Sports

F1 leader Mark Webber drops to fifth place

26 Sep 2010, ST

SINGAPORE – FORMULA One championship leader Mark Webber will start Sunday’s Singapore grand prix from a disappointing fifth place on the grid and is not holding out much hope of overhauling his title challengers in the race.

‘Virtually impossible,’ was the Australian’s deadpan reply when asked about the difficulties of overtaking on the winding floodlit street circuit in the city-state.

‘We will keep hanging in there as it is a long race tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.’ Webber said he had struggled with rhythm on the track. ‘Yeah, there were a few places there where I knew I lost time on most of my laps because I wasn’t fast enough.

‘I knew the front row was going to be very competitive, so I’m a bit disappointed to be off the second row,’ he said. ‘But it could be worse, it could be better.’ Webber’s Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel was pipped to pole position by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton third, ahead of team mate Jenson Button.

Webber goes into the race on 187 points in the championship standings, five ahead of Hamilton. Alonso has 166, Button 165 and Vettel is on 163.

‘Ferrari did a good job and Sebastian has been fast all weekend. Fernando got the pole, and fair play to him. Let’s see what we can do from there tomorrow,’ Webber said, before heading to his team caravan. — REUTERS

Alonso claims pole in Singapore

Sep 25th, 2010

by Casino Guru.

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25 Sep 2010, Reuters

Formula One: Fernando Alonso made it back-to-back poles after clinching top spot for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix. Ferrari went to Italy a fortnight ago without a pole for 29 races, but have suddenly come alive in qualifying with Alonso outgunning Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who will start second.

The second row of the grid at the Marina Bay street circuit will be an all-British, all-McLaren affair, with Lewis Hamilton edging out team-mate Jenson Button for third place.

Crucially for those four drivers they are all ahead of championship leader Mark Webber in his Red Bull as the top five in the title fight are the top five on the grid for the race.

Behind Webber will be Williams’ Rubens Barrichello in a season’s high of sixth, followed by Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher in seventh and ninth.

The German pair sandwich Renault’s Robert Kubica in eighth, with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi completing the top 10.

Jaime Alguersuari will start from 11th after missing out on a place in the top 10 for what would have been the first time in his career by just 0.067 seconds.

Although Nico Hulkenberg qualified 12th, the German will drop to 17th due to a five-place grid penalty incurred for a gearbox change in his Williams.

It means Vitaly Petrov will move up to 12th, which could have been so much more but for a spin at turn four in his Renault.

That brought a very early end to his Q2, and with it being another mistake from the Russian, it adds to the doubts hanging over his future with the team.

Alguersuari’s team-mate Sebastien Buemi will start 13th, with Nick Heidfeld 14th for Sauber on his return to F1 after almost 11 months on the sidelines.

Force India will be bitterly disappointed with their performance as Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi will be 15th and 16th.

After the initial 20-minute Q1, as has predominantly been the way this season, Lotus, Virgin and Hispania Racing’s drivers occupied six of the bottom seven places, with the other spot going to one of the big names.

Felipe Massa, who started on pole in the inaugural Singapore race in 2008, will be at the back of the grid for this year’s event due to an apparent issue with the electronic management of the gearbox.

The Brazilian’s Ferrari ground to a halt at turn eight, bringing out the red flags with 10 minutes and 35 seconds of the session remaining.

Massa had yet to set a time, so he now faces a fight to claim at least a point from 24th, whilst more significantly Alonso has lost his wingman, with Ferrari now favouring the Spaniard.

Ahead of the 29-year-old will be Virgin’s Timo Glock in 18th and the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen in 19th, followed by their team-mates Lucas Di Grassi and Jarno Trulli in 20th and 21st.

In his first qualifying session for four years, Christian Klien, standing in for Sakon Yamamoto who has food poisoning, easily out-qualified Hispania team-mate Bruno Senna by 1.2secs, with the duo to line up 22nd and 23rd.

After claiming the 20th pole of his career, moving up to equal 10th in the all-time list alongside Damon Hill, Alonso said: “It was not an easy qualifying.

“We had very little running in dry conditions (in practice), with the circuit remaining damp in parts, but we got 100 per cent out of the car and that was the target for us.

“It’s now going to be a tough race, but pole will help whether it’s dry or wet in terms of visibility, but we are not too worried about either as we are good in both.”

