Formula one - drivers and constructors

Since 1984 Formula One teams have been required to build the chassis in which they compete, and consequently the terms "team" and "constructor" are more or less interchangeable.

This requirement distinguishes the sport from series such as IRL, Champ Cars, and NASCAR, which allow teams to purchase chassis, and "spec series" such as GP2, which require all cars be kept to an identical specification.

In its early years, Formula One teams sometimes also built their engines, though this became less common with the increased involvement of major car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Toyota, and Honda, whose large budgets rendered privately built engines less competitive (and redundant).

Early manufacturer involvement came in the form of a "factory team" (that is, one owned and staffed by a major car company), such as those of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari (FIAT) or Renault. Companies such as Climax, Repco, Cosworth, Hart, Judd and Supertec, which had no direct team affiliation, often sold engines to teams who could not afford to manufacture them. As the manufacturers' deep pockets and engineering ability took over, almost all engines are now produced by major manufacturers.

After having virtually disappeared by the early 1980s, factory teams made a comeback in the 1990s and 2000s, and now form half the grid with Toyota, Ferrari (FIAT), Honda, Renault and BMW either setting up their own teams or buying out existing ones. Mercedes-Benz (DaimlerChrysler) owns 40% of the McLaren team and manufactures the team's engines. Commercial engine supplier Cosworth exited the sport at the end of 2006. Thus all the teams will run on factory supplied engines from 2007.

The sport's 1950 debut season saw eighteen teams compete, but due to high costs many dropped out quickly. In fact, such was the scarcity of competitive cars for much of the first decade of Formula One that Formula Two cars were admitted to fill the grids. Ferrari is the only still-active team which competed in 1950, and as of 2006 eleven teams remain on the grid, each fielding two cars. Although teams rarely disclose information about their budgets, it is estimated that they range from US$66 million to US$400 million each.

Entering a new team in the Formula One World Championship requires a Ј25 million (about US$47 million) up-front payment to the FIA, which is then repaid to the team over the course of the season. As a consequence, constructors desiring to enter Formula One often prefer to buy an existing team: B. A.R.'s purchase of Tyrrell and Midland's purchase of Jordan allowed both of these teams to sidestep the large deposit.

Each car is assigned a number. The previous season's World Drivers' Champion is designated number 1, with his teammate given number 2. Numbers are then assigned according to each team's position in the previous season's World Constructors' Championship. There have been exceptions to this rule, such as in 1993 and 1994, when the current World Drivers' Champion (Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, respectively) was no longer competing in Formula One. In this case the drivers for the team of the previous year's champion are given numbers 0 (Damon Hill, on both occasions) and 2 (Prost himself and Ayrton Senna - replaced after his death by David Coulthard and occasionally Nigel Mansell - respectively). The number 13 has not been used since 1974, before which it was occasionally assigned at the discretion of individual race organizers.

Before 1996, only the world championship winning driver and his team generally swapped numbers with the previous champion – the remainder held their numbers from prior years, as they had been originally set at the start of the 1974 season. For many years, for example, Ferrari held numbers 27 & 28, regardless of their finishing position in the world championship. As privateer teams quickly folded in the early 1990s, numbers were frequently shuffled around, until the current system was adopted in 1996.

Michael Schumacher holds the record for having won the most Drivers' Championships (seven) and Ferrari holds the record for having won the most Constructors' Championships (fourteen). Jochen Rindt became the only posthumous World Champion after a fatal accident at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix.

Show your customers you care

It is gift-time once again and you are tearing at the few strands of hair on your head trying to find something to give your valued customers. Being an automobile dealer you realize the importance of making a customer feel happy and wanted and more than anything else, special. If you really want to achieve this, you could think seriously about gifting them with Buick Lucerne Keychains.

With a wide range of options to choose from, you certainly will have a difficult choice to make. Which one should you go in for? Is the leather and gold combo better than the metal oval one or maybe we should gift the silver? Do we buy the same model for all the 1459 customers that we have or should we buy some of each?

When you think of buying Buick Lucerne Keychains, you will also think about the value addition you can make to the product. For instance, if you want your customers to not have trouble in case of a breakdown in the vehicle then you could gift them a keychain engraved with your number on the reverse side. Not only do you give it a personal touch, but it also is a highly practical solution.

