December 31, 2007

December 30, 2007

So you want an Alfa Romeo 8c?

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I have it from a fairly reliable source that if you would like to own one of the 500 Alfa Romeo 8c you have better have a good pedigree.

When the Alfa Romeo "Brand Ambassador" comes to visit with the exclusive titanium colored human baby leather presentation briefcase containing the paint chips (black, Racing yellow, Alfa red and Competition red) and interior leather samples, you better show him the keys to some nice hardware you have previously purchased....something along the lines of an F40, F50 or an Enzo, they might let some of the 599 buyers slide I guess.



Getting a test drive might be a little easier, all you have to do is win the MotoGP championship. Here, courtesy of Alfa Romeo is a clip of Ducati's Casey Stoner throwing around the most desirable GT on the planet. Kudos to Alfa for not editing out his spin...less so for not including the sound!

December 29, 2007

1 comment:

Valentino Rossi (Getty Images)

December 28, 2007

After Le Mans, LeMons...

4 comments:
This is the best 24 Hour of Lemons video yet.   If team Axis is to enter it in Connecticut in 2008, I believe the Fearless Freep's red e30 will be the PERFECT vehicle, we are grateful for his generous offer!!


December 27, 2007

Safety...

8 comments:
Take a look at these two clips, both laps of Le Mans in Ford GT40s, the first is 1968 with narration by Sterling Moss, the second one year later in Peter Sadler's GT40 (who wold later retire at the 10th hour with electrical problems). In the narration for the 1969 lap, Vic Elford mentions how the circuit "has really been made much safer by the organizers" with the additions of barriers and that on the Mulsanne straight the year before one would "wonder what tree you would hit" if a tire blew... Well, I looked and I looked and I finally saw the "safety improvements" over the '68 clip: one single hay bale propped up against each tree on the left of Mulsanne. People actually thought that this solution ought to work just fine of a tube frame car with no roll cage traveling at 240 mph?!? And you got to love those sand traps shaped like launch pads too.

If you are in a nostalgic pre-Steve McQueen mood, I've included some youTube clips from the documentary "La Ronde Infernale" produced in 1969 by Castrol. Check out those quaint movable flippers on the Porsche 917's!
In part 2 you will see Jacky Ickx start dead last, he did this to protest the insanity of the "Le Mans start" where most drivers did not put on their harnesses before driving off. Sure enough on the first lap, privateer John Woolfe was killed in a 917, he was not strapped in. Ickx went on to win the race for Ford.



Le Mans 1968 from Axis on Vimeo.


Le Mans 1969 from Axis on Vimeo.







December 26, 2007

Super Nanny Extreme!

6 comments:
The latest Japanese supercar, the second incarnation of the (apparently) magical Skyline GT-R is weighing in at a positively porcine 3900 lbs.

Somehow, if you trust the glowing reviews and lap times, Nissan engineers have managed to defy gravity through the use of computers and while they were at it they managed to include a pretty hilarious feature: automatic speed de-limiting when the car senses it's on a race track.
That's right, along with a built in Traqmate like display you can see below, the car's GPS will figure out you are at, say, Fuji and let your car go over 100 mph.

I imagine that if you beat your lap time the car will unlock the next level and eventually you will get to fight the boss for extra bonus speed. No word on on the availability of a reset button.
(video via gtchannel.com)


2009 Nissan GT-R multiscreen from Axis on Vimeo.

December 25, 2007

M Coupe Differential Swap.

1 comment:
I realized I never did post pictures from when we swapped the differential in the M Coupe. This is why it's great to have friends, especially ones with superior technical know-how!...Thumper Ray and the Fearless Freep were over at the garage early in 2007 and swapped out the stock 3.15 unit for a 3.46 and made it look so easy.

Now granted the 3.46 unit looked a bit rough and might horrify some who like all their bits shiny, but man is that ever the right ratio for the car at the track!
With the new gearing this past season I could finally keep up with e46 M3, especially on corner exits, even with the taller rolling diameter of my 275/40 track tires.

