The Wall Departs!

June 20 1996 witnessed the arrival of a legend. The stage was perfectly set up. A young lad was facing the fearful pace battery of England in the trying conditions of Lord. And Alas! He missed a much deserved debut century by a whisker!

A man who first stepped into international cricket when unorthodoxy was at its peak with pinch-hitters ruling the roost and defying all the rules of textbook cricket with aplomb ; Dravid has been truly head and shoulders above everyone. He has consistently exhibited a temperament showing a remarkable impregnability of class, timing and hard work. Every time India has been staring down the barrel, Dravid has fancifully played the Crisis Man; akin to a cloud that gathers her robe like drifted snow. Rightly called the “Wall”, he is also famous as “jammy” to his close mates.

The Wall: Rahul Dravid picked up the Test player and ICC player of the year awards at the inaugural ICC Awards.

Dravid has proved time and again why is rightly the “Mr Dependable “.Be it the 2001 Kolkata test or the 2003 Adelaide test, Dravid has justified why the bowlers always kept a high price tag for his wicket.

When Dravid made his ODI debut, he was again always put at the backburner. With a strike rate as alarmingly low as 70, he certainly didn’t fit into this swashbuckling format. But his perseverance, determination and grit were unmatched and he worked on his way towards success. Today,as we look at the statistics of his illustrious ODI career, one can safely presume that he is a perfect role model for today’s generation of budding cricketers.

Today, unfortunately he is calling it quits. Well some good things do need to end. His performance in the recent series down under was highly scrutinized, with every tom dick and harry questioning his technique and reasons for getting knocked over many times. One can’t help but think about the after effects of such flays on a cricketer whose body of work is too good to be questioned.

The WALL: A scorecard which we might not see again!

When Dravid retires today, the country will lose the greatest no 3 batsman it ever had, fans will be robbed of the privilege of watching this artist at work, media will mourn that he never got his due but most importantly, his departure will take away with itself a bit of gentle-manliness that the game tries to still portray as its inseparable element. Indeed, Dravid was not only a great cricketer, but he displayed a remarkable touch of sincerity and humility on field. He preferred to stay quiet rather than always foam at the mouth.

All said and done, India have lost a player who just cannot be replaced immediately seeing the sorry state of affairs in Indian cricket at the moment. It is a day of utter gloom and despair. Now its high time players like Cheteshwar Pujara and others rise up to the challenge. Otherwise we have literally no hopes of seeing even a half-constructed wall being remade.

– Anubhav Shrivastava 

Edited by RamSharat Reddy. 

 

ALL HAIL SZCZESNY !

During the dark days of a crumbling Manuel Almunia and a mistake riddled Lukasz Fabianski, so desperate were Arsenal fans for a goal keeper worthy of gloves that the failure to sign an ageing Australian from Fulham caused tears to be wept.

That such a predicament seems so long ago in terms of Arsenal and goalkeepers is because the impact of Wojciech Szczesny has been nothing short of majestic. The answer to the problems was within all along, waiting to be introduced. An area that caused the most concern now ceases to worry, even when he’s show boating with double Cruyff turns in his box.

The first time I knew anything of Wojciech was when news seeped out that an Arsenal youth goalkeeper had fractured both his arms whilst weightlifting after training. Some achievement, the injury was a good marker of the character of our No.1. Crazy and confident. Once he recovered he was soon on his way to Brentford for a loan spell. Upon hearing the news Bob Wilson spoke to Szczesny about the opportunity of gaining valuable first team experience in the lower leagues.

“The loan to Brentford will be good for you Wojciech?”.

“No Bob….. I will be good for them.”

That tale cemented my love for the man long before his first team place at Arsenal had set. An endearing arrogance which was soon justified as an extended loan spell came to an end with the Brentford manager singing Szczesny’s praises just as loudly as he was his own;

“It has reached the stage where, when he lets in a goal, we wonder why he hasn’t saved it.”

In the winter of 2011 Arsenal goal keepers have come full circle. Such is the class and long term potential of Wojciech Szczesny that I wouldn’t swap him for any other.

