Happy Birthday rFactor!

A great Day for the rF Community!
PCC07 & Nordschleife 2.0 RELEASED!






















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WTCC Valencia

Had a stunning online Race and made a Video of it...





















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Earnhardt�s departure from DEI: What now?

After his best performance in a month last Saturday night, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced recently in a press conference that he is leaving DEI.

The NASCAR�s most popular and most favorite driver said his decision was triggered by his Cup Championship goal, which he said he could not carry out while being with the DEI.

Dale Jr�s relationship with his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt has been more of a bitter conflict. Teresa has been tagged the evil one in the differences between her and Dale Jr. Teresa, who played a crucial role in building the DEI empire and improving the marketing of NASCAR drivers, reportedly wants her own percentage from her son�s earnings. Meanwhile, Dale Jr. was angry with Teresa because the latter did not allow him to take his No. 8 with him to Hendrick.

Perhaps Dale Jr. had seen DEI�s not purchasing its own shaker rig�the �holy grail� of NASCAR technology�as a lack of commitment to performance, in contrast to profit by Teresa. Dale Jr. had sought majority ownership and control to DEI, which might have been quite influential in his decision.

Due to their disagreements, Dale Jr. has earned some criticisms from his fans, aside from defecting to Hendrick Motorsports and becoming Jeff Gordon�s teammate. Also, Dale Jr. is often judged for his failure to win a Cup title despite his 17 career victories, a Daytona 500 win, and two Busch Series championships.

Now that the �Free the 8� battle is over and Dale Jr. has left DEI, some questions linger: who is going to replace Dale Jr. in the DEI #8 car? Will either the replacement or Dale Jr. attain the success they aspire? How will other teams and owners be affected once the new driver of the #8 is revealed? These are the looming issues for 2008 and thereafter.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Weekend Recap: Dodge drivers land in top 10

Kasey Kahne led his way in his No. 9 McDonald�s Dodge Avenger while four Dodge Avenger drivers finished in the top 10 last Saturday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

The other top-10 Dodge drivers Saturday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway were: Ryan Newman, seventh in the No. 12 alltel Dodge Avenger; and Bobby Labonte, eighth placer, who drove the No. 43 Betty Crocker/Cheerios Dodge Avenger.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who is in the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Avenger finished 17^th place. Montoya has won the Raybestos Rookie of the Race awards for the 11^th time this season. He got $25,000 as a prize.

Meanwhile, three-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. will run five to six of the final 10 races in the Nextel Cup season for Penske Racing, according to team owner Roger Penske.

The 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion, who is considering a full-time ride in Cup next season, will shift his focus to stock cars as soon as the Indy season ends on September 9.

Hornish's first Cup race could come in the championship Chase opener at New Hampshire International Speedway.

F3 2007

C6 Tourist

Seriously Long Term Car Test - 2002 Mazda Protege 5

I purchased my 2002 Mazda Protege 5 new in June 2002 and as of my writing this I have racked up more than 60,000 miles. The car wasn't my first choice and I was actually at the Mazda dealer to drive a Protege ES sedan but they didn't have one with a manual transmission which was a requirement for me. The salesman suggested that I drive the Protege 5 since it was basically the same and they had some with manual transmissions. Well, after that test drive I decided that I wanted to buy the car. I had previously test drove Honda Civics both new and used as well as some slightly used Accords.

I'd never owned a Mazda and I've always been a big fan of Hondas but the Protege came with so much more than the Civics and Accords for a lower price. The Protege 5 had four wheel disc brakes, 16 inch alloy wheels with sport tires, a front strut tower brace and more horsepower standard than the Civic at a lower price. The suspension on the Protege 5 was also much sportier than the Civic. In fact the Protege 5 may be the best handling front wheel drive car I've ever driven. Plus it's just a hell of a lot of fun to drive for an economy car that cost around $15,000 new.

