1.
Austin, Texas
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Austin is the capital of the U. S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. It is the 11th-most populous city in the U. S. and it is the fastest growing large city in the United States and the second most populous capital city after Phoenix, Arizona. As of the U. S. Census Bureaus July 1,2015 estimate and it is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 2,056,405 as of July 1,2016. In the 1830s, pioneers began to settle the area in central Austin along the Colorado River, in 1839, the site was officially chosen to replace Houston as the new capital of the Republic of Texas and was incorporated under the name Waterloo. Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas and the republics first secretary of state. The city subsequently grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin. After a lull in growth from the Great Depression, Austin resumed its development into a city and, by the 1980s, it emerged as a center for technology. A number of Fortune 500 companies have headquarters or regional offices in Austin, including Amazon. com, cisco, eBay, Google, IBM, Intel, Oracle Corporation, Texas Instruments, 3M, and Whole Foods Market. Dells worldwide headquarters is located in nearby Round Rock, a suburb of Austin, residents of Austin are known as Austinites. They include a mix of government employees, college students, musicians, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers. The city also adopted Silicon Hills as a nickname in the 1990s due to an influx of technology. In the late 1800s, Austin was known as the City of the Violet Crown because of the glow of light across the hills just after sunset. Even today, many Austin businesses use the term Violet Crown in their name, Austin is known as a clean-air city for its stringent no-smoking ordinances that apply to all public places and buildings, including restaurants and bars. The FBI ranked Austin as the second-safest major city in the U. S. for the year 2012, U. S. News & World Report named Austin the best place to live in the U. S. in 2017. Austin, Travis County and Williamson County have been the site of habitation since at least 9200 BC. When settlers arrived from Europe, the Tonkawa tribe inhabited the area, the Comanches and Lipan Apaches were also known to travel through the area. Spanish colonists, including the Espinosa-Olivares-Aguirre expedition, traveled through the area for centuries, in 1730, three missions from East Texas were combined and reestablished as one mission on the south side of the Colorado River, in what is now Zilker Park, in Austin. The mission was in area for only about seven months
2.
Central Time Zone
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The North American Central Time Zone is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time, during summer most of the zone uses daylight saving time, and changes to Central Daylight Time which is five hours behind UTC. The province of Manitoba is the province or territory in Canada that observes Central Time in all areas. Also, most of the province of Saskatchewan is on Central Standard Time year-round, major exceptions include Lloydminster, a city situated on the boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city charter stipulates that it shall observe Mountain Time and DST, putting the community on the time as all of Alberta, including the major cities of Calgary. As a result, during the summer, clocks in the province match those in Alberta. The Central Time Zone is the second most populous in the US after the Eastern Time Zone, lanett and Valley observe Eastern Time historically because they were textile mill towns and the original home office of their mills was in West Point, Georgia. Some eastern counties observe Central Time because they are close to the border of the Middle Tennessee counties surrounding the Nashville metropolitan area. Louisiana Michigan, All of Michigan observes Eastern Time except the four Upper Peninsula counties that border Wisconsin, other westernmost counties from this area such as Ontonagon observe Eastern Time. South Dakota, Eastern half as divided by the Missouri river adjacent to the state capital, note, the metropolitan area of Pierre is Central, including Fort Pierre. Wisconsin Most of Mexico—roughly the eastern three-fourths—lies in the Central Time Zone, except for six northwestern states, the federal entities of Mexico that observe Central Time, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all use Central Standard Time year-round. The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador uses Central Standard Time all year-round, Daylight saving time is in effect in much of the Central time zone between mid-March and early November. The modified time is called Central Daylight Time and is UTC−5, in Canada, Saskatchewan does not observe a time change. One reason that Saskatchewan does not take part in a change is that, geographically. The province elected to move onto permanent daylight saving by being part of the Central Time Zone, Mexico decided not to go along with this change and observes their horario de verano from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In December 2009, the Mexican Congress allowed ten border cities, eight of which are in states that observe Central Time, to adopt the U. S. daylight time schedule effective in 2010
3.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
4.
