Red Bull and Ferrari favourites but rain can upset the formbook

All for one: The Ferrari crew pushing Fernando Alonso�s car back into the pits at the Sepang circuit Thursday. � AFP

The main talking point in the Sepang paddock is whether the track will be drenched like last year.

Heavy rain caused the race to be abandoned after an hour and half. The usual points were awarded to the top eight placings.

The organisers have brought forward the start time by one hour to 4pm on Sunday but, if the weather forecast is anything to go by, it looks like a helpless cause.

Lotus Racing�s Jarno Trulli is praying hard that the storm clouds don�t open up as they did yesterday.

�If the weather is bad, it will be difficult to predict the outcome of the race,� said Trulli, who has raced in Sepang in 10 of the 11 previous occasions.

�The last round in Australia had some light rain just before the race started. But the cars have not yet been tested in truly wet conditions under the heavy fuel requirement.�

If it stays dry, Ferrari look good to clinch the Malaysian GP for the sixth time.

Fernando Alonso leads the championship standings on 37 points from team-mate Felipe Massa on 33, a marked contrast to last season when the Italian team went through the first three races without scoring a single point.

Alonso�s total would have been even higher if he had not spun at the first corner in Melbourne, forcing him to fight his way through the field from last after the first lap to finish fourth.

Ferrari also boast of the best track record at Sepang with Michael Schumacher having won three times and Kimi Raikkonen and Eddie Irvine once each.

Alonso is also a two-time winner in Malaysia � in 2005 for Renault and in 2007 for McLaren.

The Spaniard, winner of the season-opening race in Bahrain, has set his sights on making another successful bid at the world title.

�Every time I get in the car, my head is on November and having the trophy,� he said.

�But the championship is still early and unclear as to the direction. Right now, the drivers from Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and also Massa are still in the fight.�

Another former world champion Lewis Hamilton is eyeing a first-ever win in Sepang.

Hamilton, who won the world crown in 2008, was very unhappy with the team�s strategy in bringing him in for a second tyre stop last weekend when most of his rivals stayed out. But he has put everything behind after he was given an explanation.

�Sepang has some of the best high-speed corners on the entire calendar. This year, I think we got a car that will be far better suited to the circuit than we did last year,� he said.

�So I�m optimistic of a good result. We can be competitive this weekend.�

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Ferrari Challenge Making its First Appearance at Miller Motorsports Park this ...

BAYTOWN, Texas -- Jason Johnson got a much-needed win by wiring the field in Saturday night�s 25-lap American Sprint Car Series Gulf South Region main event to top the Inaugural Lone Star Shootout at Houston Raceway Park.

The Ragin� Cajun�s 23rd career ASCS Gulf South triumph and 73rd overall ASCS victory was the first for the newly-formed Jason Johnson Racing team in just its second night of competition after debuting in the recent Lucas Oil ASCS National opener. Lucas Oil Speedway up Next for the MLRA On the heels of a great Lucas Oil MLRA Season Opener at I-80 Speedway, the Lucas Oil MLRA now heads to the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks", Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri this Saturday, April 10th.

Pick your classic grand prix

The second year of our classic grand prix series has thrown up some awkward issues around some of the newer races.

The Chinese Grand Prix has only been on the calendar since 2004, and we used all of the previous races at the Shanghai track in this series last year - which leaves us with none for 2010!

Our solution to this, just as it was for the season-opener in Bahrain, is to pick as our selection four races from F1's history as well as last year's Chinese race.

Your job, as regular readers of this blog will know, is to tell us which one of them you would most like to see and why. We will use those views to inform our decision as to which one to highlight next week in the run-up to the Chinese Grand Prix.

'Highlight', in this instance, means offer up for you to view the full 'Grand Prix' programme of the time - if the race was during the era when the BBC last held the TV rights - as well as the shorter highlights we cut for all the races.

And, again just as in Bahrain, we have chosen four races from tracks that are no longer on the F1 calendar to whet your appetites for the forthcoming race at one of F1's newer tracks on 18 April.

We have some really great races for you to enjoy, too.

The first choice is the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix on the brilliant original version of Buenos Aires' F1 track.

The race was won for Williams from pole position by the Australian Alan Jones, who went on to win the world title that year.

