Vettel win seals Red Bull title in Korea

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel brooked no argument as he dominated Sunday’s Korean race, snatching the lead from Lewis Hamilton after the polesitter had led into the first corner and thereafter pulling away to a superb 10th seasonal triumph that left him 12s clear by the end.

While Vettel cleared off into the distance, Hamilton drove brilliantly in McLaren’s 700th race to keep a faster Mark Webber for Red Bull at bay as McLaren’s Jenson Button and a charging Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari made it a four-way fight for the runner-up slot.

Three and a half seconds covered them as they took the flag, with Hamilton less than half a second ahead of Webber after they had indulged several times in some breathtaking side-by-side racing.

The one-three result was sufficient to clinch the constructors’ title for Red Bull, to add to the drivers’ title that Vettel took in Japan.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa had run ahead of Alonso until the final pit stops - which were much less frequent than expected as everyone bar Sauber team mates Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez and HRT’s Tonio Liuzzi only made two apiece - but the Spaniard ran longer and came out ahead of him before launching his blistering charge after Button.

Massa was thus sixth, well ahead of Jaime Alguersuari who drove a super race for Toro Rosso to catch and pass Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes on the last lap after an earlier attempt had been thwarted.

Behind them, Sebastien Buemi in the second Toro Rosso likewise drove strongly to catch and pass Paul di Resta, the Scot bringing his Force India home 10th for the final point ahead of team mate Adrian Sutil. Rubens Barrichello was the final unlapped runner in 12th for Williams.

Bruno Senna was Renault’s only finisher, a lap down in 13th, after Vitaly Petrov took Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher out in a collision on the 17th lap which brought out the safety car. After the race the Yeongam stewards handed Petrov a reprimand and a five-place grid penalty for the next round in India.

Lotus’s Heikki Kovalainen was the race’s other star, capping an excellent fighting drive by grabbing 14th place from the Saubers on the last lap as Perez suddenly dropped back and was passed by team mate Kobayashi. Kovalainen’s team mate Jarno Trulli was 17th ahead of the Virgins of Timo Glock and Jerome D’Ambrosio, which were split by never-say-die Daniel Ricciardo’s HRT.

Tonio Liuzzi in the other Spanish car was 21st and last, after losing a lot of time when a first-lap collision took off his front wing. HRT also received a €5,000 fine for the unsafe release of Ricciardo from one of his pit stops.

The other non-finisher was Pastor Maldonado, who had already lost a lot of ground after getting a drive-through penalty for pitting the wrong side of a bollard.

Vettel’s superb drive brings his points tally to 349, ahead of Button on 222, Alonso on 212, Webber on 209 and Hamilton on 196. In the constructors’ stakes, Red Bull are the champions with 558 to McLaren’s 418 and Ferrari’s 310. Behind are Mercedes and Renault on 127 and 72, Force India have 49 to Sauber’s 40 and Toro Rosso’s 37, so that fight for sixth remains tight.

Vettel also set the fastest lap of the race - on the very last lap - for the second time this season. Team mate Webber is still the clear leader, however, in the 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Award standings on five, followed by Hamilton and Button on three apiece.

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Arsenal vs Sunderland 2011

Robin van Persie rescued Arsenal from another disappointing Barclays Premier League result with a fantastic winner against Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium.

The Holland striker, who used his programme notes to declare his full commitment to Arsenal, put the hosts ahead after just 29 seconds but the sides went in level at half-time thanks to an excellent free-kick from former Gunner Sebastian Larsson.

The game appeared destined for a draw as Arsenal proceeded to squander several good second-half chances, but Van Persie saved the Londoners' blushes with a wonderful curling free-kick nine minutes from time.

The win gave Arsenal the perfect tonic after their north London derby defeat two weeks ago, but the creaky manner in which they snuck past struggling Sunderland will do little to silence the doubters who claim the Gunners are a spent force.

Under-pressure Black Cats boss Steve Bruce, meanwhile, will rue his side's failure to convert a number of first-half opportunities and they now sit outside the drop zone only on goal difference.

 Back foot

Keen to make up for their loss at White Hart Lane, Arsenal flew out of the blocks and took an early lead.

Some Arsenal fans had still not taken their seats by the time that Gervinho got on the end of Tomas Rosicky's lobbed pass and squared to Van Persie, who took one touch before drilling low past Simon Mignolet from 18 yards to record the fastest top-flight goal of the season so far.

The strike stunned the Black Cats and they remained on the back foot for the rest of the opening half hour.

This was the Arsenal of old. Confident in possession and sturdy at the back, they pushed for a second as the away side struggled to get a touch on the ball.

Van Persie was then denied an early contender for goal of the season by the woodwork.

With 13 minutes on the clock, the Dutchman spun his marker on the edge of the box and clipped a delightful chip that sailed over Mignolet but bounced out off the post and Gervinho just missed out on the tap-in.