Hermann Tilke
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Hermann Tilke is a German engineer, racing driver and circuit designer, who has designed numerous Formula One motor racing circuits. Tilke was born on 31 December 1954 in Olpe, Germany, during the 1980s, Tilke competed in touring car racing, mainly on the old Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit. He also competed in VLN endurance racing and 24 Hours Nürburgring and he and Dirk Adorf won some VLN races with a V8Star Series in 2003 and 2004. Tilke is one of four recognised by the FIA but has predominantly been the only one to be commissioned to design Formula One tracks. One of his first minor tasks was to design and build an access road at the Nürburgring. His first major job was the transformation of the fast Österreichring to the much shorter A1-Ring in Austria, Tilke was involved in the radical overhauls of European circuits, such as Hockenheimring, Circuit de Catalunya, Nürburgring, plus Fuji Speedway in Japan. Tilke secured the contracts to design many high-profile new world circuits from scratch, mainly in Asia, Tilke has also designed the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where F1 made its return to the United States in 2012. Tilkes latest design includes Sochi Autodrom which hosted its first race in 2014 with the debut of Russia in F1, Tilke designs every track with several other engineers from Tilke Engineering, as well as F1s commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone. After viewing the site and once factors such as topography, wind direction, infrastructure. Tilke focuses on conceiving dramatic architecture that reflects the host country, like Sepangs lotus-leaf grandstands in Malaysia, while aiming for spectator comfort. He build corners that promise a fast and interesting race but avoid pulling the field apart, Tilkes track designs have been the subject of criticism. A2009 profile in The Guardian noted that Tilke has been accused of penning boring tracks and, even worse, russian Formula One commentator Alexey Popov even coined in a term Tilkedrome to emphasize the characteristic ennui of tracks designed by Tilke. Stewart suggested that the run-offs be made of a substance that slowed the cars down, webber echoed Stewarts views, stating that he was spot on. 1980 world champion Alan Jones described Tilkes designs as just one constant-radius corner after another, driver and commentator Anthony Davidson said that Tilke understands the demands of the modern cars. he gives us run-off areas and its all well thought out. They are enjoyable to race on because they suit modern F1 cars, at a track like Silverstone you do not get as much overtaking because it was designed for cars that were slower and did not depend on downforce for speed. But the circuits designed in recent years have a long straight and he particularly praised Turn Eight of Istanbul Park. Similar praise has come from Clive Bowen, the director of Apex Circuit Design
5.
Formula One
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Formula One is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. The FIA Formula One World Championship has been the form of racing since the inaugural season in 1950. The formula, designated in the name, refers to a set of rules, the F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held worldwide on purpose-built F1 circuits and public roads. The results of each race are evaluated using a system to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers, one for constructors. The racing drivers are required to be holders of valid Super Licences, the races are required to be held on tracks graded 1, the highest grade a track can receive by the FIA. Most events are held in locations on purpose-built tracks, but there are several events in city centres throughout the world. Formula One cars are the fastest road racing cars in the world. Formula One cars race at speeds of up to approximately 375 km/h with engines currently limited in performance to a maximum of 15,000 RPM, the cars are capable of lateral acceleration in excess of five g in corners. The performance of the cars is very dependent on electronics – although traction control and other driving aids have been banned since 2008 – and on aerodynamics, suspension, the formula has radically evolved and changed through the history of the sport. F1 had a global television audience of 425 million people during the course of the 2014 season. Grand Prix racing began in 1906 and became the most popular internationally in the second half of the twentieth century. The Formula One Group is the holder of the commercial rights. Its high profile and popularity have created a major merchandising environment, since 2000 the sports spiraling expenditures and the distribution of prize money favoring established top teams have forced complaints from smaller teams and led several teams to bankruptcy. On 23 January 2017 it was confirmed that Liberty Media had completed its $8 billion acquisition of Delta Topco, the Formula One series originated with the European Grand Prix Motor Racing of the 1920s and 1930s. The formula is a set of rules that all cars must meet. Formula One was a new formula agreed upon after World War II during 1946, the first world championship race was held at Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958, national championships existed in South Africa and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Non-championship Formula One events were held for years, but due to the increasing cost of competition
6.
