WALES RALLY GB

Newly crowned WRC champ Sebastien Loeb signed off his season in style – with a win in last weekend’s Wales Rally GB. It’s the first time the five-time champion has won the British event. His victory also helped Citroen secure the manufacturers’ title for the first time since 2005.

But Loeb didn’t have an easy run to the flag, as he had to battle treacherously icy conditions and competition from Ford’s Jarri-Matti Latvala. The young Finn led the rally for two days and was overhauled by his French rival only on the final stage. The third podium place was taken by Dani Sordo, who drove the second factory Citroen C4.

Ford's bid for a third straight manufacturer's crown was thwarted at the end of the first day when Mikko Hirvonen rolled his Focus. The Finn lost nearly four minutes on the leaders, but was able to fight back up to eighth place at the finish.

Top Brit was Matthew Wilson, who brought his Ford Focus home in ninth, while MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi put in an impressive performance, finishing in 12th position.

Finally, British youngster Tom Cave starred on his WRC debut. Just days after passing his driving test, the 17-year old guided his Ford Fiesta to 30th overall, and won his class by a comfotable 15 minutes!

SOURCE

F1 PILOT SALARIES TO BE CHOP DOWN?

F1 pilot is a millionaire. Everyone knows that. They are profesional sportsman. They risking their live, willing to push to the limits whereas not everybody can do it. But their salaries, brings headache to the team as the economic down took place.

For example, last year Kimi was name as the highest paid pilot at a whopping $52 million per season (USD). That's huge event my salary for my whole life will never gain as that much. LOL.

That's just the 'gaji pokok' If they win or gain points, they'll get more. And this situation brings problems to the sport. Everything was overpaid. Even the champaigne use for victory lane are costing a lot.

So Max Mosley and Sir Frank Williams warned that the issue of pilot's salaries would become the next battleground after the Honda F1 Team's 'resignation'.

“Drivers’ salaries are the one major snag, an area not addressed in the teams’ unified decision to reduce spending,” said Sir Frank. “If McLaren don’t want to pay Hamilton £15m, then someone else will. Any suggestion of a gentleman’s agreement on this would never happen.”

It was that serious. Then the governing body have to do something. Introducing a standard engine is one choice. Although as for me it's just rubbish, period! But for the sake of the sport, it's ok I guest.

RED BULL F1 TEAM TO QUIT F1?

Ada khabar angin yang mengatakan selepas Honda F1 Team yang bertindak untuk berundur diri daripada F1, akan diiringi pula oleh Red Bull F1 Team. Max Mosley orang kuat F1 berpendirian bahawa akan ada yang mengikut trend Honda selepas ini, dan Adam Par, ketua Mclaren F1 menganggarkan hanya 8 pasukan yang akan kekal untuk musim 2009.

Kita tahu Red Bull baru sahaja mengambil alih Toro Rosso. Mereka membeli sebanyak 50% saham dari Berger Motorsport. Apa yang menjadikan Red Bull diwar-warkan untuk mengikut jejak langkah Honda F1 Team? Ini kerana bukan Red Bull yang bermasalah, tetapi Toro Rosso dikatakan mendapat tempias masalah ekonomi semasa. Mereka dikatakan sedang mencari pembeli baru dan jika dilihat dari prestasi mereka di musim 2008, berkemungkinan besar agak sukar bagi mereka untuk mencari pemegang saham baru. Ini bermakna Red Bull tidak akan meletakkan pasukan mereka untuk musim 2009 selagi mereka tidak mempunyai rakan baru untuk menaja pasukan mereka.

Apa yang penting sekarang ialah, FOA perlu mencari jalan untuk mengurangkan kos perbelanjaan bagi setiap musim F1. Sememangnya perbelanjaan F1 meningkat sepangjang tahun. Labih banyak kos dibazirkan untuk 'luaran' perlumbaan. Kos perlu dipotong sehingga 40% sekiranya FOA berkehendakkan lebih banyak pasukan untuk musim depan.

RALLY ROSSI

Six-times world MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi temporarily hung up his motorcycle leathers to slip into the one-piece Nomex suit of a top-line rally driver in the Wales Rally GB, the last event in the 2008 World Rally Championship calendar.