When you are in the midst of nowhere wondering what to do with an automobile that has conked out, you could ask them to call your customer service centre, from where they could give you a few tips on how to restart your vehicle. How would they do this, if your number was not engraved on the Buick Lucerne Keychains?

If you decide to buy a large number of keychains, you could get in touch with the manufacturer and ask him for a decent discount. It does make a lot of sense for an automobile dealer like you go gift his customers Buick Lucerne key chains. They make wonderful gifts and your customers are going to appreciate your gift idea for its beauty, style and practical utility.

While you are on the subject of gifts, you could also check out the other accessories that come with a Buick stamp. There are car seats, shelves and other safety accessories that would give your car a classy look. If that is what you are looking for, there’s no problem; just log on to the internet for more information. There are websites that cater to practically all your needs. If you are looking for wholesale rates, when you want to buy in bulk, there are sites that offer you good deals.

Since these articles are made of very good material, they do last a very long time, long enough for your customers to remember the services that you are capable of rendering. There might be quite a few names that are available, but there is no doubt that Buick Lucerne Keychains are right on top of the list. A wonderful gift idea you cannot go wrong with the Buick Lucerne Keychains and it is sure to make a lasting impression.

Seized car auctions a good option for getting a car

Seized car auctions: a good option for those in search of a great deal on a car. “Cars at 90% off!” “Cheap Surplus Vehicles!” These are the kinds of statements that you will usually find at the beginning of and advertisement for a seized car auction, So what is a seized car auction? How do these types of auctions work and can you really get a great deal on a car at one? Is there any catches to purchasing a car at one of these auctions?

Seized car auctions happen in a few ways. A bank will normally repossess the cars of people who are not paying their car loans and will then auction off the car. Additionally there are numerous state and local government agencies that will seized the vehicles of people that have broken the law and hold an auction to sell them. Some state agencies will purchase new service cars and then auction off the old ones.

With most of these types of auctions, buyers will get the opportunity to inspect the vehicles. You are however not allowed to drive the cars. There are no warranties given or guarantees that the cars are in perfect shape which is really no different from purchased a used car off a sales lot.

Seized car auctions, a good option for those that know what they are doing, because if you do not you won’t be getting such a great deal after all. If you happen to have your eye on a potentially popular car there is likely to be heavy bidding competition which often makes what you pay worth more then the car is actually worth.

Your best chance at a great deal at one of these auctions is go for an older car that used car dealers might not want to spend the time and energy fixing up.

You can find auctions for seized cars announced in national and local papers. Additionally you can contact local banks and request information about the auctions that they hold. Many people use an online service to locate these types of auctions in these areas. With some research and a little luck you should be able to see that seized car auctions are a good option for finding a car for yourself, and save some thousand dollars.

Car seat covers- drive in style

Seat covers add a touch of class and comfort to your car, while protecting the seats against fading and wear. They also help to cover any damaged areas on the seat. However, with so many sizes, styles and makes, finding the right one can be quite a challenge.

The styles available range from plain bench, solid front or rear, front bucket high back with adjustable headrest, or split bench seat - the list is endless, which does nothing but add to your confusion.

Since car seat covers get a lot of wear, it is only practical to select auto seat covers made of materials that are water-repellent, machine washable, as well as being tough and durable. Seat covers are available in a wide variety of materials, such as sheepskin, that can withstand heat and cold and remains cool in the summer and warm in winter. It can also absorb perspiration. Other good quality and long-lasting materials are velour, canvas, tweed and Cordoba. Select seat covers that have a lifetime warranty.

The price of the seat covers will depend a lot on their quality, so try and look for high quality covers that may be on sale. It is not advisable to buy cheap mass-produced covers as they will not be long lasting. Over a period of time, you will find them shifting around and the cloth will wear away.

In case you are looking for car seat covers for your child’s car seat, you need to ensure that the cover can be washed. This will help to minimize the number of germs. You never know when the seat might get messy, should your child’s diaper leak, or the top of a sip cup pop out. Overall, the seat cover will protect the car seat and give the child more padding to sit on. The good news is that you won’t have a problem with size, because most child car seats come in a standard size in a variety of colors, so one size should fit all.

At times, you might still face problems in selecting the right seat covers despite knowing the model and year of the car, as sometimes there are variations within the same model. It is better then to ask your dealership, because they would be in a better position to know what the correct style for your car would be.

