(Sporting gear) Controversy at the Belgian Grand Prix
No commentsBy 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
Monaco is a tax haven and financial centre and yourmonaco has details of the banks in Monaco
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Guide to Rainbow Trout Fishing In Alaska
By Martin Brinkmann
In the breathtaking waters of Alaska, fishing for rainbow trout has always been an angler’s delight.
There are two main ways to try and hook a rainbow trout when you are fishing. One popular method is with a traditional fishing reel and rod in a lake. Anglers can fish from either the shore or from a boat and can often stake out the areas most likely to be sheltering some of the fish. There is a large variety of lures and bait that can be used when fishing in one of Alaska’s magnificent lakes.
However, for the true Alaskan fishing experience, many people prefer to catch rainbow trout the old fashioned way in streams and rivers by fly fishing. Many people new to the sport can hire a guide to walk them through the process. However, is recommended that a conduct some research on rainbow trout fishing in Alaska to get prepared before getting their feet wet for the first time. It is a rewarding experience and highlights some of the best scenery mother-nature has to offer.
The most important thing when fly fishing for rainbow trout in Alaska is to be prepared. The two most important things you will need are your rod and proper clothing. It is absolutely vital to have the correct clothing when wading in a river or stream in Alaska. The waters in these rivers are made from melting snow, and it is very cold. Waders are the single most important piece of clothing a fly fisherman should wear. The keep the angler’s other clothing and, most importantly, their shoes and feet dry.
For the first-timer, the best time of year to go fly fishing is during the late months of summer. The weather is still mild, and the fishing is at its peak. The most popular place for the new fly fisherman to venture to try their hand at the sport is to the Rainbow rivers.
These two rivers are known for their wealth of rainbow trout and the newcomer will likely have success given patience and a little general knowledge. There is also a copious amount on fly fishing charters and guides in the area to help get you started. The experts at these establishments can offer the novice fisherman a variety of packages to suite their wants and needs. Guided trips can range anywhere from a day long crash course on how to fly fish to a week long experience where the participant will really grasp how wonderful a sport fly fishing is.
Whichever method the greenhorn decides to try their hands at to start, it is sure to be a rewarding and extraordinary experience that will not be forgotten.
Martin helps people learn about rainbow trout fishing. You can read more of his work like Alaska Rainbow Trout Fishing by
visiting the Rainbow Trout Fishing Alaska website.
The Best College Football Sites And Forums On The Internet
By Kristi Ambrose
Football is just one of those sports that everyone loves. It doesn’t matter where you are from, what you do as a profession, how old you are or what sex you are. In fact, I’ve met some women that were more hardcore fans of football than men have been! Well college football is no different. Some people even switch over from college to pro when one is over and the next begins. I personally haven’t ever been too hardcore about college football but that doesn’t mean I don’t check out the teams or watch out for cool sites online that involve football! I’m more of a pro football girl myself! Recently, however, I was checking out some college football sites just to see what was going on and I found a few really sweet sites that I think everyone should check out. So, if your looking for something a little different or a little more unique, read below:
College Sports Info - Listing of NCAA message board forums, fan sites, official school sites and various media resources including videos, audios, and interviews.
Connect-Dots - The home of the best college football sites on the net.
Top Football Sites - The 100 most popular football links on the web. Top sites include links to NFL, college, high school, and fantasy football sites.
Football Forum - NFL & College fan discussion site. Topics include news, game reviews and trade rumors.
Against The Line - Against The Line provides college football news and commentary as well as a thorough analysis of each week’s college football bets and propositions.
College Football Resources - College Football Forum. Discuss any and all relevant college football issues—create your own threads or reply to others
Some of those are forums and some of these are just plain old web sites. Personally I like forums a lot better because you can sign up and talk shop with everyone. Most of the forums include extras like newsletters, news, polls, links to sport betting sites aka sport books and much more. Websites are cool too but a lot of the time you just have to sit back and read but not really participate. Of course you can also go to the ever popular NCAA Football website and the likes, but as said above you can’t really participate in these sites! You can also find more forums and websites for college football by going to your favorite search engine and searching for relative words. Have fun!
Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 2:25 am and is filed under sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
