RALLY Germany’s sealed asphalt was always going to favour tarmac
specialists and so it proved, Citroen’s French-Spanish duo of Sebastien Loeb
and Dani Sordo claiming a one-two finish which sees Citroen move ahead of
BP-Ford Abu Dhabi in the manufacturers’ title race by eight points.
And with lead BP-Ford Abu Dhabi driver Mikko Hirvonen
finishing fourth, Loeb’s victory in round ten of the 15-event FIA World Rally
Championship - his seventh consecutive Rally Germany
triumph – also saw him reclaim pole position in his drivers’ title joust with
the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority-backed Finn.
Loeb is four points ahead of Hirvonen as the series moves on to New
Zealand in a fortnight.
"I was on the limit this morning to try to catch
Duval," admitted Hirvonen. "I had a big escape. I had a
corner marked in my notes with a small cut, but I took a big cut. It was
a high-speed bend and the car was up on two wheels for a long time. It
was close! On the third stage I saw I was three seconds down on Duval at
the third split and decided to ease off and settle for fourth. I didn't
want to make any mistakes chasing third and risk losing what I had.
"I set some great stage times on Friday and with a bit
more consistency I will be able to fight for a top-place on this surface, but I
couldn't match the speed of the top two here. I feel my asphalt driving
has improved and it was unfortunate I lost time with a puncture last night,"
he added.
To compound the team’s miserable Trier
weekend, second driver Jari-Matti Latvala suffered a final day puncture which
ended any hopes he had of mounting a recovery following a leg two roll. Latvala
finished 9th overall, just outside the drivers’ points, although he did
register two vital manufacturers’ points for the UAE capital-supported outfit.
"This rally also showed me how important mental
preparation is. I need to work on that this week before Rally New Zealand
and start from zero again to move forwards. I also want to complete some
asphalt training before the next rally on that surface in Spain
in October," he added.
First phase of annual contest concludes in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI: The curtains came down on the first of two annual Caltex RoadStar Contest for the year in Abu Dhabi today (May 22) with 12 more ‘safe drivers’ being awarded on Day 2 in the National Capital.
The over decade old campaign, organized by the Emirates Motor Sports Federation (EMSF), to promote safe driving was held from May 18-19 in Dubai and May 21-22 in Abu Dhabi in association with the police of the respective emirates.
While Caltex was the main sponsor, Lexus (Al Futtaim Motors), AXA Insurance and the International Automobile Touring Club were the co-sponsors with Gulf News, Wheels and Radio2 as the media partners.
Following were the winners in Abu Dhabi on Day 2: Haji Gul, Rensgasai Jaganadhan, Rahman Gul, Sajjid Khan, Suaad Al Haryhi, Robert Butt, Ahmad Al Romaithi, Lalu Pathrose, Abbasi Tabraz Alam, Kate Draycott, Tristan De Furluc and Sri Kumar Andiveedu.
VERSACE and Lamborghini, collaborators since 2006, recently announced the launch of the new Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 Roadster Versace and a unique collection of accessories.
To create the new super-roadster, the Maison Versace's designers joined forces with designers from the Lamborghini Style Centre and specialists working on the "ad personam" project. This Lamborghini program allows individual clients to create personalised sports cars, choosing the equipment specification, the colour of the exterior body and of the interior fittings, according to a news release.
The new limited edition Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 Roadster Versace, which will be produced to order, displays a pastel white livery and the Versace Greek key motif on the lower part of the door. Equipped for the very first time with a transparent engine hood that reveals the powerful V12 engine, this model has been reconfigured internally. The cradle seats are clad in black and white leather, while opulent full grain soft nappa leather – hand-embroidered with the Versace Greek fret motif - upholsters the instrument panel, the doors and the central console.
The rigorous design and minimal lines of the Murciélago engine hood inspired the Versace Collection LP 640 range of accessories, which will also be previewed for the first time globally. Exclusively crafted in black matte calf skin, models include: a trolley bag, suit carrier, sports bag, as well as a briefcase, suitcase, gloves, driving shoes, belt, wallet, key ring, beauty case, hat and a pair of jeans. These hand-made accessories boast traditional craftsmanship, stitching and edging à la française and a palladium-engraved tag displaying both the Versace and Lamborghini logos.
The accessory collection will be exclusively available at Versace Boutiques and top Lamborghini showrooms beginning November 2008.
Gianni Versace’s CEO Giancarlo Di Risio emphasised: “This new super car and exclusive Collection LP640 represent a natural evolution of excellence for both Versace and Lamborghini through the creation of these one of a kind, unique projects.”
Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., said: "Our collaboration with Versace turned out to be an excellent experience and is one example of how we are pursuing our strategy of developing luxury products outside of luxury sports cars. To be in a prestigious, Made in Italy partnership with Versace fills us with pride and adds to our other recent successes."
ABU DHABI: The curtains came down on the first of two annual Caltex RoadStar Contest for the year in Abu Dhabi today (May 22) with 12 more ‘safe drivers’ being awarded on Day 2 in the National Capital.
