Monday, October 27, 2008
Team Antics
If you're in a team sport, it's a given that team priority takes precedence over all else. Be it football, F1 or rugby - it doesn't make a difference. The goal is to pull thru for the team.
Therefore I hope to see Ferrari make this work for them this weekend at Interlagos. It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
And Kimi shouldn't complain.
Life in general is also often a team sport. You've got to stick it up for your team. If someone shoots your guy down at a sales pitch you better have your buddies back. If you're also nitpicking at them in front of the cohort, then you've lost the plot.
Creating a public ruckus is unacceptable. It shows immaturity and a lack of control.
Play the team game.
Therefore I hope to see Ferrari make this work for them this weekend at Interlagos. It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
And Kimi shouldn't complain.
Life in general is also often a team sport. You've got to stick it up for your team. If someone shoots your guy down at a sales pitch you better have your buddies back. If you're also nitpicking at them in front of the cohort, then you've lost the plot.
Creating a public ruckus is unacceptable. It shows immaturity and a lack of control.
Play the team game.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Killing the V8
As I was reading a press release about the FIAs plans to introduce a single engine rule in F1 my thoughts quickly skewed to how single tracked F1 would become. Everyone would be on level packing in terms of power and racing at the pinnacle of motor sport would be reduced to merely aerodynamics, setup and driver skills.
I say merely with some degree of caution. Don’t get me wrong - I rate driver skills as a massively important aspect for F1 however once the novelty of 22 drivers racing on similar terms wears of, F1 will become another A1GP. Cheers for the Country aplenty and not much else.
F1 will become much of the same. If the manufacturers chose to stick around, people will be cheering for manufacturer. Surely some drivers will get accolades but over time morale to drive in F1 will wither and F1 may slowly experience a slow and expensive death.
It’s more likely however to predict that the big name manufacturers will shy away from the sport. As the sport slowly edges towards an being more of a exhibition (much like WWE), technical development will become less of a focus as the FIA continues to look for ways to drive down costs. The big name manufacturers will have fewer technologies to take away from F1 that they can plug into their road cars.
With anything that has to do with money, there are really two ways to understand why you’d want to purchase or spend. First you could set your requirements and look for the product that delivers on those requirements at the best price. Or you could look for the cheapest category-specific item in the market; paying little attention to weather or not it fits your needs.
I fear the FIA is biased towards the later.
Personally, the former should be the rule of the day. Teams should get together with the automobile industry as a whole and begin to understand the aspects of F1 that will make the sport profitable, pragmatic and exciting. Stop trying to save money for the sake of just that. The solution needs to be viable in the long run, not just cheap.
Non-power-sapping traction control systems were unheard of until it was introduced in F1. The trend for sustainable racing and roadworthy technology needs a revival. Here KERS comes in at the right time. Perhaps in future, hybrid F1 cars may be possible too. The possibilities are endless. But don’t stifle competitive development.
Necessity is the mother of invention but in today’s world, value also drives profitability. Bottom line: standardization is not the way to go in competitive motor racing. Standardised engines, if approved, will be the precursor to the demise of Formula 1 as we know it.
I say merely with some degree of caution. Don’t get me wrong - I rate driver skills as a massively important aspect for F1 however once the novelty of 22 drivers racing on similar terms wears of, F1 will become another A1GP. Cheers for the Country aplenty and not much else.
F1 will become much of the same. If the manufacturers chose to stick around, people will be cheering for manufacturer. Surely some drivers will get accolades but over time morale to drive in F1 will wither and F1 may slowly experience a slow and expensive death.
It’s more likely however to predict that the big name manufacturers will shy away from the sport. As the sport slowly edges towards an being more of a exhibition (much like WWE), technical development will become less of a focus as the FIA continues to look for ways to drive down costs. The big name manufacturers will have fewer technologies to take away from F1 that they can plug into their road cars.
With anything that has to do with money, there are really two ways to understand why you’d want to purchase or spend. First you could set your requirements and look for the product that delivers on those requirements at the best price. Or you could look for the cheapest category-specific item in the market; paying little attention to weather or not it fits your needs.
I fear the FIA is biased towards the later.
Personally, the former should be the rule of the day. Teams should get together with the automobile industry as a whole and begin to understand the aspects of F1 that will make the sport profitable, pragmatic and exciting. Stop trying to save money for the sake of just that. The solution needs to be viable in the long run, not just cheap.
Non-power-sapping traction control systems were unheard of until it was introduced in F1. The trend for sustainable racing and roadworthy technology needs a revival. Here KERS comes in at the right time. Perhaps in future, hybrid F1 cars may be possible too. The possibilities are endless. But don’t stifle competitive development.