A great modification for a track toy though I might not necessarily recommend it for an M Coupe driven exclusively on the street as highway cruising certainly suffers a bit.

Anyway thanks again guys.... Oh, and Thumper...we need to take a peek at it before season starts if you don't mind!

December 20, 2007

Schumacher to earn more NOT racing that most professional drivers racing.

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According to Bild-Zeitung, Michael Schumacher will earn 35 million Euros in the next seven years in a deal orchestrated by his manager Willi Weber. At the Race of Champions, Schumacher was for the first time wearing a (rather ghastly looking) white driving suit with space rented out at the tune of 5 million Euro a year until 2014.

The sponsors, Deutsche Vermƶgensberatung, Shell and Omega have been associated for a long time. And I'm sure Puma and Alpine Stars chipped in something.

It is worth noting that Schumacher, who gave 7.5 million Euro to the Tsunami relief fund in 2005, reserved the largest patch on suit for ICM, a spinal chord injury research institute in France. He has donated his 500.000 Euro purse from the Race of Champions to that cause.

December 19, 2007

11 comments:


ZR1

Specs 1
Specs 2
Specs 3

Two big small mistakes.

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Two fractions of a second, two drivers who just stepped outside the envelope that TINY bit, both with huge consequences for the Championship.

Kimi Raikkonen during qualifying in Monaco was a fraction early on the second Swimming Pool turn and hit the ARMCO, here is the onboard. The telemetry guys know for sure but I remember at the time it looked like he might have lost the rear just a fraction and that rotated the car enough to make him early. He got a lot of heat from the press for that mistake, but looking at it from his point of view would you be so hard?

When Fernando Alonso crashed on the flooded Fuji track it was also easy to criticize... after all, none of the other top guys crashed. But again, looking at the onboard you just have to say...luck of the draw. As with Ferrari, the Mclaren telemetry guys know the real truth, but I would guess it's fair to say that when a driver is pushing under those conditions, anything can happen.



December 18, 2007

Tarmac, Gravel and Ice, the FIA WRC 2007 review.

1 comment:
Sebastian Loeb must feel kind of lonely with Marcus Grƶnholm retiring.   
2007 saw the WRC season, like Formula 1, come down to the last race between the French and Finnish aces.

"Our battle for the driver's championship went down to the final round and the closeness of the competition was typified by Rally New Zealand where my fight with SƩbastien Loeb ended with a margin of just 0.3 seconds after three days of flat-out driving," Grƶnholm said about the 2007 season. "It doesn't get any better than that. "

Indeed.

This clip was shown at the 2007 FIA gala awards.


December 17, 2007

Race Of Champions

4 comments:
By now you probably know that Matthias Ekstrƶm won again beating Schumacher in the final and that Germany won the Nation's Cup. It's always a bit of a hokey event but this year's ROC had a much better track layout and Aston Martins DBS which sounded quite nice.

Schumacher was really itching to win this one, but in the end he had to be saved by Sebastian Vettel in the Nations Cup after stalling his car and was beaten convincingly in the final by Ekstrƶm.   Maybe he should have taken some clippers to the fenders off of the sedans so he could keep an eye on his wheels!...



I will not post the final which was actually pretty good but here are a few random races in the different cars, enjoy and be sure to watch the complete show on SpeedTV later in the month.







December 15, 2007

Speed is speed.

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Do I have to explain why I added this clip on a motorsport site? Not with our regular readers I don't! 

"You are 100% in control of being 100% out of control"  sums it up and is a goal to strive for either on planks or on wheels.  The truly fast can dance on that thin line.

Besides...96 mph on skis...with turns?  Think about it.

Looks like a good show and you might want to follow the links below to see the clip in HD on the Vimeo site (you cannot embed HD yet but you can see the 1080 full screen there).



