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Posts Tagged ‘Motorsports’

The quietest of the Balearic Islands, Menorca has successfully cultivated her image of a serene, peaceful destination over the years, and appeals to parents with toddlers, couples in their thirties and forties, and the older generation – and of all the holiday islands the take up of villa holidays is most likely in Menorca as opposed to hotel based ones.

There’s only one golf course in Menorca – Son Parc – which surprises a lot of tourists given how well known Spain is for golf holidays. But that’s typical Menorca – just one but it’s of championship quality, easily accessible from all of the island’s holiday resorts, and the Son Parc area has a good collection of hotels and villas to choose from.

Even more of a surprise was when news agencies started to report the arrival of Formula One teams on the island. No less than McLaren, Honda and Ferrari all sent their cars before the start of the F1 season to test.

But for Menorca, the peaceful Mediterranean holiday island, it was a pleasant surprise, and the world of F1 has been well and truly welcomed.

Locals watched on as Lewis Hamilton tested his McLaren at the Aeroclub de Mahon, perfect for straight line testing, which is why Menorca has been chosen by F1 teams – along with the weather in Menorca. Local people are more used to seeing holidaymakers on their flights to Menorca in the summer holiday months at Mahon International Airport than the world’s best drivers at the nearby private airfield the F1 teams are using.

And perhaps some of the Menorca holidays magic rubbed off on Lewis in the first race of this years Grand Prix season – he won the Australian Grand Prix and the top Grand Prix of the year – Monaco – setting himself up to challenge for this year’s driver championship in the process.

Menorca Property

And it’s not just McLaren and Lewis Hamilton who tested in Menorca – Ferrari and Toyota did too, and maybe some of the holiday island’s magic rubbed off on them too as Massa won the third Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain.

And while the world of F1 might be new to Menorca, and Menorca new to F1 – the island does have some other fine sporting facilities to offer tourists when they visit for a holiday.

One example is the golf course at Son Parc. Although it is the only golf course on the island it is championship standard and for golfers it is ideal as it has closeby Menorca villas, apartments and hotels, just a short stroll from the clubhouse. The course is a full 18 hole.

Menorca’s main holiday villages apart from Son Parc are Cala en Porter, Binibeca, Cala’n Bosch, Arenal, Es Castell, Punta Prima and Son Bou. Son Bou has the longest sandy beach in Menorca, while Cala En Porter has a good bay generally regarded as a safe swimming area, and is a favourite for families who take Menorca holidays.

The Menorca holidays market has been boosted recently from the island’s main UK market with the announcement from two different airlines that they are laying on extra Menorca flights this summer to Mahon Airport, not just from London Gatwick but other regional airports throughout the UK. Just an hour and a half flight away from the UK Menorca is ideally situated for a Mediterranean holiday, tourists either stay in one of the Menorca hotels, or alternatively have a villa holiday.

The peak months of the year hotels in Menorca and the holiday industry is, like many other holiday islands, July and August. But for people who can choose when to take their vacations, the best month to visit Menorca is June. The island is still quiet but all the holiday resorts are up and running, and good deals for flights to Menorca and villas as well as the hotels in Menorca can be found in June. Other good times to visit are May, and for the end of the season anytime between the second week of September and the first week of October.

Watch out for who might be overtaking you in that Aston Martin or Ferrari while on Menorca’s roads next year.

The former German Formula 1 World Cup Champion Michael Schumacher retired in 2006 on the basis that there is no guarantee that he will able to compete for the title again. After his 90th Grand-Prix victory and after a 15-year career he thought this would be the right moment to leave the Formula 1 with dignity. He stated that it was a very difficult decision for him but someday everybody needs to make a decision. Even so the 39-year-old remained faithful to Ferrari and he is now a test driver and consultant for the team.

Since 2007 it seems that Schumacher became more and more interested in the Formula 1 on two wheels. At the beginning of the year he already took part in some test drives in the motorsport and then in November drove 58 rounds on the motorcycle of the Australian MotoGP World Cup Champion Casey Stoner. With his own minimum time he was just five seconds slower than the at that time valid circuit record. Schumacher said he was just having fun driving the motorcycle and he was not planning to participate in a real race. This year it seems he changed his mind about that comment.

On March 20th this year, Schumacher showed that he is a born race driver in the motorsport as well. He started at a Motorcycle Road Race at the Pannonia Ring in Hungary at the invitation of the Honda team. With exactly two minutes at the 4,5 kilometer circuit the German drove that fastest lap in the training phase and could qualify to start at the front row. In the main race he came third after the Austrian professionals Martin Bauer and Andy Meklau, hence he was the best amateur. He abandoned the victory ceremony in order to avoid the bustle.

The race is part of the Skoox-Cup, a semiprofessional racing series which was initiated by the Austrian IDM-Superbike driver Mike Wohner. Die Racing-for-Fun event is divided in two different categories: Superbikes under and over 600 ccm.

Next Sunday, on March 30th, he will try his luck again and try to qualify for the contest for the KTM-Super-Duke-Trophy. The race is organized by the Austrian motor vehicle manufacturer KTM and takes place at the Italian race circuit Mugello whereby the drivers have to absolve ten laps.

Schumacher’s fans would be very happy about a comeback in another division but with his action he did not only win himself praise. The former Fomula-1 team chef and executive manager of Ferrari Jean Todt is upset and wishes a motorcycle prohibition for Schumacher. With the concerns of a parent he said: „It doesn’t please me at all to see him participating in the motorcycle races, we all know that this can be very dangerous.“

The first race of the season doesn’t begin until March but with the implementation of the new rules, which was designed to decrease a team’s operational costs as evidenced by Honda’s recent decision to put its team up for sale due to the prevailing ills in the economy worldwide, it is estimated that the teams shall be saving a lot of money.

