Bahrain GP cancelled for 2011

The controversial Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix has been cancelled for 2011, with local organizers announcing they would not pursue plans to stage the rescheduled event on October 30.

The chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit issued a statement saying "it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress and we fully respect that decision."
The Bahrain GP was originally scheduled to open the F1 season in March but was cancelled due to political unrest.

Last week, F1's world governing body announced a new date for the Bahrain GP in October, sparking criticism from teams, fans and some administrators.

In an open letter sent to the Formula One Teams Association, FIA president Jean Todt said the decision to hold the Bahrain race on October 30 could be revised after teams objected because of logistical and insurance reasons.

Following assurances by government ministers and organizers that the race could go ahead safely despite ongoing anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom, the Bahrain GP was last week given a green light for October, with the inaugural Indian GP, scheduled for that date, moved to the final round of the 20-race calendar.

At least 30 people have been killed since February during the unrest in Bahrain.
Ecclestone told the BBC this week that, despite last week's calendar changes, "the schedule cannot be rescheduled without the agreement of the participants."

Alonso and Hamilton handed penalties.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso have been handed down a 20 second time penalty by the Malaysian stewards following their clash during the Sepang formula one GP event.

Lewis Hamilton was penalized for making more than one change of direction as he tried to defend his position from Fernando Alonso on the lap before he was hit by Alonso. The Spaniard, meanwhile, received the same penalty for causing a collision with Hamilton during the fight.

Hamilton's penalty promotes Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi to seventh in the race results and drops Lewis Hamilton to eighth. Alonso retains his sixth-place finish due to a large gap back to seventh place.

Bahrain GP called off

Formula One organizers have called off the season opening Bahrain formula 1 Grand Prix because of anti-government protests.

No new date has been set for the race, which is the kingdom's biggest international sports event. The Bahrain GP has been on the F1 calendar every year since 2004.

The Bahrain GP could be rescheduled later in the season, with speculation it could take place after the Abu Dhabi race on November 13 if the season-finale in Brazil is moved from November 27 into December.
The F1 championship's next scheduled race is the Australian GP in Melbourne on March 27.

F1 Calendar 2011

Dates	Races
13.03.2011	Grand Prix of Bahrain
27.03.2011	Grand Prix of Australia
10.04.2011	Grand Prix of Malaysia
17.04.2011	Grand Prix of China
08.05.2011	Grand Prix of Turkey
22.05.2011	Grand Prix of Spain
29.05.2011	Grand Prix of Monaco
12.06.2011	Grand Prix of Canada
26.06.2011	Grand Prix of Europe
10.07.2011	Grand Prix of Great Britain
24.07.2011	Grand Prix of Germany
31.07.2011	Grand Prix of Hungary
28.08.2011	Grand Prix of Belgium
11.09.2011	Grand Prix of Italy
25.09.2011	Grand Prix of Singapore
09.10.2011	Grand Prix of Japan
16.10.2011	Grand Prix of Korea
30.10.2011	Grand Prix of India
13.11.2011	Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
27.11.2011	Grand Prix of Brazil

MP4-26 McLaren F1 2011

The last of the big name teams in the Formula 1 competition has been unveiled for the 2011 Formula 1 series, McLaren held a special event in Berlin for the debut of its new MP4-26. And like most of the other teams’ cars, the new McLaren MP4-26 features a few radical departures over last year’s model.

Some distinguishing features include a longer wheelbase, a high nosecone, U-shaped sidepods and a new intake for cooling the hybrid system.

2011 ferrari F1 named.

Ferrari's new Formula One car that will be unveiled Friday will be called the F150 in honour of the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification.

The Italian flag will also feature prominently on the cars driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.

Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo tells the ANSA news agency that all Ferrari workers "share the honor and responsibility of representing our country in the world and it's with this spirit that we wanted to dedicate this car to such an important event for all of Italy."

Italy President Giorgio Napolitano was informed of the decision Tuesday and wished the team good luck for this season, which opens with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 13.

Red Bull Racing under investigation.

Officials are investigating whether reigning Formula 1 champions Red Bull overspent last season according to the BBC.

Formula 1 teams' umbrella group FOTA is to investigate allegations that teams may have overspent.

