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theblackprint67 · 2 years ago

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Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley in the film The Original Kings of Comedy.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film roles were as Frank Catton in the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11 and as the title character of Mr. 3000. He was the star of his eponymous show, which ran from 2001 through 2006, earning him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Mac's other films included starring roles in The Players Club, Head of State, Bad Santa, Guess Who, Pride, Soul Men.

Early life and Education

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. Mac was the second child of Mary McCullough and Jeffrey Harrison. Mac was raised by his single mother (who died of cancer when he was sixteen years old) and his grandparents on the city's south side.

Mac began his high school career at Chicago Vocational High School. His mother died in 1973 when he was 16 years old. Shortly afterward, Mac's older brother and his estranged father both died. Mac later graduated from Chicago Vocational High School in 1975.

During his 20s and through his early 30s, Mac worked in a variety of jobs, including janitor, coach, professional mover, cook, bus driver, Wonder Bread delivery man, furniture mover, and UPS agent, while doing comedy on the weekends at clubs and parties.

Career (Rise to success)

Bernie Mac's influences were from The Three Stooges and listening to stand-up comedians Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Club. After he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, his popularity as a comedian began to grow. A performance on HBO's Def Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight; after Martin Lawrence was unable to calm an increasingly hostile crowd, Mac went onstage and said, "I ain't scared o' you mothafuckas," telling the audience that he "didn't come here for no foolishness."

Mac opened for Dionne Warwick, Redd Foxx and Natalie Cole. He played a small role in 1994's House Party 3 as Uncle Vester. He also had a short-lived talk show on HBO titled Midnight Mac. Later, Mac also acted in minor roles, playing Mr. Johnson the no-nonsense owner of a grille and diner in the movie B.A.P.S., and "Pastor Clever" in Ice Cube's 1995 vehicle Friday. Following that role, Mac was chosen to play the title role in the 1995 Apollo revival of The Wiz.

Mac had his first starring role as "Dollar Bill", a silly, slick-talking club owner in 1998's The Players Club. Mac was able to break from the traditional "black comedy" genre, having roles in the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven and becoming the new Bosley for the Charlie's Angels sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

The Bernie Mac Show

In 2001, the Fox network gave Mac his own television sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show portraying a fictional version of himself. In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian of his sister's three children after she enters rehab. Mac broke the fourth wall to tell his thoughts to the audience.

The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. Mac, who grew up on Chicago's South Side, was a fan of the Chicago White Sox, and would often sneak a reference to his favorite team in episodes, including enlisting then-White Sox pitcher Jon Garland to make a guest cameo appearance. In the 2005 season he wore a White Sox jacket and cap, and congratulated his hometown Chicago White Sox and their staff members on their recent World Series championship.

The show was not renewed after the 2005–2006 season. The series finale aired on April 14, 2006. Among other awards, the show won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing", the Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and the Humanitas Prize for television writing that promotes human dignity. His character on The Bernie Mac Show was ranked No. 47 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".

During his run on the show, Mac had co-starring roles in Bad Santa and Head of State, as well as starring roles in the baseball-themed film Mr. 3000, and Guess Who?,a remake of the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Later years, illness and death

On March 19, 2007, Mac told David Letterman on the CBS Late Show that he would retire from his 30-year career after he finished shooting the comedy film, The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit", Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977 and was on the road 47 weeks out of the year."

During this time, Mac was having success as a popular film actor, starting with an appearance in the 2007 film Transformers as the car salesman "Bobby Bolivia", and serving as the voice of Zuba, Alex the Lion's long-lost father in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in the 2008 musical comedy Soul Men. These last two movies were released months after his death. His final film role was as Jimmy Lunchbox in the 2009 film Old Dogs which was released a year after his death.

In the final four years of his life, Mac publicly disclosed that he had had sarcoidosis, a disease of unknown origin that causes inflammation in tissue. Sarcoidosis frequently attacked his lungs. On July 19, 2008, Mac was admitted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Chicago. After being treated in the ICU for three weeks, Mac went into cardiac arrest and subsequently died during the early morning hours on August 9, from complications of sarcoidosis at the age of 50.

Mac's public memorial was held a week after his death at the House of Hope Church, with nearly 7,000 people in attendance. Notable mourners at Mac's funeral were Chris Rock, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Don Cheadle, the cast members from The Bernie Mac Show, and his Kings of Comedy fellows D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey.

Personal Life

Mac married his high school sweetheart Rhonda Gore on September 17, 1977, and together they had a daughter, Je'Niece, born in 1978.

In the 2003 National League Championship Series, Mac sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs leading the Florida Marlins in the series 3 games to 2 and in Game 6 by a 2–0 score at the time (it would soon be 3–0 in the bottom of the 7th). Instead of saying "root, root, root for the Cubbies" Mac said, "root, root, root for the champs!, champs!" The Cubs lost the game following the Steve Bartman incident and the series, with some fans claiming that Mac helped jinx the Cubs. Mac later admitted that he had hated the North Side's Cubs his whole life, being a die-hard fan of the South Side's White Sox, and was seen during the White Sox' 2005 World Series victory at U.S. Cellular Field.

Mac had a history of health problems before he went public with his health struggles. The first occurred in the summer of 2004, when Mac was filming both Ocean's Twelve and Guess Who while also promoting Mr. 3000. He was set to film the remainder of Season 4 of The Bernie Mac Show in October of that year, but due to contracting pneumonia in both lungs and suffering from exhaustion, Fox halted production for four weeks so Mac could recover.

Legacy and tributes

The first two of Mac's posthumous films, Soul Men and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, were released three months after his death and were dedicated to him. Mac's third posthumously released and final film, Old Dogs, was released a year after his death. The 2008 Bud Billiken Parade, which was held in Chicago on the day of Mac's death, was also dedicated to his memory. On the day of Mac's funeral, his hometown's local television station WCIU-TV aired an exclusive television special, A Tribute to Bernie Mac, and had interviews with his former colleagues including Camille Winbush, Chris Rock, Joe Torry, Cameron Diaz, Don Cheadle, and some of his family members & close friends.

During Steve Harvey's television show which aired November 14, 2016, Harvey read a proclamation from Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel proclaiming November 14 as "Bernie Mac Day". Steve Harvey's guests included Bernie's wife Rhonda, their daughter Je'Niece, granddaughter Jasmine, and Bernie's The Original Kings of Comedy co-stars D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Guy Torry (who was the original host at the beginning of the tour). Mike Epps, appearing via satellite, along with the principal of Bernie and Rhonda's alma mater Chicago Vocational High School (CVS), revealed and unveiled the renaming of CVS Auditorium to the "Bernie Mac Auditorium".

On February 14, 2017, Rolling Stone named Bernie Mac #41 of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

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kiirstiine · 6 years ago

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On this day, it’s been 25 years since his passing. His death not only had a devastating impact on his million of fans around the world but also on formula 1 and motorsport as a whole. Because of him, safety has improved and the numbers of fatalities have decreased rapidly. His death showed us, like Jim clark in 1968, that even the best drivers are mortal.

Since the first official formula 1 grand prix in 1950, there has been many accidents, and some of them ended in fatality. In the 69 full seasons of formula 1, 32 drivers have lost their life in the dangerous sport. Every one of them has been tragic, but their passings has also helped form the sport, that we know today. Safety in motorsport is at its peak, and we can thank all of those, who have died as a consequence of crashes in formula 1.

Chet Miller * 19 July 1902 - 15 May 1953 * Indianapolis 500

Onofre Marimón * 19 December 1923 - 31 July 1954 * German Grand Prix

Manny Ayulo * 20 October 1921 - 17 May 1955 * Indianapolis 500

Bill Vukovich * 13 December 1918 - 30 May 1955 * Indianapolis 500

Keith Andrews * 15 June 1920 - 15 May 1957 * Indianapolis 500

Pat O’Connor * 9 October 1928 - 30 May 1958 * Indianapolis 500

Luigi Musso * 28 July 1924 - 6 July 1958 * French Grand Prix

Peter Collins * 6 November 1931 - 3 August 1958 * German Grand Prix

Stuart Lewis-Evans * 20 April 1930 - 25 October 1958 * Moroccan Grand Prix

Jerry Unser Jr. * 15 November 1932 - 17 May 1959 * Indianapolis 500

Bob Cortner * 16 April 1927 - 19 May 1959 * Indianapolis 500

Chris Bristow * 2 December 1937 - 19 June 1960 * Belgian Grand Prix

Alan Stacey * 29 August 1933 - 19 June 1960 * Belgian Grand Prix

Wolfgang von Trips * 4 May 1928 - 10 September 1961 * Italian Grand Prix

Carel Godin de Beaufort * 10 April 1934 - 2 August 1964 * German Grand Prix

John Taylor * 23 March 1933 - 8 September 1966 * German Grand Prix

Lorenzo Bandini * 21 December 1935 - 19 May 1967 * Monaco Grand Prix

Jo Schlesser * 18 May 1928 - 7 July 1968 * French Grand Prix

Gerhard Mitter * 30 August 1935 - 1 August 1969 * German Grand Prix

Piers Courage * 27 May 1942 - 21 June 1970 * Dutch Grand Prix

Jochen Rindt * 18 April 1942 - 5 September 1970 * Italian Grand Prix

Roger Williamson * 2 February 1948 - 29 July 1973 * Dutch Grand Prix

Francois Cevert * February 25 1944 - 6 October 1973 * United Stated Grand Prix

Helmuth Koinigg * 3 November 1948 - 6 October 1974 * United States Grand Prix

Mark Donohue * 18 March 1937 - 19 August 1975 * Austrian Grand Prix

Tom Pryce * 11 June 1949 - 5 March 1977 * South African Grand Prix

Ronnie Peterson * 14 February 1944 - 11 September 1978 * Italian Grand Prix

Gilles Villeneuve * 18 January 1950 - 8 May 1982 * Belgian Grand Prix

Riccardo Paletti * 15 June 1958 - 13 June 1982 * Canadian Grand Prix

Roland Ratzenberger * 4 July 1960 - 30 April 1994 * San Marino Grand Prix

Ayrton Senna * 21 March 1960 - 1 May 1994 * San Marino Grand Prix

Jules Bianchi * 3 August 1989 - 17 July 2015 * Japanese Grand Prix

More drivers have also been killed in an f1 car, but either as part of a test or in a non-championship event.

