Hybrid
Vettel triumphs in two-act drama at Monaco
November 21, 2011 | 
Author Sebastian Vettel had his work cut out before he could revel in victory at Monaco. He came under tremendous pressure from behind as he covered almost 80 percent of the race distance on a single set of hard tyres.
Vettel was forced to adopt the tactic of completing a long stint on the prime compound when Jenson Button leapfrogged him at the first stop. Things seemed to be going the Englishman’s way until Felipe Massa’s wrecked his Ferrari at the tunnel exit after jousting with Lewis Hamilton, thus triggering a safety car phase. Button had only just pitted for the second time, which allowed Vettel to regain the lead position. Button then stopped yet again while Vettel stuck to his one-stop strategy.
And it was not exclusively a battle between Britain and Germany, as Spain also got involved. Fernando Alonso drove a two-stop strategy, which ultimately slotted him in between Button and Vettel, with both a realistic chance of victory as well as the threat of being pipped by Button for second. The battle between the three was intense, until they caught up with bunched traffic that needed to be lapped. Just as they were about to thread their way through, the pack descended into chaos and there was a mini pile-up.
This led to a second, much more prolonged safety car period. For the two crash victims, Vitaly Petrov and Jaime Alguersuari, the race was over. In Petrov’s case, it was necessary to call an ambulance crew. Adrian Sutil and Rubens Barrichello pitted for a quick check-up while Hamilton continued with a crooked rear wing. Attention remained fixed on the three front-runners as speculation mounted about whether the race would even restart.
Then the race was red-flagged, because it had become clear that Petrov was incapable of climbing out of his car. Early reports were that he was conscious and talking to the medics, but he was in some pain and unable to hoist himself out of the cockpit. An initial examination suggested that he had not suffered any fractures. With just seven laps to go, Vettel took the opportunity of the enforced break to fit fresh tyres on which he then cruised comfortably to the finish. In the battle for second place, Alonso kept a cool head to fend off the challenge from Button. Mark Webber and Kamui Kobayashi finished fourth and fifth.
Lewis Hamilton ended up in P6 after taking a drive-through penalty for colliding with Massa. But having also clipped Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado on the last few laps, he is subject to yet another stewards’ enquiry. Claiming the remaining championship points were Adrian Sutil, Nick Heidfeld, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Buemi.
2011 Formula One Drivers & Constructors Championship Standings
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Easy Ways To Avoid A Traffic Accident
:: Road tragedy is common in many places of the world. Whether we look at the newspaper, television or Internet we can easily see this scenario happening. With so many reasons associated in these tragedies, we should never stop thinking that we can still do something to prevent it. When circumstances come that these are not preventable, at least it could be lessen. If you do not want end up being on the headline news, then start thinking of steps you can do to avoid traffic accident. Here are the steps how.
Consider the weather condition: One of the major caused of these road mishap is the bad weather condition. Heavy downpours may reduce the driver’s range of visibility. Reducing speed and taking extra caution when driving may avoid such catastrophe especially when driving in a heavy rain.
Avoid driving under influence of alcohol: Another primary reason of collision is driving under the influence of alcohol. These people tend to blast too fast without noticing. As results, there are injuries which prove fatal and there are which resulted in loss of life.
Consider the condition of your vehicle: Not all road calamities are cause by drivers. There are instances they are due to your mechanical condition. Before going anywhere, you must check your automobile. When you found any necessary repairs for your car like break problems, then consider consulting someone who can fix it for you.
Wear seatbelt: This thing does not only keep you safe, but it can also avoid traffic accidents. This will hold you in place when aggressive maneuver occurs. Perhaps, you may consider this basic rule but it is very important that every person must practice. Do not forget to make your passengers buckle up as well.
Be careful at intersections: Many collisions usually happen at these places. You may slow down and look both ways when approaching at these places. Do not expect that all vehicles will stop because the light is red. There are drivers who are trying to get through during yellow light.
Do not just rely on your mirrors: It would be best if your turn your head to check the traffic when thinking of changing lanes. Remember that all automobiles may have blind spots which you cannot see from your mirrors, so turning your head may avoid traffic accident.
