If you’re going to do an oil painting of Lewis Hamilton, then there’s probably no better material to use than the oil out of Lewis’ very own championship winning McLaren F1 car.
According to the (obviously compensated) artist David Macaluso:
Painting with the Mobil 1 used motor oil offered a wide range of tones and was obviously a very refined product from its texture. It was extremely smooth and very particle-rich, with all the engine dirt in perpetual suspension, making for a great painting medium.
Ferrari’s 599 GTB Fiorano is already a potent pony, so when the Italians decided to put their stallion through the XX program (which was responsible for cars like the Enzo FXX and the FXX Evoluzione) the ears of millionaires around the world definitely perked up.
The end result of Ferrari’s poking, prodding, tuning and trimming is called the 599XX, and it’s the fastest road car they’ve ever produced. (Though calling this a road car is a bit of a stretch.)
The ‘extreme track car’ bumps power to 700 hp at 9,000 rpm, and uses carbon fiber wherever possible to bring the weight down while increasing aerodynamic downforce. Other neat goodies include F1 style ‘doughnuts’ over the brake discs that improve aerodynamics and brake cooling, carbon fiber brake pads, and a whole host of active aerodynamic components they call the ‘ActiflowT’ system.
Like previous XX cars, the 599XX will be invitation only, so if you don’t already have a few Ferraris parked outside, this won’t be the next addition, but for the select few, Ferrari has created a car that will more than likely defy belief.
In 2009, F1 will be significantly altering the rulebook to ‘spice up the racing’ and bring back some of the fun and excitement that the sport has long been missing.
If reading through a long list of rules doesn’t sound like your idea of an enjoyable day, then check out this fantastic animation from Red Bull that describes their new RB5, and gives you a good idea of what the new rules mean for car design and F1 in general:
Take it from Mini: Despite what your driver’s ed teacher taught you, 9 and 3 always beats 10 and 2.
In order to help new Mini drivers get the most from the car, and to show off the racability of their line, Mini has put together a pretty thorough collection of introductory pro driving tips on their Mini Racing site.
All the basics are covered, like proper seat position and correct shifting technique, but they even show you some advanced techniques like heel-toe breaking and the proper cornering line.
It might not make you F1 worthy, but unless you’re already driving an F1 car, it’ll probably give you a few tips and tricks that will improve your car skills dramatically.
