Sebastian vettel leaves redbull

Sad day after 15years with #redbull. True champion

GEARING UP FOR 2014’S CHANGES

The 2014 rule shake-up is the biggest since…when exactly?

Certainly it’s the biggest since 2009, when KERS first appeared and the majority of the current aero rules were introduced. According to Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle, “It’s right up there, I would have thought, with banning turbos in that era”. It’s now 25 years since the era to which Martin refers passed F1 by, yet the new rules see the sport going back to the future.

But only up to a point. Yes, turbos are back – but not with a vengeance. The 1200bhp fire-belching monsters that Brundle and his contemporaries grappled with back in the 1980s are certainly not on the agenda. Times have changed, attitudes have shifted, and what’s to come reflects as much.

In short, F1 is going green. The ‘revolution’ which started with the introduction of KERS five years ago has been advanced by the 2014 rules, which were originally framed in the summer of 2011. Fuel will be rationed more strictly than ever before and a far greater emphasis is being placed on energy recovery. Further efficiency gains will also be produced due to chassis changes cutting both downforce and drag.

Yet the changes are not as fundamental as they might have been and, as is usually the case in F1, the result is very much a compromise. Haggling has persisted throughout the gestation period, with the engine specification changed (a four-cylinder unit was initially suggested) and cost considerations putting the implementation back a year. In terms of aero at least, what we’ll see will be very similar to what we’ve already got.

The debate about what we’ll hear has been more pronounced – with Bernie Ecclestone among those suggesting that the roar of the now departed V8s will be castrated, with slower lap times also having an adverse effect on ‘The Show’. Then there’s the issue of cost: a lot of teams are finding the going tough enough as it is; change doesn’t come cheap.

Such a departure raises other questions too, which Martin discusses in Part Two of our feature while McLaren Technical Director Tim Goss outlines how the changes will affect chassis design.

2014 – The facts

Engine

The normally aspirated 2.4-litre V8 engines used from 2006 until the season just gone will be replaced by 1.6-litre V6s with a single turbocharger and rev. limit reduced from 18,000 rpm to 15,000 rpm. The original intention was for four-cylinder turbo engines limited to 12,000rpm but that plan wilted in the face of opposition, notably from Ferrari.

Fuel

Fuel will be injected directly into each cylinder and mass flow will be controlled according to a formula which does not allow the rate to exceed 100kg/hour. Furthermore, the amount of fuel cars will start races with comes down from around 150kg to 100kg, meaning an effective increase in efficiency of approximately 33 per cent.

ERS

This is where the additional power will come from. Cars currently use KERS, of course, and the device will remain. However, heat energy will also be recovered from the exhaust turbine (which spins the turbo). The systems are known as Motor Generator Units (MGU-K and MGU-H respectively) and the cumulative effect will roughly be tenfold: whereas KERS in its current guise has given an 80hp boost for 6.7 seconds per lap, ERS will offer 161bhp for 33 seconds. A maximum of 4MJ of energy can be stored per lap.

Engine + ERS = Power Unit

This is the term being applied to the combination of hydrocarbons and voltage outlined above, although whether it catches on is another matter. Depending on how good a job Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari do, it is anticipated that overall power will remain in the region of 750bhp.

Something that definitely will be heard next year, however, will be the actual sound of an F1 engine in the pitlane. The FIA’s original intention had been for a reliance on electrical power only but this has now been put back to 2017.

Only five power units will be allowed next season (eight engines have been permitted) and any use of an additional complete power unit will result in the driver having to start the race from the pitlane. Meanwhile, any changes of individual elements, such as turbo, MGUs or energy store, will result in a ten-place grid penalty.

They will therefore need to last at least 4,000km rather than the current 2,000km.

As is currently the case, there will be a ‘freeze’ with power units homologated by the FIA between 2014 and 2020. However, changes will be allowed for “installation, reliability and cost-saving reasons” while manufacturers will also be given the chance to make up any performance shortfall.

Gearboxes

Eight-speed gearboxes will replace the current seven while ratios will be fixed for the season (although they can be re-nominated in 2014 only). Gearboxes must also last for six consecutive races, an increase from the current five.

Chassis

Here, too, the changes are intended to boost efficiency, yet the FIA announced in December 2012 that “changes made to bodywork design, originally aimed at reducing downforce and drag for increased efficiency, have reverted to 2012 specification”.

