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Todd Bodine wins rain-shortened Dover Trucks race
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/01/2105434/todd-bodine-takes-trucks-win-at.html
Bob Bondurant Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu
A somewhat Long ?N Strange trip indeed...
Jenson Button Tommy Byrne Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi
Team orders in spotlight again
 Will Christian Horner regret not utilising team orders in Brazil? © Getty Images |
?The extra seven points Alonso collected when Ferrari ordered Felipe Massa to move over for him in Germany earlier in the season are now looking even more crucial. ?And the 65,000 fine they picked up for ruthlessly breaking the rules will seem loose change if Alonso clinches the title in his first year with the Maranello team. ?Red Bull could have switched the result yesterday given their crushing dominance and still celebrated their first constructors' championship just five years after coming into the sport. ?That would also have given Webber an extra seven points, leaving him just one behind Alonso.?The Guardian?s Paul Weaver says that if Fernando Alonso does take the drivers? title in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari owes a debt of gratitude to Red Bull for their decision not to employ team orders in Brazil.
?If Alonso does take the title next week it would not be inappropriate were he and Ferrari to send a few gallons of champagne to Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes. ?While Red Bull should be heartily applauded for the championship they did win today their apparent acceptance that Ferrari might carry off the more glamorous prize continues to baffle Formula One and its globetrotting supporters. ?Their refusal to make life easy for Webber, who has led for much of the season and is still seven points ahead of Vettel, means that whatever happens in the desert next week Alonso, the only driver who was capable of taking the championship in the race today, only has to secure second place to guarantee his third world title.?The Independent?s David Tremayne is also of the opinion that Red Bull may regret not using team orders in Brazil.
?Had Red Bull elected to adopt team orders and let Webber win ? something that the governing body allows when championships are at stake ? Webber would have left Brazil with 245 points ? just one point off the lead. For some that was confirmation of his suggestion that Vettel is the team's favoured driver ? which generated an angry call from team owner Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria and was much denied by team principal, Christian Horner. ?And it sets up a situation where, if the result is repeated next weekend, as is likely, Vettel and Webber will tie on 256, five behind Alonso.?The Mirror?s Byron Young has put Lewis Hamilton?s fading title chances down to an inferior McLaren machine and he admits the 2008 World Champion now needs a miracle.
?Sebastian Vettel's victory sends the world title fight to a four-way showdown for the first time in the sport's history. ?Hamilton goes there as part of that story with a 24-point deficit to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, but with just 25 on offer in the final round in six days' time it would take more than a miracle. ?Driving an outclassed McLaren he slugged it out against superior machinery and stiff odds to finish fourth.?
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/team_orders_in_spotlight_again_1.php
John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
F1: Button Aiming To Improve Qualifying Form
Jenson Button won the 2011 Canadian GP in memorable fashion...
Source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-button-aiming-to-improve-qualifying-form/
Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd David Brabham Gary Brabham
Fresh questions over struggling Schumacher
Michael Schumacher's collision with Williams driver Bruno Senna in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix has once again focused awkward attention on the German legend's lacklustre performances for Mercedes.
A senior member of the Mercedes team used the word "mediocre" last weekend when discussing the 43-year-old's driving, and that was before Schumacher clumsily ran into the back of Senna's car in the race.
It was the sort of error you might expect from a beginner, not a man with 91 grand prix victories and seven world titles under his belt.
Coming at Senna from a long way back, Schumacher seemed simply to misjudge the closing speed of the two cars and, caught in two minds about which direction to go, he ran into the back of the Williams.
Schumacher called Senna an "idiot" on the radio as he sat in the
gravel trap in the immediate aftermath, and, even after watching
replays, he still seemed convinced it was his rival's fault. The
stewards disagreed and gave him a five-place grid penalty for the
next race in Monaco.
Schumacher's reaction will have surprised no-one in F1 - he has always seemed to lack the ability to accept he can ever be wrong.
In an aspiring young driver, this is a characteristic one might expect. But age is supposed to bring wisdom and, in this aspect at least, it appears not to be the case with Schumacher.
With the passing years comes an inevitable waning of physical abilities, and it is surely now beyond dispute that this has come even to him.
