Renault launches new R28 car for F1 season

Even Renault agrees: its 2007 Formula One car was a lemon.

The French team hopes that will change this year with the return of two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso and its new R28 car that it launched Thursday.

Alonso is happy to be back with Renault after a turbulent season with McLaren, but conceded they will mostly be chasing podium places as it will be difficult to close the gap on Ferrari and McLaren.

"We have to be realistic," the Spaniard said. "If we can win races, that will be a dream come true."

Renault won back-to-back drivers' championships with Alonso in 2005 and '06, but technical director Bob Bell said it was obvious early that the 2007 car was poor so they focused on the 2008 version.
"Our car was pretty much undriveable," Renault team managing director Flavio Briatore said.

Alonso said testing on the new car had been on ensuring it was free of design faults, and that the focus will be on performance in February before the March 16 start to the season at the Australian Grand Prix.

"We need to recover a gap of maybe one second," Alonso said. "Step by step, we really hope to close the gap."

Bell said Alonso had provided "invaluable" input as they fine-tune the new model.

Briatore didn't want to be drawn on Alonso's troubled year at McLaren, saying it wasn't his business, but described the Spaniard as "more mature" than in the past and "very focused."

McLaren released Alonso one year into a three-year deal due to feuds with teammate Lewis Hamilton.

"He's come home," Briatore said of Alonso. "To have him back is fantastic."

Renault No. 2 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. said the team can win the drivers' championship again.

"If they did it once, they can do it again," Piquet said.

Renault chairman Carlos Ghosn turned up at the ING Renault F1 launch in Paris and said that he hoped that the team would do better in 2008 than it did last year. Quoting team principal Flavio Briatore, Ghosn said that the 2007 season had been "a disaster" but added that the team still finished third in the Constructors' Championship, an assessment based on the fact that McLaren was excluded rather than on track performance.

"There are two places in front of that," Ghosn said. "And I have a preference as to which one I want to see."

Ghosn said that the 2008 is going to be an important year for Renault with a lot of new products and he wants F1 to contribute as much as possible to boosting Renault sales.

Briatore said that he is hoping for wins and podiums - and expects to see them.

The engineers say that the problems of 2007 have been fully understood and fixed and that it is their ambition to get back into the hunt for the World Championship.

"We are confident that we are now back on track," said Bob Bell, the Renault technical director. "We have a very aggressive development programme for this year. Fernando Alonso drove the 2007 car recently and said it was a nice car to drive, but it did not have the grip of its rivals. We knew that we had a good product but we simply had a problem with the aerodynamics. It was to do with methodologies and so we had to look not only at the problem itself but also at what was causing it and why we did not discover it earlier."

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FIA confirms schedule of first night race

The FIA confirmed that practice and qualifying for the first Singapore Grand Prix will also take place at night this year. The race itself will take place at 20:00hrs local time (1pm CET) to increase viewing figures in Europe.

Why Ayrton Senna was the Greatest Racing Driver

The Best F1racingdriver Ever this is a link to an article that portrays why Senna was the greatest driver in F1 history. Many key points and explanation that was covered in this article; so check it out and see for yourself.

ING Renault F1 Team Fan Zone

Dear ING Renault F1 Team Fan Club member,

You were among our most loyal supporters in 2007, and we would like to invite you to take a look at our brand new fan site, which can be reached at the following address: http://my.ing-renaultf1.com/.

Behind the scenes with the team

The official ING Renault F1 Team blog will take you behind the scenes with the team during a season which onlookers expect to be one of the sport's most exciting. my.ing-renaultf1.com will give you the opportunity to respond to the team's articles � but also to publish your own thoughts in the form of fan blogs.

A dedicated members area

An area of the site will be dedicated exclusively to our members, to allow you to invite friends and share your passion with other fans of the team around the world. You can customise your homepage, and use it to meet and chat with new friends who love F1 and the ING Renault F1 Team.

A gallery for your pics and Podcasts

The multimedia gallery on my.ing-renaultf1.com will give you the opportunity to publish your own photos and podcasts, and to share them with other members of our online community.

