Mad About Cars

The World Champion Italian Moto GP / Rally Driver Rossi, has been lightly injured in a curtain accident….. Rossi, real name Valentino Rossi, was admitted to hospital when he reportedly tripped and fell into a glass table….

He has had to have 5 stitches to his left hand as a result of the accident, and since then, has gained a cut to his left foot also.  If only he was wearing his motorbike gloves and boots then!

He has flown to Malaysia where he was planning to take part in pre-season testing, but may be unable to take part if the injuries take effect….

Yet Rossi, the 29 year old has another two years of contract with Yamaha, and after only two years, has secured his 6th world title last season where he was so dominating that he won the title with an astonishing 3 races still left to go……!

Rossi is at his peak! He is undoubtedly one of the most successful racers of all time – no wonder he has his eyes on the Formula 1 team!!!!

Geneva has seen the launch of the new version Lamborghini Mercielago….

The fearsome LP670-4 SuperVeloce, meaning “Super Fast”, is the most elegant, and potent version to date!!!

Its record time of 3.2 seconds 0-60mph and top speed of 212mph is a breakthrough, beating its early sister edition LP640 by 0.2 seconds…!

A new aero package differentuates it from the standard car, the V12 engine maximises the power to 8000rpm with a peak torque of 487lb ft at 6500rpm. It is 100kg lighter and has a 30mph power boost!!!

A large spoiler sits at the rear after a complete re-design to the front and rear, with a transparent engine cover and a ‘noble’, extremely wide but flat exhaust sitting central at the rear… Oh the noise!!…..

The carmaker is calling it an ‘exceptionally purist and even more extreme’ version of the mighty LP640.

Inside, to minimise weight, Lamborghini have used Carbon Fibre and precious Alcantara, and fitted bespoke carbon bucket seats, also to reduce weight ratios..

There are said to be only 350 Super Veloce’s set to be built, and according to Lamborghini, production will span from May 09 to April 2010!….

So then, Better get ya orders in fast! Er, … Super Veloce Fast!!!….

Demon Tweeks fails to receive enough credit as being recognised as a primary supplier in the motor industry field. Founded by Alan Minshaw, Demon Tweeks has more than 35 years experience and trading behind them. Initially started to service the needs of the motor-sport competitor, Alan has been an accomplished racing driver since 1958 and prides himself on ensuring he has a team of advisors with a collection of professional knowledge with racing backgrounds. Everyone at Demon Tweeks are active car and bike enthusiasts.

They supply everything the racer might need from one source. He aims to offer top quality products, at rapid availability, and exceptional service. More than any competitor, he houses over 100,000 sq.ft facility in Wrexham stocking over 140,000 items! They are dispatch the same day also! So anyone in the UK will get their goods next day! When they need them!

They are open 6 days a week Mon-Sat 8.30am -5.30pm stocking everything for cars, motorbikes and racing from road tuning parts, motor-sport accessories and motorcycle parts. You can even have them professionally fitted in their unique fitting centre, why not indulge in a coffee while you wait!

There are club days for enthusiasts, sponsors, photo-shoots , events and a members forum…

All we need now are the Discount Codes!!!!

GPS Tracking units are commonly found on/in a vehicle, person or asset of some substantial value. It is attached in an attempt to track the positioning of these at regular intervals…

‘GPS’ stands for ‘Global Positioning System’, the recorded location is stored in the tracking system, or alternatively transmitted to a central data base, or computer connected to the Internet, using Radio, Cellular GPRS, or Satellites – a modem embedded into the unit itself…

Using customised software, the location of the particular can be seen on a map backdrop, however, although this seems to be a global breakthrough, amateur radio operators have been using GPS-based nationwide real-time (APRS) since 1982. APRS is Automatic Packet Reporting System…

Usually GPS tracking systems tend to fall into one of the following categories;-

• Data Loggers
• Data Pushers
• Data Pullers

Data Loggers – have an internal memory that logs its position at regular intervals. This is usually in the form of a memory card, internal flash or USB port, some act as a USB Flash Drive which allows the data to be downloaded for further analysis in any computer.
An example of this may be – A Sports enthusiast, who mainly use these device types as they are most suited to for activities such as outdoor sports like backpacking or jogging… On their return, the information logged is transferred onto a PC to calculate length and duration of the journey…

Data Pushers – Push Technology, Security industries, as a common example, push information (sends) its position at regular intervals to a particular server instantly analysing the data.
Many companies actually provide “push” technology data, enabling complex GPS tracking in business’s that specifically employ a mobile workforce.

Some examples of usage are as follows…

• Vehicle Fleet Control – Companies will put trackers on vehicles to establish their position along a route/journey i.e – Taxi’s or Delivery Vehicles, and Armoured Trucks.
• Stolen Vehicles – Owners of high valued cars will fit tracking devices to be activated in the event of a robbery, so that they can locate the vehicle quickly and efficiently.
• In some cases, trackers can also be put on wildlife maybe in the form of a chip in the collar. This allows scientist to study animal activity in the wild.
• Control in racing events – Some sports can benefit from using trackers where the judges can identify participants taking short cuts or cheating, or to monitor how far apart from eachother the contestants are. Gliding is a good example of this…
• Internet Fun – Some surfers have created their own web pages with personal trackers, in which others can monitor their whereabouts.

Data Pullers – are devices which are always on, continuously queried as required – It is Pull Technology.
A computer with Internet connection and also connected to GPSD is an example of this kind of device. It is not as yet widespread technology but are becoming more and more common amongst devices containing a GPS receiver with a cell phone that when sent a unique SMS message, replies with a message with details of its location.

Potentially, these tracing devices can be abused, and raise alot of concerns about peoples personal privacy, as over time, a typical pattern of movements can be revealed. In the US, the use of GPS trackers with police can require search warrants in some cases……!

In the last decade, the rise in speed camera fines accross the UK has risen from approximately 262,000 to 1,865,000 fines in total, or there abouts… This is an astonishing increase in comparison with surrounding countries, and is ultimately due to the rise in speed cameras accross England and Wales…

In the past 6 years the number of cameras erected has tripled! Going from approx. 2000 to 5,500.

Conservative MP Mark Field believes this relates to stronger issues in road traffic accidents and highlighting that numbers of traffic officers on duty has slipped by 20%, resulting in fines soaring! He adds the comment that this concentration on speeding cameras has illiminated the serious issues such as catching un-insured drivers…!

In Wednesday’s Daily Politics, Mr Field said cameras were ‘more about money raising than safety on roads’. He believes there has been an ‘obsessive use’ of Gatsos and an ‘overzealous penalising of drivers’.

He added: ‘The use of speed cameras transformed the disqualification system into one of Russian roulette.’

And the President of the AA, Mr Edmund King said

‘A speed camera does not pick up the illegal foreign truck driver or boy racer with stolen plates but a traffic cop can,’ he said. ‘We need to reverse this trend and increase traffic cops not only to make our roads safer but to make society safer.’