It isn’t just the drivers who risk their life while driving at 200 mph. The marshalls make it safer for the drivers on track, but sometimes even they lose their life trying to help others.

Günther Schneider * 4 August 1963 * German Grand Prix

Jansen van Vuuren * 5 March 1977 * South African Grand Prix

Paolo Gislimberti * 10 September 2000 * Italian Grand Prix

Graham Beveridge * 4 March 2001 * Australian Grand Prix

Mark Robinson * 9 June 2013 * Canadian Grand Prix

I hope no other driver or marshall will die during what they love in the future. It’s a dangerous sport, and I admit, I like a crash, but I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.

#formula one #formula 1 #ayrton senna #senna #f1

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scottmartin-org · 3 years ago

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Lucas Di Grassi | Racing for Innovation and Sustainability

Paddle in.

In this episode, I interview Lucas Di Grassi about his career in marketing new emerging industries, sustainability, innovation and his career in motorsports.

He is a well-known world champion Formula E race car driver who is transforming the industry -completely on the leading edge of speed and innovation.

Lucas is one of the most profound experts across so many categories from being a top athlete, speaker, ambassador, inventor, collaborator, world champion, racer car driver, and founder and so much more.

From São Paulo, Lucas is the most successful Brazilian driver of the decade, collecting victories, titles and international public recognition. He is also the biggest name in the history of the Formula E World Championship, adding a title, two runners-up and two third places, in addition to being the record holder for podiums (32). In 2015 he was named the best endurance driver and also the best Formula E competitor in the world.

"Di Grassi has stood out internationally for his stance in the field of sustainability, using sport and the interest of the industry for this transformation. Currently, the pilot acts as an investor in the innovative Extreme E, Roborace and ESC (Electric Scooter Championship) championships, in addition to Formula E, in which he remains one of the main candidates for the title in all seasons. In Brazil, he is co-founder of Zero Summit, the first international technology and business event to promote the so-called “zero carbon entrepreneurship”. - www.LucasDiGrassi.com

Follow Lucas Di Grassi: Instagram

Lucas Di Grassi Website

Paddle into Groundswell:

Groundswell Mighty Network: https://groundswell.mn.co/

Groundswell Origins: http://www.GroundswellOrigins.com

Podcast Blog: http://www.Groundswell.fm

Scott Martin: http://www.Instagram.com/ScottMartin_org

Please connect with me here: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottadammartin/

Check out this episode!

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kansascityhappenings · 5 years ago

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Penske buys Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar Series

Roger Penske was a car-loving, 14-year-old who regularly listened to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio when his father landed tickets to the 1951 race. They made the trek from Cleveland, and when Penske saw the cars zipping around Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 200 mph he fell instantly in love.

Now he owns the iconic speedway, its hallowed grounds, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the IndyCar Series and all its properties in a stunning deal announced Monday. By early next year, Penske Entertainment Corp. will take over all those entities owned by the Hulman family for 74 years in one of the biggest transactions in the history of motorsports.

“The bug of motor racing got in my blood,” Penske recalled about that day with his father, Jay. “I hope my dad is looking down at me and this group and saying ‘Son, you did a good job.’”

The sprawling, 110-year-old speedway and its famed, 2 1/2 -mile oval track is one of the most famous venues in sports and crowds for its showcase race every May, the first one dating to 1911, used to swell to more than 400,000 people. The speedway with its famous pagoda tower, Gasoline Alley garage area and massive grandstands was a dilapidated mess in 1945 when Tony Hulman bought it and brought racing back to the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Avenue after a four-year absence following World War II.

The speedway itself spun off multiple subsidiaries, including the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions, which are also being acquired by Penske Entertainment, a subsidiary of Penske Corp., which is owned by the billionaire.

The deal was done in roughly six weeks and began when Tony George, grandson of Tony Hulman, approached Penske before the season-ending race in California in September. George wished Penske luck in the championship battle, then asked “The Captain” if they could have a conversation about the speedway.

“We as a family agreed we all needed to have a conversation with Roger Penske,” George said.

“I simply said I’d like to meet with him and talk about stewardship and he got a very serious look on his face,” said George, who several times choked back tears discussing his family’s legacy. “It’s obviously emotionally difficult. We all love it and we all care deeply. We all realize that as a family and organization we had probably taken it as far as we can. Roger Penske’s resources will only take this to another level.”

Tony George, along with his sisters and the Hulman & Co. board of directors, have most recently been in charge of Hulman properties. Mari Hulman George, Hulman’s daughter and matriarch of the family interests, died last November and the family businesses have slowly been divested. Hulman & Co. sold its other primary business, the baking company Clabber Girl, to B&G Foods for $80 million in May.

The family has now turned its racing properties over to Penske in an announcement made one day after the one-year anniversary of Hulman George’s death. The family will have an opportunity from Penske to remain involved with both the series and the speedway, and Tony George said he will take Penske up on the offer. He is also co-owner of Ed Carpenter Racing, the team run by his son.

Penske said he will step down as race strategist for his IndyCar team — he most recently called races for veteran driver Will Power — and focus on turning IMS into “the entertainment capital of Indiana.” He said the heavy lifting begins Tuesday when Penske plans to walk the IMS property — it includes the track, a golf course, a museum and in 1987 was designated a National Historic Landmark — then meet with the existing executive team.

Penske, who is also a giant in the NASCAR stock car series, said he plans no management changes at this time. He was eager to address any potential conflict of interest that could arise from the most powerful man in motorsports owning a three-car race team, the series and one of the most important races in the world.

“I understand the integrity. To me, I know what my job is,” Penske said. “Hopefully I have enough credibility to ensure that there is not a lot of conflict. I’ve got a lot of guys watching me.”

Penske, who turned 82 in February, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump last month. He is the winningest car owner in Indy 500 history with 18 victories, including Simon Pagenaud’s win in May, as well as 15 IndyCar championships following Josef Newgarden’s title in September.

The deal should close in January. Penske said because both Penske Corp. and Hulman & Company are private companies they are not legally required to disclose the transaction price.

IMS earlier Monday sent a document to IndyCar teams, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, outlining the basics of the deal.

“We have found the ideal steward of the company and its iconic assets,” the document said. “Penske Corporation — with its 64,000-plus employees and more than $32 billion in consolidated revenue — will bring tremendous energy, leadership and resources to IMS, IndyCar and IMSP. For a number of years, the Hulman & Company management and board have engaged outside advisers and experts to consider the full range of strategic options available. Ultimately, it was decided to focus on the possible sale of the company and finding a buyer that would be the best steward of the company and its iconic assets.”

Support from rival team owners was immediate. Chip Ganassi said Penske called him early Monday before the sale was announced to inform him, adding “the place is going to be run like a business now.”

Michael Andretti called it “positive news” for the speedway and the series while Bobby Rahal called Penske the “perfect custodian.”

Penske has missed only six Indianapolis 500s since that first race with his father, and five of them came when the IndyCar Series was formed by Tony George and split from CART. Penske teams remained in CART, and CART teams were not welcome at the 500. CART was once the most popular form of motorsports in the U.S., but NASCAR swallowed open-wheel racing during the tumultuous times after Tony George created the Indy Racing League. The split fractured open-wheel racing in North America and it has never fully recovered even after CART conceded and merged into what is now known as IndyCar.

Penske has mixed track ownership and team ownership before, and the Detroit resident purchased Michigan International Speedway in 1973. He later owned California Speedway and currently runs the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader IndyCar weekend.

Penske said he is eager to add events to IMS and explore opportunities for the speedway and the series. He has been open to new ideas, including guaranteeing spots in the Indianapolis 500 field to full-time IndyCar teams. Fans are vehemently against the idea and argue the show is enhanced by the trials of a driver trying to qualify for the event.

Penske said it was too soon to comment on guaranteeing Indy 500 spots, but he wants to discuss bigger and bolder visions.

“We’ve got to break some glass on some of these things,” said Penske, who mentioned 24-hour races, a return of Formula One and an increased relationship with NASCAR, which has raced at the speedway since 1994, as items he wants to study.

