Sports Nation: February 2011

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Bahrain no longer hosting Formula 1 opening round

Bahrain's Crown Prince- HRH Prince Salman bin Hamsf Al-Khalifa has recently announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain would no longer be hosting the opening round of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship due to take place from March 11th to 13th.

The decision has been put down to the countries political situation as they focus on "overcoming tragedy" and "healing divisions" in the aftermath of the civil unrest that occurred in the country.

Bahrain International Circuit

The country has suffered recently after seven people were killed and hundreds injured in an attempt to stop protesters demanding more say in the Gulf Arab Kingdom.

When addressing the situation, Prince Salman said "At the present time the county's entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain.

"After the events of the past week, our nation's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together, reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united.

"I hope that F1 and our friends around the world will understand our decision at this difficult time".

CEO of F1, Bernie Eccelestone

President and CEO of Formula One Management, Bernie Ecclestone was understanding about the county's decision to withdraw stating "It is sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race, we wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country".

While Australia will now host the opening race 2 weeks later,it is still unknown to fans whether a decision has been made in regards to the new date and rescheduling of the race that was due to take place in Bahrain.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

DS3 WRC shattering Citreon's dreams for 2011 Win?

World rally champion Sebastien Loeb has insisted that there is more to see from the brand new Citreon DS3 WRC.

Confidence in the car was questioned after the Citreon rally team failed to place a podium finish for the first time in three years last week in Sweden.

Although Loeb's team-mate, Sebastien Ogier placed fourth with Petter Solberg following in fifth giving them a combined nine fastest stage times out of a possible 22.

“I feel happy to finish because this was a very long and difficult rally. I’m also satisfied with the performance of our car even though our rally was not so good.” stated Loeb, winner of seven rally championships for Citreon.

Unveiled in Janurary, the new DS3 follows, Loebs previous rally car the C4, aswell as the Xsara.

Sebastien Loeb has confessed that the car will be a new challenge for him. "The DS3's shorter so it's more agile in the corners, but it's also twitchier in the faster sections."

Loeb believes that the DS3 will require a lot more work behind the steering wheel compared to his reliable C4, which saw him through many wins at the world rally championships.

Ogier and Loeb do see the potential of the DS3 WRC however, following the event-closing Power Stage, where they gained the first and second fastest times in which bonus points were awarded to the quickest three drivers.

Citroen Racing chief Olivier Quesnel believes that the reason for Citreon's performance in Sweden was down to the specific surfaces which they were required to race on. "Let’s wait for the first stages on gravel to have a better idea of each one’s potential.”

Citroen have not failed to finish without a placing a podium finish since the Sweden rally in 2008, when the podium was dominated by Ford focus drivers, Jari-Matti, Mikko Hirvone and Gigi Galli.

Citreon,Peugeot and Toyota do the entertaining in Paris

Last weekend I travelled to Paris to do to the typical tourist routine. The eiffel tower, the magnificant Mona Lisa at the Louvre and oh yeah, lots of car spotting and car museums. I just thought I would share some of the great pictures from my trip.

The car show rooms in Paris were amazing with a selection of old cars combined with the new, aswell as showing many previews of these electric powered cars we all dread.