Malaysia Flight 370 families reportedly forced to leave hotel for Ferrari in advance of Malaysian Grand Prix

The Ferrari brigade needs hotel rooms for the Malaysian Grand Prix on March 30. No big deal, right? The Sepang circuit has hosted many Formula 1 races before, so it's not a new occurrence for the city of Kuala Lumpur and country.

But it's a bit of a tedious situation this year. The Cyberview Hotel that Ferrari is staying at for the grand prix next weekend is also the hotel that has been hosting the families of people on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the plane that has been missing for over two weeks.

According to NBC, more than a dozen Chinese family members of passengers on the flight were forced to switch hotels Friday because of Ferrari's arrival.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said he felt sorry for the family members forced to move because of Ferrari's bookings.

"I feel terribly, terribly sorry for these people," he told NBC. "But it is up to the hotel. What would happen if you told somebody that they no longer had a booking? You would get sued, I?d imagine.?

?If you have a booking at a hotel, what are you supposed to do??

It's a double-edged sword for sure, but let's be realistic for a moment. Wouldn't it have been possible to make arrangements for the "more than a dozen" affected?

We're not talking an exorbitant amount of hotel rooms here. Cyberview likely has connections and you could probably find some members of Ferrari's team who would be willing to stay at a nearby hotel so that the families could stay put. (Ferrari declined comment, according to NBC)

It's a tragic situation that looks less and less likely to have a happy ending after each passing day as an extensive search has found no conclusive results so far. It's a bit more important than a grand prix.

Yes, Ferrari booked the rooms far in advance and they have a right to them. There's no disputing that. But the good public relations move in this case would be to let those who are waiting for news stay put and for a team with vast resources to make other arrangements for some team members.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/malaysia-flight-370-families-reportedly-forced-to-leave-hotel-for-ferrari-in-advance-of-malaysian-grand-prix-005010913.html

Pablo Birger Art Bisch Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen

Keith Olbermann named TMS President Eddie Gossage his 'Worst Person in Sports' on a show last week

Who knew that Texas Motor Speedway's new big-screen television along the backstretch would generate such hate from Keith Olbermann?

The television host, now back with ESPN, named Eddie Gossage, the president of TMS, his "Worst Person in Sports" for one of last week's shows. The "Worst People in the World" segment is a carryover from when Olbermann had his own show on MSNBC and routinely lampooned world and political figures.

Gossage garnered the dubious distinction because of the track's recent unveiling of the "Big Hoss" screen along the backstretch. It's the largest HD screen in the world and will be in use for Texas' spring race on April 6.

"Here's the problem, you know what they show on it?" Olbermann asked in his trademark sarcastic tone. "Auto racing. Because seeing faceless guys in helmets and visors driving for a few hours can't really be appreciated unless you see them on a giant television two-thirds the length of a football field with you guys staring up at it like the way devil worshipers stare at fires."

A shot at auto racing. How original. But was that a subtle reference to the Tennessee woman stabbing her husband for worshiping the Bristol race? I doubt it, but if so, that deserves some props.

Come on Olbermann, what the heck are you trying to accomplish here? Yeah, sure, Texas Motor Speedway gave the screen a very Texas-like name, but that's the schtick of Texas Motor Speedway. Nothing can be done without a name full of rhetoric.

The speedway is far from the first sporting venue to install a monstrous video board; look at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play and Darrell K. Royal Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns to stay in the state. And it's not even the first NASCAR track. Charlotte Motor Speedway installed one in 2010, which was the largest HDTV at the time.

NASCAR is fighting the same battles that other sports are when it comes to attendance. While attending a NASCAR race in person can be a thrilling experience, it's also one that's much harder to keep track of from the grandstands than on the couch. You can only see so much of a 1.5 mile track at a time, and without the benefit of a scanner to pick up radio traffic or race commentary, you can easily lose the storylines of a race.