One of the things I've really come to appreciate about Mazda is that they seem to engineer sportiness into every vehicle they make. That whole ZOOM ZOOM thing isn't a gimmick. Every car they make from the bottom of the line economy car , to the minivans and SUVs, to the sports cars are engineered to be fun to drive. In that respect, I think they are kind of like Japan's version of BMW, or what BMW used to be. I mean, what other car company makes a minivan available with a manual transmission and sport suspension(Mazda 5)?

The 2.0L DOHC 4 cylinder in the Protege only makes 130HP but the gearing in the 5 speed trans makes it seem quicker than it is. Gas mileage is rated at 25city/31hwy and I average about 30mpg on regular unleaded with a daily mix of about 75% highway 25% stop and go driving. On a couple of long road trips I've taken the car has averaged around 33mpg with the A/C cranking.

I don't really have many complaints about the car. The biggest one is probably the manual transmission. The shifter is pretty flimsy and the whole tranny and shifter seem to feel weak and fragile to me. That being said, I haven't had any issues with the tranny at all in the 60,000+ miles I've driven aside from an occasional clutch shudder which is a known issue with the Protege. The car is a bit noisy on the highway where the engine turns about 4000 RPMs at 80MPH, a drawback of the aggressive trans gearing. Road noise and engine noise are very noticeable but I don't really mind. Other than that there is nothing negative to report with this car.

In the 5 years I've owned the car it has never been back to the dealership once. No warranty work needed and only routine maintenance required, which I performed myself. Regular oil and filter changes every 5000 miles with Mobil One oil, tires rotated every 10,000 miles, air filter changed every 10 - 15,000 miles, transmission oil changed once at about 30,000 miles, new tires and alignment at 55,000 miles and I just replaced the front brake rotors as well as front and rear pads at 60,000 miles. That's all that I've needed to do and the car has never let me down. It's still a lot of fun to drive and provides a lot of utility thanks to it's 4 door hatch/wagon styling. The suspension seems to be getting a little tired as it doesn't seem to handle quite as well as it used to. Those wonderful New Jersey roads have taken their toll on the struts. The engine purrs just like new and it has never burned even an ounce of oil.

PSX Racing DTM 2002 @ Norisring Live on MultiBC

Sunday, 26.08.07
Don�t miss it!





















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Kahne wins NASCAR Pole

Kasey Kahne won on Friday the NASCAR pole for Saturday's running of the Sharpie 500 Nextel Cup race at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kahne circled the half-mile oval in only 16.016 seconds, with Juan Pablo Montoya turning in a lap of 16.064 to finish second.

There were 30 drivers within 2/10 second of each other. Kahne is seeking his first victory of the year after winning six times last year.

Jamie McMurray and David Ragan finished third and fourth. Points' leader Jeff Gordon was 18th.

Kahne, who began racing at the age 14 in a Micro Midget, won four races in his first-ever season of competition. He was named the USAC Driver of the Year and Silver Bullet Series Rookie of the Year.

F1 2007 www.virtual-racer.de

F1 Istanbul

www.virtual-racer.de

PCC 07 Preview

PCC 07 Trailer - MyVideo
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SCC 2002 Lime Rock

Wallace to substitute for Petty at Bristol

Kenny Wallace will drive in the No. 45 Dodge in Saturday night�s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, serving as an alternate for Kyle Petty whose injured hand will keep him out for the second consecutive week.

This weekend, Wallace will start his 20^th Cup at Bristol. He has two top-10 finishes at the track and one pole. Wallace also has a Busch Series win at the track.

Wallace said that although it was an honor for him to be filling in for Petty, he felt terrible that Petty could not drive this weekend. But he said that he would give the Dodge car the best ride he could.

Team officials said that Wallace would remain with the team as a consultant and would be called upon to run races as needed, but that he also would be available to drive for another team.

Petty is still recovering from a broken hand incurred at Watkins Glen International. Petty had successful surgery on the hand and it continues to heal.

Again, NASCAR postpones race

Major changes to NASCAR�s Nextel Cup playoff chase are expected due to a few days of rain in Michigan this week.

The 3M Performance 400, which was originally slated to be run last Sunday, was canceled for the second consecutive day. Although there remains a chance of rain, the event was rescheduled for 10 a.m. today at the Michigan International Speedway.

