| 
|
Tag Archive | "Honda"
WHY I WONT BE AT THIS YEARS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
Every year since 1996 when the Australian Grand Prix first came to Melbourne, I’ve always looked forward to it as the highlight of the year. The opportunity to watch my favorite sport live in person without exuberant travel expenses is always a good opportunity. To live that “chasing the dream” lifestyle if only for one week of the year. However, 2009 will set another precedent for me as I chose to shun the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park and Formula 1 as a whole. To my friends that I have made over the years at Albert Park especially wonderful fellow fans and former members of the Super Aguri F1 team who have found employment elsewhere and are traveling to Melbourne, I apologize for not being able to see you at the AGP this year. For those of you who know me well, your first reaction to my statement above would be: “Is it only because Takuma Sato lost his ride?” That is partially correct. Amongst other arguments, for a sport to encourage and changing rules to suit overtaking then deny a competitor who doesn’t need rule changes to be able to overtake on track is well beyond me. However, that is not the entire story. I estimated I’ve spent over AUD$10,000 over the last 13 AGPs I’ve attended, and that is not including the souvenirs that I have purchased. However, I’ve found other than making friends at autograph alley and being given some very special privileges by Takuma Sato and his management as well as my friends at SAF1; my memories of the AGP are almost always of working like a slave for meager student wages to save up to fund my one big splurge each year at the AGP. However, for where the money has gone, I’ve learnt the hard way that trackside F1 fans are still very much being given a raw deal by F1, the FIA, race organizers and certain local businesses.
Continue reading...ACURA ON POLE IN SEBRING THRILLER
Friday, March 20, 2009
New Zealand driver Scott Dixon gave Acura/Honda a dream LMP1 debut with a stunning final-lap dash to take pole position for Saturday’s 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Dixon, the defending Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion, made his first Sebring race appearance quite notable by driving the all-new No. 66 de Ferran XM Radio Acura ARX-02a prototype sports car to the top position in Saturday’s grid over European challengers Audi and Peugeot. It was a big day for the Japanese manufacturer with veteran Adrian Fernandez taking his Acura to the pole in the LMP2 class. It is the first time since 2005 that a manufacturer has captured both the LMP1 and LMP2 pole positions in the same event. This weekend marks Acura’s debut in the LMP1 class in the American Le Mans Series, after two years of competition in the LMP2 category. Acura won the LMP2 division in its initial Sebring event in 2007. Audi's new diesel powered challenger the R15 also made an impressive debut with multiple 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in the No. 2 Audi taking second place on the grid to edge out arch rival Peugeot. Nicolas Minnasian was the fastest of the Peugeot coupes just ahead of Mike Rockenfeller's Audi and David Brabham in another of the new Acuras.
Continue reading...MEXICAN BILLIONAIRE BUYS HONDA F1 ?
Sunday, December 28, 2008
A report in the Italian newspaper La Stampa has claimed that Carlos Slim, a Mexican Billionaire - and there's a phrase you don't hear much these days - has brought the Honda Formula One team. According to the story Jenson Button will continue with the team but veteran Rubens Barichello will be replaced by Bruno Senna. Despite the story there has been no official conformation at this stage.
Continue reading...HONDA KILLS NSX PROJECT
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Only a week after pulling out of Formula One, Honda has now announced that it's cancelled its plan to build the new NSX Supercar. The successor to the famous mid-engined V6 machine that still successfully competes in Japan's high tech Super GT series, the new era NSX was to have been a front engined all wheel drive V10. Prototypes of the car were seen testing at the famous Nurburgring circuit. The move comes after Honda president Takeo Fukui told Japanese media that the company had slashed its 2009 profit forecast by 62%. Mr Fukui said that in this rapidly changing environment, the company needed to review investment and development plans and make choices to keep the impact on profit as small as possible. “We need to concentrate limited resources on the right places,“ he said. The original NSX ceased production in 2005.
Continue reading...AND ALL THAT (HONDA) JAZZ
Friday, October 24, 2008
It is common practice for any person who has an idol of any kind to ask for their idol’s autographs. Sports fans especially would do that all the time; asking their favorite sportspeople to sign items of interest such as caps, programs, photos or similar memorabilia. Motor racing fans in particular may even ask their favorite drivers to sign some unusual items such as car parts… or if you’re like THIS “mad bastard”… ask them to sign a whole car… Perhaps one may wonder… what drove me to ask Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson to sign my 2006 Honda Jazz?