Ideas such as reverting back to ground effects – whereby a Venturi tunnel on the car’s underbody generates downforce without the drag – were initially mooted but what has emerged carries, in truth, a large degree of compromise.

But that’s not to say the changes are insignificant. By the sound of it, the most fundamental change comes at the front of the car, where a narrower front wing and lower nose will significantly alter the airflow. So, starting there and working back:

The front wing width will be reduced from 1800mm to 1650mm

Tim Goss: “Probably one of the most significant changes is the front wing, the span of which has been reduced, moving the endplates in. That, in terms of the airflow across the car, is quite a major design challenge because the front-wing endplates are now sitting more directly in front of the tyres.”

The nose, which has been raised for many seasons now as designers seek downforce by pushing as much air as possible underneath the car, will be lowered from a height of 550mm to 185mm. Also, the ‘step’ seen for the last couple of seasons will be a thing of the past.

Tim Goss: “The rules stipulate that you must have a lower tip to the nose. One of the reasons for that is to try and prevent cars launching off the back of other cars – if a following car was to hit the rear tyre of a car in front then it would get kicked up in the air, but a lower nose would prevent that.”

The chassis height will also be lowered.

Tim Goss: “There’s a regulation on the chassis height that’s dropped by 50mm. The chassis height towards the cockpit, the limits there are the same. So essentially, the chassis will have to drop down as you go forwards and then the nose tip continues to drop as well. The days of a high chassis and high nose tip are gone.”

Side-impact structures will be made standard.

Tim Goss: “The crash tube that sits within the bodywork here will be a standardised tube. It’s being developed by Red Bull and the idea is two-fold: one to reduce costs and, two, the current regulations mean that the tubes aren’t particularly good in a lateral impact. They’re very good at taking an end-on impact but in a lateral impact they’re not particularly good. There’s a longer, more triangulated tube that all teams will have to run and that will dictate the amount of freedom you’ve got in terms of shaping the forward sidepod and floor. All the teams at the moment tend to do slightly different things with their side-impact tubes.”

No rear-wing main plane while the wing itself will be slightly flatter

Tim Goss: “There’s no rear-wing main plane allowed. The lower wing is not allowed at all, there’s an exclusion zone that sits there.

“Then the rear-wing box as we call it, which is the height of the rear wing from top to bottom, has been reduced. Both of them take downforce off the rear of the car.”

A central exhaust exit

Tim Goss: “The final significant change at the rear is that you have to have a central exhaust exit rather than exits at the sides of the car. So all exhaust systems will be exiting rearward of the rear-wheel centreline. The whole idea of moving the exhaust to that position is to prevent their use in creating extra downforce.”

Weight

Engine capacity might be reduced but the additional ancillaries will actually push the minimum weight of the car up from 642kg to 690kg.

This is without fuel but includes driver weight and there is a feeling that it’s actually still too low – hence the debate over whether heavier drivers might be penalised.

Tyres

Pirelli has long been working on a new tyre – indeed, last May’s controversial test with Mercedes was in part undertaken with next year in mind.

As a consequence of the rule changes, Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery has promised “very dramatic changes” given that electric motors produce more torque at lower revs. For example, it’s been speculated that 2014 cars will be capable of generating wheelspin when changing from fourth to fifth gear.

Although the new tyre will have the same dimensions as the current model, the profile will be different while the structure is also being changed to cope with the greater forces unleashed.

REDBULL STORM CHASE IRELAND

Excitement builds as a storm brews!

Most of the journeys, although long, have gone smoothly so far, although some of the competitors’ equipment is still delayed in transit, but on-site the event crew are ready for whatever nature throws at them.With a host of World Champions amongst the fleet the standard will be as off-the-scale as the forecast conditions. With winds of up to 60 knots and storm swell of up to 9.9m forecast, the stage is set for a spectacle unseen before in the windsurfing world. First possible start is on Monday 28th 09.15 local time. 

