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Archive for September, 2011

I know that two words were conjoined to fashion the term “blog,” a sorrowful appellation that, to my ear, still sounds like one of the steps necessary to pump a septic tank.

Jimbo: “Hey, is that blog clogged?”

Todd: “Hell, that blog’s, like,

busted .”

I nonetheless recently began “responding to comments on C/D ‘s "—a pretentious and impossibly awkward description of what I thought was blogging but wasn’t—at the behest of a woman in our office, who assured me I would not be injured. Unfortunately, she misjudged the thickness of my skin, which was immediately and repeatedly chafed by mysteriously enraged readers who apparently believe that an accusatory opinion fashioned over a deliberative period spanning five seconds in fact trumps critical thinking, research, and, well, facts. And in today’s America, that apparently is so.

Much of the splatter attached itself to a comparo I authored [“ ,” August 2010], in which an Audi A6 defeated an Infiniti M37 and a BMW 535i. “Phillips must’ve been under the influence to give victory to an A6,” commented one.

Sadly, Phillips cannot determine the winner of anything. He has but one vote, same as every driver. At the end of a comparo, ballots are collected, then tallied in isolation, long after we surrender the keys. No lobbying, no tampering. How did I rig this for Audi? More important, why would I?

Well, that was answered by another fully gorge-risen conspiracy theorist, who opined, “Everyone knows it’s the advertisers who determine the winner.” Really? If so, the winner would have been Infiniti, because neither Audi nor BMW advertised in that issue. And I can’t tell you when they last advertised, either, because I’ve never looked. Nor have I ever visited our ad salesmen’s office—don’t know where it is, even—nor have they ever contacted me.

“The Audi won because it sells newsstand copies,” railed a third bellicose reader. I know few things in life with dead certainty, but here’s one:

No one knows what sells magazines.

No one .

Now, let us speak of free press trips. I rarely take trips abroad anymore because I’d rather undergo hemorrhoid surgery on a picnic table during a family reunion than board an airplane. But I used to, and sometimes I stayed in four-star resorts and sometimes I stayed in a seedy, dour, linoleum-floored motel behind a gas station, as happened last May on a

trip to Vallelunga. Asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton replied, “Because that’s where the money is,” and the dirty little secret about press trips is that you go, like it or not,

because that’s where the cars are . Not only the cars, but also the executives and engineers who build the cars, it being cheaper to fly us to them than vice versa. For every instance I’ve stayed at a place like the Hotel Gritti Palace, I’ve stayed 10 times in a Japanese businessman’s hotel in an industrial cul-de-sac in Nagoya, where the entire bathroom is a single plastic extrusion so minuscule that you’re warned not to urinate standing up lest you soil your two-ounce pillow.

Gifts? Three editors ago, William Jeanes informed, “As far as gifts from manufacturers are concerned, a $25 windbreaker is the intergalactic limit.” If we were proffered something dearer and actually desired it, William vowed he’d cough up the cash difference. I tested his assertion during a ’97 trip to Ford’s cold-weather facility in a portion of Manitoba where God lost his shoes and journalists discovered on their hotel beds a spectacular Eddie Bauer parka, no blue ovals attached. I asked the PR guy the coat’s value. “About $300,” he said. I called William, who replied, “Tell them the check is in the mail.” And it was.

Actually, if anyone

were to take the time to investigate—an undertaking I suspect conveniently eliminates the entire universe of social-media Puff Daddy whatever-they-call-themselves today—one would discover that I once took money from a manufacturer. It was following a 1996 Porsche trip to Le Mans. On the flight over, Northwest Airlines lost my luggage and food-poisoned Porsche’s PR man, the late Bob Carlson, who, on the drive from Paris to the track, barfed on my lone pair of khakis. There then ensued several-zillion-francs’ worth of long-distance calls, a shopping trip to a pharmacy (for Bob) and to a clothier (for me), plus a four-digit bar tab racked up by the journalists we left unchaperoned in our absence. “Can you lend me some cash?” Bob probed.

Two weeks later, a check arrived from Porsche Cars of North America, repaying me in full. I should have requested a personal check from Bob but didn’t think of it until too late. So, I admit, that one’s gonna look bad when it’s outed by the

Times in the midst of my bid to become County Sewage Commissioner. (My campaign slogan: “If it floats, John’s got his eye on it.”)

