Saturday, 14 June 2014
Friday, 13 June 2014
Thursday, 12 June 2014
On This Day in Formula One - 12 June
1889
The birth of Otto Merz, a mechanic turned chauffeur, who was a driver in the motorcade when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, later moving into racing where he won the 1924 German Grand Prix.
1966
John Surtees drove his Ferrari to victory in the Belgian Grand Prix after taking the lead from Jochen Rindt on the 24th of 28 eight-and-a-half mile laps. In dreadful weather Jackie Stewart crashed on the first lap and was rushed to hospital with multiple broken bones, and only seven of the 15 starters made it to the end of the lap. Graham Hill spotted Stewart lying upside down in his car in a ditch and stopped to pull him out as petrol poured over him. Although Hill was mechanically fit to continue, he had lost so much time rescuing Stewart he decided he had too much time to make up and so retired.
1983
Rene Arnoux led the Canadian Grand Prix from start to finish to beat Eddie Cheever by 40 seconds. Keke Rosberg finished fourth, his Williams-Cosworth the first non-turbo car to score points in the season, and he might have done better had he not been blocked by Andrea de Cesaris for several laps.
1988
McLaren's dominance continued with its fifth win in five races at the Canadian Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna beating Alain Prost by 5.6 seconds. "I'm very satisfied to have beaten the driver I regard as the best in the business," Senna grinned afterwards. The real contest was for third and lower which was won by Thierry Boutsen in a Benetton-Ford. The real courage came from Derek Warwick who a day earlier had crashed his Arrows at 100mph - he finished seventh and at the end was so bruised and exhausted he had to be lifted out of his cockpit.
1993
A stand-off between teams and FISA on the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix left both parties angry. FISA issued an inflammatory document claiming many teams' technological developments were illegal and attempted to curb them for the following season. "It only inspires a hardening of attitudes at a time we are all looking for a compromise," warned Ron Dennis.
1994
Michael Schumacher's fifth win in six races at the Canada Grand Prix opened a 28 point lead over Damon Hill which was never overcome. Hill's hopes were dashed when he got stuck behind David Coulthard - "I was getting a bit cheesed off but I don't think I could have caught Schumacher," Hill admitted. Coulthard was less impressed. "I eventually waved Damon through in response to team orders," he said, "but I think I was entitled to race my way. I'm disappointed Damon spoke to the press before me."
2005
Kimi Raikkonen took advantage of a double retirement from Renault to win a dramatic Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso retiring from the lead within six laps of each other. Juan Pablo Montoya jumped a red light at the end of the pit lane and was disqualified from second, giving Ferrari a double on the podium as Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello finished second and third. Jenson Button's hopes of third were shattered when he bounced over the kerbs at the final chicane and slammed into the wall. "The problem I had in the hairpin was I ran wide and I didn't realise how much rubbish got on the tyres because coming into the chicane I just had huge understeer," he shrugged. "That was it really. I should have gone across the green stuff but I thought if I did that I would have to let Michael pass and I didn't want to do that. I'd rather crash in third than finish fourth really."
Information obtained on ESPNF1.com
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
'Open Goal' - By Jake Davis
This fantastic weekly F1 Toon was designed and created by Jake Davis Creative. Prints are available in sizes A4, A3 and A2. Commissions are also available. If you would like to order a PRINT of this fantastic F1 Toon feel free to contact him via:
E-mail - davisjake@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter - @JakeDDCreative
Monday, 9 June 2014
On This Day in Formula One - 09 June.
Information obtained on ESPNF1.com Compiled and edited by Myself.
Sunday, 8 June 2014
On This Day in Formula One [08 June]
Information obtained on ESPNF1.com Compiled and edited by Myself.
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Canadian Grand Prix Broadcast Times (South Africa Only)
These Broadcast Times have been obtained through the Supersport Online (TV Guide)
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
'Jule's in Monaco's Crown'
This fantastic weekly F1 Toon was designed and created by Jake Davis Creative. Prints are available in sizes A4, A3 and A2. Commissions are also available. If you would like to order a PRINT of this fantastic F1 Toon feel free to contact him via:
E-mail - davisjake@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter - @JakeDDCreative
Saturday, 31 May 2014
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Thursday, 29 May 2014
Cape Speed set their sights on the 2014 Formula Student UK competition.
