Tunnel fun... in jeopardy?

So, this new tunnel has opened near us ...what fun! Twin bore, dual carriageway and £75K per metre, all just so that us car enthusiasts can enjoy the sound of engines echoing off the perfectly formed walls !!


It seems that the tunnel's catchment effect has been a little underestimated tho'...


Hindhead tunnel 'turned into Monaco race track'

Residents who waited years for a new tunnel to end congestion that choked a busy main road are facing the new menace of wealthy young drivers who have turned the route into a 200mph race track.
The speed-loving motorists apparently believe the new construction – the longest under-land road tunnel in the UK - resembles the famous Monaco road tunnel used in the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

They are staging dangerous time trials along the 1.2-mile stretch in their powerful sports cars including Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Aston Martins.

Locals in Hindhead, Surrey, welcomed the opening of the A3 tunnel at the end of July, as it diverted queues of traffic away from their homes.

But their satisfaction has turned to dismay and anger as a new and unwelcome set of drivers trying to emulate Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button Sebastian Vettel have turned up on their doorsteps..The racers are lining up to roar through the tunnel late at night.

William Broadhurst who has lived in Hazel Grove, just metres away from the south exit of the new tunnel, for nearly 20 years, said: "It's such a flagship project, and such a good thing that we can construct something of such magnitude, but these reckless drivers are causing us sleepless nights and my very real fear is that there will be a fatality.

"They're turning up in their souped-up cars, their Ferarris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, so they're obviously not just young drivers.

"They are brainless, mindless thugs who are clearly organising this kind of activity. It's nearly always late at night, and a neighbour of ours said he could hear them from a mile away."

Mr Broadhurst can clearly see the drivers from his bedroom window and has reported several licence plates to the police.

As well as racing through the tunnel, he said the drivers are using the south slip road from it as a race track and are performing burn-outs and hand-brake turns around a roundabout near the Royal Junior School.

The 66-year-old, who underwent a triple heart bypass six years ago, added that neighbours who had approached them were subjected to verbal abuse.

"I do understand that the police have limited resources and can't be everywhere all the time, but we were so looking forward to the tunnel opening - it doesn't bode well for the future of the area."

Surrey Police confirmed that complaints had been received regarding dangerous driving.

Neighbourhood specialist officer Jason Clifford said: "It would appear that the enthusiasts are keen to experience the longest under-land road tunnel in the United Kingdom and for some this has led to some extreme driving practices.

"Surrey Police will not tolerate anti-social driving and has as a direct result of reports and complaints from local residents set up specific taskings to tackle the behaviour."

He said CCTV footage from the 130 cameras along the tunnel was being monitored by police.

The Hindhead Tunnel opened southbound and northbound on July 29th, two days ahead of schedule, as part of the new Hindhead bypass for the A3 road in Surrey.

It forms part of a four-mile dual-carriageway being built to replace the last remaining stretch of single carriageway on the 68-mile London to Portsmouth road.

The bypass is intended to improve road safety, reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Lamborghinis,ferraris,souped up cars??  No,mention of old men in kit cars ...can't be us then!  ;-)

777

Lewis Hamilton apologises to his McLaren team for Spa crash

Lewis Hamilton has apologised to his McLaren team and taken the blame for his crash with Kamui Kobayshi's Sauber that ended his Belgian Grand Prix.

"After watching the replay, I realize it was my fault today 100%. I didn't give Kobayashi enough room though I thought I was past," he Tweeted.

"Apologies to Kamui and to my team. The team deserves better from me."

Team-mate Jenson Button, who came third from 13th on the grid, said "little mistakes" cost him a chance of victory.

Hamilton crashed out after colliding with Kobayashi into the braking zone for Les Combes, having just passed the Japanese driver up the hill for fourth position.

It was the 2008 world champion's second retirement of his season after a coming-together with Button in June had brought his Canadian Grand Prix to an early end.

Immediately after the incident in Spa, before revising his opinion online, Hamilton said he did not believe he was culpable for his most recent collision.

"I'm not really quite sure [what happened] to be honest," Hamilton said. "I just remember hitting the wall pretty hard.