Rossi, who has also posted some impressive lap times testing a Formula One Ferrari in Italy, took the wheel of Ford Focus world rally car, run by the official M-Sport team in the UK.

The Italian is hardly a newcomer to the world of rallying: he took his first win in the 2006 Monza rally. He first tackled the Wales Rally GB in 2002 and the New Zealand Rally in 2006. The 2008 Wales Rally GB was based in Cardiff and ran from December 5 to 7.

Overall times after SS19 / Day 3 - Top 20:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2hours 43mins 09.6secs M
2. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford 08 +00mins 12.7secs M
3. Daniel Sordo Citroen +01mins 20.6secs M
4. Petter Solberg Subaru +01mins 59.6secs M
5. Per-Gunnar Andersson Suzuki +04mins 04.1secs M
6. Francois Duval Stobart VK Ford Focus 07 +05mins 07.8secs MT
7. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki +05mins 25.0secs M
8. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford 08 05mins 38.8secs M

9. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus +08mins 13.9secs MT
10. Barry Clark Stobart VK Ford Focus +09mins 53.1secs A8
11. Patrik Flodin Subaru +12mins 51.7secs P / B

12. Valentino Rossi Stobart VK Ford Focus +13mins 20.4secs A8
13. Andreas Aigner Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +14mins 33.8secs P
14. Guy Wilks Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +14mins 59.4secs P / B
15. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen +15mins 21.3secs A8
16. Khalid Al Qassimi BP Ford +15mins 24.2secs A8
17. Jari Ketomaa Subaru +17mins 38.6secs P
18. Gwyndaf Evans Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +20mins 03.2secs N4 / B
19. Steve Perez Stobart VK Ford Focus +20mins 40.7secs A8
20. Hermann Gassner Jr Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +24mins 02.0secs N4

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MALAYSIA MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION PATROL CAR

Millions spent to make sure criminals don’t escape

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian police has bought 25 high-powered Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution cars to catch criminals and speed hogs.

The cars, worth several millions of ringgit, would be fitted with safety gadgets and would sport the looks of police patrol cars.

Sources said the police had al­­ready taken possession and were testing the cars before sending them to the Road Transport Depart­ment for registration and approval.

“The cars are to be used in high-speed car chase, especially in cases of carjacking, kidnapping and hi­­jacking.

“The speed of the cars would enable the police to catch up with criminals who often used modified turbo charged cars to escape,” they said.

Several police personnel have been sent to undergo intensive driving classes to ensure they are able to handle the super charged cars, they added.

The cars, they said, would also be used by the highway patrol unit to monitor speed hogs or illegal racers.Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan confirmed the purchase but declined to elaborate.

The Star - Star Motoring

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Better think twice after this before breaking and running from the LAW. LOL. This is good. After the Satria GT-i for the highway patrol, we're actually going to see some sort of 'supercar' as a patrol car for the police. Ricers, Ouch! LOL. Better don't cucuk2 the police after this. Got Evo already.

Oh! The picture are from Autojuntions self interpretation of the car. Nicely done there.

WHEN CHRIS RATTUE TALKS ABOUT F1

Chris Rattue: F1 bombshell - who cares

Formula One fans, of which there are legions, will be wondering what else is in store for the sport after Honda said they would be pulling out of F1.

For those of us who reckon F1 is a carnival of excess devoid of character, the giant carmaker's withdrawal is a case of "good job".

Honda could surely have afforded to stay in this race, but maybe they took note of tough times for many workers and decided that chucking millions of dollars after these glory boys was not a good look anymore.

Yes, Honda would probably have stayed in had they been more successful in finding the chequered flag. But not necessarily so, because such a successful company must know when it is time to put the chequebook away.

F1 has turned into a sea of boring technological advancements which have all but submerged the personalities of the drivers. You still have to admire their skill, but certainly not nearly as much as when true characters like Jackie Stewart and co. ruled the track.

There are moves to standardise F1 engines but only time will tell if the big boys let the drivers do the work and stop this insanely expensive type of space race.

It has reached the point where it is impossible to know whether the scientists or drivers are winning the races. At that point, there is no point.

SOURCE

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Agree to what he said. F1 has been an expensive toy. Overpaid in everything. Good points there Chris.