Question: What would you do if you were an ambitious emir with a pocket full of petrodollars to spend?

The answer is obvious: Grab a desert island, open up a Ferrari theme park and start gunning the engines.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi has a lot more on his mind than Ferrari fantasies in the desert. There are water theme parks to build, art museums to raise, golf courses to design, marinas to construct, polo clubs, villas and shopping malls to be created. All this is taking place at a pulsing pace on the scenic eco-reserve of Yas Island, 30 minutes west of Abu Dhabi by 10-lane expressway in the United Arab Emirates.

Yas Island, otherwise known as Bani Yas for the area’s original local tribes, spreads for about 33 square miles inside the Gulf of Oman. Once a full-fledged wildlife and nature reserve with an active conservation and breeding program, a little more than half the land is morphing into a $39 billion steroidal pleasure center, residential spot and business park promising to be nothing short of everything money can buy.

First there was the mad rush to complete the $40 million Yas Marina Circuit, by November 1 for the venue’s first Formula One event aptly named the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Aldar is also facilitating the building of roller coasters, a Ferrari Theater, a 900,000-square-foot retail mall, a 12–acre water park, four polo fields, a Warner Brothers theme park, an equestrian center, championship golf courses, a marina and floating harbor, beaches and beach clubs, an exhibition hall, a signature hotel overlooking the race track, drag race, rally driving, dune buggy and go-kart tracks, villas, apartments and lots of beach hotels. And that does not include the prince’s all-encompassing plans for a cultural district on nearby Saadiyat Island, where some of the world’s best-known design makers (think Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid and Tadao Ando) are building the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a branch of the Louvre, a maritime museum and a performing arts centre for world-class theatre and opera. A general completion date offered aims for 2014 with an overall infrastructure scheme for the city of the future that culminates in 2030.

For now guests of the new 500-room Yas Marina Hotel get a private window on the action as the 3.4 mile race course sporting 21 white knuckle turns runs right through the property, engines gunning at 200 mph.

But the park is meant to be a family attraction, too, offering not just top class racing events. Thrill-seekers won’t miss a G on the 210-foot twin rollercoaster drops that allow riders to race against each other to the bottom. Or they can get close to the real thing by test-driving the circuit with skilled instructors in the only Ferrari driving school in the world beyond the barriers of the Ferrari Maranello base.

Softer excitement can be found through go-kart racing, rally driving and dune buggying in the theme park. The Water Park in Yas Island provides refreshing action between the races but not without some gasps of its own. The Giant Maelstrom, Velkoma water bomber, Master Blaster and “hurricane” rides get the blood pumping. Other activities include cable water skiing, scuba diving and sand lounging.  Horse buffs can test their mettle on the polo fields or in the equestrian centre.

As more than 400 extinct-in-the-wild Arabian Oryx look on, joined by an odd assortment of African transplants from giraffes and hyenas to cheetahs, the quiet of this island preserve has also given way to an assortment of clean energy initiatives to power the new development: wind turbines, solar complexes, desalinization plants. The wildlife park was created more than a quarter century ago on the island to ensure the survival of Arabia’s endangered species. Archeological sites, too, have been discovered on Yas Island — the oldest to date being a pre-Islamic monastery dating back to 600 AD.

The Desert Islands Resort & Spa on Yas Island offers an assortment of rooms, suites and villas on the beach and provides access to the island’s natural preserves for rates starting at $400 per night. (971-0-2801-5400; desertislands.anantara.com)

Plans for Yas Island have brought a string of new hotel development activity now putting a shape on the island’s skyline. But a little luxury at the Kempinski Emirates Palace on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi may be the perfect complement to a Ferrari-focused holiday. Oversized rooms and suites pullout all the stops in “palace”-themed décor and come equipped with laptops, room controls, 52-62” plasmas, private terraces and private check-in/check-out. A dozen cafes and restaurants, a Moroccan-inspired Anantara Spa, a worldclass art exhibition gallery, fitness programs and a bevy of private beaches and pool areas make up the rest of the experience. Rates start at $585 per night. (971-2-6909-000; www.emiratespalace.com or www.kempinski.com).

