If driving while talking on a mobile phone is dangerous, how much more deadly would it be if Formula One racers got distracted while race officials tried to communicate with them via headsets?
(Credit:
Crave Asia)
Thankfully, colored flags are the de facto method by which vital information is relayed to the drivers without causing unnecessary disturbance. For example, a yellow flag means there's danger ahead and overtaking is prohibited, while a white flag indicates slow-moving vehicles (like the safety car or tow truck) on the track.
However, in F1's upcoming first-ever night race, traditional colored flags might be a little hard to see, despite the nearly 1,500 Philips lighting projectors illuminating the track with light four times brighter than a football stadium at night (and expected to consume 3,180,000 watts). As such, 35 display panels using Digiflag technology (developed by Italian lighting consultant Valerio Maioli) will be set up to allow race officials to communicate with the drivers. These simple but effective devices are essentially rectangular boards of colored lights.
The night race takes place September 28 in Singapore.
(Via Crave Asia)
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Having made a fool of ourselves last Friday crashing at every turn in the SingTel F1 simulator race, we were relieved to see somebody else being a klutz behind the wheel.
(Credit:
Fareastgizmos)
Toyota has developed a computer simulation dubbed Total Human Model Safety (THUMS), which re-creates high-speed accidents to examine the impact it has on human physiology, according to Fareastgizmos. The system is part of a new study conducted jointly with the FIA Institute that is designed specifically to examine high-speed rear-impact collisions at the FIA Formula One World Championship and Indy Racing League.
Driving an F1 car, as you might imagine, is unlike steering a conventional automobile. The seat is lower than usual and the driver is reclined with legs stretched to reach the pedals. For first-timers, this somewhat awkward position takes some getting used to, and it doesn't help that your vision is limited only to what is immediately ahead. There are also other things to consider, such as the G-force when traveling at speeds in excess of 186 miles per hour and the immense stress on the driver's spine during rear-impact collisions.
If all this talk sounds alien to you, that's because you are not an F1 driver. But you can still pretend to be one. Just sign up for the free F1 simulator ride making its rounds in Singapore right now.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Crave Asia)
Earlier today, we had a go on SingTel's F1 simulator. Designed by U.K.-based BallRacing Developments, this machine is not your usual arcade fare. The Singapore operator commissioned it to simulate just one track, the one that F1 drivers will actually use in Singapore come September.
Not only does it look like an F1 car, but it feels real, too. You're almost fully reclined while an assistant adjusts the foot pedals to the reach of your legs. The steering wheel is then snapped on, just like the real thing.
Once you start the engine, the entire machine vibrates. Though you are controlling what happens on the screen, the "car" moves according to your driving. Granted, it won't spin you around like a theme park ride, but it does add to the sensation that you are really in an F1 racer.
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(Credit:
Honda )
(Credit:
Honda )
Honda's Formula One racing team is to forgo millions of dollars in sponsorship revenue this season by replacing the valuable advertising real-estate on its cars' exteriors with an image of the Earth. The cars, which last year sported decals promoting eco-unfriendly Lucky Strike cigarettes, will this year be adorned with a huge blue and green environmentally inspired graphic.
In the press release accompanying today's official unveiling of the car at London's Natural History Museum, the automaker said it was eschewing the temptation to turn its RA107 car into a 200mph billboard in order to "raise awareness of climate change among the 150-plus million viewers of each race."
The boss of Honda Racing's F1 team also said his cars would feature "devices for energy recovery," presumably regenerative braking systems, by 2009.
But how will the environmentally virtuous Honda manage to recoup all its lost advertising revenue, you ask? It is a question that is bound to be raised in endless articles on the Web, in newspapers and magazines, and on TV all over the world in the next few days.
The McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 had its track debut at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Wednesday.
(Credit:
McLaren)
There were some glitches, however. World Champion Fernando Alonso was forced to return to the pit at one point when smoke began to come out from the back of the car, according to Autosport.
(Credit:
McLaren)
Alonso completed 57 laps with his fastest time on the track (after the smoking pit stop) at 1 minute, 12.053 seconds.
The test follows the announcement that Vodafone is releasing three Formula One cell phones to celebrate its sponsorship of the McLaren Mercedes team.
(Credit:
Pocket-lint)
Lamborghini and Ferrari aren't the only sports cars lending their names to electronics and computing gear. Vodafone, which is sponsoring the McLaren Formula One racing team, has debuted three mobile phones inspired by the McLaren Mercedes, according to Pocket-lint.
Sharp and Samsung are manufacturing different models for Vodafone but all three bear designs that reflect the McLaren theme, with chrome cases and "rocket red" accents of the team's colors. The menu and ring tones are also consistent with the sport, as well as as a racing game. The handsets, which include 1.3- and 3.1-megapixel cameras, will also be able to view exclusive photos and news from races throughout the season. As far as we're concerned, they had us with the game.
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