“We’ve got to try some things. I am prepared to take a risk. No risk, no reward.”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/11/04/penske-buys-indianapolis-motor-speedway-indycar-series/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/11/04/penske-buys-indianapolis-motor-speedway-indycar-series/

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competitiveguide · 6 years ago

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Current Affairs of 25th September 2018

Rs 25,050 crore needed to rebuild Kerala The World Bank, in its preliminary report, has estimated that an amount of Rs 25,050 crore is necessary for rebuilding the state. The report was prepared after the visits of World Bank and Asian Development Bank teams to several flood-hit areas of Kerala. The final report would be submitted on October 1, 2018, after incorporating the changes suggested by the State government. Indian actress Jaya Prada appointed goodwill ambassador for Nepal tourism Her appointment is for a term of 4 years. She is also a former Member of Parliament. Her appointment would strengthen the cultural ties between India and Nepal and help promote Nepal’s tourism in India. UP scored 1st place in Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the state has scored the first position in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) by providing houses to 11 lakh poor families. Further, in urban areas, this scheme has benefited over 4 lakh families. The target of 11 million homes by 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) will be completed by the third quarter of 2019. ‘Village Rockstars’ enters Oscars 2019 Assamese movie ‘Village Rockstars’ has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2019. The film is directed by Rima Das. The film which had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and India premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival 2018. It also won the ‘Best Feature film Award’ at the 65th National Film Awards. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Mysuru city police is to launch Mysuraksha app The Mysuru city police are to launch Mysuraksha app soon. The aim is to ensure the safety and security of passengers who use auto and cab. While downloading the app on their smartphones, the passengers can scan the Quick Response (QR) code printed on autos and cabs that will have the details of the vehicle and the driver. If the passengers encounter any trouble with the auto or cab drivers, they should just press the SOS button in the app. It will transmit the details of the cab/auto to the police control room. The location of the passenger will be traced through Global Positioning System (GPS) and the nearest police patrol vehicle will be alerted and rushed to the rescue of the passenger. The police plans make sure and provide help in time to people and protect them from harassment, intimidation and assault of passengers, through an app and make their journey safe and smooth. PM Modi launched revival of Rs 13,000 crore Talcher fertiliser plant Talcher fertiliser plant in Odisha, once commissioned, will produce 1.27 million tonnes of neem-coated urea per annum. The Talcher plant is the first fertiliser unit in India to use coal-gasification technology and will reduce dependence on urea and gas imports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated a new airport named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai, at Jharsuguda in Odisha. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Former BCCI president Biswanath passed away Former BCCI president Biswanath Dutt passed away on 24 September 2018. Dutt was the BCCI president in 1989 after a six-year stint as the vice-president of the parent body from 1982-88. Dutt began his career in cricket administration as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) secretary in 1977 and became president in 1982, a post he held till 1986. India, Nepal agree to explore satellite images India and Nepal have agreed to explore the possibility of using high resolution satellite images in boundary survey work during a meeting of the Nepal-India boundary working group (BWG). The BWG is a joint body constituted by Nepal and India in 2014 to carry out works in the fields of construction, restoration and repair of boundary pillars, including clearance of no-man’s land. ‘Mysuraksha’ app launched in Mysuru The Mysuru city police have launched ‘Mysuraksha‘ app to ensure the safety and security of auto and cab passengers. The passengers can scan the QR (Quick Response) code printed on autos and cabs that will have the details of the vehicle and the driver. If the passengers encounter any trouble, they can transmit the details to the police control room just by pressing the SOS button. India’s MIB in UN Global Media Compact India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is among more than 30 organisations from across the world that have come together to form a global media compact. The SDG Media Compact is an initiative to advance awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Compact is an initiative of the United Nations, in collaboration with the UN Foundation. Anil Kumar Chaudhary replaced P K Singh as new SAIL chairman Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed Anil Kumar Chaudhary as the new chairman of the Steel Authority of India till his superannuation in December 2020. PK Rath appointed as CMD of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) He is presently the Director (operations) in RINL. Yes Bank Slapped With Rs 38 Crore In GST Fines Around Rs. 32 crores paid to the GST department only Rs 6 crores has been paid in service tax which has been replaced by GST. The issue relates to remittances by migrants from urban pockets to their homes in rural areas. Ibrahim Solih won Presidential Election Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the Maldives‘ presidential election on 24th September 2018. He defeated Maldives President Abdulla Yameen. Mr Solih entered the Parliament for the first time after defeating a ruling party candidate in 1994. He has been representing ‘Lhaviyani Atoll’ in the Maldivian Parliament. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Women Foreign Ministers hold meet First women-only foreign minister conference was held in Montreal, Canada on 22 September 2018. It is aimed at highlighting women’s key role in politics and decision-making processes. The meeting was co-chaired by Canada’s top diplomat, Chrystia Freeland, and the foreign affairs representative of the European Union, Federica Mogherini. India won silver in Snooker Championship India won the silver medal in the final of the Asian Team Snooker Championship. India was defeated by Pakistan in final. The team India consisted of Pankaj Advani and Malkeet Singh. Pankaj Advani is a 19-time World Champion English billiards and snooker player from India. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2018. India Won Silver In Asian Team Snooker Championship India defeated Pakistan at the goal of 2-3 in the final of the Asian Team Snooker Championship. Pankaj Advani and Malkeet Singh represented India while Babar Masih and Mohammad Asif were from the Pakistani side. About Asian Team Snooker Championship It is the premier non-professional snooker tournament in Asia. The event series is sanctioned by the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports and started from 1984. Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang passed away Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang died on 21 September, 2018. A career security officer and four-star general, Quang was elected president of Vietnam in April 2016. He was the second most powerful man in the country after General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He rose through the ranks at various positions at the Ministry of Public Security before being appointed the minister in 2011. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); PM Modi inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Sikkim’s first own airport at Pakyong on 24 September 2018. The airport, perched between the Himalayan ranges at a height of 4,500 ft, is India’s 100th functional airport. The airport has been constructed by the Airports Authority of India. The first commercial flight from Pakyong would begin from October 4 2018. WB, UN launched ‘Famine Action Mechanism’ World Bank (WB), the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon launched a “Famine Action Mechanism” (FAM). FAM is an algorithm that will use analytics to identify areas that are likely to experience extreme food shortages. FAM will promote investments that tackle the causes of famine at the first warning signs. Tiger population doubles in Nepal Nepal is likely to be the first country in the world to double its tiger population. Nepal announced that there are now an estimated 235 wild tigers in the country, nearly doubling the baseline of around 121 tigers in 2009. Nepal conducted its national tiger survey between November 2017 and April 2018 in the transboundary Terai Arc Landscape (TAL). Deepak Punia won silver medal in wrestling India’s Deepak Punia won a silver medal at the junior world wrestling championship in Slovakia. He was defeated by Turkey’s Arif Ozen. India ended the championship with six medals, including three silvers and three bronze medals. Scientist Dr VR Lalithambika is heading India's First Human Space Mission The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has chosen veteran scientist Dr VR Lalithambika to head its Gaganyaan mission to put an Indian in space by 2022. The 56-year-old scientist has 30 years of experience in space missions with ISRO. She was also a key member of the team responsible for launching 104 satellites in one go in February 15, 2017. MS Dhoni overtakes Dravid to become India's 2nd most capped cricketer Mahendra Singh become the second most capped player for India in international cricket as he played his 505th match for India in the Super Four of Asia Cup 2018 against Pakistan on September 23. Before Dhoni, Rahul Dravid was the second most capped player for India with 504 caps in international cricket. Sachin Tendulkar is the top most capped player for India with a record 664 matches for India.

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jodyedgarus · 7 years ago

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Who’s The Best Formula One Driver Of All Time?

The greatest drivers in the world are assembling in Monte Carlo this weekend for Formula One’s flagship race, the Monaco Grand Prix. So we thought it was the right time to dive into the history of road racing’s fastest sport — and this being FiveThirtyEight, what better way to investigate that history than to use our favorite benchmark, the Elo rating system, to rate every driver of all time?

Elo is a simple way to grade competitors based on a series of head-to-head results. Longtime FiveThirtyEight readers will know that we’ve put it to work before in ranking NFL, NBA, MLB, college basketball and football, and women’s and men’s club soccer teams. Here, we’re using it to rate F1 drivers going back to 1950, the first season in which the FIA World Championship of Drivers was staged.

Rating each contestant in fields of more than 20 drivers is a bit different from rating teams that play one-on-one games, so we had to make a few tweaks to our usual Elo formula. (Skip to the bottom for all the details.) The short version, though, is that all drivers are assigned Elo ratings going into each qualifying session and race, which represent their form — along with that of their engine manufacturer, mechanics, pit crew and so forth — at that particular moment. The average is around 1500, with the best racers soaring into the 2000s. After each event, the driver’s rating will change based on the result: In general, finishing high helps you gain Elo points, while finishing low costs you Elo points. (Duh.) If a driver doesn’t finish a race, Elo acts as though that driver never entered the race. That avoids the question of fault for a crash or a mechanical failure, though it may reward drivers who take more risks to finish higher. It may also reward drivers who qualify well but do poorly on Sundays. But the best racers will consistently outduel the highest-rated of their peers.

Most racers, of course, aren’t in that category. But a few drivers In F1’s history have managed to dominate for long stretches of time; sometimes they even came along at the right time to have an epic rivalry with another all-time great. You can see these legendary racers highlighted in the chart above, which you can also search and click to isolate other individual drivers’ ratings over time.