Information:

• Visit Abu Dhabi
• 971-2-444-0444
• www.abudhabitourism.ae

Pode parecer um pouco irritante, ao fim de se estar um bocado a ouvir isto, mas é uma montagem bastante interessante…

Pole Position
Pong
Tetris

It doesn’t bother me when people on motorcycles sneak up into the pole position at traffic lights: they usually accelerate quickly and are gone.

But …

I’d like to do the same to them just once.

I’m a rebellious thinker like that sometimes.

note: if I know there will be some cyclist, mopedalist, or pizza delivery scooter driver trying to muscle in on my pole position with visions of being a Hell’s Angels, I usually try to get as close to the curb as possible.

double note: Is that motorcycle move taught at driving school? … or is it just an unwritten rule of the road? … or something else?

triple note: I bet people with really fast cars get pissed off with motorcyclists for doing this. … I wouldn’t know … I’m just a better.

quadruple note: if a motorcyclist cut in front of me in a movie theatre line up, I probably wouldn’t say anything … because obvious they are a weirdo.

quintuple note: “pole position” … because there is a pole somewhere … I thought there was a “poll” about the fastest being positioned at the front.

sextuple note: I’ve been in the “pole position” at the barbershop on many occasions!

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notes to myself #51

You grow out of a lot of things, but you grow in to a lot of things at the same time … so it’s no big deal really.

Imagens: McLaren/Divulgação (LEWIS: dominando o final de semana até aqui)

Lewis Hamilton dominou de cabo a rabo a classificação para o GP de Abu Dhabi acabada minutos atrás, batendo Sebastian Vettel pela expressiva margem de 0.7s. Esta é a terceira pole position de Lewis nas últimas sete corridas, a quarta do ano.

É prudente esperar a publicação dos pesos dos carros logo mais, mas a larga margem sugere uma estratégia agressiva para vencer a prova amanhã — talvez carregando alguns quilos a menos de combustível no tanque que seus oponentes na primeira perna de corrida. Ainda assim, a diferença de 0.3s estabelecida pelo inglês no Q2 — a  segunda fase da classificação — quando todos os carros giram com pouco combustível, indicam que a McLaren é o carro a ser batido nesse final de semana.

Atrás do inglês uma briga feroz entre Jarno Trulli, Rubens Barrichello, Mark Webber e Sebastian Vettel pela segunda posição, com Vettel ao fim bem posicionado para conquistar o vice campeonato desse ano sobre Rubens Barrichello, que largará na 4ª posição.

Atrás, o campeão do mundo Jenson Button foi uma vez mais batido pelo brasileiro em uma classificação, enquanto Heikki Kovalainen, com bom desempenho no Q2, ficou pelo caminho com um problema de transmissão.

A Ferrari paga uma vez mais pelo abandono do desenvolvimento do F60 e praticamente dá adeus à honrosa terceira posição no campeonato de construtores, com Kimi Raikkonen fora do Q3 na 12ª posição e Giancarlo Fisichella amargando a rabeira do grid lidando com o inadaptável F60.

Desde 1993 que a Ferrari não passava uma temporada sem obter ao menos uma pole position. 2009 é uma ano para a Ferrari esquecer, definitivamente.

Fernando Alonso, o novo homem Ferrari, foi eliminado já no Q1, colocando-se na 16ª posição com o carro que ele julga hoje “ser o pior do grid.”

Vamos esperar a publicação dos pesos pela FIA logo mais, mas a expectativa é que amanhã Lewis Hamilton largue favorito e sele a honrosa 5ª posição no campeonato de pilotos em um temporada amplamente dominada por Red Bulls e Brawns.

At the end of this past weekends Sprint Cup with 1 lap to go #34 John Andretti wreck causing his car to end up against the inside wall at the start finish line when John tried to move the car he only moved about 8 feet towards the racing line and couldn’t move any further, so NASCAR to preserve competition during these Chase races didn’t throw the cautions until the winner Deny Hamlin crossed the finished line which at that time the majority of the drivers were just coming out of turn 4. Although John was a sitting duck out there he does agree with NASCAR’s call as does most of the other drivers. Really the only ones that are complaining are the ones that would have complained had NASCAR thrown the caution.

