Qualifying Round - Webber pips Vettel to pole in Spain

Source by: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2010/5/10742.html

Red Bull put on yet another stunning display of raw speed at Barcelona during qualifying on Saturday afternoon, as Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel dominated all three sessions to fight for pole position, the team’s fifth of the season.

On his final run in Q3 Vettel went to the top with a lap of 1m 20.101s, but Webber’s best aced him as 1m 19.995s won the Australian his second pole of the year.

Behind them Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren was a breathless best of the rest on 1m 20.829s, moving ahead of Fernando’s Alonso Ferrari which the Spaniard had lapped in 1m 20.937s. Jenson Button sandwiched the red car after taking his McLaren round in 1m 20.991s.

Right at the end Michael Schumacher confirmed how much more comfortable he feels in the revamped Mercedes by snatching sixth place with 1m 21.294s, leaving the ever-impressive Robert Kubica seventh for Renault on 1m 21.353s, Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg on 1m 21.408s, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa on 1m 21.585s, and BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi on 1m 21.984s from his sole run.

Alonso, criticised by some in China for his passing move on team mate Massa on the pit lane entry, annoyed Nico Rosberg as Q3 began by pulling straight out in front of him in the pit road. Ferrari have since been handed a $20,000 fine after the FIA decided Alonso had been unsafely released.

Qualifying took place on a bone dry track and with warm sunshine and a steady wind.

As Webber and Vettel fought for P1 in Q2, Force India’s Adrian Sutil narrowly lost out to Rosberg, his 1m 21.985s leaving him 11th ahead of BMW Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa on 1m 22.026s, Williams’s Nico Hulkenberg on 1m 22.131s, Renault’s Vitaly Petrov on 1m 22.139s, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi on 1m 22.191s and Jaime Alguersuari on 1m 22.207s and Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi on 1m 22.854s.

Petrov, however, falls from 14th to 19th because Renault changed his gearbox after his shunt in final practice this morning.

Rubens Barrichello was the fastest faller in Q1, after lapping his Williams in 1m 23.125s. Behind him the Lotus duo was again closely matched, with Jarno Trulli on 1m 24.674s and Heikki Kovalainen on 1m 24.748s. That was comfortably ahead of the Virgins, with Timo Glock on 1m 25.475s and Lucas di Grassi on 1m 25.556s. Karun Chandhok was again the faster HRT on 1m 26.750s, with Bruno Senna on 1m 27.122s.

The Virgins, however, each get a five-place grid penalty for the team’s failure to notify the FIA within two hours of second practice of the gear ratios the team chose for Saturday.

With all the penalties taken into account, Buemi will start 14th from Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Barrichello, Trulli, Petrov, Kovalainen, Chandhok, Senna, Glock and Di Grassi.

Fact or Fiction: Turbo Inspection

Although rare, turbo failures do happen. Most failures are oil related but can be cause by a number of problems including age, thrust bearing failure from low oil pressure, or improver blow off valve adjustment of size. A loss in power and low boost can be traced to a cracked or tight spinning center cartridge, broken or seized wastegates, broken compressor shaft, or damaged wheel. Foreign object or dirt ingestion aka dusting can cause inlet blades to round off or become damage if an air filter isn't used.

Important:
Periodically remove your filter or inlet pipes and check the radial play of the input shaft by gently moving it back and forth. If there is more than normal ( about 0.5mm ) of play on either side f the shaft, it's out of balance and requires service to keep the journal bearings from wearing out.

By JLean

Fact of Fiction: Contaminated Oil

Checking your engine oil should be a vital part of your car's regular maintenance schedule. Oil is what keeps the engine running smoothly. If you fail to keep that oil clean and topped off, you will definitely run into engine wear problems in the future.

The general rule of thumb is if it's black, get an oil change. If it's white or mocha coloured, it can be a sign that a blown head gasket is leaking coolant into the cylinders and mixing with the oil. As the engine accumulates mileage, blowly increases. This dump more unburned fuel into the crankcase, which dilutes the oil and causes accelerated wear on engine components such as BEARING and PISTONS, not to mention a loss of performance and fuel economy.

By: JLean

Automotive's part sound produce by Human

Saw this video in youtube and it amazed me that a real person can actually produce sounds such as engine revving, blow of valve's noise and Turbo sounds. Cool to see that, Check it out ya'll

Audi launches R8 GT

Source By: http://star-motoring.com/blog/permalink.asp?id=1160

Audi has introduced a GT variant of the R8, and this limited-edition variant is more powerful, lighter and faster than the production version R8. The production run will only be 333 units, and each R8 GT will have a badge with its production number on the shift lever knob.

For starters, the output of the 5.2l V10 has been increased to 552bhp, while vehicle weight has been reduced by roughly 100kg - in terms of performance, the R8 GT does the 0-100kmh in 3.6secs and achieves a top speed of 320kmh.