United States Grand Prix
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The United States Grand Prix is a motor race which has been held in the U. S. on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The race later became part of the Formula One World Championship, over 44 editions of the race have taken place at 10 locations in total. Since 2012, it has held at the Circuit of the Americas in Elroy. The Vanderbilt Cup soon became an institution on New Yorks Long Island, however, the race was plagued by crowd control problems, which led to spectator deaths and injuries, and the cancellation of the 1907 event. Upon its return for 1908, the American Automobile Association did not adopt the new Grand Prix regulations agreed upon by the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus. This led the rival Automobile Club of America, a group with strong ties to Europe, to sponsor the American Grand Prize. The Savannah Automobile Club of Savannah, Georgia about 2 hours north of Jacksonville, Florida had staged a successful stock car race in the spring, the Savannah Automobile Club laid out a lengthened version of their stock car course, totaling 25.13 mi. Georgia Governor M. Hoke Smith authorized the use of labor to construct the circuit of oiled gravel. The Governor also sent state troops to augment local police patrols in keeping the crowd in check. The entry for the race featured 14 European and six American entries, including factory teams from Benz, Fiat. In the race, held on Thanksgiving Day, Ralph DePalma led early in his Fiat, before falling back with lubrication, the race came down to a three-way battle between the Benz of Victor Hémery and the Fiats of Louis Wagner and Felice Nazzaro. Wagner won the race by the margin of 56 seconds. Despite the success of the Savannah event, it was decided that the 1909 race would be held on Long Island, however, only the Vanderbilt race was held and the Grand Prize pushed back to the next year. After the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup saw more issues, including the deaths of two riding mechanics and several serious injuries, the Grand Prize was cancelled once again. A last-minute request by the Savannah club saved the race for the year, a shorter 17-mile course was laid out, but due to the short notice, most European teams were not able to make the trip. The leading trio from 1908 did make it and American David Bruce-Brown joined the Benz squad, Bruce-Brown won another incredibly tight race over teammate Hémery, this time by only 1.42 seconds. The 1911 event returned to Savannah, and this time the Vanderbilt Cup came with it, despite the success of the events, public pressure started to mount on the organizers. The use of labor and the militia drew criticism, as did the nuisance of closing roads for the event
7.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
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The FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier class of motorcycle road racing, held since 1949. Grand Prix motorcycles are purpose-built racing machines that are available for purchase by the general public nor able to be ridden legally on public roads. The championship is divided into three classes, MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3. All three classes use four-stroke engines, in 2010 the 250cc class was replaced by the new Moto2600 cc four-stroke class. After that, MotoGP gave the four-strokes a 490cc advantage over the two-strokes, a 2 stroke engine produces power with every rotation of the crank, where as the 4 stroke engine produces power every fourth rotation. In theory, a 500cc 2stroke produces the power as a 1000cc 4 stroke. Carburation vs fuel injection, engine mapping, power/torque curves, practice showed the 4 strokes generating 10 to 15 more Hp and turning in much faster lap times then their 2 stroke counterparts. 4 stroke engines would be the choice for years to come. Moto2 and 3 are four-stroke only, a FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix was first organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme in 1949. The commercial rights are now owned by Dorna Sports, with the FIM remaining as the sanctioning body. Teams are represented by the International Road Racing Teams Association and manufacturers by the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association, rules and changes to regulations are decided between the four entities, with Dorna casting a tie-breaking vote. In cases of technical modifications, the MSMA can unilaterally enact or veto changes by unanimous vote among its members and these four entities compose the Grand Prix Commission. There have traditionally been several races at each event for various classes of motorcycles, based on engine size, and one class for sidecars. Classes for 50 cc,80 cc,125 cc,250 cc,350 cc, and 500 cc solo machines have existed at some time, up through the 1950s and most of the 1960s, four-stroke engines dominated all classes. In part this was due to rules, which allowed a multiplicity of cylinders, in the 1960s, two-stroke engines began to take root in the smaller classes. In 1969, the FIM — citing high development costs for non-works teams — brought in new rules restricting all classes to six gears, by this time, two-strokes completely eclipsed the four-strokes in all classes. The 50 cc class was replaced by an 80 cc class, then the class was dropped entirely in the 1990s, after being dominated primarily by Spanish, the 350 cc class vanished in the 1980s. Sidecars were dropped from world events in the 1990s, reducing the field to 125s, 250s
8.