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The Cape Speed team with CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu who attended the unveiling of their Formula Student racing car.
Image by: Candes Keating
|
A group of Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) engineering students named Cape Speed, will compete in the International Formula Student event at Silverstone, UK in July. CPUT’s Formula Student programme brings together students from different disciplines with a goal of building a single seat race car for participation in the prestigious Formula Student UK competition.
 |
| Cape Speed's 2014 Formula Student car. Image by: Enver Van Boom |
Formula Student is run by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers at the Silverstone circuit and backed by industry and high-profile engineers such as Ross Brawn. The competition challenges universities across the world to design and build a single-seater racing car and compete in a variety of static and dynamic events, which would demonstrate their understanding and test the performance of the vehicle. The aim of the competition is to equip Mechanical Engineering students with the skills to become Formula One race engineers.
Cape Speed made their debut at the 2012 Formula Student competition when they made history by becoming the first team from Africa to complete the 4-day event which included scrutineering and an endurance event. The team was ranked 65th out of 132 overall and came 27th out of 132 for the endurance stage of the event.
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| The car has been named Prins, after CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu. Image by: Enver Van Boom |
On the 27th of May, Cape Speed launched their 2014 Formula Student racing car which features a carbon fibre chassis and a fuel efficient engine. The car was designed and manufactured by students based at CPUT’s TIA Adaptronics AMTL research unit and the car was named Prins, after CPUT’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu.
The Formula Student UK 2014 competition will take place from the 9 - 13 July 2014 at Silverstone Circuit.
Monday, 19 May 2014
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Monday, 5 May 2014
2014 Spanish Grand Prix - QUIZ
Do you love Formula One as much as I do? Well if your answer is "YES" give this Quiz a try! Feel free to tweet the answers to @JunaidSamodien_ or leave your answers in the comment section below. #F1Magic #SpanishGPMagic
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Do you know where your car was made?
South Africans really love their cars – it is plain to see in everyday life here, but if you require further evidence you can look to the steady increase in the number of people with car insurance, this despite the costs of our cover being among the world’s most expensive. The global automotive industry has come a long way since the humble horse and carriage in the 1800s, and globalisation has played a huge role in the success and competitiveness of car manufacturers around the world.
Cars
have become a part of what we do every day. They are intricately entrenched in
our lifestyles and we often take them for granted, but how often do we don’t
stop to think where they actually come from?
One
of the most popular car brands among South Africans is the Toyota Hilux, with 2
739 sold here in the month of September 2013. Toyota originates in Japan and
has its headquarters in Tokyo. In South Africa, all Toyotas are made at Toyota’s
headquarters in the Kwazulu-Natal – these are then transported to Toyota
dealerships across the country. Another popular vehicle is the VW Polo, selling
2 634 models (September 2013) and the Polo Vivo (2435 sales). VW comes from
Germany and is still currently made in Wolfsburg, Germany. Locally, the VW
factory is situated in Uitenhage, an industrial town 35 km outside Port
Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. VW is then also transported to VW dealerships
all over the country.
This means that because Asia currently has the best industrial mix of low-cost technology and affordable labour, it is a firm favourite when it comes to the manufacture of motor vehicles. This is why most brands of vehicles have factory plants there.
Other
hugely popular vehicle brands in South Africa are Ford, BMW and Mercedes. While
the Ford it is a product of General motors, an American firm, it was likely
assembled in Asia. Silverton, Pretoria is the manufacturing home of all Ford
vehicles in South Africa. BMW and Mercedes Benz are German products. BMW is
headquartered in Munich, Germany and is locally based in Rosslyn, near
Pretoria. Mercedes Benz has its headquarters in the German city of Stuttgart,
while its local plant is in East London, Eastern Cape.
Peugeot
and Renault are French vehicles and if you’re lucky enough to drive a Ferrari,
your car was most likely hand crafted in Italy. Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo come
from Korea, while Honda and Mitsubishi have their origins in Japan.
Cars
and vehicles have evolved so much in the last century; we have gone from the
horse and carriage to multi-million rand luxury vehicles. People have also
changed their preference in automotive transport, and instead of expensive
super cars, which only the extremely wealthy can afford, they are moving toward
more practical vehicles. For example, the newest innovations in car
manufacturing are cars that can park themselves – Ford and Honda are among the
first to do this. It cuts parking time and is especially popular among women
and new drivers who haven’t yet mastered parallel parking.