The exterior features modifications that not only sharpen the appearance, but reduce the weight and enhance the aerodynamics. The single-frame grille is finished in matt titanium grey, while the grille is painted matt black, and the splitter under the bumper has a double lip and is made of carbon. Slender, curved flics at the corners of the nose increase the downforce on the front axle and are also made of a carbon fiber composite. The car features LED headlights as standard, and these use light-emitting diodes for all functions.

The R8 GT gets 19-inch wheels with an exclusive five twin-spoke Y design in a titanium-look finish. At the back, there's a fixed wing made of matte carbon, while the ventilation louvres on both sides of the rear hatch and the CFRP bumper, which integrates the large, round tailpipes and vents for the wheel wells, have been redesigned

A number of items were reworked to get the weight down. These include the windshield, which is made of thinner glass. As for the bulkhead between the passenger cell and engine compartment, as well as the window in the rear hatch, these feature the use of polycarbonate, and together with the windshield, trim 9kg off. Elsewhere, the fixed rear wing is 1.2kg lighter, and thinner sheet metal and additional cutouts shave 2.6kg from the front aluminum bonnet. Additionally, among the weight reduction areas, the rear hatch on the R8 GT is made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is 6.6kg lighter, and the rear bumper and the sideblades, made from CFRP reduce another 5.2kg and 1.5kg respectively.

Besides the increased power output, torque is also up by 10Nm from the production version, to 540Nm at 6,500rpm. Elsewhere, carbon fibre ceramic brake discs come as standard issue, and red anodised aluminium brake calipers will be exclusive to the GT. The car also gets an ESP stabilisation program that has been specially tuned to it.

A number of exclusive features are available as options for the R8 GT. Exterior options include two alternative wheels, a body-colour front splitter and a CFRP engine compartment lining. Carbon elements on the doors, the tunnel, in the cockpit and on the instrument panel are available as interior options.

Other items include a multifunction leather steering wheel, seat belts in red, orange or grey, floor mats with the R8 GT logo and CFRP door sill trims illuminated in red. Speaking of which, there are plenty of R8 GT logos about in and out of the car, which is available in four colours - Samoa Orange metallic, Suzuka Grey metallic, Ice Silver metallic and Phantom Black pearl effect.

A race package is available for racing enthusiasts. It includes a bolt-in roll bar in red or black, which has both road and type approval, as well as road-approved four-point belts, again in red or black, a fire extinguisher and a kill switch for the battery. An optional front bar module for motorsports evens includes a rotary lock for the four-point seatbelt and turns the roll bar into a full cage.

Fact & Fiction: Screw up Intercooler

Sorry about the picture above, Took it using my hp. The following picture is repairing the fins of the intercooler by using both the Flat Head screwdriver.

Intercoolers improve the efficiency and power in turbo applications by rapidly radiating heat from the compresses intake charge before it enters combustion. Intercooler fins play a crucial role in the intercooler's ability to keep your vehicle's intake temperature cool. Over time, the intercooler's fins can bend or clog from road debris and small rocks, causing a dissruption in airflow.

By Using a pair of flat ends screwdrivers and press together to straighten them back to their original shape. A pair of wide tip tweezers can also help speeding up the process.

By JLean

Formula 1 by Lotus Cosworth T127

Lotus Racing Official Site @ http://www.lotusracing.my/index.php

Lotus Cosworth T127 Specification
Engine: Cosworth V8 CA2010
Chassis material: Carbon Fibre
Bodywork material: Carbon Fibre
Front Suspension: Carbon Fibre
Rear Suspension:  Carbon Fibre
Dampers: Penske
Steering: Lotus
Gearbox: X-Trac
Clutch AP Carbon Multi Plate
Discs: Hitco
Calipers: AP
Pads: Hitco
Cooling system ( radiators, Heat exchangers): In house Lotus
Cockpit Instrumentation: MES
Seat Belts: Sparco
Steering wheel: Lotus
Driver's Seat: Lotus
Extinguisher system: FEV
Wheels: BBS to Lotus Spec
Fuel cell: ATL
Battery: Yassa
Wheel Base: More than 3000mm
Overall height: 950mm

The Steering Wheel

Cadillac Escalade with Awesome Rim

Love the car lights did to the car. Check it out ya'll. Looks really cool and funky. I wonder how is it done.

Customized Dashboard meters

This dashboard is fully customized where I see Defi Turbo Boost Meter, Defi Rpm Meter, Defi Digital Speed Meter and many other stuff. It looks neat unlike people who just simply screw it ere and there. Not a bad design though and it comes with a carbon fiber background which make it look more interesting.

Thailand, Bangkok Motor Show 2010

Check out the video below for the nicely modified rides and also check out the babes there though. =). Happy Sunday and enjoy the video.