FIA World Endurance Championship
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For the FIA World Endurance Championship contested from 1981 to 1985, see World Sportscar Championship. The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing championship organized by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The World Endurance Championship name was used by the FIA from 1981 to 1985. World champion titles are awarded to the top scoring manufacturers and drivers over the season, while other cups and trophies will be awarded for drivers and private teams. The calendar includes four races in Europe, two in the Americas, two in Asia and one in the Middle East, with a future expansion. Six titles are awarded each season based on total point tally, the GTE Pro class champion are awarded a World Cup, while the leaders in LMP2 and GTE Am are awarded a Trophy. The final Trophy is awarded to the best privateer team amongst all four classes, the points system is similar to that used in the FIAs other world championships, awarding points to the top ten finishers on a sliding point margin scale from first to tenth. Cars finishing the race but classified eleventh or further are awarded a half point, double points are awarded for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship European Le Mans Series FIA GT1 World Championship FIA World Endurance Championship Automobile Club de lOuest Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile
9.
FIA World Rallycross Championship
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The FIA World Rallycross Championship is a rallycross series organised by the FIA in conjunction with series promoters IMG Motorsport. The series currently consists of 12 two-day events driven on closed circuits with mixed surface, each event consists of,4 Qualifying heats. In each of the 4 series there are smaller races containing 3 to 5 cars, drivers earn intermediate points based on their positions. After the 4 qualifying series, the points are added up,6 cars race in each of both semi-finals, which are run over 6 laps. The top 3 drivers in each semi-final move into the final round, like the semi-finals, this race is contested by 6 cars over 6 laps. The winner of the final is deemed to be the event winner, however, the final winner has not necessarily claimed the most championship points from the whole event. World Championship points are scored as follows, A red background denotes drivers who did not advance from the round Records correct up to, key FIA European Rallycross Championship Dirt Rally, the first videogame to be an officially licensed FIA World Rallycross Championship game
10.
World Series Formula V8 3.5
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The series came out of the Spanish Formula Renault Championship, which ran from 1991 to 1997. The World Series was founded as Open Fortuna by Nissan in 1998, and was based in Spain. The organization was handled by RPM Comunicacion, founded by Jaime Alguersuari Tortajada, the series changed name a number of times, usually adopting the name of its main sponsor, but was also known by other common names such as the unofficial Formula Nissan. In its early years, the series used chassis built by Coloni, the series slotted in between Formula Three and Formula 3000. In 2002, it adopted a new format, with supplied by Dallara. The series also became international, with more than half of the race calendar held outside Spain. Renault started the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup in 2003, as a series in Eurosports Super Racing Weekends. The series ran with Tatuus chassis and a Nissan 3.5 L V6 engine. In 2005, Renault left the Super Racing Weekend and started the World Series by Renault, the Dallara chassis was retained, while the Renault V6 was improved to 425 PS. Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the Eurocup Mégane Trophy also joined the series in 2005 to support the main FR3.5 series. At the end of July 2015, Renault Sport announced it would be withdrawing its backing to the Formula Renault 3.5 from 2016 onwards, handing the control of the series to co-organiser RPM. However, Renault Sport also said it would continue the World Series by Renault with the Renault Sport Trophy, as a result of this, the series name was changed to Formula V83.5. In December 2016, the name was changed again to World Series Formula V83.5. From 2008–2011, the chassis for the Formula Renault 3.5 Series is a Dallara built carbon fibre monocoque, the gearbox is a 6 speed semi-automatic supplied by Ricardo with steering wheel paddle shift. Total weight of the car is 600 kg, starting from 2012 season, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series adopted a new chassis, the Dallara T12, powered by a 3.4 litre V8 engine producing 530 BHP at 9250 rpm developed by Zytek. The cars have 50 more horsepower than previous season and lost 15 kg of weight, in addition, a Drag Reduction System is used, which operates in a similar way to the one in use in Formula One
11.
