September 3rd, 2010 at 04:55pm Under Racing
As enthusiastic as I am about the return of Formula 1 to the United States in 2012, I can’t help being a bit concerned about the race’s promise — and fate. F1 is an after-thought sport in America, and as many fans as the promoters of the USGP in Austin, Texas think will come from [...]
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September 3rd, 2010 at 03:27pm Under Motorbikes
This year’s Carole Nash Motorcycle Live show is set to be the biggest yet with 30 motorcycle manufacturers confirmed for the November show at the NEC in Birmingham. The show was criticised for a lack of bike manufacturers last year…
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September 3rd, 2010 at 02:42pm Under Motorbikes
Kawasaki have given the World superbike paddock a sneak preview of the all new ZX-10R race bike that they will campaign in the series in 2011. Having been a backmarker in the class in recent years, Kawasaki is confident of…
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September 3rd, 2010 at 02:13pm Under Racing
With the top seats at Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes already taken for 2011, the most coveted place left to fill on next year’s grid is the second Renault alongside Robert Kubica.
The team have been clear about their expectations for Vitaly Petrov, who had a mixed weekend in Spa with a points finish despite a crash in qualifying.
Has he done enough to keep his place in the team – or should Renault look elsewhere for a 2011 driver?
The disappearance of BMW and Toyota at the end of last season left some big-name drivers in small teams this year, including the likes of Jarno Trulli (Lotus) and Timo Glock (Virgin).
Unsurprisingly there have already been rumours one of these drivers might move to the increasingly competitive Renault next year as the team enjoy a resurgence in form.
Then there are the newer drivers who have come into the sport recently such as Kamui Kobayashi, Bruno Senna, Lucas di Grassi. Have any of these done enough to merit a drive with what could be a race-winning car next year?
And what of Kubica’s former BMW team mate Nick Heidfeld? His time spent tyre testing for Pirelli will surely make him an attractive pick for the team, along with his decade of F1 race experience.
It’s not easy being an F1 rookie these days as testing opportunities are so limited. Petrov’s best chance of keeping his seat is if he keeps bringing the car home in the points, potentially helping Renault beat Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.
Should they keep their faith in him for next year, or look elsewhere? Should they look beyond the pool of current F1 drivers? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
Read more: 2011 F1 drivers and teams
Image (C) Renault/LAT
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September 3rd, 2010 at 02:00pm Under Motorbikes
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Allstate Insurance company has compiled a report on which cities have the least accidents, and which have the most.
No surprises there, big cities have more per driver, small cities have less.
…
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September 3rd, 2010 at 01:07pm Under Motorbikes
The BMW S1000RR has taken road test and sales charts by storm. But do owners actually like it? Read their full reports in this week’s MCN, out now. What’s good?- Capable of extreme performance- Surprisingly un-threatening if ridden sensibly- Electronics help keep traction consistent- Good…
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September 3rd, 2010 at 12:56pm Under Racing
Pedro de la Rosa is not expecting his C29 to suit the high-speed configuration of Monza in next week’s Italian Grand Prix.
The Sauber driver said:
This track is a classic, it has a lot of personality and is different to any other we race on. This is what I like a lot about Monza, because with all the modern circuits nowadays it is exceptional to find one that is unique.
You also have to drive it differently to any other race track. Obviously the speeds are very high, you run low downforce, have very hard braking and need to cut the chicanes. This all together makes it very demanding, especially for the engines, brakes and suspension.
It is definitely not going to be an easy weekend for us, as it is not somewhere that should suit our car too well. But we have proven, for example in Budapest, that we can also do well at places which theoretically should be difficult for us.
Pedro de la Rosa
Team mate Kamui Kobayashi added he thinks Monza, “will be difficult for our car”. Technical director James Key explained the set-up demands of the circuit:
All the teams run the minimum drag levels, because the very long straights and few corners make it beneficial to run far less drag.
We will run an aero package on our car which is designed specifically for there. It consists of different rear wing options, as well as front wing versions to match them.
The important part of the set-up of the car will be to tune the downforce levels correctly to find a good compromise for some of the more tricky areas like the Lesmo corners, the Ascari chicane and the Parabolica, but at the same time also giving high braking stability, which has significant influence on the lap time.
Also important is the performance over the kerbs, particularly in the first two chicanes with probably the biggest kerbs of the year. You can find a good lap time there if the car is working well.
For us it’s difficult to pin expectations because it’s such a unique event. It’s possibly not a circuit best suited to our car, so we will work hard to make sure we can do the best possible job.
James Key2010 Italian Grand Prix
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September 3rd, 2010 at 12:13pm Under Racing
Michael Schumacher is expecting a difficult race at Monza next weekend as he believes his W01 will not be well-suited to the track.
The next race in Monza might well be entertaining in a very different way as I expect it to be a real challenge for our team. We have seen already several times this year that circuits with characteristics like those of Monza do not really play in our hands.
Of course, we will go there prepared to try hard to achieve the maximum we can from our package and we will see to what extent we can achieve that and fight our way through.
On a personal level, I am very much looking forward to returning to Monza where I have been supported so warmly over so many years.
Michael Schumacher
Mercedes is believed to have the most powerful engine in F1, which should be a benefit at Monza where top speed is very important. But Mercedes haven’t been as quick in a straight line as customer teams McLaren and Force India have.
They have had a blown rear wing (a.k.a. F-duct) on their car for several races. But as the W01 does not have a shark fin the ducting for the wing is not as straight as it is on their rivals’ cars and therefore probably less efficient.
2010 Italian Grand Prix
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September 3rd, 2010 at 12:02pm Under Racing
Aerial photograph of the Korean F1 track
A photograph showing the state of progress of the track surface at Korea has emerged.
It’s not clear when the picture was taken but it’s possible to see some of the buildings that were in photographs released by the circuit earlier this week.
Those pictures showed little of the ground around the buildings which, as this pictures suggests, may be because it hasn’t been completed yet.
The asphalt around turns four, five and six is a paler colour to the rest, suggesting the surface-laying process had not been completed when this photograph was taken.
Korea is set to host its first Grand Prix on October 22nd-24th. Karun Chandhok is driving a demonstration lap of the circuit tomorrow.
The race promoters have been approached for comment on the image, and any responses will be added here.
Update: According to the data in the image, the picture was taken on August 30th, which was last Monday. Thanks to KerazyPete on Twitter for the tip.
Thanks to Prisoner Monkeys for the tip.
Read more: Korean track “90% complete” (Pictures)
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September 3rd, 2010 at 11:55am Under Computers
Recently CoreTemp 0.99.7.10 ,the latest program to moniter CPU temperature, has been released, according to Tcmagazine.
CoreTemp 0.99.7.10 offers better chip recognition and overheat protection option. Besides, it features TjMax for AMD 10H and 11H family processors. And it can fix problem like several mobile Intel processor recognition issues, mobile AMD processor recognition issues, etc.
Moreover, some [...]
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