Game description: Move in this FPS as you gather new guns and shoot all the hellish enemies that chase after you.
Game controls: Use WASD or arrow keys to move
Use mouse to aim and shoot.
QE, mouse whee, or 1-6l to switch weapons.
R or SPACE to reload
Chủ Nhật, 27 tháng 5, 2012
Neon Rider
Game description: Ride your cyber motor bike to the finish line as fast as you can.
Game controls: W - Accelerate. A, D - Tilt. Down Arrow Key - Brake. Arrow Keys - Change color.
Game controls: W - Accelerate. A, D - Tilt. Down Arrow Key - Brake. Arrow Keys - Change color.
Air Raid Basketball
Game description: This is not a team based basketball, it's a street basketball 1 on 1 challenge.
Game controls: Player 1: Left / Right Arrow Keys - Move. Spacebar - Action. Player 2: = / ] Keys - Move. Shift Key - Action.
Game controls: Player 1: Left / Right Arrow Keys - Move. Spacebar - Action. Player 2: = / ] Keys - Move. Shift Key - Action.
Sonny 2
Game description: By now you know what it's like to be a
Zombie. To be hunted. To be hated. You fought to survive in a world
that didn't make any sense.
But now you're getting used to it. Your senses have sharpened. You
finally begin to understand. Why be the prey...
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.
Arctic Ascent
Game description: Take control of our wacky snowman jumping from platform to platform to see how high can you fly into the sky!
Collect rockets and other bonuses along the way to help you reach higher altitudes!
Game controls: This game is played by mouse only.
Game controls: This game is played by mouse only.
Dwarfs' Home
Game description: Deep in the green forest you can find
the little homes of dwarfs, where they live in their cute mushroom
houses. Can you help them to find the right furniture to decorate the
house? I'm sure you can make the home of this dwarf family very
beautiful. So beautiful that you would like to go and live... Deep in
the green forest you can find the little homes of dwarfs, where they
live in their cute mushroom houses. Can you help them to find the right
furniture to decorate the house? I'm sure you can make the home of this
dwarf family very beautiful. So beautiful that you would like to go and
live there yourself. This game also has a save button. If you save your
game, you can continue play next time.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.
Love Hina Sim Date RPG
Game description: Love Hina Sim Date is the latest and
one of the best sims game. Choose your character and go to the Hina Inn
where you get to meet a lot of girls. Your basic goal is to get a Hina
girl and gain as much money and experience as possible. Good luck!
Game controls: Mouse - To interact.
Game controls: Mouse - To interact.
Diamond Hollow 2
Game description: Shoot, upgrade, conquer enemies,
defeat bosses, acquire achievements, collect gems, all in an attempt to
save yourself and your gun from the clutches of the evil Professor.
Game controls: Control your character with AD or Arrow Keys, jump with W/Space/Up, and use the mouse to aim and shoot (or switch control schemes in the options). As you acquire more guns, use QE or 1-4 or the mouse wheel to switch between them. After collecting diamonds, open the upgrades menu with tab or escape to upgrade your guns and skills to help conquer your foes.
Game controls: Control your character with AD or Arrow Keys, jump with W/Space/Up, and use the mouse to aim and shoot (or switch control schemes in the options). As you acquire more guns, use QE or 1-4 or the mouse wheel to switch between them. After collecting diamonds, open the upgrades menu with tab or escape to upgrade your guns and skills to help conquer your foes.
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
Game description: Today Sara is going to teach you how
to prepare Delicious Strawberry Ice Cream. After following her cooking
instructions, evaluate your cooking skills through her cooking test.
Your score will depend on how fast you complete the test. Also the less
mistakes you do, more points you can earn. Best performer gets grade A
and the least performer gets grade 'D'.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.
Thứ Ba, 22 tháng 5, 2012
Mercedes-Benz scooter confirmed
German car games maker's first foray into the two-wheeled market will be via its city car offshoot, smart
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new Mercedes-Benz
First seen in September 2010 at the Paris Motor Show, the smart 'escooter' concept was a cautious toe in the water for Mercedes-Benz city car sub-brand.
The tiny 4kW smart escooter has a top speed of just 45km/h and was conceived for European countries where motorists don't need a license to ride low-power vehicles, and the two-wheeled vehicle has been green-lit for production by parent company Mercedes-Benz.
The concept scooter will reach production by 2014, representing the first motorised two-wheeler from Benz since the early 1900s, and sees the German company join its prestige rivals in the motorcycle arena.
BMW has been building motorcycles since 1923 and Audi recently acquired exotic Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, making the escooter Daimler's tentative first step into the wider motorcycle world.
The German luxury car has had a keen interest in the two-wheeled transport, as Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG had a cosy relationship with Ducati before Audi swooped in with its take-over.
Dr Joachim Schmidt, the head of global sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars, recently made the announcement that the smart escooter will reach production in 2014.
"The decision in favour of the escooter has been made. With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future," he said.
Mercedes-Benz Australia's Corporate Communications Manager, Jerry Stamoulis, told motoring.com.au the escooter is being considered for the local market, and would be part of a reinvigorated smart brand.
"We're definitely looking at it. We're looking to lift the smart brand in Australia and we'd like to see motorbikes as part of that."
Stamoulis said 'Benz is investigating whether the escooter would be technically feasible in Australia, given its meagre maximum speed and charging technology.
