Outraged Italian police set to crush fake Ferrari

Right up front, we must state that there is a very high likelihood that the following is not entirely true. With that said, here's the skinny on what we think we know: Thanks to local copyright laws, cops in Ostuni, Italy have reportedly confiscated a Toyota MR2 cut to look an awful lot like a Ferrari 355 Berlinetta.

And they intend to crush it.So much so that the British-made phony Italian was being touted as the real thing -- an obvious scam. As to why the authorities intend to destroy the car, let's listen to what one of the cops involved had to say: "It was a good fake but just a fake, Ferrari is one of Italy's crown jewels. We can't allow cheap copies."

Yes, well, we guess that makes sense. But are the cops allowed to crush the car out of some odd sense of damaged Italian pride? Looks like it. We here at Autoblog feel it's our duty to go ahead and give you a surefire tip on how to keep your faker from meeting the same fate – nobody suspects a Fiero-bodied Ferrari 308. Hint, hint. Thanks to Cosmin for bringing this to our attention! Autoblog

Top Gear reports Stig arrested in both Dublin and Mojave Desert

Some say he has a problem with authority. Others say he's actually capable of being in two places at the same time, and getting arrested in both. All we know is that Top Gear is making less sense with every passing day.One of the BBC car show's myriad blogs reports that the enigmatic test driver known to all as The Stig was "sensationally" arrested by police in Dublin for some unknown incident, possibly involving assault on a "hairy biker" or a swan. Not much else was said, other than that the arresting Garda officer was friendly and that the program's live action show is set to visit the Irish city in December.Meanwhile, TG frontman Jeremy Clarkson disclosed in his regular column in The Sunday Times that the Stig was also detained in the Mojave Desert, where the crew was apparently filming another misadventure in America. According to Clarkson, "a lorry full of soldiers" mistook Stiggy for a Muslim since he's not fat. Right... For our part, we'll take both stories with a grain of salt as big as Stig's helmet while we wait for mug shots from either incident to surface.

Officially Official: Fernando Alonso signs with Ferrari F1 for three years ? Autoblog

Officially Official: Fernando Alonso signs with Ferrari F1 for three years ? Autoblog

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F1 to get private sponsors

SINGAPORE: The Government will hold no equity in the 1Malaysia F1 Team project, either directly or indirectly, through any of the government-linked companies.

Private investors will put in RM110mil to RM165mil a year, while sponsorship was expected to contribute a significant sum, according to team principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

He added that F1 had approached Petronas to sponsor the Lotus F1 team.

“Yes, we have spoken to them.

“We will also approach Malaysian Airlines, Genting Bhd and other organisations,” he told a press conference at the Singapore F1 circuit yesterday.

“It would be good if they can sponsor us as they do not have a team for the next season,” Fernandes said.

“Other countries have been bidding hard for this spot but Malaysia, through our concerted effort and strength in the true spirit of 1Malaysia, managed to pull it through.

“This will be an excellent opportunity for Malaysian corporates to share this dream that has finally come through,” he said.

He described the team as a lifetime achievement for all Malaysians.

Fernandes said the project would help Malaysia move up the value chain by emphasising innovation and technology.

Petronas’ sponsorship with BMW Sauber will expire this season. Fernandes also said that the F1 team car would be ready in February for testing at the Sepang circuit. They have also identified several young personalities who will be part of the team either as drivers or part of the crew.

Meanwhile, 1Malaysia F1 Sdn Bhd aims to employ 225 people and the job advertisements have been published this week in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

As for sponsorship in the current economic climate, it could come from Asia in the future, although Europe has been the traditional source of sponsorship, Fernandes said.

The team will have a start-up capital of RM168mil while its baseline annual budget is estimated at RM308mil, according to a statement it released on Friday.

The 1Malaysia F1 Team (1MF1T) is a collaboration between the Government and three entrepreneurs — Fernandes, who is AirAsia Group CEO, AirAsia deputy CEO Kamarudin Meranun and Naza Group CEO SM Nasaruddin SM Nasimuddin.