It’s my opinion NASCAR did make the right call, it’s really simple drivers have spotters to let them know what’s happening on the track ahead of them, NASCAR knew John wasn’t injured. These are Chase races there aren’t any do over, there isn’t  any “we’ll get’em next week” this is it. I’m not saying throw caution to the wind but for the sake of the Championship NASCAR must try and let the race be decided by the drivers. Had this been earlier in the race or a non-chase race then I believe NASCAR would have thrown the caution. I think NASCAR used common sense and good judgment, the biggest problem I see is in February when we get to Daytona the same situation will happen except this time NASCAR will throw the caution and people will be bringing up Martinsville not understanding that there is a huge difference between Race #1 and Race #31.

I’m the first one to cry foul when NASCAR gets it wrong but NASCAR got it right this time.

I’ve sampled a good number of racing video games/simulators in my lifetime.  For sure the racing sim is my favorite video game genre.

I think the first one I ever played was Pole Position, both in the video arcade — imagine using both the throttle and the brake while standing up(!) (no left-foot braking here, for sure) — and on the Atari 2600.  There were also full sit-down arcade cabinet versions of this game available in a few select arcades, but the stand-up version was far more common.

Super Monaco GP is another much beloved arcade racing game that I enjoyed in my younger days.  Like Pole Position, it also had a console port available (this time for the Sega Genesis).  I remember Grad Night from high school, when we went to Disneyland.  The Class of 1993 had the entire park to ourselves that night, and I remember spending a lot of money at the video arcade there on the sit-down Super Monaco GP.  The memory of holding that thick-rimmed steering wheel with the paddle shifters behind the spokes and the loud engine noises coming from behind my head still makes me smile.  

The Genesis port was actually quite good as well.  Goodness knows how many hours I spent in front of a TV screen, Genesis control pad in my hands, my fingers pretending to actuate the gearshift paddles I imagined were just a small stretch away.  How I used to marvel at the game’s sounds, as well; you could tell where a rival was simply by listening for his engine’s noise, whether it was coming from the left or the right or right behind you.  I used to imagine I was an up-and-coming Italian pilote hired by Scuderia Ferrari to initiate the fabled team’s renaissance; in this world of youthful dreams, I did what Michael Schumacher did and dominated the F1 Drivers World Championship for years and beat Alain Prost’s record for Grand Prix victories (albeit without ever resorting to Schumacher’s cynical, unsportsmanlike tactics).

I also have great memories of playing Hard Drivin’.  Although I didn’t spend a whole lot of money on this older game, I do remember it for two reasons:  1)  It had force feedback, which was absolutely mind-blowing; 2)  Hard Drivin’ was also the first driving “game” which replicated a manual transmission, complete with clutch pedal.  Looking back, this may have been the first true great driving simulator made available to the public.  In my opinion, Hard Drivin’ was good enough to function as a Driver’s Education tool; its gameplay and physics were that advanced.

I wasn’t very good at Hard Drivin’.  Come to think of it, I wasn’t all that good at playing Pole Position or Super Monaco GP (Video Arcade version) either.  In fact, to this day, no other racing game frustrates me more due to its difficulty than this old school Pole Position, Atari port or arcade version.  Nevertheless, I still love these games with all my heart.  I strongly believe that they kindled my blazing love affair with performance driving and racing.

GAME OVER é um dos projetos de arte desenvolvido pelo artista suíço-francês Guillaume REYMOND agência NOTsoNOISY (criativas). É constituída por uma série de filmes de animação colaborativa que reviver alguns dos jogos de vídeo muito primeiro. Os pixels são substituídos por um grupo de verdadeiros seres-humanos que estão a passar de banco para banco em um teatro durante cerca de 4 a 6 horas. Cada pixel “tem as suas próprias regras e decide o que ele quer fazer de cada imagem. Uma vez que todas essas imagens são transformadas em um filme de curta de animação, um jogo de vídeo gigante em escala humana se desenrola “ao vivo”.

Tetris

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Pole Position

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Space Invaders

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Mais coisas no site NOTsoNOISY

Está bom demais, e é verdade

O fim de semana não poderia ter começado melhor para Rubens Barrichello. Nosso Gonçalves, o piloto mais longevo da história da F-1, levou a pole para o GP Brasil no treino mais longo da história da categoria, e junto os gritos da galera no GP Chat, também o mais longevo da história deste blog, pois está no ar desde sexta-feira pela manhã (e esta é, seguramente, a frase mais longa da história do blog). Legal, não?

Aos que temem a quantidade de combustível que Rubens carrega para a corrida de amanhã, digo que, a julgar pelos tempos e pela própria habilidade de Barrichello no molhado, eu não acredito que ele esteja mais leve que a média, e a diferença não deve variar mais do que duas voltas para os que estão imediatamente ao seu lado no grid.

Contando também com boa dose de sorte, algo não muito recorrente em sua longeva carreira, Rubens viu as saídas de Sebastian Vettel no Q1 e de Jenson Button no Q2. Bom demais para ser verdade, não é mesmo? Para quem tem uma estrela que se apaga quando senta no carro (thanx Hortência), Barrichello teve o sábado que pediu a deus (com minúsculas, thanx eu mesmo).

Dos que largam ao seu lado, Webber é quem representa a maior ameaça, pois Sutil e Trulli são moscas mortas. Se conseguir permanecer à frente do australiano na largada, acho que ninguém tira essa do Rubens. Aí será uma questão de vermos em que posição Jenson Button irá cruzar a linha de chegada amanhã: se Rubens vencer, Button não pode chegar no pódio. Mas, cá para nós, esta hipótese agora parece pouco provável, não é mesmo?

Go Barrica! E, sim, me belisquem, pois não acredito que estou torcendo. Ai, ai, ai…

Grid do GP do Brasil

1º – Rubens Gonçalves (BRA/Brawn-Mercedes) – 1min19s576
2º – Mark Alan Webber (AUS/Red Bull-Renault) – 1min19s668
3º – Adrian Sutil (ALE/Force India-Mercedes) – 1min19s912
4º – Jarno Trulli (ITA/Toyota) – 1min20s097
5º – Kimi-Matias Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) – 1min20s168
6º – Sebastien Buemi (SUI/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) – 1min20s250
7º – Nico Rosberg (ALE/Williams-Toyota) – 1min20s326
8º – Robert Kubica (POL/BMW-Sauber) – 1min20s631
9º – Kazuki Nakajima (JAP/Williams-Toyota) – 1min20s674
10º – Fernando Alonso (ESP/Renault) – 1min21s422
11º – Kamui Kobayashi (JAP/Toyota) – 1min21s960
12º – Jaime Alguersuari (ESP/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) – 1min22s231
13º – Romain Grosjean (FRA/Renault) – 1min22s477
14º – Jenson Lyons (ING/Brawn-Mercedes) – 1min22s504
15º – Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/Force India-Mercedes) – 1min24s645
16º – Sebastian Fffééttel (ALE/Red Bull-Renault) – 1min25s009
17º – Heikki Kovalento (FIN/McLaren-Mercedes) – 1min25s052
18º – Luisinho W. Champion (ING/McLaren-Mercedes) – 1min25s192
19º – Nick Heidfeld (ALE/BMW-Sauber) – 1min25s515
20º – Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/Ferrari) – 1min40s703

California Race Results…Top 10

1)  #48 Jimmie Johnson
2)  #24 Jeff Gordon
3)  #42 Juan Pablo Montoya
4)   #5 Mark Martin
5)  #14 Tony Stewart
6)  #99 Carl Edwards
7)   #6 David Ragan
8)   #2 Kurt Busch
9)  #33 Clint Bowyer   
10) #29 Kevin Harvick

Chase Points after California

1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [5 wins], 5728, finished 1st
2) #5-Mark Martin [5 wins], 5716, -12, 4th
3) #42-Juan Montoya 5670, -58, 3rd
4) #14-Tony Stewart [4 wins], 5644 -84, 5th
5) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 5623 -105, 2nd
6) #2-Kurt Busch [1 win], 5607, -121, 8th
7) #16-Greg Biffle 5540, -188, 20th
#99-Carl Edwards 5536, -192, 6th
9) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 5509, -219, 37th
10) #39-Ryan Newman 5505, -223, 15th
11) #9-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 5422, -306, 34th
12) #83-Brian Vickers [1 win], 5377, -351,2 9th

For the Entire Results and Points California Results and Driver Standings

#5 and #48 taken back to the R & D Center AGAIN

NASCAR takes the #48 and the #5 cars back to their R & D Center in Concord N.C. for the third consecutive week for closer inspection. The winning car and the engines of the top two finishing cars always are taken to the R&D Center. But Martin finished seventh last week at Kansas and Johnson was ninth, but both cars again were taken the R&D Center. Both cars were cleared after inspections in Concord. Martin finished fourth Sunday, but NASCAR officials again elected to take the #5 Chevy back to the R&D Center for additional tests.

Kyle Feeling ill

Kyle Busch was sick this past weekend and elected to be replaced after starting the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races. He started both of the races this weekends races to be able to keep the points earned by his cars. After starting the Nationwide race he was replaced by Deny Hamlin who ended up finishing the day by kissing the wall. Sunday Kyle was replaced by start and park driver David Gilliland but not before Kyle had drove his M & M Toyota from the back of the field to about 20th position pitting on lap 61 to make the switch, Gilland who will be driving a fourth Gibbs car for an undetermined amount of races starting this weekend didn’t do to bad Sunday, without running any practice laps Gilliland managed to bring home a top 25 finishing 24th.

RPM Ford Program to start

Richard Petty Motorsports has had a Ford in its possession ready to race since after New Hampshire. Most likely AJ Allmendinger will be driving a Fusion at Lowe’s Motor Speedway next weekend or the week after that. Once the #44 car flips over to Ford, it will remain a Fusion the rest of the season. In addition to Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler is expected to drive a Roush-prepared Ford with a Yates engine at Talladega. Whether or not RPM’s proposed merger with Yates Racing goes through, team owner George Gillett has said his team will run Ford’s next season.

Restricting the Restrictor Plate

NASCAR will reduce the size of the restrictor plate and allow teams an optional change as a way to slow the cars and try to keep them from getting airborne at Talladega. Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby said Friday at Auto Club Speedway that the restrictor plate will be reduced 1/64 of an inch. The new size will be 59/64 of an inch. Darby estimates it will shave 12 horsepower off the engines. Teams also have been given an option on side wickers, something they hadn’t been allowed to use before at Talladega. Darby said that teams “will be able to add the same little side wicker to the end plate (on the rear wing) much like they do at the downforce tracks. If you look at all the cars in the garage right now on that end plate, all the way out on the back edge they’ve got a little half by half piece of aluminum. That’s eight inches long. It helps in yaw or when the cars are turned. It kind of settles the back of the car down a little bit.

Latest on Danica:

Danica’s a hot commodity with team onwers right now. It’s become increasingly more difficult for car owners to find good commited sponsor these days. What Danica lacks in talent is made up for by her marketability. What makes her even more attractive is she already has a relationship with godaddy.com as well as other motorsports sponsors, which in some respects (I hate to say) makes her good for NASCAR because some IRL sponsors may follow her which will be good for the team and teammates because more relationships are built. One thing we talked about last week was Danica’s paycheck they’re were false rumors saying she wanted 1 million per race that turned out to be poppycock, insiders say she’ll make somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000 per race.

Ford’s New Engine

Ford will delay the debut of its new Sprint Cup engine, Doug Hervey, who oversees Ford’s North American racing operations, said Saturday. The engine was scheduled to have debuted next week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Instead, Ford will debut the restrictor-plate version of the engine at Talladega in three weeks. As for the non-restrictor-plate engine, it likely will debut at Texas or Homestead. I wonder if this will have an effect on RPM’s date to switch to a Ford which was slated for A.J. Almemdinger to run a Ford at Lowes.