Exclusive events

To take you even closer to your favourite team, web chats, quizzes and on-line games will be held throughout the year.
Registration for membership is free � and will give you access to this exclusive content at http://my.ing-renaultf1.com/.

We look forward to welcoming you soon,
The team at http://www.ing-renaultf1.com/

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Tribute To The Greatest F1 Driver Part 2

Spoiled kids, alcohol, and a 500HP BMW M5 don't mix.

Lots of people have been following this story involving 5 Ocala, FL teens who were killed when they were travelling in a 2008 BMW M5 being raced down an active private airstrip in the middle of the night. The driver apparently misjudged the runway length and the car hit an embankment at the end of the runway, launching the car into the air and into a tree where it broke into multiple pieces, killing all on board. The Florida Highway Patrol initially suggested that alcohol may have played a part in the accident based on some information from friends of the kids in the car.

I've read additional follow ups to the story which seem to indicate that the 2008 M5 belonged to the 19 year old driver even though it was registered to his father. The driver, just days prior to the accident had joined an M5 forum asking how to make the car faster and inquiring about a clunk that the car made while shifting at wide open throttle in excess of 140mph. The people on the forum expressed disbelief at the fact that this 19 yr old owned the car and cautioned him regarding his inexperience in driving in general, let alone in a 500HP super sedan.

Various different forums I check in on are discussing this in length and the majority of the sentiment is that of no sympathy toward the kids in the car or their families. I have to agree. I find it hard to understand parents just throwing a kid the keys to a new M5. How can you expect a 19yr old to respect or control a car like that. At 19 most people have a total of what, a couple of years of driving experience. I've been driving for about 20 years and I'd be scared shitless to explore the limits of an M5 and I'd certainly be smart enough not to try it anywhere but on a track. I also wouldn't attempt it after drinking. Unfortunately these are decisions based on experience and maturity, things this kid did not have. At least he was smart enough not to try it on public roads.

This accident is as much the fault of the parents of the driver as it is the driver's himself. Not only did they give him this car capable of almost 200 mph and let him loose on the streets to potentially kill innocent people but they did it after this kid had racked up more than a few moving violations in his very short driving career. As a matter of fact, I think every kid in the car had more than one violation on their record. Sure, the passengers aren't responsible for the accident and I don't know the circumstances surrounding what happened in the car. For all I know they were begging him to slow down. Having been a teenager once, I think it was more likely that they were egging him on. They should have been smart enough to not get in the car if the driver had been drinking.

I'm not a huge fan of spoiled kids, having grown up in an area full of them. Parents that overly indulge their kids as a substitute for good parenting disgust me as well. Have you ever seen the show "My Super Sweet Sixteen" on MTV? I've seen it once and I was about to put my foot through the TV. It's amazing seeing parents surprise their spoiled brats with $50,000 + cars and then the kid throwing tantrums because it wasn't the color or the car they wanted.

Even if I was ridiculously wealthy and could afford to get my son an $80,000 car, I wouldn't. Not until he had some more driving experience and not until he proved he could be responsible enough to take care of it and drive it properly. He would have to show me that he can save money toward a first car and I would make sure it was a car he could handle. If I ever did get him a car with reasonable performance, I'd take an active role in teaching him how to properly drive it. I'd send him to a performance driving school, hell, I'd go myself. We all could use some additional driver training. Then I'd point him toward a safe way to experience the performance and limits of the car. Something like autocross or track days.

Yes, this kid probably would have done something stupid and dangerous even if he was driving a 100HP Honda Civic. Still, an M5 can hit triple digit speeds in the time it takes a Civic to hit 50mph which makes any stunt that more dangerous and deadly if you don't respect or control that power.

Finally, I would not be the least bit surprised if someone related to this finds some way to try to sue BMW or even the airstrip. Why not, no one in this country is responsible for their own actions anymore.

Enhanced Rewards Program With Bank Of America

Account holders under the NASCAR Banking program are in for a real treat. The Bank of America, NASCAR�s official bank, and the one responsible for the program has been able to acquire licensing agreements with some of the most popular racers in the Sprint Cup Series.