Large video boards give another avenue to show the running order and provide close-up views of the racing and instant replays. Much like what happens at football, baseball, basketball and hockey venues around the country.

Hardly something to get angry over, right? Ah, but what likely pushed it over the top for Olbermann was the showing of "Duck Dynasty" on the screen at the official unveiling. In an important detail that he fails to mention in his segment, the April 6 race is the Duck Commander 500. You know, the company of the Robertson family, the stars of the show.

As you know, Phil Robertson was temporarily suspended from the show after he made anti-gay remarks in an interview with GQ. The comments drew the ire of many, including, presumably, Olbermann, and ratings for the show's fifth season have dropped significantly from where they were in the fourth season.

But the show still has a loyal fanbase and it doesn't take much of a stretch to realize that fanbase likely overlaps with a large segment of the NASCAR fanbase. And as ridiculous as the "Duck Commander 500" and subsequent Robertson overkill on race day could be to many, isn't that the point of sponsorship? To identify your target market and appeal to them?

Plus, Texas is no stranger to controversial sponsorships. Last year's spring race was the NRA 500, a race sponsorship that led NASCAR to say that it would take a closer look at each potential sponsor deal.

If Olbermann has an issue with the sponsorship, which was announced a little less than two months after Robertson's quotes were published, then that's one thing. But to take it out on a television screen that will enhance the race experience for fans all along the frontstretch is petty, cheap and misguided. Plus it makes Olbermann seem out of touch.

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(This post originally said the show aired on Monday, March 24. The YouTube clip was posted March 21. We apologize for the mixup.)

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/keith-olbermann-names-tms-president-eddie-gossage-monday-s--worst-person-in-sports-162157990.html

Tony Brise Chris Bristow Peter Broeker Tony Brooks

Into the Crystal Ball? Welcome to Sunny Florida Edition

With an actual pre-race article we are FINALLY here! 2014 is upon us and the entire indycar circus is hunkered down in the St. Petersburg paddock ready to battle from the first sight of green on Friday morning. Firestone takes … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/into-the-crystal-ball-welcome-to-sunny-florida-edition/

Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger

Briscoe Signs With Ganassi, Kanaan To The 10

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/12/briscoe-signs-with-ganassi-kanaan-to-10.html

George Abecassis Kenny Acheson Andrea de Adamich Philippe Adams

Scott Jones In Qatar: Saturday Light Specials

Finding his feet: Cal Crutchlow is still adapting to the Ducati

Setting his sights on the future: Alex Marquez ready to roll

The Ducati Desmosedici GP14: A work in progress

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/lmV3jBBYEIM/scott_jones_in_qatar_saturday_light_spec.html

Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi Jaime Alguersuari

Malaysian Grand Prix ? FIVE Of The Best

Since 1999 the Sepang circuit in Malaysia has been a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar. It was one of the first circuits designed by Hermann Tilke, Bernie Ecclestone?s preferred circuit architect ? since then the German has also designed new layouts at Sakhir, Istanbul and Yeongam to name just three. The threat of [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/FTNqSXCFORo/malaysian-grand-prix-five-of-the-best

Alberto Crespo Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook

Tech 3 Press Release: An Insight Into The Logistics Of MotoGP

The Monster Tech 3 team are producing a series of press release offering some background information on the practical side of MotoGP. The first in the series is a fascinating insight into what it takes to transport all of the bikes, tools, equipment and other paraphernalia necessary for racing around the world to allow the Tech 3 MotoGP and Moto2 teams to contest the world championship. It is an intriguing read. The press release appears below:

---

Insight - Part1: Logistical Organisation

As the lights on the starting grid turn green on a Sunday, a flurry of excitement descends upon the motorsport planet who become captivated for 45 solid minutes as adrenaline levels soar for everyone, watching the most entertaining two wheeled motorsport series on the planet. However, what needs to be undertaken ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure this happens 18 times a year?

