Mark Webber - Classic F1

Red Bull's Mark Webber is the latest driver to pick his five favourite all-time races for BBC Sport's classic Formula 1 series.

Unlike some of his rivals, our columnist was a fan of F1 before he started racing in it and has a good knowledge of the sport's history.

So it is no surprise that his selection is an aficionado's list of five all-time great races.

Mark Webber

In his 10 years in the sport, Webber has been involved in plenty of classic races himself - but he has not picked any of his six wins, nor great moments such as his pass of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at Eau Rouge at Spa this year, a move that will go down in the annals as one of the best and bravest there has been.

Instead, the sole race among his five choices in which he took part is one in which he played only a cameo role - albeit an important one. But we will come on to that later.

Webber's first choice is one he remembers watching as a child in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, the 1986 Australian Grand Prix. It is the race that brought to a climax what some have called the greatest F1 season in history.

Held on the Adelaide street circuit, it is famous for the tyre blow-out that robbed Williams driver Nigel Mansell of the title and for McLaren driver Alain Prost's unexpected - if thoroughly deserved - second title, won against great odds. As Webber says: "It was a big battle for the championship and obviously Nigel Mansell had the tyre failure. It was a grand prix packed with great drama."

The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher took his maiden F1 victory on this damp day at Spa-Francorchamps, on the first anniversary of his debut. Schumacher's win actually hinged on an error. He ran off the track and lost a place to Benetton team-mate Martin Brundle. On rejoining, Schumacher noticed that the Englishman's rear tyres were 'graining' so he decided to pit for new ones. The decision won him the race.

There were also starring roles for those two giants of the era, McLaren's Ayrton Senna and Mansell. Webber recalls: "Senna tried to make the slicks work in an inferior car while Schumacher got the tactics right although Brundle was just as quick. As was often the case, Michael made a mistake and ran off the track but managed to get back on to notch up his first race win."

The 1993 European Grand Prix

A favourite of F1 drivers this year - arguably Ayrton Senna's defining performance in the rain at Donington Park. As Webber says: "The original yellow helmet. Say no more!"

The 2000 Japanese Grand Prix

The race Schumacher has said was his best ever - it won him his first title for Ferrari after a flat-out race-long battle with his most respected rival, McLaren's Mika Hakkinen, in which both men operated on a separate level from their rivals at Suzuka, one of the most demanding circuits in the world.

Webber says: "This was Hakkinen and Schumacher at their best. It's only after you've driven this track and competed there in F1 that you appreciate what a great grand prix those two contested."

The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix

"Which is a race I competed in," Webber says - and one, it should be added, that is arguably the greatest F1 race in history. It featured two of the best overtaking moves there have ever been, and it was won by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen from 17th on the grid, the Finn overtaking Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella for the lead at the start of the last lap.

It might well have been won by Fisichella's team-mate Fernando Alonso, who led Raikkonen in the early laps. But the Spaniard was delayed by a controversial intervention by the stewards, which impacted on his strategy. And when he might have been battling for the lead, he was fighting to pass Webber's Williams for third place.

Alonso finally forced his way past the Australian in a brave move that involved putting two wheels on the grass halfway down the pit straight. But that pass was nothing compared to the one he pulled on Schumacher at the high-speed 130R corner earlier on in the race. Alonso took Schumacher around the outside of the corner, knowing that if they touched their lives would be in danger. Astonishingly, his apex speed as he passed the Ferrari was 207mph.

Webber says: "After a mixed up qualifying, we had some pretty fast guys in the best cars at the back. I enjoyed the race, driving a Williams car that was good in the corners but very, very inefficient aerodynamically and so I had no top speed. I fought for a podium late in the race with Fernando."

We have chosen Webber as our driver this week because he had selected this race, which is a fitting scene-setter for this weekend's action in Japan.

Highlights of the 2005 grand prix at Suzuka are embedded below, while underneath them are short and extended highlights of last year's Japanese race. It was dominated by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, with Webber right in his wheel tracks for the entire grand prix, but unable to get past.

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CLICK HERE FOR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
CLICK HERE FOR EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

Webber's classic races will be available on the BBC red button on satellite and cable television in the UK from 1500 BST on Wednesday 5 October until 0155 BST on Friday 7 October. Freeview viewers will be able to watch them between Friday's first and second practice sessions, from 0340 to 0550 on Friday.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/mark_webber_-_classic_f1.html

Chuck Weyant Ken Wharton Ted Whiteaway Graham Whitehead Peter Whitehead

Korean Grand Prix ? Top Three Drivers Press Conference (Video)

Sebastian Vettel won his 10th race of 2011 this morning ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber. After the race – which also saw Red Bull secure the constructor’s championship – the top three drivers gave their press conference. Click here for the video footage!                 To let [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/Wx0Rsnmx9bU/korean-grand-prix-top-three-drivers-press-conference-video

David Hampshire Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison

1963 Chevy Biscayne WIP Finished - Outdoor Pics!!

I am starting a new WIP of the 63 Chevy Biscayne. As I mentioned near the end of the 70 Dodge Challenger build, this is the car that I drove to college for 4 years while commuting from home.  My father bought it for me from a widow whose husband had drove it but it had spent a couple of years in her garage after her husband's death.  I don't know how he knew her but I do know that dad was an excellent ballroom dancer, and in fact, I did see him dance with lovely woman about his age! I didn't stay long at the dance as there were too many "old people" having fun!  Didn't make the connection at the time but I'm pretty certain it was her car!