Details of the plug-in electric scooter have not been revealed, but the concept version contained a number of features usually only found on high-end motorcycles, such as heated handlebars, a blind spot detection system and even an airbag.
One element that would increase the escooter's appeal among technophiles is the mooted iPhone integration system. The smart escooter concept could be paired with an iPhone that acts as the remote 'key' and allows users to prime various functions remotely and check the battery charge from afar. Once docked, the phone acts as the instrument cluster with speedometer, battery gauge and other readouts.
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new Mercedes-Benz
First seen in September 2010 at the Paris Motor Show, the smart 'escooter' concept was a cautious toe in the water for Mercedes-Benz city car sub-brand.
The tiny 4kW smart escooter has a top speed of just 45km/h and was conceived for European countries where motorists don't need a license to ride low-power vehicles, and the two-wheeled vehicle has been green-lit for production by parent company Mercedes-Benz.
The concept scooter will reach production by 2014, representing the first motorised two-wheeler from Benz since the early 1900s, and sees the German company join its prestige rivals in the motorcycle arena.
BMW has been building motorcycles since 1923 and Audi recently acquired exotic Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, making the escooter Daimler's tentative first step into the wider motorcycle world.
The German luxury car has had a keen interest in the two-wheeled transport, as Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG had a cosy relationship with Ducati before Audi swooped in with its take-over.
Dr Joachim Schmidt, the head of global sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars, recently made the announcement that the smart escooter will reach production in 2014.
"The decision in favour of the escooter has been made. With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future," he said.
Mercedes-Benz Australia's Corporate Communications Manager, Jerry Stamoulis, told motoring.com.au the escooter is being considered for the local market, and would be part of a reinvigorated smart brand.
"We're definitely looking at it. We're looking to lift the smart brand in Australia and we'd like to see motorbikes as part of that."
Stamoulis said 'Benz is investigating whether the escooter would be technically feasible in Australia, given its meagre maximum speed and charging technology.
Details of the plug-in electric scooter have not been revealed, but the concept version contained a number of features usually only found on high-end motorcycles, such as heated handlebars, a blind spot detection system and even an airbag.
One element that would increase the escooter's appeal among technophiles is the mooted iPhone integration system. The smart escooter concept could be paired with an iPhone that acts as the remote 'key' and allows users to prime various functions remotely and check the battery charge from afar. Once docked, the phone acts as the instrument cluster with speedometer, battery gauge and other readouts.
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.
VW unveils wacky hover-car
Volkswagen China's 'People's Car' project turns up ideas weird, wacky and sensible
‘Use your creative achievements tomorrow the public of the car games !’ So goes Google Translate’s take on the header for a website Volkswagen has set up to solicit suggestions from the public on the fu ture of China’s mobility.
The site has seen a massive influx of ideas, with several of the more interesting ones turning up at the recent Beijing motor show.
There’s an elegant logic to Volkwagen’s foray into China. Who better to mass-mobilise the socio-economic monolith that is the People’s Republic than the corporate monolith built around the People’s Car?
The connection is not lost on them. A year ago, the German giant launched the People’s Car Project (PCP) to help strengthen its attunement to Chinese consumer tastes. Harnessing the social networking trend that sees corporations inviting customers to ‘join the conversation’, the company set up a website inviting ideas from the people of China for their idea of the people’s car.
The result, the company says, has been overwhelming, with more than more than 119,000 ideas harvested from more than 33 million visitors.
The project heralds the future of automobile design, Luca de Meo, Volkswagen’s passenger car marketing chief, said in a statement.
“We are no longer just building cars for, but also with customers and at the same time initiating a national dialogue which gives us a deep insight into the design preferences, needs and requirements of Chinese customers,” de Meo said.
The project has given the company ‘valuable insight’ into what Chinese drivers are after, design boss Volkswagen Simon Loasby added. “The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design.”
What have they come up with to such ends? Volkswagen used Beijing’s recent Auto China 2012 show to showcase three ideas that have so far gained enough momentum for further development.
First up comes a concept familiar to anyone who’s read those children’s books of the 1950s and 1960s promising we’d all go to the moon and glide around in wheel-less, magnetically suspended cars with bubble tops (and tail fins…).
It’s the ‘Hover Car’, described in the press release as ‘an environmentally-friendly two-seater city car which hovers just above the ground’ with the help of electromagnetic road networks. It looks like a big tyre.
‘Use your creative achievements tomorrow the public of the car games !’ So goes Google Translate’s take on the header for a website Volkswagen has set up to solicit suggestions from the public on the fu ture of China’s mobility.
The site has seen a massive influx of ideas, with several of the more interesting ones turning up at the recent Beijing motor show.
There’s an elegant logic to Volkwagen’s foray into China. Who better to mass-mobilise the socio-economic monolith that is the People’s Republic than the corporate monolith built around the People’s Car?
The connection is not lost on them. A year ago, the German giant launched the People’s Car Project (PCP) to help strengthen its attunement to Chinese consumer tastes. Harnessing the social networking trend that sees corporations inviting customers to ‘join the conversation’, the company set up a website inviting ideas from the people of China for their idea of the people’s car.
The result, the company says, has been overwhelming, with more than more than 119,000 ideas harvested from more than 33 million visitors.
The project heralds the future of automobile design, Luca de Meo, Volkswagen’s passenger car marketing chief, said in a statement.
“We are no longer just building cars for, but also with customers and at the same time initiating a national dialogue which gives us a deep insight into the design preferences, needs and requirements of Chinese customers,” de Meo said.
The project has given the company ‘valuable insight’ into what Chinese drivers are after, design boss Volkswagen Simon Loasby added. “The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design.”
What have they come up with to such ends? Volkswagen used Beijing’s recent Auto China 2012 show to showcase three ideas that have so far gained enough momentum for further development.
First up comes a concept familiar to anyone who’s read those children’s books of the 1950s and 1960s promising we’d all go to the moon and glide around in wheel-less, magnetically suspended cars with bubble tops (and tail fins…).
It’s the ‘Hover Car’, described in the press release as ‘an environmentally-friendly two-seater city car which hovers just above the ground’ with the help of electromagnetic road networks. It looks like a big tyre.
F1: High five, even seventh heaven
After eight years on the slide Williams is a winning F1 team again thanks to second-year Venezuelan "pay driver" Pastor Maldonado's stunning success in Spain -- and the celebrations got even hotter
Fairytale victory ends with a bang
As the clock ticked past midnight and into Monday, Australian eastern time, Formula One was on a high. One of the highest highs, perhaps even the peak, in its history.
A little-known Venezuelan with reputedly almost $50 million this year from an oil company, and due to rise to close to $65 million in the next couple of years, had just scored a boilover victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. He drove a car from the Williams team, the sport's third most successful but without a victory for eight years.
Maldonado had started from the pole position, after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid for stopping on the track after topping qualifying and not having enough fuel left for an adequate sample to be taken had he completed a slowdown lap.
That put Ferrari's Spanish superstar Fernando Alonso on the front row for his home race, and he grabbed the lead at the start despite Maldonado almost squeezing him off the track.
In time 27-year-old Maldonado assumed the lead and he drove an incredibly mature race, withstanding Alonso's pressure in the closing laps before the dual world champion had to back off and nurse his Ferrari home ahead of the rapidly-closing Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus-Renault.
Before this race you surely would have got 100-1, perhaps 200-1, on a Williams or Maldonado winning. Yet occasionally fairytales come true in F1.
They became the fifth driver and fifth constructor to triumph in five GPs so far this season. That hasn't happened since 1983. And, including the last two GPs of last season, there have been seven different victorious drivers in the past seven GPs.
It is indeed a glorious era in F1. Perhaps the most glorious of all.
Some magical facts and figures
Have just come across some neat stats from an information service called Infostrada.
Here's what it says:
"Pastor Maldonado won his first career Grand Prix and made his native Venezuela the 23rd country to produce at least one F1 GP winner. It ended a winless run of 131 straight GPs for Team Williams, which had last triumphed in Brazil in 2004 through Juan Pablo Montoya. For the first time in 29 years and the fourth time in history, an F1 season has started with five different drivers winning the first five races.
Most F1 races from start of season won by different drivers:
5 - 1967: Pedro Rodríguez, Denny Hulme, Jim Clark, Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham.
5 - 1975: Emerson Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace, Jody Scheckter, Jochen Mass, Niki Lauda.
5 - 1983: Nelson Piquet, John Watson, Alain Prost, Patrick Tambay, Keke Rosberg.
5 - 2012: Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Pastor Maldonado.
31 people treated after garage explosion
Barely 90 minutes after Maldonado's historic win there was an explosion and fire in the Williams garage as wheelchair-bound team founder Sir Frank Williams, who had recently turned 70, addressed a celebratory party. Thirty one people required medical attention -- only four of them Williams team members -- and seven needed to be taken from the track medical centre to hospital.
It was a reminder that, no matter how good things sometimes after in motorsport, you never know -- nor can be complacent about -- what might be around the corner.
Motorsport's governing Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is investigating and hopefully there was nothing untoward in the fuel drum that exploded.
Williams has had a lot of changes of personnel, particularly near the top, in the past year. Long-serving Australian technical director Sam Michael departed after the team's long absence from the winner's circle, ironically resurfacing in a different role at great rival team McLaren.
Michael's replacement at Williams is Mike Coghlan, a former employee of the late Tom Walkinshaw's defunct Arrows F1 team and who was banned from the sport when at McLaren, which was found in the 2008 "Spygate" scandal to have obtained loads of secret information about that year's Ferrari.
Coghlan's appointment at Williams raised eyebrows but he had served his suspension, albeit shortened.
Provided nothing is found to have been amiss with Maldonado's Williams the team's shock return to success will continue to be widely celebrated.
As much as Alonso would have loved to have won on his home soil and taken the championship lead outright, instead of sharing it with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who was sixth in Barcelona, he was thrilled for Maldonado. He and Raikkonen hoisted the Venezualan high on the podium.
But, as welcome as a new winner was, Maldonado's reaction lacked the joy of Australian Mark Webber's breakthrough victory in 2009.
Aussies out of the points
It was largely a GP to forget for Webber and fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo. They finished 11th and 13th respectively, with Ricciardo's young Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne sandwiched between them.
Webber didn't make it to the final stanza of qualifying, after Red Bull held him in the garage thinking his lap time would get him through. In the race he had two early stops, one to replace the nose of his car (something teammate Vettel also needed), and was baffled that his RB8 could not produce its best on a circuit where he had taken pole the previous two years -- and won so convincingly two years ago.
Ricciardo was outqualified by Frenchman Vergne but, despite finishing behind him too, felt his race was a progression on the previous outing in Bahrain, where sixth place on the grid had not translated into a haul of points.
Next up on the F1 calendar is Monaco, the crown jewel of the season.
Formula One drivers' world championship standings after five of 20 rounds -- 1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Red Bull-Renault) 61 points; 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain, Ferrari) 61; 3. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) 53; 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Lotus-Renault) 49; 5. Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 48; 6. Jenson Button (GB, McLaren-Mercedes) 45; 7. Nico Rosberg (Germany, Mercedes) 41; 8. Romain Grosjean (France, Lotus-Renault) 35; 9. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela, Williams-Renault) 29; 10. Sergio Perez (Mexico, Sauber-Ferrari) 22; 11. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan, Sauber-Ferrari) 19; 12. Paul Di Resta (GB, Force India-Mercedes) 15; 13. Bruno Senna (Brazil, Williams-Renault) 14; 14. Jean-Eric Vergne (France, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 4; 15. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany, Force India-Mercedes) 3; 16. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 2; 17. Felipe Massa (Brazil, Ferrari) 2; 18. Michael Schumacher (Germany, Mercedes) 2.
F1 constructors' championship standings -- 1. Red Bull-Renault 109 points; 2. McLaren-Mercedes 98; 3. Lotus-Renault 84; 4. Ferrari 63; 5. Mercedes, Williams-Renault 43; 7. Sauber-Ferrari 41; 8. Force India-Mercedes 18; 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6.
Creek's in favour, Homebush on way out?
An announcement is due early next week on Eastern Creek, the western Sydney circuit that recently has been upgraded and has regained a V8 Super car games Championship round in August -- instead of a new overseas event. The circuit now has three alternative layouts and a name change is anticipated.
This author seems to recall that it was named in honour of Australia's triple F1 world champion Sir Jack Brabham in the 1990s but that the name never actually stuck.
Eastern Creek's return to favour as the only permanent circuit in the country's largest city coincides with increasing speculation about the future of the annual street race at the Homebush Olympic site.
The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, which has strongly backed that event, carried a report yesterday that its days appeared numbered and that, even if it survives a little longer, it may not remain the season finale.
V8 Supercars chief Tony Cochrane relentlessly pursued a Sydney street race but, apart from it not being a financial success and its TV figures being little changed from those of previous Eastern Creek rounds, it is seen as a legacy of disgraced former NSW Labor government minister Ian Macdonald.
Martian Ambrose happy but Hendrick team big winner
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick chalked up his 200th victory in American stock car racing's premier series with five-time champion driver Jimmie Johnson's victory in a Chevrolet at the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina.
Australian Marcos Ambrose had his best finish of the season -- ninth in a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.
"I came from Mars ... I re-entered orbit around lap 260 and the last 80 laps was a lot of fun," Ambrose said. "We were two laps down and just fought our way back."
Johnson's win was his 56th, while Hendrick's 200 have included three in the Daytona 500, a string of successes in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis -- and 10 championships.
Wheels turning at Brickyard but big guns yet to fire
Practice for the Indianapolis 500 openwheeler classic on May 28, Australian time, is underway -- with unlikely pacesetters. Colombian Sebastian Saavedra has clocked the best lap so far in this year's wide-bodied Dallara cars, circulating The Brickyard at 221.526 mph (356.5 kmh) for Andretti Autosport.
Rookies Bryan Clauson and day one leader Josef Newgarden were second and third for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and New Zealander Scott Dixon fourth for Chip Ganassi at 220.829 mph.
The only two drivers using Lotus engines, 47-year-old ex-F1 ace but Indy rookie Jean Alesi and Switzerland's Simona de Silvestro, have had the two slowest cars and are yet to come within the crucial 105 per cent of the fastest car. Alesi ran 205.265 mph on the 31st of his 32 laps on Sunday with newcomer team Fan Force United but had gone 209.438 mph on Saturday.
De Silvestro, with HVM Racing, posted her fastest lap of 202.179 mph on her final lap on Sunday but complained that "we don't have enough power".
Lotus and Dragon Racing, run by Roger Penske's son Jay, are still in dispute, which has stalled Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais' first attempt at the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since 2005 and rookie Katherine Legge. However, they may yet get Chevrolet engines as practice continues today ahead of next Saturday's qualifying for pole position.
Roger Penske's trio of drivers -- Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe, and Brazilian three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves -- have not been fussed about quick times yet but are likely to be strong contenders for pole in this most prestigious of Indy races.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site.
Fairytale victory ends with a bang
As the clock ticked past midnight and into Monday, Australian eastern time, Formula One was on a high. One of the highest highs, perhaps even the peak, in its history.
A little-known Venezuelan with reputedly almost $50 million this year from an oil company, and due to rise to close to $65 million in the next couple of years, had just scored a boilover victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. He drove a car from the Williams team, the sport's third most successful but without a victory for eight years.
Maldonado had started from the pole position, after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid for stopping on the track after topping qualifying and not having enough fuel left for an adequate sample to be taken had he completed a slowdown lap.
That put Ferrari's Spanish superstar Fernando Alonso on the front row for his home race, and he grabbed the lead at the start despite Maldonado almost squeezing him off the track.
In time 27-year-old Maldonado assumed the lead and he drove an incredibly mature race, withstanding Alonso's pressure in the closing laps before the dual world champion had to back off and nurse his Ferrari home ahead of the rapidly-closing Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus-Renault.
Before this race you surely would have got 100-1, perhaps 200-1, on a Williams or Maldonado winning. Yet occasionally fairytales come true in F1.
