F1 Bahrain Race

Here we go for the first race of the 2010 season and anticipation is very high for the first race as well as all the excitement to come. The new Mercedes SLS course car looks a mean machine and I have no doubt we shall hear the roar of this beast many times during the season.

It is great to have Ayrton's nephew, Bruno Senna on the grid and what an evocative name back in the sport along with Lotus and didn't it look spooky as he opened his visa when he broke down, I am sure we all wish them well. It was also nice to see the line up of F1 previous world champions and Martin spoke to Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on the grid and Damon was seen many times over the weekend. Names like Nicki Lauda, John Surtees, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher are evocative names in the world of F1.

At the second longest circuit of the season at 3.94 miles, the full tanks will mean the cars go faster as the race develops over the 49 laps. The lap record of 1.33.43 from 2009 will stand after this race due to the changes to the circuit and with a track temperature of 39 and air temperature of 36 it is going to be a hot race for all concerned.

The flag dropped and Sebastian shot into the lead from pole but Fernando passed Felipe at turn 2 in a classic overtaking move, Nico passed Lewis as he made a mistake running wide and mayhem happened behind at the back of the grid. It appears to me the plumes of smoke that, for some reason appeared from the back of Mark's Red Bull put off the followers and apart from dropping him back it also lost Robert many places.

Unfortunately then it became somewhat of a procession and it appears to me the drivers appeared to be driving very conservatively to protect their tyres and fuel loads. I sincerely hope this is not the case or this season could become a Fernando benefit.

So Sebastian held his lead followed by Fernando, Felipe, Nico, Lewis, Michael, Jenson and Mark but not particularly close and not really competing with each other. At the first tyre stop Lewis nipped in front of Nico and that was that done for Lewis but he never really got on terms with Felipe.

At the back we lost the unfortunate Karun Chandruk (HRT Cosworth) after only 1 lap with an accident across the bump, then Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Cosworth) went next. Then came a rash of failures including Kamui 11 Laps (Sauber Ferrari), Vitaly Petrov 13 Laps (Renault), Timo 16 Laps (Virgin Cosworth), Bruno Senna 17 Laps and finally Pedro de la Rosa 28 Laps (Sauber Ferrari).

However, Lotus did a fantastic job in their first GP for many years with both cars there at the finish so well done Heikki and Jarno. Williams also did a great job with Rubens in 10th and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th. It is fair to suggest there was more swapping and changing amongst the last 10 on the grid and at times, although we didn't see that much of it, it was quite exciting.

So back to the front and all seemed well but all of a sudden Sebastian started to slow slightly dropping a couple of seconds and it became apparent he had a broken exhaust. So, Fernando pounced into the lead that he was never to lose. Felipe kept in contention as he also passed Sebastian who forlornly pressed on.

I must pay tribute to Felipe as it is fantastic for us all to see him back and to come 2nd in his first race since his tragic accident can only be called fantastic for him, his fans, for us and Ferrari. Well done Felipe and we wish you all the best for the future and in your fight with Fernando.

Then Lewis passed the lonely Sebastian and that was basically the end of the race really albeit Nico was closing fast on Sebastian but all in vain as he failed by a short margin.

All the talk prior to the start was obviously about the comeback king Michael Schumacher and I suppose by his standards he didn't have a good weekend. In this sport the first thing you must do is beat your team mate and he was .5 secs behind Nico Rosberg all weekend.

So the final grid was Fernando (25), Felipe (18), Lewis (15), Sebastian (12), Nico (10), Michael (8), Jenson (6), Mark (4), Vitantonio (2) and last in the top 10 and points scorer Rubens (1).

So what have we learnt from today:

In the top team mate war: Fernando and Felipe very close, Lewis well in front of Jenson, Nico well in front of Michael, Sebastian far in front Mark.

Concern must be expressed about the new tyre and refuelling regulations as it could bring boring racing as the drivers have no alternative but to protect the cars. Engines now have to last 3 races, tyres are more restricted through race day and fuel has obviously to be conserved or the cars wouldn't reach the flag.

So congratulations to Fernando and Felipe and the Ferrari team but let us hope this is not the start of a procession as has happened in the past with Ferrari in Michael's hands!

F1 Driver Line up 2010

Well here we go and only 5 days before the weekends are again full of our favourite sport. The circus starts in Bahrain for a change this season with Australia coming second. Below is the final line-up of drivers teams as of Monday 8 March 2010.