"It's a bit unfortunate for the team, we were in a good position and as far as I was concerned I was ahead of whoever it was I was racing and then I just got hit by them and that was my race over. That's motor racing. There has been a lot of races where we haven't finished this year, so that's just another one of them."

Full Article At BBC Sport

Sebastian Vettel storms to Belgian victory

Sebastian Vettel led Mark Webber to take a Red Bull one-two ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso battled Vettel for the lead but his team's plan to use one less set of tyres backfired.

Button staged an impressive comeback from 13th on the grid to pass Alonso for third with two laps to go.

Lewis Hamilton's title hopes are all but over after he collided with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.

Vettel now leads Webber by 92 points in the championship with only 175 still available.

Alonso moves up to third in the championship, 10 points behind Webber, with Button moving up to fourth, 12 points behind Alonso and three points ahead of Hamilton.

Vettel's victory was his seventh in 12 races, and ends a run of three grands prix without a win. Red Bull overcame concerns about their tyre wear by applying clever thinking to exploit their car's superior pace and leave their rivals trailing.

"We had a lot of concerns going into the race after qualifying and weren't quite sure about the tyres blistering," said Vettel after claiming his first victory in Spa.

"The team took the risk and we had reason to be confident, but you never know until you get out there.

"We both stopped early on so the main target was to see how the tyres were over the first few laps. But the pace was steady and I was feeling comfortable and got back into the lead.

"After the safety car it was key to get past Alonso and get a gap to make it more comfortable. It was certainly more tyre management than usual."

Vettel went to the grid on blistered tyres and when he stopped for a fresh set as early as lap five, he looked to be in trouble.

I'm not really quite sure what happened - I hit the wall pretty hard  McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton

Alonso, who stopped three laps later, was closing at a second a lap when the safety car was deployed following Hamilton's crash on lap 13. Red Bull called Vettel in for fresh tyres and he rejoined in the queue behind Alonso and Webber but on much fresher tyres.

And when the race re-started Vettel exploited his superior grip to race into a lead he was never to lose. Ferrari waited, fooled by Red Bull's tyre problems into thinking Vettel would still need to make an extra stop compared to Alonso.

"It's not a disaster for the strategy," Alonso was told over the radio by his engineer Andrea Stella, but that is exactly what it was.

The two men came in for their final stops within a lap of each other, Alonso first, and the Ferrari lost ground on the harder tyres, slipping back behind first Webber and then Button.

Alonso was left to console himself that he had gained four places from his grid position, but he will almost certainly feel Ferrari could have done better.

"It was a fun race and I had a good battle with Mark [Webber] - it is always a special battle at Eau Rouge," the Spaniard said.

"But with every race it is getting more and more difficult to close gap on the Red Bull."

Webber was also left to reflect on what might have been after revealing that a problem with his pit-to-car radio had cost him the chance to fight with Vettel for the victory.

"I was meant to stop under the safety car but we had a radio problem," the Australian, who signed a new deal to stay at Red Bull in 2012, explained.

"I kept asking 'do you want me to stop' and heard nothing. I could have had a fight with Seb through the middle of the race. I don't know how it would have rolled out, it was probably the best way to do it. I'll have to look at it."

Button pulled off a number of superb overtaking moves as he moved through the field, using the unusual strategy of fitting the harder tyres at his first stop and then coming back in during the safety car period so he could run to the end on the softer tyres.

The 2009 world champion's performance was even more impressive as he revealed after the race that the rear wing endplate of his car was damaged.

Hamilton's retirement came as he tried to pass Kobayashi for fourth place. He was on the inside heading into the Les Combes chicane, but appeared not to realise Kobayashi was still on his outside and the two collided even before the braking zone.

Hamilton appeared to move slightly left to take the racing line into the corner, but there was also the suggestion that Kobayashi may have moved slightly to the right at the same time.

BBC 5 live analyst Anthony Davidson said: "It was a risky move but a racing incident, I'm afraid.

"I don't think Lewis expected Kobayashi to be on the outside of him but there is no reason why Kobayashi shouldn't have been there as Lewis had blocked his inside."

Hamilton said: "I'm not really quite sure what happened - I hit the wall pretty hard.

