Kozeyekan

That's a joke. Sao Paolo drivers are insane. Red lights don't matter, speeding is compulsory, lanes are just recommendations, and indicating is a sign of weakness. The Sao Paolo-ites never forget that it's the home of Ayrton Senna, and they all seem to drive like they want to meet him. Oh, and parking is a joke. Often times you have to pay someone to "watch" your car as well as to park it. Sounds like Piquet is just getting hit for what everyone there does. Still, if they're going to change it, I suppose they've got to make some high profile examples.

WHAT A GP! I for one enjoyed watching it a lot. it had everything, drama, controversy and a cliffhanger finish! Spykers debutante got a bit lucky, and seemed happy to have lead the race for a few laps. Good for him though, might be a career highlight for him as long as he's with spyker though. Hamilton actually impressed me. He showed good passing skills, but got a bit unfortunate with his aquaplaning off the course and also wrong tyre choice, but still, he showed he's got true talent. How he handles the pressure in the remaining races will be a true indication of what sort of driver he really is. Massa also displayed great pace. I hate to compare, but he seems to have a little bit of Senna about him. He does not have the wet weather skills, or the 'magic' (yet) but he does have the hunger and the agression, which will serve him well. Plus, some day soon he might actually get into a fist fight with Alonso, which will be entertaining. Raikonnen got unlucky, he could have possibly won this race, but, well, that's the way it goes. To be honest, I can do without another Kimi interview anyway. His monotone, dreary conversations have all the excitement of a brown doorknob. i have to hit myself in the head with a tack hammer when he talks, just to take my mind off the pain his voice causes me. He's good on the track, but once the engine is off, they need to switch off his power and put him in a closet until the next race. I have found more interesting things in a Jane Austen novel. Alonso. To be honest, I have not been a fan of his. I considered him a competent driver in a great car, but he has really kicked some arse in the last few races. The pass on Massa was decent, and the contact happened after he was past him. They had some words, but I for one think Alonso had the right of it. It's also good to watch him challenging the Ferrari's, as you know he's enough of a loose cannon to try the crazy stuff. Great to watch. And Webber.... Very nice race. Managed to make the most of the opportunities that presented themselves, and hold off the challengers. Hopefully the Red bull team can keep the car reliable and we might see Mark on a few more podiums. So, the biblical rain made the race pretty interesting. lots of passing, excitement and chances were taken. Unpredictable weather, and teams taking it on made it a great contest. For my money, the most entertaining Grand Prix I've seen this season.

OK, comparing a gts-t to a gts-4 is a bit off. The gts-t IS the better drag car, but the gts-4's AWD will let you take corners that would wipe the gts-t out. Setting a GTS-4 up as a drag car is a waste of money. look to set it up for grip. Spend the $ on tyres, suspension and brakes. If you have even more dosh, highflow the turbo, get a bigger exhaust and get carbon fibre bonnet and boot lid. I'm a happy GTS-4 owner, but it's not a quick quarter mile car. It IS a great car to take on twisty mountain roads.

The VE, BA and the new Falcon were all designed by the same people, specifically e-dag in melbourne. They had a few new project heads, but the interior, body and layout were all made there. Holden and Ford don't have a full time ground-up car design team, they outsource most of the CAD work to E-dag, and then they refine or tailor their design. Ford does have a significant staff of CADers, but they generally troubleshoot problems and refine designs and provide options, rather than create a vehicle from the ground up. So, The Falcon and the commodore are more alike than they are different. Think of them as cousins who have been in a family feud for years.

The U-Turn will screw you up. Picture it, you're a cop, a guy is driving towards you, then does a U turn to get away from you. You pull them over, they have no rego, and claim that they were going to get it rego'd in that trip. I'd find it hard to swallow too. I'm not implying anything, just that they'd get that excuse with every car that is out of rego. You can get day rego passes, which is what you legally have to do. I got this done when I was getting my car complied. You'd probably be wsting your time taking it to court.