THE THIN LINE: Life on the Edge - HD Trailer from VOOM HD on Vimeo.

December 14, 2007

Tin Top Wars, the FIA 2007 WTCC Highlights.

2 comments:
Seat vs BMW vs Chevrolet with a dash of Alfa Romeo for color, 2007 saw BMW clinch the championship at the last race in Macau with Andy Prioulx. Stefano D'Aste, also in a BMW, won the Independents Trophy.

Enjoy the action, tin tops are always the best that way...Don't miss that scary flip Augusto Farfus had at the beginning of the season at Pau.



December 12, 2007

Thunderbolt and Lightning! New Jersey Motorsport Park

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During this long off season, what should have miserable North East track rats banging their heads and singing falsetto in joy like Wayne and Garth?...Thunderbolt and Lightning!

Chances are that if you read this web site, you have heard of New Jersey Motorsport Park, the new twin track (Thunderbolt and Lightning) facility in southern Jersey being developed by the same group responsible for Virginia International Raceway. If you read this, you probably also felt the disappointment of past projects which never seemed to work out... there is a big difference here, HUGE, this one is for real. Paving is well on the way and the 2008 schedule has just been released.

From the looks of it, it's a happy time to be a Porsche Club of America member. PCA have 10 events for a total of 26 days compared to a big fat ZERO for BMWCCA (....hopefully that will change.)

Great news for motorcycle riders as well, the facility is bike safe and there are many track day/schools on the schedule. Must be nice to finally have a good track available for two wheel fun.

And of course there is professional and historic racing, Grand Am Rolex Sport Cars, ARCA, SVRA and even pro drifting with the D1 tour making a stop.

Stay tuned as we will bring you any new developments as they become available.

Now if we could only figure out a way to make winter go by faster....







2008 New Jersey Motorsports Park Spectator Calendar

Aug 7-10, 2008 SVRA
Aug 15-17, 2008 Shelby Club of America
Aug 29-31, 2008
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Sept 12-14, 2008
D1 Grand Prix
Sept 26-28, 2008
ARCA RE/MAX Series

2008 New Jersey Motorsports Park Club & School Calendar

July 11-13 EMRA
July 18-20
SCCA
July 25-27
Keith Code Motorcycle School
July 28-31
Bertil-Roos Driver School
Aug 2-4
Porsche Club of America
Aug 7-10
Bertil-Roos Driver School
Aug 11-14
Keith Code Motorcycle School
Aug 15-17
NY Sportbike Club
Aug 18–19
Porsche Club of America
Aug 19-21
Skip Barber Driver School
Aug 22-24
SCCA Regionals
Aug 25 NE
Sportbike Association
Aug 25-28
Skip Barber Driver School
Aug 29-31
NE Sportbike Association
Sept 1-3
Skip Barber Driver School
Sept 5-7
Porsche Club of America
Sept 5-7
Woodbridge Kart Club
Sept 9-11
Skip Barber Driver School
Sept 10-11
Porsche Club of America
Sept 12-14
Porsche Club of America
Sept 15
NE Sportbike Association
Sept 19
VRG Race
Sept 19-21
SCCA
Sept 27-28
Team ProMotion (Motorcycle)
Oct 3-5
Absolute Cycle
Oct 3-5
Porsche Club of America
Oct 6 NE
Sportbike Association
Oct 10-12
Porsche Club of America
Oct 11-12
Sportbike Track Club
Oct 17-19
Porsche Club of America
Oct 17-19
SCCA Regionals
Oct 20
Team ProMotion (Motorcycle)
Oct 24-26
SCCA
Oct 24-26
Porsche Club of America
Oct 31-Nov2
NY Sportbike Club
Nov 1-2
NE Sportbike Association
Nov 1-2
Porsche Club of America
Nov 7-9
NASA/PDA

New Jersey Motorsports Park Releases Inaugural Race Calendar for 2008 Season
Professional Racing Returns to New Jersey at All-New Venue

Orlando, FL and Millville, NJ – December 6, 2007 – At the annual Performance Racing Industry
(PRI) tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, the racing world received official word that professional
Motorsports is returning to New Jersey in a major way.
New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), a new Motorsports complex in Southern New Jersey featuring five Motorsports venues, will host five major spectator races in its first year of operation and 34 club and driver school events have
already been booked, filling out the schedule. The marquee race of the season – Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series – is slated for August 29 – 31. More than 100,000 spectators are forecast to visit Millville, NJ over the course of just
two months next summer, as the facility welcomes some of America’s top touring racing series.