"As far as I was concerned I was ahead of whoever I was racing and then I was hit by them. I think we were struggling, we were massively slow on the straights, I guess that's why we were in that position. But we might at least have got a podium."

Michael Schumacher took fifth on the 20th anniversary of his F1 debut, recovering strongly from the back of the grid and one place ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg, who led the race early on after a superb start.

"This is a special weekend for me," said Schumacher. "And although it wasn't too good yesterday, luckily it finished well. I had a good feeling earlier in the day my wife is here and she said it would be a good race."

Force India's Adrian Sutil, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Renault's Vitaly Petrov and Williams's Pastor Maldonado took the final points positions.

From BBC Sport

Bruno Senna replaces Nick Heidfeld at Renault, says Eddie Jordan

Bruno Senna is the nephew of the late triple world champion Ayrton Senna

German Nick Heidfeld has been dropped by the Renault team in favour of Brazilian Bruno Senna for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Renault made a promising start to the 2011 season but their form has slipped amid rumours of funding shortages, which the team have denied.

While Heidfeld is on a salary, Senna, Renault's reserve driver, comes with several million pounds of sponsorship.

It will be Senna's first race since last season, when he drove for HRT.

The 27-year-old nephew of the late Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna is expected to race for Renault in the eight remaining races this season alongside Russian Vitaly Petrov.

Senna made his debut for HRT last season but left the team after a trying year with the struggling outfit.

HEIDFELD'S HIGHS & LOWS

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• Made his debut in 2000 with the Prost team, scoring a best finish of eighth
• First podium finish for the Sauber team in 2001 when he came third in Brazil
• Has finished second in eight Grands Prix without winning a race
• Holds the record for scoring the most points and podiums without a race victory

He joined Renault this season in the hope that he would eventually be promoted to a race drive.

Heidfeld was drafted in by Renault before the start of the season as a replacement for the team's number one driver, Robert Kubica, who was seriously injured in a rallying crash in February.

The Pole suffered a partially severed hand and leg and arm fractures and is still recuperating and it remains unclear when - or if - he will be able to return to F1.

Kubica's doctors told Autosport magazine last week that he hoped to be fit enough to drive in an F1 simulator by the end of September.

Heidfeld, a veteran of 10 years in F1, was chosen as his substitute because of the 34-year-old's proven points scoring record.

But after a podium in the second race of the season in Malaysia, he and the team have not been able to reach the same heights again.

Nevertheless, Heidfeld has scored points in five further races, and lies eighth in the championship two points clear of Petrov, who is in his second season in F1.

Kubica finished last season eighth in the championship, scoring 136 points to Petrov's 27.

From BBC Sport

F1 considers DRS ban at famous Eau Rouge corner in Spa

Webber goes through Eau Rouge as he takes pole position in 2010 for Red Bull

Formula 1 bosses may ban the use of the DRS overtaking device in the famous Eau Rouge corner at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Governing body the FIA is concerned that using the device in the flat-out 180mph sequence of corners could be a safety risk.

DRS increases top speed by reducing downforce by about 10%. It is mainly used on straights but drivers could try to use it in Eau Rouge to boost lap time.

Race director Charlie Whiting is worried this may increase chances of a big crash.

DRS use is limited in races, when drivers can only deploy it on a designated straight if they are less than a second behind a car in front.

THE SPA FACTS

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• Spa is considered one of the classic circuits, and, along with Suzuka in Japan and Monaco, the biggest driving challenge still in F1
• The original track was taken off the calendar on safety grounds after 1970
• A shortened version returned in 1983 and has held the Belgian GP ever since, apart from 1984, when it returned to Zolder
• Eau Rouge has been a feature of the Spa track since it first held the GP in 1925

But its use is free in practice and qualifying, when drivers are experimenting with car set-ups in pursuit of the best performance.

The FIA is concerned that in pushing the limits, some teams and drivers may take too big a risk. And although safety has improved at Eau Rouge in recent years, the high-speed nature of the track there means any loss of control risks a big accident.

It has emerged that some drivers have been finding DRS complicated to use, and have occasionally become confused as to whether it is being deployed on their car or not.

The FIA has learned of times when drivers have headed into corners thinking the DRS was not deployed when it fact it was, causing them to battle to keep the car on the track.