So, let us recap: I’ve never taken money from a manufacturer. I’ve never rigged a comparo. I’ve never taken money from an advertiser. According to a famous U.S. court, however, it turns out I’m free to accept any amount of corporate campaign cash. Arms outstretched, I await.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11q1/john_phillips_yes_a_car_manufacturer_once_sent_me_money-column

Whether it is Indiana or any other state in the United States, several factors would affect auto insurance rates. The factors are based on the risk level for each person. If the insurance companies perceive a higher risk on a particular factor about you, it would increase the premium proportionately. Similarly, if a particular risk is perceived as minimal, the premium would be lowered. The major Indiana factors that affect insurance rates are presented here briefly.

Factors that affect insurance rates in Indiana

Age and gender

Driving history

Driving record

Past accidents history

Marital status

Mileage of driving

Credit history, credit rating, and credit score

The make, model, and power rating of the vehicle

Several other factors that vary from one company to another

Since the premiums are decided purely on the risk perception about you by the insurance company, there is no harm in your obtaining quotes from several insurance companies for your auto insurance. You would be able to find out how each insurance company evaluates you. You would be able to understand your strengths and weaknesses. This would help you negotiate better insurance rates with the insurance company.

Once you have selected an insurance company, you should continue your auto insurance policy with the same company. Insurance companies value loyalty and reward their clients with better insurance rates. You should also be careful not to allow the auto insurance policy to lapse even by a day. If that happens, the insurance company would perceive that you are a risky individual and hike up the insurance premium. Similarly, the premium payments should be prompt. Delayed premium payments and periodic defaults would classify you as high risk person. When you apply for renewal, the insurance company would definitely increase your insurance rates without compunction.

You should also explore the possibilities of obtaining discounts from insurance companies. They offer discounts for several factors like good driving history, commitment of higher deductibles, better credit history and credit rating, installation of security and safety devices, etc. Discounts for students, military personnel, and aged persons are also available. You should find out all possibilities of such discounts. Further, insurance companies offer discounts up to 15% if you purchase your life insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, and health insurance from the same insurance company. This would result in considerable saving in your insurance rates.

Even if your driving history is not so clean and the insurance companies demand a higher premium, you should accept the lowest premium quote and purchase the auto insurance. Then you should work towards improving your driving record by driving safely during the auto insurance policy period. When the policy comes up for renewal, you would be able to negotiate better insurance rates with the insurance company by pointing out the recent driving record. Similarly, proving that you had not been at fault in the accidents in the past would also help you obtain lower insurance rates.

The source of article

Zeitgeist Addendum

No pain, no gain so the saying goes. This is so true. Even in finding for the right car insurance, you need to meet some difficulties before you can finally find the best car insurance.

Traditionally, you need to drive your way to several car insurance companies, ask for quotes and ask them the same questions. This makes you seem a broken record. Plus you have to spend several hours to do this. Almost everything nowadays are made and enjoyed instantly and car insurance is no exception. With the power of the internet, one can ‘visit’ as many insurance companies as you can in just few hours. Most insurance companies have their own websites that can cater to prospect clients’ needs. This is a win-win situation for the insurance company can do more business while consumers are able to save time and can have access to sites with the best quotes. All you have to do is fill out the forms, submit it and you’ll receive free car insurance quote in an instant as you requested. And good news is that it’s charge-free.

By researching online, you would be able to get a lot of information that can help you decide what and where you’ll purchase your insurance. With your instant access to rates, you too can compare the rates from several companies. With the information that you get, you can be confident with the choice you’d be making and you get pretty much familiar before enrolling for the service. This is what a wise consumer should be; shopping around first before finally purchasing.

Just a reminder for a more effective researching: make sure that the site you went to isn’t just for pure advertising. It should be a company site which is willing to give you the information you needed and will process your requests. It will also be helpful if you check several forum sites about instant car insurance so you can be sure that the company you are considering of making business with deserves your trust. The first hand experiences of other customers, their recommendations will tell a lot about the company. The more forum sites you visit the better it is. Another reminder when researching for car insurance: make sure that the forum sites you are visiting aren’t paid ones so you can be sure that the comments are factual and are really from actual customers.

The source of article

(California Free Car Insurance Quote) A *FREE* Instant Quote

More Dating your ex boyfriend can be a tricky situation. If you broke up recently and are now on the verge of getting back together, you may start to go on a few dates with your ex boyfriend to test the waters again and see if there is still a connection. Since you’re already familiar with each other, it usually won’t take a lot of time to discover if there’s still a spark.

Dealing with a breakup the right way is a learned reaction. If you’ve never gone through a breakup before, your first instinct will be desperation and panic. You’ll feel frustrated and confused like you aren’t really in control of your emotions. However, you can learn to control these feelings and think rationally about the situation.