It was a qualifying of regret for Vettel who said: “It was a pretty messy one for us. I never got into the rhythm, I was always in traffic. I just never got it into one lap as I did in practice.

“In Q3 on my first lap I misjudged the gap to the car ahead, so I lost that, and then on my second I clipped the wall and couldn’t recover. We had the car to be on pole, but it was not enough, but we’ve a good car for the race. I won’t be the happiest tonight when I go to sleep, Fernando will be happier.”

Hamilton was far more content with his third spot as he said: “It was not such a bad qualifying session. I can’t really complain. I’m on the best side of the grid and we’ve had the best starts for quite some time, so hopefully that will continue tomorrow.

F1 party scene heats up this year

Sep 25th, 2010

by Casino Guru.

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25 Sep 2010, CNA

SINGAPORE : The Singapore GP is more than just about fast cars and men. Glamour is very much a part of the whole experience, especially with a night race in the city.

And this year, the event has also revved up the party scene, with former beauty queens attending and F1 drivers taking to the catwalk.

Increasing the glam factor this year are eight Miss Universe 2009 finalists who are attending the street night race for the first time.

Miss Mexico-Universe 2009, Karla Carrillo, said: “I am excited about the Formula One because in Mexico I am hosting a programme on sports, so I am going to videotape something and send it to the programme and I am excited.”

Race knowledge aside, the girls are all set for the adrenalin-packed action.

Ingibjorg Egilsdottir, who is Miss Iceland-Universe 2009, said: “I will be wearing a white dress…with Swarovski crystals, a special gown for a special event.”

And one special occasion synonymous with F1 is Amber Lounge – which is bringing in a new element this year.

Hannah Wright, who is from Amber Lounge’s public relations department, said: “We are launching the Amber Lounge Fashion Show. It is an exciting addition; it is going to be inside the club on a Saturday night.

“We have seven F1 drivers modelling Hugo Boss, alongside two celebrity catwalk models who will be showcasing Herve Leger all on one catwalk.”

In Monaco, the likes of Lewis Hamilton took to the catwalk, but in Singapore, it will be the third drivers from various teams.

Established events, like those at the 72-storey Swissotel the Stamford, are also bringing in more international DJs to front their parties.

And partying with a bird’s eye view is the highlight at new joint 1-Altitude – at 282 metres, it is the highest party spot in Singapore.

But making a big impression is the Avalon Party, which attracted some 16,000 revellers at Marina Bay Sands.

It gave a taste of the kind of entertainment the club will offer when it opens at the integrated resort next year.

Equally impressive is Ku De Ta, with its commanding view from the resort’s SkyPark.

Guests can catch the F1 action and chill out in a more exclusive setting which includes a restaurant and club lounge.

Vinnie Quek from Ku De Ta, Singapore, said: “We will be a bit more international, jet-setting with the high rollers being in town…”

However, watching the race from this prime spot will not come cheap. It will cost S$5,000 to watch the finals on Sunday. – CNA/ms

Red Bulls Racing top Singapore practice

Sep 24th, 2010

by Casino Guru.

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24 Sep 2010, autoweek

Red Bull Racing drew first blood in Singapore on Friday as Formula One stars Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber topped the times after the first day of practice.

Heavy rain in the afternoon meant that the track was still damp for the 6 p.m. start of the first practice session, and in the humid conditions–and with the sun setting rapidly–drivers couldn’t use slick tires until over an hour into the session.

Webber topped practice one but the times were not representative; the best time in practice two was eight seconds quicker. Indeed, Vettel set a best time of 1 minute, 46.660 seconds, while Webber was more than half a second behind with a lap of 1:47.287.

Jenson Button led the chase for McLaren-Mercedes, but significantly he was a second slower than Vettel, posting a best lap of 1:47.690. Fernando Alonso was fourth for Ferrari, despite stopping on track before the end of the session. The Spaniard went up an escape road and then stalled when he tried to reverse out.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth for McLaren, while Rubens Barrichello kept up the tradition of good Singapore form for Williams F1 with sixth place, ahead of Felipe Massa, who was not happy with the balance of his Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg, a star for Williams in the last two Singapore races, was eighth in his Mercedes GP entry. Robert Kubica was ninth for Renault, having missed a lot of track time with a mechanical problem, while Michael Schumacher was 10th for Mercedes–and thus the top track rookie, since he had never driven this circuit previously.