Thankfully the collective inadequacy and injuries of those who went before him parted the way for Szczesny to make his mark at Arsenal just before the frustrations of being third of fourth in a queue with inferiors forced him to be brilliant elsewhere. (After being omitted from a Carling Cup squad at Spurs he moaned to the Polish press about Arsene Wenger seeming to “forget he has a goalkeeper named Wojciech Szczesny”.)

That’s hard to imagine now. You don’t win anything with a keeper without presence, and we haven’t. Despite his youth Wojciech immediately presented an authorization that had been lacking for too long. Teams were pumping balls into the Arsenal box with a high percentage of probability that Almunia or Fabianski would misjudge the flight horribly or be bullied into throwing the ball into their own net. Every corner or free kick conceded was a threat that had Gooners covering their eyes in fear.

It was a soft spot that Szczesny has hardened. He dominates his area in a way his predecessors could only dream of. In one-on- one situations he spreads himself Schmeichel like to such an effect that his huge frame daunts the forward and reduces the opportunity. When he first broke through, having made his league debut at Old Trafford, his kicking was clearly something that had to be improved in both distance and placement. He realised and corrected this to such an extent that a year later it goes unnoticed.

As well as commanding his box through an ever increasing presence, his stature in the team now is such that he physically picks team mates up and puts them down where ever he wants them to be in order to defend a set piece. He constantly talks to his defenders, who listen where Manuel would have been ignored. They listen because they trust him and because their own games have improved ten percent, free of the worry of having to cover for the incapability’s behind them.

He will of course make mistakes. His share of blame in the Carling Cup final fiasco with Koscielny was an early test of character which he has dusted off. (So too has the Frenchman). The supreme confidence he exudes is not fragile. An error of judgement would not affect him so much to be repeated through worry the following week, with enough credit already in the bank to be forgive and enough confidence in himself to forget.

We finally have a goal keeper who actually ‘keeps’ goal. One that will save us points rather than cost them. The crucial penalty stop in Udinese with the scores level could have been the difference between the Champions League and the poxy Europa League.

The point blank block from Cattermole at the Emirates saw him preventing goals that he really has no right to, despite uncharacteristically playing it down himself, ““It’s not a good save, it’s a poor finish, he’s 3 yards out”).

In the summer of 2010 anyone would do. Any keeper would improve.

In the winter of 2011 Arsenal goal keepers have come full circle. Such is the class and long term potential of Wojciech Szczesny that I wouldn’t swap him for any other.

That keeper we wanted? We’ve got him, and for the next fifteen years.

Long to reign over us

-Ujan Sengupta

-Edited by RamSharat Reddy

Australian Open 2012 Final!

In times where doping charges, match –fixing and lack of sportsmanship continue to taint the image of sports, it is very rare that a hard fought game is seen. Sunday 29^th January was one such day. The Australian open final between the 2 heavyweights Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic once again proved how tennis has turned out to be a gladiatorial sport offlate.It was a night when sport truly felt like a theatre, too astounding to be unscripted.

 Ok agreed, sportsmen are supposed to be as fit as a butcher’s dog. But 6 hours of non-stop play is something that even the world spirit wouldn’t agree to.

We have seen VVS Laxman’s magical 281 that thrashed the Australians from a position of invincibility, the innings that brought back the long lost faith in the Indian team of winning from hopeless positions.

We have also seen Muhammad Ali  flooring George Foreman with a left, then a right in the eighth round of the Rumble in the Jungle or Lance Armstrong picking himself up from a crash at the 2003 Tour de France.

But Sunday’s sporting battle exceeded the expectations of even the staunchest of fans, if I may say. It wasn’t just a mere game; it redefined the ladders of endurance, of hope and survival at the brink of defeat.

It wasn’t just the incredible will Djokovic displayed that made this match memorable, the skill and exuberance in Rafa’s strokes were also worth mentioning. The tide could have turned in any one’s favour, notwithstanding the fact that the loser played equally well.

“I’ll keep fighting,” Nadal told the crowd in Melbourne. We hope so. Because, like the very best Hollywood blockbusters, this epic cried out for a sequel and left us hungry for more.
Till then, let’s keep our fingers crossed and cherish the memories of this unforgettable night.

