Thursday, 7 February 2013

Inaugural Indian F1 Grand Prix -Yes, I was there.


It was a day before race day, not just any Race day but India’s biggest day in the history of Motorsports. The first  ever Formula 1 Race here at Buddha International Circuit. Nuff said! I was so excited I could barely sleep even after travelling 32 hours non-stop I directly went to the track at 4 pm in the evening but sadly that day's action was over. I was just bowled over by the track’s beauty. I will never forget the sun-set from the stand on BIC. A dark blue SLS & a silver E-AMG were doing fast laps on track.


          When it was first announced that F1 would be held here in India, I took time to digest it. I decided I would be there at any cost & I was, all thanks to BSMotoring who gave me tickets to glory. It was dream, come true. For me, watching Indian GP was @#$%^&*(no words). Not even my wildest dreams I ever did dream of watching a race right here in Indian this soon and when it came true, I was lost for words. 

          On race day I was early to track, on way a sight of a blue Murcielago & blazing yellow Gallardo just gave me an image of what was coming my way. As I went near I was just stunned at seeing the BIC. Instead going to directly into the stands I decided to go around every corner, exit and parking lot looking for some cool cars. I got a pick up in Mercedes Benz E63 AMG. Can you believe it? For my luck I saw a couple of vintage cars as I went closer I realised it was the convoy  vintage cars which would ferry Drivers in Parade, among them there was a beautiful Jaguar E-type and a red Mustang. Every car had sticker with Respective driver to be ferried name, like a small kid went on touching all cars clicking pictures but to touch the Micheal Schumacher &and Sebastian Vettel’s cars was a great feeling. I headed back to my stand & to my luck I got a drop it a E-class. Now it was time for Hardcore action.

          It was a hot afternoon and I settled in my Classic East stand just close to Turn 3, according to me it was the best place to be seated, if you ignored the blazing sun. I could easily see turn 2 and 3. But if I stood up on my chair I could, which I did. i could see cars doing 300kmph on the long straight and even turn 4 was visible.

          Drivers parade was flagged-off and the leading the pack was Narain Kartikeyan, the crowd gave a standing applause to the only Indian Driver and  then Schumi, Vettel, Button came. I said to myself, this must be a dream, but my vision finally met reality when Mark Webber came waving the Indian Tricolor Flag and the crowd went in an uncontrollable excitement and that woke me up. Now it was time for Track Inspection, a Silver SLS AMG Safety Car fired up the track. Then moments before race, for the first time in F1 GP,’Jana  Gana Mana’ was played, my chest swelled with pride. Finally the moment came; the start was a tense affair. There was huge excitement in air and was expecting a lot of cars in pack near my turn. As lights went green I could hear the unmistakable rumble of a F1 car approaching me. The ear busting cacophony at 19,000rpm in top-gear of  24 cars coming made my heart loose its rhythm & that oh so famous moment as cars come on turn-3 and bending exhaust gases making that familiar crackling sound and then again roaring back to all its glory. Every single part of those things related to Physics working in perfect harmony to bring towards me my first ever sighting of F1 car in action!!The sight made me stand on my seat & soon the whole stand was on its feet for the 1st 5 laps. The superb symphony of V8 engine @ 19,000rpm will be something which I will remember forever.

          It was the Little German vettel who was leading the pack, at behind a mayhem near my seats ensured and a couple of cars lost grip and finally a white thick smoke was coming out of a car and in next 100mtrs he came to halt and it was a retirement. Out marshals handled the situation really well. The dusty track caused a few problems but the race went on safely. As predicted Vettel finished top wth Button and Alonso sharing podiums. I was happy that our Home team finished in top 10 but my screams of joy were unison with Tifosi family spread far and wide. The was Mighty Successful  with close to 95,000 spectators who really seemed the race and every driver agreed that it was the best track. Hats-off to all guys involved in making this track. The track was enormus,mindblowing infrastructure and facilities. The BIC showed that others need to match its class. Now I jst want to wear a helmet & drive at BIC. I cant just wait to come back next time and see the race again.


Tejalinga

New bike. A tough choice to make.