Nick Heidfeld was 13th on his return with BMW Sauber-Ferrari, while former Jaguar and Red Bull driver Christian Klien was 24th and last for HRT. The Austrian was a last-minute replacement for Sakon Yamamoto, who allegedly suffered from food poisoning, although word throughout the paddock says that commercial reasons are behind the change.

Aside from Alonso, the only other driver to stop on track was Force India’s Adrian Sutil, who suffered a front suspension failure when he jumped the chicane and landed heavily.

Belgian GP2 Series driver Jerome D’Ambrosio made his F1 debut in the first session for Virgin, before handing the car back to Lucas di Grassi for the second session.

Ferrari Store Opens In Singapore

Sep 23rd, 2010

by Casino Guru.

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Singapore, September 23rd – The Ferrari Store of Singapore celebrates today its grand opening with a ceremony attended by Mr. Enrico Galliera, Ferrari Commercial & Marketing Director, Mr. Massimiliano Ferrari, Licensing and Retail Director, Mr. Edwin Fenech Ferrari APAC, Middle East and Africa CEO, and Mr. Teo Hock Seng, Managing Director of Ital Auto Pte who welcomed the guests together with the Scuderia Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

The 170 square meters space is situated on one level in the spectacular ‘triple towers’ of the Marina Bay Sands Resort. Visitors will discover a wide range of lifestyle and luxury Ferrari products, together with a selection of items dedicated to Ferrari enthusiasts, children and collectors. These include miniatures and models of cars from past and present, a display case showcasing a crankshaft, valves and a piston, and the Cavallino collection of leather accessories and sportswear.

The design of the Ferrari Store Singapore reflects the Ferrari Atelier ambience of the main Ferrari showroom in Leng Kee Road, with furnishings of the highest quality and the combination of soft leather and sleek brushed lacquer. The display concept clearly evokes the dynamic lines of Ferrari’s legendary cars and characterises the story, tradition and spirit of Ferrari not only through the products on display, but also through finishes and materials that typify the two souls of luxury and racing.

The Singapore Ferrari Store will be managed by ItalAuto, which is also the official importer for the Prancing Horse in Singapore. This is the 38th store to open worldwide and it joins prestige Ferrari retail locations around the world, including those in Milan, Rome and Venice (Italy), London (UK), Barcelona (Spain), Athens (Greece), New York (USA), and Dubai (UAE), to name a few. The Ferrari Store development programme includes plans to reach the objective of 60 locations worldwide over the next two years in Europe, America, and the Middle and Far East.

Paul the Oracle Octopus has officially retired from the World Cup match-predicting

Jul 16th, 2010

by Casino Guru.

2 comments

14 July, By Brooks Peck

International icon and unofficial king of Spain, Paul the Oracle Octopus has officially retired from the World Cup match-predicting racket and may now be used to cash in. According to CNN, the Sea Life aquarium where Paul resides is entertaining offers for Paul’s promotional services and PR people are drooling over his potential to make millions.

PR guru Max Clifford, best known for generating tabloid headlines such as “Freddie Starr ate my hamster,” believes Paul, who was born in England, has ended his soothsaying days at exactly the right time. “Obviously his 100 percent record is remarkable but the minute he gets it wrong it all disappears,” Clifford told CNN.

Now Paul could star in light-hearted commercials. “If you get it right, and remember Paul has had worldwide success … you’re talking about an earning potential of £2 or £3 million (up to $4.5 million), maybe more. It’s got to bring a smile to everybody’s face. You’ve got the world’s first multimillion-pound octopus here.

Up to $4.5 million for the endorsement of an octopus that ate a clam out of a box labeled with the flag of a match-winning team eight consecutive times? It’s ridiculous, but when you consider the money paid to humans who have done far less than that to endorse a wide range of horrible products, it starts to make sense.

The only problem with Paul? He’s just six months shy of the average three-year lifespan for an octopus. Then again, that’s probably a generous assessment of how long people will remember him anyway.

Another expert agreed, saying there was no limit to the ways in which Paul could be marketed. “Obviously he has a short shelf life but there are many options,” said Allyson Stewart-Allen, director of London-based International Marketing Partners.

“A good use for him would be in adverts featuring two competing brands, such as Coke or Pepsi. Which does Paul prefer?” said Stewart-Allen.

“The gaming industry would be the logical use for Paul, or marketing a service that compares the market. Or he could just be an icon, marketing a company like Octopus Travel, for instance.

