Heikki Kovalainen

Reemz27 · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:04 pm Post subject: Red Bull

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Scott Dixon, with his Indy 500 win and IndyCar series title, provided the highlight to New Zealand motorsport's year in 2008.

In May, Dixon became the first New Zealander to win the Indy 500, America's most prestigious motor race, leading from start to finish in a flawless performance.

In September, he collected $US1 million ($NZ1.71 million) for winning the 17-race IndyCar series – his second career title after taking out the 2003 series in his rookie year.

"Getting married, winning the 500, winning a championship in one year – not too many people can probably say they've done that," Dixon said.

On his way to the title, Dixon notched six race victories, including a record four from pole position, and led 899 laps, a series record.

His achievements put him in the running to emulate speedway champion Ivan Mauger and the late Formula One champion Denny Hulme in winning Sportsman of the Year and the Halberg overall award.

However, at 28, his dream of a Formula One (F1) drive appeared to be over with the baton of following in the tracks of Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Chris Amon, in the 60s, and Mike Thackwell, in the 80s, passed to a trio of youngsters.

Brendon Hartley, from Palmerston North, Wanganui's Earl Bamber and Chris van der Drift, formerly of Hamilton but now based in the Netherlands, are all on the right path to break into F1.

Hartley, a member of the Red Bull junior development team, is the best-placed of the three to become the first New Zealander to race in F1 since Thackwell piloted a RAM at the 1984 Canadian Grand Prix.

Hartley became the first New Zealander since Dixon in 2004 to officially test an F1 car when he was strapped into an RB4 at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, on December 15.

Third-fastest at the end of the day in the company of four other drivers with F1 experience, he had done enough to meet the requirements to gain an FIA super-licence at age 19.

The super-licence qualified him to became a team's official test driver and to race in a grand prix.

Leading into his test, Hartley had served a third year as a junior development programme driver while impressing Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

He finished third in the British F3 championship, a misnomer because the series visits some European countries, then muscled his way into third at the prestigious Macau F3 grand prix after starting from 20th on the grid. He set a lap record on the twisty street circuit along the way.

He will have another tilt at the British F3 title next season but having gained his super-licence, Hartley may have done enough to earn the Red Bull test driver's spot vacated by Sebastien Buemi, who is likely to be promoted.

Test drives are still a long way off for the other two but they are certainly making all the right noises.

Bamber, 18, has been compiling an impressive CV via the Asian circuit since he was 15, and has been rated as one of the top 10 drivers to watch in the future by the respected driverdb.com website.

In 2008 Bamber raced in Asia, Australasia and Europe in Formula BMW (Asia), Formula 3 (Australia), Formula V6 (Asia), Formula Masters (Europe), GP2 (Asia) and in A1GP with the New Zealand team.

Van der Drift, who shares driving duties with Bamber in Black Beauty in the A1GP series, has also raced Formula BMW and in the European Formula Renault 2.0. He finished second in the International Formula Master series last year and won it this year.

He too is racing in the GP2 Asia series with the aim of making the European GP2 series next year.

Elsewhere injury dominated the seasons of country's best known motorsport identities.

2004 world MX2 champion Ben Townley, as in 2007, spent more time in rehabilitation than on his bike on the United States circuit while Josh Coppins, after narrowly missing the 2007 world MX1 title, suffered another injury-plagued 2008.

Coppins says he has one more campaign left in him and his fans will be fervently hoping 2009 will be kinder to him.

There was a bleak outlook for double women's world motocross champion Katherine Prumm and for V8 driver Paul Radisich.

Chasing another world crown, Prumm's 2008 campaign was ended early by a knee injury and broken collarbone.

Having recovered from surgery to repair ligaments in her knee Prumm broke her back when her bike landed on her after she mistimed a jump in training in November.

Having come through surgery for three broken vertebrae, she is not looking further than at getting back on her feet again.

Bathurst is proving to be Radisich's bogey track.

He broke an ankle in writing off Team Kiwi Racing's car there in 2006 and this year slammed into another wall at the Mount Panorama track when the throttle on his car stuck open.

He suffered a long list of injuries – broken right ankle, dislocated left ankle, fractures to his lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, cracked ribs and bruising to his lungs as well as reopening the fractured sternum from his 2006 Bathurst shunt.

With a year of recuperation needed, it will take extraordinary will from the 46-year-old to resume his racing career.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4797335a13298.html

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Reemz27

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David Coulthard is confident his former team-mate Mark Webber’s long injury layoff will not hamper Red Bull Racing’s winter testing and development programme.

Webber broke his right leg last month after a head-on collision with a 4x4 vehicle while riding a mountain bike in Tasmania, and after undergoing successful surgery is now recuperating in the UK.

The Australian is expected to miss most of winter testing but is hoping to get several runs in the new Red Bull RB5 before the first grand prix of 2009 in Melbourne.

His absence has forced RBR to draft in test driver Sebastien Buemi and Formula 3 star Brendon Hartley to share testing duties with race driver Sebastian Vettel.

But with the team not planning to run its new car and KERS device until February, Coulthard insists Webber’s injury will not be a setback for the team.

“We won’t be getting the car until February anyway; in January we’ll be running some test items, but we won’t have the KERS system or the final wing package, and if necessary I can do some testing,” Coulthard said in an exclusive interview with itv.com/f1.

“So I really don’t see it as a setback at all.

“If anything, Mark will use the time – because he’ll be less mobile – to be more efficient with his time and focus on the year ahead.”