  It's time for me to take my first bike, but which will be it? A naked, full-fairing or a cruiser ? Ah hell, lots of confusions and heart or brain decisions to make. Am myself a bike freak and have advised & helped many people to choose their ride but when it comes liberty of making my own decision I get the drift :-( .
Seriously, its never easy for a people like us to choose our own ride, it changes with moods and this gives me goosebumps. I want a fast bike but at the same time I want a stunt capable piece with lots of hooliganism as standard.

          I am a hardcore Ducati fan and love all of them, they are best looking motorcycles known for high performance. They have been my favorites since few years and of all I love the new 1199 Panigale the most, my dream bike. But at present with my inability to rob a bank, it will have to be in my dreams for few more days. But one day I will surely ride home the star Ducati with my own money. I personally feel the dream bike should be only brought with one's own money, only then you enjoy true biking.

But as of now let me rely on my dad's money and take a decent performer.
So lets a take a look at all premium affordable bikes in India.


          Bajaj: To any Indian youth when it comes to choosing a bike. The Bajaj's occupy the front slot.
With the rich Pulsar heritage they simply rule our road. The P220, for me it was just perfect combo of  both naked and faired feel, sadly its dated now . The new NS200 is superb machine to have but I donno why it's not to my personal liking, but nevertheless it's a great bike. A true hooligan.
Avenger: No Cruiser pls as of now.

          Honda: Well, I seriously like the Honda CBR250R. I have ridden it hard and I have liking for it. It's a rewarding motorcycle that is fast enough to hold your own attention for a good few years. I just love the way it looks, the idea of having a CBR is a pretty good one as it will be the fastest machine in campus. But the only concerns are limited color palette and the full-fairing(no hard stunts) and yes no new phone for another 6-months.

          The Yamaha's: The R15 is a strong contender too, its got the hottest looking butt which would even put star of the Yamaha line R1 to shame. Just look it man, its too hot. Dislikes: The fact its a 150cc is a big let down, a 250 from the Yamaha stable will be encouraging.
The FZ-16 is also cool but I leave it out for same reason, not enough power.

          Suzuki: The Inazuma is not any wear near the launch this year, it drops out naturally. Even the GS150R with 6-speed gear box and really cool instrument display is not cool enough for my needs.

          Hero: The Karizma ZMR is undoubtedly a impressive bike, known for its performance, handling, smoothness and comfort. This will be my choice for long distance solo trips.Well this bike has nothing to complain but still doesn't make itself in to top spot, but it will be a strong contender.
The Impluse is not for me, it doesn't even go with image nor my preferences
The Hunk & CBZ-X-Treme being goodbikes fail to impress me on aesthetics & feature wise.

          TVS: The Apache line-up is simply awesome. It's handling, performance & brakes are terrific! I like the blue-lit cluster too on the 180. Take one and you won't go wrong. And the let down then? Poor grip from tires & my neighbor roomie has one.

          Royal-Enfield: The thump-thump make a good choice but I am too young to have them, This is the age for wheelie's & stoppie's, not crusing!( ok I agree occasionally), and moreover my spines are still rock-hard to handle mono-shock's & the CafeRacer is not here yet.



          Ninja's & Hyosung: The Ninja 250R as we all know is the best 250 in the world. But, far cry from buy budget.

         KTM: Guess, you guys have been thinking what is this name doing in the last, my friends, the best is always reserved at the last. The Duke200 will be bike likely to come home. I been a admirer of Austrian brand from quite a long time & I am well aware about the brand heritage.
Look at this bike, it's even cooler than ice. The bike has every right piece of element, looks, power, speed, technology & blah blah. This is the perfect machine, plus it's a naked fighter. Just like Salman without shirt, you prefer him in that way right? This bike is legendary & can make a stunt junkie out of anyone.Hooliganism comes Standard in it. This is the right one for me & looks like orange bike will be mine, mine ,mine.




ll of the bikes in comparison are nice, look great and are extremely powerful with each serving specific type of drivers. They are the best Premium bikes made by Indian manufacturers.
The competing edge between the best motorcycle in the section and the runner up is vanishing with competition getting intense.
You could select a motorcycle in these quickly if you know what you want out of it namely ride quality, handling, Power, mileage and Engine tech.

