107% rule SUCK!

1. Why must FIA bring back a rule which would only serve to make life even harder for the sport’s most vulnerable teams?

2. The 107% rule, which prevented any driver who failed to qualify within 107% of the pole sitter’s time from starting the race, was dropped at the end of 2002

3. The 107% rule is a bad rule. It harms the sport and it harms small teams like Hispania for whom every minute of track running and every second of television exposure they can get is precious.

4. Throwing them out of a race weekend when they’ve already gone to the huge expense of flying to Australia or Malaysia only makes it even harder for them to compete in the future.

5. If the FIA really wants to stop cars that are too slow from competing then it should be done without forcing the teams to fly their cars halfway around the world first. They could hold a pre-season qualification test to make sure all the cars can lap within a certain time of each other

6. A snobbish attitude to new teams which aren’t on the pace yet does F1 no favors.

7. An important part of racing is having to share a track with other cars and finding ways to get around them. It’s an area where F1 is hardly excelling at the moment.

Robert Kubica-Hangs by a Thread

Lotus Renault’s Formula One driver Robert Kubica suffers serious injuries in a high-speed rally crash in Italy.His right hand was partially severed and also suffered arm and leg fractures after his car hit a church wall.Read the full news from Wemotor below.

ROBERT KUBICA – F1 CAREER HANGS BY A THREAD

Formula One driver Robert Kubica has taken “important steps forward” in his recovery from the serious injuries he suffered in a rally accident yesterday morning.

That is the view of the Pole’s manager Daniele Morelli, who was speaking this morning after Kubica spent the night in an induced coma following a seven-hour operation to save his right hand.

Kubica’s hand was partially severed in the accident, which occurred 4.6 kilometres into the first special stage of the Ronde di Andora Rally. He also suffered fractures to his right arm and leg.

The 26-year-old’s Super 2000 Skoda Fabia left the road and collided with a church, with reports suggesting his injuries were caused by a crash barrier penetrating the driver’s footwell. His co-driver, Jakub Gerber, was unhurt.

Professor Mario Igor Rossello, who operated on Kubica at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure last night, has said the Lotus Renault driver will take a year to recover from his injuries.

But Morelli nevertheless confirmed that Kubica’s situation was improving.

“He is suffering because of the lesions to his leg and arm but the brain activity is okay and we are certainly more relieved than with respect to 24 hours ago,” said Morelli.

“The doctors have said he has taken important steps forward.”

It will nevertheless take the best part of a week to finally determine whether yesterday’s operation to rebuild Kubica’s hand was a success.

Rossello, a specialist hand surgeon, said: “The hand is warm which means the surgery went well. It was a difficult operation.

“We will need six days to verify if the blood circulation in the limb responds as it should do.”

Lotus Renault team principal Eric Boullier has defended the decision to allow Kubica to contest a rally so close to the start of the new F1 season.

“Robert is a true racer, his life is motor racing,” Boullier told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It was agreed between us that he keep doing the rallies because it was part of his balance in his life.

“We knew the risks of doing the rally; he knew it as well. It was agreed together.”

Boullier echoed Morelli’s view that his driver’s progress had been encouraging, and even refused to rule Kubica out of the whole of the coming F1 season despite the doctors’ forecast of a year on the sidelines.

“This morning it was really fine – they needed 24 hours to make sure he recovered completely and it looks like this morning they are all happy,” Boullier said.

itz January itz New Resolutionz[read:rules]!!

With moveable rear wings, a new tyre supplier, the return of KERS, a 107 percent qualifying rule and more, there are plenty of regulation changes that will have a major impact on the Formula One field in 2011…

Adjustable rear wings

Under new moveable bodywork regulations, drivers of suitably equipped cars can adjust the rear wing from the cockpit, altering its angle of incidence through a set range. (The moveable front wing, used in 2010, has been dropped.) The system’s availability is electronically governed - it can be used at any time in practice and qualifying, but during the race can only be activated when a driver is less than one second behind another car at pre-determined points on the track. The system is then deactivated once the driver brakes. In combination with KERS, it is designed to boost overtaking. Also like KERS, it isn’t compulsory.

No F-ducts or double diffusers

Any system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited from 2011 - that means no F-ducts. Tightening of the regulations on stepped floors means double diffusers in their original sense are also banned.

KERS

A badge of honour for some, a bugbear for others on its debut in 2009, KERS - or Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems - have been reintroduced in 2011 after the teams mutually agreed to suspend their use in 2010. KERS take the waste energy generated under braking and turns it into additional power. This is then made available to the driver in fixed quantities per lap via a steering wheel-mounted ‘boost button’.

The systems are essentially the same as those seen in ’09, with no increase in the maximum permitted power (though that could change in subsequent seasons). The challenge for the engineers this time round is packaging. Last time KERS was run, refuelling was legal. Now, with it banned, fuel tanks are larger and finding room to accommodate battery packs etc is not as easy. Hence don’t be surprised if bodywork has grown in places, relative to 2010. On the plus side, minimum car weight has been upped by 20kg to 640kg, meaning larger drivers don’t pay the weight-distribution penalty they once did in a KERS-equipped car.

Jalan-Jalan@Norfolk City

 Malaysia’s involvement in Formula 1 is now greater than ever. It first started off with Petronas’ engagement with the Sauber Formula 1 back in 1995 and then the hosting of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang in 1999. That has been going on for the past 12 years. 

