Have you seen this at beach volleyball before?
March 29, 2009
Check out this video from a few days ago. It is at a beach volleyball tournament in the states. Gotta feel sorry for the interviewer…
This took place in the morning. Was she sick or out partying all night?
Jenson Button Wins First F1 GP in 2009
March 29, 2009
Brawn GP was not a name on F1 fans minds a few months ago. In fact they did not even exist. The Honda team decided to pull out of F1 and team Brawn GP was born. Richard Branson got behind the team and now the rest is history.
Jenson Button not long ago thought he was out of a job as a F1 driver, now he is the winner of the first grand prix in 2009 as he took the win after starting from pole. It is really a fairytale beginning for Button and the Brawn GP team as not only did Button win but Rubens Barrichello crossed the line in second to give the team a one-two result.
The Melbourne Grand Prix got off to a dramatic start as several cars tangled on the first corner just after the start. Jenson Button was off to a perfect start as he cleared out to around a four second lead.
Sebastian Vettel was pushing Button for most of the race but an error late in the race saw him have contact with Robert Kubica to ruin a good race for both.
The race ended with the safety car leading the field home. Button’s win was his second grand prix win.
Ferrari had a shocker with both cars out of the points, 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton took fourth place.
What a great start for the 2009 F1 season. The win by Brawn GP was the first time a new team had won on debut since the 50′s.
The Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia;
58 laps; 307.574km;
Weather: Sunny.
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button Brawn GP (B) 1h34:15.784
2. Barrichello Brawn GP (B) + 0.807
3. Trulli Toyota (B) + 1.604
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 2.914
5. Glock Toyota (B) + 4.435
6. Alonso Renault (B) + 4.879
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 5.722
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 6.004
9. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 6.298
10. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) + 6.335
11. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 7.085
12. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 7.374
13. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
14. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) + 2 laps
15. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 3 laps
16. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 3 laps
Fastest lap: Rosberg, 1:27.706
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Massa Ferrari (B) 46
Piquet Renault (B) 25
Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 18
Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1
F1 Champion To Be Decided By Wins in 2009
March 29, 2009
In a dramatic change from the past the F1 drivers champion will be decided by the number of race wins in a season.
Points will still be awarded at the end of each race. The points will be used to order the drivers however the champion will be the driver to collect the most wins throughout the 2009 F1 season. The current 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system will stay in place.
If there is a tie for the number of wins then the points come into play.
What do you think of the change to how the Formula One champion will be decided. Leave a comment below.
F1 Season 2009 – Rule Changes
March 29, 2009
The 2009 Formula One season started in Melbourne Sunday afternoon. In a first for the Australian grand prix the race started just after 5pm local time. This was done to allow the European fans a chance to watch the race later in the morning.
The 2009 F1 season sees quite a few rule changes come into play.
The main aims of the rule changes are increased reliability and further cost reductions for the teams. In the case of the technical changes, there are three main objectives – reducing the role of aerodynamics in the cars’ performance; making overtaking easier; and keeping lap times in check.
Below is a summary of the F1 rule changes.
Tyres
Return to slicks after 10 years of grooved.
Drivers will still have the choice of two dry tyre compounds and will still have to use both compounds during a race. Bridgestone will select the two compounds for each race from their four-compound range – super-soft, soft, medium and hard. However, unlike in 2008, they will not select two consecutive compounds, so the difference between ‘harder’ and ‘softer’ at any given race will be far greater. A green band on the sidewall will distinguish the softer compound.
Standard wet-weather tyres will now officially be known as ‘intermediates’, and extreme wet-weather tyres will be referred to simply as ‘wets’. The latter will feature a green central groove.
Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)
From 2009 teams have the option of employing a KERS to boost their car’s performance. KERS recovers the (normally wasted) kinetic energy generated by the car’s braking process. This energy is stored using a mechanical flywheel or an electrical battery and then made available to the driver, in set amounts per lap, via a ‘boost button’ on the steering wheel.
Engines
Rev limits will be cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm.
Aerodynamics
This with the tyre change is the biggest area of change for 2009. Downforce to be dramatically reduced and the cars’ bodywork will appear much cleaner, thanks to new dimensional regulations that effectively outlaw extraneous items such as barge boards, winglets, turning vanes and chimneys on most areas of the car.
The front wing becomes lower (75mm from 150mm) and wider (up from 1400 to 1800mm – the same width as the car) with driver-adjustable flaps. Drivers will be allowed to make two wing adjustments per lap, altering the wing angle over a six-degree range.
The rear wing becomes taller (up 150mm to bring it level with the top of the engine cover) and narrower (750mm from 1000mm).
Also at the back of the car, the diffuser has been moved rearwards, its leading edge now level with (rather than ahead of) the rear-wheel axle line. In addition, the diffuser has been made longer and higher, all changes that will reduce its ability to generate downforce.
Testing
From 2009 onwards testing is not allowed during the race season (from the week prior to the first Grand Prix until December 31) and is limited to 15,000 kilometres.
Safety car
The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety-car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. Software using GPS will be used to control the speed of return into the pits. The rule will stagger the pit arrivals.
Pre-race weights
After qualifying, the FIA will publish the weight at which all cars are expected to start the race, giving spectators an accurate gauge of what fuel load each driver is carrying.
The full text of the F1 rule changes is available at F1.com
Nick D’Arcy Sentence Handed Down
March 28, 2009
Australian swimmer Nick D’Arcy has avoided jail after receiving a suspended sentence of 14 months and 12 days for his attack on former Australian swim team member Simon Cowley.