So keep an eye out for Paul the octopus billboards, TV ads and Happy Meal toys over the coming months. Followed by the most expensive octopus dish ever.

Photo: Getty Images

Spain to win world cup says octopus oracle

And the big winner for World Cup is… Paul the Octopus?

Jul 12th, 2010

by Casino Guru.

2 comments

12 July 2010, bossip

In the end, it’s Spain hoisting the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy. It’s the first World Cup championship for Spain, the pre-tournament favorite, which defeated Netherlands 1-0 in the World Cup final. Spain is the eighth country to win the World Cup, and the first first-time winner since France won in 1998. Andrés Iniesta scored the eventual game-winner in the final minutes of extra time. Spain capitalized on the man advantage, after Netherlands defender John Heitinga was sent off. The win came after a rough game, that featured plenty of yellow cards, but no scoring during regulation.

Spain is now the first country to win the World Cup after losing its first contest. La Furia Roja fell to Switzerland in a shocking upset to open the tournament before regaining form.

Since that loss, Spain — the Group H winner — has won six consecutive matches, including an arresting 1-0 win against Germany in the semifinal to reach the World Cup final. FIFA already recognized Spain’s impressive run by placing three Spanish players on the shortlist for Golden Ball award nominees, more than any other team. Note: The game got off to a curious start when Jimmy Jump, a man notorious for his sporting event invasions, attempted to place a hat on the World Cup trophy.

Table Tennis: Singapore women’s team upset China to become world champs

Jun 10th, 2010

by Casino Guru.

10 comments

30 May 2010 – CNA

MOSCOW: Singapore’s trio Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu and Sun Bei Bei rocked the sports world in Moscow when they beat reigning champions and world No 1 China 3-1 in the World Team Table Tennis Championships.

It was sweet revenge for the Singapore women’s team, ranked No 2 in the world, after they lost in the 2008 final and the Olympic final to the Chinese.

China, powerhouses in the men’s and women’s game for so long, were left stunned by a confident display from the Singapore women.

Feng, Singapore’s world No 2, was the star of the team, after she beat China’s world No 4, Ding Ning, in the first singles, before coming back to the table to clinch the winning point 3-2 against women’s No 1, 19-year-old Liu Shiwen.

Earlier, Wang stunned Liu in the second singles, while Sun fell to Guo Yan, setting up Feng’s epic finale as the Singapore women became the 2010 world table tennis champions.

Speaking after the victory, Singapore Team Manager Eddy Tay said the girls had a strong belief that they could beat China this time.

He said: “A lot of times, when we met them in the finals we lost 3-0, 3-1. But we kept telling them (Singapore players) that one day, we should be able to beat them….So, during the training, we kept drilling this into them – to have this mindset that we’re able to beat them, because we felt that without Zhang Yining, it’s one of the best chance to win them.

“A lot of times, some of them, when they meet China players, they tend to feel that there’s a gap between them. If you watch today’s match, you can see that Tianwei was even trailing in the first match. She was fighting for every point.

“That makes a difference, because….(in) Tianwei, you see the fighting spirit, and when she won the match, it really gave a lot of confidence to Yuegu going into the second match. She has also never beaten that China girl before.

“So I think that makes a lot of difference, because suddenly, they felt that, hey, the past doesn’t count, that although we have lost so many, many matches, it’s like a fresh start.”

Eddy also described the team’s reactions immediately after the win. He said: “When we came out, all of us were in tears and they were lost for words. They couldn’t believe (they won)….especially Tianwei. She aspires to be the world champion. I think she’s done it, at the age of 24, and what’s there more to say. I think this is a lifetime thing that will stay with you, and Singapore created history, because in 19 years, no one has beaten them (China).”

Results:

Singapore bt China 3-1

Feng Tianwei (SIN) bt Ding Ning (CHN) 3-2 (8-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9)

Wang Yuegu (SIN) bt Liu Shiwen (CHN) 3-1 (11-7, 11-8, 2-11, 12-10)

Guo Yan (CHN) bt Sun Bei Bei (SIN) 3-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6)

Feng Tianwei (SIN) bt Liu Shiwen (CHN) 3-2 (11-7, 14-16, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7)

The team will arrive back in Singapore on Monday night on an Emirates flight. They are scheduled to land at Changi’s Terminal 1 at 9pm.

- CNA/ir