It was an excellent commuter and I drove it about 15 miles each way to school, in addition to all the other running around that a young man does - dates, dances, night clubs, etc. It was laurel green so I have purchased that paint from MCW along with the resin transkit for the Revell 63 Chevy.

My car had a 283 automatic so I borrowed the engine from the 1964 Revell kit which is a 327 automatic.  It has a smaller width and height than the 350 that is supplied in 63 Revell kit (left below), plus it is an automatic. I also have some extra parts from the Revell 55 Chevy to supply the fuel pump, distributor and coil that were either missing or I have already borrowed from the 64 Chevy kit.  I think I'll have to find a larger starter as this one looks a little small for the block.  So the process begins on the engine and chassis while I wait for the transkit!  Thanks for looking! Cool

Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/978551.aspx

Tony Trimmer Maurice Trintignant Wolfgang von Trips Jarno Trulli Esteban Tuero

Jenson Button seeks win at second home

Jenson Button arrived in Japan as the last man standing in the fight to stop Sebastian Vettel winning the 2011 title.

To keep his title hopes alive, the McLaren driver has to win this weekend and hope Red Bull's championship leader fails to score a single point.

It is a task almost certainly doomed to fail and Button joked in Suzuka that Vettel was the only person still saying he had a chance to steal a second title from under his nose.

Vettel, who is seeking a third straight pole-to-flag victory in Japan, is the favourite this weekend after taking a mind-boggling 12th pole of the season in Suzuka, but Button lines up second after two days in which McLaren have looked surprisingly competitive.

Button's hopes of victory are very real and, regardless of the championship situation, the 2009 champion has both professional and personal reasons to want to perform well on Sunday.

The day after stepping off the plane from Singapore, where he finished second, Button and his race engineer Dave Robson got to work plotting how to win for the first time at Suzuka.

"I've always loved racing here," Button, whose best finish in Suzuka is third for Honda in 2004, told BBC Sport. "It would mean a lot to me to win here.

"The first year I came here was in 1996 when I raced karts and that was an unbelievable circuit, like the F1 track. Then the first time I came here in Formula 1 in 2000, I qualified fifth and I've finished every year I raced here in Suzuka.

"It's a very special race - I remember watching Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost racing round here wheel-to-wheel - and it does feel like a second home race for me."

Jessica Michibata and Jenson Button

Button has been dating Japanese-born Jessica Michibata for three years. Photo: Reuters

McLaren also want Button, or team-mate Lewis Hamilton, to finish as runner-up in the championship and are determined to hold off Ferrari to finish a more lucrative second in the team standings.

With five races left to go, Button leads a compelling battle for second from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber, and is 17 points ahead of Hamilton.

Beyond points and position, Button, a former Honda driver, is also driven by emotional incentives, not least that he is dating Japanese-born model Jessica Michibata.

"I have a lot of very good connections," said Button, who has in Japanese kanji symbols 'Ichi Ban' - which translates as number one - inked onto his ankle.

"I worked with a Japanese team for seven years, I've had a Japanese girlfriend for the last three and I love this place. I spend a lot of time here in Japan, Kyoto and Hiroshima. I've just been down the coast to a fishing port that has the most amazing sushi.

"I really enjoy the Japanese culture, the food and how respectful the people are and how they welcome other people in. The karaoke is great too - my missus would go to karaoke during the day if she had an hour free, which seems strange to us in Britain!"

In March, while Button was testing in Spain, Michibata was sheltering under a table as an earthquake shook Tokyo.

The after-effects of the tsunami and earthquake, which devastated many coastal parts of island country and killed more than 15,000 people, is another reason why Button wants to race well in front of his Japanese fans.

A Japanese fan of Jenson Button

"It was a really horrible feeling as I couldn't get hold of her," added Button, who, along with Hamilton, is auctioning his race helmet to raise funds for a Japanese charity. "But it was nothing like what the people on the ground were going through.

"Having that connection to Japan it's difficult but I think the Japanese people have shown us how strong they are and how they pull together. They had people going through the rubble and finding things that were worth money and handing them in for charity. I've got a lot of respect for the Japanese people and I think we can learn a lot from them."

Button is hugely popular in Japan and as you wander among the passionate fans in Suzuka many of them are wrapped in British flags or with 'Button' painted on their cheeks and even finger nails.

The English racer might not be able to stop Vettel taking the title in Suzuka but if he can push the German hard for the victory, as he did in Singapore, his efforts will not go unnoticed.

"Japanese people love to celebrate," he added. "Hopefully we can put on a good show for them this weekend and plant a good memory."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/10/jenson_button_seeks_win_at_sec.html

Chris Lawrence Michel Leclere Neville Lederle Geoff Lees Gijs van Lennep