3 posts tagged “fia”

Kovalainen all thumbs up

When Heikki Kovalainen experienced one of the most life-threatening accidents in the history of Formula 1, I really thought he was going to miss one or two races. After the accident, Kovalainen was brought to the hospital and stayed for a night. Doctors suspected of a concussion but he was feeling pretty he good. He just can’t remember what happened during the accident. After I found out that he was miraculously okay, I was relieved. He is just one of the determined racers in F1 that I truly admire. “It was a serious accident and I managed to walk away. I was a bit lucky, but the safety standards the FIA has been pushing worked very well," said the Finn on a news conference.

Heikki, happy about the medical results

Professor Jean-Charles Piette, FIA Medical Delegate, and Dr. Cem Boneval, Chief Medical Officer, were the ones who cleared Kovalainen to race in Istanbul Park. "Everyone involved in the sport, the FIA in particular, is always working on improving safety for the drivers, but Formula One is a risky business. You know that as a driver, but you don't think about it. If you worry about things like that, you lose focus; I guess it is just not in my psyche," said Kovalainen. It is actually good to know that safety is the main priority of F1 authorities and not just the money they get from all their sponsors and the people who watch the race.

Heikki's crashing car

It is really scary to see someone crash during a race, whether it is Formula 1 or MotoGP. I know that I prefer to crash on a race track because at least there are medical crew standing by. But the thought of crashing while you are running at high speeds is just overwhelming. The faster you go, the greater the impact will be. F1 cars are made from light-weight but highly durable materials for the safety of the drivers. And I’m impressed with how they’ve worked such magnificent safety technology because it definitely saved a lot of drivers. The latest driver to be saved was Heikki Kovalainen who crashed after a wheel rim failure. The cause of the rim’s failure is still unknown but officials are thinking of debris on the track. They probably recalled that Raikkonen, Massa, and Hamilton also had the same problem with their cars.

"Heikki is a very lucky boy.  If that had happened in my day, he wouldn't have had a hope in hell of walking away from it,” said 3-time Formula 1 Champion, Jackie Stewart. Before Kovalainen goes back to racing, he has to get back in shape and do well at the FIA medical inspection. If he starts his shaping up now, he would definitely make it for the 2008 Turkish GP, which is take place at the Istanbul Park Circuit. The midseason of F1 is about to start, which means that real battle has for the world champion has just begun.

WRC

Rallying is a competition where road-legal cars compete on private or public roads. The most popular rallying competition is the WRC (World Rally Championship) that is administered by FIA. Unlike Formula One, WRC has separate championships for the driver and the manufacturer. This means that even if the manufacturer won the championship its driver does not have a sure shot to the driver’s championship unless of course the driver really deserves it.

When WRC gets off the road that is when it gets electrifying. Electrifying because cars are pushed to their limits particularly the suspension and the steering. I’m not counting out the engine here. But you see, the engine alone could not win in this kind of competition. The engine, the suspension, and the steering are the fundamental factors in winning in the WRC. The relationship between the driver and the co-driver must have that solid bond and good communication skills to successfully work their way through the race track.

From what I have seen, I’d rather be the driver than to be the guide because it is more thrilling. Oh, I just wished I could join racing competitions like the WRC. In WRC, your car is not the only one that adapts to road conditions. You, the driver, has to be adapt as well putting your driving skills to the test. WRC, NASCAR, or Formula One, whatever auto racing you are into, you can really say that the success of the team depends on the driver’s skills.