Now Petronas is the title sponsor of Mercedes GP, a team which 7-times World Champion Michael Schumacher calls home and a team that has won the Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships in 2009, when it was known as Brawn GP. Our involvement has increased with the birth of Team Lotus (previously known as Lotus Racing) which is run Air Asia’s boss Tony Fernandes under the 1Malaysia Racing Team. This team is officially classified by the FIA as a Malaysian team.

You would also know that the Renault Formula 1 team is now known as Lotus Renault, backed by Group Lotus. This came after a fallout between Team Lotus, Group Lotus and it’s parent company Proton. This team has no relations to Fernandes’ Team Lotus, only having the brand name in common.

The use of the name Team Lotus is still in jeopardy for Fernandes, pending a decision from the British High Court on the matter and no one has any idea when the decision will be announced. For now the team is allowed to use Team Lotus as its official name in Formula 1 after the FIA gave the green light.

Putting the issue between Team Lotus, Group Lotus and Proton aside, lets we go jalan-jalan merry around the Norfolk's factory.

The factory isn’t huge, but definitely enough to run a Formula 1 outfit. The factory looked fully operational, occupied by staff that are busy preparing for the team’s second campaign in 2011.

Proton-Lotus

After weeks of agonizing wait, it has been officially confirmed that Group Lotus will come into Formula 1 next season with Genii Capital, owner of the Renault F1 team. According to the press release, Group Lotus have signed a title sponsorship deal that will run till 2017.

As previous reports have suggested, Group Lotus has purchased all of the remaining shares held by Renault. This new partnership between Group Lotus and Genii has given birth to the Lotus Renault GP team. The team will continue to have Renault as its engine supplier, hence the reason why the French brand is in the team’s official name.

Furthermore, it has also been confirmed that the team will make use of Lotus’ iconic black and gold colour scheme as the team’s official livery in 2011, as pictured in the artist impression above.

Interestingly, Tony Fernandes’ Lotus Racing team also plans to do the same. This colour combination was last seen in the 1980s.

So, it possible that we could see two teams competing under the Lotus name, both in the same colours, with the same engine supplier- Renault's engine.

Perdana 380 Fuga

Bagi yang mengikuti perkembangan otomotif nasional--mesti korang pernah terbaca mengenai hal nya Mitsubishi mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa perkongsian rebadge mereka dengan Proton terhad kepada model Inspira-Lancer ini sahaja. Hal ini berkemungkinan besar atas dasar kekecewaan pemilik Lancer Rm12++++ sebelumnya. Iya lah-sudahlah lebih mahal, kualiti Inspira khabarnya lebih baik daripada model asal atas sentuhan tambahan oleh Lotus terhadap performa enjinnya. Jadi--bagi mereka yang bercita-cita berharapkan spekulatif bahawa Proton akan bangun rebadgekan Mitsubishi ASX dan Lancer Sportback--nampak gayanya tinggal harapan sahajalah ya.

Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) telah memberikan penjelasan bahawa selain daripada Mitsubishi Lancer, yang kini dijadikan model Inspira oleh Proton, tidak akan terdapat kerjasama teknikal lain di masa hadapan. Jadi kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, jika anda membuat keputusan untuk tidak membeli model ASX dan Lancer Sportback sebelum ini, maka anda sudah boleh membelinya sekarang. Situasi yang dihadapi oleh pemilik Lancer EX dan Lancer GT sekarang tidak akan berlaku lagi terhadap pemilik model lain keluaran Mitsubishi pada masa hadapan. Inspira adalah model terakhir yang menyaksikan kerjasama antara kedua-dua syarikat automotif itu.

F1 World Champions

Vettel is only the second German driver to win the world championship, joining Michael Schumacher, who last won the world championship in 2004.

	Country	No.	Drivers/s
1	Britain	14	Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill (2), Jim Clark (2), John Surtees, Jackie Stewart (3), James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button
2	Brazil	8	Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Nelson Piquet (3), Ayrton Senna (3)
2	Germany	8	Michael Schumacher (7), Sebastian Vettel
4	Argentina	5	Juan Manuel Fangio
5	Australia	4	Jack Brabham (3), Alan Jones
5	Austria	4	Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda (3)
5	France	4	Alain Prost
5	Finland	4	Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen (2), Kimi Räikkönen
9	Italy	3	Giuseppi Farina, Alberto Ascari (2)
10	United States	2	Phil Hill, Mario Andretti
10	Spain	2	Fernando Alonso
12	New Zealand	1	Denny Hulme
12	South Africa	1	Jody Scheckter
12	Canada	1	Jacques Villeneuve

 

Kredit:F1 Fanatic

Sebastian Vettel becomes YOUNGEST ever F1 CHAMPION!!

Sebastian Vettel has become the youngest driver ever to win the Formula 1 world championship. At 23 years and 134 days old he has broken the record set by Lewis Hamilton in 2008, who won the title aged 23 years, 301 days.

This record has now been broken three times in the last six years – Fernando Alonso the first to break it in 2005.

Sebastian Vettel has been crowned the 2010 Formula 1 World Champion after driving a remarkable race at the Abu Dhabi GP. Today’s achievement adds to Red Bull’s 2010 constructor’s title which the team bagged last week in Brazil. The youngest ever World Champion from Germany was the first driver to cross the finish line after starting from pole. His top rival, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso who could have become champion if he finished in fourth place only managed seventh and lost the title by four points.

The double World Champion spent a lot of time behind Renault’s Vitaly Petrov and failed to overtake the Russian rookie and that pretty much took his championship chances away. Red Bull’s Mark Webber who was also a strong contender for the championship suffered from the same fate and spent the entire duration of the 55-lap race behind Alonso.