Alonso drove brilliantly to hold off Schumacher at Imola in 2005. Photo: Getty

Jones took the lead from the start but was forced to pit to have a plastic bag removed from his sidepod because it was causing the engine to overheat.

That dropped Jones down to fourth place behind the Ligier of Jacques Laffite, Nelson Piquet's Brabham and the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve, but in a typically charging drive he passed them all to regain the lead by lap 30 of 53.

The next choice is the 1983 US Grand Prix West at the lamented Long Beach track, which is now, in revised form, used for an IndyCar race.

This race has gone down in F1 lore for the brilliant performance of McLaren drivers John Watson and Niki Lauda, who finished one-two after starting 22nd and 23rd on the grid.

Struggling in qualifying on Michelin tyres made for the turbo-charged Renaults and Brabhams, and which their less powerful Cosworth-powered cars could not get up to working temperature, Watson and Lauda found their cars in perfect condition during the race, and they worked through the field like the proverbial hot knife through butter.

Their task was aided by Ferrari's Patrick Tambay, who led the race from pole position, holding back a train of cars for 25 laps until Williams's Keke Rosberg - father of current Mercedes driver Nico - misjudged a passing attempt and rammed the Frenchman.

Tambay retired on the spot, but Rosberg rejoined only to be rammed himself soon afterwards by Jean-Pierre Jarier's Ligier, promoting the second Williams of Laffite into the lead.

The delay caused by Tambay had kept Laffite in range of the McLarens, who closed remorselessly in and moved into the lead with 30 laps to go.

For Watson, it was a victory that carried echoes of a similar drive to victory in Detroit the year before - that time from 17th on the grid - and it was also the last win of the Northern Irishman's career.

Our third choice is the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, which for many of you will need no introduction as the brilliant maiden victory of Ayrton Senna's career.

The Brazilian, then driving for Lotus, laid down a marker for the next decade by utterly dominating in treacherous, soaking wet conditions, eventually beating Michele Alboreto's Ferrari by more than a minute.

Finally, we have chosen the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix, and one of Fernando Alonso's greatest victories - as well, of course, as a race from the ITV era, so no longer highlights programme is available, unfortunately.

The Spaniard assumed the lead in his Renault when Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren retired with driveshaft failure but was closed down in the final stages by Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.

The German's car was clearly faster, but Alonso produced a masterclass of defensive driving to hold Schumacher back.

So, there you have it - Argentina 1980, Long Beach 1983, Portugal 1985, San Marino 2005 and China last year. I look forward to reading your views, and we will make our selection and publish the highlights of all the races on this blog next week.

March sales show luxury cars back in favour

AUSTRALIANS have turned back to luxury vehicles with sales surging as part of a revival in the car market.

The car industry recorded its best March result and is on track to break the 1 million mark for this year, according to figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Five of the 10 brands that recorded the biggest sales growth in the first three months of this year were sports, luxury or premium brands, with buyers taking advantage of a reduction in import duties that caused the price of a $1 million Rolls-Royce to fall by $50,000.

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Audi and Jaguar benefited most during the sales period.

Thirteen Lamborghinis hit the road, seven more than last year. Ferrari (28 cars), Porsche (332), Jaguar (274) and Maserati (34) all shifted plenty of expensive new metal this year to be up on last year's results.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz's small car brands, Mini and Smart, have also recorded big growth with the former notching up its best sales for the month of March.

A total of 94,744 new cars were sold last month, up 25 per cent (38,857) on March last year, taking the total number of cars sold in the first three months of the year to 251,827, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

The result puts the new car market only 3241 vehicles off the pace of the record set in 2007, when almost 1,050,000 vehicles were sold.

The result is a big boost for the industry with some insiders predicting a slowdown now that government incentives have dried up. Although business sales were down slightly, private buyers were back with a vengeance.

Market leader Toyota continued its run at the top with March sales of 20,306, almost double those of second-placed Holden (11,795), although the Holden Commodore was the top-selling vehicle.