Full of confidence, Van Persie than flashed a powerful 20-yard drive just wide.

Gervinho was also in his pomp. The Ivory Coast man cut inside from the left flank with a clever turn and crashed a fierce shot just over.

Wojciech Szczesny then went walkabout, handing Sessegnon a glorious chance to equalise, but the winger's cross was cut out by Alex Song as the Arsenal goal lay unguarded.

Arsenal's confidence was knocked and Sunderland shocked the home crowd with a stunning equaliser from Larsson.

Break down

Mikel Arteta's handball gave the Black Cats a free-kick 20 yards out and Larsson whipped a delightful curling shot over the wall and past a sprawling Szczesny to make it 1-1.

The strike was so good that Rosicky had already started walking to the halfway line without turning his back to see if the shot had gone in.

Szczesny denied Sunderland the lead moments later when he blocked Lee Cattermole's header from six yards after an error from Carl Jenkinson allowed Sessegnon to break down the left.

The game became scrappy at the start of the second half.

Mignolet kept Van Persie's near-post effort out with his feet as Arsenal increased the pressure on the visitors.

A moment of brilliance from substitute Andrey Arshavin almost gave Arsenal the lead with just under 20 minutes left.

The Russian danced past two Sunderland defenders into the box and nutmegged Michael Turner with a shot that went a yard wide of Mignolet's goal.

Brown's clumsy challenge on Van Persie gave Arsenal another free-kick on the edge of the box with nine minutes left. The Holland international succeeded where his team-mates had failed before him by curling a brilliant set-piece into the top corner and then removing his shirt in a jubilant celebration.

Ji Dong-won was then played in to the box by Connor Wickham and slotted past Szczesny but his effort was rightly ruled out for offside.

Sunderland pushed for a second equaliser towards the end, but it never came and Wenger's side took the spoils after another nervy afternoon.

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Liverpool vs Manchester United 2011

It may not have lived up to Sir Alex Ferguson's billing as the greatest match-up in English football but Liverpool's draw at home to Manchester United was typically not without incident.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was denied a dream return to the starting line-up when his free-kick midway through the second half was cancelled out by substitute Javier Hernandez's late header.

The England international put seven months of rehabilitation behind him after a groin operation in March by capping an assured performance in midfield with the goal which looked like extending his side's home dominance over their arch-rivals.

However, Hernandez prevented a fourth successive United defeat at Anfield - which has not happened since 1979 - to maintain his team's unbeaten record this season.

It also denied Liverpool a happier anniversary than the one they were enjoying after marking the 12 months to the day since they were bought by Americans Fenway Sports Group.

Wayne Rooney's demotion to the bench summed up his miserable week after his England sending-off and subsequent three-match ban for Euro 2012, which was the talking point before kick-off.

Torrid time

Once the match kicked off there were plenty of others - mainly in the second half - with Rio Ferdinand's disputed foul on Charlie Adam which could have resulted in the defender seeing red and United goalkeeper David de Gea's impressive performance just two.

The first half was essentially about trying to establish a grip on the match and although Liverpool had the better of that scrap early on United had done enough to restore the balance by the interval.

Both sides had chances to open the scoring with Phil Jones, playing in midfield, heading Patrice Evra's deep left-wing cross into the side-netting when he could have done better.

A similar accusation could have been levelled at Luis Suarez, who looked like he would give Rio Ferdinand a torrid time after their opening exchanges but found the United defender a worthy opponent as the half drew on.

The Uruguay international found himself with only David de Gea to beat when Charlie Adam's 34th-minute shot kindly rebounded off Jonny Evans but the striker shot straight at the goalkeeper who parried the ball to safety.

Gerrard found the midfield a little too crowded for his liking and rarely got the space or opportunity to have much impact.

Second attempt

Early in the second half Ashley Young's 25-yard free-kick briefly had Jose Reina scrambling to claim at the second attempt but the tide was gradually turning in favour of the hosts.

They felt they should have had a penalty when Dirk Kuyt's header struck the arm of Evans. And when Ferdinand, who had been booked for an earlier foul on Suarez, tripped a charging Adam with the slightest of touches as he threatened to break into the penalty area, the Liverpool fans were convinced he should have been sent off.

Gerrard, however, exacted a greater punishment when he curled home a low shot from the resulting 25-yard free-kick after Ryan Giggs left a space in the wall.

Rooney and Nani were immediately sent on, with the latter blazing a shot well over, before fellow substitute Hernandez was introduced for the final 15 minutes.

And he made his mark within six minutes of coming on as Danny Welbeck flicked on a left-wing cross and the youngster headed home unmarked at the far post.

But United were indebted to De Gea, who has come in for a fair amount of criticism in his maiden season, as the Spaniard threw himself to his left to deny Dirk Kuyt.