Vettel’s first place finish was accompanied by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton who was closing the gap between himself and Vettel during the final few laps. Third place went to Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button, champion of 2009. This meant that the podium of the 2010 Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina circuit was made up by the 2008 champion (Hamilton), 2009 champion and of course of the freshly-crowned 2010 champion.

Fourth was taken up Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg while Renault’s Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov finished in fifth and sixth places respectively. Alonso crossed the line in seventh ahead of Webber while ninth and tenth spots were taken up by Jaime Alguersuari from Toro Rosso and Felipe Massa from Ferrari.

The best of the new comers is officially Lotus Racing as Heikki Kovalainen finished the race in 17th place ahead Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi. The Hispania duo Bruno Senna and Christian Klien finished in 19th and 20th. Jarno Trulli of Lotus who suffered from various issues including a broken rear wing managed 21st. The were only three retirements of the day and they were Timo Glock of Virgin, Michael Schumacher of Mercedes and finally Vitantonio Liuzzi of Force India.

All drivers had clean starts when the lights went green but Alonso slipped from third to fourth by the first corner. Vettel managed to maintain his lead and stayed up in front, ahead of both the McLaren drivers. Just moments later, within the first lap, Schumacher spun while exiting a corner and Liuzzi crashed straight into him. That caused the one and only Safety Car period of the race. Too bad for Schumi. This is his first race in Abu Dhabi.

After the restart the top positions were maintain with Vettel leading the McLaren drivers, Alonso, Webber and Massa. Webber was the first of the top runners to pit after suffering tire issues. His pit stop then prompted Massa and subsequently Alonso’s pit stops.

Many say that if Alonso didn’t pit as early as he did, he could have collected his third title. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he got stuck behind Petrov until the very end of the race as the Russian already performed his pit stop during the Safety Car period earlier. Webber was also in the same train, behind Alonso.

Alonso tried his best to overtake Petrov but the Russian did an excellent job in keeping the title contender at bay. Good job Petrov. What a wonderful performance you've shown tonight.

Today was the final race of the season and we will meet again next for the 2011 Bahrain GP on March 13th. Meanwhile expect more news from the high-adrenaline world of Formula 1 as teams perform winter testing with new Pirelli rubber, launch their new contenders and announce their drivers. We will also find out if Lotus Racing will be able to keep the “Team Lotus” designation
SRi:Cannot sabar anymore to watch Richard Brenson treat Air Asia's passenger in stewardess outfit!

Vettel takes Pole

Sebastian Vettel will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from his tenth pole position of the season.

But team mate Mark Webber suffered a serious setback, only able to qualify fifth behind all his championship rivals.

Q1

The drivers found the track surface improving rapidly at the start of qualifying, with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel going fastest seemingly with every lap they did.

Alonso stayed out later than his rivals and set the fastest time. Nico Rosberg also did a late lap to go second.

Jenson Button, meanwhile, ran into trouble with a brake vibration, and had to do a second run to improve his time.

As usual the three new teams were eliminated, with Jarno Trulli once again the fastest of the six.

The two Toro Rosso drivers found themselves in a battle to get into Q2. Jaime Alguersuari scraped through with his final lap, as team mate Sebastien Buemi failed to beat him by one tenth of a second.

Driver eliminated in Q1

18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	1’41.824
19	Jarno Trulli	Lotus-Cosworth	1’43.516
20	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus-Cosworth	1’43.712
21	Timo Glock	Virgin-Cosworth	1’44.095
22	Lucas di Grassi	Virgin-Cosworth	1’44.510
23	Bruno Senna	HRT-Cosworth	1’45.085
24	Christian Klien	HRT-Cosworth	1’45.296

Q2

It was an eventful Q2 for Lewis Hamilton who who had two off-track moments and a controversial encounter with Felipe Massa.

Hamilton took to the kerbs and demolished a corner marker as Massa went around the outside of him. Both drivers made it into the top ten – Hamilton making it in with just a minute to spare.

Sebastian Vettel was the only driver to lap the Yas Marina track in less than a minute and 40 seconds and none of the others could match that.

Button improved to second with his last effort but just a few hundredths covered Rosberg behind him in third and Mark Webber.

A late improvement by Vitaly Petrov surprisingly eliminated his team mate Robert Kubica.

He was knocked out in Q2 along with Kamui Kobayashi, Adrian Sutil, Nick Heidfeld, Nico Hülkenberg, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Jaime Alguersuari.

Driver eliminated in Q2

11	Robert Kubica	Renault	1’40.780
12	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber-Ferrari	1’40.783
13	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes	1’40.914
14	Nick Heidfeld	Sauber-Ferrari	1’41.113
15	Nico Hülkenberg	Williams-Cosworth	1’41.418
16	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India-Mercedes	1’41.642
17	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	1’41.738

Q3

The Red Bulls held back at the start of Q3 while the McLarens and Ferraris went first. And their first times were set in that order – Hamilton doing a 1’39.582, leading Button, Alonso and Massa.

While those four did two separate runs Vettel and Webber did just a single run at the end of the session. While that worked like a dream for Vettel, who who improved his time progressively to a 1’39.394, Webber ended up over half a second off his team mate.

The other drivers were all getting in each others’ way as the final laps begin, Rosberg threading his way through the Ferraris to ensure he didn’t miss the cut-off. Massa started his final lap the instant the clock ticked to zero.

Hamilton improved his time but fell short of beating Vettel by a few hundredths. But Alonso was the big winner, pulling together a lap good enough to salvage third place, splitting the McLarens.