The consequences of this happening at Eau Rouge are of significant concern.

Likened to a roller-coaster ride, it is perhaps the most famous corner in F1 because of its extreme challenge.

Drivers head downhill into it flat-out in top gear. It is a left-right-left sequence of bends that crosses the bottom of a steep valley.

Alonso uses DRS to split the rear wing on his Ferrari

They turn left, then experience huge compression as they turn right at the very bottom of a steep hill, which the cars then have to climb, turning left as they go light over the brow.

Lateral G-forces are in the region of 5G as drivers flick through the direction changes at about 180mph.

The corner is not as big a challenge as it was, as the high levels of aerodynamic downforce of the current cars mean most can take it flat out - at least without DRS deployed.

But Red Bull driver Mark Webber still describes it as an "awesome experience" in his BBC Sport column, which will be published on Thursday.

The Australian says: "The reason it's so massively rewarding for the drivers is there is a huge plunge down into the bottom of the corner at full speed - we're in top gear approaching 200mph - and then you climb the wall on the other side and pop out of the top.

"Irrespective of how comfortable it is, that's still an amazing sensation, and you need total concentration to make sure the car is positioned correctly - it's three kinks that you need to line up and get right.

Continue reading the main story

You really don't want to be going off there, even with the increased safety we have these days

Red Bull driver Mark Webber on the demands of Eau Rouge

"You really don't want to be going off there, even with the increased safety we have these days."

The DRS was not introduced into F1 until this year, but last year many cars were fitted with a device called an F-duct that had a similar effect.

These were operated in many cars by the driver taking his hand off the steering wheel, and the FIA was concerned to discover that many were negotiating Eau Rouge with the F-duct deployed.

from bbc sport

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton look to pressure Red Bull

Button (left) and Hamilton have each won a race in the last two events

Jenson Button is hoping he and McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton can keep the pressure on Red Bull in next weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

McLaren have shown good pace of late, with Hamilton and Button taking a victory apiece in the last two races.

Button said: "Our aim will be to put pressure on the championship frontrunners, particularly Red Bull."

Hamilton added: "We go to Spa in a pretty good place. We've won the last two races and the car feels strong."

Continue reading the main story

Just got back home after a wonderful, relaxing holiday with Nicole. Fit and raring 2 go! Bring on Spa!

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton on Twitter

Hamilton currently lies third in the drivers' championship, 88 points behind championship leader Sebastian Vettel, with Button a further 12 points adrift.

However, after Red Bull won six of the first eight races courtesy of Vettel, McLaren have made significant gains on frontrunners Red Bull in terms of both qualifying and race pace.

Hamilton was just one tenth of a second off pole in Germany and went on to secure a superb dominant victory. The 2008 world champion also led much of the Hungarian Grand Prix before poor race strategy dropped him to fourth.

Button, meanwhile, bounced back from two retirements to win his second race of the season with a masterful drive at the Hungaroringbefore the summer vacation.

While Hamilton used the break to head to the United States to spend some time with his singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, Jenson Buttonwhisked his model girlfriend Jessica Michibata to Hawaii.

Continue reading the main story

A wee bit of jet lag this morning here in Hawai'i but who cares when u have a view of the beautiful coastline and it's 30 degrees!! ;-)

McLaren driver Jenson Button on Twitter

Now, the duo are back feeling refreshed ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix on 28 August, with Hamilton confident the team's latest aerodynamic updates will prove a success at Spa.

"We've worked hard to improve the set-up, so it's really inspiring confidence at the moment, which means you can push it that little bit further, particularly in qualifying," added Hamilton.

"Of course, the weekend is likely to be affected by the weather, which is always somewhat unpredictable at Spa.

"I'd prefer a dry race, but, to be honest, I'll take any track condition. I just can't wait to get back out in my car."

Button added: "It felt great to go into the summer break off the back of the win in Hungary.

2011 DRIVERS' STANDINGS

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1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull - 234
2. Mark Webber, Red Bull, - 149
3. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren - 146
4. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari - 145
5. Jenson Button, McLaren - 134

"That was a race I think we could just as well have won in the dry as in the damp - which will be worth bearing in mind in Spa, as it'll probably be wet and dry and everything in between at some point during the weekend.