Be alert at all times: Be a responsible driver, keep your attention to the road and not with someone or something else. When you badly needed to answer any calls, then pull out your vehicle. This is especially to people who do not have a hands free phones. Make a reasonable distance between yourself and the car in front. When making an aggressive maneuver, you can keep yourself out from collisions. Also, avoid reaching out items in compartment or bag while maneuvering.
In your own little way, you can still do something to avoid traffic accident. No one knows when will it happen, but at least, you have done something to prevent or lessen the damage. Think about it, may be you are not just saving your self and others from injury but you are now saving your own life.
Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Adriana-Noton-9285/emergency-road-services-186819.php
2002 Jaguar X-Type – Long-Term Road Test – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
Times are tough in the auto business. Companies everywhere are looking for ways to gain market share. Some European luxury-car makers—BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, even Porsche—have gone so far as to offer a very un-European vehicle, the SUV. But for Jaguar, a sport-ute just wasn’t an option—it simply wouldn’t be proper. So the Ford-owned British marque decided to try another approach: Go down-market and produce a less expensive vehicle.
It was thought that sales volumes in the U.S. market might double if the company could come up with a sedan in the $30,000-to-$40,000 range, a hot segment where Audi, BMW, and Lexus sell a lot of cars. But building a new car from scratch is hugely expensive, so Jaguar turned to its parent for a platform to start with, and the Ford Mondeo (formerly Contour) was chosen. Trouble is, the Mondeo uses a front-wheel-drive layout, whereas Jaguars have always routed power aft. Hence, a four-wheel-drive system was adopted, with a mechanical center differential that sends 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels until things get slippery and then a viscous limited-slip device diverts power to the axle with the surest grip.
Jaguar sold 33,018 X-types in 2002, which turned out to be more than half of Jaguar’s 61,204 total sales that year in this country. Sales in 2003 haven’t been as strong, but it looks as though the X-type will still account for more than 50 percent of Jag’s volume here.
Sales might be strong, and our early driving impressions of the X-type were positive, but the car didn’t fare too well in its first
C/D comparison test ("36 on the Floor," February 2002), where it finished fifth in a field of seven. We couldn’t decide what to make of the new cat, but it boiled down to this: Its level of luxury didn’t make up for its lack of sportiness. Maybe more time with the car was called for.
So in February 2002, an X-type appeared at our door. It came with a 3.0-liter V-6, five-speed stick, gorgeous British Racing Green exterior, and Sand interior. The base price of $36,595 zoomed north with options: a $2000 Sport package (17-inch wheels and tires, sport tuning, stability control, trunk-mounted spoiler, and leather sport seats), a $2500 Premium package (glass sunroof, split-folding rear seats, and other luxo-goodies), a $2200 nav system, a $1200 Alpine premium sound system, and a $600 Weather package (heated front seats and headlamp power washers). The final tab was a whopping $45,095. That’s about $6000 more than a similarly equipped Audi A4 3.0 Quattro.
The X-type has good prowess as a highway cruiser. It has plenty of power for passing, a smooth ride, and stable handling. The four-wheel-drive system enhances the X-type’s steering feel, and adding a set of snow tires (see Baubles and Bolt-Ons) makes it damn near blizzard-proof in the winter.
But soon there were niggling complaints, reminding us of a time not that long ago when Jaguars seemed always to be riddled with little aggravating problems. With less than 1000 miles on the odo, the driver’s seat came slightly loose at the bolt-on points, rocking back and forth in maybe a half-inch arc as the car stopped and accelerated. Talk about annoying. Everyone complained about the abrupt clutch engagement and the rubbery feel of the gearshift. Driving the car smoothly became real work. Another annoyance was the LCD touch-screen display that controls the climate, radio, and navigation functions. The screen was positioned so low on the dash that most drivers had to take their eyes off the road for an unnervingly long time to make an adjustment.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/03q4/2002_jaguar_x-type-long-term_road_test
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Tags: four wheel drive, four wheel drive system, wheel drive system | 
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