The grid tees up a fascinating battle for the championship tomorrow with Alonso surrounded by McLarens, and Webber facing a mountain to climb to keep the Ferrari driver from the title.

Top ten in Q3

1

Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-Renault

1’39.394

2

Lewis Hamilton

McLaren-Mercedes

1’39.425

3

Fernando Alonso

Ferrari

1’39.792

4

Jenson Button

McLaren-Mercedes

1’39.823

5

Mark Webber

Red Bull-Renault

1’39.925

6

Felipe Massa

Ferrari

1’40.202

7

Rubens Barrichello

Williams-Cosworth

1’40.203

8

Michael Schumacher

Mercedes

1’40.516

9

Nico Rosberg

Mercedes

1’40.589

10

Vitaly Petrov

Renault

1’40.901

The championship

Alonso may only be ahead of one of his championship rivals on the grid, but it’s the one that matters most – Mark Webber, who’s eight points behind him in the constructors’ championship.

That means that were the top five drivers to finish in the order they qualified, Alonso would be world champion.

The most realistic threat to Alonso’s title hopes heading into the race is likely to come from Vettel. If he wins the race, Alonso has to make sure he finishes in the top four.

Were he to fall to fifth – behind, say, Button and Webber – he would end the race level on points with Vettel, and lose the championship due to Vettel having more fourth place finishes.

In that case his new best friend could come into play – Lewis Hamilton, who may pose the biggest threat to Vettel on race day.

Of course Alonso only needs to gain one place on his starting position to be guaranteed the championship regardless of what happens to his rivals.

How do you think the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will unfold – and how will the championship be decided? We will see tonight.

 SRi:Suspen!Saspenn!!

Feno.mena:yang:meng.Inspira.kan

Akhirnya, Proton Inspira yang mendapat perhatian cukup meluas telah dilancarkan tiga hari yang lepas-10 November 2010. Pelancaran rasmi telah disempurnakan oleh Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Dato’ Sri Mustapa bin Mohamed, bersama-sama dengan penasihat Proton, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed. Turut hadir di majlis tersebut ialah Pengerusi Proton Holdings Berhad, Dato’ Sri Mohd. Nazmi Mohd. Salleh dan Pengarah Urusan Kumpulan, Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir. Majlis perasmian berlangsung di dewan Pusat Kecemerlangan Proton (Proton’s Centre of Excellence).

Mengkikut cakap-cakap Abang Evo yang dah pergi menjengah menyempatkan diri melakukan lawatan rasmi ke beberapa buah pusat pameran Proton dan telah mengambil beberapa keping foto model Inspira yang dipamerkan - hanya terdapat Proton Inspira 1.8 CVT berwarna hitam dan Proton Inspira 1.8 Manual berwarna putih sahaja yang dipamerkan. Dan agak mengejutkan apabila Proton memberikan tambahan surprise kepada penggunanya dengan menurunkan lagi harga Proton Inspira daripada yang diwar-warkan sebelumnya. 

Berikut ialah senarai harga terbaru yang berkuatkuasa sejak Rabu-hari pembukaannya yang lepas

Harga Proton Inspira (OTR termasuk insuran) -

Proton Inspira 1.8 (M) Executive (Solid) – RM78,549.00

Proton Inspira 1.8 (M) Executive (Metalik) – RM78,999.00

Proton Inspira 1.8 (CVT) Executive (Solid) – RM84,549.00

Proton Inspira 1.8 (CVT) Executive (Metalik) – RM84,999.00

Proton Inspira 2.0 (CVT) Premium (Solid) – RM91,549.00

Proton Inspira 2.0 (CVT) Premium (Metalik) – RM91,999.00

Setakat post ini ditulis, Proton Inspira telah menerima tempahan melebihi 2,000 unit dan semakin bertambah, dengan lebih 60 peratus daripadanya adalah tempahan untuk model Inspira 2.0 CVT Premium. Tahniah diucapkan kepada Proton. Inspira adalah fenomena terbaru dari Proton.

SRi:Tengah ready nak layan Live Timing Qualifying Abu Dhabi GP--sapa nak tambah kecoh-g laa dekat my FB japgi

Four Faces One Champion

This weekend, for the first time in F1 history, four drivers will go into the last race of the season still able to win the championship.

Between them we have a clear favourite, a delicate intra-team battle, and the longest of long shots.

As Fernando Alonso has been fond of saying this year, “we’ll do the maths in Abu Dhabi”.

Now the final race is upon us – so here’s how the numbers that will decide the destiny of the 2010 championship add up.
 

Fernando Alonso

As Alonso acknowledged in the build-up to the race, if he finishes in first or second place he will win the championship regardless of where anyone else finishes. In that sense, his destiny is in his hands.

But what’s really interesting is what happens if he finishes in third place behind the Red Bulls:

Vettel-Webber-Alonso – precisely the finishing order we saw at Interlagos – would make Alonso champion.

But Webber-Vettel-Alonso would make Webber champion. The question then becomes whether Vettel will act as king-maker if he’s leading the race ahead of Webber and Alonso, and crown his team mate champion by letting him pass.
 

Mark Webber

Red Bull’s refusal to impose team orders on their drivers even at this late stage in the season must be frustrating for Mark Webber – he certainly dropped hints to that effect at Interlagos.

Had they got behind Webber’s title bid following the World Motor Sport Council’s decision not to strip Alonso of any points after Ferrari’s use of illegal team orders at Hockenheim, he would be going into this race with a nine-point lead instead of an eight-point deficit.