This looks a very interesting line up with new cars, new teams and new stars which should be a very interesting season. Competition will run rife amongst team mates with the likes of partnerships such as Lewis/Jenson, Michael/Nico, Felipe/Fernando, Mark/Sebastian and the other top starts such as Rubens & Robert there to prove points make prizes.

Great also to see Peter Sauber back where he belongs on the pit wall with a strong driver line up including the star of the last 2 races in 2009, Kamui Kobayashi. Let us hope they have a great yet safe season and we wll wish them well.

The F1 Drivers and Teams:

Jenson Button

Lewis Hamilton

Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes

Nico Rosberg

Michael Schumacher

Brawn GP F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel

Mark Webber

Red Bull Racing Renault

Felipe Massa

Fernando Alonso

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

Rubens Barrichello

Nico Hulkenberg

AT & T Williams Cosworth

Robert Kubica

Vitaly Petrov

Renault F1 Team

Adrian Sutil

Vitantonio Liuzzi

Force Indai F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Buemi

Jamie Alguersuari

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari - TBA

Jarno Trulli

Heikki Kovalainen

TBA Lotus F1 Racing Cosworth

Pedro De La Rosa

Kamui Kobayashi

Sauber

Karun Chandhok

Bruno Senna

Campos Meta

Timo Glock

Lucas Di Grassi

Virgin Racing - Manor Grand Prix Cosworth

Monaco Grand Prix

Over the Monaco weekend there were many talks about the budget cap for 2010. All the teams are at least in agreement with the cap on spending but how it's done appears to be the issue. Reading between the lines it now transpires the budget cap won't be applied in full until 2011 with reductions in 2010.

The breakaway series appears to have gone away so at least we are sure of F1 continuing in its present form as all we armchair spectators want it to. My concern is all the changes are going to water down the sport and the politics are getting worse which I am sure the sport does not need.

With a further meeting, 27 May, it will be interesting to see which of the teams lodge their 2010 entry as the only team to enter at this point is Williams.

Anyway, back to the race. It was an interesting race with mixed strategies which always make it interesting. Jenson shot off pole into Ste Devote and never really got challenged from there. In the meanwhile Rubens had a great start and beat Kimi into the first corner and he never really relinquished that position either.

After a shakedown the Ferrari's gathered behind the Brawn's and again were never really challenged finishing three (Kimi) and four (Felipe). They have closed the gap on Brawn and the best showing of their season so far. The cars looked sharper, more driveable and definitely much more on the pace.

Lewis struggled all day from his lowly grid position, made even worse by a gearbox change. He finished a lowly 12th and again nil points. Heikki on the other hand had a strong start faded to 7th and then hit the wall at the swimming pool, knocked off the nose and out he went, an incident very similar to Fernando's accident during quali.

Behind the Ferrari's Mark (Webber) drove a great race to finish 5th followed by a resurgent Nico who finished in his grid position of 6th. Fernando said his car felt better as the race went on to come in 7th and the last point scorer was Sebastien (Bourdais) earning a point for Toro Rosso.

Nelson Piquet was enjoying a good race until Sebastien (Buemi) decided to push him off the circuit into the armco at Ste Devote, so both were out.

Vettel started on super softs and was soon presenting a mobile chicane for many stuck behind him. Eventually he had to come in early as the tyres were shot. A lot of the teams were surprised how quickly the super softs went off and caused some strategy changes for the teams.

Vettell eventually attacked the armco at Ste Devote and his race was run. BMW continued their bad luck season with Heidfeld complaining the car wasn't quick enough and Kubica pulled out with brake problems.

So the race finished with Jenson (First) and Rubens (Second) and another Brawn 1,2. A rather amusing finish as Jenson decided he would ignore Monaco protocol and drive into the customary pit lane rather than the Monaco scenario of driving to the finishing lane and parking in front of the royal box.

Even after 78 laps around the streets of Monaco he was seen running to the start/finish lane which caused a little hilarity but confirms his fitness level.

So a Brawn 1,2 a Ferrari 3,4 followed by Red Bull, Williams, Renault and the last point to Toro Rosso.

