have access to SpeedTV, you can follow the web live stream courtesy of Acura. 
The Formula One Constructors Association simply pointed out the FIA's own regulations prohibit rule changes so close to the start of the season unless there is unanimous consent from all parties. 
Make your track day count:
