Robbie Maddison has jumped across an open Tower Bridge in London. Upside down! Maddison crossed the 7.6m span on 13 July at 3am, London time, so as to minimise traffic disruptions.
The jump was a nice precursor to his birthday, which is today. Happy birthday Robbie!
Maddison has been taught well by his Mum, speaking after the jump he was grateful for the opportunity to pull off the stunt, saying “I love you London, thank you.”
Don’t try this at home kiddies.
[Source: ABC News | Flickr gallery]
Ferrari opened its first retail store in Germany last weekend. The store forms part of the new Nürburgring complex which aims to turn the track into a year-round entertainment and business centre.
The 240 square metre store was opened by Formula One drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikonnen prior to the 2009 German Grand Prix.
Ferrari say the store will allow customers to “truly embrace the Ferrari experience”. I’d rather embrace the Fezza experience by screaming around my favourite mountain pass in an F430, but there you go.
Family disputes fought out in a boardroom nearly always end in tears. When you’re feuding over the future of one of the world’s most loved motoring brands then the stakes are taken to an even higher level. Porsche chairmain, Wolfgang Porsche, is attempting to lay down the law by setting showdown talks for July 23 to decide on the company’s future.
In short, there will be two plans on the table. Should the company seek financial input from the Qatar Investment Authority, or sell 49% of the business to Volkswagen? Given Porsche has been desperately trying to take control of Volkswagen itself, this makes the latter scenario even more intriguing. This also puts to rest any future merger talks between Porsche and VW.
Handing over any financial control to anyone outside of the Porsche extended family had previously been a subject that dare not be mentioned. Now, though, with near crippling debt levels approaching €10 billion, extreme measures must be considered.
So, which plan will win? The Wolfgang Porsche favoured Qatar option, or the plan sell almost half of the business to Volkswagen, as championed by Volkswagen chairman, and Porsche shareholder, Ferdinand Piëch.
Those who have been following the Porsche-Volkswagen saga will know the answer could still be months away. Even those attending the extraordinary supervisory board meeting on July 23 anticipate a conclusion may not be reached.
[Source: Financial Times]
UPDATE 19 July: Autoblog reports that a deal may be close to agreement that would see Volkswagen buy out Porsche for €8 billion, to be paid in two instalments.
…warm smell of policemen, rising up through the air.
Media outlets in Western Australia are reporting the story of a brand new Ferrari California being impounded under anti-hoon laws. The car is one of just two in the country and is part of Ateco Automotive’s press fleet, in WA for media testing.
According to Perth Now the lure of opening up the California’s 338kW V8 was too much to resist for Financial Review motoring hack Rob Easdown. It is believed Mr Easdown was clocked speeding at 231km/h. According to reports the offence took place near Toodyay, in the Western Australian wheatbelt.
WA Police have impounded the $470,000 Calfornia for seven days. Oops!
Media outlets across Australia have been reporting on Mark Webber’s maiden Grand Prix win all morning. The in car audio from Mark after the race, which captured his raw emotion, is still being played, “Yes, yes, yeehah. You f@#king beauty!”
His celebrations were typically Australian, he wore his heart on his sleeve and just as in the race, he left nothing behind. Speaking on ABC radio overnight, Will Hagon described Webber’s release of emotion as being the culmination of not one race, or one result, but his entire motorsport career.
As a young boy starting his racing career at the Fairbairn Park karting track in Canberra, Webber would have been dreaming of this day. Now he has reached the summit. Mark Webber, from the small New South Wales city of Queanbeyan, is a Grand Prix winner!
Even better than that, his Red Bull Racing team are providing he and Sebastian Vettel with a potential championship winning car. They have clearly been the form team of the last few races and last night’s results saw both Vettel and Webber close the gap to championship leader Jenson Button.
Button heads the championship table with 68 points, Vettel is second on 47 points. Webber’s win sees him leap frog Rubens Barichello into third place in the driver’s championship on 45.5 points, with the Brazilian in fourth on 44 points. Felipe Massa is fifth in the driver standings, back on just 22 points.
After Brawn GP’s early season jump start on the competition, Red Bull Racing are also narrowing the gap in the constructor’s title which now stands, Brawn GP 112 points, Red Bull Racing 92.5 points and Toyota, third, on 34.5 points.
Mark Webber is just the third Australian driver to win a Formula One race, following in the footsteps of Alan Jones and Sir Jack Brabham. Amazingly, Webber’s maiden victory came in his 130th race start—Alan Jones had 116 race starts in his entire career, Brabham had 126. Let’s hope Webber can continue the legacy of Australians who have won a Grand Prix race have also gone on to win a World Championship.
Full driver quotes from the post-race press conference are available from Formula1.com. Red Bull Racing’s media release, along with a vast gallery of images from the race are available after the jump.
Mark Webber has driven a magnificent race to claim his first ever Grand Prix victory. It was the first win by an Australian driver since Alan Jones won the 1981 US Grand Prix.
Webber started aggressively from pole position at the Nürburgring track, but couldn’t hold off a fast charging Rubens Barichello who led into the first corner. Lewis Hamilton, too, made a great start and headed Webber into the first corner but the Briton then ran wide and suffered a puncture, effectively ending his race.
The Australian was handed a drive through penalty for initiating contact with Barichello in the lead up to the first corner. Opinions in race commentary were divided as to whether the penalty was justified. Fortunately, it mattered not, as Webber’s outright pace and two stop strategy was superior to the Brawn GP three stop plan.
Webber has often had promising results ruined by bad luck. Today, though, the F1 gods were shining on the Aussie. After Barichello’s first pit stop he got caught behind Felipe Massa. The precious seconds lost by Rubens here allowed Webber to close the time surrendered to the Brawn machine following his drive through penalty.
Once that hurdle was overcome Webber looked in the best position to win the race. His grip on the race win tightened further when Barichello had a re-fuelling mishap at his second stop which cost valuable seconds.
Red Bull Racing got Webber back out quickly, and safely, after his second stop and from that point on the Australian enjoyed a clear run to the line, winning the 2009 German Grand Prix.
Webber’s Red Bull Racing teammate Sebastien Vettel finished the race in second, ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.
UPDATE 13 July: Check out AUSmotive’s image gallery of Mark’s win HERE.
Mark Webber has made the most of difficult conditions in qualifying at the German Grand Prix to claim his first ever Formula One pole position. The Australian finished ahead of the Brawn GP duo of Rubens Barichello (2nd) and, championship leader, Jenson Button (3rd). Webber’s Red Bull Racing teammate, Sebastien Vettel, qualified in fourth.
Webber, clearly elated at starting from P1 says he will be trying hard to win his maiden Grand Prix tomorrow, “I’ve been close to getting pole a few times in the past. Today we’re here and the team has done a great job.
“A huge thanks to all the team, both here and in the factory and I hope that it can be my first win tomorrow. We’re in a fantastic position to do it. Obviously these guys (Barrichello and Button) have had a very strong season and will push us, but we’re looking forward to a fight. I’m up for trying to take my first race win tomorrow if I can.”
More driver quotes can be accessed at Formula1.com.
I’m sure I speak for all AUSmotive readers when I say best of luck to car #14 for tomorrow’s race. To celebrate Webber’s pole position click below to complete a 14-pic image gallery from Webber in practice and qualifying this weekend.
Last month the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld a complaint that the BMW Z4 “art of driving” television commercial portrayed behaviour that would be deemed a “very serious driving offence” if it took place on Australian roads.
BMW have agreed to stop the ad going to air, however the commercial can still be viewed on the BMW Australia website. Sample footage of the Z4 painting with its wheels was first posted on AUSmotive in December 2008.
The full report from the ASB, which shows text from the original complainant and BMW’s response, can be downloaded here (76kb PDF).
It is clear the commercial is not depicting regular road driving. A point highlighted by BMW in their defence of the complaint. However, this was not enough and the commerical was found to breach section 2c of the FCAI Voluntary Code of Practice for Motor Vehicle Advertising.
That is, if the actions depicted in the ad “were to take place on a road or road related area, (that they would) breach any Commonwealth law”.
The fact that some killjoy found it fit to complain about this ad in the first place is disturbing enough. But the fact that protocols are in place that saw this worldwide advertising campaign removed from Australian television screens is, simply, laughable.
BMW are well known for both the safety of their vehicles and their Driver Training education programs. They are clearly not an organisation that exists to promote hooning. Nor do they have anything to gain by doing so. That they have, in effect, been labelled as hoons is verging on outrageous.
Moreover, for a small sum of money one can legally partake in similar activities as depicted in this ad under the supervision of independent and respected driver training instructors.
AUSmotive finds this ruling by the ASB unfathomable. As a sign of protest against this decision AUSmotive will feature the “offending” footage on the first day of every month for the rest of 2009.
BMW’s press release from April this year announcing the “art of driving” campaign can be read after the jump.
[Source: heraldsun.com.au]
A hat tip goes out to MINI who rolled car number 1,500,000 off the Plant Oxford production line on Monday. The success of the MINI brand under BMW ownership justifies the German company’s AU$790M investment into its Oxford facility.
Ian Robertson (pictured above), responsible for Sales and Marketing, said, “This is a great day for the plant and a wonderful milestone to reach in the 50th birthday year of MINI. The very first classic Mini rolled off the production line here at this plant on 8 May 1959.
“It was wonderful to see the passion that owners feel for MINI at the car’s recent birthday celebrations at Silverstone, when 25,000 people from around the world joined the party. It is a privilege to be part of the heritage and future of this car.”
The milestone car, a chili red Clubman, will be sold to a British customer.
The search for alternative fuels to power our cars has seen manufacturers spend millions on research and development. Current thinking is leading us towards electricity as an energy source. Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, such as the Honda FCX Clarity are also a strong possibility, but the costs involved with using water as a source for hydrogen are an issue. So, what if there is a source for cheaper hydrogen production that is much closer to home than we first thought.
Here is one story about extracting the urine that is not, erm, taking the piss. Studies undertaken at Ohio University show that human urine could be used as a source for hydrogen. The benefits here are clear, firstly a constant supply of urine the world over is guaranteed. But, secondly, extracting hydrogen from urine requires much less energy than using water as a source.
While it’s not quite as simple as breaking up long highway drives with “pitstops” to fill up your car, the pee power theory sounds both plausible and dare I say, quite exciting.
Using animal urine is also possible with John Stickney, a chemist and professor at the University of Georgia, stating, “The waste products from say a chicken farm could be used to produce the energy needed to run the farm. It is not a solution for all our cars, but it is the kind of process which will find many applications and will make for a greener world.”
Or should that be, a yellower world!
[Source: Channel4 & Discovery News]
First it was a Ferrari 599 GTB. Then a McLaren F1. More tragedy followed with a Ferrari Enzo. Now, Lamborghini has got in on the latest supercar fad—the in-car barbeque. What a sad and terrible sight the above image paints with the once gorgeous Gallardo reduced to a fried mess. Fortunately, the two occupants escaped unharmed. The incident happened in Peterborough, a short drive to the north of Cambridge.
If you can take it, video of the supercar in flames can be seen after the jump.
UPDATE 14 July: In the news segment of the latest episode of Top Gear [13×04] lots of burning Gallardo examples were featured. Very sad.
The current European-based FIA GT Championship is set to be replaced by a new World GT1 Championship in 2010. A preliminary calendar has Round 2 being held in Australia. Sydney’s Eastern Creek has stepped forward making an official bid to host that round.
Judging by some of the comments from the series promoter, UK-based SRO Motorsports Group, the Creek looks to be a shoe-in, “Eastern Creek’s facilities and track design benefit from a Grade 2 FIA Homologation, which is the level required to host a round of the FIA GT1 World Championship,” SRO President and CEO Stephane Ratel said.
“One of the attractions of the venue is that it is within the boundaries of one of the world’s most desirable cities, and it is walk-in-walk-out.”
A truly global franchise, the GT1 category will attract competition from the likes of Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari and Chevrolet. Nissan, Ford and Lamborghini have already committed to the 2010 Championship.
Eastern Creek is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2009, being awarded hosting rights for the GT1 party would be a fitting celebration. A final decision will be made in October.
Television coverage of the 2009 FIA GT Championship can be seen in Australia on One HD, check your local guides for details.