 Everything was in place for a smooth cruise to victory for Jenson Button. The weather was perfect, no predictions for rain, and all seemed calm. With last years Monaco GP winner and current world champion Lewis Hamilton having crashed out during qualifying, thus being placed last on the grid, all that was left for Button was to have a great start to the race and maintain his lead. And he did just that.
Both Jenson Button and his team mate, Rubens Barichello, had a great start to the race, with Button quickly taking the lead and Barrichello snatching Kimi Raikonen’s 2nd place. It was basically a smooth cruise to a 1-2 victory from there on for the Brawn GP cars, Button upholding his reputation for being a smooth, consistent driver. A big highlight of the race is seeing Button actually lapping Lewis Hamilton after 36 laps, which came as a shock when we remember what seemed like God-like abilities from Lewis Hamilton at last year’s Monaco race. The race wasn’t without its unfortunate victims though. 10 laps into the race, the first person to retire was Swiss driver, Sebastien Buemi, after he rear-ended his Torro Rosso into Nelson Piquet’s Renault. Piquet was able to remove himself from the accident but only to bring his car into the pits. The next retiree was Sebastien Vettel. When Vettel lost the back end of his Red Bull car and crashed it into a tyre barrier, we could almost hear the breaths of relief from the other drivers. Vettel is proving to be one very competitive driver this season, but the smallest of mistakes meant his race was over with 62 laps left. Kubica was the next to retire after what seemed like technical problems, while Heiki Kovolainen crashed his car into a wall after losing control going over the Piscine chicane, he had 27 laps left. The last of the retirees was Kazuki Nakajima after he lost control of his car going into turn 5 at Mirabeau. “Monaco baby! Yeah! Woohoo!” is what we could hear Jenson Button shouting into the team radio after he won. He has finally won the race that all GP drivers want to win the most, and bathed in the glory that comes with a victory in Monaco. The next race is in two weeks in Turkey. We can’t wait.  This is the latest performance oriented vehicle to be released by Volkswagen, the Scirocco R. While many knew that VW would sooner or later release an R version of the Scirocco, many thought it would be released with an updated version of the 3.2l VR6 engine from previous Golf R32 models. But the latest offering comes with a smaller yet more powerful 2.0l, turbocharged, 4 cylinder engine with an output of 261 bhp/265 PS and 258 lb ft of torque. The choice of the new engine was made in an effort to reduce fuel consumption as well as CO2 emmisions. The engine is a modified version of the Golf GTI's engine and includes; new cylinder heads, direct fuel injection, new fuel injectors, new pistons, new connecting rods, as well as increased boost from the turbocharger complimented with a new intercooler. A six speed manual transmission is available, while VW's DSG double-clutch gearbox is available as an optional extra. But the other surprise is that this R vehicle isn't all-wheel drive as we were expecting, but rather front-wheel drive. Keeping drive to only two wheels has helped keep weight low than if they were to include all-wheel drive. The new Scirocco also comes with the latest version of the Golf GTI's electronic differential. Other important numbers include a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 6.4 seconds, while Co2 emmisions is at 192 g/km, and the combined fuel economy figure is at 34.4 mpg. The new R hit the streets in the fall. source: autocar.co.uk           According to Autocar.co.uk, Porsche is expected to build a brand new supercar to take the place left by the very much loved Carrera GT. However, instead of a V10-engined monster producing a noise very similar to an F1 car, the next supercar will be powered by a twin-turbo V8.
The new car is expected to be called the Spyder RS, honouring Porsche's current Le Mans series racer. The 3.4l twin turbo V8 is expected to pump out 480 hp, while being connected to a seven speed double-clutch gearbox providing drive to the rear wheels. Other features include a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, while a seperate cradle will hold the engine and other bits. It must be said, though, that the car was expected for release in 2012, but amidst the current financial crisis and Porsche's desire to merge with Volkswagen, a delay can be expected. There is always a sense of suspense before the start of a race, many people wondering if their favourite driver or team will win, but for many it's the beginning that really makes people tense. All those cars scrambling to take the lead, often results into crashes. Unfortunately for this weekend, chaos broke loose due to all that scrambling at Pau's city circuit race. Not even the safety car was safe from all the havoc. Drag racing always sounds pretty straight forward, get as little wheel spin as possible coming off the line, change gear at the right revs, and keep it dead straight. Unfortunately the driver of the Renault F1 found out that the latter proved to be harder than one might imagine.  Hollywood superstar, Brad Pitt, is set to take on the role of portraying Steve McQueen in an upcoming Biopic of the legendary actor. For car enthusiasts and movie buffs everywhere, the name Steve McQueen cannot be mentioned without "Bullitt" or "Le Mans" following close.
It must be said though, that it was "Bullitt" that McQueen is mostly remembered for by car nuts. The King of cool, with his dark green, 1968 Ford Mustang chasing down the bad guys in a Dodge Charger up and down the streets of San Francisco is something that will live on as long as cinema is around. This epic car chase scene, has been named by many as the best car chase in the history of cinema. With this said Brad Pitt has a lot to live upto. Though Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen might share a few similar physical features, Brad Pitt is known to go down the traditional path of Hollywood celebrities when it comes to cars - embracing green cars/hybrids. Certainly worlds apart from McQueens keen enthusiasm in cars and motorsports. But will Brad Pitt's acting skills be enough to win over the beloved fans of Steve McQueen? Nothing is impossible, all we have to do is wait until 2010 for the release of the movie to find out.  As the 1st of June approaches, many car enthusiasts were worried that GM would axe the Chevrolet Corvette as part of its restructuring plans, worried it would suffer the same impending doom of Chrysler's Dodge Viper. Here is the latest Roush 427R complete with a supercharged 4.6l V8 making 435 hp. We're still waiting for a proper review, but in the meantime a little noise and action will do just fine.  Button claims fantastic 4th victory in Spain’s GP, after finishing well over 13 seconds ahead of his team-mate Rubens Barrichello in 2nd place. Button also managed to lap current World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished in 9th place, while Mark Webber claimed 3rd place. |