Force India unveils its first F1 car

Force India, India’s entry in the 2008 Formula One World Championship, unveiled its car and team colours for the upcoming season, which begins in Melbourne on March 16.

Calling it a “red letter day in the history of Indian motorsport”, Force India owner and liquor baron Vijay Mallya unveiled the new car and the team’s three drivers dressed in the team colours of white, tungsten, gold and red at a ceremony at the historic Gateway of India in South Mumbai.

The car, called VJM01, is expected to have its first run during the next test session of the team to be held in Barcelona from February 25 to 27.

The team, formerly the Spyker, had earlier expressed reservations on the car’s aerodynamics ahead of the upcoming season.

However, Mallya said a tie-up with aviation majors EADS and Airbus Industrie, through his airline Kingfisher, had aided them in the development of this technical aspect.

“It is time to say confidently that Force India Formula One will make steady progress moving forward.”

Mallya presented the team’s drivers, Giancarlo Fisichell and Adrian Sutil, and test driver Vitantoniio Liuzzi and commended them on their contribution in the car’s development.

Force India had recently tested their car in the Barcelona and Jerez circuits in Spain, where Fisichella recorded the fourth fastest timing during testing.

Mallay maintained the team would have a podium finish in the first Formula One race expected to be held in 2010.

The unveiling of the car had its share of glamour with celebrities including actors Lara Dutta, Shilpa Shamita Shetty and Sameera Reddy present for the function.

The Year of the Rat

The Year Of The Rat

1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020

People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful. They are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4706 begins on Feb. 7, 2008.

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

I missed my best friend who went back to China to attend an important family matters. It will take a while before she can come back but fortunately theres the internet for emails and pictures and chat. But hearing the other person’s voice is really different, good thing calls are also cheaper nowadays (just 1.8 cents per minute with Onesuite.com) compared a few years back. I will give her a call later to catch up with old times.

For the mean time let me greet everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!