So … who’s the best ever?

To judge the best-ever racers according to Elo, we wanted to strike a balance between career performance and peak form. So we made a compromise: We averaged a driver’s Elo across the five best consecutive seasons of his or her career, provided the driver participated in a minimum percentage of that season’s races.1 According to the resulting metric, no driver in history was more dominant than the late Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna:

F1′s top racers (according to Elo)

Top Formula 1 drivers since 1950, by the highest average Elo rating over a racer’s best five-year span

Driver Best five years Avg. Elo Rating 1 Ayrton Senna 1988-92 2178 2 Michael Schumacher 2000-04 2106 3 Lewis Hamilton 2014-18 2060 4 Sebastian Vettel 2009-13 2056 5 Juan Manuel Fangio 1953-57 2053 6 Alain Prost 1987-91 2048 7 Mika Hakkinen 1997-01 2047 8 Niki Lauda 1974-78 2025 9 Damon Hill 1993-97 2000 10 David Coulthard 1998-02 1983 11 Nico Rosberg 2012-16 1981 12 Jim Clark 1963-67 1978 13 Nelson Piquet 1983-87 1946 14 Riccardo Patrese 1989-93 1936 15 Rubens Barrichello 2000-04 1935 16 Gerhard Berger 1990-94 1914 17 James Hunt 1974-78 1905 18 Mark Webber 2009-13 1899 19 Alberto Ascari 1950-54 1890 20 Jackie Stewart 1969-73 1877 21 Graham Hill 1961-65 1875 22 Fernando Alonso 2010-14 1870 23 Mario Andretti 1975-79 1865 24 Jean Alesi 1992-96 1864 25 Stirling Moss 1957-61 1863 26 Juan Pablo Montoya 2001-05 1860 27 Jacques Villeneuve 1996-00 1856 28 Carlos Reutemann 1977-81 1850 29 John Surtees 1963-67 1846 30 Nigel Mansell 1983-87 1846

* Includes the 2018 season, which is currently in progress.

To be eligible, drivers prior to 1970 needed to take part in 25 percent of the season’s races and qualifying sessions. Drivers since then needed to participate in 60 percent of the year’s races and qualifying sessions.

This should come as no surprise to racing fans — Senna is regarded by many other champions as F1’s greatest driver. Nor is it a shock to see Michael Schumacher, the seven-time World Champion, coming in at No. 2. But what’s striking is that Nos. 3 and 4 in the ranking above are current rivals: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. How lucky are modern F1 fans, that we get to see two names on the all-time short list of greatest drivers going head-to-head every few weeks?

Here are some of the racers and rivalries that defined entire eras of F1 history, according to our Elo rankings:

Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio (No. 5 in our all-time list) was F1’s first superstar, winning five of the first eight World Championships ever awarded, in 1951 and 1954-57. It would be 45 years before Michael Schumacher equaled (and then surpassed) Fangio’s title count. But Fangio did have a fierce contemporary challenger, in the form of Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari (No. 19). Ascari was the only racer to beat Fangio for the championship between 1951 and 1957 — even granting that Fangio sat out 1952. Ascari would die in a training accident in 1955, though, robbing Fangio of his greatest on-track rival. “I have lost my greatest opponent,” Fangio said. “Ascari was a driver of supreme skill and I felt my title (in 1955) lost some of its value because he was not there to fight me for it.”

Over the four-season stretch from 1962 to 1965, British rivals Jim Clark (No. 12) and Graham Hill (No. 21) represented the emergence of Britain as a force in the Formula One landscape, with Hill at British Racing Motors and Clark at the Lotus team founded by legendary designer Colin Chapman. During that time, the duo combined to claim 32 of F1’s 39 available pole positions — including every single pole of the 1965 season — and won 29 of 39 total races. They’d have been a perfect 4-for-4 on championships in that span, too, if not for bad luck in the last race of the 1964 season: Mechanical problems struck both Clark and Hill during the race, allowing John Surtees to claim the title by a single point over Hill. (Naturally, Clark and Hill bounced back to finish 1-2 in the standings the following year.)

Friends away from the track, Niki Lauda (No. 8) and James Hunt (No. 17) had a fierce rivalry behind the wheel that peaked during the 1976 season. Lauda went into the year as F1’s top-rated driver by Elo before suffering a fiery crash at the German Grand Prix that nearly took his life. Six weeks after being given last rites, Lauda somehow bounced back to finish fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. But in the end, Hunt ended up eking out the 1976 title by a single point over his Austrian rival. Hunt was quick again the following season, but he was unable to keep his car on the track; he took six poles to Lauda’s two but retired from eight of 17 races, six of which were due to mechanical failure. Lauda took advantage, claiming his second title in three years.

France’s Alain Prost (No. 6) won a grand total of four championships in his career, tied for the third most ever. But from 1988 to 1991, he would claim only a single title, thanks largely to the otherworldly skills of Ayrton Senna (No. 1), his one-time McLaren teammate. Senna won more than 40 percent of the races he entered during that span, peaking with one of the highest Elo ratings ever in 1989. Even Prost’s lone title in those seasons — in 1989 — was more about Senna’s bad luck than Prost outracing him; although Prost beat his teammate only once all year in races they both finished, Senna suffered six retirements2 to Prost’s three. Senna was so dominant that Prost ended up leaving McLaren for Ferrari in 1990; the rivalry would continue off and on for the next few seasons until Prost retired after his 1993 championship. Senna died the next year in a crash in San Marino. Prost was a once-in-a-generation driving talent, but he had the misfortune to race against Senna, a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

While most of the rivalries on this list were fueled by emotion, this one was all about the driving. Michael Schumacher (No. 2) had captured back-to-back F1 crowns with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 but had experienced uneven results after leaving for Ferrari, including a disqualification for dangerous driving in 1997. Driving for McLaren, Mika Hakkinen (No. 7) captured back-to-back championships in 1998 (with Schumacher finishing second) and ’99. Then in 2000, Schumacher finally outdueled his Finnish rival with four straight wins to close the season. It was his third career title and the first in the set of five in a row Schumacher would win until he was unseated by up-and-coming phenom Fernando Alonso in 2005. Schumacher finished his career with the most total championships of any driver ever, and he would call Hakkinen his “best opponent.”

From 2008 to 2017, Lewis Hamilton (No. 3) and Sebastian Vettel (No. 4) won the F1 title every season except for two (2009 and 2016) — and one of them was runner-up in each of those years. And yet, we’re somehow only reaching the peak of this rivalry right now, since the dominant periods for Vettel’s former team, Red Bull (2010-13), and Hamilton’s Mercedes squad (2014-16) didn’t quite overlap. Starting last season, though, we’re finally getting some direct competition between these two four-time champions, and it’s given us moments like this deliberate collision at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. According to Elo, Vettel has one of the best peak ratings of any driver ever, and Hamilton isn’t far behind, so if these two continue on their current trend, there’s plenty of room for the legend of this rivalry to grow.

Methodology

Unlike most other sports where FiveThirtyEight uses Elo, Formula One is not a head-to-head sport; multiple drivers take to the circuit at the same time or in the same session, and the result is a combination of both car and driver. In order to make this work, we’ve made some assumptions about how to view the results:

Driver and car are considered to be inseparable from Elo’s point of view. So when we say that Nigel Mansell’s peak Elo in 1992 was 2428, we really mean, “Nigel Mansell, driving the Williams-Renault FW14B, had a peak Elo of 2428.”

Each session or race is treated as if it were a round-robin 1-on-1 tournament. A driver who finishes second out of 15 cars is viewed as having gone 13-1 in this tournament, losing to the first place finisher and defeating the rest.

Elo includes each race that awards Formula One championship points3 and the primary qualifying session for that race.

If a driver fails to finish a race — whether because of mechanical failure or a crash — we treat that driver as if he or she didn’t compete in the race. This may reward drivers who are overly brave (or stupid) by not punishing them, or cars that were quick yet unreliable, but it avoids having to assign blame in controversial incidents or, even worse, clear cases where a crash was not a driver’s fault.

Like several other FiveThirtyEight Elo systems, the average driver has an Elo score around 1500, while new drivers start with 1300 points. The “K-factors” in this version of Elo — which are multipliers that determine the sensitivity and fluctuation of a driver’s rating — are more extreme in the beginning of a driver’s career. Drivers start with a K-factor of 24 for approximately the first year, then reduce as they gain experience. Qualifying results are predictive of race results, which makes sense considering that qualifying results both set the starting grid for the following race and allow for drivers to demonstrate their raw speed and talent on a level field. The minimum K-factor for qualifying sessions is 16, while the minimum K-factor for races is 12. Drivers always gain Elo points after “defeating” another driver and lose ground after “losing” to them.

The overall system is zero-sum, in that the total number of points remains constant before and after a session or race, but given that each session or race can include drivers with a range of K-factors, there can be asymmetric point gains and losses. We adjust for this by normalizing participants’ scores after each session. Without this normalization, it is possible in the short term both for Elo deflation to occur — a new driver does poorly and gives away more points than the opponents claim — and Elo inflation to occur — a new driver does well and gains more points than opponents lose. Given the rapid driver churn in Formula One — especially during the early years of the sport — these effects would be more noticeable than in other sports and would quickly lead to skewed rating scales across the seven decades of championships.

