|
|
|
|
| 
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom] |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Thirty-two cars, seventies countries and a distance of 3000 kilometers! Yes, we are talking about a world car race, but this car race is far, far different from regular car races. Can you guess, why and how?
Well, all these cars are powered by solar power. Believe it or not, all these cars participating in this big feat resemble huge insects, solar planets and spaceship!
The World Solar Car Race was kicked off this Sunday from Darwin and will finish at Adelaide on Saturday. These solar-powered and fuel-efficient cars will travel through Australia's tropical rainforests, desert and coastal plains, all in the name of environment. Hence, this car race is also called the Global Green Challenge.
These cars are mainly designed by the engineering students from across the world. Each team comprises of four drivers who take turns to drive the cars. Starting at 8 am daily, the drivers would stop and put up camp at 5 pm daily before continuing the race the next day.
As usual, this time too, the spectators will see some unique cars in the race. There is this distinctive car Sunswift IV form Australia's University of New South Wales. This solar car is a three-wheeled, carbon fibre machine, which can reach a top speed of 115 km an hour using just 1,300 watts, the same power it takes to toast two slices of bread! Unbelievable, huh?
A team of Dutch from Delft University was expected to start out as the race's favourite after taking home the prestigious Silver Sun trophy for the last four races, who also set a record in 2005 with an average speed of 102.75 km per hour.
The Global Green Challenge for the first time will also have a second category, the Eco Challenge. The Eco Challenge will flag off seventeen cars from ten manufacturers to prove their fuel efficiency. These eco-friendly cars from the ten manufacturers are already in showrooms or soon-to-be on sale. The Eco Challenge will include automobiles like the fully electric sports car Tesla and the Ford Kia. Besides, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Skoda, Suzuki, Holden, and HSV are also a part of this Eco challenge. Labels: Car-Race, Car-Racing, Global-Green-Challenge, Solar-Car-Race, Solar-Powered-Car
Thursday, 9 July 2009
 Ross Brawn, the British motorsport engineer and Formula One (Brawn GP) team owner was on the ninth cloud after being honoured with the Motorsport Industry Association’s (MIA) Award. This prestigious award was for his outstanding contribution to the motorsport industry. The award function was organized at the MIA's annual summer reception at Britain's House of Lords. Brawn collected the impressive award in the presence of over 300 guests which comprised of Ministers of State, Ambassadors, VIPs, MIA members and leaders from the motorsport industry. With this award under his wings, Brawn will be sharing the list of other esteemed winners of the award from Formula One Motorsports which includes Professor Sid Watkins, Frank Williams, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone. Brawn’s contribution in the motorsport is clearly evident as he has promoted the F1 global industry in numerous ways. With his strategic planning and quick thinking Brawn gets the credit for many F1 victories. In his appreciation, MIA CEO, Chris Aylett commented that “His exceptional race engineering talent is coupled with integrity, sincerity and humility - a rare combination in this aggressive competitive sport.” Ross Brawn has served various championship-winning F1 teams such as Benetton and Ferrari as the technical director. In 2007 he took a small vacation and showed his presence again in 2008 season as a Team Principal of Honda. He owns Brawn GP team (he took over the Honda team in early 2009, as Honda was hit by recession. He is a man of inspiration, hard work, integrity, confidence and it is these characteristics that made him successful. Beside Formula One as his first love he is also a great lover of fishing and gardening. Labels: Car-Racing, Ferrari, Formula-One
Thursday, 11 June 2009
For more than a decade, car racing has become one of the premier sports of the world. The thrill of pushing vehicles to the limits and gauging the endurance of human beings is a passion followed by many. The popularity of Grand Prix, Formula One racing, World Rally, Dakar Rally, and Le Mans Race have been extremely popular with people. Here’s one race that is completely different from any of the above mentioned car races - the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Race. It is an event that serves to showcase the top vintage cars and people from the start of motorsports to the present day. The vintage car racing event is a spectacle of a different kind. It is set to be held at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca racing track on August 14-16, 2009. This year, the event will honour Porsche for its storied racing heritage. Former Porsche drivers Brian Redman and Vic Elford have led Porsche to many titles in the 70s with the legendary Porsche 917 race car. It is expected that other legendary Porsche race cars - the 1969 Porsche 911 S, 1974 Porsche RSR, and the famous Porsche 917 will race along with 150 other Porches at the event. Over 450 participants and 30,000 spectators are expected to gather at the event to witness track runs by the some of the world’s most exotic and historic racing machines. The cars will race in 15 different race groups over the three day motorsport event. At the end of the race, Rolex will hold its award winning Motor Sports history display “Moments in Time” which honours singular outstanding achievements of six different cars and their drivers throughout the history of formula one and other car races. Labels: Car-Racing, Porsche-Race-Cars, Rolex-Monterey-Historic-Automobile-Race, Vintage-Cars