NJMP features two road-racing courses: Thunderbolt Raceway, named for the historic P-47
Thunderbolt aircraft which was stationed at Millville Army Air Field during World War II and
where its crews were trained, and the Lightning Road Course – named for the P-38 Lightning –
the first American dual engine fighter.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) will hold the first public spectator event in NJMP history on August 7-10. Historic cars as diverse as the Ferrari Formula 2, Porsche 356, Jaguar E-Type, McLaren M8D Can-Am and Shelby GT350 participate in SVRA events, and will grace the Thunderbolt track.

The Shelby American Automobile Club will hold its national convention, complete with a concours and racing event on August 15-17. Carroll Shelby himself had a hand in the layout and conceptual design of the Thunderbolt Raceway, so it’s fitting that some of the legend’s greatest creations will be put to the test on a track that bears his imprint.

On August 29-31, NJMP will present its crown jewel event for 2008, as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 brings its exotic Daytona Prototype and GT racers to Thunderbolt Raceway. Arguably the most competitive racing series in America, the Grand-Am Rolex Series features superstar drivers like Scott Pruett, Alex Gurney, Max Angelelli and Bill Auberlen, as well as world-renowned teams such as Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates. NJMP expects Grand-Am’s first visit to the facility to be the biggest spectator draw of the season.

On September 12-14, professional drifting makes its road course debut in New Jersey as the D1 Grand Prix comes to town to compete on the Lightning Road Course. Drifters balance speed, artistry and showmanship in this unique judged Motorsport event, and will contribute plenty of rubber to the fresh asphalt at NJMP.

The ARCA RE/MAX Series, America’s most diverse auto racing series, returns to road- course racing for the first time since 2001 on September 26-28 at Thunderbolt Raceway, wrapping up NJMP’s inaugural spectator season. Spectators will get a look at the next generation of NASCAR hopefuls, as they race stockcars around the 2.3-mile road circuit.

New Jersey Motorsports Park is already nearly fully booked for its first season of operation. Beyond the five initial public events, national and regional enthusiast clubs will hold events at the facility, including the Porsche Club of America, BMW Club of America, SCCA, Skip Barber Driving School, and New York Sport Bike Club.

We can rebuild it, we have the technology...

No comments:
Actually I don't know if they went all 6 Million Dollar Man on this Lancia Integrale after driver/owner Felix Pailer went ballistic during a hillclimb in 2004



However a new shiny orange and yellow Integrale was back this year... good luck with it Mr. Felix "Steve Austin" Pailer!



December 11, 2007

Schnell Taxi! Schumacher takes over the wheel to make his flight.

1 comment:
This story is just one of those that seem too good to be true. Late for a flight, the seven time world champion takes over the wheel of the too slow taxi and after a series of "incredible overtaking maneuvers" manages to get to the Coburg airport in time. Amazingly, the story reported by Munich's Abendzeitung, has been confirmed by Schumacher's spokesgal Sabine Kehm.

Cab owner Tuncer Yilmaz tells " I found myself sitting in the passanger seat, I was next to Schumacher...it was incredible!" He went on to say that Schumi " Made some incredible passes and took corners at amazing speed" all to make his flight.

At the end of the run, Schumacher paid the fare and left a good tip. Schumacher was in Coburg to pick up a new dog with his family.