 

This is not an analysis guys, just my point of view, for everything else there is Times of India. 😀

By Anubhav Shrivastava

 

 

 
 

 

 

El Clásico – Clash of the titans!

El Clásico – Clash of the titans!

The words El Clásico probably conjure up vivid images of intense sporting rivalry in your head.

The El Clásico is definitely the Holy Grail for football fans and needs no introduction. However, for all the uninitiated, the El Clásico is a football match between the clubs F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid. These two clubs are presently and have always been among the best footballing clubs in the world.
They share a long history of rivalry which has been mired in politics and controversy. During the Spanish Civil War, F.C. Barcelona epitomized Catalan pride and identity whereas Real Madrid C.F. was supported indirectly by General Franco (soon to be dictator of Spain). In fact Franco had Josep Sunyol (The then president of F.C. Barcelona) executed for treason. Hence the legacy of the El Clásico matches began.
The rivalry intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo di Stéfano. Di Stéfano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both Madrid and Barcelona attempted to sign him and in the confusion that ensued, both clubs claimed to own his registration. After intervention from FIFA it was decided that both Barcelona and Real Madrid had to share the player in alternate seasons. Di Stéfano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Madrid won the initial five European Champions Cup competitions.

The Infamous Pigs head

Another incident in recent history was the infamous throwing of a “pig’s head” on Luis Figo. Luis Figo’s £37m move from Barcelona to arch rivals Real Madrid in the summer of 2000 didn’t go down well at the Camp Nou (Barcelona’s Stadium). So, when the Portuguese winger returned there in November 2002, Barca fans were waiting to bombard their former hero with an assortment of interesting missiles. These included whiskey bottles, cigarette lighters, golf balls and  the most controversial of them all, a pig’s head.

What to look out for in the El Clásico this Saturday night?

As is said, there are many aspects to the El Clásico and in the recent years, tactics have taken on a greater prevalence. The famous or infamous Jose’ Mourinho tactics are something one must watch out for in the coming El Clásico.

For anyone familiar to the footballing world, it is clear that Barcelona have a mental edge regarding the El Clásico due to their victory in previous encounters, most notably the 5-0 at Camp Nou, last season. Yet today Mourinho’s men find themselves 3 points clear of F.C. Barcelona in the La Liga, with a game in hand. This gives the men in white a tremendous mental boost.

Mourinho’s Men will have a few tricks up their sleeve. Their major strength being fast paced counter attacking football and the ability to use the width of the pitch will come to full use in this game.

The Catalans on the other hand will have a more central pitched approach. They will look to play their typical “pass to death” game. Playing “triangles” is an overused term in the footballing world, yet Pep Gaurdiola’s men execute this to perfection.

Another great aspect of the game will be the battle between, arguably two of the greatest footballers of today, Messi and Ronaldo. They both are nominated alongside Xavi for the prestigious Ballon D’Or.

The Personal Rivalry

We will get to witness them fight it out for supremacy. Messi, with his exotic dribbling skills and Ronaldo with his brilliant flair will be a joy to watch. They both are the joint leaders of the scoring sheets of the La Liga and hopefully we will get to see why.

Another brilliant aspect of the game will be the attacking mastery of both the teams and their playmakers. F.C. Barcelona have the combo of Xavi and Iniesta, who have great chemistry in midfield. They are known for their beautiful though balls and one touch passing. Real on the other hand represent counter attacking football at its best. They have the likes of Ozil and Di Maria, who with one quick break can destroy oppositions. All this said and done, we always have Messi and Ronaldo to watch out for.

All in all it is the match to watch out for. We may not know who will win it, or for that matter whom to support, but we do know that it is a game every sports fan will definitely enjoy. Miss it at your own risk !

Probable Line-Ups and Other Information:-  

Real Madrid– Casillas, Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, Arbeloa, Khedira, Alonso, Ozil, Ronaldo, Benzema, Di Maria.

Barcelona– Valdes, Abidal, Puyol, Mascherano, Iniesta, Busquests, Xavi, Alves, Villa, Fabregas, Messi.

Stadium– Santiago Bernabeu

Referee– David Borbalan

Date– 10th December, 2011. 09 PM, GMT (2.30 AM IST).