Most
of the world’s cars come from China, with 14 485 326 produced in 2011 alone
(worldmeters.info). This can be attributed to the fact that the average car has
over 30 000 unique parts. Most of the additional pieces, such as seat covers,
music systems, lights, mirrors and new electronics such as hands-free kits are
made and installed in China. It’s cheaper and faster for the industry to
perform operations in this way, and the quality remains fairly good.
South
Africans spend a lot of time in their cars and are willing to spend a lot of
money on them. It is wise to get your car covered by
a decent insurance policy so that if something happens to it you’ll be safe in
the knowledge that you can restore it to its former glory.
Ayrton Senna: The man behind the legend
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| The young Ayrton Senna in his Karting days. Source: FormulaOneStuff.com |
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| The winner of the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix Ayrton Senna. Source: Formula1.com |
Senna made his Formula One
debut with Toleman in 1984 before moving
to Lotus the following year and winning six Grand Prix’s
over the next three seasons. In 1988, he joined Alain
Prost at McLaren. Among them, they won all but one of the 16 Grand
Prix’s that season and Senna claimed his first World Championship. Prost
claimed the championship in 1989, and Senna his second and third championships
in 1990 and 1991. In 1992, Senna managed to finish
the 1993 season as
runner-up, winning five races and negotiating a move to Williams for the 1994
season.
Former F1 driver John Watson said "He
did things with the car that I hadn’t even thought about, let alone put in to
practice. After witnessing this, I knew that my time as racecar driver was
effectively over.”
 |
| Ayrton Senna the Rain-master piloting his McLaren. Source: McLarenF1 |
Ayrton
Senna is and will also be well known for his exceptional driving during
wet conditions, winning almost every Grand Prix in those conditions. But he
wasn't always a rain-master. He would win every race in the dry, but when it
rained, he wasn’t any good. Completely unhappy with his results in the rain,
Ayrton would sit at his local karting circuit, just waiting for it to rain. He
would spend hours in the wet, often coming home soaking wet. While every other
driver wanted shelter in the wet conditions, Ayrton was the first to get out
there and drive.
Ayrton Senna - "Being
a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go
for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are
competing, competing to win. And the main motivation is to compete for victory;
it's not to come 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th. I race to win as long as I feel it's
possible. Sometimes you get it wrong? Sure, it's impossible to get it right all
the time. But I race designed to win, as long as I feel I'm doing it
right."
.jpg) |
| A famous photograph of Senna getting a lift from Mansell. Source: formulaonestuff.com |
Ayrton Senna has been
voted the best driver of all time in various motorsport polls. He was recognized
for his qualifying speed over one lap and
from 1989 until 2006 held the record for most pole
positions. He was also much-admired for his wet weather performances, such as
the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, and
the 1993 European Grand Prix. He holds a record six victories at the prestigious Monaco
Grand Prix, and is the third most successful driver of all time in terms
of race wins. Senna courted controversy throughout his career,
particularly during his rivalry with Alain Prost. Both the 1989 Championship
won by Prost and the 1990 Championship won by Senna were decided by collisions
between the pair at those years' Japanese Grands Prix.
Ayrton
Senna F1 Statistics:
 |
| Ayrton Senna focussed on the job at hand. Source: RoadandTrack.com |
Races Attended
|
162
|
Races Won
|
41
|
Pole Positions
|
65
|
Fastest Laps
|
19
|
Points
|
610
|
Championships
|
3 (1988 1990 1991)
|
 |
| The children who attend the Instituto Ayrton Senna. Source: Michele Zollini |
Ayrton
Senna’s greatest accomplishments may have come off the track. It only became
clear after his unfortunate death that Senna had been donating millions of his
own money to charities for children in his home country. Senna recognized the
hardships that many of his countrymen faced and was most concerned about kids
and their future.
The
legacy of Senna's death is that safety standards in F1 and across numerous
other formulas have improved significantly. No driver has lost their life in F1
since Senna's death. Ayrton Senna da Silva exuded something that we have never
seen before, and likely never will again. Ayrton Senna da Silva gone to soon!
Special THANKS to Riaz
Aziz and Rahiema Hoosain.
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