I'm telling you...the man is bored! Now I'm starting to suspect that this might be a setup because I can see the ad now....Plus does Schumacher not have a private jet?






December 10, 2007

The 2007 Formula 1 season in 6minutes and 30 seconds

13 comments:
This is truly brilliant editing and producing. If you followed the season you will recognize every moment, every storyline and even get all the in jokes. The music choices on this highlight reel from the 2007 FIA Gala are fantastic and right on target

(unlike the intro music chosen for Kimi's moment to get the trophy..."you're as cold as ice, one day you'll pay the price" Who chose that one, Peter Windsor?)
But the stroke of genius is during the Hungary pit stop montage: check out the soundtrack...as Fernando scans though the "radio stations" a short clip of "Anything you can do I can do better" from the Alonso/Hamilton Mercedes commercial from earlier in the year is heard.....Genius.

This one is a keeper. I have changed the video from flash to a downloadable h.264 video (65 megs) which should also stream on many computers. Let me know if you have any problems with it.




"Save as..... 2007 Season highlights"

F1 teams practicing take offs?..

No comments:
I'm not sure if it has to do with wind tunnel testing limitations but all of a sudden testing F1 cars on airport runways has become the "it" thing to do. Mclaren did "secret" high speed straight line testing at the Aeroclub on the island of Minorca in the past. Ferrari is there this week.

Maybe they are just practicing on a reproduction of Top Gear's airstrip circuit so that they can beat the Stig next time!





December 8, 2007

Winter testing wrap up.

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We don't get much coverage of winter testing in the US but elsewhere it is covered like baseball spring training might be here.

That Michael Schumacher was testing again was eclipsed by news of the Renault-Mclaren spy case verdict and how that will affect Fernando Alonso's future. Massa says he does not follow the Alonso soap opera except to say that Mclaren will be a weaker team for losing a top driver. The now more fluent in Italian Schumacher smirks, Trulli and Kubica play coy and claim ignorance.

As to why he's there, Schumacher explained:

"You know, I have spent so much time in Formula 1, it's clear that I love the sport and there are many things I still enjoy about it, like driving. It is a great pleasure to be able to drive without further responsibility and pressure for the next season, I just enjoy it, it is quite nice!"

He goes on to warmly praise Kimi Raikkonen for stepping up for the team after he and Ross Brawn left. Of Lewis Hamilton, who recently declared his intention of eclipsing all of Schumacher's records, he says "a very good preparation combined with a natural talent and you see the results"

The second part of the Spanish language clip is raw footage of the cars testing, check out the extra large data aerial mounted on many of the cars and also the giant sensors on the Renault's left wheels. You can see how the various drivers are coping with not having electronic aids... Hamilton looks like he was torture testing the rear tires a bit, hopefully Mclaren was practicing figuring out the right time to bring him in and change them!



Jerez testing 1. from Axis on Vimeo.


Jerez winter testing 2. from Axis on Vimeo.

December 5, 2007

Freebird!

5 comments:
Kimi Raikkonen is the invisible man and that just fine by him. He won possibly the most exciting World Championship in years in the old fashioned way, by winning more races than anyone else and earning it against all odds.
But you could almost not know that if you follow UK-centric motorsport media. F1 Racing's first cover after Interlagos was of Lewis Hamilton with a tiny picture of Raikkonen in the corner, need we say more?



As a public service to our readers who are true F1 fans, I translated this very nice interview by Corriere dello Sport writer Marco Evangelisti, fresh from Jerez where Raikkonen has been testing.
It's extensive and at times quite humorous and for sure Bernie Ecclestone will reach for his bottle of antacids. Kimi talks about being World Champion. Ferrari and his future. His past with McLaren and his relations with Ron Dennis, Schumacher, Hamilton and James Hunt.

Once again, Kimi is 100% Axis approved!

Kimi, Welcome back to work. What's it like coming back to the office as a world champion?