When you work so hard to try and do all the right things to win a girl’s heart and then you are suddenly left without her, it can be extremely painful and difficult to deal with a breakup. You may seek out advice and tips to get an ex girlfriend back, but how do you know if those tips are any good? How do you know who is truly trying to help you and who is just telling you what they think you want to hear?

Getting your ex girlfriend back starts today, right now. When you’re in love with someone the idea of losing them forever and no longer having them in your life creates fear and panic. It’s painful and it leads to acts of desperation that end up working against you. If you want to win your girlfriend back, it’s time to take control of the situation and your emotions before they take control of you.

Search through advice columns online and you’ll soon find that there seems to be many different strategies to get an ex girlfriend back. So how do you know which ones work and which ones don’t?

After a breakup, there’s a common question that pops up over and over from men, “How to get my ex girlfriend back from a new boyfriend?” It’s an excellent question and one you need to fully understand if you want your girlfriend back after she’s started to date someone else. Many men let their emotions get the best of them in this situation. They panic, they over react, and they ultimately push their girlfriend further away in the process.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Derek-Blandford-19513/does-my-ex-boyfriend-still-miss-me-189383.php

Racing diesel-powered Jetta sedans sounds like a business plan for Formula Snooze. Pumping out in the realm of 170 hp, the cars aren’t exactly Top Fuel dragsters. That’s why diesels, in this country, are best known for eking out impressive fuel economy. But on a weekend in June, we discovered that the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is a terrific racing series, mostly because the cars are identical and the young drivers are ambitious and competitive. This is not a series for gray-sideburned SCCA warriors—it’s set up by VW as a driver-development program for persons 16 to no more than 26 years old. (Of course, the occasional slippery and seasoned automotive writer manages to squeeze in, as you can see.)

The TDI Cup car is a Euro-spec model with 170 hp, 30 more than found in the American

. Torque gets pumped up to 258 lb-ft, from 236, and the final race car weighs in tidily at just under 2900 pounds. The cars burn racing diesel fuel, a blend of 95 percent synthetic diesel and 5 percent biodiesel, and have full exhaust systems with diesel particulate filters. Interestingly, an entrant can drive the entire 10-race season on just two tankfuls of the stuff. That’s about the only bargain.

The twin-clutch DSG automated manual is optimized for racing—meaning it upshifts right at redline. The Jetta’s suspension is stiffened, monster brakes are fitted—14-inch discs up front with four-piston calipers, both components taken from the Audi R8—and the car rolls on 18-inch Pirelli racing slicks. Inside, the VW sedan is stripped out and fitted with a Recaro racing seat, a full safety harness, a fire-extinguisher system, a roll cage, a driver’s-side window net, and an AiM data-logging system with a digital readout and shift lights.

The Equipment Includes a Pretty Damn Good Instructor Entrants undergo four days of evaluations by VW at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma County in northern California. The drivers then have to come up with the $45,000 entry fee for the season. There are other costs—those talented enough to be selected must pay their way to the events and underwrite any crash damage. In return, VW provides preparation, fuel (both tanks’ worth!), and tires, not to mention driver training, data access, fitness programs, and media and PR training. Each race has $5000 in prize money ($1000 to the winner), and the series champ gets a cool $100,000.

The driver training is headed by Jan Heylen, a Belgian who raced go-karts against such luminaries as Formula 1 champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Rikknen. Heylen is 29, but his dues paying includes winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival in 2002 and having raced in the Champ Car World Series. For the TDI Cup, he sets a baseline time at each circuit and advises the youngsters on driving and race etiquette, among other tasks.

The 30 drivers in this year’s series, which runs from late April into September, are 17 to 26 in age. They run the gamut from karting brats who view this as a career pit stop to SCCA autocrossers struggling to break into professional racing. So it’s natural that there’s a palpable tension among the guys and girls who are competing on shoestring budgets and bank loans and the kids who come well-heeled. That’s because the poorer crowd can’t afford to use their Jettas as battering rams, whereas the latter are able to launch banzai maneuvers with the knowledge that damage-repayment checks will be arriving later from the home front.

Sure, I’ll Drive Your Tricked-Out German Economy Sedan

I was invited to drive in one of the Jettas at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a top-notch road circuit near Columbus. As an SCCA pro-racing series, the Jetta TDI Cup serves in the undercard role to big-name events such as the American Le Mans Series or the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, the latter of which was the main attraction during our weekend.

I went on a tour of the track the Friday before the June 12 race with Heylen and series organizers and factory drivers Mark Miller and Ryan Arciero. It was more of a track

ride in a golf cart, stopping at appropriate places.