Can anyone catch Jenson who now leads the championship by 16 points from Rubens on 35 and then the luckless Vettel at Monaco who has only 23 points. The constructors championship is obviously led by Brawn on a massive 86 points with their nearest rival (Red Bull) on a lowly 42.5.

One has to say it is not over yet but his points lead after 6 of 17 races is huge and it will take some failures from Brawn to water down such a massive lead. The reliability of the Brawn's to date has been exemplary to date and lets hope for Jenson and Rubens that continues.

So off we go to Turkey and what a thriller that will be with Ferrari coming back, Red Bull still improving, Williams getting nearer and let us all hope Mclaren find the downforce which is so sadly lacking so far this season.

Formula 1 Race Results Information

The story behind the Scorpion F1 website section and its involvement with SiriusPro.

My daughter Simone and son-in-law Chris launched SiriusPro some 5 years ago and are web programmers and search engine specialists in the UK and Spain. They produced the Scorpion website and I have had many compliments about its structure, ease of use and content. Through my long term interest in Formula 1 I asked if we could include a section on the site dedicated to F1.

For several years now I have produced a chart showing race by race points for both Drivers and Teams. The chart monitors race by race points, totals to date and retirements as well as grid to flag positions. The analysis is printed out after each race and goes into my car for my many motor racing customer fans. This chart is now available on the Scorpion website for you all to enjoy.

View our comprehensive Formula 1 Race Results Information and keep up to date with the news and data from all this season's formula 1 races.

The website shows race by race points for both drivers and teams as well as a complete schedule for the current season. I update the results shortly after each race and it shows quite clearly the ups and downs for all the drivers. You can now also look at stats from 2006 to monitor the progress of the drivers and teams over the past 4 seasons.

Whilst many sites publish points to date, I personally find it very interesting to look at the progress of drivers and teams as the season progresses. It is also interesting to look at the grid to flag analysis as well as the progression of drivers throughout the race which I call grid movers.

I can tell you at the moment Bourdais has the best grid to flag progression as follows:

• Australia 17th to 8th


• Malaysia 15th to 10th


• China 15th to 11th




• and the last race in Bahrain he went from




• Bahrain 20th to 13th

This gives him a total of 25 points as I allocate points from 1 to 20 for both race and grid.

I do believe this is the first time anyone has allocated points all the way down the field and it certainly throws up some interesting statistics. Should anyone wish to have a copy of the current standings please drop me an email and I would be happy to let you have a copy.

Formula 1 Race Results: Email

Back to our website which not only shows the full name of the drivers but their race number, tyre choice (which for this season is all Bridgestone anyway), points per race and total to date, retirements, grid position, race laps completed and the fastest lap. As I enter the latest results the positions are adjusted automatically to show the top driver and team.

The 1/2 points allocation for Malaysia didn't help at all but Chris has overcome the 0.5 points entries to reflect that on the site and I can't remember the last time that happened in F1.

To make the site more interesting for F1 fans it has links to the F1 Official website as well as the BBC F1 and ITV F1 sites. The tabs at the bottom of the Scorpion home page also include a link to Formula 1 news by way of keeping us all up to date with current events.

Obviously the site is under constant review to see how we can make it better and one of these days I will have the courage to ask Chris to expand it to contain the more diverse data I produce after each race. It is obviously more difficult on the website than using an Excel spreadsheet but we will get there one day.

I hope you will enjoy the Formula 1 Race Results we have been preparing and please do give us feedback!

Introduction to Scorpion EPH

Now, I have to tell you this is my first blog and when you have a daughter like mine you simply do as you are told. In the past few days she has had me flicking, twitting, roboforming and now finally it is time for the blogging bit. However, Simone and her husband Chris are a tremendous help and apart from being great friends they are both an integral part of my wife and I's lives. As a web design company based in Monda, Marbella, Spain they right and administer the Scorpion website and their input and expertise is invaluable so I just do as I am told. Their comment "just drive the car Dad, we'll do the rest".

I digress. Since the age of 9 my life has been connected with motor cars in all sizes, shapes and descriptions, from the small to the large. My first car was some model of a Morris Eight which cost my Dad the princely some of 3 quid but that was now some 53 years ago. All I ever did with it, apart from driving it around a field was to strip it down, repair the thing whether necessary or not, clean and polish it and go and get it dirty again. I then started work at 15 at the local Austin (a name from the past) dealership and progressed ultimately to sales where I thought my talent was destined.