Coulthard says the fact that the fracture was to Webber’s right, rather than his left, leg should ensure he encounters no problems when he steps back into the F1 cockpit.

“I think he’ll be fine,” he said.

“If it was the left leg, where you really need the strength for braking, I would be a lot more concerned, but the right leg isn’t a big deal.”

Following his retirement at the end of last season, Coulthard is now helping Red Bull in an advisory capacity.

Initially he envisaged some test outings with the new car and KERS system but he reckons the recently enacted ban on in-season testing makes it unlikely he will be called upon.

“The testing ban will obviously reduce the opportunities for me to drive the car, and I may not end up having much, if any, seat time,” he said.

“Once the new car comes in February the race drivers will be in that all the time, so at this stage I don’t expect to do a great deal of running outside of promotional events.

“But my contract is there and my training is continuing – I haven’t wound down in that respect, and I will have primarily an advisory role in the team.

“I will need to start to take a perspective as a non-racer, so it will be interesting to see what I learn from outside the car.”
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44808

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Reemz27

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Red Bull have announced that their new car, the RB5, will make its track debut at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on February 9 - significantly later than several of the team’s rivals, who have already revealed January launch dates.

“Our strategic plan has always been to take full advantage of the later start to the 2009 season," said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. "And we are using the time to ensure we have optimised the car as much as possible, within the regulation changes, to start on the grid in Melbourne."

The RB5 will be raced by new signing Sebastian Vettel, who replaces the retired David Coulthard, and incumbent Mark Webber. Both will be hoping to build on Red Bull's seventh-place finish in the 2008 constructors’ championship.

Toyota are expected to kick start this year's launches, revealing the TF109 on January 15, ahead of similar debuts for McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault and Williams. The 2009 season will get underway in Australia on March 29.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/1/8803.html

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Reemz27

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After breaking his leg in a road accident in November, Red Bull’s Mark Webber has been keeping busy recuperating ahead of the 2009 season. And alongside gym and pool work, Webber has recently sampled the unconventional treatment of cryogenic chamber therapy in an effort to keep up his fitness levels.

“I’ve been doing it for three weeks now,” the Australian told Red Bull’s official website. “You go from a normal, ambient room temperature into a chamber of -50 degrees Celsius for about 30 seconds and then for another three minutes into -130 degrees Celsius.

"It’s very good for your general well-being, your immune system and apparently it’s good for cellulite. Not much of a worry for me… but it’s very good for the whole body.”

The therapy’s cold temperatures help to boost blood supply, which is especially important in helping to heal fractures like Webber’s. And the 32 year-old, who recently spent time karting at the Austrian Hahnenkamm Rennen event, believes it has helped his recovery as he looks ahead to returning to his Red Bull cockpit.

“The results over the last few weeks have been incredible,” he explained. “We had a really good week last week, so we’re really positive… dare I say it, we’re probably a little bit ahead of schedule.”

Webber hopes to be fit enough to sample the RB5, alongside new team mate Sebastian Vettel, when the team launch their 2009 car next week at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on February 9.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/2/8905.html

*fingers cross* Hopefully Mark will be at Jerez to give company to Heikki ( Heikki thinks Jerez is borringg!)

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Reemz27

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Red Bull and their former race driver David Coulthard will bring Formula One power to the Indian city of Mumbai this weekend when the Scot blasts his way across the spectacular new Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The recently opened bridge joins Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai, cutting journey times of up to an hour down to just seven minutes.

Coulthard is likely to slash that to under a minute on Sunday, when he is expected to hit speeds of up to 320km/h - possibly followed by a few donuts - during an F1 demonstration run which will form the highlight of the ‘Red Bull Speed Link’ event, a five-day Formula One showcase by the energy drinks company.

“I am delighted to be coming to India and I’m looking forward to showing you what the Red Bull Racing Formula One team can do,” said Coulthard. “The Sea Link is going to be challenging and exciting course to drive down on and I’m looking forward to Red Bull Racing giving the city of Mumbai an F1 show like they have never seen before.”

The Red Bull event got underway on Wednesday, when the car Coulthard will use was assembled in public. Ahead of Sunday's run it will be showcased around Mumbai.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/10/10070.html

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Reemz27

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Mark Webber will now support his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel's charge for the 2009 drivers' title, their boss Christian Horner has revealed.

While Vettel has an outside shot at overhauling Brawn's Jenson Button in the final two races of the season, Australian Webber is no longer in mathematical contention.

"Mark is a team player and understands that he must now support Sebastian," Horner told Germany's Sport Bild magazine.

Webber dryly confirmed his new role: "If the team asks me to, I will drive for Sebastian."

It is bad news for Button, whose own teammate Rubens Barrichello is desperate to hunt down the Briton's points lead, beginning with his home race at Interlagos next weekend.

Their boss Ross Brawn said one of his roles for the decisive moments of the 2009 World Championship will be to manage the "tension and pressure" that could arise.

"You just look around and make sure there is no tensions creeping in that can be negative and if there are then you deal with them," he said.

© CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/091008190452.shtml

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Harry1986 · Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:48 pm Post subject:

i wish webber couldve won the wdc, would love to see that.

definately though vettel is someone to watch.

vettel/ferrari 2011?

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We will not quit

LogicPro · Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:38 am Post subject:

Harry1986 wrote:

i wish webber couldve won the wdc, would love to see that.

me too

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"Ayrton Senna was an extraordinary racing driver. His skills, craft, subtlety and courage were of such magnitude that he dwarfed his generation of drivers."
Ron Dennis