Necessity is the mother of invention but in today’s world, value also drives profitability. Bottom line: standardization is not the way to go in competitive motor racing. Standardised engines, if approved, will be the precursor to the demise of Formula 1 as we know it.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
McLaren’s dirty boys
Having lost pace off the line and being overtaken by World Champion Kimi Raikkonen Lewis Hamilton executed the dirty tactics mirroring the likes of many world champs before him by driving both himself and Kimi off the road.
Although at first glance you may discount this move as nerves, the replays suggest some form for premeditation in this move. What surprised me just as much was how Hekki Kovalainen also veered into the path of Kimi and Felipe Massa at that very first corner – as though to ensure the Ferrari boys made their way off track.
Sunday afternoon at Fuji also saw some underhanded tactics from championship challenger Felipe Massa as he took Lewis out by running straight over the kerbs.
Perhaps poetic, but both McLaren drivers paid for the opening corners fracas. Lewis took a drive thru penalty while almost at the same time Hekki’s engine went up in smoke. Similarly, Massa also endured a drive thru penalty.
Once the early laps dust had settled, it was straight forward racing from early leader Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso and eventually Kimi Raikkonen. After the first round of stops, Fernando fueled light and took the lead from Robert. The rest was history as the two-time world champ crossed the finish like to take his second successive victory in 2008 and his 22nd F1 chequered flag.
Robert and Kimi battled it out of the 2nd round of stops but graining on the Ferrari drivers tires didn’t allow him to pass the BMW – a car that hasn’t been updated significantly over the last couple of months. One might even say a lack of commitment from Kimi to get by also contributed to Kimi standing on the bottom step of the podium.
The two championship leaders made up only 1 point between them. Massa managed to salvage a sole point having overtaken Webber in the closing laps of the race. Lewis meanwhile went home scoreless as he took himself home in 11th.
With just two rounds to go, Lewis still leads the drivers championship by 6 points from Massa. As F1 heads to China in a week’s time, the odds are still against Massa. Back to back victories may still be insufficient to see him take the cake.
I’m looking forward to seeing Massa pick up 6 points relative to Lewis in Shanghai. That will take the championship down to the wire in Interlagos.
Although at first glance you may discount this move as nerves, the replays suggest some form for premeditation in this move. What surprised me just as much was how Hekki Kovalainen also veered into the path of Kimi and Felipe Massa at that very first corner – as though to ensure the Ferrari boys made their way off track.
Sunday afternoon at Fuji also saw some underhanded tactics from championship challenger Felipe Massa as he took Lewis out by running straight over the kerbs.
Perhaps poetic, but both McLaren drivers paid for the opening corners fracas. Lewis took a drive thru penalty while almost at the same time Hekki’s engine went up in smoke. Similarly, Massa also endured a drive thru penalty.
Once the early laps dust had settled, it was straight forward racing from early leader Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso and eventually Kimi Raikkonen. After the first round of stops, Fernando fueled light and took the lead from Robert. The rest was history as the two-time world champ crossed the finish like to take his second successive victory in 2008 and his 22nd F1 chequered flag.
Robert and Kimi battled it out of the 2nd round of stops but graining on the Ferrari drivers tires didn’t allow him to pass the BMW – a car that hasn’t been updated significantly over the last couple of months. One might even say a lack of commitment from Kimi to get by also contributed to Kimi standing on the bottom step of the podium.
The two championship leaders made up only 1 point between them. Massa managed to salvage a sole point having overtaken Webber in the closing laps of the race. Lewis meanwhile went home scoreless as he took himself home in 11th.
With just two rounds to go, Lewis still leads the drivers championship by 6 points from Massa. As F1 heads to China in a week’s time, the odds are still against Massa. Back to back victories may still be insufficient to see him take the cake.
I’m looking forward to seeing Massa pick up 6 points relative to Lewis in Shanghai. That will take the championship down to the wire in Interlagos.
Friday, October 10, 2008
A step backwards
Perodua recently launched what I interpret to be a mid-life facelift of the hugely popular MyVI model. Although the facelift was barely noteworthy, the main aesthetics of the car remained as it was. And that was a good thing.
The makers of the MyVi has now taken it one step further and is now offering a facelited version of its MyVi Special Edition (SE). Special it is - mostly because it now looks like your run off the mill ah beng ride. Note: No racial stereotyping intended.
On a positive note, the MyVi now looks like it comes with Electronic Brakeforece Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist(BA) - two technologies I'd expect as standard on any car sold today. Also the idea to ditch the embedded head unit is a boon to those who'd want to quickly snap out the stock unit in favour of one that plays music (as opposed to noise).