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team aims to shed light on the actions and endeavours that take place for a Grand Prix race operation before a wheel has even been turned. This documentary series entitled ‘Insight’ will offer inside information, introduce key members of the team, cover various aspects of the business, and examine routines which have to be undertaken to race. There is no better way to begin this exciting and innovative series than illustrating the coordination required to move the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Teamd the Tech3 Racing Moto2 Team from one international race circuit to another, both inside Europe and for ‘Flyaway’ races.

Year: 

2014

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/-1Uxst834c8/tech_3_press_release_an_insight_into_the.html

Franco Comotti George Connor George Constantine John Cordts

Two weeks of knockout qualifying, two weeks of Penske cars on the front row

The second week of knockout qualifying was quite similar to the first week.

Team Penske's cars will start 1-2 at Las Vegas on Sunday, but the order is reversed from Phoenix. Last week, Brad Keselowski was first and Joey Logano was second. On Friday, Logano took the pole and Keselowski will start second.

Keselowski had swiped the pole from Clint Bowyer with just over two minutes remaining in the final qualifying round, but with over a minute to go, Logano knocked Keselowski from the top spot.

Bowyer will start third while Austin Dillon starts fourth. Jimmie Johnson is fifth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is sixth despite smacking the wall with the right rear in practice earlier on Friday.

Landon Cassill, Joe Nemechek, JJ Yeley, Josh Wise and Dave Blaney missed the race. For Cassill, it's the second straight race he's missed after a good run at the Daytona 500. Blaney has missed all three races this season. How many attempts will his unsponsored No. 77 have left before it's forced to cut back and stop attempting races?

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/two-weeks-of-knockout-qualifying--two-weeks-of-penske-cars-on-the-front-row-004401773.html

Gino Bianco Hans Binder Clemente Biondetti Pablo Birger

Raikkonen in rude health

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/post_abu_dhabi.html

Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown

Power Rankings: There's no way Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't at the top

�

Guess what's back, back, back again? Power rankings are back, tell a friend. Our weekly From the Marbles staple is back for 2014 and once again, it's far from a scientific formula as it's the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. Direct all your complaints to us at happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com.

And no, we're not expanding Power Rankings to 16 drivers.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Gotta give the guy who won the Daytona 500 some love. But had Junior not won the 500 and simply finished second for the fourth time in five years, he wasn't going to be far from the top. The No. 88 bunch was on top of its game during Speedweeks; the only bad spot was the crash with Marcos Ambrose in the Sprint Unlimited. And that wasn't weakness, that was a fluke. Anyway, Junior is now on Twitter. But if you're on Twitter, you probably already knew that. And if you're not on Twitter, does it really matter to you?

2. Denny Hamlin: If this is based off of the Daytona 500 alone, Hamlin's a worthy second. If this is based off of the entirety of Speedweeks, Hamlin is also a worthy second. And even has an outside argument for first. Hamlin made a great move on the backstretch on the penultimate lap to get to second, but couldn't get any further. Had he been closer to the front when the restart happened, he might have been the only driver to challenge Junior for the win. Instead, Hamlin had a second-place finish and some emotional confusion.

3. Brad Keselowski: Was the White Deuce the third-best car of the weekend? Kes had both single-car and drafting speed, and once his Duel went south on Thursday, he had very good reason to sit back and simply finish the race and save the car. It was bad fast. Plus, the Duel brought us the "High Life' and "Miller Lite" pit strategies, though we're still not sure what they both mean. And now we think every team needs to base pit calls off of their sponsors.

4. Jimmie Johnson: After getting his rear-view mirror issues sorted out before the monstrous red flag for rain, Johnson was up near the front of the field at the end of the race and a contender for the win while also pushing Dale Earnhardt Jr. And the latter is a prime example of why "team orders" and the like will never really leave NASCAR. Johnson was in a situation where he could go for the win given a strong opportunity for the pass and also play defense for his teammate. As the defending champion of the Daytona 500, we'd all do the same thing in that situation, right?

