Friday, September 14, 2012
Over-zealous young drivers in F1
It is not only on the general roads that young driver insurance tends to be a bit pricey.
In Formula One racing things are much the same – in this high octane world of races, chases, thrills and spills it is the older, more experienced and less gung-ho drivers that are cheapest to insure.But there is a more serious side to this – younger drivers in F1, so keen to make their mark and to show their fearlessness, are said to be more liable to take the kinds of risks that might lead to serious accidents.
It was during Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix that the young Romain Grosjean caused havoc as he shot dangerously out of the blocks in his Lotus car. He was found to be driving recklessly and will miss the Italian Grand Prix as a punishment.
Such antics do not go down well with other drivers, although most remember what it is to be younger and less reflective. "I'm not angry with Grosjean, he definitely didn't do it on purpose," said Fernando Alonso, one man who suffered because of Grosjean’s over-zealous start.
"It was a case of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I think that certain drivers should try and take fewer risks at the start. It's a bit of a tendency currently in the junior formulae, but it would be better if, right from the start of their career, they got used to respecting more strictly the rules relating to behaviour on track."
It’s also true that the more accidents drivers have, the higher their motor insurance premiums will be. And which team in its right mind would want to insure an accident-prone driver!
Image © UNIF1ED via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: accident, F1, Formula One, Grand Prix, insure, race, road, young driver insurance
Monday, July 9, 2012
Former racer against speed increase
A race driver bemoaning a possible increase in the speed limit for the UK’s highways? That’s odd.
Well, Damon Hill, a former world champion race driver who has won the Grand Prix 22 times, has said that he thinks an increase from 70mph to 80mph on motorways would be a disaster. The ex-racer, who retired in 1999, explains, "Most people aren't safe to drive over 55. The speed limit going up to 80mph makes me shudder.
"People mostly drive too fast on the motorway and too close to the car in front. They think they know what they're doing and they don't."
This might sound like a big insult to a large number of this country’s motorists, but in comparison to him we must all be pretty unskilled behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, whereas Mr Hill states that he doesn’t like driving over 70mph because he finds it stressful, it’s usually the most unskilled and inconsiderate road users among us who decide to ignore the speed limit regulations.
Talking about his ‘boy racer’ days, Hill says, “I escaped by the skin of my teeth when I was younger because I was a good driver, but that didn't make it OK."
It’s a shame we can’t give reckless road users some hindsight, so that they could see how dangerously they are behaving. Sadly some of these motorists might not learn how important being safe behind the wheel is until it’s too late.
Photo © Supermac1961 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car, Damon Hill, drive, driving, Grand Prix, highway, motorway, race driver, road users, speed limit
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Senna's car expected to attract high bids
There has been a renewed interest in the life and times of legendary formula one racer Ayrton Senna since the release of Asif Kapadia's biographical film, and the emergence of the great man's nephew in the motorsport world.
Such is the feeling of awe that one fan recently paid £74,750 for one of Senna's old helmets and race suits. However, the really big news is that an elegant high speed Toleman racing car, driven by Senna during the 1984 Grand Prix season is set to be auctioned off at Silverstone.
It is expected that the vehicle featuring a 1.5 turbo charged Hart engine will fetch somewhere in the region of £750,000. This may seem like a reasonable price to pay for any affluent racing fanatics who have long dreamed of cruising about in an authentic F1 vehicle.
A spokesperson for Silverstone Auctions said, “We are thrilled to bring this iconic race car to auction as it's undoubtedly one of the most important lots we've ever offered.
“It goes without saying that this will be one of the star attractions at the sale as it's a very rare chance to own a much sought after piece of motorsport and Ayrton Senna history.”
For those Senna fans who baulk at the thought of spending all their hard earned money there is the option of the limited edition Senna DVD pack, which comes complete with a 1:12 F1 Lotus Model.
Photo © kemeko1971 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Ayrton Senna, F1, Formula One, Grand Prix, helmet, motorsport, racer, Silverstone, Toleman racing car