According to NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston, the race could be held as late as tomorrow before the series would be moved to its next event. Teams for the Sharpie 500, which is scheduled this Saturday night, are expected to arrive on Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

NASCAR has never held a race on a Tuesday or a Wednesday in the modern times, a practice that started in 1972.

Poston said should the race be not completed tomorrow, the season would be extended for a week. The event would be held late in November, the weekend after Thanksgiving. This plan would change NASCAR�s carefully planned 10-race playoff timetable.

According to NASCAR rules, the 12-car field for the Chase for the Nextel Cup is to be set after the 26th race of the season. As of now, the 26th race is the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond, Va., on September 8.

The rain delay has created a logistical problem for NASCAR organizers. It has become costly for NASCAR and its race teams, which are forced to pay for added hotel rooms, rental cars, and meals.

Can Renault beat BMW this season ?

Renault technical director Bob Bell claims his team can bounce back enough to beat the BMW Sauber F1 team on several occasions before the end of this season, despite being consistently outperformed all year.


"The top two teams are clearly still a step ahead, and it will be difficult for anybody to race with them," Bell admitted. "Looking at BMW, they have taken a definite step forward in the last few races and they remain, at this stage of the year, quicker than us. Williams and Toyota have moved forward too. I think that it we continue to work well and to get the most from the car, then we are capable of beating BMW on a number of occasions before the end of the year. That remains our target."

"Our design and development resources are already focusing intently on 2008," he added. "We began work on the car early, and our approach has been quite different to recent years. First and foremost, we had to be certain that our development tools were working correctly. Once this was confirmed, we began putting a lot of energy into the design of the new car. The project is on time, and we have been exploring some very interesting new development paths."

Only the last few races will tell us who's wrong or right ! What's your take on it ?

Toyota Corolla

Dauer Racing

Most Recalled 2007 Vehicles

Surprisingly for many, foreign cars lead the pack this year. GM which lead last year with over 900,000 recalled vehicles last year only had around 30,000 this year. Even more surprising is that a Toyota was second on the list.

Here they are:

1. Volkswagen Beetle
Number of vehicles: 1,002,000
Problem: Brake light switch malfunction due to incorrect installation.

2. Toyota Sequoia
Number of vehicles: 533,124
Problem: Premature ball jointg wear resulting in noise, increased steering effort and reduced vehicle self-centering.

3. Jeep Liberty
Number of vehicles: 149,605
Problem: On vehicles equipped with Valeo heating, ventilation and a/c systems, the blower motor may overheat.

4. Nissan Altima
Number of vehicles: 140,582
Problem: Sufficiently hot objects entering the air filter housing through the intake system may cause the air filter to ignite.

5. Hyundai Tucson
Number of vehicles: 128,300
Problem: NHTSA tests indicated that a small adult driver, not wearing a seatbelt, involved in a frontal or near frontal crash showed that the air bag deployment resulted in an insufficient margin of compliance.

6. Dodge Nitro, Jeep Wrangler
Number of vehicles: 80,894
Problem: The integrated power module was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain conditions.

7. Suzuki Forenza, Reno
Number of vehicles: 75,697
Problem: Front seatbelt tongue may not latch into buckle and may release without the button being pressed.

8. Volkswagen Passat, Passat Wagon
Number of vehicles: 58,800
Problem: 2.0-liter equipped vehicles may have a vacuum line that may fracture and become disconnected at low temperatures. Also, the wiper motor may fail during heavy rain due to moisture in the motor.

9. Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler 300, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Charger, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Compass, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler
Number of vehicles: 50.665
Problem: The ani-lock brake software may cause the rear brakes to lock during certain braking conditions.

10. Infiniti G35 Coupe
Number of vehicles: 23,934
Problem: Headlights may fail to meet federal safety standards.

11. Chevrolet Aveo
Number of vehicles: 17,676
Problem: Certain 1.6-liter equipped vehicles involved in a severe frontal crash have the potential to suffer a fuel line rupture in the engine bay along with short circuits that may lead to the fuel pump continuing to run resulting in a fuel leak onto the ground.

