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Pastimes : Car Nut Corner: All About Cars -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sir Auric Goldfinger who wrote (683)	8/24/2000 9:11:35 AM
From: who cares?	Respond to of 5790

Better than Bond's Nellie? A strap-on helicopter beats jams By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent A JAMES Bond style strap-on helicopter allowing commuters to flit over traffic jams at 75mph is to be tested by Nasa. The Solotrek personal flying machine takes off and lands vertically and is powered by two fans in protective casings. The machine, designed for police, military and rescue services, has a range of 150 miles on one tank of petrol. The pilot stands in the machine, controlling it by hand and the weight of his body. The fans provide lift and, when tilted, forward thrust. Millennium Jet in Santa Clara, California, is developing the Solotrek. Next month Nasa will test the machine in a wind tunnel. Mike Moshier, a former US navy pilot who came up with the idea, said it would be marketed for emergency services and the military, but he expected recreational use to develop later. "I am not bashful about telling you I would like to have one of these things," he told New Scientist magazine. William Warmbrodt, chief of the aeromechanics branch of Nasa, said it remained to be seen whether the Solotrek concept took off. He said: "Stability, control and practicality of the design have always been beyond the here and now. It may turn out that the Solotrek is not feasible. Yet it will help us take a step towards a more feasible system." telegraph.co.uk

To: Sir Auric Goldfinger who wrote (683)	8/25/2000 2:04:10 PM
From: who cares?	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5790

Remember car people, if you only watch one auto race all year, Formula 1 at Spa this Sunday should be it. It is the last of the truly great race tracks that they race on, and if it rains, that's when the magic can happen. Personally I hope it rains so I can see if Rubens Barrichello can match Schumacher in the wet. I think he can, now that he has a top car. Schumacher dismisses threat from flying Scot Michael Schumacher dismissed David Coulthard's blistering pace in Belgium as a fluke. The German finished a massive 0.8 seconds adrift of Coulthard on the opening practice day at Spa-Francorchamps. But Schumacher immediately claimed that his title rival's flying lap in his McLaren was a one-off. The Ferrari ace insisted he was only concerned about the smaller deficit he faces to Coulthard's championship-leading team-mate Mika Hakkinen. "Look at the times between Mika and myself, and forget the rest," said Schumacher, who was 0.3secs adrift of second-placed Hakkinen after a day of ominous McLaren domination. "You only just have to look at the other lap times David did. He did not do another lap like that one." Coulthard refused to be riled by Schumacher's jibe as he scented a second successive victory in Belgium which could take him into the lead in the world championship for the first time in his career. "I don't know what Michael's thought processes are on this," said Coulthard. "One of my tyres received a small cut, which was why I didn't do a lot of flat-out laps. "The only two times I am concerned about anyway are the ones after qualifying and in the race. They are what count. "I am happy with the way it's started. I have won here before and believe I can do so again this year." Coulthard is determined to grab a victory in Sunday's 44-lap battle after falling six points behind Hakkinen and four adrift of Schumacher with five races left. The Monaco-based driver was never challenged after scorching to the top of the timesheets late in Friday's first session with Hakkinen moving second after the break. Jaguar Racing's Johnny Herbert, looking to forge a new career in the United States next season, claimed third place as the chequered flag brought the second session to a close. Herbert finished just behind Hakkinen although he had the benefit of fresh tyres, as did Jacques Villeneuve who also produced a late, quick lap to take fourth for British American Racing. "We put on a new set of tyres in order to check the balance for Saturday and it felt really good," said Herbert, whose season has been blighted by retirements. "The job now is to keep that balance. It's definitely the best it's been for a while so I want to keep hold of it." Schumacher finished fifth on a circuit where he has won four times in the past, but badly needs to equal Ayrton Senna's record of five triumphs on Sunday to boost his faltering title campaign. The 31-year-old's hopes of becoming Ferrari's first world champion in 21 years have been hit by McLaren's mid-summer surge having led the drivers' standings all season until the last race. "Being two points behind is not very much different to being two points ahead unless you are going into the last race," said Schumacher. "Eve if we don't win in Spa nothing is decided. This race is not the decisive one. "There is still a long way to go. As long as mathematically there is a way, we have to keep on trying. "There have been times in the past when we would have been happy just to be two points behind. It is nothing really so the championship is still open." Jenson Button discovered that driving around Spa in a Formula One car is a unique experience as he wound up 13th for Williams BMW. "It's simply amazing how different it is to run in an F1 car on this track," said Button, who will join Benetton next season on a two-year deal. "I have raced here before in an F3 car, which is much slower of course. The right word for it is outrageous." Eddie Irvine finished back in 16th spot in his Jaguar, but said: "Sixteenth may not be pretty reading, but we have got a lot more to come and I think we should be able to mount a solid challenge in qualifying."