They became the fifth driver and fifth constructor to triumph in five GPs so far this season. That hasn't happened since 1983. And, including the last two GPs of last season, there have been seven different victorious drivers in the past seven GPs.
It is indeed a glorious era in F1. Perhaps the most glorious of all.
Some magical facts and figures
Have just come across some neat stats from an information service called Infostrada.
Here's what it says:
"Pastor Maldonado won his first career Grand Prix and made his native Venezuela the 23rd country to produce at least one F1 GP winner. It ended a winless run of 131 straight GPs for Team Williams, which had last triumphed in Brazil in 2004 through Juan Pablo Montoya. For the first time in 29 years and the fourth time in history, an F1 season has started with five different drivers winning the first five races.
Most F1 races from start of season won by different drivers:
5 - 1967: Pedro Rodríguez, Denny Hulme, Jim Clark, Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham.
5 - 1975: Emerson Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace, Jody Scheckter, Jochen Mass, Niki Lauda.
5 - 1983: Nelson Piquet, John Watson, Alain Prost, Patrick Tambay, Keke Rosberg.
5 - 2012: Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Pastor Maldonado.
31 people treated after garage explosion
Barely 90 minutes after Maldonado's historic win there was an explosion and fire in the Williams garage as wheelchair-bound team founder Sir Frank Williams, who had recently turned 70, addressed a celebratory party. Thirty one people required medical attention -- only four of them Williams team members -- and seven needed to be taken from the track medical centre to hospital.
It was a reminder that, no matter how good things sometimes after in motorsport, you never know -- nor can be complacent about -- what might be around the corner.
Motorsport's governing Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is investigating and hopefully there was nothing untoward in the fuel drum that exploded.
Williams has had a lot of changes of personnel, particularly near the top, in the past year. Long-serving Australian technical director Sam Michael departed after the team's long absence from the winner's circle, ironically resurfacing in a different role at great rival team McLaren.
Michael's replacement at Williams is Mike Coghlan, a former employee of the late Tom Walkinshaw's defunct Arrows F1 team and who was banned from the sport when at McLaren, which was found in the 2008 "Spygate" scandal to have obtained loads of secret information about that year's Ferrari.
Coghlan's appointment at Williams raised eyebrows but he had served his suspension, albeit shortened.
Provided nothing is found to have been amiss with Maldonado's Williams the team's shock return to success will continue to be widely celebrated.
As much as Alonso would have loved to have won on his home soil and taken the championship lead outright, instead of sharing it with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who was sixth in Barcelona, he was thrilled for Maldonado. He and Raikkonen hoisted the Venezualan high on the podium.
But, as welcome as a new winner was, Maldonado's reaction lacked the joy of Australian Mark Webber's breakthrough victory in 2009.
Aussies out of the points
It was largely a GP to forget for Webber and fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo. They finished 11th and 13th respectively, with Ricciardo's young Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne sandwiched between them.
Webber didn't make it to the final stanza of qualifying, after Red Bull held him in the garage thinking his lap time would get him through. In the race he had two early stops, one to replace the nose of his car (something teammate Vettel also needed), and was baffled that his RB8 could not produce its best on a circuit where he had taken pole the previous two years -- and won so convincingly two years ago.
Ricciardo was outqualified by Frenchman Vergne but, despite finishing behind him too, felt his race was a progression on the previous outing in Bahrain, where sixth place on the grid had not translated into a haul of points.
Next up on the F1 calendar is Monaco, the crown jewel of the season.
Formula One drivers' world championship standings after five of 20 rounds -- 1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Red Bull-Renault) 61 points; 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain, Ferrari) 61; 3. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) 53; 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Lotus-Renault) 49; 5. Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 48; 6. Jenson Button (GB, McLaren-Mercedes) 45; 7. Nico Rosberg (Germany, Mercedes) 41; 8. Romain Grosjean (France, Lotus-Renault) 35; 9. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela, Williams-Renault) 29; 10. Sergio Perez (Mexico, Sauber-Ferrari) 22; 11. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan, Sauber-Ferrari) 19; 12. Paul Di Resta (GB, Force India-Mercedes) 15; 13. Bruno Senna (Brazil, Williams-Renault) 14; 14. Jean-Eric Vergne (France, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 4; 15. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany, Force India-Mercedes) 3; 16. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 2; 17. Felipe Massa (Brazil, Ferrari) 2; 18. Michael Schumacher (Germany, Mercedes) 2.
F1 constructors' championship standings -- 1. Red Bull-Renault 109 points; 2. McLaren-Mercedes 98; 3. Lotus-Renault 84; 4. Ferrari 63; 5. Mercedes, Williams-Renault 43; 7. Sauber-Ferrari 41; 8. Force India-Mercedes 18; 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6.
Creek's in favour, Homebush on way out?
An announcement is due early next week on Eastern Creek, the western Sydney circuit that recently has been upgraded and has regained a V8 Super car games Championship round in August -- instead of a new overseas event. The circuit now has three alternative layouts and a name change is anticipated.
This author seems to recall that it was named in honour of Australia's triple F1 world champion Sir Jack Brabham in the 1990s but that the name never actually stuck.
Eastern Creek's return to favour as the only permanent circuit in the country's largest city coincides with increasing speculation about the future of the annual street race at the Homebush Olympic site.
The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, which has strongly backed that event, carried a report yesterday that its days appeared numbered and that, even if it survives a little longer, it may not remain the season finale.