Porsche Supercup
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The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the international motor racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche AG. Porsche Supercup drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, on average,24 race cars take part in each race. Most circuits visited by the series are European, although circuits in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, in the Porsche Supercup the 911 GT3 Cup type 991 is used - a car based on the Porsche 911 GT3. All vehicles are identical,460 hp, sequential six-speed paddle-shift gearbox, aero pack. Two sets of slick tires may be used per car and weekend, the number of wet tires is unlimited. The tires are identical for all competitors and are not permitted to be pre-warmed or chemically treated, to receive points a driver must compete in multiple races per season. Since 2008, there have been two points awarded for the driver who secures pole position in qualifying. The points of the two best drivers of each team are added up, at the end of the season Porsche rewards the three best placed teams with prize money. In 2006 and 2007, Porsche AG pays around 820,000 euros to drivers, per race the winner receives 9,000 euros, the runner-up 7,500 euros and the third placed driver 6,500 euros. For a 15th place 1,400 euros are paid, additionally, the 2006 or 2007 champion receives a Porsche road car. The driver with the fastest laps will be given a watch from Porsche Design. In 2015, Porsche says it pays more than 730,000 Euros in prize money to drivers, in addition, the overall winner receives a special prize. The winner of the rookie classification receives a prize of 30,000 Euros providing he/she reregisters for the following year’s Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Dutch driver Patrick Huisman is the most successful driver in the series, fellow Dutch racer Jeroen Bleekemolen and British Richard Westbrook have won two titles each. The reigning champion is the New Zealand driver Earl Bamber, who won the championship in 2014, at the Grand Prix circuits during 2006 an average of 125,000 spectators witnessed the action from the grandstands at each round. According to Porsche AG races attracted 22 million TV viewers worldwide, Porsche also runs regional and national one-make series called the Porsche Carrera Cup
12.
Supercars Championship
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The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile regulations. Supercars events take place in all Australian states and the Northern Territory, an international round is held in New Zealand, while events have previously been held in China, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. A non-championship event is held in support of the Australian Grand Prix. The series is broadcast in 137 countries and has an average event attendance of over 100,000, the vehicles used in the series are loosely based on road-going, four-door saloon cars. Cars are custom made using a chassis, with only certain body panels being common between the road cars and race cars. To ensure parity between each make of car, many components are utilised. All cars must use a 5. 0-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine, originally only for Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores, the New Generation V8 Supercar regulations, introduced in 2013, opened up the series to more manufacturers. Nissan were the first new manufacturer to commit to the series with four Nissan Altimas, Volvo entered the series in 2014 with Garry Rogers Motorsport racing the Volvo S60. The concept of a formula centred around V8-engined Fords and Holdens for the Australian Touring Car Championship had been established as early as mid-1991, however, CAMS was waiting to see what the FIA did with its proposed international formula for 2.5 and 2. 0-litre touring cars. The new rules for the ATCC were announced in November 1991, during 1992, CAMS looked at closing the performance gap between the classes, only to have protests from Ford and Holden, who didnt want to see their cars beaten by the smaller cars. In June 1992, the structure was confirmed, Class A, Australian-produced 5. 0-litre V8-engined Fords. Class B,2. 0-litre cars complying with FIA Class II Touring Car regulations, Class C, normally aspirated two-wheel drive cars complying with 1992 CAMS Group 3A Touring Car regulations. This class would only be eligible in 1993, both the Ford EB Falcon and Holden VP Commodore ran American-based engines which were restricted to 7,500 rpm and a compression ratio of 10,1. The V8s were first eligible to compete in the races of 1992. Cars from all three classes would contest the 1993 Australian Touring Car Championship as well as non-championship Australian touring car events such as the Bathurst 1000, however, for the purposes of race classification and points allocation, cars competed in two classes, Over 2, 000cc. Originally the 2. 0-litre class cars competed in a race to the V8s. This was changed for the round of 1993, after there were only nine entrants in the 2. 0-litre class for the first round at Amaroo Park. After round five at Winton, Holden was granted a new front, the BMWs were also allowed a new splitter and a full DTM-specification rear wing
13.
Austin 400
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The Austin 400 was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars that took place at the Circuit of the Americas in Travis County near Austin, Texas, United States of America in 2013. Its inaugural running took place between 17 and 19 May 2013, as the round of the 2013 International V8 Supercars Championship. The race marked the categorys first event in the United States, on 28 August 2014 it was announced that V8 Supercars and the Circuit of the Americas had agreed to terminate the current contract. It is unlikely V8 Supercars will return to the USA for the foreseeable future, list of Australian Touring Car Championship races
14.