US grand prix at Laguna seca FTW! F1's in the corkscrew! And with the whole mclaren vs ferrari thing, there is one thing I do not understand. IF McLaren were using and benifiting from ferrari's design, why oh why were they beating the p!ss out of them on the track? Surely the only reason you'd copy another design is if it would make the car go faster? Why copy a slower car? And if they somehow managed to find a benefit that Ferrari overlooked, well then they just refined the engineering better. Still, if they allow this sort of thing now, it could green light even more espionage, and we all know that this has never happened before

".... I've read about them n shit?" Get your loan approved first, it'll save a lot of time. Also, what license do you have. If you're on P's, forget about an R34 turbo. Oh, and one final thing, club locks are a waste of time. Get an imobiliser AND alarm, preferably one that is monitored.

Agreed. It's all the same script read by different people. We need a rivalry. i want to see Massa bitch-slap Alonso or something.

The commentators were saying that the track was really hard on tyres, so the super-soft might deteriorate pretty quick. Alonso did the 1:19.1 on the mediums, so look for him to burn out the white stripes asap. Also, Alonso's garage seem to be declining to share strategy with Hamilton, so it could be an absolute pearler!

noted. I've never been a fan of alonso's, and to be honest, I think he's a bit of a hack, but I am actually enjoying seeing him race now. It seems like he's pulled his head in a bit, and realised that he's got to beat some pretty talented people in some damn fine cars to have a hope of getting decent points. He set the fastest lap of qualifying too. The start will be where it's at. Massa and Kimi on the crappy side, McLarens on the rubber. Alonso will almost certainly try to squeeze out Raikkonen, but it should be entertaining to watch. I do hope Hamilton does not win though. I like the kid and all, but all freaking week it's been in ev ery paper about the rappers he's playing golf with, about the social outings he's had.... I really feel a bit over him. Still, Webber had some pace, and he could score some points if things go well. Sato is pushing sh!t uphill, but will be as entertaining as always. I'll start doing a rain dance tonight. Wow.... Clouding up already!

Now, for a start, 17-20 year olds ARE going to speed. It's a biological thing. I know I did my far share of reckless driving at that age, and for no real reason other than it was fun. Fortunately, most of my reckless driving was on big industrial sites, private roads and claypans, so the danger to others was minimal. i think driver training is a great idea, but add in legal, street class motorsport for them. Things like Drag-tag are an option too. They're gonna speed, you may as well make sure they are trained for it and do it in an appropriate environment. I did find that by getting it all "out of my system" away from public roads, I didn't need to do it in public so much. But what's wrong with big precision events, like motorkhanas and such, that require control more than pure power? I think these type of things are perfect for drivers wanting to learn better control.

Actually, you could be in deeper shit that you realise. Unless I'm wrong (which is a possibility) the R33 GTS-t is banned for P platers, the R32 is OK, but the R33 violates the power to weight ratio regulations. You're ID says you drive an R33, and later on you mention P Plates. If this is the case, you could get a further fine, and they'll probably try to force you to sell the car, or at least suspend registration. Look, I know a lot of us on this forum probably sound like old farts, and well some of us are, but for f**ks sake, keep it on the track. When guys like you drive 30+ over the limit in skylines, it means they target ALL skylines. This means that when I drive through a breatho, or late at night, the cops are more likely to pull over people doing nothing wrong because in their experiance, Skyline drivers are more prone to speeding and other shit. So: 1) Get a CAMS license. It's cheaper than a speeding fine, and a lot more fun. 2) Pull your head in. Seriously. I love to push the go fast pedal too, but keep it off the public roads. There is so much that can happen that it's stupid to assume you'll be OK. Yes, speed limits are sometimes un-necessarily low, but that's just the way it is. ignoring them is simply stupid, especially in a 60 zone. If you were doing 130 in a 100 zone on the sydney - dubbo highway (i.e. dead straight, no wildlife or bushes, etc.) then that's careless. Doing it in front of homes is just stupid. 3) Do some advanced training. SAU has some great driver training courses that they can recommend and organise a few times a year. Learn to drift, corner and i think there's even one for driving on two wheels. Have crack, and bring friends. 4) stop driving my premiums up. I gotta save up for a high flow. 5) Wear the fine. You seem like you already know that you cocked up, and you've accepted it. This is a good attitude. It's always a temptation to give it a squirt, but you gotta keep in mind that it really is easy to hit something (say a cat) running across the road, which can then put you into a telepole, and into hospital. I'm sure you know all this already, but just read over it a second time, then see what you want to do. End.