V8 Supercars chief Tony Cochrane relentlessly pursued a Sydney street race but, apart from it not being a financial success and its TV figures being little changed from those of previous Eastern Creek rounds, it is seen as a legacy of disgraced former NSW Labor government minister Ian Macdonald.
Martian Ambrose happy but Hendrick team big winner
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick chalked up his 200th victory in American stock car racing's premier series with five-time champion driver Jimmie Johnson's victory in a Chevrolet at the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina.
Australian Marcos Ambrose had his best finish of the season -- ninth in a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.
"I came from Mars ... I re-entered orbit around lap 260 and the last 80 laps was a lot of fun," Ambrose said. "We were two laps down and just fought our way back."
Johnson's win was his 56th, while Hendrick's 200 have included three in the Daytona 500, a string of successes in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis -- and 10 championships.
Wheels turning at Brickyard but big guns yet to fire
Practice for the Indianapolis 500 openwheeler classic on May 28, Australian time, is underway -- with unlikely pacesetters. Colombian Sebastian Saavedra has clocked the best lap so far in this year's wide-bodied Dallara cars, circulating The Brickyard at 221.526 mph (356.5 kmh) for Andretti Autosport.
Rookies Bryan Clauson and day one leader Josef Newgarden were second and third for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and New Zealander Scott Dixon fourth for Chip Ganassi at 220.829 mph.
The only two drivers using Lotus engines, 47-year-old ex-F1 ace but Indy rookie Jean Alesi and Switzerland's Simona de Silvestro, have had the two slowest cars and are yet to come within the crucial 105 per cent of the fastest car. Alesi ran 205.265 mph on the 31st of his 32 laps on Sunday with newcomer team Fan Force United but had gone 209.438 mph on Saturday.
De Silvestro, with HVM Racing, posted her fastest lap of 202.179 mph on her final lap on Sunday but complained that "we don't have enough power".
Lotus and Dragon Racing, run by Roger Penske's son Jay, are still in dispute, which has stalled Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais' first attempt at the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since 2005 and rookie Katherine Legge. However, they may yet get Chevrolet engines as practice continues today ahead of next Saturday's qualifying for pole position.
Roger Penske's trio of drivers -- Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe, and Brazilian three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves -- have not been fussed about quick times yet but are likely to be strong contenders for pole in this most prestigious of Indy races.
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Vale an automotive genius, Carroll Shelby
He was a top driver but it was as a designer and engineer that Car games roll Shelby generated the style and performance for which he will always be revered
Carroll Shelby, the father of the muscle car and the Ford GT40 that ended Ferrari's dominance at Le Mans, has died, aged 89.
Shelby was a man of many parts -- at various times a chicken farmer, an African safari operator, a diamond dealer and a marketer of a chilli mix he sold to Nestlé. He was married seven times but "didn't count the second one 'cause it happened in Mexico".
Texan Shelby won Le Mans driving an Aston-Martin in 1959 and set land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but it was as a race and sports car designer and engineer that he was revered.
Shelby created the Cobra in 1962, marrying a sports car chassis and body from AC Ace in Britain to a high-powered Ford V8 engine.
Four years later Ford GT40s finished one, two, three at Le Mans in a monumental triumph for American engineering over the Europeans, especially Ferrari.
The next year a development of the GT40, the Mark IV, won the French 24-hour classic. Lee Iacocca, then running Ford, had already assigned Shelby to produce a high-performance, sportier version of his Mustang to compete with Chevrolet's Corvette -- and he came up with the fastback.
During six decades in the motor industry he also worked for General Motors' Oldsmobile division and for Chrysler, where Iacocca had him create the Dodge Viper. His entry to the car industry had been through a Dallas dealership in which a co-owner was another Texan automotive genius, Jim Hall, of Chaparral fame, and together they created a handful of Scaglietti Corvettes.
Shelby's career ended with a consultancy back at Ford. The 2013 Shelby GT 500 on which he collaborated has the most powerful production V8 engine in the world -- 662 horsepower -- and a top speed of 200mph (320kmh).
Announcing his death, without disclosing the cause (thought to be from pneumonia), Joe Conway, president of Carroll Shelby International, said: "There has been no one like Carroll Shelby and never will be. He is perhaps the only person to have worked at a visible level with all three American automobile manufacturers."
Shelby had survived a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.
In between he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
"Performance is my business," he used to say. When asked his favourite among all the cars he had created he invariably said "the next one".
Edsel B. Ford said of Shelby: "Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him."
But perhaps it was Carol Flake, writing in the Texas Monthly magazine in 1995, who said it best. Flake had been taken for a ride in a 30-year-old Shelby Cobra and said that anybody lucky enough to have that experience "may never feel the same way about cars again".
"It's a little like riding a runaway thoroughbred after trotting around a ring on a pony," she said. "Fear melts into awe."
Carroll Shelby was a man who forever will be held in awe.
Carroll Shelby, the father of the muscle car and the Ford GT40 that ended Ferrari's dominance at Le Mans, has died, aged 89.
Shelby was a man of many parts -- at various times a chicken farmer, an African safari operator, a diamond dealer and a marketer of a chilli mix he sold to Nestlé. He was married seven times but "didn't count the second one 'cause it happened in Mexico".
Texan Shelby won Le Mans driving an Aston-Martin in 1959 and set land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but it was as a race and sports car designer and engineer that he was revered.