To build the Formula One Elo, we used the historical race results compiled at github.com/emkael/elof1. These were pulled from various sources: Data for the 1950 and 1951 seasons came from Wikipedia, for 1952 and 1953 from second-a-lap.blogspot.com, and for subsequent seasons from ergast.com/mrd. Data for qualifying races was also pulled from chicanef1.com.

Additional contributions by Gus Wezerek.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/formula-one-racing/

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jonathanbelloblog · 7 years ago

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Lewis Hamilton Above the Noise

The chartered jet lands at Inyokern Airport just before noon on the Monday before Christmas. Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, just three weeks removed from the 2017 season finale and not two months since he clinched his fourth world title, disembarks from the rented plane along with a half dozen or so friends. Following a campaign that saw him win nine races to bring his career tally to 62 (second only to Michael Schumacher’s 91) and claim his 72nd pole position—the all-time record ahead of Schumacher’s 68 and the late Ayrton Senna’s 65—it’s a bit incongruous to see Hamilton hanging around this small desert airfield 145 miles northeast of Los Angeles. For the 32-year-old Briton, though, it’s the final stop on his 2017 work schedule after flying in from Los Angeles, where he spent several days in business meetings. Now, on his way to the Vail, Colorado, area, where he owns a ranch dubbed the “MegaZone,” his Mercedes-AMG employer has requested he make a detour from beginning his vacation in order to shoot some photos alongside his championship-winning race car and the company’s forthcoming Project One supercar. The company offered us a rare chance for some one-on-one time with the driver former McLaren teammate Jenson Button recently dubbed “the quickest guy that has ever driven a Formula 1 car.”

Automobile Magazine: What’s the big activity during your vacation?

Lewis Hamilton: Well, the next few days, we snowboard. We do snowmobiling. We do night paintballing in the snow. It’s just chilling out. A lot of gaming. We play a lot of video games, a lot of board games.

AM: Which video games are you into?

LH: “Call of Duty.”

AM: Not racing or car-related games?

LH: No, I don’t play those games much, really. The one I just played this year is the new “Gran Turismo,” which is sick. It’s really, really f****** good. It’s crazy to see because I had the first one, and to see it develop and how it is today, it’s super-impressive. I’ve got the steering wheel and a professional seat setup where we’re going today [in Colorado]. So we’ll have it set up, and we can play two-player. I’m excited about that.

AM: At this stage of your career, what do you think of the perception of you as portrayed by the traditional F1 press? You catch a lot of flak from European media for some of the things you do during your personal time, like jetting around the world to various events between races and hanging out with other celebrities, like Justin Bieber.

LH: I think it’s always been the case since I’ve been in Formula 1. There’s always been negativity, but, I mean, I generally don’t tend to focus on that. I think when I started to do these different things, people definitely commented on it and had opinions about it. Then they would say [I’m] not focused. It was a lot of work to kind of break the mold, break the shape of [what] people would expect a racing driver to be. This is a new day and age, and I’m the new. It’s not for others to decide what I am as a racing driver. It’s for me to discover and kind of watch it unfold. I think it’s been cool because I’ve been doing these different things and then I turn up and win, so they can’t say, really, anything. It’s just that I think we’re all a little different, and we should all strive to be different and shouldn’t shy away from it. But there are people in the world that tend to crawl into their shell and feel that they need to be a certain way because people expect them to be that way.

AM: Do you feel like you get more or less or the same amount of that criticism compared to in the past?

LH: I don’t know, and to be honest I don’t ever read the stuff. I really don’t care. Zero f**** is the term that I use. I know I’ve got my closest people around me. I’m still close to my family. Still have the same values as when I started out. Of course, people that tune in today, they see me at the top. They only see the success. They don’t see everything that I’ve done to be where I am today. People definitely don’t appreciate that. Some people don’t. I’m just trying to get in as much as I can in the time that I have whilst not losing performance. Then I have other things to move on to when I stop rather than being stuck where I currently am, which I would prefer not to be.

AM: Speaking of other things to do, your aunt died from cancer in 2012, and you’ve made a point before about how that impacted you …

LH: Definitely. We all go through some experiences that … they talk about building character and helping you prioritize and redirect your focuses. I think for me with my auntie, I think it was really [the case]. I mean naturally when someone tells you on their deathbed that they had been planning to do these things and then they’ve run out of time—I imagine how that is because a lot of people do that. My mom and friends have worked day in and day out and sacrificed things for the future, and then when you run out of road, you don’t get to do those things. It was definitely sad to see that, and just in that moment my auntie made me promise I was going to live life to the max and do everything and not hold back.

AM: How does that manifest with you?

Growing up in Stevenage, sitting with my mom and not having— We’d walk down to the bus stop to take a bus to town because we didn’t have a car. It’s just crazy to think I have cars now.

LH: Not wait until I’m 40 to go skiing. She was like, live in the now and not … obviously have a balance in the now and in the future, but live now, so for me that’s a massive highlight. That’s what I’m going to do. You just never know when … I’m still of the mindset you just never know when your day is up. A best friend of ours here today, her friend just got a call yesterday from the doctor saying that the friend only has one month to live. When that happens, what are you going to do? Hopefully that doesn’t happen to any of us, but it does happen in the world, and accidents happen, s***. I just want to know that if [my time is] cut short that I did everything up until that point in my life that I could.

AM: How do you manage to do all of the globe-trotting and other things you do between races yet still maintain peak performance in the car?

LH: I think I’m just used to it. My friends always say to me, “I don’t understand where you get the energy,” because I do usually have a lot of energy. I’m doing a lot of things. I think it’s really about how I’m able to switch off between the jobs or between racing. I can completely compartmentalize it, put it in the box, wait, close the drawer, wait until I need to focus on it. It doesn’t drain me.

AM: Is that a key point you’ve learned about human performance over the years?

LH: I guess it’s through trial and error. I’ve put tons of time into training [in the past] and then found it’s actually been worse for my performance if I don’t do anything else and only train every single day, with no other stimulation mentally. I perform worse [with that approach], so then it’s just about bit by bit taking it to here and dividing that 100 percent battery life you have. Dividing it a certain way across the different things that you plan on doing. Have some remaining so that you can use it for the racing. Do you know what I mean?

AM: In terms of dividing that energy, how much of your downtime is spent reviewing data from the racetrack?

LH: Yeah, yeah, that takes a lot of time. All the flights that I’m on, the long flights, I’m studying. When I’m in my hotel room, I’m studying. When I’m at the tracks, I’m studying. When I go back to the team’s factory, we’ll have a meeting, and they’re constantly sending me files and emails regarding car setup. All these different things, and we’ll go back and forth about setup, things we tested with, things that we might want to try. Then all the changes I make through the weekend. I wouldn’t say they use what I dictate, but I lead it. I make a general decision in that respect.

AM: Modern F1 teams collect so much data. How do you sort it all out in limited time?

LH: I have an engineer who’s got massive confidence in me. He knows there are times I come in and I’m like, s***, I’ve got four options of things to change. I’m not quite sure which ones they are, but this is my problem, or this [other thing] is my problem. Then we have that discussion; can we use that one or that one? The majority of the time, for like 90 percent of the time, I come in and I’m like, I need this. I’ve got this understood here. Change, you know, one [minor] setting lower or whatever it may be. That just comes with experience.

AM: Grand Prix cars are incredibly complex; is there one item in particular you absolutely have to get right every week?

LH: There’s not one point. There are so many pieces to the puzzle that have to come together. So tires are crucial, tire temperature, tire usage is of course crucial. [But overall] on-track setup is everything. It’s like, if I explain it like roads, you got a road that’s this length, this length, this length, and longer. You want to set the car up on the one that can go the furthest, basically, in terms of potential. You know what I mean? Sometimes you go on the wrong road with the setup and you limit yourself and you just can’t take it any further. Most times you just hit a wall, but if you get on the right path for the setup, it’s a longer … this is a really bad usage of terminology, but it’s a longer road, so you can really push the car further and expand more and extract more from it.

AM: Do you ever stop and look at your career, 11 years in, and think—surreal might not be the correct word here because everybody’s life is surreal in a lot of ways …

LH: Sure.

AM: But the reality is, your stats are piling up year after year, and you still appear to have a long way to go before you stop. Do you allow yourself to sit and smile about this stuff now, or are you saving those thoughts for when you’re finished in the sport?

Wild life: Hamilton’s Mercedes-AMG duties include assisting with development of the Project One. Despite his jet-setting schedule and an image criticized by some, we found him to be open and engaging during our informal chat.

LH: Yeah, I think for me, I think after I did the last race of 2017 and it just didn’t stop, there was no moment to stop. I just had days and days and days and days of PR events. I was at the factory, in the wind tunnel looking at the new car, the engineers talking to me about how the new car is going to be. Can’t stop for a second, really. Obviously now I’ll go away today and these next days I’ll be off for, so I’ll be sitting down, but I still don’t ever—of course when we talk about it, I’m like, it’s crazy how far we’ve come. But I don’t know. I think my ambition kind of overshadows it or clouds it because I’m just super-ambitious. Done one thing. I’m moving to the next thing. It’s just a tick, you know what I mean? It’s oh, wow, I’ve achieved it. It’s just now the next focus. It’s really, I’ve found a long-lasting game of chess, but there are lots of checkmates along the way.