So should you buy the MyVi SE? I probably wouldn't. I'd much rather get myself the non-SE premium variant and snap on my own body kit - assuming I even wanted a body kit.
After all, its a worthy reminder that the MyVi is a passenger car. Not a sportster.
For more info, head on over to http://www.perodua.com.my/index.php?section=ourcars&page=myvi
The makers of the MyVi has now taken it one step further and is now offering a facelited version of its MyVi Special Edition (SE). Special it is - mostly because it now looks like your run off the mill ah beng ride. Note: No racial stereotyping intended.
On a positive note, the MyVi now looks like it comes with Electronic Brakeforece Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist(BA) - two technologies I'd expect as standard on any car sold today. Also the idea to ditch the embedded head unit is a boon to those who'd want to quickly snap out the stock unit in favour of one that plays music (as opposed to noise).
So should you buy the MyVi SE? I probably wouldn't. I'd much rather get myself the non-SE premium variant and snap on my own body kit - assuming I even wanted a body kit.
After all, its a worthy reminder that the MyVi is a passenger car. Not a sportster.
For more info, head on over to http://www.perodua.com.my/index.php?section=ourcars&page=myvi
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The problem with 10 sen
Today the Malaysian government reduced the price of petrol and diesel at the pump by a further 10 sen a liter. The latest cut will save the average Joe another 3-4 bucks every time he refules his car. This is in addition to the RM 4.5-6 that he saved after the 15 sen cut just under a month ago.
Is Joe happy? No.
News of the price drop broke just hours ago and many Joe's are complaining about how "little" the price slash has been. I need to remind Joe that this isn't the Malaysia on Sale carnival. I'm not complaining as though I like paying high prices for a comodity available in my backyard. Far from it.
What irks me is how we are drawn to the idea of cheap. We're so smitten by getting more for less that we've forgotten about everything else in between. In the case of fuel price, we've become engrossed in pump price that we've completely ignored the need for better fuel subsidy management.
When the price of fuel took that major upshot, many were busy suggesting new ways in which to delivery the subsidy to the people. Fuel cards, quota, rebates and the likes were the talk of the town. The idea was to deliver the rebates to the people who need it the most and to reduce the amount of subsidy given to higher income groups and the bloke who drive the new S-Class.
Better resource management.
Today we're still throwing subsidy into the S-Class' 90L fuel tank. For each full tank the S-Class takes on, about RM 27 worth of subsidy goes with it. On the other hand, for every Kancil's brim fill, it's RM 8. That's a 238% premium. We're losing the plot. We're still spending excessive amounts of public funds to subsidise wasteful spending.
Now I am not suggesting that the higher income group get nothing from the tax buckaroolas that they (are supposed to) pay. They're entitled to their fair share of subsidy too. But let's be realistic, the S-Class is going to guzzle more fuel than the little animal.
I'm sure most will remember who empty KL roads were after the the big hike. 45 minute journeys became 15 minute journeys for one reason and one reason only - people cut wasting. But today everyone's more comfortable to waste again. We've gotten used to the idea of the current price and these price drops further encourage our wasteful habits.
I can't change how the government chooses to spends my money overnight. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to do my part by reducing the amount of travel I do. If I must travel, I'll plan my journey or better yet I'll car pool.
To those who are still complaining about 10 sen, I suggest you do the same.
Is Joe happy? No.
News of the price drop broke just hours ago and many Joe's are complaining about how "little" the price slash has been. I need to remind Joe that this isn't the Malaysia on Sale carnival. I'm not complaining as though I like paying high prices for a comodity available in my backyard. Far from it.
What irks me is how we are drawn to the idea of cheap. We're so smitten by getting more for less that we've forgotten about everything else in between. In the case of fuel price, we've become engrossed in pump price that we've completely ignored the need for better fuel subsidy management.
When the price of fuel took that major upshot, many were busy suggesting new ways in which to delivery the subsidy to the people. Fuel cards, quota, rebates and the likes were the talk of the town. The idea was to deliver the rebates to the people who need it the most and to reduce the amount of subsidy given to higher income groups and the bloke who drive the new S-Class.
Better resource management.
Today we're still throwing subsidy into the S-Class' 90L fuel tank. For each full tank the S-Class takes on, about RM 27 worth of subsidy goes with it. On the other hand, for every Kancil's brim fill, it's RM 8. That's a 238% premium. We're losing the plot. We're still spending excessive amounts of public funds to subsidise wasteful spending.
Now I am not suggesting that the higher income group get nothing from the tax buckaroolas that they (are supposed to) pay. They're entitled to their fair share of subsidy too. But let's be realistic, the S-Class is going to guzzle more fuel than the little animal.
