Controversy at the Belgian Grand Prix (aero sports equipment)

September 13th, 2008 admin Posted in sports |

By Roger Munns

Fans of Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton are reeling. First, they were elated at his win at the recent Belgian Grand Prix. Later they cried ‘foul’ when he was stripped of that title.

The reason judges demoted him from first to third place? An illegal maneuver helped Lewis Hamilton overtake the front runner, Kimi Raikkonen. However, Hamilton ceded Raikkonen’s position shortly after cutting the chicane. Hamilton went on the cross the finish line in first place to take the Belgian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton’s victory for Team McLaren was short-lived though. Hamilton was demoted from first to third place for cutting the chicane. It was an end-of-race rain shower that caused Hamilton to slide off the track. Raikkonen then passed him again. However, Raikkonen quickly lost control on the wet track. A crash took him out of the race for good with less than five laps to go.

Spa Francorchamps in Belgium’s spa region is notorious for its inclement weather. Not only does it rain frequently, the weather tends to turn on a dime. Drivers in Belgian Grand Prix have come to expect this. Little has changed weather-wise since the very first Belgian Grand Prix in 1925. Racers are typically prepared for rain. Drivers known for superior wet-weather road-handling skills even welcome it. It’s frequently rain that gives them their edge over less competent racers.

It appears that Lewis Hamilton underestimated the possibility of bad weather. He and nearly every other driver chose dry tires for the race. The only one with foresight seemed to be Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. Despite this, it wasn’t enough for a top three placing for Piquet.

Lewis Hamilton managed to recover from some wild spinouts to take first place. He was followed closely by Team Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Team Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld. Ultimately, it was Massa and Team Ferrari that would be declared the winner of the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix. The decision resulted in a two point loss for Hamilton. The loss narrowed the gap between Hamilton and rival Massa to a hair’s breadth.

A chicane is a series of tight semi-circular barriers on a race track. Chicanes are not unique to racing. City planners may install them in streets. They are designed to slow down the flow of traffic. Ultimately, they are a safety measure. Chicanes are a safety measure on race tracks as well. Racers are forced to slow down before entering the chicane. This prevents them from losing control on subsequent curves. The Spa Francorchamps has several hairpin turns and sharp curves. The frequent rain only makes these curves more dangerous.

It appears that slick roads may have caused Lewis Hamilton to cut through the chicane. It was unlikely that his maneuver was intentional. Intentional or not, the illegal move may end up costing Hamilton the title.

Hamilton has only a handful of races left in the 2008 in which to make up for the loss at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton’s fans wait eagerly to see if Hamilton will be able to recover. Fans of sidelined racer Raikkonen feel, on the other hand, that justice was served. Raikkonen may have taken the race if not for his unfortunate crash. Raikkonen has won the World Championship three out of the last four years.

Grand Prix information for Monaco is available via yourmonaco.com/grand_prix

Other Monaco information is also available from the Monaco guide, they also have direct contact for Monaco hotels

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Northern Pike Fishing –When And When Not To Look For The Big One!
By Martin Brinkmann

Northern Pike one of the most exciting and strongest fighting fish for brackish and fresh water. These exciting adversaries are a carnivorous fish. They are most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere. These area’s include: Canada, Alaska, The Ohio Valley, upper Mississippi River and its tributaries, the Great Lakes and the states surrounding them (Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska).

An interesting fact on Northern Pike is the latin translation of their name which is “waterwolf”. These fish are cunning, fast and predators to other fish.

General description of a Northern Pike: they are a light green, almost olive color, with some yellow or white along the belly area. There fins have dark spots ranging from quite a few on some fish while others may have few. Their gills have little to no scales on the bottom half and they have a large pore which is for sensory on their head. Most Northern Pike’s grow to a rather large size with length’s around 57-59 inches and weighing approximately 52-57 pounds are not just another fisherman’s tale.

Germany is the proud owner of the heaviest pike recorded, she ( most large pike’s are female) was caught in 1983 was 5ft long and weighted an impressive 61 pounds. Northern Pike in the United States are not are large as their foreign counterparts. One of the largest known caught was in September 1940 in Great Sacandaga Lake in New York state weighing 46 pounds.

Habitat’s for Northern Pike are usually slow moving streams, lakes and reservoirs withing the shallow area’s with alot of vegetation. They are also known to be in cold, clear and rocky water. Northern Pike’s are predators therefore they are capable of holding perfectly still for very long periods of time while waiting for prey.

They have great acceleration speed and tend to catch prey by their sides and immobilising or killing with their sharp teeth to which they then turn the prey lenthwise and swallow. It is know to eat other fish however occasionally they like to vary their diet by eating water voles, insects and even ducklings.

Fishing for Northern Pike can be rewarding yet requires alot of patience and knowledge. Their are three periods of time to fish during what is known as open water season. The first period is right after the ice has melted and near spawning areas. These area’s are especially great in lakes and reservoirs near vegetation in shallow water.

They will put up a spectacular fight so there is not room for error when trying to best a champion like the Northern Pike. The second period which is the best for catching larger pike is during June or early July when the water is starting to warm and the pike start to move to deeper and cooler water. The third period is when the water starts to turn cold again, during fall. This is when they start to move back to shallow water, however this is also one of the most difficult times to try to catch pike as they are much more sluggish and tend to not eat as often as before.

Water temperature signals the start of any and all movement. As the surface temperature reaches 67-70 degree’s they start to go deep into the cooler water and as the surface temperature cools they start to return to the more shallow water.

In summary Northern Pike’s are exceptional fish to fish for, look at or simply to just admire. They are very capable predators and they put up a great battle. So if you are up to a challenge and want to fish for something unique this the fish for you.

Martin provides anglers and fishing enthusiasts with northern pike fishing tips on his website about northern pike fishing.

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