Fast-growing brands

1. Lamborghini(13 sold, 116.7% increase)

2. Proton

(601 sold, 108.7% increase)

3. Ssangyong

(353 sold, 82.9% increase)

4. Smart

(124 sold, 69.9% increase)

5. Jeep

(1502 sold, 67.1% increase)

January to March salesSOURCE: FVACTS, FCAI

Ferrari Not the Unbeatable Force Many Predicted

So what’s the problem with Ferrari? Maybe Red Bull is just better, or was the Ferrari hype overdone slightly? Well with a double world champion at the wheel many could be forgiven for thinking Fernando Alonso would dominate in a competitive car, but this is yet to be the case, so far Alonso has only won one race and both the other races he has been out raced by his team mate Felipe Massa. Massa has his own priorities of course, narrowly missing out on the 2008 world championship and having to sit out most of 2009 the Brazilian himself is looking for a world title to call his. This is Ferrari’s problem; two drivers looking after number one rather than playing the team game which made Michael Schumacher so prolific in his glory years, that and the Ferrari does not drive well in traffic, suffering from overheating and tyre wear when following other cars.
 
Red Bull have had their own problems, as said they have had the potential to win three out of three and be in comfortable 1st in both championships but the fragile nature of the RB6 is the teams undoing. Sebastian Vettel’s car being the main headache as Mark Webber has not fallen fowl of car trouble so far.  Some say that Vettel may be over driving the car as his is the only one to have failed, F1 cars can’t go round a 60 lap race in full on race mode, especially with the new fuel loads, they have to pace themselves and not get caught in the trap of burning up tyres or brakes or engine as they go after quick lap times. This may be were Red Bull are struggling, they cannot keep a lead on Vettel, maybe the young German is too eager to prove he can win to listen when he is told to pace himself.
 
Round four of the Championship takes us to China were, unless weather proves a factor expect Red Bull to take 1st place, if the car stays in one piece. Odds are with Vettel at 15/8 to win in China ahead of Alonso 7/2, Mark Webber 9/2 and British Duo Lewis Hamilton 11/2 and Jenson Button 10/1 rounding up the top five. odds from Betfred

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All my friends know the low rider

   Wednesday, 07 April 2010 20:20

The low rider is a little higher. Low rider drives a little faster. Low rider is a real goer. (With apologies to War, for corrupting their song for the purposes of this article.)

For some time now, the Red Bull ride height dispute has been one of the bigger issues bubbling away in the background of Formula 1. It was in Melbourne that McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh first commented on the possibility of some teams using adjustable ride height systems.

"It looks like Red Bull and some other cars are able to run lower in qualifying than you would expect if they're then going to fill the car with fuel afterwards," Whitmarsh said. "Frankly a few months ago if the engineers had come to me and said: 'We're going to design this system,' I would have said: 'Actually, I don't think it's permissible'. I think there's some evidence that there are ride-high control systems that some people would think are not permissible.

"As you can imagine, we are now working hard on such systems. The original ruling was that such systems were not allowed but we now have to get those systems as quickly as possible - hopefully by China."

Red Bull have denied that such a system exists on their car, but that hasn't stopped the rumour mills from turning. Dr Helmut Marko, the team's advisor told a German F1 site: "Normally we would not comment. We have come to the races for the technical inspections and have been thoroughly examined. Again on Thursday, the legality of our car was confirmed absolutely."

Team principal Christian Horner and technical director Adrian Newey joined in the denials, with Horner saying he could "absolutely guarantee" there was no ride height control system on the RB6. "We haven't got one, it is as simple as that. If McLaren have one in China we will protest them, because theoretically they are illegal. The FIA had a good look at our car on Saturday night and they are happy with it – they will struggle to find anything because there simply isn't anything there."

No one knows whether or not ride height control systems are in use on any of this year's cars, but Red Bull and Ferrari are the two teams suspected of finding a cunning way to bend the rules.

McLaren are not alone in querying the way that some cars seem to be bottoming out in low-fuel qualifying, while sitting comfortably during the race. Mercedes have raised questions, with Ross Brawn telling Finland's Turun Sanomat "I have asked for [FIA] clarification about the situation."

Although there have been mutterings in the press about possible ride height control systems, there were no official complaints to the FIA. In order to make a complaint, one must first know what it is one is complaining about. The ride height systems, while subject to much internet rumour, have been shrouded in mystery. Unlike last year's double diffusers, ride height systems will form part of the inner workings of the car – while any that might exist will have been through FIA scrutineering, the other teams won't have had a glimpse.