To win the championship this weekend Webber must finish in the top five. Assuming he does that, whether he wins the championship or not depends where Alonso finishes.
 

Sebastian Vettel

Realistically, to win the championship this weekend Sebastian Vettel not only has to win the race but he needs someone other than his team mate between him and Alonso.

Vettel is guaranteed the championship if he wins and Alonso finishes fifth or lower – regardless of where Webber finishes.

Intriguingly, Vettel first followed by Webber with Alonso fifth puts all three on 256 points – with Vettel winning by dint of having two more fourth-place finishes than Alonso.

Thanks to everyone who worked that out on the championship calculator and pointed it out to me!
 

Lewis Hamilton

Prayers, voodoo dolls, a rain dance – Lewis Hamilton needs to try everything he can think of to win the championship from 24 points down.

If he did it would surely be an even bigger upset than the dramatic final laps of his 2008 championship victory.

Hamilton can only win the championship this weekend if he wins the race. On top of that he needs Vettel to finish no higher than third, Webber no higher than sixth and Alonso outside the top ten.

Better luck next year, then.

Seputar Brazil GP

Sepertinya kita terpaksa harus menunggu Abu Dhabi GP untuk mengetahui siapa yang akan menjuarai Driver's Championship setelah Red Bull mencetak kemenangan 1-2 di Brazil,semalam-- memaksa Fernando Alonso sang pemimpin kejohanan berpuas hati dengan tempat ketiga. Dalam kata lain- terpaksa turut serta pada pertempuran perlumbaan seterusnya. Kemenangan 1-2 dipimpin oleh Sebastian Vettel selepas mereka bermula di belakang Williams--Nico Hulkenberg telah mengamankan 2010 Constructor Championship menjadi milik Red Bull.

Baik Lewis Hamilton dan Jenson Button dari McLaren yang selesai pada tempat keempat dan kelima masing-masing, secara rasmi meletakkan mereka terkeluar daripada Perselisihan Driver's Championship. Mercedes driver line up mengekori mereka dari belakang dengan selesai tempat keenam --Nico Rosberg, di depan Michael Schumacher. Pemandu yang memulakan perlumbaan dari posisi pole, Nico Hulkenberg pula berpuas hati di tempat kelapan di depan Robert Kubica Renault dan BMW Sauber Kamui Kobayashi.

Pasukan Lotus Racing mencapai keputusan yang agak memuaskan hari ini -- Heikki Kovalainen dan Jarno Trulli selesai di kedudukan 18 dan 19 di depan Virgin Racing dan Hispania. Hanya satu kereta sahaja yang gagal menamatkan perlumbaan -- Force India; Vitantonio Liuzzi setelah mengalami kemalangan yang memaksa Safety Car keluar pada Lap 51.

Berbeza dengan sesi kelayakan, trek semalam kering dan seperti yang dah dijangkakan, Hulkenberg kehilangan Pole Position kepada Vettel sebelum mereka mendekati Turn 1 pada pusingan pembukaan. Webber pun apa lagi--kesempatan sudah di depan mata. Terus Ngap sajalah. Sementara itu Alonso terpaksa mengambil beberapa lap untuk memotong Hulkenberg dan beberapa lap kemudian Hamilton pula melakukan langkah yang sama ke atas Hulkenberg seterusnya mengambil alih tempat keempat.

Di depan -- Red Bulls memang banyak mencipta kelompok mereka sendiri menjauh daripada Alonso. Namun sampai ketika Putaran ke-51 ketika Liuzzi melebar dan menghantam pembahagi jalan selepas Turn 1 dan Safety Car deployed-menggoyahkan sedikit kelebihan kerjasama ini kerana pemandu yang sudah ketinggalan jauh kembali merapatkan kedudukan di belakang Safety Car. Nak dijadikan cerita-bila dah nak restart-terdapat jarak yang agak luas antara Vettel, Webber dan Alonso dan seterusnya kembali memberikan peluang kepada Vettel untuk menjauhkan diri semula daripada pesaingnya terutama Sang Jago Merah- Fernando Alonso.
 
Perhatian Formula 1 kini akan beralih ke Abu Dhabi hujung minggu ini dengan 2010 Driver's Championship menjadi rebutan. Empat pemandu yang secara logika matematikanya akan terus bertarung untuk menjadi Juara 2010 - Alonso, Webber,Vettel dan Hamilton. Namun dengan kedudukan mata Hamilton yang agak terlalu jauh menjadikan perburuan kali ini lebih realistik hanya buat tiga pemandu di atasnya.
 
Setelah keputusan hari ini, Alonso masih memimpin dengan 246 mata dengan Webber dan Vettel di 238 dan 231 mata. Hamilton 222. Be sure to catch the season finale, see you then!

Saya Nak beli Scramblerr!! VR000M *sirius x nyambung ngan post*

Sambil ngah layan kepenatan tutorial tadi ngan halwa telinga Aage Peche--terajinlah sesaat hamba Allah yang tak reti nak Asar lagi ni gi buka berita harian. Dan seperti biasalah haruslah ada kan yang menangkap mata ni! *Btw, kalau bukan mata, macamana nak baca?! Adushlah korang ni..

Selain daripada gambar Calon BN Galas ngan Presiden KAFA ngah terkinja-tinja meraikan kemenangan Kelantan kelmarin hari yang bakal makin memperburukkan persepsi wajah BN yang sanggup berhabis berapa ribu nak gi upah En KAFA supaya berdiri sama tinggi dengan calon dorang yang seharusnya jauh lagi baik dorang pergi sedekahkan dekat orang-orang asli nue--pernyataan Kerajaan nak cadang benarkan guna kereta automatik semasa ujian memandu memang bebetul menarik perhatian SRi.WOHA!