I'm sure most will remember who empty KL roads were after the the big hike. 45 minute journeys became 15 minute journeys for one reason and one reason only - people cut wasting. But today everyone's more comfortable to waste again. We've gotten used to the idea of the current price and these price drops further encourage our wasteful habits.
I can't change how the government chooses to spends my money overnight. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to do my part by reducing the amount of travel I do. If I must travel, I'll plan my journey or better yet I'll car pool.
To those who are still complaining about 10 sen, I suggest you do the same.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The next big German?
The last time I heard the German and Italian national anthem play one after the other at a Grand Prix, I would have just witnessed Michael Schumacher take the chequered flag after having destroyed the opposition. Today however, the two national anthems played back to back and the field had been well and truly destroyed but the top step of the podium was occupied by one Sebastian Vettel.
After securing pole position on a rain soaked track, Seba started the race behind the safety car for two slow laps. The Mercedes powered safety car pulled into the pits on the 3rd lap and open racing was the order of the day. The pole siting Torro Rosso didn't waste anytime opening a lead over Hekki in 2nd.
Armed with a 2 stop strategy and some serious racing skills, the 21 year old German carved a fine race to take the chequered flag with his head held high. None of the emphatic screaming was heard over the radio but as you'd expect, the now youngest ever winner of an F1 race was speechless.
The race was not without drama further down the field. Both the Ferrari's made decent progress over the first stint of the race managing to make their way past the slower cars in front of them amiss heavy spray in their visors. Kimi Raikkonen starting from a lowly 14th however ended up finishing 9th.
This performance wasn't the spectacle I was expecting from the Finn who had just had his Ferrari contract renewed up to 2010. In contrast, the man starting behind Kimi was really the next big winner of the day. Lewis Hamilton despite starting 15th, made light work of most of his opposition - Kimi included - and finished the race just behind Felipe Massa.
Massa having started 6th finished exactly where he started despite Hamilton who had been 2-seconds a lap faster than him until he was caught. I had initially thought Hamilton was just sizing up his move but he stayed in that 2nd last point scoring position until the end of the race. Massa had shown some pretty good bravado despite some near-catastrophic moments.
Many of the drivers were cautious not to do a Lewis overtaking maneuver in Monza. Many were found giving back track advantage; even if the advantage was well deserved. That being said, Lewis did well to make a new name for himself in Italy. His over aggressive driving - pushing his fellows wide and faking moves - will surely leave a bitter taste in the mouth of several drivers.
All in all, it was a great day of racing. We saw a new winner, records smashed and a 1-point lead at the top of the drivers championship. In 2 weeks, more history will ensue as F1 heads for the streets of Singapore for the 1st ever night race.
I'd love to be in a position to write my next F1 entry after witnessing the race with my own eyes. Complimentary tickets anyone?
After securing pole position on a rain soaked track, Seba started the race behind the safety car for two slow laps. The Mercedes powered safety car pulled into the pits on the 3rd lap and open racing was the order of the day. The pole siting Torro Rosso didn't waste anytime opening a lead over Hekki in 2nd.
Armed with a 2 stop strategy and some serious racing skills, the 21 year old German carved a fine race to take the chequered flag with his head held high. None of the emphatic screaming was heard over the radio but as you'd expect, the now youngest ever winner of an F1 race was speechless.
The race was not without drama further down the field. Both the Ferrari's made decent progress over the first stint of the race managing to make their way past the slower cars in front of them amiss heavy spray in their visors. Kimi Raikkonen starting from a lowly 14th however ended up finishing 9th.
This performance wasn't the spectacle I was expecting from the Finn who had just had his Ferrari contract renewed up to 2010. In contrast, the man starting behind Kimi was really the next big winner of the day. Lewis Hamilton despite starting 15th, made light work of most of his opposition - Kimi included - and finished the race just behind Felipe Massa.
Massa having started 6th finished exactly where he started despite Hamilton who had been 2-seconds a lap faster than him until he was caught. I had initially thought Hamilton was just sizing up his move but he stayed in that 2nd last point scoring position until the end of the race. Massa had shown some pretty good bravado despite some near-catastrophic moments.
Many of the drivers were cautious not to do a Lewis overtaking maneuver in Monza. Many were found giving back track advantage; even if the advantage was well deserved. That being said, Lewis did well to make a new name for himself in Italy. His over aggressive driving - pushing his fellows wide and faking moves - will surely leave a bitter taste in the mouth of several drivers.
All in all, it was a great day of racing. We saw a new winner, records smashed and a 1-point lead at the top of the drivers championship. In 2 weeks, more history will ensue as F1 heads for the streets of Singapore for the 1st ever night race.
I'd love to be in a position to write my next F1 entry after witnessing the race with my own eyes. Complimentary tickets anyone?
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