"To be sure it's a great sensation. Winning the title did not change my life but it was my goal, what I wished for since I started driving a car. I have tried for many years, I was close twice, in the end the Championship arrived."

It was quite a peculiar Championship year.

"Especially because it really did not look like we were going to win. Actually at one point all seemed lost. But we pulled through the difficulties and we did it. So It's true, coming in first has a different flavor."

They tell us that the evening after Interlagos you celebrated...how should put it...loudly?

"Ha ha, we had a good party that night, that's all."

But that was not all, how did you deal with the fuel temperature inquest which could have stripped you of the title?

"I was not worried, that's a state of mind I try hard to avoid. Let's say I was quite confident. There were no reasons to change the results of the Brazilian GP. But it is also true that one can never be certain of everything and this year, certainly everything happened."

So?

"So I was at home waiting for news, without to much anxiety. Stefano (Domenicali, the new team manager) called to tell me everything was ok. In the end, I was expecting that but from that point on I began to feel fully world champion."

So how can you say nothing changed?

"I have not changed, my life has not changed. I can understand how some might see me in a different light. The World title might have changed things for other, maybe but not for me. Let's put it this way, it was an objective I had been chasing for a long time."

To attain this goal you gave up on a team apparently tailor made for you, Mclaren and joined one which seemed ill suited, Ferrari.

"I have no desire to be involved in that argument. What happened at Mclaren frankly does not interest me. I was living a situation that I did not like very much. There were issues that were not just tied to racing, it had to do with my behaviour, my way to live my free time. I had always been clear, I want to live my life!"

How would you have felt had you been Alonso?

"Not so bad I would say, I always managed to get along well with my team mates."

And what is you found Alonso with you at Ferrari in 2009?

"No problem, I would not change my style or the way I drive a car. It would be interesting to compete in the same car, but I don't know if it will happen. Maybe it will take time."

Were relations between you and Ron Dennis tense?

"Oh, some discussions....but never any e-mails."

In any case, you feel comfortable at Ferrari?

"Certainly. I am very happy with the team and the relationship with the engineers and all the others. I see no compelling reason to go anywhere else, this team is perfect for me. I don't know if this will be my last contract but I do want Ferrari to be my last team."

Are you thinking about retirement?

"Not at all. But my professional horizon is now up to 2009 when the contract with Ferrari will end. I do not set any limits for myself but I also don't know for how many years I will be racing."

Certainly you want to win more championships. Hamilton has said he wants to win at least seven?

"I always said I did not want to retire without having won at least one title, I reached that goal. Now I want more, however may possible starting with the next one."

and if it will not be possible?

"Then I will try again in 2009, I will certainly not have run out of gas by then."

Let's come back to this year's championship, the one you just won. How did you do it...or if you prefer, how did Hamilton manage to lose it?

"It's simple, he made mistakes. He had a very reliable car that had issues at the wrong time, It happens."

It's not that the rookie was suddenly crushed by the weight of a very difficult season?

"I'm not sure it has anything to do with being a rookie. I think that finding himself in a certain situation, with a team where the psychological pressure is always high, has contributed to making him lose focus at the crucial moment."

These were Hamilton's difficulties, what are Raikkonen's merits?

"I won more races, that's how it works in racing."

Something is odd here. You won the World title in a way that will be remembered for a long time yet we are here speaking about Hamilton, the crowd's idol, covered in prizes from one end of the planet to the other, of Schumacher who might or might not return, of Alonso who is still without a team. You don't think it's strange?

"I think it's great. I leave the spotlight to other so I'm not bothered and I can live my life quietly and having fun. But you know what? I'm the World Champion and nothing can change that, I'm interested only in a single trophy, the one they will hand me in Montecarlo. The other prizes, plaques and certificates as "driver of the year" I'll gladly leave to others."

Thursday will be Finnish independence day, Friday you will get your trophy in Montecarlo, Saturday it's the Ferrari Christmas party, where will you have the most fun?

"Saturday's party, It's the most casual. There will be children and I like children."