By :-

Akhil Subhedar, Sujaan Choksi

United’s worst nightmare!

Right after the Massacre of Manchester, as I was racing down the stairs to rub salt in the wounds of the numerous United fans, I realized something and I asked myself this question. Why am I so happy?

Well one answer was that Arsenal had won (finally), with The Flying Dutchman coming off the bench to score two well-made goals. Another one could be that after the walloping we received at their hands, this felt like a sweet revenge. Albeit at the hands of a marauding, money-fueled army of an oligomaniach.

But those were not the sole reasons for my ecstatic ecstasy. I realized, that for the next half an hour, I too had become a part of the unjust and baseless faction of people who called themselves Anti- Manchester United.

MU: United supporter in distress.

Now, why the bountiful hatred towards the club?

One of the reasons and the main one, I believe is that, their aeon long dominance at the helm of the Premier League hierarchy. They are the most successful club in England, and on their way to become superlative, in Europe. Now, loyalists of other clubs such as me, would in no way, applaud this hegemony. However, the way their team has gelled this season, is highly commendable and football purists such as myself, have no problem with any football club, even Stoke City for that matter, if they play brilliant attractive football. So, United’s success is a major factor in getting other teams to despise them.

Another reason I believe, is the number of people who jump the bandwagon and say that they are United supporters and when asked to name three players in the line-up, come up with answers like ‘Ronaldo, um…, Beckham, and… I think… it’s Rooney right, that guy who looks like Shrek?’.
Now, these people come off as annoying to mos, and unfortunately, we find a largesse of these dweebs in our own beloved republic. Hence, half the general hatred towards United is judiciously won by this faction of people.

Old Trafford stunned with 6 away goals!

And one final reason I don’t think a lot of people can argue with this one is the fact that no matter what season they are playing, which cup they’re playing their trade in, they always show the same blunt resilience to losing, that has come to bind them as a team and has written the legacy that ‘Even when they’re down, they’re not out’. This refusal to bend down to footballing adversities and this allergy to losing even when they’re trailing by a bunch of goals is what has come to describe Manchester United these days. And boy, do people hate them for it…

Also, that illiterate Scot at the wheel of the club is a tad bit egoistic and annoying. But kudos for being a personification of ‘ Alive and Kicking’, although I bet he is kicking himself now. And maybe a hapless Johny Evans.

So, after we calmed down a bit, I figured out what this day was, apart from being the best birthday present for Arsene Wenger. This was a reality check for Man United. Every team needs one, and God help the Premier League if they come back stronger from it.

-Ujan Sengupta
 (1st year)

   

INTER COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC MEET 2011-2012

Manipal University proudly presents this year’s Inter Collegiate Athletic Meet, which was organized by the Manipal College of Nursing.

This event was held on 15^th and 16^thOctober at the MIT cricket ground. Dr G.K Prabhu, registrar of Manipal University was the chief guest for the opening ceremony. Various teams from different colleges such as MIT, KMC, MIN, MIC, ICAS, MCODS, MCOPS etc. and even teams from Mangalore such as KMC, MCODS came forward to participate in this premier event.  The cross country took place from MIT ground to the End Point. With 10 participants in the men’s side and 6 in the women’s, this was the most anticipated race!

With hefty competition this time around and several records broken, this year’s athletic meet was a huge success.

MIT: Athletic Track

LIST OF WINNERS:
200m:

MEN:                                                             Women:

1 Nanjappa P.K                                 MIM                   1 Sujatha                      MCON

2 Arpan Burman               WGSHA             2 Ashwini                      MCON

3 Alden Fernandes          MIT                    3 Glenda Crasta           WGHSA
4oom:

MEN:                                                              Women:

1 Yashraj                              MCODS                1 Sujatha                   MCON

2 Ahmed Sudiman           MCON                 2 Prathima K              MCON

3 A Chakravarthy              MCODS               3 Ishita Gupta            MCODS
800m:

MEN:                                                               Women:

1 Sukesh Kulal                   MCON                  1 Christine Yan         MCODS

2 A Chakravarthy              MCO                    2 Prathima K              MCON

3  Abhishek Reddy           KMC Manipal     3 Indira                       KMCIC
1500m:

MEN:                                                                Women:

1 Sukesh                              MCON                    1 Swarnashree            MCON

2 A Chakravarthy              MCODS                  2 Christine Yan            MCODS

3 Niranjan                           MIT                         3 Soumya                     MCON
Short Put:

MEN:                                                               Women:

1 Siddharth                         MIM                         1 Glenda                       WGHSA

2 Naiman                             MUTD                      2 Leanna                        MIT

3 Balaji Singh                      MCIS                        3 Ashliy                          MIT
Javelin Throw:

MEN:                                                               Women:

1 Pradep                              MCON                     1 Ashliy                                MIT

2 Faiz                                     MUTD                     2 Prathima K                       MCON

3 Gurudatt Nayak            WGSHA                  3 Nikita Sudhir                    MCODS
Hammer Throw:

MEN:                                                                Women:

1 Aneesh Kumar               MCOAHS              1 Leanna                            MIT

2 Appaiah R.C                    MUTD                  2 Mallika                             MCON

3 Sangith Roy                     WGSWA              3 Ashliy                               MIT
Long Jump:

MEN:                                                               Women:

1 Alden CF                           MIT                        1 Sujatha                            MCON

2 Glen D’Souza                  MIT                        2 Layoni K.C                       MCON

3 Md. Basheer                   MCOAHS              3 Glenda Crasta                 WGHSA
High Jump:

MEN:                                                                Women:

1 Pratheek                          WGHSA                  1 Jasmine Rose                 MCON

2 Brandon                           ICAS                        2 Vidya Shreek                  MCON

3 Suraj Kumar                    MIM                       3 Apoorva                          MSAP
110m Hurdles:

MEN:                                                                 Women:

1 Ayush                                MCODS                   1 Vijayshree                     MCON

2 Abhishek Reddy            KMC                     2 Jasmine                             MCON

3 Sonal Kashyap                MCOPS
Cross Country:

MEN:                                                                 Women:

1 Sukesh                              MCON                    1 Prathima                         MCON

2 A Chakravathy               MCODS                  2 Vijayshree                       MCON

3 Niranjan Kamath           MIT                        3 Soumya                            MCON

Winners: Women's 110m Hurdles

Winners: Men's 110m Hurdles

With12 gold, 11 silver and 2 bronze medals MCON were the winners of this year’s athletic meet while MIT has won 5 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals. This mega event concluded with H.D Eshan (former international athlete) being the chief guest at the closing ceremony. Thus came to an end a glorious sporting event!!

Report: Ram Sharat Reddy B…        

Photo Coverage: Prashant Singh…

Evolution of Djokovic

For seven years, tennis has been a two-horse race at the top, between Nadal and Federer. It has been fascinating, yet predictable. They’re going nowhere, not just yet. Nadal, 24, will play as long as his knees permit. While Federer, who turned 30 this year, and without a Slam to add to his 16 since Australia in 2010, might consider winning an Olympic gold medal: a fitting moment to retire in 2012 which gives tennis a glittering troika at the summit.

Nole: The new CHAMP!

Instead, perennial No. 3 guy Djokovic (who spent the last four years in the shadow of the twin titans of tennis) suddenly decides he’s had enough. At 23 years old the Serb gets stronger, fitter and faster! The No. 3 guy stepped it up a notch and achieved perfection.

In an astonishing year thus far where Djokovic has a win –loss record of 64-2 and his dominance over Nadal with six straight victories in 2011 has ensured that the Nadal-Federer duopoly was over. Djokovic resilience also came to the fore, when he was two sets down and facing a match point against Federer in the mouth-watering semifinal clash at the U.S Open. Then he released an audacious forehand that helped him come back into the game and win the match. Tennis legend John Mc Enroe called it “one of the greatest all time shots in tennis history”.

How could a creaking competition outside the mainstream interest of the sport have any effect on a player’s form? Surely it was his new diet, his yoga, his change of coach, the decline of Federer, the faltering of Nadal, the failure of Andy Murray to seize the moment and many other factors. Those were factors. But, as the man himself said, pride in his country over-rode all that.