If you want your car to look elegant, you can have it. All it takes is a bit of research and some shopping around to find the seat covers that suit your car best.

What is defensive driving

Defensive driving gives you the essentials on road safety measurements. All the drivers must know this simple driving fact that you can control your action(s) on most of the on-road occasions, but you cannot control or can’t even know what is happening with other drivers on the road. So, defensive driving provides ample information and knowledge to all those people who are looking for comprehensive and lifetime solutions against accidents and other on-road mishaps.

Defensive driving is also known as advanced driving. This is one sophisticated and next level type of training that automobile driver can undertake and learn to master the basic mechanics of driving. They can indeed master all the rules of roads. The aim of the training is to minimize the risk of driving by proactively and spontaneously avoiding dangerous situations despite incorrect actions or adverse conditions on the road. All these and much more can be accomplished via commitment to specific rules as the constant practice of particular driving techniques.

Well, considering the true essence and aspect of defensive driving, you would find out that it is a style of driving wherein you need to take every possible precaution to prevent any mishap from happening. Defensive driving is a brilliant way of keeping you and your family safe while driving.

So, let us take a look at some of the rules relating to defensive driving.

The first and the foremost aspect, is to become fully prepared before taking on your vehicle on the road. You need to check and ensure certain important aspects like water levels, gas, and oil and tire pressures of your vehicle. You also need to check seats, mirrors and ensure important documentations like insurance before hitting the roads.

The second aspect related to defensive driving is that you should never react to road rage and neither display it. This ensures that you don’t break traffic rules recklessly and arrive to any condition which causes harm to you or others.

It is advisable that you purchase bright colored cars. Car colors like yellow, orange or red can make your car easily visible and prominent on the roads. On an average basis, bright colored cars are less likely to be involved in an accident rather than light colored cars.

Usage of headlights is an important aspect related to defensive driving. It ensures that others can see you coming and you can also see clearly during night driving. While you drive, you need to ensure that you apply the three second rule. This rule states that you should at least maintain a driving time of 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you. You should maintain this driving time all of the times. However, if the car condition or environmental conditions are bad, you should increase this driving time to 5 seconds.

While driving you should avoid the cars that reflect signs of being damaged down or are broken down. Researches and studies have shown that these cars are prominently driven by bad drivers.

Follow defensive driving and have a happy and safe driving!

Asleep at the wheel

The drowsy driver has become more of a hazard as commutes become longer and more frequent. In fact, the term is now being used to identify a problem that has killed over 300 people in California alone since 2002.

As we evolve into a 24 hour a day society and more workers join the long commute, the number of accidents and fatalities caused by drowsy drivers will increase, said Dr. Jane Stutts, formally of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.

She says that a trance like state is produced about 30 minutes into the drive, when blood has drained from the brain and pooled into the lower extremities.

To avoid this syndrome, get your eight hours a night of good sleep. Even two hours of missed sleep can bring on the drowsy driver effect of loss of coordination, impaired judgment, slow reaction time and impaired attention span.

Although there has been reports of truckers falling asleep at the wheel, little attention has been paid to the long distance commuter until now. The National Traffic Safety Administration suggests that when you find yourself in this predicament, take a 15-20 minute nap or drink two cups of coffee. The usual remedies - open the car windows, turn up the radio, talk on the cell phone are not considered to work. To read more about this, click on this link:

Our thanks to Rocky Salmon of The Press-Enterprise for a timely report.

What's the Effect on the Rest of your Day?

If you've gotten to your destination without incident, the effects of drowsy driver syndrome doesn't just stop. It will continue, perhaps throughout the day. Poor problem solving, shortened attention span, difficulty with temper control, and depressed mood can all occur as a result of deprived sleep.

Few of us can get by on less than 7-8 hours of sleep nightly. Even one night of disrupted sleep can have a negative effect. But for those who regularly lose sleep, the effect will be consistent and progressive.

Return to the Five Steps to a Better Commute. We discuss the effect of loss of sleep and its partner, poor eating habits. Do something about this today before you become a statistic of drowsy driver syndrome. It may call for rescheduling or juggling your priorities. Perhaps other steps will be needed. But not only prevention of car accidents, but also physical, social and emotional health are in jeopardy as long as you don't get the sleep you need.

Tip: Your children are becoming commuters as they live farther from school. Check their sleep habits, especially middle and high schoolers, as well as their eating habits.