He was in action again in injury time when he acrobatically tipped over a shot from Henderson, with the Liverpool midfielder also having a chance to win it even later only his header from Stewart Downing's cross dropping onto the roof of the net.

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A Champion in profile: Casey Stoner

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Casey Stoner’s second MotoGP title could not have been achieved in more fitting circumstances, after the Repsol Honda rider secured the 2011 crown on the day of his 26th birthday and at his home race, the Iveco Australian Grand Prix.

 

The first and only Honda rider to win the MotoGP title in the 800cc era – this year being the last of the engine capacity before an increase to a 1000cc limit in 2012 – Stoner adds to his 2007 title which came in Ducati colours. In taking the 2011 crown Stoner also becomes only the fifth rider to have won premier class titles with two different manufacturers, the others being Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Geoff Duke and Eddie Lawson.
Big things were heralded for Stoner when, as a 15 year-old, he made his World Championship debut as a 125cc wildcard at Donington Park in 2001. Having graduated through the same academy system that also produced his future factory Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Stoner fully capitalised on the bold move made by his family of moving to Europe to further his fledgling career.
A full time Grand Prix career started in the 250cc category under Lucio Cecchinello’s guidance in 2002, but it was a step down to the 125cc class the following season that saw Stoner’s talent begin to fully flourish with four podiums and a first victory in the final round of the campaign. In 2004 he challenged for the title, taking KTM’s first ever Grand Prix win and ending the season fifth overall.
A step back up to 250s with Cecchinello’s team in 2005 produced a thrilling battle with Pedrosa for the title as Stoner amassed five wins on the Aprilia, and the next year he and the LCR team debuted in the premier MotoGP class on board a Honda as the Australian displayed flashes of brilliance – which included a pole position in only his second race at Qatar and second place in Turkey – mixed with a few disappointing crashes, all part of the learning experience. He had shown enough to encourage Ducati to make an offer to ride on their factory team the next season, and what followed was a stunning campaign.



A maiden MotoGP victory in the first race of 2007 at Qatar was a self-confessed surprise for both rider and team, but once he followed this up with wins at Turkey and China a title challenge became a more than realistic target. His standout performance at Catalunya, where he battled toe-to-toe with five-time champion Valentino Rossi will go down as one of the great races in history, whilst he dominated the mid-season with pole-to-flag victories at three consecutive races at Laguna Seca, Brno and Misano. Stoner went on to secure the title with four rounds to spare, and ended 2007 with a total of 10 wins, 14 podiums and 5 poles.
Defending his title in 2008, Stoner fought rival Rossi intensely as the pair crossed swords on a number of occasions, their duel at Laguna Seca still being talked about as one of the greatest battles of recent years, and the Australian eventually ended the season runner-up to his Italian adversary despite taking 6 wins and 9 poles in a strong second campaign on the Desmosedici.
2009 did not run a smooth course for Stoner, a mid-season three-race break due to fatigue uncovered a lactose intolerance that had affected his physical condition on the bike, and he ended the season 4th overall in the standings. 2010 was to prove not much easier as he took only three wins – all in the final third of the season – on an increasingly hard to tame Desmosedici. By that stage it had already been announced that Stoner would ride for the factory Repsol Honda team in 2011.
The switch has proved a resounding success as the 2007 World Champion displayed the same kind of dominant form that delivered him his first title four years earlier. Pole position and victory in the opening round in Qatar was a sign of things to come, and by the time Stoner won the race in Phillip Island to clinch the title with two more rounds to spare he had already taken nine victories. Added to that race success has been an incredible consistency, which has seen him finish off the podium just once – in the second round at Jerez where he crashed out through no fault of his own.
Winning his home race in Australia for a fifth consecutive season handed Stoner not only his second World title, but his 32nd career MotoGP victory, as he took victory from another pole position – his 11th of the season; this represents a new record for the most poles in one season in the MotoGP four-stroke era.
Some facts about Casey Stoner’s achievement
- Casey Stoner is the first Honda rider to win the MotoGP title during the 800cc era of MotoGP.
- Stoner last won the MotoGP championship in 2007 and in winning the title this year becomes the first rider to regain the premier class world title after a three year gap.
- He has been on pole 11 times during 2011, which is a new record for most poles in one season in the MotoGP four-stroke era.
- He becomes only the fifth rider to win the premier class title on motorcycles from two different manufacturers. The other riders to have done this are Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Geoff Duke and Eddie Lawson.
- Casey Stoner has 32 career victories in MotoGP, placing him fifth in the all-time premier-class Grand Prix winners list, after Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Mike Hailwood.