American Le Mans Series
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The American Le Mans Series was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the American Le Mans headquarters was in Braselton, Georgia, adjacent to Road Atlanta. In 2014, the merged with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series to form the United SportsCar Championship. The series was created by Braselton, Georgia-based businessman Don Panoz, Panoz created a partnership with the Automobile Club de LOuest, the organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to begin a 10-hour race in the spirit of Le Mans, dubbed the Petit Le Mans. The inaugural Petit Le Mans took place in 1998 as a part of the Professional SportsCar Racing series, for 1999, the series changed its name to the American Le Mans Series, and adopted the ACOs rulebook. The partnership with the ACO allowed ALMS teams to earn automatic entries in the Le Mans 24 Hours. This was a practice that began with the inaugural Petit Le Mans, a practice that continues today, the ALMS race at Adelaide in 2000 also received automatic entries. Invitations were extended to the series beginning in 2003, for the 2004 race. The ACO has always given high consideration to teams competing in ALMS races, the series began with eight races in 1999, beginning with the 12 Hours of Sebring, and ending at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The schedule expanded to 12 races in 2000, including two races in Europe, and one in Australia, in subsequent years, the European races disappeared, with the creation of the short-lived European Le Mans Series, and later the Le Mans Series. The series also began to move away from the rovals, road courses in the infield of large superspeedways, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, and Texas Motor Speedway. Lately, the series has visited more temporary street courses, many in conjunction with the Indy Racing League, at such as St. Petersburg, Florida and Long Beach. The series has raced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Mosport, Road Atlanta, from 2011 until the series folded, ALMS competed on a street circuit through the Inner Harbor coinciding with the Grand Prix of Baltimore, Maryland over the US Labor Day weekend. In 2010 the American Le Mans Series signed its first title sponsorship agreement, the American Le Mans Series used essentially the same rules as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there were 3 primary classes, the former GT1 category was abandoned after 2009 season. In 2012, the Le Mans was dropped from the names of the prototype categories, each car is driven by multiple drivers, and all cars compete together simultaneously. P1 generally contains factory teams while P2 contains privateer teams, in ACO-sanctioned racing all of the drivers are professional in GTE-PRO, while in GTE-Am,1 or 2 amateurs are allowed to race with a professional driver in support. However, since ALMS uses only one GTE category and combines the PRO/AM classes, the two Challenge classes were formula-based, and were designed for privateers or rookies to have an easier time entering the series
15.
Rolex Sports Car Series
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The Rolex Sports Car Series was the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It was a North American-based sports car series founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship, Rolex took over as series sponsor in 2002. It ran a mixture of classes of sports prototypes and Grand Touring-style cars, in 2003, the series debuted their custom prototype chassis, known as Daytona Prototypes, named after their premiere event, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The series staged the North American Endurance Championship, featuring three of its races at Daytona, Watkins Glen, and Indianapolis. The final Rolex Sports Car Series race was held on September 28,2013 at Lime Rock Park and this series was seen as an alternative to the former IMSA GT Championship, which had since been replaced by the American Le Mans Series in 1999. GTO and GTU would be renamed GTS and GT for 2001 to better match the classes used by the similar American Le Mans Series. 2003 would see the series go through a change, as Daytona Prototypes debuted for the first time to replace both of the Sports Racing Prototype classes. Although SRPs would be allowed to continue until the end of 2003, the American GT class was also dissolved with the cars being placed into the similar GTS class. In 2004, the faster GTS class was abandoned in order to provide a gap between the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars. The GTS cars were as fast than the Daytona Prototypes and this meant that the GT class was now the top tier, being joined by the Super Grand Sport class moved up from the Grand Am Cup series. This was further streamlined in 2005 with all Grand Touring-style cars being in a single GT class, with such high car counts, Grand-Am has had to split GT and DP races at shorter tracks where it is not feasible to put 50 cars on the track at one instance. In each case, the GT cars race on Saturday, and this split format allows drivers to run both races. Each race is the distance, as it would be if the two classes were running together. This did however make GT races slightly longer than combined events, since GT cars would likely finish several laps behind the winning prototype, in this case, the DP cars would take the green flag first, followed, usually 20–30 seconds later by the GT cars. By starting the cars separately, the hoped for safer starts by having the two classes of cars race separately. Due to the affiliation with NASCAR, many Sprint Cup Series drivers occasionally participated in Rolex Series races. Speed Channel was the broadcaster of the Rolex Sports Car Series and included coverage of the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen
16.
