How Will Schumacher Fare in the 2011 Grand Prix?

31 March 2011

Sky Sports reported today that Michael Schumacher has admitted to the fact that he is no longer the driver he was when he was young, but that he has insisted that he is still good enough for Formula One.

Schumacher, who is now 42, has been a world champion no less than seven times and it would appear from his recent statements that he is still very determined to go after the top spot in the races that he participates in.

He has spent much of the past 3 years as a test driver for Ferrari after retiring, but has now returned to the racing seat for Mercedes for the Australia 2011 Grand Prix. Schumacher did race for Mercedes last year too but failed to win a race. His last win was in 2006 when he raced in 18 Formula One races and won 7 of them. He was driving for Ferrari that year, whom he had been with since 1997.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do Ferrari Have The Car to Win the 2011 Grand Prix?

28 March 2011

Ferrari were the first team to reveal their new car for this year’s Grand Prix back in January this year. The Formula One rules have changed for this year’s race and so many of the teams have had to make adjustments to the cars to comply with the regulations and be allowed to drive in the races. The new rules will also mean that the drivers will have to change the way that they work.

The Ferrari car for the 2011 Australian Grand Prix is the F150, and it was unveiled on 28th January 2011 at the team’s Maranello factory. This year’s drivers have also been announced as Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa - and the pair took the red cloth off the car at the unveiling.

Last year, Ferrari didn’t manage to make the title for the 2010 Grand Prix which was held in Abu Dhabi but this year the team feels confident with their new car that they have a better chance of winning the Grand Prix. And the new F150 looks extremely smart too. It’s the usual Ferrari red and looks so sleek and aerodynamic.

Read the rest of this entry »

As The 2011 Grand Prix Season Begins Who Are the Forerunners?

27 March 2011

The Australian Grand Prix kicks off on Thursday 24th March - but who are the drivers for this year’s big event in Australia?

The Red Bull team have Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber as their main drivers this year. Mark Webber is back on top form after an injury in 2008 following a crash, but he is now fully recovered. Their reserve driver this year will be Daniel Ricciardo.

Vodafone’s McLaren Mercedes sees two very strong drivers take the seat in Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button with Gary Paffett on reserve. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are the top drivers for Scuderia Ferrari Marlborough, and this year there they have three reserve drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella, Jules Bianchi and Marc Gené.

Read the rest of this entry »

Robert Kubica Begins Recovery in Intensive Care After Accident

25 March 2011

Robert Kubica, a professional formula one driver, suffered a devastating accident in Italy just 3 weeks ago on 6th February. Many who saw the crash did not expect him to emerge, but after medics raced to the scene he was taken to hospital for emergency care.

An Armco barrier went through the floor of the Skoda that he was driving and almost completely took his hand off. He also suffered fractures in his arm, leg and hand. His surgeon confirmed that Kubica had undergone surgery to reattach his hand, and that he has begun rehabilitation by doing finger exercises to get his hand moving again.

All in all, he had to go through three separate operations to deal with his horrific injuries, but thankfully it seems he is well on the road to recovery now and has been released from intensive care. He is still in the Santa Corona Hospital in Petra Ligure, however things are starting to look up.

Read the rest of this entry »

What Does the 2011 Grand Prix Have in Store For Us?

25 March 2011

The 2011 Grand Prix in Australia is set to be just as exciting as always, with plenty of events to keep you entertained.

It all kicks off on Thursday 24th March with the practice races and qualifying races. The first practice is at 11:20 with the V8 Supercars Prizewinners Hot Laps. We’ll then also see the Shannons Histrorics Demonstrations on that day and the Red Bull Practice race, the Lexus Celebrity Practice and the V8 Supercars Albert Park 400 Practice.

After lunch there is the Formula 5000 Tasman Cup Revival, Porsche Carrera Cup Championship, and Ultimate Speed Comparison practices. These should all be good fun to watch to ‘warm up’ the event.

The afternoon then moves onto the qualifying races: first off is the Lexus Celebrity Challenge qualifying, then Porsche Carrera Cup Championship qualifying, Ultimate Speed Demonstration qualifying, followed by the Formula 5000 Tasman Cup qualifying and finally the V8 Supercars Albert Park 400 qualifying to finish off the day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Closing a Chapter on the 1980s, the 1990 Ferrari F40 Classic

12 March 2011

The 1990 Ferrari F40 classic is not any ordinary sports car. Though it exhibits the same familiarities found in most sports cars, this model is widely known to have revolutionized the car-making industry and has often been touted as the catalyst for the future success of Scuderia Ferrari. The brainchild of Enzo Ferrari before his death in 1988, this supercar is known for its aerodynamics design which was then underutilised in the car industry.

At first glance, the F40 is like any other sports car during its generation; a Berlinetta with a really loud engine. However, the design itself is not for eyes only; it combines the use of lightweight materials and aerodynamics to enhance its performance.
 
Pirinfarina, a car design firm and long time collaborator of Ferrari was enlisted to design the build. The key was to make the supercar as lightweight as possible so Pirinfarina used Kevlar and steel for the chassis; carbon fibre and aluminium to make the body of the vehicle. These composite materials are really strong yet lightweight.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Icon of the 60s: 1970 Lamborghini Miura Classic

11 March 2011

Back in the 1960s, the sports car industry in Italy was monopolized by supercar giants like Ferrari and Maserati. Ferruccio Lamborghini entered the industry in 1963 specializing in the same type of sports car produced by Ferrari; the grand touring race cars. As much as he adored Ferraris, he disliked the fact that the sport cars were built for competition purposes and he would like to build sports cars suitable for normal road users.

Ferruccio finally hit the jackpot with his 1966 creation, the Lamborghini Miura. It was the sports car that defined the success of the company for years to come. Debuting into the market with only an engine on the rolling chassis, the mid-engine prototype P400 left many spectators at the 1965 Turin Salon Auto Show in awe.

The story of how the name Miura came about to represent this impressive sports car is also an intriguing piece. Ferruccio Lamborghini, a Taurus himself, was so taken by the strong and fierce nature of the Miura fighting bull at a ranch that he decided to name the model and placed the bull as the emblem for Lamborghini.

Read the rest of this entry »

The 250 GT Berlinetta SWB - A Review

30 December 2010

A classic in its own right, the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT SWB is widely renowned for being one of the best sports cars of its time. With its sleek design, exclusivity factor and great historical background, it’s no wonder that Motor Trend Classic magazine awarded it fifth place in their list of top ten "Greatest Ferraris of all Time" feature. But what do we really know about this automobile?

It was first unveiled in October of 1959 at the famous Paris Motor Show. Disk brakes and a short wheelbase (SWB) were a first in the GT series, and the combination of low weight, high power, and well-sorted suspension made for quite an impressive package.

The top speed was around 152 mph, while 0-60 mph could be done in 6.2 seconds. Both figures were seen as the best of that time, and had caused quite a bit of excitement amongst the racing community.The car was also highly reliable, easy to drive and considered to be incredibly good-looking. It was a natural on the race-track as well as on the road. Since then, road cars and race cars have differentiated into two separate paths.

Read the rest of this entry »