What’s next? What’s new? What’s en vogue? Pole Position is the people’s eye that keeps a pulse on the newest trends and followings, community news, hot topics, favorite restaurants, unique hide outs,

If you have a news story or a interesting tidbit or something hot to share, please let the rest of us know.

My friend Shahid and I had a very lengthy conversation while I was in NY about the old school game Pole Position. I must have heard “prepare to qualify” a million times when I was little. They had this game at the grocery store by my house, and we would beg to get paid for chores in quarters. I think this is the first addiction I have ever had.

Yes, I really am posting a video of a video game from the 80’s. Just pretend you are playing….. you know you’re that bored. Meetings? Who needs ‘em.

I love threading in and out of the passengers on my extra-long escalator, up from the bowels of the Lex/53rd St. station. Cruising lane on the right, passing on the left. I feel like a motocross racer, or at least a Frogger enthusiast.

When I come up against people who stand two abreast, stanching the flow of traffic, I have to make mid-game decisions.
*If they are a regular person, I politely ask them to step to the right.
*If they look old or infirm, I leave them alone out of respect.
*If they look tough or unstable, I leave them alone out of fear.
I hate to throttle my motor like this, but rules are rules.

What about nuns though? I don’t know what to do with standing nuns.

After the previous post we know the number of pole sitters who went on to win their respective races but what of the remaining races? Where did the winner start on the grid? This post will look at those winners who didn’t start in pole position. The graphs used in this post will show those who started on pole, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and those who started from 5th and higher.

1989 – 1998

From the 1989 to the 1998 season saw most races won from pole position with the exception of the 1996 season where a higher number of drivers would win the race after starting from second on the grid. This graph also highlights that in the 1989 and 1990 seasons quite a few races were won by those qualifying in 5th place or higher than at any other point during the last 20 years. During the 1995 season the front row saw an equal number of wins for either position, in a season where those qualifying higher fifth or higher and won the race was at its highest for 5 seasons and after the 1994 season where no one who started from fifth or higher managed to win a race. The 1993 season started a trend which would last 5 seasons to the 1998 season where second place would be the best position to win the race other than pole (other than the 1996 season where it was in fact the better position to be) in 1998 third place was the best bet after pole.

1999-2008

As with the previous 10 years the majority of races were won by those starting from pole position. However the 1999 season saw the lowest number of pole sitters win races with those starting second more likely to pick up the win, even qualifying third produced more race winners during that season. During the 2002 season the front row was the place to be with a total of 12 wins between the two starting places with only 5 races seeing someone win who started from either third or fourth, no one won from fifth place or higher during this season. The 2003 season saw 9 of the 16 races won from pole with none of the races won from second or fourth on the grid. The 2007 season was dominated by those who managed to qualify from pole to third place, anyone who qualified lower didn’t win a race during the season. The last season (2008) saw the number of pole sitters winning fall to its lowest since 2002 and also the number of race winners starting from second rise to its highest since the same year.

Totals

The totals make for some interesting reading when you see that over the last 20 years those who have qualified fourth have only won 6% of the total races compared to the 12% won by those starting from fifth or higher on the grid. These figures show that those who have secured pole on a Saturday have won 46% of the races in the last 20 years almost half of number of races run which goes to show if you want to win a race the only place to be is pole position.

So, it’s not a stripper so much as the American Dream. The American Dream, where you can do whatever you can to make a buck, survive in the world, and climb the ladder of society. The American Dream, where you do what you can to get ahead of your fellow man, to succeed. Everyone is in a hurry to get to that Pole Position, where they will have the first jump on whatever it is that comes next.

I used to love the Atari game ‘Pole Position,’ and I think about it all the time. I always liked all those simpler games. I love the everyday Pole Position, when people speed up and race to get to the next stop light. But then, they have the fabled ‘Pole Position’ and are too busy checking your email, putting on make-up, or talking on the phone to acknowledge the responsibility you have in that ‘Pole Position.’ When that light turns green, you need to GO. This is the time to accelerate.

I used to think of driving as a race, or at least the courtesies of racing. I try to understand the other drivers out there, and how they are going to act, and/or react. Most of the time, they are so fucking oblivious they are even driving, but I still try to use it to my advantage. If I can pass someone, or cut off another, I’ll do it to get the Pole. But then, when I got the Pole, I’m gunna jump off that line.