12. Nissan Versa
Number of vehicles: 16,309
Problem: The terminals for the passenger-side seat-belt tension-sensor harness connector may have been damaged during the manufacturing process possibly resulting in a loss of electrical continuity causing the occupant detection system to become inoperative.

13. GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook
Number of vehicles: 13,032
Problem: The sensing and diagnostic module, which controls the function of front air bags, may not operate properly causing the front air bags to fail to deploy in a frontal crash. Also, the air-bag warning lamp on the instrument panel may fail to provide warning that the system is inoperative.

14. Ford Expedition
Number of vehicles: 10,061
Problem: The front and rear tires on the driver's side of affected vehicles may have been damaged at the center tread during production.

Creation Spa

Knaus and Letarte back at the track, getting teams ready for Chase

Nextel Cup crew chief Chad Knaus has rejoined reigning Cup champion Jinnie Johnson and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team to get ready for Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it's tough,'' said Knaus, who was banned, together with Steve Letarte, from attending six races after NASCAR technical inspectors found unapproved front fenders on their entries before the June 24 race at Sonoma.

On the other hand, Letarte felt frustrated during his suspension. "I (could) do everything Monday through Thursday to prepare them, give them my notes, give them my ideas, this is how the last race went, this is how the next race might go. But, when they leave and come out to the racetrack, they're kind of on their own,'' he said.

But Letarte said he is ready to move on. "If you're asking if I laid awake at night thinking about it, no,'' he said. "I'm not too worried about it. I kind of have bigger goals. I lay awake more at night trying to figure out how we're going to win a championship (rather) than for not being here for the last six races,'' Letarte said.

�57 Chevy celebrates 50th anniversary

To commemorate the �57 Chevy�s 50^th anniversary, many Chevrolet drivers will pay tribute to this classic model this weekend at Michigan.

Chevy drivers will run special paint schemes, including Cup Series defending champion Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Martin Truex Jr. In addition, J.J. Yeley�s No. 18 Chevy will sport the original Interstate Batteries logo to keep with the �50s theme.

The '57 Chevrolet was available in three official trim levels: the base-model "one-fifty" series, the mid-range "two-ten" series, and the upscale Bel Air series. An upscale "Del Ray" trim option was available for 210 two-door sedans.

The �Nomad,� a limited production two-door station wagon, was produced as a Bel Air. A fourth designation also was available in limited quantities�the "El Morocco," a custom hand-build mimicking the Cadillac of the era.

Nicknamed �57 Chevy, the 1957 Chevrolet was made in the U.S. from late 1956 through 1957 by auto company General Motors. As this car gets older, it becomes more sought after by collectors than ever before. Its image and likeness have been repeatedly and widely used in toys, graphics, music, movies, and television. The '57 Chevy is an icon of the era that still exists today.

The NASCAR season: Montoya�s big challenge

The trip I had at Watkins Glen last weekend while watching Juan Pablo Montoya was action-packed even though the No. 42 Dodge didn't reach Victory Lane. It was Tony Stewart who won, but the race will always be remembered for the war of words between Montoya and Kevin Harvick after the two smashed on lap 73. Montoya has a penchant for aggressive driving, though he was not at fault in the wreck that angered Harvick.

Montoya has been superb on road courses this season because of his experience in driving (and winning) in Formula 1 machines. However, his performance on oval tracks�the kind that makes up the bulk of the Nextel Cup schedule�paints a rather different picture. Prior to his coming to NASCAR, he had driven on oval racecourses only about 15 times in his life. He had basically no experience on them.

To keep Montoya under control earlier in the year, his crew chief, Donnie Wingo, deliberately sent him out to race in tight race cars. Beginning with Montoya's second-place run at Atlanta back in March, Wingo has been loosening up the setup of the No. 42 Dodge, making it faster by allowing the back end to swing out through corners. Montoya, Wingo says, is gradually learning how to handle a loose race car, and points to the driver's 15th-place finish at Chicagoland, as well as to his second-place run at Indy, last month as evidence.