When you have used a pseudonym you used James Hunt, why?

"He was a cahracter I always liked. He was world champion but he lived as he liked. He was different. Then again all of Formula 1 was different in the 1970's."

Now you have become a universal, a world champion even if you do not yet run the number 1 on your car, thoughts?

"Numbers are not important but I will love to see that number 1 on my car. It will look better than on any other car! I won it and I want it to stay there even though it will be difficult."

More or less difficult than this year without traction control?

"It will be more entertaining. When I tried the car I thought I was back in 2000 when I tested for Sauber at Mugello....made me feel younger, it was good!"

How will driving change?

"Essentially you will need to be more concentrated. Any little distraction will lead to a decisive error, it will not be simple."

Michael Schumecher has a more active role with the team compared to the months passed, how have your relations changed?

"Not at all. I continue to have normal and cordial relations with Michael. We are not each other's best friends. We don't phone each other regularly, we don't go out. But this means nothing. It's the same with Felipe."

However, it was wise of the team not to have you test on the same day.

"Yes, for a few good reasons. First off there would have been the temptation to push to the limit when it's not necessary just for bragging rights. Second it avoided much pointless blabbering."

May I ask a comment on the story in the press of your presumed love story with an Italian girl?

"Naturally you are free to ask. Naturally I am free not to reply!"






That's news to us...

No comments:
That's the official response to the rumored offer of a one year deal Mclaren was to have made to none other than SeƱor Ferdinando Alonso.

What's funny about this is that in their hearts of hearts they both have to know that it is actually the solution that makes the most sense for all involved. Given his insistence on a short term deal, Alonso would find even a grumpy crewed Mclaren a far superior ride to anything else that's not painted Scuderia Red. For Mclaren, even a foot stomping Alonso would mean not having issues with their sponsors and let's not forget, with two of the top three drivers in the field, their best chance for redemption and winning the championships in 2008.

Alonso will certainly wait until the upcoming McRenault-gate hearing before making any decision.

iDrive, no seriously.....I DRIVE!

3 comments:
Amidst all the hoopla about Lewis Hamilton lapping the the Top Gear track at 1:44.7 you might have overlooked that a robot driven 3 series BMW lapped the same wet and oiled by a crappy Vauxhall track in what at least looks like a 1:30 flat....




December 4, 2007

Dont' cut I said!

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In case you were wondering about the flying Ford in the picture below....here's how it happened.
Notice the car is essentially intact after all that, a testament to what 1500 man hours of high skill welding will get you.


Don't cut I said! from Axis on Vimeo.

December 3, 2007

East the hard way

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I always have a bit of a hard time convincing people that the Pocono East course is fun. Truth is, Pocono Raceway is not the best facility and the East course is the rattiest looking course there. Tight, lots of gravel off line, East's layout is however very entertaining and has the distinction of being a real handling course, the kind of tight track an Elise or an Exige would love.
We have quite a few videos from there you can look up, but today I have a video sent in from a reader and fellow F1 fan (a Kubica fan to be more specific!) that shows a slightly different prospective.
All I kept thinking looking at Krzystof's video was....man it's gotta hurt when those Pocono East rocks come flying up. I feel for bikers in our area, they really have few options, hopefully for them, the new New Jersey Motorsport Park tracks in south Jersey will be bike friendly. Always better on the track than on the street!

Oh, and check out at the end of the video just how nasty snap oversteer is when you only have two wheels!.

December 2, 2007

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Andreas Mikkelsen, Rally Wales

Shut up and drive

No comments:
hey CG...maybe Fiat were reading our comments on Kimi and did a whole campaign based on it!

But in the end these commercials invariably make the drivers look like, at best, dorks (Oh ya Kimi Ich bin VERY excited von those seven airbags and 150 hp!).

At worse....well, I don't even want to say what came to mind when Schumi winks at Kimi: "Zoo... want to see a pensioner drive?"  Ugh.



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