Shelby created the Cobra in 1962, marrying a sports car chassis and body from AC Ace in Britain to a high-powered Ford V8 engine.
Four years later Ford GT40s finished one, two, three at Le Mans in a monumental triumph for American engineering over the Europeans, especially Ferrari.
The next year a development of the GT40, the Mark IV, won the French 24-hour classic. Lee Iacocca, then running Ford, had already assigned Shelby to produce a high-performance, sportier version of his Mustang to compete with Chevrolet's Corvette -- and he came up with the fastback.
During six decades in the motor industry he also worked for General Motors' Oldsmobile division and for Chrysler, where Iacocca had him create the Dodge Viper. His entry to the car industry had been through a Dallas dealership in which a co-owner was another Texan automotive genius, Jim Hall, of Chaparral fame, and together they created a handful of Scaglietti Corvettes.
Shelby's career ended with a consultancy back at Ford. The 2013 Shelby GT 500 on which he collaborated has the most powerful production V8 engine in the world -- 662 horsepower -- and a top speed of 200mph (320kmh).
Announcing his death, without disclosing the cause (thought to be from pneumonia), Joe Conway, president of Carroll Shelby International, said: "There has been no one like Carroll Shelby and never will be. He is perhaps the only person to have worked at a visible level with all three American automobile manufacturers."
Shelby had survived a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.
In between he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
"Performance is my business," he used to say. When asked his favourite among all the cars he had created he invariably said "the next one".
Edsel B. Ford said of Shelby: "Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him."
But perhaps it was Carol Flake, writing in the Texas Monthly magazine in 1995, who said it best. Flake had been taken for a ride in a 30-year-old Shelby Cobra and said that anybody lucky enough to have that experience "may never feel the same way about cars again".
"It's a little like riding a runaway thoroughbred after trotting around a ring on a pony," she said. "Fear melts into awe."
Carroll Shelby was a man who forever will be held in awe.
Last Saabs for sale
After 25 years of convertible business, Saab signs off with an Independence Edition soft-top
A limited number of hand-finished Saab convertibles have been released for sale in the UK. Referred to as "the last" right-hand drive 9-3 models, the "Final MY12" offering will total just 26.
The Independence Edition convertibles were assembled by "a dedicated and loyal workforce" at Trollhattan, Sweden and are based on the top-spec Aero model.
Equipped with Saab's 1.9-litre twin turbo diesel and six-speed automatic transmission, the Independence models are distinguished by car games bon fibre trim embellishments, orange-stitched leather upholstery and new-style five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels. Each will come with its serial number on the rear side window.
The last-of-the-line Saab starts at 22,750 pounds (approximately AU$37K). Saab Australia representatives could not be reached for comment.
While Saab was officially placed into receivership last December receivership last December, vehicle owners were assured parts supply would continue as Saab Parts AB in Sweden was outside the effects of the bankruptcy on the vehicle manufacturing arm.
In January, Saab Automobile Parts UK was established and has since arranged new contracts with suppliers. More promising news followed in late April, with the announcement body parts production had resumed at Saab's Trollhatten plant.
Lennart Stahl, CEO of Saab Automobile Parts AB, said: "These agreements, together with recently signed new contracts with key suppliers, are part of a comprehensive program to ensure a consistent supply of parts for Saab vehicles, both short and long term."
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site.
A limited number of hand-finished Saab convertibles have been released for sale in the UK. Referred to as "the last" right-hand drive 9-3 models, the "Final MY12" offering will total just 26.
The Independence Edition convertibles were assembled by "a dedicated and loyal workforce" at Trollhattan, Sweden and are based on the top-spec Aero model.
Equipped with Saab's 1.9-litre twin turbo diesel and six-speed automatic transmission, the Independence models are distinguished by car games bon fibre trim embellishments, orange-stitched leather upholstery and new-style five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels. Each will come with its serial number on the rear side window.
The last-of-the-line Saab starts at 22,750 pounds (approximately AU$37K). Saab Australia representatives could not be reached for comment.
While Saab was officially placed into receivership last December receivership last December, vehicle owners were assured parts supply would continue as Saab Parts AB in Sweden was outside the effects of the bankruptcy on the vehicle manufacturing arm.
In January, Saab Automobile Parts UK was established and has since arranged new contracts with suppliers. More promising news followed in late April, with the announcement body parts production had resumed at Saab's Trollhatten plant.
Lennart Stahl, CEO of Saab Automobile Parts AB, said: "These agreements, together with recently signed new contracts with key suppliers, are part of a comprehensive program to ensure a consistent supply of parts for Saab vehicles, both short and long term."
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site.
BMW packs more into new 3 Touring
Class-leading car games go capacity will be a hallmark of the new 3 Series Touring, says BMW
discount new cars Get the best price on a new BMW
BMW claims to have set a new benchmark for luggage space with its stylish new 3 Series Touring wagon.
A huge seller in its native Europe, the 3 Series Touring will have its cargo area bumped up 495 litres when it launches in its domestic market in August.
Powered by a lone petrol engine and a pair of diesels in its initial wave, the 3 Series Touring will also be longer, more economical and faster than the old version.
Identical to the all-new 3 Series from the front bumper back to the B-Pillar, the redesigned Touring is all change from the rear doors back, as well as stretched to be 97mm longer than the sedan.
More than half of that is in the wheelbase, with the rear wheels sitting 50mm further back than they do in the sedan, though the car is up to 40kg lighter than its predecessor.