Firstly, Great idea. If more parents taught their kids to drive in shitboxes away from everyone, there'd be less deaths on the road. Where you go depends on where you live. If it's rural, go to the nearest paddock or open field, and get dad to take you around a bit. Just practice driving, especially around tight corners and such. Not fast, just try to set up a tight obstacle course, and have emergency stops at random times. If you're in the city, we you're limited to wide open spaces that can only be found in suburbs (Avoid car parks, you might get booked there) You'll have to find places that you can drive without getting A) booked or B) in a crash with the general public Maybe just driving around the block, or something like that. Practice avoiding obstacles, emergency stops (Get dad to yell out "STOP!" at random times) and just driving in crappy weather on slippery mud and stuff. Just get the hours up. Parking and such you can concentrate on when you're going for the license. It's more important to learn braking and car control first.

Well, the forecast if for rain. It's been raining every damn day so far, so we might get a real idea of Hamilton's abilities. Haven't seen him pass anyone yet. With the local paper coverage, you'd think he's wht world champ already. The worst thing is the headlines. Here's what I mean: "How does he Lew it?" "Thrilled to Brits: Lewis on home turf" "Hamilton to order out for italian at home." (This one is a bit of a reach) "Lewis the new Tiger" (In reference to Tiger Woods. I have no idea why.) There are more every day. When some slapper comes out of the woodwork and claims that she shagged him silly when he was 14, I'll update everyone.

I had a problem starting my car when I imported it form Japan. I did an ecu reset and it was all sweet from then on. I think the difference in fuel between Aussie fuel and Japanese fuel was what the ECU had to learn. just did the reset, let it idle and drove a bit on the freeway. No worries.

Again, it depends what you're after. You could get a massive turbo, with huge power, but your lag will make it undrivable on the roads. It's only be good as a drag car. If you're after track day performance, look at upgrading everything. First though, upgrade what's on the way out. look at the clutch, consider upgrading that, ditto brakes. This will give you more control of the car. stiffen the frame. Depending on your driving style, you may want sway/ tower bars. A cheap addition, but a heavy one. Remove stereo and speakers. They add weight. Pretty much remove anything you can while remaining legal. I could go on, but it's all going to come down to what you want in a car. For track days, you'll spend more time braking and accelerating than you will at full boost, making clutch and brakes more important than a bigger turbo. A highflow is an option worth considering if the turbo is ceramic. Then, it's on to internals. There are so many options that I can't write them all. You can RB26 it, or add in an RB30 bottom end, forged pistons, bore, thick metal head gasket, extruder polish... all of these have various benefits, but from here on, it'll cost a lot to get a little. You're best option is to get a CAMS license, come out to track days and have a go. See what you're driving style is like and see how others with a similar style upgrade their cars. Oh, and the raw KW on a dyno is more of a diagnostic tool. Not all dyno's will read the same. It's pretty useful for tuning though. So, consider the following: Daily driver High top speed Good acceleration on a budget. Now pick three of those above options. You'll have to forget about the other one.

Longer learner periods. Drop learner age to 15, make it part of the school curriculum, and have it as compulsory 3 years on L's, or even better, gradient L plates. Also, I think re-testing is a good idea. Too easy to pass and forget everything. I'm all for increased driver expertise. If there's one thing every man and woman has in common on this Earth, it's that we ALL truly believe that we are better than average drivers.

What a dick. Hell, I'm not convinced Hamilton is the best driver out there either, but he's beating Alonso, who is one of the better drivers, and he can only beat the drivers on the track. When jr there beats Hamilton, then he can talk smack.