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
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The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association. It is a result of a merger between two existing North American sports car racing series, the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series. The initial United SportsCar Championship name of the series was announced on March 14,2013, WeatherTech later signed a deal to take over title sponsorship of the series starting in 2016, rebranding the series. The inaugural 2014 season began with the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 25–26, on November 20,2012 the merger committee announced that SME Branding were selected to develop the name, logo and identity of the new series. On January 8,2013, the two announced a preliminary class structure for the new merged series. Grand-Ams Daytona Prototype category and IMSAs P2 would combine into a prototype class. The Le Mans Prototype Challenge class of single cars from the American Le Mans Series would continue as is. The GT class of the American Le Mans Series would remain unchanged, while Grand-Ams GT class will form another GT class, the only category of cars not represented in the new series is the American Le Mans Series P1 category. The reveal date for the new series was March 14,2013 at the Chateau Élan Hotel and Conference Center at Sebring International Raceway, American Le Mans CEO Scott Atherton announced the new sanctioning body would remain IMSA while Ed Bennett revealed the new titles for the series five classes. On August 9,2013 Fox Sports 1 announced it had signed a TV contract with IMSA to televise the entire USCC season between 2014 and 2018. Later, on September 12,2013, Tudor was announced as the sponsor for the series. On August 8,2015, WeatherTech was announced as the new entitlement sponsor for the series, renaming the series to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, originally based on a Canadian series before being acquired by Grand-Am, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is a production-based touring car series. The series is split into two known as Grand Sport, intended for large capacity GT-style cars, and Street Tuner, consisting of smaller sedans and coupes. The IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge until 2013 supported some Rolex Series races and this series continued with the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship after the merger and is somewhat comparable to the old Trans Am Series. There are four different classes in the United SportsCar Championship series, originally combined Grand-Ams Daytona Prototype with the American Le Mans Series P2 prototypes and the DeltaWing, all built to 2014 specifications. In 2017 the class will feature new Daytona Prototype international and LMP2 cars, GT Le Mans, a continuation of the ALMS GT class, consisting of cars matching the Automobile Club de lOuests GTE specification. GT Daytona, a class that combined the Grand-Am GT & GX classes with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars from the ALMS GTC class, starting in the 2016 season the class adopted full FIA GT3 specifications
17.
X Games
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The X Games is an annual extreme sports event hosted, produced, and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPNs sister network, ABC, the inaugural X Games were held during the 1995 summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, concurrent with competition is the X Fest sports and music festival, which offers live music, athlete autograph sessions, and interactive elements. The X Games gained media exposure due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes, as the Journal of Sport Management explains, Generation X and Generation Y are the two demographics most highly valued by marketers. This creates a broad approach on marketing towards that certain demographic, according to ESPN, in the Winter X Games inaugural year,1997,38,000 spectators attended the four-day event. In 1998, the attendance dropped to 25,000 spectators, but just two years later, a record attendance of 83,500 people attended the Winter X Games East Coast debut. The X Games and Winter X Games continue to grow with the popularity of action sports, as part of the X Games, there have been performances by various rock bands over the years, as well as a DJ being on-site at all events. The X Games have made it a point since its founding to stage an eco-friendly event, such measures include using biodiesel fuel in their vehicles and organizing recycling campaigns. The Winter X Games VIII in 2002 was the first time an X Games event was televised live and also had coverage by ESPNs flagship news program, SportsCenter. Viewership across the three networks that carried coverage of the event – ABC Sports, ESPN, and ESPN2 – exceeded 2001s household average by 30% according to Nielsen Media Research, the event also reached record highs in several demographic categories. To accommodate the live coverage, nighttime competitions were added. The 2002 Winter X Games was a year for ESPN. It was the first year that the games were held in Aspen Colorado at Buttermilk Mountain, the Games continued to add new events including the ski slopestyle event, ski superpipe event, snowboarding, skateboarding etc. Also in 2002, ESPN announced the establishment of the X Games Global Championship, the Global Championship featured two distinct venues hosting competitions in summer and winter action sports simultaneously. It consisted of six teams of the Worlds top athletes, grouped together by their region of origin, the winter sports were held in Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia, and the events included snowboarding and skiing. The Winter X Games are held in January or February and the Summer X Games are usually held in August, both in the United States. The location of the Winter X Games is in Aspen, Colorado, through 2019, while the location for the Summer X Games has been in Los Angeles, changing to Austin, Texas, in June 2014. The X Games also has international competitions and demos around the world that are held at varying times throughout the year, the games are shown live on television
18.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
19.