AM: To your earlier point about maximizing every day, though, you do seem to absorb it as it happens, yes?

LH: You know I have a checkmate in lots of different things, moving to the next, what’s next, how can I better it? How can I grow? I’ve got so many things that I want to achieve, and the only question is—it’s not a question of if I can do it. It’s a question of time. I’m incredibly fortunate to do the things that I do. Look where we are today. I’m landing on the fricking plane this morning, and I’m thinking to myself, this just doesn’t seem real. It’s literally a fricking dream that I live. Because growing up in Stevenage, sitting watching a TV show with my mom and not having—we’d walk down to the bus stop to take a bus to town because we didn’t have a car. It’s just crazy to think I have cars now. It still doesn’t—even for my mom when she comes and sees the things that we have, even for her it doesn’t feel—it just feels weird. I don’t think I mentioned she had jobs and struggled so much. Now we do things, and it’s, I don’t know, it feels good, but it just feels very surreal.

AM: So that was the right word then.

LH: Every single day it feels surreal because it just doesn’t feel like it changes. I like that it does feel that way because if you get used to something, you get comfortable with something, then it’s easier to take things for granted. I don’t feel like my family generally does that, so that’s all about the people around you, grounded people. [I am] very, very, very careful who I select to be around me. I don’t have any weak-minded or negative individuals. I just get the most positive, lovely, real people around me.

AM: If you could talk to yourself at 10 years old and at 22 years old when you came into F1: Knowing what you know now and what you’ve experienced, what message would you deliver to those younger versions of yourself?

LH: I look back at myself, and I meet kids now that are so much more advanced than I was at their age. I was very, very timid, very, very much in a cocoon when I was younger. I didn’t hang around with kids on the weekends. I was super kept to myself, quiet. Yet I was still mischievous and outgoing and [a] daredevil. What I would just say to myself as a youngster and what I would like to do for my kid [one day] is ultimately, a human is like a plant growing, and you have to nurture the plant, you have to keep it watered and help it grow and give it light and those kind of things. Allow it to blossom in its natural form, and a lot of parents today … I’ve got cousins who are being pushed by their parent to do soccer, and often I think a parent’s job is to protect, but they can also be quite restricting. Or teachers or whatever, things force [kids] in an unnatural direction. What I’m saying is, for me I felt that I was held back when I was younger in terms of growing as a character, as a kid.

AM: Was that the system you were in, or … ?

LH: Just lots of things. It was school, it was pressures of not living a kid’s life—which I’m grateful that I went through, but I would just say I would somehow get the kid that I was and try and encourage him to be brighter and grow faster. By the time I really kind of grew into understanding who I was, I was frigging in my 20s, you know? There are a lot of 18-year-olds I see now or 17-year-olds who are so much more, who are already there, knowing what they want to do or knowing who they are, what kind of characters they are. So that’s great to see.

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4

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eddiejpoplar · 7 years ago

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Lewis Hamilton Above the Noise

Automobile Magazine: What’s the big activity during your vacation?

AM: Which video games are you into?

LH: “Call of Duty.”

AM: Not racing or car-related games?

AM: Do you feel like you get more or less or the same amount of that criticism compared to in the past?

AM: Speaking of other things to do, your aunt died from cancer in 2012, and you’ve made a point before about how that impacted you …

AM: How does that manifest with you?

Growing up in Stevenage, sitting with my mom and not having— We’d walk down to the bus stop to take a bus to town because we didn’t have a car. It’s just crazy to think I have cars now.

AM: How do you manage to do all of the globe-trotting and other things you do between races yet still maintain peak performance in the car?

AM: Is that a key point you’ve learned about human performance over the years?

AM: In terms of dividing that energy, how much of your downtime is spent reviewing data from the racetrack?

AM: Modern F1 teams collect so much data. How do you sort it all out in limited time?

AM: Grand Prix cars are incredibly complex; is there one item in particular you absolutely have to get right every week?

AM: Do you ever stop and look at your career, 11 years in, and think—surreal might not be the correct word here because everybody’s life is surreal in a lot of ways …

LH: Sure.

AM: To your earlier point about maximizing every day, though, you do seem to absorb it as it happens, yes?

AM: So that was the right word then.

AM: Was that the system you were in, or … ?

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

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jesusvasser · 7 years ago

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Lewis Hamilton Above the Noise

Automobile Magazine: What’s the big activity during your vacation?

AM: Which video games are you into?

LH: “Call of Duty.”

AM: Not racing or car-related games?

AM: Do you feel like you get more or less or the same amount of that criticism compared to in the past?

AM: Speaking of other things to do, your aunt died from cancer in 2012, and you’ve made a point before about how that impacted you …

AM: How does that manifest with you?

Growing up in Stevenage, sitting with my mom and not having— We’d walk down to the bus stop to take a bus to town because we didn’t have a car. It’s just crazy to think I have cars now.

AM: How do you manage to do all of the globe-trotting and other things you do between races yet still maintain peak performance in the car?

AM: Is that a key point you’ve learned about human performance over the years?

AM: In terms of dividing that energy, how much of your downtime is spent reviewing data from the racetrack?

AM: Modern F1 teams collect so much data. How do you sort it all out in limited time?

AM: Grand Prix cars are incredibly complex; is there one item in particular you absolutely have to get right every week?

AM: Do you ever stop and look at your career, 11 years in, and think—surreal might not be the correct word here because everybody’s life is surreal in a lot of ways …

LH: Sure.

AM: To your earlier point about maximizing every day, though, you do seem to absorb it as it happens, yes?

AM: So that was the right word then.

AM: Was that the system you were in, or … ?

#IFTTT #Performance Junk WP Feed 4

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hatimtanger · 7 years ago

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Sky Sports F1 is a TV slot made only for Sky's UK and Ireland scope of Formula One, with Sky having a bundle of rights from the 2012 season to the 2024 season.[1] From 2019 to 2024, Sky Sports F1 will have the selective rights to live Formula 1, and will sub-permit the British Grand Prix and two different races in addition to features and qualifying sessions of all races on an allowed to-air premise. Since 2017, Sky Sports F1 has communicated Formula 1 out of 4K UHD.[2]

The BBC at first had selective UK rights from 2009 until the finish of the 2013 season,[3] having recovered the rights from ITV. In any case, in light of the permit charge stop and resultant audit of cost imperatives, it was trusted that the BBC were to leave F1 after the 2011 season.

Another communicate rights bargain was reported on 29 July 2011, expressing that Sky Sports would cover all races live, (half of which would be solely live). Both Sky and the BBC would cover the rest of the races live including the British Grand Prix and last race. It likewise permitted the BBC to indicate features of all races, (counting alternate races that they didn't have live rights to cover).[4][5]

Along these lines on 21 December 2015, it was declared that the BBC would end their communicate rights three seasons ahead of schedule after the 2015 season with the allowed to air rights to 10 live races and features of each of the 21 races going to Channel 4. In any case, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra would keep on broadcasting live analysis of the entire season, including work on, qualifying and the races until the 2021 season.[6]

Preceding the dispatch of the station, there was some contention about exchanging Formula One scope in any event to some extent to pay television,[7] as the BBC brought Sky into the talks a couple of days before the arrangement was announced,[8] in spite of revealed enthusiasm from Channel 4.[9] However, since its dispatch, comparable stations have propelled in Germany and Italy (to name yet two) and had seen additionally moves towards a compensation TV/allowed to-air scope blend by FOM (the Formula 1 rights holder).

In November 2011, Sky declared the new committed F1 direct would dispatch in March 2012,[10] and will air all F1 races with scope of training sessions, qualifying and the race, live and business free.[11]

On 13 January 2012, an advert was discharged saying the channel would dispatch on 9 March 2012, seven days before the begin of the 2012 Formula One season. Amid 2012, the channel was on air for sixty-three hours amid race weeks and thirty-two hours amid non-race weeks.[12] Sky Sports F1 reported by means of Twitter that there would not be a committed Sky Sports F1 application, however the F1 segment on the Sky Sports News application was enhanced.[13]

Sky Sports F1 propelled with a two-hour extraordinary of The F1 Show, exhibited by Simon Lazenby, Martin Brundle and Damon Hill, seeing the 2012 Formula One season.

Sky Sports F1 HD on the Sky stage was accessible to new and existing clients previously 1 April 2013 giving they subscribed to the HD pack.[14] Existing endorsers of the greater part of the Sky Sports stations without the HD pack get a standard definition version.[15] Virgin Media and Smallworld Cable offer the standard definition adaptation of the station to Sky Sports supporters, it is not accessible separately.[16][17] The HD variant of the station was made accessible to Virgin Media clients subscribing to the Sky Sports Collection with the extra Sky Sports HD pack on 15 July 2014. A standard definition form of the channel is likewise given through Sky Go.

In the 2016 Formula One season, TSN achieved an arrangement with Sky to use its TV scope for Canadian F1 communicates, including its pre-and post-race programmes.[18]

Since 18 July 2017, new Sky TV clients can buy the channel as an independent channel, or as a component of a bigger Sky Sports package[19]

Sky Q multiscreen clients with a 2TB box who subscribe to any Sky Sports F1 pack (with or without HD) additionally get 4K communicates at no additional cost.