LONG HAULS

The biggest shock will surely be for Brazilian waveriding genius Marcilio ‘Brawzinho’ Browne, who has arrived weary-eyed following a mammoth journey from the balmy waters of the Pacific Ocean’s Marshall Islands? Flying via his Hawaiian home, the 23-yr old former Freestyle World Champ claims that he’s ‘…just hoping not to freeze!Great Britain’s Robby Swift’s epic voyage involved flying via Panama, Texas, California, Maui and Germany – with a total flying time of 39 hours! Swift and his boards made the final-leg flight to Dublin although his gear is still to materialise in time for the Monday morning kick-off.Also arriving from Chile was current Vice-World Champion Victor Fernandez who’s prepared for whatever nature throws at him with sails from 3.4 up to 4.7 and two storm-ready Quad fin boards of 75 and 86 litres, plus a stash of his sponsor ION’s neoprene and on-land clothing. 

SAFETY FIRST

Moroccan windsurfing legend, Boujmaa Guilloul has adrenaline and fun in his mind of course, but even this master of high wind jumping is exercising extreme caution. Speaking during a flight delay in London he remarked that ‘this is a unique chance to take part in such big and exclusive event – I’ve been looking forward to it so much since I first heard about it and I would love it to be my favoured strong wind conditions – but my slogan is Safety First!’2009 Wave World Champ, Josh Angulo, is no stranger to brutally cold winter windsurfing and has travelled with all his specialist icy weather equipment. ‘I guess if I were to have a slogan for this event it would be RESPECT…Respect for all the hard work that’s gone in to this project, respect for Ireland and its people and, of course, respect for nature! My expectation is to score some Irish Juice!’ 

KEEPING THEIR COOL

The final entrants are all European specialists familiar with rough weather and freezing temperatures. Germany’s Dany Bruch, who competed at the last PWA World Tour event in Brandon Bay in 2002, is frothing about his return to Ireland. The Tenerife-based Pro, currently ranked 5th in the wave rankings, is heavier than some and has only a 3.7sqm sail packed as his smallest size to cope with the potentially 70mph wind.Bruch’s countryman, Leon Jamaer is also one to watch as the clouds darken and conditions intensify. The young rider from the Baltic sea is an up-and-coming star in the sport and was backed by the public voting that picked the main players to excel in wild wind environments. Fresh from a trip to Cabo Verde, Jamaer – who broke the PWA Top-10 in 2012 – was delighted to receive a text informing him of the ‘Mission GO!’ during a University lecture.Similarly, Kenneth Danielsen (DEN) will show his proficiency in the midwinter tempest approaching. Hailing from the North Sea Danielsen joins the Storm Chase from sunny Cape Town and had to borrow a winter wetsuit before catching a flight to Dublin. The Dane’s aim is clear: ‘my expectation is to score some of the most extreme conditions I’ve ever sailed in!’Finally it’s the French that represent another force of strong wind windsurfing. Marseille’s Thomas Traversa, winner of the penultimate PWA Wave event of 2012 in Denmark, is a featherweight talent but a master of heavy-weather sailing. 

IN MEMORY OF MIKEY

Traversa is joined by fellow Mediterranean ‘maniac’ Julien Taboulet, who has tamed some of the gnarliest high-wind and big-wave spots in the world. Apart from scoring solid conditions, Taboulet, and the all of the event crew and cast of challengers has more on his mind than just competition. ‘I really hope that we get some huge waves and good riding conditions to honour and remember our good friend Mikey Clancy – RIP forever brother’. Taboulet’s sentiments echo the entire global windsurfing community after Clancy, Ireland’s most-promising Professional Windsurfer, passed away in January of this year. Much missed by all of his family, close friends and Professional peers, Mikey Clancy became a windsurfing icon for his exploits in the crazy conditions of the Irish coastline and in PWA Tour events and for truly encapsulating the spirit of windsurfing in storm conditions.

Redbull wolverine helmet paint job

Just a quick post to show you this redbull wolverine awesome airbrush spray job of a full face helmet. The company http://www.pitshark.it have some amazing radio control shells also and cover alot of sports. Check there website out.. And enjoy pictures

10,000 hits

hi all

just a little note to say thank you for following my blog and for looking and sharing things hope to keep it more updated and with new and exciting things from all over the world all the best

jonathan

GREG CALLAGHAN SIGNS FOR DIRT/NORCO TO RIDE ENDURO

All That Fuzz Blog

This is just the best new so far of the silly season for biking. Well Done Greg. Read the scoop below……

We are very excited to announce that Team Dirt Norco has signed 2 new DH riders as well as an Enduro rider for 2013.