"Our car definitely feels really driveable right now, so I don't think this weekend's tyre compound selection will affect us too much.

"I don't think the DRS [overtaking aid] will be as critical here as it's been at some of the other circuits.

"I'm still not certain where it will be deployed, but there's always been lots of opportunities to use the slipstream up the hill out of Eau Rouge to pass into Les Combes."

From BBC Sport

Expansion plans continue for the Silverstone circuit

The owners of the Silverstone racing circuit have submitted plans to develop the area around the track.

The British Racing Drivers' Club wants to build a business park, technology park, an education campus and three hotels at the Northamptonshire track.

There are also visitor facilities planned such as a Welcome Centre and a museum of motor sport.

South Northants and Aylesbury Vale District Councils will consider the plans that could create 8,000 jobs.

Stuart Rolt, chairman of the British Racing Drivers' Club, said: "Both councils are fully aware of how important Silverstone is to the local area."

The plans are part of a long-term project which was launched in 2009. The company will need to to find investors to fund the development after approval.

The circuit has already had some major alterations over the past couple of years including an addition to the track and a new pit and paddock.

Richard Phillips, managing director of Silverstone Holdings Ltd, said: "This is the most important initiative that Silverstone has taken in its 60 year history."

From BBC News

Red Bull will not change philosophy despite winless run

Red Bull will not change their approach to the remainder of the season despite failing to win the last three races.

Sebastian Vettel, who has an 83-point championship lead, and team-mate Mark Webber both called for a re-think.

But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told BBC Sport: "We work as a team and the drivers don't need to tell the team we need to respond.

"Ferrari and McLaren are going through a competitive phase but we're still right there. We're pushing flat out."

Vettel stormed to victory in six out of the first eight races but his progress has been slowed as Ferrari and McLaren have improved their pace in the races to close the gap on Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso won in Britain for Ferrari, with McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button taking a victory apiece in Germany andHungary.

While it appears that Red Bull's period of dominance is over, Horner does not accept that the tide has turned against the champion team.

"We don't look at it like that," said Horner. "We need to keep doing the best job we can and keep getting developments to the car.

"If you look at all the races this year, I don't think there's any races that we've run away and hugely dominated.

"If you think back to Melbourne, Hamilton was closely behind Seb and in Barcelona, even in Valencia Alonso was very tight with us.

"Operationally we've been very, very sharp and we've extracted the best from the car on a grand prix weekend and that's where the team has been very strong this year.

"These tyres are very complicated but the one thing that has been consistent is Red Bull running at the front."

Going into Formula 1's summer break, Red Bull are 103 points clear of McLaren in the team standings.

But Horner ruled out taking a more cautious approach in the final eight races to ensure the team bring both titles back to their Milton Keynes factory for the second season running.

"Nothing changes in our philosophy," said Horner. "We'll keep pushing, keep attacking every single grand prix because you cannot back off.

"As soon as you start looking to consolidate that is when you make mistakes.

"Our target is to win every single grand prix between now and the end of the year. In reality that's going to be impossible but in the races that we can't win then we want to be second, and if we can't be second then we want to be on the podium.

"So long as we come away from each weekend optimising what we've got, hopefully over the course of the season that should be enough."

The season resumes on the challenging Spa circuit in Belgium where changeable conditions can make it hard to read form, before the full-throttle, low-downforce challenge of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Both tracks are expected to play into the hands of Red Bull's rivals but Horner insisted he is not worried.

"The formbook with these tyres and regulations is absolutely turned on its head," he continued.

"Monza historically has not been our strong circuit; Spa we finished second last year, so it would be fantastic to win that race. We just have to treat each weekend as it comes."

Before the racing resumes, Horner will meet Webber - who has already spoken to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz - to discuss the Australian's future with the team.

Webber, who turns 35 this year, agreed with Horner last season that they would only do one-year contracts and a deal has not yet been agreed for 2012.

"We always said we'd sit down in the latter part of the summer and that's what we'll do," added Horner.

"I don't see any obstacles that will prevent that and I don't see any dramas associated with it. I expect him to be here next year."

From BBC Sport