Mid-Ohio 2.25-Mile, 13-Turn Format Track Layout

I tagged along with Canadians Andrew Cordeiro, 25, and Jake Thompson, 23. Cordeiro is a VW nut from Woodbridge, Ontario, who’s in his second year of racing. He started out in autocross, but all his racing experience to date has been in the TDI Cup. He is one of many drivers who are heavily self-funded. Thompson is a former karter from Vancouver who got disillusioned when his attempt to launch a racing career stalled despite the fact that he is a Canadian national karting champ. He then went off to college, got an engineering degree, worked for a couple of years, and took the plunge this season into the Jetta Cup, now in its second season. This was the Cup’s fourth event of the year, and Thompson was leading in points heading into the race.

Over the weekend, I warmed to guys like these two and Andy Lee, 26, another aspiring driver who began his career after his mother sold her home to fund her son’s ambitions. Then there’s Mark Pombo, 26, of Duluth, Georgia, who says he bumped into a guy in Las Vegas who put up 20 grand for him in return for the $100,000 should Pombo win it. After four races, he currently sits in 10th place in the championship. There is also Derek Jones, 25, of Philadelphia, who works 70 hours a week as an executive director at Atelier Art Storage and used to build his own race cars. And A.J. Nealey, 24, another former autocrosser, who “sold a bunch of stuff” to do this series.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q3/green_and_kinda_mean_we_race_in_the_volkswagen_jetta_tdi_cup-sport

VW Jetta TDI Cup – ESPN SportsCenter

The unveiling of the Renault R31 revealed more then just car design. It is easy to see that team Lotus 2011 are going for a new look that’s a ‘radical departure from all previous Renault Formula 1 designs’ (

• It has a pullrod rear suspension – Similar layout to Red Bull.

The R31 is a car designed with change in mind; its new layout will confirm it’s different from all others ever produced for team Lotus. The bold changes represent Renaults attempt to maximum performance and live up to the recently changed regulations.

F1 Renault’s most striking technical development, the front end Exhaust!

Renaults attempt to transform their new car has led to a rather radical development. Their ‘front exiting exhaust’ has been a hot topic of interest the last few days with all motor sport enthusiasts. Its easy to understand why, with a head turning front exhaust system that is designed allow fumes to travel to the diffuser, this allows more air to be channelled.

It appears that Renault have found a suitable solution to the blown diffuser concept, blowing the front edge of the floor will give them. But will this give them a better time and work more effectively then its competitors, well we are just going to have to wait and see!

At we can’t give you a front end exhaust but if all this unveiling has got you excited about the up and coming F1 season, why not visit us for an upgrade!

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Source: http://www.eurocarblog.com/post/2415/fiat-500c-vs-smart-fortwo-cabrio

It may seem odd to compare the with the cabrio but if you’re in the market for a smaller and economical cabrio, these two are likely on your list to check out and Auto, Motor und Sport did a comparison test. In terms of style, there’s not much competition, really, with the 500C being the sexy, retro model out of the two, and the Smart ForTwo cabrio the less attractive option.

However, the 500C is also 40 kg heavier and a significant 2,800 euros more expensive, than the Smart ForTwo cabrio. In terms of practicality, both models are similar with regards to boot space and roof function. The 500C is apparently noisier though, but being slightly bigger, interior space makes for greater comfort. The Smart ForTwo is more your city choice for parking and manageability, at the cost of a roomier vehicle.

The Fiat 500C has greater fuel consumption than the Smart, meaning that you won’t be buying one based on its environmental qualifications. But, if you want to value driving pleasure over economical city commuting, the 500C has to be your choice. Despite its greater cost, it is the more fun to drive, with better feel and transmission than the Smart, and more comfort. So it comes down to your reason for buying one (mountain roads in summer vs city streets) and how far your budget stretches.

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smart car crash

Bernie Ecclestone has leapt to Lewis Hamilton’s defence amid criticism of the 2008 world champion’s recent driving tactics.

Commentators including Niki Lauda have harshly criticised the 26-year-old for his recent aggressive driving, including crashes and controversy at the most recent grands prix in Monaco and Canada.

But F1 chief executive Ecclestone insisted: “People have been wrong to rubbish Lewis.

“What we want is people racing, and all the people who watch it want that,” he told the Independent.

Hamilton’s boss Martin Whitmarsh also urged Hamilton, who collided with his teammate Jenson Button in Montreal, to keep racing rather than worrying too much about crashing.

“If he holds hold back for fear of having contact then he won’t be the great racer he is and do the job he has to do,” said the McLaren team principal.