Ben Reid: (Rider/Team Organiser)

I think 2013 is going to be the most exciting year yet for team Dirt Norco, I feel we are working with some of the best companies in the industry (2013 sponsors soon to be released) and for me this makes riding my bike so much more enjoyable. I have made a great start to my training in preparation for the new season as well as working with Stanny on our new plans for the team.

In 2012 we had Duncan Riffle on board the team and we had a great season together and had lots of fun on the…

View original post 628 more words

THE RED BULL RAMPAGE VENUE IS TAKING SHAPE

One could say that the theme for this year’s Red Bull Rampage course is, simply, “Bigger.” With the course in such phenomenal shape and many pre-existing features looking better than they did at the previous event in 2010, not much work is needed, other than simply increasing them in size.

The digging crew wants to construct the best features possible for the riders to throw down their top tricks and wow the judges. Quite a few of the take-offs are being built larger, with their respective landings being made longer and smoother. In a mere three days the diggers have managed to increase the size of the landing for the infamous “Canyon gap” by a monstrous six feet in vertical height, and they’ve started work on trails coming off the top of the venue from the new start location.

THREE VETERANS JOIN THE BUILD CREW

Three new members of the Red Bull Rampage course build crew have showed up on site: brothers Robbie and Dennis Bourdon, and Adam Billinghurst — all three Canadian, and all three extremely talented professional bike riders. Adam had a segment in last year’s‘Strength in Numbers’ film and has been a member of the Whistler Bike Park trail crew for many years. Dennis is a former racer, and Robbie has competed at every single Red Bull Rampage event save one, when he was injured. He will be competing again this year.

These builders bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to an already stacked team. Work on the Red Bull Rampage course is proceeding ahead at an ever-faster pace as we reach the midpoint of the build. Every day new features seem to pop up on course out of nowhere, and pre-existing ones are drastically increased in size.

The ladder bridge is now complete, and serious work is now focused on perfecting the landing and quarterpipe at the finish line. Russell Shumaker, who is a former professional ATV racer, was kind enough to test-ride this feature to help the crew place the landing after the gap “just right.” Up top, the Coffin gap has been buffed out and reshaped, along with a series of additional drops and jumps. Everywhere the eye looks there are features tucked away just waiting for riders to test and work into their lines.

A rider favorite — the large wooden step-up near the bottom, is returning this year, with a twist. A second, massive 60-foot-tall dirt step-up jump is being built nearby to provide athletes with more options to showcase their skills. The new run-in to the dirt step-up leads down from Shocker ridge, and it’s looking fast. These two features will allow for bigger tricks to be thrown, such as backflips, tailwhips and 360s.

This season has been unnaturally wet, and there has been an excess of rainfall lately. Yesterday the Virgin area was issued tornado, lightning, and flash-flood warnings. The huge deluge of water that fell quickly turned the abundant sand to a thick, sticky quagmire which made travel rather difficult — rather “sticky” to say the least. However, once it hardens up it will reinforce and strengthen the dirt structures and trails.

After a day and a half of torrential, monsoon-like rainfall, we had another absolutely spectacular, jaw-dropping sunset out in the desert. Watching the sky ablaze in color and listening to coyotes howling at the setting sun isn’t a bad way to end a long work day. Stay tuned for more updates as the Bourdon brothers and the rest of the crew go to it with a vengeage on the infamous Oakley Icon Sender.

NEW START AREA FINALLY COMPLETE

After a grueling, tedious week of work on the Red Bull Rampage course, the new start area is finally complete. This will be the first year competitors will be starting their descent from the highest possible elevation on course.

There are two new routes off the top for athletes to pick from: Rider’s right goes over the “scissor drop” and down a steep chute before veering further right and hugging the face of a cliff for 100 feet and continuing over to much more terrain and route choices. Rider’s left goes down “Shocker Ridge,” which involves a gap jump to knife-edge landing, followed by a series of drops down the ridgeline.

Josh Bender and Randy Spangler have completed most of the work up top, occasionally joined by Lindsey Beth Currier. The area needed a lot of meticulous work to widen the chutes, landings, plateaus and trails across steep faces. Cliffs needed to be trimmed back to ensure that riders’ bars won’t snag as they pass by. This work was especially slow, as the rock was quite hard and work had to be done by hand with picks and hammers because of the precarious location.