Well, maybe people will believe now. Djokovic is the best player in the world because he has tapped into something much deeper than technique, fitness or mere talent. He has discovered the greatest incentive to achievement of them all: pride.

Main Statistics:

2011		Career
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
singles record:	64 – 2	singles record:	388 – 107
singles titles:	10	singles titles:	28
doubles record:	3 – 2	doubles record:	31 – 40
doubles titles:	0	doubles titles:	1
prize money:	$10,609,318 (13.09.2011.)	prize money:	$30,872,275 (13.09.2011.)

KFC T20 BIG BASH 2011-2012

When Cricket Australia announced that the Big Bash league is going to transform the message was simple: ‘We are going big, very big!’. So the six state team formula has been discarded and the teams have been split up into eight individual franchises and for five to six weeks over the summer (December 2011 to January 2012) it’s going to be a cracker!  Twenty20 Cricket in Australia will become the epicenter of domestic cricket in the country. In KFC Twenty20 Big Bash 2011-2012 each team will play each other once, the top four teams make it to the semi-finals. The KFC Twenty20 Big Bash 2011 tournament is a part of Future Tour Programs prepared by International Cricket Council (ICC).

With foreign players such as Chris Gayle, Keiron Pollard, Daniel Vettori, Shahid Afridi and others this event has gone bigger and better. It is sad that none of the Indians are taking part in this premier event.

Team Captains

Here are the teams with their squads for this season’s BBL.

Adelaide Strikers

Daniel Harris

Cameron Borgas

Callum Ferguson

Aiden Blizzard

Kane Richardson

Tom Cooper

Aaron O’Brien

Michael Klinger(c)

Nathan Lyon

Keiron Pollard

Theo Doropoulos

Lee Carseldine

Adam Crosthwaithe

Brendan Drew

Gary Putland

Brisbane Heat

Ryan Harris

Nick Buchanan

Chris Lynn

Ben Cutting

Michael Neser

Dan Christian

Nathan Hauritz

James Hopes(c)

Ryan Broad

Peter Frrest

Chris Hartley

Matthew Hayden

Brendon McCullum

Daniel Vettori

Hobart Hurricanes

Tim Paine(c)

Xavier Doherty

Rana Naveed

Travis Birt

Michael Hogan

Mark Cosgrove

Rhett Lockyear

Evan Gulbis

Matt Johnston

Ricky Ponting

Ben Hilfenhaus

Luke Fledman

Nick Kruger

Owais Shah

Ben Hilfenhaus

Phi Jaques

Jason Krejza

Ben Laughlin

Melbourne Renegades

Andrew McDonald(c)

Aaron Finch

Dirk Nannes

Shaun Tait

Michael Hill

Glenn Maxwell

Jayde Herrick

Ryan Carters

Nathan Reardon

Will Sheridan

Brad Hodge

Shane Harwood

Aaron Heal

Brenton McDonald

Shahid Afridi

Abdul Razzaq

Melbourne Stars

Cameron White(c)

Shane Warne

David Hussey

George Bailey

Adam Voges

Chris Simpson

James Faulkner

Jon Holland

Alex Keath

James Pattinson

Peter Siddle

Adam Voges

Luke Wright

John Hastings

Clint McKay

Robert Quiney

Matthew Wade

Perth Scorchers

Simon Katich

Shaun Marsh

Marcus North(c)

Luke Pomersbach

Herschelle Gibbs

Mitch Marsh

Mike Hussey

Tom Beaton

Nathan Coulter-Nile

Paul Collingwood

Luke Ronchi

Mark Cameron

Nathan Rimmington

Michael Beer

Sydney Sixers

Steven Smith

Moises Henriques

Ben Rohrer

Peter Neville

Ed Cowan

Mitchell Starc

Nic Maddinson

Brad Haddin(c)

Pat Cummins

Michael Lumb

Peter Nevill

Josh Hazlewood

Brett Lee

Nic Maddinson

Steve O’Keefe

Shane Watson

Sydney Thunder

David Warner(c)

Chris Gayle

Jason Floros

Tim Cruickshank

Usman Khawaja

Tim Armstrong

Doug Bollinger

Scott Coyte

Matthew Day

Ben Dunk

Philip Hughes

Craig Philipson

Sean Abbott

Nicholas Bills

Luke Butterworth

Luke Doran

Fidel Edwards

 

*Players in Italics are the foreign contingent.