Alasan dorang adalah nak mudahkan nenek atok kita dan golongan wanita yang lemah yang memang sah-sah tak kuat benor nak men tolak tarik batang gear tu dan geng-geng yang malas nak tekan kaki dekat pedal klac. Memang murni sangat hasrat kerajaan tu. Ye lah--orang sekarang pun memang banyak bila nak beli kereta lebih sukakan yang automatik. Logik-logik.. Lagipun korang bila dah terbiasa ngan auto-mana nak ingat dah manual. So, sama sajalah kan ajar korang manual pun. Bukan nak pakai! Membazir ja. 

Tak sangka betul SRi-- kerajaan kita Malaysia ni memang kaya gila  nak mati-melimpah ruah harta dia- baik ati bebenor nak bayar Perodua gi tukar semua gear manual jadi auto. Bagus-bagus!! Adalah alasan nak naikkan yuran belajar korang pula lepas ni--tak dapat naik tol-dapat pow budak baru nak belajar-jadi lah! Daripada tak dapat langsung kan. Sikit pun jadilah. WOHA

Tapi sebenarnya manual kah, auto kah-bukanlah masalah sangat sebab makcik pakcik ni bukanlah mental retard sangat tak paham-paham macamana nak main klac tu. Waktu awal-awal standardlah kalau duk tersengguk-sengguk. Tengku Djan drifter tu pun waktu awal tersengguk-sengguk juga. 

Yang jadi masalahnya teknik pemanduan tu. Bak kata Dr Ir Hana Razak-Pakar Alzheimer UiTM, "Nak bawa laju bawalah--tapi yang penting kena pandai kawal stereng dan brek!" Dan di situlah masalahnya pemanduan tak kira sesapapun lah--lelaki ka perempuan kah-semua key point dia ada pada dua itu-stereng (handle bagi motor) dan brek.

Oleh itu kalau korang undi SRi suh jadi orang paling besar JPJ tu-SRi akan pastikan yang tetiap kelas memandu turut melengkapkan ilmu drifter dalam jiwa anak-anak muda pemandu kereta motor sekalian. Bagi anak-anak jantan memang lah sah-sah suka-boleh lah merempit lepas ni. Tapi bagi golongan yang merasa membazir rasa macam tak perlu-ilmu ni sangat penting terutamanya bila korang dalam situasi pra-kemalangan. Tentang simulasi rasanya terpaksalah kerajaanlah pula fikirkan caranya. Kalau semua nak SRi jah suap-lemak ah! Lebih baik korang undi SRi jadi PM jah lepas ni.

Pengendalian pemanduan secara ekstrim rasanya memang terpaksa diterapkan dalam jiwa muda mudi lepas ni sebab SRi dan semua orang tau--korang semua muka berlakon ja bila depan JPJ tu. Speed limit 60km/j? Tipu sangatlah korang boleh tahan. Hilang JPJ korang rembat kereta mak bapak korang yang tengah enak berbulan madu dalam suite tuh-korang buat test drive pecut atas highway tengok berapa speed kereta tu boleh terbang gi jumpa Tuhan!

Kurikulum trek buat motorsikal pun rasanya haruslah diperbaharui. Janganlah setakat main dalam tu--naik titi yang tak seberapa tu saja. Cuba buat trek jalan berlumpur, berpasir, berminyak--pastu bawa dalam gaya 70km/j ke atas-barulah thrill--baru kurang kemalangan jiwa di kalangan mat rempit ni plus jimat duit kerajaan nak sponsor bandage kepala korang yang pecah tu.

Serius, pemandu akan belajar lebih bila dia accident!  Waktu tu lah dia akan tahu apa yang sepatutnya dia buat dan TIDAK! Makanya fikir baik-baik; mana lebih baik samada korang dapat pengalaman (pra)accident dalam trek waktu tengah belajar atau tetengah malam depan kubur sesorang?! *takda emoticon hantu lah pula*

Papehal--yang dah ada lesen memandu; belajarlah mematuhi had laju dan lampu isyarat terutamanya. Yang masih belum--korang rajin-rajinlah tanya cekgu korang macamana nak buat Drift!WOHA

SRi:Katakanlah drama perceraian Erra-Irman itu semua dusta!

101010

Tahniah diucapkan bagi mereka yang melangsungkan upacara walimatururus esok hari! Amboi.. Makin ramai ya yang dah mulai menjejak langkah ke alam rumahtangga ni pada usia muda. Bagus. Bagus.

Abang Angkasawan pun esok juga nak kawen ngan buah hatinya. Suka betul SRi layan gambar-gambar pre-wedding mereka. Memang betul-betul ala-ala angkasa gitu!

Papehal TAHNIAH kepada semua pasangan mempelai. Semoga kekal bahagia sampai ke akhir hayat!!

CONGRATULATION!!!

SRi: Minta maaf sebab tak dapat memenuhi jemputan teman-teman yang melangsungkan majlis kebahagiaan esok hari.

SRi:Sory juga kepada hamba Allah yang sorang tu yang ngajak pegi layan motoGP kat Sepang nue.