These rules were agreed upon by Federation International Automobile chairperson Max Mosely and the rest of the team representives during a meeting in December of 2008. I didn’t pay attention to what these changes are the first time it was talked about. But after seeing all the cars for this season, it made me browse through the net in search of these new rules. I also noticed that some races were scrapped and others were included.

So below are the changes viewers will notice once Formula One race season starts on March 27

- Though there are still 17 races in the calendar, the Canadian and French Grand Prix have been dropped. Abu Dhabi is the new race venue.

- Force India shall be using Mercedes engines in their cars this season. The team used Ferrari engines before. But they signed a technical partnership agreement with McLaren Mercedes hence the transfer.

- Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s chief operating officer replaces Ron Dennis as McLaren Formula 1 racing team’s top guy. The two men have been working as a tandem even before Dennis decided to quit McLaren to preside over other projects of the McLaren Group. Dennis will still be watching the races but not as often as before.

- Sebastian Vettel, the Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari driver who won the race at Monza has switched teams and joined Red Bull Racing as a replacement for the now retired David Coulthard.

- The biggest change that the organizers is enforcing is the rule of eliminating all areodynamic features of the car’s bodywork and wings. The cars also have a wider front wing and a narrower and higher rear wing. The purpose is to give the driver more chances to overtake during a race by increasing mechanical grip while decreasing downforce created by the leading car’s aerodynamics.

- Slick tires make its comeback with groove tires replaced.

- KERS or Kinetic Energy Recovery System may be used optionally in the cars for this season. What a KERS unit does is it stores kinetic energy produced by the heat given off during braking and stores it. The driver can then use the stored energy with a flick of a switch to give the car extra power.  The rules though limit the unit to releasing a maximum of 80 horsepower for seven seconds each lap. It should not add up the rpm, which is at 18,000 but may provide the driver the added power when trying to pass a driver or when defending one’s position.

- Other rule changes include the ban on testing during the season. All in-season testing shall be performed during the open Friday practice sessions on race day weekends.

- Drivers must use the same engines for three consecutive race weekends, with each driver in a team having eight. To improve an engine’s durability, rev limit were reduced to 18,000 from the previous 19,000.

With these changes, each driver is in a level playing field, with their championship hopes resting on the fact that all of the teams have to adjust and adjust fast to these new rules.

See the live Formula One race results at ScoresPro.com

June fifteenth this year would be the day when the Boy Scouts of America’s Cascade Pacific Council would be honoring the Ford Motor Company. The company would be given by the mentioned council as the Motorsports Company of the Year. Such an event would take place during the council’s 17th yearly Motorsports Breakfast which would be held in Portland, Oregon. In fact, this breakfast is essentially done as an element of the activities and events of the Grand Prix of Portland which is an annual stop of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.

It was Ron Bennett who presented and gave the Motorsports Company of the Year award to the Ford Motor Company. Ron Bennett is one of the members of the Motorsports Breakfast Steering Council . While respecting the company, he declares, “There are a lot of likenesses between the Ford Motor Company and the Boy Scouts. The perfect example is the Pinewood Derby. We both exercise imaginations and study the trials and tribulations of building the perfect race automobile. From planning the automobile, putting the weights and even developing paint schemes, the Scouts make preparations for their races in pretty much the same way our engineers test and develop our race cars.”

This award is a distinction that is recognized well enough by the company. Essentially, Jamie Allison, the manager for the Ford Racing Performance Group, had things to say about this. He states, “It is an honor to be recognized by the Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America. I am privileged to accept this award on behalf of Ford Racing Technology and Ford Racing Technology and Ford Racing. It for us to be recognized by an association that has such an effect on the young folks of the Portland area and across the country.” With the various sorts of awards and accolades that the company has received through the years, this award would be another one that would be part of the corporation’s treasure.

Built according to the stringent requirements of the FIA, the Dubai Autodrome is not just your average motor racing track. As the first FIA-approved circuit to integrate wide asphalt run-off regions, the 5.39km track is also one of the most technically difficult, high-speed race venues in the world. Complete with six diverse configurations that permit three circuits to function entirely independently at the same time, other highlights include a two floor ultra modern grandstand facing complex, a timekeeping room, pit complex, media centre, race/safety control room and of course VIP suites. The digital surveillance network in the Dubai Autodrome is also impressive for its all encompassing view of the track while the CCTV system connected to the race/safety control room record every minute detail of the action taking place on the track.

Perhaps the most popular attraction at the Dubai Autodrome is its first of its kind VIP suites that affords spectators an unparalleled view of the action from literally metres away from the track. The venue’s Media Centre also encompasses sophisticated computer and fax capabilities and individual ISDN lines and other amenities that meet the standards of local and international press personalities.  The Pit Complex is also worth the visit as it houses 30 team garages as well as a comfortable traditional racing paddock which serves as a hospitality point for staffers and team members. The karting track at Kartdrome is another preferred location among seasoned guests who tour this mega sporting arena which also doubles as a concert hall and a popular venue for motor exhibitions, conferences business events and workshops.

Visitors must also drop by the Autodrome’s Race and Driving School which offers budding drivers, amateurs and interested parties with the technical know-how on reaching the finish line as professionals do. The programs conducted by the institution encompasses practical and theoretical knowledge of motor sports while students also get to clock in real time at the circuit that played host to the 2004 Formula Renault V6 Euro cup season final round.

Those looking for a conveniently located Dubai luxury hotels need not look any further than the elegant Grand Millennium Dubai. Less than 40 minutes from the airport, the hotel is also within easy reach of the city’s finest attractions including famed Emirates Towers and Ski Dubai.