Breif details:

BBL teams

Name	Colour	Venue	Coach
Adelaide Strikers	Blue	Adelaide Oval	Darren Berry
Brisbane Heat	Teal	Gabba	Darren Lehmann
Hobart Hurricanes	Purple	Bellerive Oval	TBC
Perth Scorchers	Orange	WACA Ground	Mickey Arthur
Melbourne Renegades	Red	Etihad Stadium	Simon Helmot
Melbourne Stars	Green	MCG	Greg Shipperd
Sydney Sixers	Pink	SCG	TBC
Sydney Thunder	Electric Green	ANZ Stadium	TBC

FORMULA 1@DELHI

For many of us it would have been a cherished dream to be in the race track and watch a F1 race. Now it’s time to fulfill your dream, for they have set foot on the  Indian soil. F1 seems to be on the move forever, and in light of recent F1 successes in Korea and Singapore, India more specifically its capital city New Delhi is the latest Eastern powerhouse to welcome the event with open arms. After learning plenty of lessons from the 2010 Commonwealth Games, New Delhi plans to wow the international sporting stage once more with its first race in October this year.

A brand new circuit has been built to the south of the city, in the suburb of Noida. The track, designed by renowned circuit architect Hermann Tilke from Germany, stretches to 5.141 kilometres and is expected to seat up to 150,000 spectators. He has built some fabulous race tracks, including those in Bahrain, Malaysia, USA, South Korea and other countries.  The estimated cost of this racing track is 10 billion ($215 million). The track is named as the Buddh International Circuit. This name is derived from the word Buddha and represents peace and calm. This name is also a reference to the Gautam Budh Nagar district in which the circuit is located,itself named after Gautam Buddha.  The Buddh International circuit logo consists of a ‘B’ which also resembles a heart.

The expected lap time for a Formula One car around the 5.141km long track, is 1 minute, 27.02 seconds, at an average speed of 210.03 km/h (131mph). At the end of the long straight path, between corners 3 and 4, F1 cars are expected to reach a top speed of about 318 km/h (198mph) making it one of the fastest tracks in the world.

Credit for the increasing number of fans for F1 races in India goes to Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first furious motor sports champ. The continued interest has resulted in better competitors in India for motor sports, an example being Karun Chandok. Then there is Vijay Mallya’ Force India team which competes on the international level on circuits around the globe. Although Indians are absent from this team, nevertheless Indian fans have been closely following the progress of the Force India drivers.

 

Race Date:	30 Oct 2011
Circuit Name:	Buddh International Circuit
Number of Laps:	60
Circuit Length:	5.141 km
Race Distance:	TBC
Lap Record:	–
Location:	Sector 25, YEIDA Dankaur,Greater Noida, U.P., India

FORMULA MANIPAL TO PARTICIPATE IN ITALY.

Formula Manipal is Manipal University’s official formula student team. They are participating at the Formula Student competition at the Riccardo Paletti circuit in Varano, Italy from September 2 to September 5. A total of 55 teams from various countries will be taking part in the competition. Formula SAE Italy is a competition that challenges teams of university undergraduate and graduate students to conceive, design, fabricate and compete with small, formula style, autocross racing cars.  It encourages them in their creativity attitudes and team spirit.

FMXI: looks awesome!

The team is to race in their new FMXI car. The design aspect has been done by Formula Manipal while all the key parts like Hoosier racing slicks/tires, Kiezer wheels, Penske Dampers/Shock Absorbers, Electronic connectors from Lemo etc. are imported from UK and Germany. This car being built at a cost of Rs. 28 lakhs by the students completed its initial testing at Runway9 in Hyderabad and its final test field at Coimbatore before it was airlifted to Riccardo Paletti race track. The Formula SAE judges cars based on acceleration, braking, design, endurance, viability and fuel economy. Hoping that they perform well and make the country proud.

BEST OF LUCK FORMULA MANIPAL!!!