If Formula One is to follow the familiar habit of shooting itself spectacularly in the foot then the sport’s appeal court, sitting in Paris on Tuesday, will declare the winning car from the first two grands prix to be illegal. Brawn, along with Williams and Toyota, have been challenged by rival teams who did not appear to be so crafty when reading the 2009 technical regulations and failed to spot a design loophole exploited by, it is no coincidence, the three teams that have set the early pace. Since the defendants have already received tacit approval of the controversial but clever diffusers at the rear of their cars, it would be a surprise if the FIA went against their own officials.
If they did, it would be another disaster heaped upon a sport in danger of suffocating from a surfeit of drama and nonsense that has little to do with the actual racing. But, while Jenson Button’s wins in Australia and Malaysia are likely to stand, there is every chance that the FIA World Motor Sport Council may emerge from a subsequent meeting on 29 April with smoke curling from both barrels after splattering McLaren’s reputation around the governing body’s grand surroundings in Place de la Concorde…Â Details
This hybrid of paragliding and skiing whose pioneers include Antoine Montant is unregulated, dangerous and exhilarating
As the ski season draws to a close, there is one contest that is only just getting started. No, it is not between snowÂboarders and skiers, but beÂtween a new breed of exÂtreme sportsmen and, well, everyone else on the piste.
The sport is called speed riding and it is a hybrid of paragliding and skiing. It needs, ideally, wide-open slopes with no crowds, so conditions now are some of the best. To take part you need a wing — it looks like a stunt parachute — and a pair of skis. Oh yes, and an almost total disregard for your own safety.
The wing is dragged behind you while you descend the slope. As you pick up speed, it catches …Â Details