Rivals are accusing Red Bull of breaking the Resource Restriction Agreement, an agreement which puts limits on staff, spend and resources.

The Resource Restriction Agreement was drafted by the teams in 2009 as a way of keeping costs under control. It defines a series of limits on staffing, external spend and aerodynamic development, and a sliding scale of punishment.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner denied breaking the Resource Restriction Agreement.

"We've worked in accordance with the RRA limits since they were introduced," Horner told BBC Sport. "With tremendous hard work and internal efficiencies, we believe we've absolutely adhered to it," he told the BBC.

"Red Bull has committed its budgets wisely and it's obviously surprising that people will feel that way, but it's inevitable, I guess, when you're at the front and winning races."

Motorsport icon dies

Former Formula One team boss of Arrows, V8 Supercars personality and Gloucester rugby club chairman Tom Walkinshaw has died at age 64.

Tom Walkinshaw, who had been suffering from cancer, was a former racing driver whose Formula 1 career began with Benetton after successes at Le Mans and in touring cars with Jaguar.

The Scotsman brought Ross Brawn along with him and then helped lure Michael Schumacher to the team from Jordan.

Walkinshaw moved to Ligier after Schumacher's first of seven championships in 1994 before taking over the top position at Arrows two years later.

Arrows - which first raced in 1978 - eventually folded in 2002 after 382 Grand Prixs without a single victory, although Damon Hill almost did in Hungary in 1998.

In 2005 the Scotsman returned to V8 Supercars, re-establishing relationships with the Holden Racing Team and Holden Dealer Team.

In 2006 his efforts helped Rick Kelly to the teams' first series win since 2002. The feat was repeated the following year with Garth Tander.

He owned Aussie smalltime manufacturer Elfin Cars, and his Walkinshaw Peformance company bought a half share of HRT from Skaife Sports in 2007, buying the balance in 2008.

V8 supercars granted international status

V8 Supercars could be hosting up to six international rounds in the future after being granted international status by the FIA.

The decision by world motorsport's governing body last week means that the Australian series is now seen as an international category, paving the way for future expansion.

It means V8 Supercars can now compete at up to six international venues and 12 Australasian tracks each year for the next five years.

Currently the series has two overseas stops planned in 2011, the season opener at Abu Dhabi and the Hamilton 400 in New Zealand.

This gives V8 Supercars flexibility in exploring further expansion of the sport.

Australia and New Zealand remain an absolute priority in terms of where the series races although the new status means that the series can move forward with confidence when exploring growth outside of Australasia.

Several possible overseas locations have been suggested as future stops for the V8 Supercars, including Singapore, Korea and India though the series has lost its round in Bahrain from 2011 onwards.

Latvala wins Rally New Zealand

Results and Standings after Rally New Zealand.

1. Jari-Matti Latvala, Finland, Ford, 4 hours, 04 minutes, 09.8 seconds.
2. Sebastien Ogier, France, Citroen, 4:04:12.2.
3. Sebastien Loeb, France, Citroen, 4:04.25.0.
4. Mikko Hirvonen, Finland, Ford, 4:04:31.1.
5. Dani Sordo, Spain, Citroen, 4:04:35.6.6. Matthew Wilson, Britain, Ford, 4:07:35.8.
7. Henning Solberg, Norway, Ford, 4:10:25.1.
8. Jari Ketomaa, Finland, Ford, 4:14:29.1.
9. Federico Villagra, Argentina, Ford, 4:14.59.6.
10. Xavier Pons, Spain, Ford, 4:15:23.2.



WRC Driver standings(After five of 13 rounds)

1. Sebastien Loeb, France, Citroen, 108 points.
2. Jari-Matti Latvala, Finland, Ford, 72.
3. Mikko Hirvonen, Finland, Ford, 64.
4. Sebastien Ogier, France, Citroen, 63.
5. Petter Solberg, Norway, Citroen, 53.
6. Dani Sordo, Spain, Citroen, 34.
7. Matthew Wilson, Britain, Ford, 30.
8. Henning Solberg, Norway, Ford, 24.
9. Federico Villagra, Argentina, Ford, 22.
10. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Citroen, 14.

Rally New Zealand

The weekend of May 9th and 10th is the New Zealand round of the world rally championship.