BMW has also given it a 40:20:40 split in the folding rear seat, which gives the five-door wagon the potential to offer a 1500-litre cargo capacity in a machine whose standard format already offers 35 litres more luggage space than the old 3 Series Touring.
The extra wheelbase has largely been dedicated to luggage space, though, because the extra 50mm translates to only 17mm more rear knee room than the sedan.
Its cargo area has been carefully crafted with Audi in mind, containing an array of hooks, compartmentalisation options, sliding rails, cargo nets and a cargo cover that can be dispatched to stow beneath the rear floor. It retains the separate rear window operation of the old car, too, and its loading lip is still low, at 620mm off the ground.
It offers the typically huge BMW range of options, including a hands-free foot-swiping arrangement to open the tailgate, but will be based around Modern, Luxury and Sport packages, though there is also an M Sport offering that rides lower and carries some bodywork and extra grip.
It will arrive initially in 328i, 320d and 330d form, with the 330d sitting smugly atop the TwinPower petrol engine as the flagship.
The six-cylinder turbodiesel outputs 10 percent more power, with 190kW, and thumps out 560Nm of torque from 1500rpm. It’s the fastest offering in the initial 3 Series Touring range, too, sprinting to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds, yet uses just 5.1 litres/100km on the combined European cycle.
It is also the heaviest, at 1600kg of dry kerb weight, which is 100kg more than the 328i.
The sole petrol offering, the four-cylinder, turbocharged 328i is marginally slower than the 330d, with its 180kW of power slipping it through to 100km/h in 6.05 seconds. It’s thirstier, too, at 6.8L/100km on the combined cycle (though that’s a 10 percent improvement over the old 325i Touring) and less flexible, thanks to its 350Nm falling more than 200Nm shy of the big-punching six.
The base engine is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel in the 320d, with 380Nm of torque and 135kW of power. It’s also the lightest at 1490kg and uses the least fuel, at 4.7L/100km, and shrinks the faster car’s 17-inch wheels down to 16-inch, shedding its standard run-flat rubber for old-school pneumatic tyres on the way.
All three cars will be available with manual transmissions (in Europe, anyway), though the optional eight-speed automatic is both faster and more economical, even if it adds another 30kg.
The family won’t stop there though, with BMW already planning to introduce a 320i, a 316d and a 318d in Europe before the end of the year.
discount new cars Get the best price on a new BMW
BMW claims to have set a new benchmark for luggage space with its stylish new 3 Series Touring wagon.
A huge seller in its native Europe, the 3 Series Touring will have its cargo area bumped up 495 litres when it launches in its domestic market in August.
Powered by a lone petrol engine and a pair of diesels in its initial wave, the 3 Series Touring will also be longer, more economical and faster than the old version.
Identical to the all-new 3 Series from the front bumper back to the B-Pillar, the redesigned Touring is all change from the rear doors back, as well as stretched to be 97mm longer than the sedan.
More than half of that is in the wheelbase, with the rear wheels sitting 50mm further back than they do in the sedan, though the car is up to 40kg lighter than its predecessor.
BMW has also given it a 40:20:40 split in the folding rear seat, which gives the five-door wagon the potential to offer a 1500-litre cargo capacity in a machine whose standard format already offers 35 litres more luggage space than the old 3 Series Touring.
The extra wheelbase has largely been dedicated to luggage space, though, because the extra 50mm translates to only 17mm more rear knee room than the sedan.
Its cargo area has been carefully crafted with Audi in mind, containing an array of hooks, compartmentalisation options, sliding rails, cargo nets and a cargo cover that can be dispatched to stow beneath the rear floor. It retains the separate rear window operation of the old car, too, and its loading lip is still low, at 620mm off the ground.
It offers the typically huge BMW range of options, including a hands-free foot-swiping arrangement to open the tailgate, but will be based around Modern, Luxury and Sport packages, though there is also an M Sport offering that rides lower and carries some bodywork and extra grip.
It will arrive initially in 328i, 320d and 330d form, with the 330d sitting smugly atop the TwinPower petrol engine as the flagship.
The six-cylinder turbodiesel outputs 10 percent more power, with 190kW, and thumps out 560Nm of torque from 1500rpm. It’s the fastest offering in the initial 3 Series Touring range, too, sprinting to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds, yet uses just 5.1 litres/100km on the combined European cycle.
It is also the heaviest, at 1600kg of dry kerb weight, which is 100kg more than the 328i.
The sole petrol offering, the four-cylinder, turbocharged 328i is marginally slower than the 330d, with its 180kW of power slipping it through to 100km/h in 6.05 seconds. It’s thirstier, too, at 6.8L/100km on the combined cycle (though that’s a 10 percent improvement over the old 325i Touring) and less flexible, thanks to its 350Nm falling more than 200Nm shy of the big-punching six.
The base engine is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel in the 320d, with 380Nm of torque and 135kW of power. It’s also the lightest at 1490kg and uses the least fuel, at 4.7L/100km, and shrinks the faster car’s 17-inch wheels down to 16-inch, shedding its standard run-flat rubber for old-school pneumatic tyres on the way.
All three cars will be available with manual transmissions (in Europe, anyway), though the optional eight-speed automatic is both faster and more economical, even if it adds another 30kg.
The family won’t stop there though, with BMW already planning to introduce a 320i, a 316d and a 318d in Europe before the end of the year.
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