Michael Schumacher collides with Bruno Senna during the Spanish Grand Prix. Photo: Reuters
How long can he go on raging against the dying of the light? More to the point, perhaps, how long can Mercedes accept it?
There is no shame in Schumacher not being the driver he was - one can argue there is honour in him being able to achieve even what he has as he heads into the middle of his fifth decade.
The facts, though, are that he is now no more than a decent F1 driver - and some may argue not even that.
Statistically, this is the worst start to a season in Schumacher's career. But statistics can be misleading - Schumacher actually started the season well. He was the stronger of the two Mercedes drivers in the first two races.
But then came China and Nico Rosberg's qualifying lap, half a second quicker than his team-mate, who was second on the grid.
The gap was explained almost entirely by a stunning middle sector of the lap from Rosberg, which Schumacher, I'm told, justified to himself by Rosberg managing to turn his tyres on better.
That may well have been the reason, but the gap was there nonetheless. As it was again in the race, when that excuse was less justifiable. Schumacher was simply outclassed by his team-mate.
They have been more evenly matched since, but still Schumacher is almost certainly getting no more from the car than a number of other drivers could manage.
The contrast, with what Fernando Alonso is doing in the Ferrari - which is not dissimilar to the sort of thing Schumacher used to achieve in his early years with the team - is stark.
The tragedy of Schumacher's current situation is that it is leading some people to question his earlier achievements of seven world titles; two with Benetton and five with Ferrari between 1994 and 2004.
His criticisms of the Pirelli tyres after Bahrain drew uncomfortable parallels with the bespoke tyres from Bridgestone which Schumacher enjoyed for much of his Ferrari career, a subject that was largely unexplored during his pomp.
Some are beginning to wonder if seven titles really was such an amazing achievement, given the advantages he had at his disposal?
This would be wrong, though. There is no doubt that the
Schumacher of the 1990s and early 2000s was an outstanding racing
driver, one of the greatest there has ever been.
But that Schumacher belongs to the past.
The current one is out of contract at the end of this season. This, in fact, was the context in which the "mediocre" remark came up.
So what reasons do Mercedes have to keep him on, rather than try
for someone else?
Lewis Hamilton, also looking for a new deal in 2013, may well not
be available, or interested. Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson
Button are committed to their current teams. Those left are all
unproven.
Schumacher may continue to embarrass himself in wheel-to-wheel racing occasionally, but he's close to Rosberg's pace these days - and Mercedes' top management rate their younger driver very highly indeed.
The other reason is less palatable for those who like to consider F1 as the arena in which the very best drivers in the world do battle. It's commercial.
Schumacher's marketing value to Mercedes is huge. After Rosberg's victory in China, vice-president of Mercedes motorsport Norbert Haug delighted in how "fantastic" Schumacher had been in front of 800 guests at the launch of a new road car model in Shanghai the previous night. It had been, Haug said, "the perfect weekend".
Schumacher may no longer be one of the best F1 drivers, but around the world he remains arguably the most famous - and therefore the most valuable to Mercedes off the track. And in Germany, Mercedes' home, he is largely untouchable, voted recently the greatest national sportsman in history.
Ultimately, though, Mercedes are in F1 to win - and it is no secret that, after two disappointing seasons, the pressure on the team at the start of this season was enormous.
It will have been alleviated somewhat by their win in China, but the team have faded after a promising start and currently look no better than they did through much of last year.
In a season as topsy-turvy as this, that could easily change - and, who knows, if everything comes together perhaps Schumacher can win again. After all, who before the weekend would have predicted Pastor Maldonado's victory in Spain?
But, all things being equal, that looks unlikely. For a team with
an average car who need to win, is a "mediocre" driver, however
famous, good enough?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/05/fresh_questions_over_mediocre.html
Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler
Life in the pit lane
 The Mercedes pit crew prepare for Michael Schumacher in Singapore © Getty Images |
These are not select millionaires but up to 16 ordinary, yet gifted, guys; team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, are paid real-world wages of between 30,000 and 50,000 a year, are drilled to perfection ? and whose split-second synchronisation brings their teams huge rewards.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/life_in_the_pit_lane.php
Luki Botha JeanChristophe Boullion Sebastien Bourdais Thierry Boutsen Johnny Boyd
Hamilton excluded from Spanish GP after claiming Pole position...