The 2012 season began on 16 March (live practice) from the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Australia. Sky Sports communicate each training session, qualifying session and race live. The season passed 19 nations in transit. Recipe One went to places as various as China, Bahrain, Belgium, Italy, and furthermore United States for a Grand Prix occurring in Austin, Texas at the fresh out of the plastic new Circuit of the Americas. The season reached an end at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix on 25 November 2012.

On 7 March 2012, Sky Sports F1 uncovered their subject tune for the 2012 season, "Simply Drive" by Alistair Griffin, which has been re-recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Rodolfus Choir.[20] (Incidentally, the first form of the tune was likewise utilized as the BBC's consummation topic for 2010).[21] The 43-second opening credits include chronicle film of previous title holders and important F1 minutes from 32 Grands Prix in the vicinity of 1950 and 2011. The topic tune is additionally utilized on The F1 Show and for Classic F1. 2014 saw a modification of the topic to run with their refreshed titles. Sky's unique plan is as yet used for its scope of Classic F1 races.

Amid the 2012 season, Santander UK was the official backer of Formula One scope on Sky Sports F1 in an arrangement assessed to be worth £3 million.[22] The scope has all the more as of late been supported by Shell until 2014. From the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix, FairFX supported scope on Sky Sports F1 for whatever remains of 2015 season.[21]

The season opening Australian Grand Prix, the first to be communicated only by Sky, had a normal group of onlookers of 526,000 watchers between 4.30 am and 9 am on 18 March, with a five-minute pinnacle of 1.02 million as Jenson Button took the checkered banner. The BBC's live scope of a similar race last season arrived at the midpoint of 2.13 million watchers, a 51.1% offer of the audience.[23]

Sky Sports won "Best TV Broadcast Award for Outstanding Coverage" at both the 2012 FIA Prize Giving Ceremony (following Sky Sports F1's introduction season displaying Formula One)[24] and again in 2013.

Sky Sports F1 is as of now supported by FairFX.

Introduction and discourse team[edit]

On 9 December 2011, Sky declared their scope group for the 2012 season.[25] The introduction group presently comprises of:

In February 2012, it was declared that Sky Sports F1 would likewise communicate the GP2 and GP3 arrangement live.[35]

Recipe 2 – Formula 1's feeder arrangement

GP3 – Feeder arrangement for Formula 2

Sky Sports takes the world bolster analysis for Formula 2 and GP3, which originates from Alex Jacques (Will Buxton from 2012-2014), who is generally joined by different co-analysts, for the most part F1 hold drivers, for example, Karun Chandhok (2011, 2013-2014) or Jérôme d'Ambrosio (2012) and Luca Filippi (2013-2014), Davide Valsecchi (2013-2014, 2016-) and Gary Anderson (2014). Since 2016, Jacques has been joined by 2012 GP2 champion Valsecchi for F2 occasions.

Sky Sports F1 circulated the opening round of the 2012 IndyCar Series season, the chief level of American open wheel racing.[36] Rounds 2 and 3 were then broadcast on their standard channel, Sky Sports 4, preceding the fourth round, the São Paulo Indy 300 moved back to Sky Sports F1. From that point forward, the various rounds were disclosed on Sky Sports 4 and at times on the Sky Sports Active administration.

Between 14 December 2015 and 5 January 2016, the channel was briefly renamed Sky Sports Darts with scope committed to the 2016 William Hill World Darts Championship[37].

The principal program to air on Sky Sports F1 was its week after week magazine appear; The F1 Show. At first introduced by Georgie Thompson and Ted Kravitz (aside from the dispatch appear, which was displayed by Simon Lazenby), at that point by Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham, as of the 2014 season, it is exhibited by Natalie Pinkham, Ted Kravitz, Simon Lazenby or Rachel Brookes with commitments from David Croft, Paul Di Resta/Anthony Davidson, Johnny Herbert/Damon Hill.

A progression of meetings with a portion of the best names in F1 history facilitated by Steve Rider. Now and then is subtitled Architects of F1 and highlights non-F1 drivers, however ex-F1 engineers and well known specialized executives. This arrangement has now finished and no new meetings have been recorded.

Displayed by Natalie Pinkham or Rachel Brookes and general investigator Marc Priestley. In the prior week or after a race, the program looks in advance profundity at a portion of the stories and episodes that included or may highlight in race ends of the week.

Scope of a F1 race from the file comparing to the present race that end of the week.

A topical show displayed amid pre-season testing, and in addition Qualifying and Race days. Introduced by Ted Kravitz.

Different documentaries have been appeared about F1 history. These incorporate 1970s season surveys delivered by Brunswick Films.

Amid the 2012 and 2013 season (starting at the 2012 British Grand Prix), they circulated the new McLaren cartoon Tooned before each live race. It included the momentum McLaren drivers as themselves and comic Alexander Armstrong as Professor M.

Sky Sports have a gadget called the 'SkyPad', utilized by any semblance of Anthony Davidson and Ted Kravitz. It is utilized to indicate features and past highlights of the race beginning, for example, botches by drivers. The SkyPad likewise has a virtual auto which leaves the screen and is utilized to delineate specialized developments. Sadly, the virtual auto is never again utilized.

Amid the Formula One season, Sky Sports News has two pit-path correspondents; Rachel Brookes and Craig Slater. They giving restrictive substance to SSN watchers on the most recent Formula One news. Brookes part has expanded to incorporate displaying a few versions of the F1 Show and as an other driver questioner (notwithstanding Natalie Pinkham). David Gariddo was at particular Formula 1 races all through 2012 and reviewed the race end of the week from the Sky Sports News point of view. Since the 2013 season, Tony Jardine has been giving a diagnostic sneak peaks to all race ends of the week.

Sky Race Control is th

from Blogger http://ift.tt/2jU978z via IFTTT

#Europe sport

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lavotha · 7 years ago

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A dream come true

Lucas di Grassi’s dream has come true by conquering the Formula E title in an electrifying season finale in Montreal, Canada.

The ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport they were in a celebratory mood when Lucas di Grassi crossed the finish line as the new Formula E champion after 37 laps in the Montreal Hydro-Quebec ePrix.

After finishing third and second overall in the first two years of the electro racing series, the Brazilian succeeding in founding the holy grail.

“With this title, a dream has come true. Team, family, friends, fans – I could hug them all at once right now,” says Lucas di Grassi. “We’ve had three terrific years with many emotions and unforgettable moments, but today’s achievement is the absolute pinnacle and a deserved reward for our unique team morale and fighting spirit. I’m proud to be the champion of Formula E. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible.”

The 32-year-old Brazilian, who has been residing in Monaco with his wife Bianca for ten years, is among the founding fathers of the electro racing series, as he supported Alejandro Agag and his deputy, Alberto Longo, in the design and concept of Formula E and has since been one of its most enthusiastic e-ambassadors.

On July 30, 2017, he finally came full circle – another reason why this title is so special. Everybody in the paddock or the grandstands is happy for Lucas di Grassi’s achievement.

The 2016/2017 season was a tough one for the new champion as it had became clear that the combo of title-defender Sébastien Buemi and the Renault factory team were always going to be difficult to beat. The Swiss driver’s lead had at one point grown to 43 points, but before the final races in Montreal, di Grassi had brought himself within striking distance with a ten-point deficit and now sits at the top of the table for the very first time this season – and at the perfect moment too.

“I’m incredibly happy. Today we were rewarded for never giving up,” says Team Principal Hans-Jürgen Abt. “This title for me is on par with the first DTM triumph in 2002. At that time we were the underdogs as well, and we caused a sensation that many hadn’t even imagined. My thanks go to Lucas, Daniel, the entire team, the partners and of course the fans: you have all shown what’s possible when you pull together and believe in one another.”

AUDI SPORT ABT SCHAEFFLER FORMULA E TEAM, Lucas di Grassi

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship. Round 12 – Montreal ePrix, Canada Sunday 30 July 2017. Lucas Di Grassi (BRA), ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, Spark-Abt Sportsline, ABT Schaeffler FE02, celebrates with his team after winning the championship. Photo: Malcolm Griffiths/LAT/Formula E ref: Digital Image MALC7333

The finale in Montreal also marks the end of a small era in Formula E, as ABT Sportsline is handing over its grid position to Audi, which is entering the series with a factory-backed commitment, pushing forward the development together with Schaeffler and will race under the name Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler. ABT Sportsline will remain as the supervising team. “Lucas’s title and our second place in the team rankings is a fantastic way to say goodbye to three splendid, exciting years. We are proud to have been one of the founding members of Formula E in 2014 and hopefully to have left behind a small legacy in the series.”

In the 33 Formula races of the first three years, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport made a total 24 podiums and is therefore the most successful team on the grid. Lucas di Grassi has won six times – including at Formula E’s debut in September 2014 in Beijing.

F-E 2017/18 calendar unveiled

Formula E has unveiled its 2017/18 calendar following the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva. It will feature a more compact schedule, including three double-headers and three new venues: Santiago, San Paulo and Rome. The fourth edition of the world’s first fully-electric single-seat racing series comprises the most races to appear on the tour since It began in 2014.

The F-E cars will open the season in Hong Kong for a second year in a row on December 2-3, 2017, a first double-header to take place in Asia. F-E will then stop at new locations in South America and Europe, with races in the Chilean capital of Santiago in February, a first race in Brazil on the street of San Paulo in March, and then Rome in mid-April.

