SPOILER ALERT: The Fat Lady Sings at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix
Oct 18, 2009 Object
Filed under: Motorsports, South America
2009 Brazilian Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery
“Everything can change in a New York minute.” It’s a good thing Don Henley wrote his hit song twenty years before this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Because “in an Interlagos minute” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. But it does go to show how quickly fortunes can be reversed over the course of a race distance. Especially when the championship is on the line.
With two races to go, the F1 circus rolled in to Sao Paulo with Jenson Button - winner of six grands prix this season - leading his Brawn GP team-mate, hometown hero and chief rival Rubens Barrichello 85 to 71, with Red Bull challenger Sebastian Vettel - fresh from victory in Japan - trailing with 69 points. The most likely scenarios placed Button clinching the title right here at the penultimate championship round, if not at the final race in Abu Dhabi two weeks from now.
But the heavens seemed to have a different plan when torrential downpours put a hamper on Saturday’s qualifying session. Once the rain stopped, yesterday’s proved to be the longest qualifying session in Formula One history, and the order came out all messed up. Instead of placing up at the front of the grid, Button and Vettel found themselves way down the pecking order in 14th and 16th positions. In their place, their respective wingmen Barrichello and Webber started 1st and 2nd on the grid, with half a field’s worth of back-markers separating them. Follow the jump to read how the race unfolded.
Gallery: 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix
Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: The Fat Lady Sings at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix
SPOILER ALERT: The Fat Lady Sings at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: brawn gp, brazil, brazilian, brazilian grand prix, follow-the-jump, formula 1, formula1, formulaone, mark webber, penultimate, red bull, sings-at-the, south america
Congress approves three-wheelers for DOE funds
Filed under: Government/Legal
Aptera 2e final design rendering - Click above to enlarge
Following months of debate, Congress has approved a bill that will pave the way for three-wheeled vehicle manufacturers like Aptera to qualify for funding from the Department of Energy. Next step: President Obama’s desk, and the Commander-in-Chief is reportedly expected to sign the bill into law in short order. Rep. Brian Bilbray, a Republican from California who co-sponsored the bill, says:
This is a huge win for scientific innovation and the environment. We need more innovation and less regulation when it comes to promoting new ways to save energy while saving money at the pump.
Indeed, three-wheeled vehicle platforms sometimes have the potential to use less energy to operate than their four-wheeled siblings, though some still question the inherent safety of such designs. Assuming the bill passes the President’s desk, any manufacturer of enclosed three-wheeled vehicles that can carry at least two adults while returning at least 75 miles per gallon will be eligible for funding, though the DOE will still approve applications on a case-by-case basis.
Gallery: Aptera
[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]
Congress approves three-wheelers for DOE funds originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-friend-via, brazilian, breaking, brian-bilbray, congress, department of energy, departmentofenergy, follow-the-jump, less-regulation, potential, president-obama, sings-at-the, though-the-doe, three-wheel, three-wheeledcar