SRi:Waa!!Pandai betul orang-orang Jepun ni pilih time nak buat Qualify F1 esok. 10 pagi@101010. I Looike~

SRi:Tabik spring dengan kak engku yang memang cool habish setia tetiap pagi kat Sinar 

Proton VS AirAsia

Tentu ada diantara kita yang masih tertanya-tanya apa sebenarnya yang berlaku antara Proton bersama-sama Group Lotus dan Tony Fernandes yang baru saja menubuhkan Team Lotus. Pertikaian antara Proton-Group Lotus dan Tony Fernandes-Team Lotus nampaknya begitu serius sekali sehingga kemuncaknya perbalahan itu telah dibawa sehingga ke peringkat mahkamah. Tony Fernandes dan Team Lotus Ventures Ltd telah memfailkan tuntutan di Mahkamah Tinggi British untuk mendapatkan hak penggunaan nama Lotus dan semua yang berkaitan dengan Formula Satu.

Sebelum itu Proton telah mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa Tony Fernandes serta Team Lotus tidak berhak menggunakan sebarang jenama Lotus dalam apa-apa urusan mereka selepas ini, terutama sekali penggunaan nama Lotus dalam sukan Formula 1 melalui Team Lotus yang ditubuhkan oleh Tony Fernandes dan rakan-rakan perniagaannya. Arahan dari Proton tersebut dapat difahami kerana Lotus adalah hak mutlak Proton dan pihak-pihak lain tidak mempunyai sebarang hak untuk menggunakan jenama Proton tanpa sebarang kebenaran. Namun Tony dan Team Lotus mempunyai alasan tersendiri mengapa mereka masih berhak menggunakan jenama Lotus dan kini mereka mahu Mahkamah Tinggi British yang membuat keputusan.

Situasi yang kurang baik seperti ini nampaknya tidak memberikan impak yang baik kepada kedua-dua pihak, apatah lagi kedua-duanya adalah syarikat dari Malaysia yang mempunyai tujuan yang sama iaitu mengangkat nama Malaysia di persada dunia melalui sukan Formula 1. Secara peribadi saya berpendapat Proton dan Tony serta Team Lotus perlu duduk berbincang dan mencapai persetujuan di luar mahkamah bagi menamatkan perbalahan yang timbul. Dalam situasi seperti ini saya mengambil keputusan untuk menyokong tindakan Proton dan buat Tony, anda patut lebih menghormati Proton sebelum membuat keputusan berkenaan jenama Lotus. Hakikat yang tidak dapat disembunyikan dan seluruh dunia sedia maklum, hanya ada satu Lotus. Dan ianya adalah milik Group Lotus, anak syarikat Proton.

Kesilapan Tony ialah apabila beliau membuat keputusan menubuhkan Team Lotus setelah membeli jenama tersebut dari pemilik asal David Hunt, tanpa merujuk terlebih dahulu kepada Proton dan Group Lotus. Atau mungkin ini caranya Tony dan rakan-rakannya berurusan kerana mereka sedari awal mengetahui keputusan mereka itu tidak mungkin akan mendapat restu dari Proton. Mungkin juga Tony dan Team Lotus telah bersedia dari segi undang-undang untuk merampas jenama Lotus dalam sukan Formula 1 dari Proton dan Group Lotus. Saya rasa pemikiran seorang ‘bussines man’ tentu berlainan daripada orang biasa, dan dengan wang yang banyak, kebanyakan ‘matlamat boleh menghalalkan cara’.

Walau bagaimanapun saya mengharapkan Team Lotus dapat beraksi dalam Formula 1 pada tahun hadapan, tetapi ianya hanya akan berlaku sama ada dengan kebenaran Proton atau keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi British yang memberikan kemenangan kepada Tony dan Team Lotus. Adalah lebih bijak jika Tony membuka ruang kepada Proton untuk memiliki kepentingan di dalam Team LotusVentures Ltd sekurang-kurangnya 51 peratus. Tetapi taikun perniagaan bergelar jutawan seperti Tony dan rakan-rakannya dari Kumpulan Tune dan kumpulan Naza yang diwakili oleh SM Nasarudin sudah tentu tidak rela Team Lotus dikuasai oleh Proton. Sekarang biarlah Mahkamah Tinggi British yang membuat keputusan. Saya yakin Proton dan Group Lotus akan memenangi pertikaian tersebut.

Berikut ialah kenyataan rasmi dari Proton berkenaan penamatan hak penggunaan jenama Lotus terhadap Tony Fernandes dan Team Lotus Ventures Ltd;

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROTON’S CLARIFICATION ON THE PURCHASE OF “LOTUS” BRAND BY TONY FERNANDES

Kuala Lumpur, 27 September 2010 – There is and always has been only one Lotus, the Lotus started by Colin Chapman. From the beginning Lotus made road cars and raced racing cars. Until 1994, Group Lotus, the road car manufacturer and Team Lotus, which operated the Formula 1 team, were in common ownership with common directors. In 1994, Team Lotus failed and Lotus has not raced since. Since 1994, David Hunt has claimed to have acquired assets of Team Lotus, including its name, from the liquidator. He has never raced as Lotus. Mr. Hunt’s attempt to acquire the name Team Lotus was ineffective. Group Lotus is the owner of all rights in the “Lotus” automotive brand including those relating to Formula 1.

Last year, Tony Fernandes and 1 Malaysia Racing Team recognised this by taking a licence from Group Lotus to use the “Lotus” brand for the “Lotus Racing” team in the current Formula 1 season. With PROTON’s agreement, Group Lotus has now terminated its licence to 1 Malaysia Racing Team to use the “Lotus Racing” brand in the 2011 and future Formula 1 seasons as a result of the flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by 1 Malaysia Racing Team, which were damaging to the “Lotus” brand.