Due to the dust and dirt that would linger in the air during work, Josh and Randy have been wearing bandanas over their mouths to prevent inhalation of particles. Combine the bandanas with sunglasses, straw hats and torn sleeveless shirts and put them either in Tom Cars (small dune buggy-like vehicles) or on dirtbikes and they often resemble characters out of “Mad Max” rather than trail builders.

When the builders were asked how the name “Shocker Ridge” was bestowed, the story was told of an incident two years ago when Spangler was struck by lightning in the very same area. We had witnessed multiple lightning storms over nearby mountain ranges in the past week, so it was difficult to question the validity of his story.

A typical work day for diggers starts around 8:00 a.m. and continues until 2:00 p.m. with a two-hour break until 4:00 p.m., when they head back out to the site and continue until sundown — around 8:00 p.m. It isn’t hard to work late when the sunsets are absolutely breathtaking. Riding back in the dark isn’t bad either, as nights are generally clear and the moon and stars provide ample illumination for the journey home.

Stay tuned for more updates as Jeremy Witek and Russell Shumaker have been busy working on the new ladder bridge to quarterpipe, a brand-new feature for this year that will definitely up the stakes at the finish line.

RED BULL RAMPAGE: INVITE LIST FINALIZED, TICKETS AVAILABLE

The mountains near Virgin, Utah, are beginning to rumble once again as Red Bull Rampage, the pinnacle of freeride mountain bike competition, readies for its return on October 5-7, 2012. Spectator tickets are now available, course construction is already underway and the exclusive invite list — featuring the world’s best mountain bike riders — has officially been finalized (see below).

After a thrilling contest at Red Bull Joyride, riders were selected according to predetermined qualification criteria to fill the open spots on the Red Bull Rampage competitor list, which includes riders from 11 different nations.

The field features veterans like Mike Kinrade and Kyle Strait — who hold the honor of having competed in every Red Bull Rampage event — and rookie phenoms like Anthony Messere who, at 17, will be the youngest rider in the field.

Heavy hitters like Brandon Semenuk, who already has a Red Bull Rampage win under his belt, will join the field with Martin Söderström and Thomas Genon, with all three gunning not only for the 2012 Red Bull Rampage title, but also for the overall 2012 FMB World Tour Championship crown. Semenuk’s points advantage will seal the deal if he stands anywhere on the podium.

For 2012, a lucky 1,800 spectators will get the opportunity to witness all the action firsthand in the picturesque desert of Utah. Tickets are available now for the competition days of October 5 and 7 (course will be closed to spectators on October 6). Tickets are $15 and include entry on both days. Please read the spectator advisory on the ticket page and note that the event site is remote and requires a four-mile hike or bike ride into the venue.

If you can’t make it to Utah, don’t sweat it — there are several ways to catch the event while keeping your shoes clean. A live webcast will capture all the action on October 7 at the official Red Bull Rampage site.

Fans can also tune into the TV broadcast on NBC as part of the Red Bull Signature Series. The event will air on Saturday, December 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT.

INVITED FOR QUALIFIER	COUNTRY	PRE-QUALIFIED FOR FINAL	COUNTRY
Graham Agassiz	CAN	Gee Atherton	GBR
Paul Basagoitia	USA	Darren Berrecloth	CAN
Antoine Bizet	FRA	Logan Binggeli	USA
Garett Buehler	CAN	Robbie Bourdon	CAN
James Doerfling	CAN	Geoff Gulevich	CAN
Brendan Fairclough	GBR	Andreu Lacondeguy	ESP
Pierre Edouard Ferry	FRA	Tyler McCaul	USA
Thomas Genon	BEL	Alex Prochazka	CAN
Yannick Granieri	FRA	Brandon Semenuk	CAN
Jamie Goldman	USA	Kurt Sorge	CAN
Casey Groves	CAN	Kyle Strait	USA
Mick Hannah	AUS	Thomas Vanderham	CAN
Mike Hopkins	CAN	Cameron Zink	USA
Ramon Hunziker	SUI
Mike Kinrade	CAN
Cam McCaul	USA
Kelly McGarry	NZL
Anthony Messere	CAN
Kyle Norbraten	CAN
Sam Pilgrim	GBR
Brett Rheeder	CAN
Curtis Robinson	CAN
Steve Romaniuk	CAN
Kenny Smith	CAN
Martin Söderström	SWE
Andrew Taylor	USA
Guido Tschugg	GER
Chris Van Dine	USA
Nico Vink	BEL
Greg Watts	USA
Wil White	USA