The following race car drivers were added to the growing list of racers associated with the NASCAR Banking program: Bill Elliott, Dario Franchitti, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace and retired driver Rusty Wallace. Their image and likeness will appear on check cards and credit cards just like pioneer members Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., and Paul Menard, along with the late Dale Earnhardt and the NASCAR logo.

The Bank of America has also stated that they will work on enhancing their NASCAR RacePoints rewards program, by adding more benefits like being able to meet their favorite race car drivers and have access behind-the-scenes. In order to avail of this reward program, customers under the NASCAR Banking program has to earn RacePoints by using their credit cards or personal check cards in completing everyday transactions like buying groceries or gas for their car.

Not only can members meet their favorite drivers, but they will also get the chance to exchange their rewards points and claim NASCAR licensed merchandise, tickets and even get to serve as an honorary starter for the Bank of America 500. To sign up and know more about the product, NASCAR fans can visit the Bank of America or log in at http://www.bankofamerica.com/myexpression or go to any NASCAR event.

�The loyalty NASCAR fans have for their favorite drivers is legendary. Much of this loyalty is attributed to the accessibility of NASCAR drivers. With the enhancements that we are making to our NASCAR Banking and RacePoints programs for the upcoming season, Bank of America is creating unique opportunities for fans to get closer than ever to the sport they love,� said Mike Hargrave, Motorsports Platform Executive of the Bank of America.

Established in May 2007, MyExpression NASCAR Banking Program is widely recognized as the only banking facility which features NASCAR drivers in their line of products including check cards, checks and credit cards.

Sources: CNN Money

Joey Logano Against Age Restriction In Cup Series

NASCAR has already indicated that it plans on implementing a ruling wherein racers between 18 to 21 years will not be able to compete in Cup Series. Their rationale is that the drivers falling under this bracket might not be mature enough to handle the pressure that comes with being a NASCAR driver. However, not all are in agreement with this statement. Take Joey Logano for example.

Joey Logano is a 17-year old race car driver racing under the Joe Gibbs Racing banner. Coined their �child prodigy,� he and his team were expecting him to be able to make his nationwide debut on May 31 at the Dover International Speedway. However, if NASCAR has their way, it looks like he might have to wait a couple of more years.

"I like the way they have their system now, where you run short tracks [and are approved to advance to bigger tracks] by NASCAR officials," Logano said, "I feel it's a good way, but it's kind of out of my hands what we can do about it. Whatever happens, happens there."

A lot of people have been praising the abilities that Logano has at such a young age, including race car driver Mark Martin. Martin believes that Logano could compete and win in the next couple of years. This isn�t a surprise considering that his driving experience in terms of years almost rivals the experience of any veteran driver in the track since he�s been behind the wheel and competing at the age of six. Even Gibbs Racing team is pegging their hopes on him that he will one day become a superstar.

�It's a big deal for us, we've invested tons in Marc [Davis, another 17-year-old] and Joey," J.D. Gibbs said. "Our feeling on it is there's a good system in place -- if a guy's not ready, he's not mature enough, you don't go to the next track, you don't [advance] to the next series.�

It remains to be seen whether the age restriction will hamper Joey Logano�s dream to race nationwide this year or not. But if he and Gibbs Racing had their way, they would want to have the �child prodigy� racing in the track sooner rather than later.

Sources: Espn, Joe Gibbs Racing, augnews.com

Ayrton Senna From Prost's Perspective

These two drivers shared a lot of glory, and pain. These two drivers were the best in the chosen era that they had raced. The problem was that there can only be one champion, so in order to be champion one of them has to lose. Senna was a man of extreme, a very complicated man yet very enlightening to others when he talks about his beliefs.

Ayrton Senna always tried to be the best even if his equipment was not on par with the other drivers. He strived for excellence so when it comes to teaming up with Prost; it was he who said that he is supposed to be number 1 in the team not Prost. Prost was the team leader at the time when he had to choose between Senna or Piquet. Prost chosed Senna and from that point on forward; Prost knew he made a big mistake.

If you want to read more about this article, read this article from a Prost fan. The article is called Ayrton Senna - by Alain Prost this is a great article to read about Prost whom Senna raced a whole lot. He explained in detail about how Senna was as a person and as a racer.

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