Montoya's big challenge has been finding out what his car needs to feel like at the beginning of a run (when he has a full tank of gas) in order for it to be fast at the end of a run (when the tank is nearly empty). This is the challenge that every driver must master, and the only way to learn it is with experience.

Remember, Montoya has not even visited every track on the Nextel Cup schedule. His upside is huge and he is already earned strong results on ovals despite his learning curve. He is very much talented, and once he starts winning races, I think that his aggressive driving will stop rubbing so many people the wrong way. He should be a favorite to make the Chase in 2008.

Pescarolo Le Mans

F1 ACE FROLICKS WITH BOSS' DAUGHTER

IS rising Formula One star Lewis Hamilton dating the boss' daughter behind his girlfriend's back?


The British tabloids raised a ruckus last week when Hamilton, 22, was spotted frolicking with a mystery brunette while holidaying in the south of France.

Now, the papers have identified the woman as Ms Sara Ojjeh.

She is the 18-year-old daughter of Saudi-born billionaire Mansour Ojjeh, who owns part of the McLaren Group and the racing team that Hamilton belongs to.

The Daily Mail reported that Ms Ojjeh has spent the last two weeks with Hamilton on the French Riviera on her father's 72m yacht, where the couple were seen canoodling.

STILL AN ITEM

This is despite the fact that his long-time girlfriend, Hong Kong-born Jodia Ma, had told the Sunday Mirror a few weeks ago that the two are still an item.

Sources say that Ms Ma, who has been with Hamilton for about four years, may be out of the picture for good.

'She's (Ms Ojjeh) perfect for Lewis. Sara always has a smile on her face and doesn't let anything get her down,' a source told the Sunday Mirror.

'She's lived and breathed motor racing. She's very bright, but loves to party.

'Her graduation day was followed by a wild night out in Geneva, posing in fun shots for friends' cameras,' the friend added.

Ms Ojjeh, who will soon begin a four-year degree at New York University, met Hamilton at a disco for drivers, teams, officials and VIP guests after he took second place at the Monaco grand prix.

While she is a relative unknown in the tabloids, she is no stranger to the world's celebrities, counting actors Jude Law and Michael Douglas as friends.

In fact, Douglas did the presentations when she graduated from the International School of Geneva in June.

The news of Hamilton's new fling has further fuelled rumours that he and Ms Ma have been on the outs for some time.

Ms Ma, whose father is a millionaire Hong Kong businessman, met the racing star seven years ago while studying at the Cambridge Arts and Science College.

Friends had long speculated that their relationship was in trouble, especially when she returned to Hong Kong in January this year for a new job.

Her colleagues said she seemed reluctant to talk to them about her boyfriend.

Then in March, Hamilton flew to Hong Kong for a reunion and the couple holidayed in Bali.

And as late as June, Hamilton was proudly telling friends he had ordered a �10,000 ($30,000) diamond bracelet for Ms Ma from jeweller Steinmetz, which sponsors his racing team.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror last moth, Ms Ma said that the two were still going strong. and that she would fly to support him at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

She also flew almost 10,000km to be at his side after he emerged unscathed from a terrifying 175mph crash during practice in Germany.

MISSING MISS MA

But when Hamilton took to the winners podium at the Hungary race two weeks ago, Ms Ma was nowhere to be seen.

And last week, his PR team claimed that his relationship with Ms Ma had been over for some time.

Colleagues of Ms Ma at Zuma, the trendy restaurant where she works as a guest reception manager, said she has been 'inconsolable' over his new love interest.

The Sunday Mail reported that those close to Hamilton said that they weren't surprised that he had decided to dump Ms Ma for more glamorous company because of his newfound fame and wealth.

SCC Road Atlanta

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Decision On Day Or Night F1 Race Expected By Year's End

A decision on whether the Formula One race in Singapore will take place at night or in the day is expected by year's end, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran, on the sidelines of a sports event at Sentosa.
Mr Iswaran also addressed concerns raised about the 20 percent levy imposed on non-trackside hotels during the race period.