This year sees a return to the country's biggest city, Auckland. This means some classic high-speed stages in the Northland region are back on the itinerary after a four year absence, as well as more familiar tests in the Franklin and north Waikato districts to the south of the city. Mixed surface stages and two Super Specials are also on the cards.

Two new Super Special Stages: One all-asphalt test will be built at the recently completed Hampton Downs motor racing circuit, the other one is in Auckland city's oldest park - the 75 hectare Auckland Domain, And a new Service Park will be located on Auckland's Queens Wharf, a short walk from the downtown area.

Rally New Zealand is the oldest WRC event in the Southern Hemisphere, It is renowned for its fast flowing gravel roads and the beautiful landscape of the North Island.

Blind crests, flat-out kinks, fast jumps and huge cambers make the roads somewhat more challenging than most, but their sweeping, undulating nature means most WRC drivers love them. When it's sunny, the stages can be glorious, but when it rains, they turn muddy and extremely slippery.

The challenging terrain rewards the drivers with the very best car control. You need to be brave to do well in New Zealand but the high speeds mean the slightest mistake is punished severely.

Most recent winner of rally New Zealand was Sebastien Loeb back in 2008.

Whats going on in F1?

The Formula One governing body the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has been criticized over their decision to allow new teams to enter F1 for the 2010 season.

In a column published on the official Ferrari website, the Italian team has gone on the attack towards the FIA for encouraging the struggling newcomers Campos F1 and US F1 instead of supporting the older teams such as BMW and Toyota, who have both left the sport.

The Ferrari column attributes blame for the current problems to the former FIA president Max Mosley, who rowed with established manufacturers such as Ferrari last season over his plans to bring in new teams. "This is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president," the column continued. "The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula One.

This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third (Stefan Grand Prix) is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand... and, as for the fourth (US F1), where have they gone?

On 24 February 2010 it was reported that Campos and US F1 were in discussions about the possibility of a merger which means Jose Maria Lopez could be transferring to the Campos F1 team.

In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there's not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?

The 2010 F1 season starts on March 12 with practice and the first race on March 14, Who will be there at the first round? Do we need to wait until May to see a full grid?

Kumeu Classic car festival

Just a quick post, The photos are from the recent Kumeu classic car festival just out of Auckland , New Zealand. Ive been attending this event for many years, It just gets bigger and bigger all the time.

Enjoy the photos.

Points scoring system for 2010 F1

The 2010 F1 season will see the most radical change in the points scoring system in 60 years. For the first time ever the drivers will be able to score points right down to 10th place, meaning that 38% of the starting grid next season will score at least one point. But what exactly does this mean?

The first thing to establish is how the points as distributed. Under the previous scoring system, the winner received 10pts, second 8 points, third 6 points, fourth place got 5 and so on as far as 8th position. While this rewarded consistency, it had it’s critics right from when it was introduced back in 2003. Many felt that it began to devalue the race win, Whereas previously it was a 4-point gap between 1st and 2nd compared to 2pts, which also meant that drivers had built up a sizable lead at the beginning of the championship, like Fernando Alonso did back in 05 and of course Jensen Button last season, and were able to sustain a championship challenge without needing to challenge for race wins but gain a steady amount of points consistently in the second half of the season. This prompted Bernie Ecclestone to try, but thankfully fail, to implement a ‘medals’ system whereby the driver with the most wins won the title regardless of how many points he had.

But under the current system this could all change. Instead of receiving 10 points for a victory, the winner will now receive 25 points, with 20 points for second, 15 points for third, etc:

Here's how the new scoring structure works:


1st place25pts

2nd place 20pts

3rd place 15pts

4th place 10pts

5th place 8pts

6th place 6pts

7th place 5pts

8th place 3pts

9th place 2pts

10th place 1pt

Silver arrow GP.

German car giant Mercedes-Benz have taken over Brawn GP. What does this mean for McLarens future for there engine supplier? Well at the moment Mercedes will supply McLaren with engines until at least 2015 and possibly longer and the team will continue with their current livery under the name of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

Mercedes parent company Daimler AG will take a 75.1 percent stake of Brawn GP, With Ross Brawn remaining as team principal.