I do lots of lengthy interstate travel, and its 7-14 miles between that Pole Position, and I love camping as much as the next person, but DON’T FUCKING DO IT IN THE PASSING LANE! I hate having to pass on the right, but if people don’t get out of my way, I will. I want to ask them to finish their chicken wing when they get to the house. When they get the Pole, they are shoveling mashed potatoes and gravy in their pie hole. I hope their greasy finger licking fingers slide all over their wheel, and they can’t swerve and end up taking out some pedestrians, it can only do our gene pool good.

I’m not sure when it happened, but everyone stopped caring about each other. I care enough to give people the right of way. I care enough to avoid making traffic worse. I think people like traffic, because it’s just one more thing to be pissed off at. People hate their lives, and just want to call you a faggot when you pull up to the gas pump and they have to reverse to get their suburban out of the station. I mean, I guess now he won’t get that Pole Position. Fuck him, he’ll probably be beating his kids at the next intersection.

I love driving fast. I hate how fuel efficiency decreases so dramatically over 90. But I especially love when I can get behind some fancy (insert car brand here) doing about 90, and just cruize. They’re trying to get that Pole! And if I can ride with them for a few miles, then heck yes! I feel connected with other drivers sometimes. I think it’s better to speed in groups, so I’ll accompany other drivers for added safety. If the other driver is cool, I’ll give them a ‘what’s up’ wave. If the other driver is a dick, I’ll give them a ‘thumb’s down’ and back off where the cops hide and let them get pulled over. Trapster works nicely. I also call those ‘How’s My Driving’ numbers on trucks, and recommend you do the same.

On your way to the Pole Position, you may need to get the attention of other drivers to let them know how they are doing. If a middle finger salute doesn’t suit your fancy, you can rely on the age old advice, of an old friend of mine:

How to be a ‘Bitch-Ass’ driver: Honk horn, Blink lights. Repeat as desired.

Formula 1 racing came full circle on the video game circuit when Namco’s Pole Position was released in arcades around 1982. Pole Position’s rear-view racing format pretty much cemented what the visual perspective is in any racing game you play these days.

In the cockpit of a F1 race car, drivers must complete a time trail lap to qualify for a race at the Fuji Racetrack. After qualifying, gamers are put up against other strong racers in search of championship gold. Sounds linear and simple, and that’s because in some part it actually is. We’re not dealing with the complex gameplay of Gran Turismo, its Pole Position; put your feet on the clutch, break when necessary and beat the clock to qualify. That’s pretty much it, and its great.

Namco set the trend for 3D racing on the arcade circuit. Resurrected in numerous compilation packages on next-gen consoles, Pole Position justifies how classics never go out of style.

The number of stats post on this blog is starting to outnumber the non-stat posts, this blog has no real aim so I tend to blog what goes through my mind, if you prefer stat/number posts then check out Making Up The Numbers where RubberGoat looks at stats/number and uses pretty graphs to illustrate what he is saying.

Quite often in F1 these days we get processional races where the cars all drive round and who started on pole will go on to claim the win and people more often than not are of the opinion that these sort of races happen a lot. I have looked at the last 20 seasons of Formula One, throughout which different teams and drivers have dominated, different regulations etc. The table below shows the number of Poles to Chequered flag, the total number of races in that season and the percentage of races that the driver on pole went on to win.

Just by looking at the numbers it is easy to see that the 1991 season, where Ayrton Senna won the championship, 75% of the races had the driver on pole go on to win the race. At the other end of the scale is the 1999 season, where Mika Hakkinen won the championship, only 13% of the races were won by the pole sitter. During Schumacher’s dominance (2000-2004) the only times more than 50% of the races were won from pole was 2003, where Schumacher won the championship by only one point, and the 2004 season where Schumacher dominated the season winning 13 out of 18 races. The current season currently has the lowest number of wins by pole sitters since 2002, although the season is still ongoing and there is time for that to change.