Comparison Chart:

Karizma ZMR
Pulsar 220F
Yamaha R15
Ninja 250R
CBR 250R
KTM 200 Duke
Cylinders
Single
Single
Single
Twin
Single
Single
Single
Capacity
223cc
220cc
149.8cc
249cc
249cc
199.5cc
200cc
Power
17.6/7000
21/8500
17/8500
32.5/11000
25/8500
23.17/9500
25/10000
Torque
18.4/6000
19.2/7000
15/7500
22/9500
22.9/7000
18.3/8000
19/8000
Gears
5-Speed
5-Speed
6-Speed
6-Speed
6-Speed
6-Speed
6-Speed
Cooling
Air-cooled
Oil-cooled
Liquid
Liquid
Liquid
Liquid
Liquid
Rear Tyre
100/90×18
120/90×17
130/70×17
130/70×17
140/70×17
130/70×17
150/60×17
Wheelbase
1350mm
1350mm
1345mm
1400mm
1367mm
1363mm
1361mm
Fuel Tank
15 L
15 L
12 L
17 L
13 L
12 L
11 L
Weight
159 Kg
150 Kg
136 Kg
170 Kg
167 Kg
145 Kg
125 Kg


Note: All above figures are from online resources, figures may vary from manufacturer's claim.


                                                                                                                                                Tejalinga
     
     

The all-new Range Rover.


 It's no secret that I love SUVs & that Range Rover is my favorite. It's rugged, very off-road capable & at same time luxurious, fast & look handsome. As far as SUVs go it always been very desirable.


The all new fourth-generation Range Rover launch was a grand affair. Celebrity guests like Holly Valance, Jimmy Parr & Olympian models Zara Phillips & Victoria Pendleton were few of score who were invited at the Royal Ballet School, UK. Watching the launch on youtube I couldn't help but swell with pride as this iconic brand in now owned by our very own Tata Motors.


There is still nothing else like Range Rover. Audi, BMW, Mercedes & Porsche all sell SUV's in the same segment, but neither one of them has managed to marry luxury with off-road ability. No wonder, that the current car will be more popular than ever.

As with the looks, the new Range Rover is unmistakable, it has got road presence like no other SUV.
It is the biggest Rangie yet but shorter than before for a sleeker shape & better aerodynamics. All the important design elements are retained on demand, like the shape, floating roof, two-piece tailgate. The headlamps are again typically Range Rover & give a through modern look. The massive 19 & 22 inch wheels give Rangie a planted look.

The new Range Rover with all-aluminium chassis & body is the first SUV to feature so. This has slashed a whopping 420kg than the outgoing model. This will give advantage in areas like fuel economy, handling & emissions. The chassis also stiffer & 39 percent lighter than than previous steel structure which will give it better dynamic ability.



 Get on the inside & you will welcomed by acres of luxury. The cabin in enrobed in a mixture of wood & soft leather that's perfectly stitched. The armchair-style front seats gives you throne like comfort along with great visibility, the leather wrapped steering wheel is a joy to hold & large instrument cluster displays a digital speedo & tachometer., top-mounted window controls are still present. Since many customers will be chauffeur driven the rear-seat comfort have been been greatly enhanced. The legroom is up by 118mm  & wheelbase by 40mm. Range Rover's back seats offer sheer comfort & luxury, you can even opt the aircraft style 2 bucket seat package in Autobiography edition divided by a extnded centre console that houses a small cool-box & aircon controls & a pair of 12.3inh HD screens. The seats offer wide range of movements like nine-degree recline & 5 mode massage function to pamper you. Must-tick options include a mood ambiance roof lighting, panaromic glass roof & a superb 1700W,29 speaker Meridian 'Signature Reference' sound system to blow off your socks.
The only let down Is see is the paddles-shift levers are made from plastic when I want aluminium.

The 60mm wider track & lower roofline have also helped the car feel more agile through corners, with significantly less body roll. There's the same smooth palpable glide of the tyres you get with a Rolls Royce & that's no surprise as the RR Ghost was one of the cars Range Rover has benchmarked against.

Three new engines are available to choose which is attached to 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The entry-level, high efficiency 3.0 litre V6 diesel develops a nice 254bhp & does 0-100 in under 8 seconds. Next up is more stronger & popular 334bhp 4.4litre TDV8 that develops a barge-tugging 517lb of torque 7 ensuring ton under 6.5 seconds, while the footballers & sheiks will signing the cheque for the ridiculous 503bhp, 5.0litre V8 Supercharged petrol.