..... Well, live and learn. So, back to topic, if you want more power, look for a bigger turbo. I'd probably recommend that you look at upgrading brakes and suspension first though. If you can't read dyno graphs (Which is not a big deal) I think it's safe to assume that you're after power for bragging rights rather than track day performance. Upgrading the raw KW is pretty useless if you can't put the power to the ground. There is a good ongoing suspension group buy from Sydneykid, also there were some slotted rotors there too. Add in some brembos and you're laughing. Oh, but you must, must MUST not cheap out on tyres. There is nothing wrong with them being the most expensive addition you make to your car. So, it really depends on WHY you want more power. If it's for performance, look at the above upgrades. If it's for bragging rights at maccas, find a dodgy dyno place that will give you a high reading. Oh, and "more power" and "budget" are just about mutually exclusive. From this point on, it will be big $ for you, at least, if it's done properly. The up side is though that you'll be able to drive a pretty nice car.

12:30pm qualifying and midday racing here Go London! Although, considering it'll be raining here (again) I'll probably have to fight the GF for the remote. The term "Summer" may have originated here, but if you ask me, it's a case of false advertising. Melbourne winter is warmer. Yes, that's no exaggeration. And holy crap are they idolising young Hamilton! If that boy isn't in the paper with an endorsement, he's getting a puff piece written about him. I actually hope it does rain this sunday, so we can see how he does in the wet.

I actually like the idea of a "B" team. More cars on the grid means more drivers, and if they use the B teams as development teams, it means that there is an opportunity for the younger guys to showcase their skills without going to teams that are uncompetitive.

Agreed, which is why included him.

Jaw size = sucess. It all makes sense now. Look out for a few new drivers for next season: Keira Knightley to debut, due to her transvestite like jaw line she has some hope of overcoming her current lack of any driving experience. Paris Hilton too should be able to drive, based on the fact that as soon as she finds out that a chin implant would get her international attention, she'll have the surgery scheduled for the same day, plus she's shown that she doesn't mind a bit of contact racing on the streets. And the new star recruit is.... Jay Leno! With a chin that can be seen form space, and his own racing garage, he'll be whooping some arse before too long. Oh, I saw Warnie playing for hampshire the other day, the people that booed him when he was in the green and gold are cheering him like crazy when he's on their side. He's a freaking God in the UK. Murali might have tried to pick up some English nurses too, but really, he had no chance, and who cares anyway. Warnie showed us that a pudgy bloke with fake hair and a bogan accent can pick up hot chicks everywhere in the world due to a decent wrist action (Note: Excluding the slapper from South Africa. She had to be faking it, and by using the pronoun "She" I'm probably overly flattering her) But back on topic. I have no doubt that Schumacher is one of the greatest of all time, but from my opinion, I put Senna ahead, but it's just my opinion, and a lot of people disagree with me. A lot of the earlier drivers with big reps are drivers I haven't seen as much, so it's hard to even put in a comparison. I know I wouldn't put in Raikkonen. I just don't see any excitement about him. He's talented, and he works hard, but I still think that he's been lucky with the cars he's had more than raw talent winning out. Plus Massa is kicking his butt now. I also would exclude Alonso. He has potential, and he can be exciting, but he seems to lose his way a bit. Hell, his starts have been shocking and he may as well put off road tyres on the car, with the amount of time he takes to the grass. If he can pull it out this season and win, he'll have a look in at greatness, but I can't see it happening, as more and more he seems to be a bit of a tool. Hamilton is excluded, even if he does win this years championship, because it's just too soon to judge a kid. He has a load of potential though. It'll be interesting to see how he adapts to being the new David Beckham of the British media. He'll have money and ass thrown at him from all directions. If he does not win at silverstone, I'd expect him to at least have tales of a 38 girl orgy to tell. This would also allow pre-selection for greatness. Alesi and a few others were around the mark, but for my money not in the top ten. I'd include Senna, Schumacher, Prost, Mansell, G. Villeneuve, Stewart, Brabham (From the biased Aussie connection), Clark, Lauda and Hakkinen. Even though Hakkinen is probably the one with the least reputation of the lot, he just had that ability to challenge and beat some great drivers. I'd put him in the legend killer box. But I still think that if you had all drivers in their prime (and alive, naturally) and you had to pick just two, you'd go for Senna and Schumacher, though you'd probably need to have shock collars fitted to them that zapped them if they tried to kill each other.