Mercedes have'nt yet announced their drivers for 2010, Rubens Barrichello has already left Brawn for Williams, while speculation continues with the current world champion Jenson Button could be switching to McLaren to partner Lewis Hamilton.

Brawn GP has accomplished a lot in the 2009 season which included a deal with Mercedes to supply engines, winning both the constructors' and drivers' world championships, and now accepting this offer with Daimler which will secure the future of the team for many years ahead.

Brawn GP’s factory in the UK (in Brackley) is less than 30 miles from the Mercedes Formula One engine plant at Brixworth, which should make for an extremely efficient operation for the years ahead.

F1 2010 news.

The FIA have confirmed the new US F1 team have paid their entry fee and will be on the 2010 starting grid after speculation about the team's future in an interview with a US-based Speed TV cable network.
The US team's factory is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, They sent their entry fee in 10 days ago at a figure of close to US$440,000.

Also in Formula 1 news the new Malaysian-backed Lotus Formula One team has signed its first driver but haven't released any name yet. Italian Jarno Trulli, who drove for the now-departed Toyota team this year, has been linked in media speculation to the new Lotus team whose technical head is former Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne.

Lotus and US F1 are just 2 of five new teams that are due to make their F1 debuts in 2010, with Toyota and BMW calling it quits.

And whats going on at McLaren? Lewis Hamilton is under contract until the end of the 2012 season and Kovalainen has been linked to a move elsewhere, but he can still retain his seat for the2010 season if the team can't conclude a deal with Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button or Nick Heidfeld.

No such dramas at Ferrari for 2010 though, With Kimi stepping aside to allow Fernando Alonso a drive, and of course the return of Felipe Massa which should give Ferrari some hope next year.

Boys day out.

Last weekend was the annual speedshow exhibition, A great day out for the boys in Auckland. This year had a line-up of cars and motorcycles - new, performance, classic and customs.

This year's event saw Speedshow fill to capacity with three main halls of the showgrounds, and an extensive outdoor display and activities to add to the attractions for the speed lovers. And the new children's area called Speedshow 4 Kids proved very popular with Roary the Racing Car shows at 10am and 12pm each day.

Some of New Zealand’s best drift cars were alongside historic racing cars and bikes and New Zealand’s best race car simulators.There were new cars and motorcycles from some of the world’s leading manufacturers and exhibitors with a wide range of motoring and motorsport-related products and services, but honestly there’s too much to mention so if you like cars and motorbikes, Speedshow was the place to be.

This year's key draw-cards included the world's fastest NASCAR and the original movie Batmobile from the original Batman movies courtesy of Warner Brothers Movie World on the Gold Coast, The motorbike from the movie "The worlds fastest Indian" as well as the world famous Britten motorbike.

The oldest exhibit was a 1903 Ford that cost 180 pounds when brand-new while nearby was a DTM-spec Mercedes Benz AMG supercar, one of only 100 in the world that cost well over $500,000 new.

This event has only been running 3 years in New Zealand and has already moved venue because of space, It doubles in size every year so next years event should be better again.

Top photo is my 5 year old son with former superbike rider, Aaron Slight.
2nd Photo is the bike from the movie "Worlds fastest Indian"

Kimi to WRC

Ferrari Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen will make his world rally championship debut against drivers such as Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen in his native Finland at the end of July.

The former Formula One world champion (2007) has already competed in three non-championship rallies this year and will enter the Rally of Finland in a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto with compatriot Kaj Lindstrom who was formerly the co-driver to four-times world champion Tommi Makinen.

The Rally of Finland starts on the Friday after the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix in Budapest which is on July 26.

Ford's Mikko Hirvonen leads Citroen's five-times world champion Sebastien Loeb by a point going in to the ninth of the season's 12 rallies.

Raikkonen, has competed in two rallies in Finland and one in Italy since the start of the year and has scored 10 points from eight grands prix this year in Formula One.

Does this mean that Alonso will finally get his chance to drive for Ferrari in place of Kimi?, I personally hope not.

Ellerslie car show 2009

I had many requests from my recent post entitled Rod and custom weekend for pictures of some of New Zealands old classic cars aswell as some supercars etc so i thought i would post some pictures from the ellerslie car show a couple of weeks ago.

If anybody wants full size and full resolution pictures, Please contact me.