Formula 1: Good outing for Force India

Published>Sat, Feb 27 10 03:46 PM

Barcelona, Feb 27 (IANS) Force India enjoyed another good outing on the second day of the pre-season Formula One test as Vitantonio Liuzzi turned in the fourth fastest lap of the day in 1 minute 21.056 seconds.

The team's preparation for the start of the 2010 Championship continued as Liuzzi worked through an intensive programme that included a full race distance, completing 90 laps.

After completing shorter runs in the morning, Liuzzi started a race simulation after the lunchtime break. Aside from a red flag period shortly after his second stop for tyres, the VJM03 performed reliably throughout Friday.

Liuzzi said: 'We can be quite happy about today's programme. We completed everything without any issues and the car showed very good reliability, even when we did the race simulation. Again, it is responding very well and we are improving day by day so everything is looking positive.

'We still don't know where we are relative to the others, and we will only see in Bahrain, but overall we can be really happy. We now have two more days of testing to try and get as much information as possible.'

Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) was the quickest in 1:20.614 (99 laps), ahead of former double World champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari (1:20.637, 134 laps) and Pedro de la Rosa of Sauber-Ferrari (1:20.973, 114 laps) while seven times champion Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) was seventh with a 1:21.689 (85 laps).

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Schumacher admits his car is too slow to win Bahrain grand prix

Published>Sat, Feb 27 10 03:40 PM

London, Feb 27 (ANI): Seven times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has admitted that his car is too slow to win the first grand prix of the season in Bahrain.

The Mercedes GP star ended pre-season testing in just over a second behind Williams rookie Nico Hulkenberg, who was the quickest.

Schumacher said: "We're not perfectly in the position we would like to be, probably to be competing to win the first races straight away."

The seven-time world champion believes Mercedes GP's objective will be to compete with the top teams.

"It is very difficult to judge what the real picture is right now," The Sun quoted Schumacher, as saying.

Hulkenberg set the pace in Barcelona with a best lap of 1min 20.614secs.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was two-hundreths of a second behind in good conditions at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Pedro De la Rosa of Sauber was just over three-tenths back in third, ahead of Tonio Liuzzi of Force India and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton finished a place behind Schumacher in eighth. (ANI)

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Emergency shipments of condoms as Winter Games athletes ditch no sex before a game

Published>Sat, Feb 27 10 03:36 PM

Melbourne, Feb 27 (ANI): Emergency shipments of condoms are being sent to the Olympic Villages, after the Winter Games athletes ditched the theory of no sex before a game.

An "emergency airlift" of 8500 condoms is on the way to the Olympic Villages in Vancouver and Whistler for the athletes.

The first shipment of 100,000 or 14 condoms per visiting athlete was provided by the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research apparently wasn't enough, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Foundation executive director Kerry Whiteside told The Kingston Whig Standard: "When we heard about the condom shortage in Vancouver, we felt it important to respond immediately. Safer sex is key to preventing the spread of the HIV virus."

Canadian Olympic team mentor Marnie McBean said athletes were stuffing their pockets with prophylactics to keep as souvenirs from the games.

The demand for condoms at the Vancouver Games is in stark contrast to Beijing. Last fall, a collector auctioned 5000 condoms that were left over from the 2008 Summer Games.

Free condoms have been distributed at the Olympics since the 1992 games in Barcelona. (ANI)

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Lankan media joins chorus of appreciation for Tendulkar

Published Sat, Feb 27 10 03:06 PM

Colombo, Feb 27 (PTI) Much like their counterparts in other cricket-playing nations, the Sri Lankan media too bowed in appreciation for Sachin Tendulkar, lauding his historic and awe-inspiring double ton in the Gwalior ODI. Calling him a "batting god", editorials lavished praise on Tendulkar who became the first batsman in the history of one-day cricket to score a double hundered when he struck 200 not out against South Africa. "Sachin Tendulkar quenched the thirst of millions by his record breaking double century in ODIs," said a report. The state-owned ''Daily News'' devoted a voluminous article on the Indian and wrote, "It has been said and accepted that in India cricket is religion and Tendulkar god. And that belief came true when the batting god delivered in making the first double hundred in the history of one-day international cricket." "At 36 years of age, he does not seem to have slowed. Like all great batsmen do, he first got his eye in, got a feel of how the wicket was playing, its bounce and movement and then began the batting show of the shows. MORE PTI TVS PM

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South Africa decide to bat against India

Published>Sat, Feb 27 10 02:44 PM

Ahmedabad, Feb 27 (IANS) South Africa captain Jacques Kallis won the toss and decided to bat in the third and the last One-day International against India at Motera here Saturday.

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