The privately-funded project is jointly-owned by the Tune Group, Naza and Litespeed UK. Tune Group is jointly-owned by Fernandes and Kamarudin.

Proton Holdings’ British subsidiary, Lotus, is the team’s constructor. In a statement, the team said Proton Holdings Bhd would license its Lotus brand to the 1MF1T. The partnership license will include a variety of benefits for both Lotus and Proton involving technology transfer, marketing rights and employment opportunities, both within the national F1 Team, at the team’s technical centre in Sepang and its satellite base in Norfolk, United Kingdom, it said.

Proton’s Managing Director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the company as very excited and supportive of the Malaysian initiative.

“Through the impending licencing arrangement between Lotus and the team, the brand association will be beneficial to both Lotus and Proton as it would definitely heighten global brand awareness,” he said.

Similarly, Syed Zainal said the Proton Group also hopes to capitalise on this opportunity from a technical and engineering aspect.

“The exposure to be obtained from Formula 1 racing is invaluable, especially when Lotus is a renowned sports car manufacturer and a respectable engineering firm,” he said.

The team will collaborate with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS to help realise the aspiration of creating a growing class of high-technology and knowledge-intensive human capital for the country.

www.thestar.com.my

1Malaysia F1 Team to be formed

PUTRAJAYA: The 1Malaysia F1 Team, a joint venture between the Government and private sector, will participate in the F1 race beginning next year, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister said the project involved the combined expertise of Proton and Lotus with the support of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), Motorsports Association of Malaysia, Naza Motor and AirAsia.

Najib, who is also the Finance Minister I, told reporters when making the announcement at the Finance Ministry that leading corporate figures such as Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and S.M. Nasarudin S.M. Nasimuddin were also involved in the initiative.

“This is the Malaysian team. The car was designed at the SIC, manufactured at the SIC, tested at the SIC and the car is Malaysian-made. Even the pit-stop team consists of Malaysians,” he said.

He said the 1Malaysia Team would identify a suitable Malaysian driver, adding that the project could lift the country’s image in the international arena.

Najib said the FIA had received Malaysia’s application to participate in the World F1 Championship next year.

Asked on the budget and the total investment by the Government, Najib said: “The Malaysian government’s investment is through Proton.”

Najib said the project was not a waste because it would provide a strong marketing element to the country when it competed in the F1 championship.

“If we want to export the Proton, we must ensure that the brand is strong. There is a strong element of marketing.

“It is not merely a sporting activity because there is an element of marketing for Proton and Malaysia while at the same time, the AirAsia and Naza brand names can be popularised,” he said.

According to a press release issued by a local public relations company for the 1Malaysia F1 Team, the national team will be based at SIC.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Petronas as well as Composite Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM), a leading local composite manufacturing expert, have already been engaged to participate in the project.

The statement said the national F1 team would integrate the Malaysian technical and pit crew totalling 200 people to be managed by one of Formula One’s most respected technical director, Mike Gascoyne.

He had already recruited a core team of international experts with a proven record in the various engineering, design and manufacturing disciplines needed to ensure that the 1Malaysia F1 team was of international standard, readiness and capable of competing with the world’s greatest drivers.

Currently, six local and international drivers have been shortlisted for evaluation and the team is expected to announce its two drivers by end of next month.

The statement quoted Najib as saying that the country’s participation in Formula One with the national team had far reaching objectives, mainly the advancement of the country’s automotive industry development from the technological aspect including initiatives in green technology.

“By establishing our racing centre within the country, we hope to also attract more foreign investments and the best technical minds which, in turn, will spur the growth of our automotive industry where we hope to see more R&D into lighter, safer and more cost-effective cars,” he said.

“We further anticipate higher commitment by organisations and attendance by individuals during the F1 Petronas Malaysian GP which will be coupled with increased tourism related returns,” Najib said.