Actually, all the comparisons have a finite measure, but the point I'm making is that finite measures (i.e. statistics) not involving direct head to head comparisons are usually used solely to illustrate a preconceived point. Michael Jackson and Elvis can be argued against each other based on raw sales (Elvis) international sales (Elvis) or profit (Jackson) Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan: Bryant currently has a better career scoring average (31.6) vs Jordan's 30.12, and also has a high score of 81 vs Jordan's 69, but you'd have to be nuts to think Kobe is good enough to even approach Jordan. Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali: Tyson has more knockouts, and more championship reigns, but Ali is considered far superior to him despite this. Muralithurin and Shane Warne: Depending on the person. Statistically, Murali has more wickets, making him better by that standard, but many of them have come from Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and other lower level cricketing nations, whereas Warne has not played them as much as Murali. This comparison is probably the most apt because they were around during an overlapping era, are both considered "greats", but the statistically inferior Warne is rated higher due to WHO he beat and WHEN he did it. or Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer. Elle's measurements are 36-25-35, whereas Claudia's are 37-24-36, meaning that she has greater bust and hips, though Elle got nekkid in Sirens, which apparantly had some plot hiding somewhere, but no man has yet been able to find it. Co-incidentally, this movie arrived on video the same time as multi-speed fast forward and high definition freeze frame technologies. My point is that Statistics are not a measure of greatness. Things like legacy, excitement and peer respect need to be considered. In terms of legacy, Schumachers would be of a hard working, dedicated professional, whereas Senna was more of a humanitarian, though no less competitive. Excitement is purely an individual's taste. I consider Senna's racing to be better to watch because you just didn't know what would happen, like when he did a 720 spin on the strips in Adelaide in the wet when Prost and Mansell retired due to the danger. But, hey like I said, it's all personal preference. Peer respect, well, each has their admirers and their hated enemies. Ask Prost about Senna and I'm sure he'd have some choice words, ditto some of Schumachers former teammates. Putting Schumacher as the greatest driver based solely on statistics is rubbish. This is why in other sports, such as boxing, basketball or even AFL, raw statistics are not often used for comparison, except by Bruce Macavaney, and that's only because he can actually remember them all and wants to show off. So in conclusion: Statistics are finite, but greatness is not a finite measurement, so using statistics as the sole measurement of greatness is an incomplete analysis. They can contribute to the judgement, but are not the sole criteria. Yes, I was indeed bored enough to write this. I'm was supposed to go to an advance screening of transformers, but missed out on tickets, and it's raining so I'm bouncing off the walls.

you could ask for clarification, but it's pretty much futile. From what I understand, the speed detector is hooked into the car, and uses the car's spedometer to calibrate itself and detect your speed. But even if this was not 100% accurate, there is also a provision which allows officers who are experienced to "estimate" your speed. If they have the accreditation, they can book you on personal observation, and unless you have witnesses to back you up, you're cactus. with 20 k's over, you're up the creek. You can try to appeal, but realistically, unless you are 100% sure you were not speeding, it'll be a waste of money. It sucks, I know. I have had about 3 speeding fines in my time, but all were at the 15 or below bracket. I haven't been able to get out of any of them. I even had one where I was booked in a tiny town near mildura for doing 62 in a 60 zone. The cop was right on the street sign and I got the letter in the mail. i even appealed saying that there must be a tolerence, which they said there was, but the cop estimated that I was travelling at 67 anyway, and because he was accredited, the fine stuck. That pissed me off a bit, but it's the world we live in. Oh, and I wasn't even in the skyline then, but my pathfinder, so it wasn't so much targetting me, as it was hitting quotas.