Francois Cevert Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy
Mercedes GL63 AMG
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Mercedes unveiled the second generation GL-Class at the 2012 New York Auto Show, and now they have also revealed the most powerful version in the line-up: the GL 63 AMG. This new model will go on sale in November 2012.
Next to a very impressive exterior look, the new GL 63 AMG also features an AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine that delivers an impressive 557 HP and 560 lbs-ft of torque. The model can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds and goes up to a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited).
Ola Kllenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: "The new GL 63 AMG completes our performance-oriented all-wheel drive offering. In addition to the ML 63 AMG all-rounder and the recently unveiled, characterful G 63 AMG and G 65 AMG models, the GL 63 AMG places particular emphasis on dynamism and style. Combining the first-rate comfort of the S-Class with the performance of an AMG sports saloon, the GL 63 AMG is unique in its segment."
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Mercedes GL63 AMG.
Mercedes GL63 AMG originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 14:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/mercedes/2013-mercedes-gl63-amg-ar130339.html
Warwick Brown Adolf Brudes Martin Brundle Gianmaria Bruni Jimmy Bryan
Domenicali: Monaco a great boost for Massa
Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali has praised Felipe Massa for his
solid performance in Monaco on the back of a disastrous start to
the season. While his team mate Fernando Alonso has been fighting
for the lead of championship prior to … Continue reading 
Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/05/28/domenicali-monaco-a-great-boost-for-massa/
Chris Amon Bob Anderson Conny Andersson Mario Andretti Michael Andretti
New Car Blues turn the wick Down upon Indy Pole-day festivities - as I watch a micro500 instead...
Georges Berger Gerhard Berger Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia
Speculation starts early over Hamilton's future
Lewis Hamilton's future was the subject of fevered discussion at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend as the driver market 'silly season' began in earnest.
Hamilton is out of contract with McLaren at the end of this season and, at 27, his career is at a crossroads, with arguably the most important decision of his life looming.
Hamilton is heading into his prime as a grand prix driver. With good reason, he regards himself as the fastest in the world and it pains him that he has won only one world title so far.
That came in 2008 and it has not escaped Hamilton's attention
that since then, at least until the start of this year, McLaren
had not provided him with a car that was truly competitive
enough.
This season started promisingly, with McLaren locking out the front row at the first two races and Hamilton on pole in both. But since then their form has dipped, particularly in the last three races.
Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the Monaco GP, behind Sebastian Vettel who was fourth. Photo: Getty
Hamilton is still very much in the title race, but he left no-one under any illusions about his feelings after his fifth place in Monaco on Sunday.
It used to be the case that discussions about drivers' futures did not start until July and August. No longer. Teams and drivers will say publicly that it is far too early to discuss it. What they mean is that it is too early to talk about it to the media; behind the scenes a lot is going on.
Hamilton's future is tied up with that of Red Bull's Mark Webber
and Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher and also, to some extent,
Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
It is widely believed that all four top teams are interested in
Hamilton - at least to the point of holding talks with his
management.
McLaren definitely want to keep him and have made that clear to both Hamilton himself and his management team - but no substantive negotiations have taken place and no financial offers made yet, despite reports to the contrary. Mercedes are known to have him seriously on their radar as a potential replacement for Schumacher. The picture at Ferrari and Red Bull is slightly less clear.
There was a rumour going around in Monaco that Ferrari were keen on signing Hamilton for next season in place of Felipe Massa, whose time at the team is expected to end this season.
That seems unlikely for one obvious reason - Fernando Alonso is contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2016. There is huge mutual respect between the two - each regards the other as their biggest rival - but that's very different from wanting to be team-mates again.
When they were at McLaren in Hamilton's debut year in 2007, it did not go well, to put it mildly, and Alonso ended up leaving at the end of the season - just one year into what had been a three-year contract.
Alonso's problem was far more with McLaren boss Ron Dennis than it was with Hamilton. Nevertheless, it is unlikely he would want Hamilton to be his team-mate again - and Ferrari is very much his team these days.