He claimed that by creating a national F1 team, the country was taking “its motor sports to its pinnacle, thus ensuring its place in this internationally embraced sports that had scaled the heights of entertainment.”

The 1Malaysia F1 Team takes its name from the “1Malaysia People First, Performance Now” policy mooted by Najib in June this year as the unifying foundation for all Malaysians to come together in celebrating cooperation among its multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious society for the betterment of the nation.

Petronas, the national oil giant, has also made advancement in this arena via its sponsorship of the BMW-Sauber Team for the last four years. -- Bernama

15 September 2009
theStar.com.my

Fernandes Seeking Experience for Lotus Line-up

Lotus’s Tony Fernandes says he hopes to recruit an experienced Formula One driver to spearhead the new team’s inaugural Formula One campaign in 2010. Fernandes is also seeking an experienced candidate to take over the role of team principal, which he plans to relinquish early next season.

The Malaysian government, partners in the project along with Fernandes and other local entrepreneurs, announced earlier this week that six drivers - Malaysian and international - are on the team’s shortlist. However, Fernandes, boss of budget airline AirAsia, believes choosing someone who knows the ropes would be beneficial.

"My personal preference would be to try to get someone with lots of experience, even though he may be ending his career, who can add a lot of experience and develop the car," he told Reuters. "Having the right personality that can transfer knowledge and enjoy working with people, I think is critical... there's no point throwing someone in at the deep end if he's not ready either."

Though the team will initially be UK based, the long-term plan is to move to purpose-built headquarters at Kuala Lumpur’s Sepang International Circuit, host of the Malaysian Grand Prix, and Fernandes hopes to hand over the operational reins to a more experienced team principal - ideally Malaysian - once he's laid the groundwork.

"I am going to get it (the team) to a stage and then someone can do it full time, properly,” he added. "I just want to make sure that we (Lotus) have the right direction, the right imaging and the right future, the right strategic plan and marketing. Maybe I'll enjoy being the team principal for a couple of races and I think then we'd move it on to someone else.

"Despite the Lotus team’s Malaysian focus, Fernandes insisted they would be doing everything possible to respect the Formula One heritage of the British sportscar firm, now owned by Malaysian automakers Proton.

"(The late Lotus founder) Colin Chapman had a fantastic pedigree and we want to enhance it, protect what's there and add value to it,” said Fernandes. “Very much we see ourselves as the original Lotus and carrying on the processes.”

The original Lotus team competed in almost 500 Grands Prix between 1958 and 1994, winning seven world championships along the way.

18 September 2009

http://www.formula1.com/

Lotus confirmed for 2010 as FIA pushes for 14 teams

Following an intensive selection and due diligence process, the FIA has awarded the 13th entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to the new Lotus team.

The FIA also received an impressive application from the BMW Sauber team. As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid.

In addition, the FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams. The FIA will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010.

Detailed below is information about the new team that has been confirmed to compete in the championship from next year, joining fellow newcomers Manor Grand Prix, Team US and Campos Meta.

Company Name: 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd

Team Name: Lotus F1

TeamCountry: Malaysia

Team Principal: Tony Fernandes

A partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs, 1Malaysia F1 Team returns the Lotus name as a constructor to Formula One for the first time since 1994. The team will initially be based at the RTN facility in Norfolk, UK, some 10 miles from the Lotus Cars factory. A 50,000 square foot fully equipped facility, RTN was built by Toyota for its initial Formula One programme and then used by Bentley for its successful Le Mans programme.

The team’s future design, R&D, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

Team Principal Tony Fernandes is the founder and CEO of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team’s Technical Director Mike Gascoyne has over 20 years of experience in Formula One having previously performed the same role for the Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan Formula One teams.

As part of its application to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the team has agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth and a wide variety of technical partnerships including Xtrac and FondTech.

The team is understood to already have a shortlist of six drivers, including both Malaysian and international names, and an announcement confirming their line-up is expected in late October.

15 September 2009

www.formula1.com