 

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Polandia: Prospective Member of Parliament Sensual Campaign Through the Internet

They say that sex sells, so there is no surprise that with an upcoming election, there would be a candidate or two willing to court controversy in order to gain attention for some votes. Katarzyna Lenart, a 23 year old political science student looking to be elected in Lublin, has raised some eyebrows this week thanks to her Youtube video, in which she partially strips off on camera. The video is only 40 seconds long , but had gathered 122,000 views on Youtube by last Thursday (October 6th) and since then has jumped to over 410,000 views today (Saturday October 8th).



To summarise the clip for those who may be uncomfortable with such viewing: the scene opens with Katarzyna Lenart sitting in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie combination while seated in a swivel chair. The phrase SLD Electoral Committee (Komitet Wyborczy SLD) appears in the bottom left of the screen. Next, she evokes the spirit of Sharon Stone by uncrossing her legs provocatively (but without the ‘extras’ on show in Basic Instinct). She drags off her tie and launches it towards the camera, and then begins caressing her hair seductively. Then, swinging the chair around, she stands up with her back to the viewers, pushing the chir backwards, and her mini-striptease begins. The jacket drops first to leave her glancing over her shoulder. Then she unbuttons her shirt and it too falls to reveal her pink bra underneath. (Some colour experts might even call it shocking pink). But the video does not finish there… She then unhooks her bra – at which point a big ‘Censored’ sign lands on screen to protect her ‘modesty’ – and she walks towards the screen. The scene darkens and finishes with a caption saying “Do you want more? Vote SLD! Together we can do more” – “Chcesz więcej? Głosuj na SLD. Tylko my możemy zrobić więcej” po polsku.

 However, the reaction has been mixed at best. She has needed to defend the stunt saying in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza. “I thought it was time to cause a stir,” she said. “My campaign targets young people, and young people are only interested in controversial stuff, unfortunately,” according to the newspaper. “I don’t think it was vulgar or obscene. You can hardly see anything,” she added, not that it had taken guts to strip. However, if those externally are criticizing her it could be shrugged off, but further complaint came from within the SLD, with Tomasz Kalita, a spokesperson for the party, saying that it did not give the right image. It also makes you wonder if she gets elected – what happens next? And would this become a party policy. You would hope not, given as the majority of representatives would be middle aged men, and with them less skin on show would be plenty. Thus, they say that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but in this case it is hard to see how this shows Ms. Lenart in a positive way (apart from among the 18-30 male voting group).
 It seems to show some naivety with regards to understanding the political system. In general, this Youtube video will be seen by those Internet-savvy individuals, generally aged below 40. However, ironically that will be the age group that tends to have least interest in politics and voting. Had Ms. Lenart more sense and focus on being elected, she would probably have spent more time shaking hands of babcias and dziadeks in Lublin and listening to their stories in order to gain votes. When they look at the electoral list, they will just see another name. If her photo would be seen by those around retirement age, they may think “Oh, she looks a bit like my grandaughter”, but it’s doubtful that would get her elected. Thus it would seem she would need to spend more time in her political studies class and appearing less on Youtube should she maintain hopes for a political career.

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Friday Flicks: Is 'Footloose' One of the Best Remakes Ever?

No matter how honorable its intentions, when is a remake considered too soon? Colin Farrell, for instance, is to star in a new version of Total Recall, which was only released in the 1990s. In fact, that film is so fresh that its catchphrases still roll off the tongue ("consider that a divorce!"). But Footloose only came out itself in 1984, which isn't exactly a time when talkies were a novelty. One thing's for sure: if it's to be deemed a success, it had better be good to placate the passionate Footloose fanbase.

If you're not familiar with the plot, it tells the story of Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald), the big-city high school rebel with a cause (more on that later), who has left Boston for the far smaller Southern town of Bomont. All he wants to do is dance (preferably to loud music), but he's confronted with a dancing ban which, is like, so unfair. Can Ren win over the locals? Will he get it on with his kindred spirit, Ariel (Julianne Hough), the town preacher's (Dennis Quaid) trouble-making daughter? And will Ren make you yearn for Kevin Bacon?

We won't give away the first two questions but can reassure you that he – yes! – brings home the bacon. Those sure are some footsteps to literally follow in, and Wormald would not have been your first (or possibly fifteenth) choice were you casting the film. But he clearly knows how to move, as befits a former backup dancer for Justin Timberlake. And while Timberlake himself might have been a flashier fit for Footloose, director Craig Brewer (known for Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, which actually starred Timberlake) is still able to let loose. Who'd have thunk that the man who burst onto the scene with the gritty (and really rather excellent) Hustle & Flow would have wanted anything to do with this project? But with everybody involved seemingly having such a good time, it's like the weight of the original isn't even a factor. "I know you've got to do what you've got to do," says Ren, "but that ain't gonna stop it from happening." It's as if he's addressing skeptical audience members. In the fullness of time, this version of Footloose might just become the definitive one.

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