Categories
Motorsport

V8 Supercars in Abu Dhabi, 2011

I’ve just finished watching the 1st round of the V8 Supercars from Abu Dhabi. Here’s a rundown of the good, the bad and the ugly
The Good

  • The bounceback from the negative points situation for James Courtney to win Race 2 of the round! It was truly awesome and my heart was racing for those last 20 laps, willing you home. Brilliant result!
  • Awesome finish by Jason Bright (second) – It looked like he was going to do it but didn’t have the tyres left under him. The last 10 laps were the highlight of the race
  • Alex Davison’s 2nd place in Race 1. He knew he could do it, and a great race got him there!
  • Jason Bargwanna scoring the fast lap of the race and breaking the lap record (incidentally right after being nerfed off the track by Jamie Whincup).

The Bad

  • James Courtney being pinged 50 points (to put him into negative points!) Drive-through penalties work better as it gives someone the chance to claw some points back, and you don’t end up ‘creatingย  history’ with silly negative points situations! (For the record, an ‘early plea’ would have resulted in a 25 point deduction). James Moffat also copped a 25-point penalty for nerfing Bargwanna on lap 43 (See Story). Also, see “The Ugly”, below
  • Garth Tander & Tim Slade being knocked out less than half a lap through Race 2 by a wayward Tony D’Alberto.
  • The lollipop man at the end of the pits – he clearly had his little ‘stop’ sign showing and Lowndes just drove straight past. No penalty.
  • Jamie Whincup nerfing Jason Bargwanna. No penalty.

The Ugly

  • Tony D’Alberto, you are an idiot. No race or championship is won before a lap is completed!
  • V8 Supercars: for handing down a 25 point penalty to Tony D’Alberto you, too are idiots. How can 25 points for Courtney or Moffat equate to the carnage caused by Tony D’Alberto?
  • The farce that was the Safety car debacle in Race 2
  • Craig Lowndes hit on Russell Ingall. WTF Craig?!?

Other notables

  • Mark Winterbottom, you need to stop ‘following’ and think for yourself. That last second jump into pitlane was a brain explosion, possibly as a reaction to Whincup. Think like a leader, not a follower.
  • Will Davison showed promise, but that re-entry to the track was dangerous, and always going to end in tears.
  • David Reynolds (fourth) in the second race thanks to a great strategy and fuel economy. It must be great to outscore the team owners and be 5th in the championship!

I am looking forward to the Clipsal 500 as I will be there to see all the action up close! ๐Ÿ™‚

Categories
Betterment Exercise Health

Warrior Dash 2011

Today I participated in the Warrior Dash in Glenworth Valley, NSW. This is the only Warrior Dash in 2011 outside of the USA, and touted as “The best frickin’ day of your life’, how could you not want to give it a go?

Me and my Turkey leg :-)
Me and my Turkey leg ๐Ÿ™‚

My verdict?

Absolutely glorious fun! Obstacles and mud were the order of the day and there were very happy people all round, in all states of dress (or undress) and covered from head-to-toe in mud. Mud, glorious mud! I ran the race with my buddy Ben and once I got stuck in the mud and lost my shoe, I knew Ben would have gone on ahead. The odd thing is, once I caught up to him he told me he was attempting to catch me as he thought I was ahead of him! Still, the mud pits, water crossings and obstacles were all a great challenge and helped me scoot past some of the field, even with only 1 shoe! I had made the decision to stick with Ben and race together rather than blaze ahead and achieve a great time.

Ben’s friends Alison and Shaun came with us and ran in the next wave, with Alison achieving a sub 42-min run! For some reason the men’s resiults were broken so neither Shain, Ben or I found out our time. It wasn’t a worry as we’d had pies (the meal of champions), Turkey legs and beer and were all very happy bunnies!

What I learnt:

  • Dried-on mud does keep you warm…for a short while
  • Dried-on mud causes chafing
  • You won’t be the first nor will you be the last – there were sprinters, walkers and everything in between. This is something anyone can do of almost any fitness level. I promise you will have fun should you wish to do it ๐Ÿ™‚
  • The black mud was the worst – it stains and stinks and removes shoes very easily!
  • I lost a shoe in the black mud and donated my remaining shoe to Shoes for Planet Earth. I hope there is a one-legged person out there who can make use of the right shoe!
  • Turkey legs are pretty meaty and filling, and were a great way to end the day ๐Ÿ™‚

If you get the chance to run in one of these, I strongly recommend it! What’d you do this weekend?