He assured these hotels that they would also benefit when the race hits town in September next year as there would be ample demand for hotels across the island.

He said: "When we have an event like F1, you would expect about a 100,000 visitors. Of that 100,000, maybe 30 or 40 percent will be visitors who come in over a three- or four-day period.

"That in itself would create quite a significant increase in the demand for hotel rooms in Singapore and it's not just the 5-star hotels or those on the trackside that will benefit from that. It will have a spillover effect across the island."

The minister added that trials are underway to check if it is safe to have a night race.

A decision is expected by year's end as this will ensure there will be ample time for preparations to market the race globally.

"Next year is quite interesting because there will be the Beijing Olympics in August, our race in September, followed by the ones in Japan and China. Not a bad timing for the overall activity in the region � there will be a lot of tourist and travel interest," said Mr Iswaran.

While the Singapore Tourism Board is looking into offering more activities during the race to create more buzz, the private sector here is also encouraged to capitalise on the race by coming up with interesting business proposals.

Aug 14, 2007
Patwant Singh - channelnewsasia.com

Road works for F1 Singapore Grand Prix to start next month

The process to get the street circuit ready for the inaugural Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix has been set in motion.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) plans to begin road works sometime next month, once the race route is confirmed. The works will include the construction of a 1.2 km road that will form the eastern section of the circuit, a new underpass and service road for vehicles and pedestrians, widening a stretch of the promenade in Marina Bay, widening a section of Raffles Boulevard from Nicoll Highway to Temasek Avenue and modifying existing road kerbs and traffic islands.

Some of the works will have to conform to the design and construction of the Paddock building that will house the control tower, garages for the teams, hospitality lounges, Press Room and other facilities.

This milestone comes after three months of intense planning by various government agencies with the race promoter, Singapore GP Pte Ltd, since Singapore announced that it will host the world�s third most-watched sporting event from next year.

The date of the first Singapore Grand Prix has been set for 28 September 2008.

The 5.05 km long street circuit offers a number of overtaking opportunities, fast turns and technically challenging sections for F1 race drivers, and will cover more than 70 per cent of Singapore�s existing road network.

Mr Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, who chairs the event�s working committee, said he is pleased that planning for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix is progressing well.

He revealed that the proposed street circuit has been refined and plans have been submitted to the FIA, the international governing body for motorsports, for its assessment and endorsement.

"Concurrently, we are combing through the details for the rest of the infrastructure works, such as finalising the design concept and construction schedule of the Paddock building. We are confident that both the circuit and Paddock building will be officially endorsed very soon," he added.

Mr Colin Syn, deputy chairman of Singapore GP, said that while the track layout �hasn�t changed dramatically� from what was originally released, over the past two months the circuit has developed from a couple of lines sketched on a map into something that resembles a proper racetrack, with all the attendant infrastructure marked in.

The project team is working within a timeframe of less than 16 months to put in place the necessary infrastructure for the 2008 race. - CNA/sf

Funding the racing in Singapore

The new Formula 1 race in Singapore is an interesting business model for the sport with the government admitting that it is going to pay about 60% of the annual cost of $99m. The deal is for five years with a five-year extension planned. The interesting thing is that the promoter, Singapore GP Ltd, a company controlled by hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, is not allowed to make big profits from the race, at least not directly. Although no-one will talk about the deal, it has been confirmed by the race's executive director Michael Roche that there is a profit cap in place and if the organisation makes more than the limit the additional money will go to the government to reduce the payments it has to make in the later races.

The government accepts that the cost of hosting an F1 race far exceeds the revenue a race promoter can expect to get from ticket sales, merchandising and sponsorship, but is happy to invest because it believes that the race will generate around $100m in additional tourism revenues, and will have intangible benefits such as improving the image of Singapore and getting more people to visit when the racers are not in town.