Following that termination, neither 1 Malaysia Racing Team, nor any other company associated with Mr. Fernandes such as Tune Group Sdn Bhd or Team Lotus Ventures Limited, has the authority of Group Lotus to use any “Lotus” brand in the 2011 Formula 1 season. This includes the use of the brand “Team Lotus”.

Group Lotus understands that Mr. Fernandes intends to rebrand the current “Lotus Racing” Formula 1 team to “Team Lotus” for the 2011 Formula 1 season. Mr. Fernandes indicates that Tune Group has acquired the rights to the name “Team Lotus” from a business formerly owned by David Hunt called Team Lotus Ventures Limited. Group Lotus believes these rights to have no proper legal foundation, a fact of which Mr. Fernandes was well aware when his company purchased them.

PROTON will support Group Lotus in taking all necessary steps to protect its rights in the “Lotus” name, including resisting any attempts by Mr. Fernandes or his companies, or any other unauthorised person, to use the “Lotus” name in the 2011 Formula 1 season.

Dato’ Sri Mohd. Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh, Chairman of PROTON Holdings Berhad and Group Lotus commented, “We believe the Lotus brand to be one of the most valuable brands in Formula 1 today. We are the owners of this brand, and will take all necessary steps to protect it. Tony Fernandes has no rights to use the Lotus brand in the 2011 Formula 1 season, and we will strongly resist any attempts by him to use our brand without our permission and will withdraw our sponsorship of the Lotus Racing team.”

“To put it simply, Group Lotus is everything Lotus. The fact that 1 Malaysia Racing Team entered into an agreement with Group Lotus to use the brand means that both Mr. Fernandes and 1 Malaysia Racing Team recognises and acknowledges Group Lotus’ rights,” he added.

About PROTON

PROTON, established in 1983, is Malaysia’s largest manufacturer of automobiles, and the only full-fledged OEM car manufacturer in South-East Asia. With operations in key markets from UK to the Middle East, and across South-East Asia and Australasia, especially in countries like China and Iran, PROTON produces cars to suit a range of consumer demands and preferences.

Its offerings include versatile and reliable four-door family vehicles, two-door hatchbacks for the young-at-heart, luxurious and stylish executive sedans, spacious and affordable multi-purpose vehicles, as well as the world-renowned sports cars from Lotus. Most importantly, PROTON models are now developed with Lotus Engineering, offering customers superior ride and handling experience in every drive.

PROTON’s inception as a key driver of national development has seen the brand accelerate its learning curve through technology transfer with strategic partnerships and technical collaborations. By listening to the needs of customers, PROTON cars are now steadily on track to achieve the mission for the future, with PROTON set to become a marque which builds cars with passion and soul; cars that are a delight to drive – and a pleasure to own.

About Lotus

Group Lotus is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PROTON Holdings Berhad. The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Limited, which has two operating divisions – Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), China and offices in Germany.

Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide markets and customers to full production. This includes third party ‘niche vehicle’ engineering and manufacture worldwide.

Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These include the iconic Lotus Elise, and the Exige and Europa. Lotus’ latest model, the Lotus Evora, goes on sale from Spring 2009. Lotus is a global high-tech company, expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric cars and renewable fuels.

SRi:Lotus  Racing tahun depan lebih jantan dengan enjin Renault dan sistem hidraulik Red Bull.

Istanbul Park

Circuit information

Length: 5.338km
Race distance: 58 laps / 309.356km

Full throttle: 63%
Top speed: 315kph
Longest flat-out section: 16s / 1.2km
Right/left-hand turns: 6/8

Tyre wear: Medium/low
Brake wear: Medium
Downforce level: Medium/high
Gear changes per lap: 42

Tyres

2010 tyre compounds: hard (prime, no marking), soft (option, green markings)
2009 tyre compounds: hard (prime, no marking), soft (option, green markings)
2008 tyre compounds: hard (prime, no marking), medium (option, white markings)

Average fuel use per lap: 2.658kg/lap (source: Williams)

Pit lane time loss: 18.5s

Istanbul track video lap

Istanbul Park track map

SRi:GO REDBULL GOOOO!!!

Shanghai International Circuit

Circuit data

Circuit length: 5.451km
Race distance: 56 laps / 305.066km
Full-throttle: 55%
Top speed: 310kph
Longest flat-out section: 19s / 1.37km
Right/left-hand turns: 9/7
Tyre wear: medium
Brake wear: low
Downforce level: medium/high
Gearshifts per lap: 52

Source: BMW, 2007

Tyres

2010 tyres: hard (prime, no stripe), soft (option, green stripe)
2009 tyres: medium (prime, no stripes), super-soft (option, green stripe)
2008 tyres: hard (prime, no stripe), medium (option, stripe)
Pit lane loss: 23s (extra time taken entering and exiting the pit lane)

Shanghai International Circuit video lap

Shanghai International Circuit map

Circuit construction

• Longest straight: 1.175km
• Maximum uphill slope: 3%.
• Maximum downhill slope: 8%.
• Total asphalt used (base, binder and wearing courses): 173,000 m2.
• Total length of tyre barriers: 6,500m, using a total of 174,000 units.
• Total guard rail: 11,700m.
• Total FIA safety fencing: 9,350m.
• Total number of concrete piles: 40,000, totalling 800,000m.
• Total spectator capacity: 200,000
• Main grandstand spectator capacity: 29,000

More articles about Shanghai International Circuit

Video courtesy of Red Bull