Friday, 5 June 2009
Volvo has released a new video game that allows gaming enthusiasts to race with Volvo cars at highly detailed circuits around the world. The company has created the game in collaboration with leading video game developer SIMBin. Generally, Volvo has been associated with safety and comfort when it comes to cars but the term motorsports has had a distant connection with the brand. The Swedish car manufacturer has participated in several auto racing events but has found only limited success there. However, race enthusiasts will now get a chance to drive their favourite Volvo cars in the virtual world. Players can choose their favourite Volvo car from a list and make runs across Gothenburg Eco Drive Arena in Sweden or Chayka circuit outside Kiev in Ukraine. The list of cars includes C30, S60, S40, 850 estate, and 240 Turbo Group A. The brand new S60 concept too is available. All these cars have raced before. The C30 is currently participating in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC), the Volvo S60 has previously competed in STCC, the S40 has notched up many notable successes in British TCC, and the 850 estate car is a legend in British TCC and is titled a true racing classic. The game developers at SimBin took special care to make gameplay as realistic as possible. They’ve test driven the cars on real race circuits to record their sounds. The game can be operated using game steering wheel and pedals connected to a computer or a game pad. Varying skill levels can be set ranging from novice to professional. The level of assist systems in the car, from ABS to traction control, too can be set to manage game difficulty. Game detail is accurate and each car exhibits unique handling characteristics. The game is available for download on the internet. Labels: Car-Racing, Car-Video-Game, Volvo
Monday, 1 June 2009
For the first time in the history of Formula One racing, a participant team has put its wares up for sale. So far, Formula One fans could flaunt their love for the game through merchandise like T-shirts, Caps, Key chains, and other kinds of apparel. Now Toyota Motors has put up a lot of high tech parts from its past racing cars for sale. Toyota has been participating in F1 races for over three decades. The Toyota Motorsports team regularly takes part in Formula One Race, NASCAR, IndyCar, ChampCar, Sports car racing, and other car rallies. The high tech auto parts for sales include carbon fiber wings, brakes, light alloy wheels, and several other parts. They are all marketed through a special Toyota website. The auto parts costs from Rs 13,000 to Rs 3,34,000. The parts available at the cheaper end are usually wheels, brake discs, and suspension parts at prices starting from Rs 15,000. The front and the rear wing assemblies are available at prices between Rs 54,000 to Rs 1,52,000. Toyota is also offering complete rear wing, engine cover, and the underbody section which is virtually half the car. These are sold at prices starting from Rs 3,34,000 – currently available only on first come first serve basis. This will be the biggest bonanza for motorsports fans across the world. No other company including Formula One staples like McLaren, Ferrari, BMW, Honda, and Mercedes have attempted this kind of campaign yet. These companies have always sobered the F1 technologies to meet the needs of production cars. Toyota has gone where no other F1 team has gone before- reaching the people through their F1 technologies. The sale of F1 car parts comes as no surprise to many Toyota enthusiasts as Toyota recently pulled away its Fuji Speedway race track from the Japanese Grand Prix and is considering closing down all its F1 circuits completely. Labels: Car-Racing, Formula-One-cars, Toyota
Monday, 30 March 2009
Last weekend the Formula One fans were glued to their couches with their eye fixed on the TV screens as the Formula One racing begins another season in Australia. The Brawn GP bagged one-two victory on their debut in Formula racing. Similar triumph was witnessed by a team driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling for Mercedes-Benz in the French Grand Prix in 1954. Amazingly, this time the history is repeated by Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello for Brawn-Mercedes winning the ‘race of two halves’ in Australia. The drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello of Brawn GP celebrated the victory with the Brawn (owner of the team). This was the same team that was sold by Honda last year due to financial crisis. No one had ever imagined that this newbie would take off in full swing in the first race it self. The team Brawn GP is owned by Rose Brawn and promoted by the Richard Branson of Virgin. The car includes new changes like revolutionary KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which further boosts up the engine offering an additional 80 bhp. Also, the improved aerodynamic of the car supported the win. The 2009 season is the 60th FIA Formula One World Championship with ten teams participating in the race. The season was started with the Australian Grand Prix on 29 March 2009 and will end on 1 November 2009 with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix track is the latest addition on the race calendar for the first time. Labels: Car-Racing, Formula-One, Honda
|
|