The multiple modes of Terrain Response combined with hill descent manage system & ability to raise the car up on it's air-springs will manage to walk over every terrain you choose to throw at this car. Further it's got 5-star rating from Euro NCAP in crash tests.


The incredible thing about this car is while you put this through all the abuse, you're calm & in great luxury & can listen to music while it's crossing Amazon. The fourth gen version takes not just its capabilities even further but the image of Britian's most significant automotive icons, having established the concept of luxury SUV.

Finer thing sin life always comes for a price & in this case it's upward 1.7 crore, yup you heard it right.
Icon is not a word you can throw out to every car, but not all cars are Range Rovers.

     

          

The Audi A6 - My promise to Dad


   It was February 2005, my dad was planning to upgrade his car so he had brought all auto magazines available in the market. The Audi A6 has been just launched & was cover story along with Swift of many magazines. This was the period when I stepped into world of Automobiles seriously & also set a Goal for myself. What goal? keep reading....


Since blue is my favorite color, a big handsome German car caught my attention in Bs Motoring magazine.
It was the Audi A6. The car which was said to be one of the best car's in the world & which also later won the 'World Car of the Year 2005' title. Ah, this car was a joy to look at. Everything from macho exterior dimensions to cool gadget loaded interiors and cool words & technologies like Quattro impressed me to no bounds. This car conveyed class, strength & dynamism all at the same time. I instantly became an Audi fan & it was clear that this car was special to me.


I took the magazine and showed it to my dad. He looked & read the article patiently, he looked equally impressed as I was. Then I said "papa,who will it be if we buy such car?", he said instantly, "I am an ordinary man, I can't even think of affording such an expensive car. This car cost's 10 times more of my current budget" & kept the mag aside. My facial expressions went low, not because my dad couldn't afford an Audi but because he call's himself an ordinary & middle class man which I never liked. Like all boys even my dad was my hero.


My dad is also quiet a car enthusiast & keeps track of all the but expensive cars. He simply says when we can't afford it, why waste time thinking of it. He only read's about cars which are affordable for him & don't even read about expensive sedans. He always say," these cars are not of our level. If you want enjoy such big cars then better study & buy yourself one, I will be proud to see it".

At the very moment I made my mind to buy this car & gift it to my dad. Yes, the same Audi A6 with 3.0-litre V6 TDI in a shade of blue. I went to dad & said him, "look papa you may not afford this car but don't call yourself ordinary. You are a big man. Don't worry what if you can't buy this, I will gift you this car one day. Promise!". He didn't take it seriously then. As the times passed I kept on reminding him of my promise as I will buy you this car one day.

I used to say to my papa that one day I will become Civil Engineer *respect* & takeover your company & expand it into a large company & just like Vijay Mallya I will own hundred's of cars.
Whenever an Audi passed by,I said look at your future car dad. His reply was always "you don't know ABCD of maths(main engg. subject) how will you manage in Engineering? How will you become big engineer? Concentrate on your studies rather than car"

I had made up my mind that am going to give him this car someday.
In my mind I have imagined & gifted him 100 times. I have planned to park the car in his daily jogging track, when he passes by he will definitely stop & admire the car & that time with pride I give the key's & say "Papa, it's yours". I will open the door and make him sit inside, he will ignite it up the engine bringing all 245 horses to life & his favorite track will also come up in the incredible Bang and Olufsen stereo. Then followed by a quick 0-100 sprint & back home to show it to my mom. Ahh, I just can't stop imagining the joyous smile on my dad's face.

Eight years passed by then, things are very different now. Now my father is quiet a big man now & am doing Medicine instead Engineering. But one thing hasn't changed & forgotten, my promise to my dad of an Audi A6. One fine day I will bring it for my dad, for the man who has given me every luxury & comfort I wished for. He keeps me like a prince & be always there for me always. That's why I proudly call him as my "back-up". He means everything to me & vice-verse. He is no ordinary man, he is my dad, he is my Star!

Dad, I promise the Audi will come very soon followed by many other big cars. It's my duty to keep you in comfort & happy. You are my hero & you are destined to drive & own big cars. Just few years. Time!


                                                                                                                                       your's truly
                                                                                                                                       Tejalinga


P.S.- I have written this with child like enthusiasm & didn't think how it will turn out to be, hope my dad like this.