By putting these figures into graph form there is something that stands out, during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons the number of races decreased by one each year but the number of of races won by the pole sitter increased by one.

In the future I’ll look at specific races/circuits to see if there if pole sitters are more likely to win from pole at certain circuits and possible the number of races won by those starting from second.

First practice has just finished at Monza and although it is often very unwise to take to many conclusions for qualifying and the race at this early stage because we do not know what programme individual teams are running this early, the McLaren’s are looking very good.

So, why go out on a limb this early?

Basically there are three reasons to get on Lewis for pole now:

1. Kers

At the high speed, low downforce circuits the KERS powered cars have caught up and passed the Red Bull’s and the Brawns. Lewis has also been very quick through sector 1 and using his KERS is giving him an 80 horse power advantage.

2. Low Downforce Package

The McLaren’s have got a new front and rear wing package for Monza, specifically designed for the low downforce circuit they are running at this weekend.

3. Curbability

Although some of the curbs have been remodelled for this years Monza Grand Prix, the huge concrete monsters are still in evidence and Lewis has already been bouncing over these and saving vital 100’s of a second. The McLaren is a good car at riding the curbs and the damper settings will have been adjusted accordingly.

Overall, the McLaren team seem to be ‘on it’ right from the start this weekend and Lewis certainly looks a good bet for pole at this stage.

Advice: Lewis Hamilton to take Pole Position at the Italian Grand Prix – 7/2 with Betfred

Wenn die Nacht zum Tag wird

Singapur liebt die Pole-Position: War die asiatische Finanzmetropole vor einem Jahr die erste Stadt mit einem Formel1-Grand Prix in der Nacht, will sie jetzt auch als erste dem Rennsport ein grünes Image verpassen.

Es ist taghell, auch wenn die Sonne längst hinter den Wolkenkratzern verschwunden ist und die Nacht über die Löwenstadt einbricht. 1′600 Scheinwerfer machen es möglich, dass der Kurs durchs nächtliche Singapur so sicher ist wie ein Rennen bei Tag. Wenn dieses Jahr die Formel1-Boliden durch Singapurs Hochhäuserschluchten donnern, dürfen sich zum ersten Mal auch umweltbewusste Rennsportfans freuen. Das Nachtrennen in Singapur soll nämlich das erste klimaneutrale Formel1-Rennen werden: «Motor Sports Green Powered» nennt sich das italienische Pilotprojekt, das auch für andere Rennen zum Vorbild werden soll.

Vom 25. bis 27. September flitzen die Formel1-Rennwagen wieder durch die Nacht.

Denn: Der Grand Prix bei künstlichem Tag schluckt umgerechnet etwa die halbe Leistung des Kernkraftwerks Gösgen, was irgendwie nicht so richtig zum Image von Singapur passt, das sich gerne als modernste Grossstadt Asiens gibt. Kein Wunder also, hagelte es nach dem letztjährigen Rennen Kritik von Umweltorganisationen, die das Nachtrennen als «pure Energieverschwendung» bezeichneten. Doch die Veranstalter reagierten schnell und nach einem kurzen Boxenstopp war klar: Singapur muss der erste grüne Formel1-Grand Prix werden.

Auch bei Nacht funktioniert der Boxenstopp reibungslos.

Und so soll nun die gesamte Energie, die das Rennen in Singapur verbraucht, mit erneuerbarer Energie kompensiert werden. Konkret ist es die Sonne, die den Strom liefert. «Wir bauten kurzerhand ein Solarkraftwerk, das schon innerhalb von zwei Monaten mehr Strom produziert, als wir mit dem gesamten Rennen verbrauchen,» erklärt Valerio Maioli sein Projekt. Der Italiener, der schon für die bahnbrechende Beleuchtung des Rennkurses verantwortlich war, will damit den Startschuss geben für eine neue Ära. «Das ist ein Meilenstein in der Geschichte des Rennsports.» Bis 2011, so sein Ziel, soll sein «Motor Sports Green Powered»-Projekt alle Formel1-Rennen klimaneutral machen. Singapur ist also erst der Anfang.

Pascal Nufer, Journalist, erschienen auf powernewz.ch