The electric street racing will be returning Les Invalides in Paris for the first edition on April 28. For the penultimate event F-E will make a come back in the Big Apple, while the season will close once again over the course of two days in Montreal on July 28-29.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E, said: “It’s exciting news to welcome a number of new host cities on the Formula E calendar, as well as seeing existing locations build on the success of previous events. Formula E is continuing to expand the calendar and the number of cities in key markets, in addition to the growing list of partners and manufacturers joining the electric revolution. Our priority is to consolidate a calendar with long-term agreements with host cities – the schedule for Season 4 is a step in the right direction.”

Today’s Quote

“The cars name a really cool sound, almost like fighter-jet kind of sound. We like to call it the sound of the future.” Alejandro Agag

Monaco resident Lucas di Grassi crowned Formula E champion at season finale in Montreal A dream come true Lucas di Grassi’s dream has come true by conquering the Formula E title in an electrifying season finale in Montreal, Canada.

#ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport #Alejandro Agag #Audi Sport ABT #Clean energy #electric street racing #Electrical Car Formula 1 races #FIA Formula E Championship #Hans-Jurgen Abt #Lucas di Grassi

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junker-town · 8 years ago

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Joe Gibbs, Roger Penske among new NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees

Voters will pick five of 20 nominees to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

Championship team owners Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske are among the 20 nominees for the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

Gibbs is a four-time Cup Series championship, whose drivers have combined to win 140 premier division races, while Penske’s team won the 2012 Cup title and have amassed 104 total Cup wins.

Also on the ballot for the first time is driver Davey Allison, Red Farmer and Bobby Labonte. The five new nominees join the 15 returning nominees from last year.

Allison won 19 Cup races in 191 starts, including the 1991 Coca-Cola 600, the 1992 Daytona 500, and 1992 All-Star Race. He died from injuries suffered in a helicopter accident in 1993 at age 32.

Labonte, who made four Cup starts last season, won the 2000 Cup championship and 21 races -- including three of NASCAR’s marquee events. He is Hall of Fame eligible because he’s competed 30 years at the national level.

Farmer, 80, won the 1956 NASCAR modified championship and the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman title in 1967, ’70 and ’71.

The Class of 2018 will be determined when the voting panel convenes in late-May at the Charlotte, N.C., Convention Center where they will each select five nominees. The five who accumulate the most votes earn induction. The returning nominees are:

Buddy Baker: Won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500.

Red Byron: First NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949.

Ray Evernham: Three-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief.

Ray Fox: Engine builder, crew chief and car owner.

Ron Hornaday: Four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.

Harry Hyde: 1970 NASCAR premier series championship crew chief.

Alan Kulwicki: 1992 NASCAR premier series champion.

Hershel McGriff: 1986 NASCAR west series champion.

Larry Phillips: Only five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion.

Jack Roush: Eight-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series, winning two Cup titles, five in Xfinity and one in Trucks.

Ricky Rudd: Won 23 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1997 Brickyard 400.

Ken Squier: Radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

Mike Stefanik: Winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships.

Waddell Wilson: Won three NASCAR premier series championships as an engine builder.

Robert Yates: Won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner.

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formula1racing · 8 years ago

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Fascinating F1 Fact:46 Being in the right place at the right time is key to success in a Formula 1. One might complain that a driver did not deserve the success he had, but that’s the way it is, the way the cards are dealt, and the way the dice fall. In motor racing many believe that you make your own luck by being in the right place, being prepared and always doing a good job. As we have seen in recent days, Valtteri Bottas was in the right place at the right time. Now he must deliver. The best example in F1 of being in the right place at the right time is probably Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the first three F1 races he entered. Born on Christmas Day in 1934, Baghetti was both fortunate and unfortunate at birth. It meant that he would be given fewer presents throughout this lifetime, as everyone combine their Christmas and birthday gifts, but at the same time his family owned a foundry – Stabilimenti Metallurgici Accorsi e Baghetti – which was based in Lecco, in the beautiful lakeland to the north of Milan. This was a business big enough to have its own football team, and it meant that Giancarlo and his brother Marco did not struggle for money. Giancarlo always wanted to be a racing driver, but he was worried about his father’s reaction to the idea and so raced secretly, borrowing his father’s car, which was tuned by night by Angelo Dagrada, a local garage owner and borrowed for weekends, ostensibly so the boys could spectate at events. His first race was the Coppa della Madunina at Monza in 1956 and his adventures expanded the following year with events such as the Trieste-Opicina and Coppa del Cimino hillclimbs and the Coppa Carri at Monza. There was a similar programme in 1958 with the primary exception being that the Baghetti brothers entered the Mille Miglia rally. The classic event had been banned the previous year, but there was a gruelling 32-hour 1,593 km trial through the mountain roads of northern Italy, with seven timed stages along the way. There were 111 entries and the Baghetti brothers were second in class and seventh overall. This led to a friend, Mario Poltronieri, a racer who went on to become a celebrated TV commentator (and who died last week), mentioning Baghetti to Carlo Abarth as someone to look out for. Abarth signed Baghetti to race for him in 1959. This was quite successful and in 1960 Baghetti tried single seaters, driving a Formula Junior built by his friend Dagrada. This too was a great success. At the end of the year Giancarlo received a phone call from Eugenio Dragoni, who ran Scuderia Ambroeus, and was also team manager at Ferrari. Dragoni took Baghetti to meet Enzo Ferrari and, much to Giancarlo’s surprise, he was offered a Ferrari contract. He tested a sports car soon afterwards and was sufficiently fast for Ferrari to decide to enter him for the 1961 Sebring 12 Hours, as team-mate to Willy Mairesse. The car would be taken over by Wolfgang Von Trips and Ritchie Ginther in the course of the race, but they would all be listed as having finished second. Ferrari was keen to promote an Italian in F1 and agreed to loan a Ferrari 156 to Scuderia Ambroeus for the Gran Premio di Siracusa on April 25 and the Gran Premio di Napoli at Posillipo on May 14. Despite strong opposition at Syracuse, Baghetti used the Ferrari horsepower to good effect and beat all the big names from Porsche, Cooper, Lotus and BRM. It was a stunning victory. Two weeks later, with most of the stars racing at Monaco, he won at Posillipo as well. Two F1 races. Two wins. Ferrari had expanded to four cars for the Belgian GP with local hero Olivier Gendebien driving alongside the regular stars Wolfgang Von Trips, Phil Hill and Richie Ginther, and Enzo Ferrari decided to send a fourth car to Reims as well, to try Baghetti in a World Championship race. Hill, Von Trips and Ginther qualified 1-2-3, with Baghetti 12th, five seconds slower than pole position. Hill led from the start with Ginther and Von Trips chasing as Baghetti worked his way up the order. Von Trips then stopped with engine trouble on the 18th lap, Hill led for 20 laps then spun and stalled and was a lap behind. Ginther led for three laps and then his engine failed. This left Gurney’s Porsche fighting Baghetti, they changed places a number of times but on the last lap Baghetti pulled out of Gurney’s slipstream and took the lead a couple of hundred yards before the finish line to become the first and, to date, only man to win on his F1 World Championship debut. He raced twice more that year but failed to repeat his success and in 1962 Ferrari had lost its advantage. He raced four times and scored points three times but then decided to follow Hill and many of the Ferrari staff to join the ATS team. This was not a success and with the doors closed to him at Maranello, he could only find a two-year-old BRM entered by Scuderia Centro Sud in 1964. He enjoyed some success in other forms of racing and appeared at the Italian GP each year until 1967 but the machinery was never competitive. He retired from racing in 1968, married Chichi Vianini and started a new career as an art photographer and later as a journalist. He became the editor of the weekly car magazine Auto Oggi in 1986, but died of cancer at the age of 60 in November 1995. His son Aaron is an art photographer now based in London.

#IFTTT #FacebookPages

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jonathanbelloblog · 7 years ago

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Lewis Hamilton Above the Noise

Automobile Magazine: What’s the big activity during your vacation?

AM: Which video games are you into?

LH: “Call of Duty.”

AM: Not racing or car-related games?

AM: Do you feel like you get more or less or the same amount of that criticism compared to in the past?

AM: Speaking of other things to do, your aunt died from cancer in 2012, and you’ve made a point before about how that impacted you …

AM: How does that manifest with you?

Growing up in Stevenage, sitting with my mom and not having— We’d walk down to the bus stop to take a bus to town because we didn’t have a car. It’s just crazy to think I have cars now.

AM: How do you manage to do all of the globe-trotting and other things you do between races yet still maintain peak performance in the car?

AM: Is that a key point you’ve learned about human performance over the years?

AM: In terms of dividing that energy, how much of your downtime is spent reviewing data from the racetrack?

AM: Modern F1 teams collect so much data. How do you sort it all out in limited time?

AM: Grand Prix cars are incredibly complex; is there one item in particular you absolutely have to get right every week?

AM: Do you ever stop and look at your career, 11 years in, and think—surreal might not be the correct word here because everybody’s life is surreal in a lot of ways …

LH: Sure.

AM: To your earlier point about maximizing every day, though, you do seem to absorb it as it happens, yes?

AM: So that was the right word then.

AM: Was that the system you were in, or … ?

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4

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