The most interesting part of the funding will come from a special tax that the government will levy on hotel rooms. With 40,000 people expected to attend from abroad, the hotel prices are expected to be high and the government is pushing them even higher with its special tax, which it is hoped will bring in revenues of between $15m and $20m. This will be fine for the high rollers but may be a little much for race fans and so there will not doubt be a flourishing trade in cheaper accommodation, thus spreading the earnings around.

Ong will be making money not only from his hotels but also from shops and restaurants and he clearly believes that the race, and its effect on Singaporean tourism, will make him money. If his estimates are wrong, he is going to have to pay the bills. The details of the deal remain confidential but the Singaporeans seem to think that they will be able to sell the title sponsorship for the race to a local company. Title sponsorships are normally sold off by Allsport Management, now an offshoot of the Formula One group, but it may be that in this deal that has been taken by the locals.

We hear that there might even be two sponsors with one having the naming rights for the race and the other brought in to pay for lighting the circuit in the event of night race. We even hear that Philips is well on its way to doing that deal.

A night race will certainly be different but if Singapore is going to show off its finer points to the world's TV audiences there will need to be some serious floodlighting of buildings away from the race track itself.

Source : http://www.grandprix.com

GT40 Le Mans

August 2007 Dream Car of the Month - Ferrari 288 GTO

Conceived in the mid 1980s as a Group B race car to compete with the Porsche 961 (a 640HP race version of the 959), it was built on the Ferrari 308 platform and is the only other Ferrari to wear the GTO name besides the legendary 1962 250 GTO. Due to Group B homoligation rules 200 cars had to be built for the public. Unfortunately, since Ferrari and Porsche were the only two manufacturers entered in the Group B series and due to a rash of racing deaths, the series was cancelled. The GTO and the 961 never met on the track. Ferrari took the cars built for the race series, detuned them, slapped in an interior and sold them to the public. Total production numbers are stated as between 272 and 277 depending on where you get your info.

Though based on the 308, the GTO used a longitudinally mounted twin turbocharged 2.8l V8 as opposed to the 308's 3.0l naturally aspirated, transversely mounted V8 engine. The longitudinal orientation in the GTO along with the turbos and intercoolers consumed the area that was used in the 308 for the rear trunk space. Even that wasn't enough so the car was stretched. The overall length of the GTO is about 4 inches longer than the 308. This engine was good for 600+HP in race trim and was detuned to 400HP/366TQ at 11.6psi for the street. The body was composed of exotic materials for the day. Only the doors were steel, the rest of the car was a mix of kevlar, aluminum and fiberglass to keep the weight as low as possible. The result was a curb weight of about 2550lbs which combined with the powerful engine launched the 288 GTO to 60 in the mid 4s and blasted the 1/4 mile in the mid to high 12s. Top speed was over 190MPH. Staggering performance for 1985.

288 GTO Evoluzione

There were also five 288 GTO Evoluzione models built which added extensively revised bodywork and aerodynamics that greatly resemble the Ferrari F40 that followed the 288. The Evo boasted as much as 650HP and it is believed that only 2 examples survive today. One of which is owned by non other than one of the worlds richest men and Ferrari fanatic, the Sultan of Brunei.

This car has always been one of my favorite Ferraris. Its understated in it's appearance unlike the other cartoonish supercars of it's day as well as the Ferraris that followed (F40 and F50). It's performance was mind blowing 20+ years ago and it can still hold it's own today. It truly deserves to be considered one of the greatest supercars of all time.

WTCC Brands

WTCC Brands Hatch - MyVideo

WTCC Brands Hatch

F1 Istanbul - MyVideo

F1 Istanbul

Ferrari 1967 & 2007

Can It Be?....A New Racing Network Coming To TV !

As if on cue after my anti NASCAR rant, I find out about this new racing network that is trying to get off the ground. The Racing Network is currently taking a poll on their website to gauge the interest in a non-NASCAR dedicated network. Like Speed Channel used to be before they became the NASCAR network. I think it's a great idea and I hope they go forward with it.

Reiter Lambo Spa 2007

Hungaroring 1988

Alonso Pits

Hamilton Istanbul