Repair motor

As we enter another season of Formula One racing, many fans hopes rest on Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and other F1 superstars; but lets not forget that it takes a lot more than just a good driver to win a F1 race.

In order to be successful in the highly competitive world of F1 motorsport, every technical advantage helps - no matter how small. Firstly, if you take a look at an F1 car, youll find a huge amount of technology under - and over - the bonnet, and everything from the gears to the gas pedal has been meticulously designed and refined to create a lighter, smoother, faster car. Meanwhile, ongoing testing of the cars aerodynamic properties continues to create faster vehicles that stick to the road, and every single surface of a modern F1 car, from the tyres to the drivers helmet, has its aerodynamic qualities considered and researched.

At the centre of F1 is the safety of the drivers, the pit teams and the fans. The heart of each car is built with an extremely strong structure nicknamed "the tub". This is the drivers cockpit and survival cell, and is constructed mainly from carbon fibre. The fact that so many drivers have walked away (or at least been helped out of) some seemingly catastrophic accidents is testament to the highly successful protective construction on the survival cell. The cars are also designed so that drivers can get out of the cockpits in the least possible time to avoid burns. The current regulations state that all drivers should be able to get out in no more than five seconds without having to remove anything except the steering wheel.

Many might be surprised to hear that F1 drivers are some of the most highly conditioned athletes on earth. You might think that little physical prowess would be needed for a sport that involves sitting in a car; but on the contrary, a huge amount of stamina and endurance is required, with drivers having to endure high G-force cornering which can cause extreme stress to their bodies. Due to the hot climates that many of the F1 races take place in, such as Australia, Singapore and China, the drivers must be able to handle high temperatures for long periods, and they can lose as much as 3 litres of sweat during a race!

And lets not forget the other members of the team that are so vital to success in this fast paced motorsport. Drivers may get most of the attention, but F1 is a team sport, and the speed and precision at which a teams pit-crew can refuel and change a tyre or make more serious repairs will have a significant impact on the drivers lap time and position in the race; a well oiled pit-crew can perform their tasks in just seconds.

So without taking anything away from the drivers of F1, we can see that it really is a team sport, and without all the research, technology and hard work from their team mates, those wining drivers wouldnt be able to spray each other with champagne on the podium.

BMW, or Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, is an example of the oldest carmaker in Europe. BMW has its main headquarters in Germany and it is best know for its high performance autos and motorcycles.

BMW Group includes other brands, such as Mini and the magnificent Rolls-Royce. Before the First World War the BMW factories were producing bicycles and planes (in reality, the BMW trademark is a stylized airplane propeller).

Throughout its history, BMW faced several crisis, among that the First World War, the second World War and a takeover endeavour by Daimler Benz, but it managed to evolve into one of the most renowned and famous carmakers in the world today.

BMW started its automobile production before the WW I with the BMX Dixie. With many of the companys factories being bombed after the war, BMW started its automobile production once more and many people were of the 1960s and 1970s BMW continued to develop new, more technological advanced vehicles and it is built a name in motorsport with its special competition models.

In fact, due to their achievement in motorsport BMW managed to sell its "civilian" autos, deriving from the contest models. BMW has introduced several technological innovations in their autos, making them some of the most advanced in the planet at that time: the front disk brake, the four-wheel independent suspension.

The company has enlarged its automobile range and in 1972 the first 5 Series was launched, a model to make history for the company. Only two years on, in 1975, BMW launched its smaller model, the 3 Series, followed by the splendid seven Series in 1977. However, BMW failed to only wanted to build cars for the ECU market and wanted to expand its operations worldwide.

BMW entered the American market in the late 1960s with the BMW 2002 sports model. It was a new apparition on the US streets, as it was extremely flexible and it offered good fuel consumption. The BMW 2002 was among the 1st sports sedans on the American market. In the mid 1970s BMW introduced the 3 Series, only 2 months after it has first launched the model in Europe. The 3 Series was a big success in the US, as Yank managed to buy an affordable medium sized sports sedan, a car with a fantastic handling and stability at that point.

BMW continued to extend its auto range to be sold in America and these days all its brands are offered to Yank purchasers: BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce. But BMW did not only sell vehicles in the US, but opened several technology and production plants: theyve a design office in California, a technology bureau in Silicon Valley and many producing plants, eg, the one South Carolina that is the only plant to make the Z4 model and the American X5. There are around 500 official BMW dealers in the States today. BMW is currently looking to offer more powerful, luxurious automobiles that augment the latest technologies to supply the best gas consumption in their class.