Equally, Hamilton would have to think carefully about moving to a team where he does not speak the language - even if the debriefs are conducted in English and there is an English ex-McLaren technical director - and where a man as clever, cunning and political as Alonso has been ensconced for three years.
Nevertheless, Hamilton would be highly attractive to Ferrari's main sponsors, the cigarette company Philip Morris and Spanish bank Santander, who could drop McLaren if they had an English driver at Ferrari. Together, they could basically afford to pay him whatever he wanted.
The problem with this is that a normally impeccable source close to Ferrari says the team only want a one-year driver in 2013, as they have a pre-contract with Vettel for 2014.
This pre-contract, the source says, is two-way - ie, either party can exercise it - and is performance-related. Ferrari need to be at least third in the constructors' championship at a specific stage of next season to bring it into effect.
However, a senior Red Bull insider says this is "nonsense", that they have Vettel under contract to the end of 2014.
The favourite for the expected vacancy at Ferrari is Webber, who
is coming towards the end of his career and may well be
interested in a year or two at Ferrari to finish it off.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner asked rhetorically in Monaco:
"Why would he want to leave?" But there are several potential
reasons.
It would vastly increase Webber's post-F1 earnings potential and he would relish the chance to test himself against Alonso, a friend whom Webber regards as the best driver in the world.
Webber would not expect to beat him - in fact, he would almost certainly have to go to Ferrari on the understanding that Alonso was number one - but he would enjoy ruffling the Spaniard's feathers from time to time, as he almost certainly would.
If Webber were to leave Red Bull, that would leave a vacancy Hamilton could potentially fill.
Horner has always sounded lukewarm about taking on Hamilton, pointing out that it would raise the tension in the team as he and Vettel went toe to toe.
But ultimately it's not his decision - it's that of Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, and the marketing value of pitting Hamilton against Vettel would be enormous.
And if Webber did leave, who else would Red Bull get? Even if Vettel is under a firm contract to the end of 2014, that's still only two years away - at which point they would still need a guaranteed top-line driver if he left.
Theoretically, Red Bull are committed to progressing their junior drivers, but Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne do not look ready for that sort of promotion yet.
Then there is Mercedes, whose decision is complicated by Schumacher.
Team boss Ross Brawn said in Monaco that he would like the seven-time champion to stay on as long as he is competitive, but there have been internal questions about whether - and how long - he will remain so.
Schumacher's commercial value to Mercedes is huge. But they have to ask themselves whether they are potentially harming their competitive position with their driver line-up - few in F1 would argue they would not improve it by recruiting Hamilton, Alonso or Vettel, who is also of long-term interest to the team.
Hamilton's decision is not just about driving, either. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes would all almost certainly be able to pay him more than McLaren can afford to offer. And McLaren's portfolio of sponsors makes it almost impossible for Hamilton's team at Simon Fuller's XIX Management to raise money from private deals.
Ultimately, though, Hamilton will surely base his decision on competitiveness.
The best way to guarantee that in the last 20 years has been to drive wherever Adrian Newey is designer, which is Red Bull. Or does Hamilton bank on Mercedes continuing to raise their competitiveness (and, for that matter, staying in F1, which is far from a foregone conclusion at the moment)? Or take a risk on joining Alonso at Ferrari, should a seat be available?
Or does he stick with what he knows and trust the team with which he has been associated since he was 11-years-old to finally get it right, but potentially reduce his earnings potential?
Hamilton has some tough decisions to make in the next few weeks.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/05/will_hamilton_stay_at_mclaren.html
Gerry Ashmore Bill Aston Richard Attwood Manny Ayulo Luca Badoer
Dodge ram street cruiser
So I bought this revell ram vts from a collector when I purchased a bunch of other kits from him. I only paid 5 bucks for it because the body parts were painted. The rest of the kit was still on the trees in unpainted conditions. The only thing wrong was the decals are garbage.
So I striped the paint and this is what I am going for. I might shave the tailgate handle and roll pan, but nothing extreme. But it will be a bright color.
Thanks for looking.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/1016100.aspx
Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati
F1 2012 Championship Standings after Monaco GP
Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza
'Feeling Nostalgic' - The Formula One cars of 1950-1960 in Pictures
Yannick Dalmas Derek Daly Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson
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