As the general rule in Formula 1 seems to be 'if you can't ban it, build it', teams are now in a race to come up with a legal way of lowering their ride height in qualifying as quickly as possible. Keeping an empty car running low enables the double diffusers to work at maximum efficiency in qualifying, making for fast times on low fuel.

The problem lies in the FIA's regulations, which seem to ban any adjustments to the car between qualifying and race. Seem is the key word in that sentence – winning in Formula 1 is a matter of interpreting the rules to your advantage, staying legal while coming up with innovations the competition might have dismissed as too 'grey area'.

Under the rules of parc ferme, adjustments to suspension and ride height are illegal from the moment the  car first leaves the pitlane in qualifying on Saturday to the

moment the lights go out for Sunday's race. The technical regulations also ban adjustments to the suspension while the car is in motion, meaning that teams who might wish to tweak their ride height will need to wait until the first pit stop to do so.

The FIA is now seeking to clarify the matter, and has written to all of the teams to remind them of the 2010 regulations. "Any system, device or procedure, the purpose and /or the effect of which is to change the set up of the suspension whilst the car is under parc ferme conditions will be deemed to contravene Article 34.5 of the F1 Sporting Regulations," a spokesman said.

Additionally, "any self leveling damper system is likely to contravene (article) 3.15 of the Technical Regulations."

Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations covers aerodynamics, and reads: "Aerodynamic influence: With the exception of the cover described in Article 6.5.2 (when used in the pit lane), the driver adjustable bodywork described in Article 3.18 and the ducts described in Article 11.4, any specific part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance: must comply with the rules relating to bodywork; must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom); must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car. Any device or construction that is designed to bridge the gap between the sprung part of the car and the ground is prohibited under all circumstances. No part having an aerodynamic influence and no part of the bodywork, with the exception of the skid block in 3.13 above, may under any circumstances be located below the reference plane."

The FIA's clarification may not be crystal clear, but it does appear to ban most of the suggestions that have been bandied about as possible ways and means of maximising qualifying performance.

Any ride height adjustment systems currently in development are going to have to find different grey areas to manipulate, as flouting direction instruction from the FIA is not going to win any championships.

Classic Car News: Buy A Bargain Ferrari

Classic Car News: Buy A Bargain Ferrari

April 7th, 2010 by Katie Norton

What could be better than bunking off school and spending the day cruising around in someone else’s Ferrari 250GT Spyder? Well that is exactly what Ferris Bueller (played by Matthew Broderick), and his friends did in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Usually bunking off school involves lying low, but there is nothing discreet about driving around in a Ferrari Spyder – even if it is only a replica.

Ferrari-Daytona.co.uk reported that the late 80s saw classic car values rocket, with Daytona values going through the roof. The surge in value led to the creation of affordable cars, known as replicas. In the original Miami Vice, Detective Sonny Crockett drove a midnight black Ferrari Daytona Spyder, which complemented his low key, high living identity. What most viewers didn’t realise at the time is that the Daytona was in fact a kit replica based on a 1980 Chevrolet Corvette C3 chassis. It just goes to show that the Ferrari-shaped body panels were all it took to give the car its reputable reputation.

Miami Vice spurred a new craze of Daytona’s with McBurnie replica Daytonas (as seen in the TV show) leading the way. As one of the most expensive replicas, the Daytona convertibles have been collected through the years and are a great addition to anyone’s garage, and the best part is that they come with an affordable price tag.

The RAC website has reported that “Paramount commissioned the red Ferrari 250GT Spyder replica for the film because the original cars were too rare and expensive to be crashed as the script demanded”. The replica that was used in the 1986 film is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £40,000 at auction, which goes to show they might not be the real deal but they could save you a fortune.

ClassicCarsForSale.co.uk have reported that a genuine 1963 Ferrrari 250GT Spyder is being sold by Coys Auctioneers for £298,500, which will cost far more than the replica that Ferris Bueller and his friends drove around in while bunking off school, which is apparently in a “ready-to-drive” condition, according to the RAC website.

The replica will be going under the hammer at Bonhams Collectors Motor Cars and Automobilia auction on April 19th 2010 at the RAF Museum, Hendon, North London.

If you want a real bargain for your classic car, call Sureterm Direct free on 0800 999 2030 and get a competitive classic car insurance policy or click here for an online quote.