5. Jeff Gordon: Here's our third Hendrick car in the top five. Gordon was strong on both Thursday and Sunday, sneakily finishing third in his Duel and fourth in the 500. But for as good as he was in both races, he really never felt like a threat for the win even as he pushed Junior on the restart, did he? That's kind of a metaphor for the last few seasons. If he wants title No. 5, it better not be a metaphor for 2014 either.

6. Matt Kenseth: If you're going to mess up and crash, do it when it really doesn't matter. Kenseth mentioned multiple times how badly he felt after causing contact that led to crashes in the Sprint Unlimited and in Daytona 500 practice. But neither affected anything for the Daytona 500 -- well, because Kenseth's car survived that practice crash intact -- and he won his Duel race and finished sixth in the 500.

7. Austin Dillon: Are we weighting the pole run and first-crash save too heavily here and not weighting the contact that caused two other crashes enough? Dillon got shuffled to the back of the pack after the rain delay, but steadily made his way back forward and had an incredible save in the wreck that took out Danica Patrick. He got tagged in the right-rear quarterpanel and somehow got the car pointed in the right direction after he did a 360. However, he then made contact with Kyle Larson and the No. 42 and his teammate Ryan Newman checked up in front of him and went spinning off Dillon's bumper.

8. Greg Biffle: There wasn't a more aggressive driver in the Daytona 500 than Biffle. Well, if there was, it wasn't very obvious from the press box. Biffle had a very fast car and wanted to use it as much as he could to maintain his position at the front, swapping between lanes and making moves whenever he could. Though one of his best power moves -- a sweeping lane change in the trioval to go for the lead in the last half of the race -- didn't amount to anything as he couldn't hold the lead down the backstretch.

9. Landon Cassill: After qualifying for the Daytona 500 via his Duel race, Cassill preached sanity and safety regarding his team's approach to the Daytona 500. His small Hillman Racing team has one speedway car, and Cassill said that it was in their best interests to run a smart race and bring the car home intact. As the Daytona 500 went on, that smart race was one run at the front of the field. Cassill was a mainstay in the top 15 for most of the evening and his 12th place finish was no fluke.

10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Stenhouse gets more bonus points for his stone-faced pre-Nationwide race demeanor than his top-10 in the Daytona 500. During the interesting national anthem before Saturday's race, TV cameras showed Stenhouse standing next to girlfriend Danica Patrick. Patrick had a big grin and a "what is going on?" look on her face. Stenhouse was either zoned out or doing a really good job of not cracking up.

11. Kevin Harvick: Strong runs on Thursday and Sunday both ended in disappointment. Harvick was feet from a Duel win and subsequently failed post-race inspection and had to start 38th in the Daytona 500. He ran strongly Sunday, but then was in the middle of the crash off the final corner and slid across the finish line with a battered car and a 13th place finish. But hey, he was the highest-finishing Stewart-Haas car.

12. Reed Sorenson: The kids were so close to eating free! Much like Cassill, Sorenson's run in the top 20 wasn't a fluke either. He may not have had the best car -- a line with Sorenson at the front probably wasn't going to make a run at the lead -- but he hung well in the draft and made the right decisions. He just ended up lodged in the infield as the checkered flag was waving.

Lucky Dog: We'll give it to Kurt Busch who was in the proverbial Lucky Dog spot after his spin out that didn't cause a caution with nine laps to go. We understand NASCAR's desire to keep the race green in that circumstance, but we do wonder how often an incident like that is a caution on, say, lap 10. Busch's radio reaction was pricelessly predictable, however. And rated NC-17.

The DNF: Clint Bowyer delivered the quote of the night after his car blew up Sunday night. Think he was a little jealous of Martin Truex Jr., whose car went kaput before the rain came?

?It?s just a frustrating day first from the rain -- if it was going to blow up, I wish it would have blown up four hours ago.� I could have been home watching.� Just disappointing -- the guys work so hard for this race.� Everybody is out there having fun and we broke our toy.?