Former F1 driver Jos Verstappen wrote in his De Telegraaf newspaper column that the criticisms of Hamilton in recent days have been “exaggerated”.

“He has had two unfortunate races, but each incident must be viewed separately,” said the Dutchman. “In Monaco with Felipe Massa, he did something stupid.

“But the collision with Button last Sunday was not Hamilton’s fault. I could understand his overtaking attempt there and Button could have given him more space.

“Despite all the commotion Hamilton is a great driver. He just needs to empty his head now and get luck back on his side,” said Verstappen.

Christian Klien thinks there is no chance Hamilton will change any time soon.

“He is just a very aggressive driver; a thoroughbred,” the Austrian told Red Bull television Servus TV. “We (F1) need that and it’s because of that many races are so exciting.”

Source: http://uk.autoblog.com/2011/06/16/ecclestone-and-others-defend-aggressive-hamilton/

Foreign cars have always held an unholy fascination for the leaders of the Sports Car Club of America. Indeed, it was the existence of these little beepers that brought about the organization’s founding and fostered the wire-wheel/tweed-coat tradition that persists to a limited degree today. Imagine, then, the excitement generated among the sports car set by the announcement that two factory-assisted Jaguars would appear at the annual SCCA national championship races at Road Atlanta. The effect was no less heartening than telling Scarlett O’Hara that the Yankees had been turned back at Gettysburg and the field hands would be back at work tomorrow.

The E-type V-12 prepared by Group 44 and driven by Bob Tullius qualified on the pole for the B Production race only fractionally ahead of the Joe Huffaker-prepared Jaguar driven by rising star Lee Mueller. Tullius’s qualifying time of 1:31.18 (99.7 mph) on the 2.52-mile course was the fastest production car performance of the weekend. With Huffaker’s gray Jaguar sharing the front row with Group 44′s bathtub-white E-Type, all the necessary elements appeared ready to insure the re-establishment of a big-bore British beachhead.

The Jaguars were powered by 326-cu. in. V-12s freshly developed in separate programs by Group 44 and Huffaker. Both claimed over 400 hp, with that figure borne out by Huffaker’s dynamometer figures. (Group 44′s engineering whiz kid Brian Furstenau developed the engine for Tullius’s car without the aid of a dynamometer.) At 2860 pounds, the Jaguars weighed in only 50 pounds lighter than 1973′s winning B Production car, the Bill Jobe Corvette, which was powered by a 350-cu. in. V-8. Jobe’s car, formerly owned by Allan Barker, had seen the B Production winner’s circle five times, a chain Jaguar fully expected to break once and for all.

Both Huffaker and Group 44 own unquestioned reputations for high-quality race car preparation. The two cars fielded at Road Atlanta served to further buttress this tradition of excellence and were anything but economy club-racers. Huffaker estimated that his version cost $25,000 over and above the car itself ($9000 list) while Tullius offered the staggering figure of 3500 man-hours alone, never mind the dollar cost. No one present would have offered a straight-faced objection to either figure, except that Huffaker’s dollar figure seemed low.

British Leyland officials — who fairly teemed in the paddock — explained the expenditure of considerable funds on the Jaguars as a simple sales effort. Racing has helped sell other BLMC products and the U.S. arm of the corporation felt that Jaguar could also reap marketplace benefits from competition activities.

By late Sunday afternoon, interest in the Jaguars had peaked nicely and the race was flagged away at the proper theatrical moment. Tullius jumped into the lead and led Mueller into the first turn. It soon became apparent that Mueller’s left front tire was softening, a circumstance that put him out of the race after running second for six laps. The smiling Californian made no effort to return, parking his E-Type and contenting himself with having won the D Production race with a Jensen-Healey earlier that day. Tullius zoomed on, followed by the dark blue Corvette of Bill Jobe. After a dozen of the scheduled 18 laps, it became apparent that what had been a two-car parade was becoming a two-car race.

With Tullius suffering minor braking problems, Jobe steamed into the lead on the fifteenth lap and motored away to the victory. Understandably transported by his second national championship, Jobe babbled away happily after the race while Tullius, pleading a paining leg, did not deign to appear in the press box.

In the British Leyland motorhome, a box containing "Bob" and "Lee" tickets was quietly taken away to the trash barrel. "Win $50" the sign on the box had said. All one needed to do was to select a ticket for the appropriate Jaguar, place it in the box and have it drawn after the race. Unfortunately, there had been no tickets labeled "Bill," so no one won the $50. But don’t bet that the ticket box won’t be back next year.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/archive/demise_of_the_cat-sport

2010 Jaguar XFR Dirt Track Drifting – Car and Driver