Continue reading...AUDI FINISH ON A HIGH AT LAGUNA SECA
Monday, October 20, 2008
Another stunning come from behind win has given Audi its seventh win in the 2008 American Le Mans Series. Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner celebrated a narrow victory in front of their team mates Christijan Albers and Emanuele Pirro. It was Pirro's final race for the team. Starting from row five of the grid, the Audi drivers were able to take advantage from the enormous torque of their TDI engine at the many restarts brought about after the Safety Car was deployed no less than twelve times – the most occasions all season. Werner crossed the finish line the eventual winner only 1.941 seconds ahead of an emotional Pirro who had tears in eyes following his last race in the Audi R10 TDI. It was the seventh outright victory for Audi in the eleven-round American Le Mans Series. Acura/Honda and Porsche each scored two victories. Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner celebrated their eighth win of the season in the LM P1 class. The two Germans had already secured the title in the LM P1 Drivers Championship. Pirro finished third in the Championship while Christijan Albers finished his first sportscar race on the podium.
Continue reading...BIG DAY FOR NISSAN AT AUTOPOLIS SUPER-GT
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Nissan GT-R of Satoshi Motoyama and Benoit Treluyer, won Kyushu 300, Round 8 of the Autobacs SUPER GT series at the Autopolis in Japan. Starting from pole position lead driver Benoit Treluyer, made a great start to open up a significant lead. Co-driver Motoyama took over for the second half of the race and from then on was never threatened. The win was the team's third of the season but their first since way back in round two. They now lead the series outright with one round remaining.
Continue reading...VAN DER DRIFT ON TARGET FOR FORMULA MASTER CROWN
Saturday, October 4, 2008
From the they must be doing something right department comes the news that yet another fast young Kiwi looks headed for a major international motor-racing championship. In the fast footsteps of Indy Car champ Scott Dixon comes 22 year old Chris Van der Drift who has taken pole position in this weekend's round 15 of the Formula Master series at Monza. Van der Drift secured pole in the first part of the 30-minute qualifying session, before it was red-flagged after a spin from ADM Motorsport's Michele Caliendo, it was the young New Zealander's seventh pole of the season so far.
Continue reading...TAKU FANS FROM MELBOURNE TO MONTREAL
Friday, October 3, 2008
We are not alone. I came in contact with Yusze Tong at Melbourne 2003 and he was a Michael/Ferrari fan and I of course was caked in Jordan yellow, but we both have one thing in common: Takuma Sato fans based in Melbourne, Australia. We decided to make a banner for Taku for Melbourne 2004 and our efforts were seen of course on TS’ official website and a tradition was started where we would make a banner for Taku every year for the AGP. Yusze and I both also ended up posting a message on TS’ official forum whether if any fans are travelling to Melbourne for the race. We had a group of about 10 from Japan join us at Melbourne as well as everybody else we met at the track over the course of the week… a rather formidable little army! There are many that were surprised that Taku had non-Japanese fans and even more so when they discover we’re Melbourne locals. This started another tradition also where we would try to make as many friends as possible and be united as Takuma Sato fans without bounds or barriers such as language and communication difficulties.
Continue reading...DOES HONDA NEED SATO MORE THEM SATO NEEDS THEM?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
New Formula 1 Grand Prix winners Scuderia Torro Rosso are hosting a test session at Jerez for Super Aguri F1 refugee Takuma Sato in his F1 comeback. For Sato, Scuderia Torro Rosso, or Minardi as we used to know it, is another small F1 team not dissimilar to Super Aguri. They have finally achieved their first win after over 2 decades of trying, and one really has to ask what if SAF1 was still in existence and whether their performance would be comparable to STR’s over the last few months.
Continue reading...Sponsored Links
| ||||||||
Latest Videos
The IN PIT LANE Vodcast
Sponsored Links
| ||||
- A1GP: AND NOW THE END IS NEAR ?
- THE SUN SETS ON JAPAN
- LOWNDES & WHINCUP COME HOME TO HOLDEN
- AUSSIE A1, SUPER GP, SUPER FARCE
- BRISCOE TOPS WEBBER IN WORLD DRIVER "RANKINGS"
- IMG LINK RAISES THE STAKES IN F1 BREAKAWAY
- BUNDY RACING PAINTS IT BLACK
- WIN TICKETS TO HISTORIC SANDOWN
- DRAG RACING SHOCK: STEVENS QUITS, A V8 SUPERCAR FUTURE ?
- FOTA'S RUMOURED CALENDAR. EMERALD CITY GP MISSES OUT, WIZARD SAID TO BE FURIOUS
- IT’S OFFICIAL: NISSSAN JOIN V8 SUPERCARS (now we can all get some sleep)
- NISSAN TO JOIN V8 SUPERCARS
- FIRST CHOICE WAS RITTER SAYS ROGERS
- McLAREN LAUNCH NEW GRAND PRIX CHALLENGER
- TOYOTA TESTS TERRIFIC TS030
- MELBOURNE TO FOCUS ON AUSSIE AFTERMARKET
- BOWE TESTS BATHURST BEAST
- LYONS DOMINATES HAMPTON DOWNS F5000
- YOUNG LYON TAKES F5000 RACE ONE IN NZ
- DALLARA’S NEW F3 CHALLENGER
Saturday, March 21, 2009
0 Comments