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/power-rankings--there-s-no-way-dale-earnhardt-jr--isn-t-at-the-top-161531662.html

Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella

Into the Crystal Ball? Welcome to Sunny Florida Edition

With an actual pre-race article we are FINALLY here! 2014 is upon us and the entire indycar circus is hunkered down in the St. Petersburg paddock ready to battle from the first sight of green on Friday morning. Firestone takes … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/into-the-crystal-ball-welcome-to-sunny-florida-edition/

Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi

Bridgestone Press Release - Shinji Aoki Discusses The Challenges Of A Dusty Qatar Circuit

The first race of the year means also the first Bridgestone post-race press release. In this debrief, Shinji Aoki discusses the effect the Qatar circuit has on tires, the use of the softer rear tire by the Honda production racers, and Marc Marquez gambling on the harder rear tire. The press release appears below:

Round Number: 

1

Year: 

2014

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/_yNChCOg01M/bridgestone_press_release_shinji_aoki_di.html

Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown

Winter Testing Schedule

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/11/winter-testing-schedule.html

Jaime Alguersuari Philippe Alliot Cliff Allison Fernando Alonso

Piaggio MP3 500

Paul Menard's third place finish at Las Vegas was his highest since at Kansas in 2012

Yes, that was Paul Menard briefly side-by-side with Jimmie Johnson for second with less than 50 laps to go in Sunday's Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas.

Right after Menard pulled alongside Johnson, the caution flag flew and the field was jumbled after pit stops. But Menard drove through the field throughout the race's final 42 laps and finished third. The last time he finished third? in October 2012.

Menard has one Cup Series victory. It came at Indianapolis in 2011.

"When that caution came out, we knew that we were going to pit," Menard said. "The question was whether or not to take right sides or gas only. Took gas only, spun the tires really bad on the restart.Everybody on the outside lane seemed to really spin their tires. Whoever had clean air seemed like they checked out.� You saw the 2 do that earlier, the 88 did it at the end. So clean air obviously is still very important, but I felt like our car, I could move lanes and we could race people and pass people, which was obviously really important"

Yes, very important. While drivers like Kyle Busch and Joey Logano found their cars hard to handle in traffic, Menard was able to make headway with relative ease.

There was a chance that Menard was going to miss Sunday's race too. His wife, Jennifer, is due to have the couple's first child on Tuesday. Matt Crafton, the 2013 Camping World Truck Series champion who drives part-time for RCR in the Nationwide Series, was on standby for Menard in case he had to fly back to North Carolina.

"My phone is back at the hauler so she might have called, but I told her to call," Menard said. "Matt Crafton is my backup and he really wants to get in the car, so I told Jennifer if it's important, call Matt because he's sure as hell going to tell me.I didn't get the call, though, so I guess everything is good."

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/paul-menard-s-third-place-finish-at-las-vegas-was-his-highest-since-at-kansas-in-2012-010442421.html

Eugenio Castellotti Johnny Cecotto Andrea de Cesaris Francois Cevert

Grand Prix of Indy, a Few Local Reactions

Road racing is on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and there were more than a few questions concerning the whole package. As the self-appointed every-mans indianpolis based indycar lifer and racing addict, I think some pedestrian opinion could be just … Continue reading →

Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/grand-prix-of-indy-a-few-local-reactions/

Antonio Creus Larry Crockett Tony Crook Art Cross

All Prices on the SEAT Leon TGI

Although in Spain vehicles fueled by natural gas does not have a particularly high demand, SEAT have not wanted to miss the chance to offer a variant on the body of your Lion with five doors. With a view similar to the new Golf mechanical , Lion TGI block uses a 1.4-liter 110 hp and […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/634-all-prices-on-the-seat-leon-tgi.html

Gianfranco Brancatelli Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger

Piaggio MP3 500