This means D’Arcy is now able to take his spot in the team to represent Australia at the swimming world championships in Rome in July, that is unless Swimming Australia steps in and dishes out further penalty. The judiciary panel meets next week.
Outside the court D’Arcy apologized to Cowley for what he had done and said he hoped that one day Cowley could forgive him. D’Arcy also apologized to the Australian public for what he had done. He also raised the topic of excess alcohol and how to behave when drinking.
Excess drinking is a big problem in Australian society and it is good that D’Arcy raised this problem.
In the court case details of the incident which took place outside the Loft Bar on King Street in Sydney showed that Cowley had first slapped D’Arcy across the face. D’Arcy then went on to punch Cowley. I think what D’Arcy did was wrong but you have to say Cowley’s actions were also inappropriate especially considering the influence of alcohol.
What do you think of the sentence handed down to D’Arcy? Leave your comments below.
Armstrong Hurt In Race Fall
March 24, 2009
Lance Armstrong has broken his collarbone after taking a tumble in an event in Spain on Monday. He fell along with some other riders while competing in the first stage of the Tour of Castilla y Leon in Central Spain.
Armstrong was taken to hospital after the fall where he underwent an x-ray which revealed he had suffered a break in the middle of his right collarbone.
The cycling legend in now in doubt for the Giro d’Italia in May and also this will obviously hamper preparations for the Tour de France later this year.
Armstrong will head back to the US to recover from the accident. It is the first such injury for Armstrong.
Latest Tennis Videos
March 23, 2009
Some of the latest videos from the Voxant News room cover beach tennis, the new super Madrid Tennis center and many more…
Red Hot Liverpool Defeat Aston Villa 5-0
March 23, 2009
Liverpool made the most of their opportunity to close in on Manchester United at the top of the English Premier League. The defeated Aston Villa 5-0 to move to within one point of Man U. United do have a game in hand so effectively their lead could be four points however they have to win to create that margin.
Liverpool saw goals to Dirk Kuyt, Albert Riera and Steven Gerrard’s first Premier League hat-trick to setup the win. The 5-0 win follows up from their 4-1 win over Manchester United and the mid-week 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid in the Champions League.
If only Liverpool could have converted some of the many draws at Anfield this season to wins they would have been cruising at the top. The Liverpool win sets up an exciting climax to the Premier League season. Manchester United still of course have the title in the bag if theyare good enough, however they will be feeling the pressure from Liverpool.
In a good test of current form Liverpool and Manchester United swap opponents next weekend. Liverpool travel to Craven Cottage to take on United’s conquerers from this weekend, Fulham, while Manchester United play host to Aston Villa, a team on a slide. Also lets not write off Chelsea too soon, they play Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
Warriors Snatch Points From Manly
March 22, 2009
Manly the 2008 NRL Premiers are still winless after round two of the 2009 NRL season. The premiers were rocked by the Brent Stewart incident just before the season kicked off and did not look like winning their first round match, as more than likely they heads were elsewhere.
Today against the New Zealand Warriors Manly looked likely to claim their first win after being ahead 24-16 with 10 minutes left. Manly had started the match well going out to a 10-0 lead after a Michael Bani try after 7 minutes and Jamie Lyons try after 11 minutes.
After 25 minutes the Warriors had taken the lead and they took a 16-10 lead into the halftime break. Early in the second half Manly scored three tries to look like they would secure the points before a Brent Tate try on 70 minutes and a late Joe Ropati try levelled the scores. It was left to Denan Kemp to kick the conversion to take the match for the Warriors. As time ran out he did just that to give the Warriors a 26-24 victory.
In the other match on Sunday the Sydney Roosters turned around their first round thrashing at the hands of South Sydney to defeat the Canberra Raiders in Canberra. The final score was 28-4. The match was evenly poised at halftime with the Roosters up 4-0. The made a 24-0 run to seal the match. The Raiders scored a late consolation try as time ran out.
Fulham 2 Man Utd 0 – EPL Title Race Comes Alive
March 22, 2009
Last weekend we saw Liverpool soundly defeat Manchester United to give themselves a glimmer of hope of taking the English Premier League title.
On Saturday a nine-man Manchester United went down to Fulham 2-0. Liverpool now has a big opportunity to close in on Man U with their Sunday match against Aston Villa at Anfield. Currently with both teams having played 29 matches Liverpool are four points behind.
Fulham inflicted back-to-back EPL defeats on Manchester United for the first since April 2005. Danny Murphy had given Fulham the lead after 17 minutes when he converted from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded after Paul Scholes handled a header from Bobby Zamora, that same incident saw Scholes awarded a red card as the header was goal bound.
The match was sealed when Zoltan Gera scored with three minutes left to play.
Wayne Rooney was given a red card just seconds later for a second bookable offence. This saw United end the match with just nine men.
Second placed Chelsea also suffered a loss as they went down 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Luka Modric did the damage as he scored a great goal on 50 minutes after connecting well with Aaron Lennon’s cross to fire home from 18 yards. The loss was the first for Chelsea since new manager Guus Hiddink took over at the club.
In other EPL results Blackburn and West Ham drew 1-1, Arsenal defeated Newcastle 3-1, Portsmouth defeated Everton 2-1, Stoke defeated Middlesbrough 1-0 and West Brom and Bolton played a 1-1 draw