At 19 I then started my own motor accessory shop and ultimately became the largest independant number supplier in the UK, serving new car dealerships throughout Yorkshire and Humberside and beyond. During the miners strike in the early 80's things weren't looking good with the economy (understatement). After being approached in 1979 by the Hire Car Operators in Jersey I commenced a weekly service there which progressed into the launch of PB Motor Plates (Jersey) Ltd serving the entire Islands requirements.

When I eventually sold the UK operation in 1982 we moved there as family in 1983. Life was good there but it was obvious we were never going to be able to purchase our own house there so moved back to the UK in 1990. However, the business still flourished but I found myself commuting each Monday and Friday which after a few years became too much.

My daughter was to fly the nest so the wife and I were left with 600 miles of Ocean between us 48 weeks of the year. This does not represent the most practical marital situation so the ultimate decision was to move away from Jersey altogether. So at 48 I started a new role as Southern Region Sales Manager for a Litter Bin manufacturer in South Yorkshire.

I thoroughtly enjoyed the next 10 years albeit an immense challenge. Starting basically from scratch with a company turnover of around 3 million in 1994, I developed the South particularly and when I parted company with them in 2004 it was up to around 8 million. It was however time for me to go back working for myself as I had done for the previous 30 years prior to joining them, but most people thought a career change at 58 madness!

As a complete change of direction I started Scorpion Executive Private Hire in 2004 but had a very fixed view of where I wanted to be in the sector. I wanted to deal with company executives and corporate business linked to my love for nice cars. Starting with a Peugeot 807 Executive was a perfect direction as it offered something diferent to most other operators being a 6 seater.

This worked well but I soon got bored with the humdrum of the holiday maker sector and still wanted again with the professionals in the Corporate sector. I then had my break with the gaining of a regular customer who I met through the 6 seater. The regularity of this business guided me to the sector I always wanted to serve.

Throwing caution to the wind and out of respect for his business I felt it appropriate to run a car rather then the multi function Peugeot 807. After long discussions I purchased a Volkswagen Touareg Altitude 3 Litre Tdi and was on my way. As my brother in law is a VW Luxury car dealer in South Yorkshire he sorts the cars out and I just drive them, seem to remeber that from somebody else!

The Corporate side of the business was now on its way. The main reason for the 4 x 4 Touareg is its prestigious off road capabilities. Trained by VW I started to go shooting with my main customer and apart from being a break from the norm it is a great day out in the fresh air with a lovely bunch of people.



Things moved onward and I eventually sold the Peugeot 807 leaving me with, as far as I am concerned the cream of the crop customers. 2007 came and went and the new corporate regime was working well. New customers came, new challenges presented themselves and I responded to them all.

I have always been a perfectionist in everything I do and have always loved to give to others. The Chauffeur business allows me to do all of those things whilst also enjoying it at the same time, a bonus.

In 2008 came the largest motor vehicle purchase I have ever made with the new VW Touareg Altitude 3 Litre Tdi but this time a change of colour and major investment in its technology. I htink the term is all singing and dancing and that's bascially what it does. The upgrade version of the Touareg is a revelation and much more refined than the original but of course techology moves on.


With Air Suspension, Zenon moving healdights, Electic Memory Seats, Keyless Entry, Tow Bar, Tyre Pressure monitoring and a whole host of my own on board technology. This new Touareg is far advanced from the other being quieter, smoother and most say a better colour for the Chauffeur business.

So there we are up to date. The new Touareg is now run in having covered 11,000 miles since late August, registration number B1 5EPH (Burton 1, Scorpion Executive Private Hire for the uninitiated) is in place and things are settling down again. The credit crunch is of course having its effect but I am sure we will overcome that.



I have started my trading title of PB Marketing again and the items you will see on my blog shortly will all be sold through that. With my connections with other Chauffeurs and customers most of the products I will be marketing will be directed at that medium.

However, I have a very strict principle which has stood me in good stead for many years and it is simply "Only Sell the Best Products, from the top companies and use them yourself first". That applies to all of the sales items currently listed in the flickr photo album connected to this blog as well as being on my website.

Chauffeur Website Hampshire

I will no doubt talk to you soon and in the meantime have a good day and hopefully rise above the scare mongoring thrust at us form the press. Positive attitude is what will be required for at least the next 12 months at least.