Sebastian Vettel
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Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is a four-time Formula One World Champion, having won the championship in 2010,2011,2012 and 2013 with Red Bull Racing and he is among the most successful F1 drivers of all time. He is one of four drivers to have won four or more drivers titles. He is contracted to remain as a Formula One driver with Scuderia Ferrari until at least the end of 2017. Vettel started his career in Formula One as a test driver for BMW Sauber and made his debut with the team at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, later in the season, he signed with Toro Rosso and stayed with the team into 2008. He became the youngest race winner at the time when he took victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, in his first year driving for Red Bull in 2009, Vettel finished the season as the youngest-ever World Drivers Championship runner-up. The following year he went on to become the youngest driver ever to win the World Drivers Championship, in the same year he helped Red Bull win the teams first World Constructors Championship. He followed up his first championship with three titles, becoming the youngest double, triple and quadruple world champion in Formula One. The 2011 and 2013 titles saw Vettel dominating the seasons and wrapping up the titles early, after his winless 2014 season he returned to winning ways in his first Ferrari season, being the closest challenger to the dominant Mercedes cars and winning three races. He is also currently in place among all time race winners. Vettel was born in Heppenheim, then West Germany, to Norbert and he has one younger brother, Fabian, and two older sisters, Melanie, a dental technician, and Stefanie, a physiotherapist for disabled children. Vettel suggested in an interview that he was terrible at school, Vettel is also a fan of The Beatles, collecting several records, including Abbey Road and his favourite song being Drive My Car. In an interview on Top Gear, Vettel stated that he was a fan of British comedy such as Little Britain, Vettel lives in Thurgovia, Switzerland amongst other racing drivers and is a fan of German football team Eintracht Frankfurt. Vettel has described himself as competitive, private, and impatient, Vettel also appears in advertisements for Head & Shoulders. Vettel provided the voice of character Sebastian Schnell in the version of the movie Cars 2 dubbed for German-speaking audiences, Vettel is in a relationship with Hanna Prater, a childhood friend. In January 2014, Vettel became a father for the first time with the birth of his daughter, in September 2015, Vettel became a father for the second time with the birth of his second daughter, Matilda. In 2015, Forbes estimated that Vettels annual income was $33 million, on the Formula One circuit, Kimi Räikkönen, his Ferrari teammate for 2015 to 2017, is a close friend. Vettel also shows to have a friendship with fellow drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg with whom he repeatedly showcases a close
20.
Scuderia Ferrari
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Scuderia Ferrari S. p. A. competing as Scuderia Ferrari is the official name of the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer, Ferrari, and competes in Formula One racing. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, the team was founded by Enzo Ferrari, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo, though by 1947 Ferrari had begun building its own cars. As a constructor, Ferrari has a record 16 Constructors Championships, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen have won a record 15 Drivers Championships for the team. Since Räikkönens title in 2007 the team narrowly lost out on the 2008 drivers title with Felipe Massa, Schumacher is the teams most successful driver. Joining the team in 1996 and departing in 2006 he won five titles and 72 Grands Prix for the team. His titles came consecutively between 2000 and 2004, including the constructors title of 1999 consecutively being won until the end of 2004, this was the teams most successful period. Currently, World Champions Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel are the two race drivers. The team is known for its passionate support base known as the tifosi. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is regarded as the home race. The Scuderia Ferrari team was founded by Enzo Ferrari on 16 November 1929 and became the team of Alfa Romeo. In 1938, Alfa Romeo management made the decision to enter racing under its own name, establishing the Alfa Corse organisation, Enzo Ferrari disagreed with this change in policy and was finally dismissed by Alfa in 1939. The terms of his leaving forbade him from motorsport under his own name, in 1939 Ferrari started work on a racecar of his own, the Tipo 815. The 815s, designed by Alberto Massimino, were thus the first Ferrari cars, World War II put a temporary end to racing, and Ferrari concentrated on an alternative use for his factory during the war years, doing machine tool work. After the war, Ferrari recruited several of his former Alfa colleagues and established a new Scuderia Ferrari, the team owns and operates a test track on the same site, the Fiorano Circuit built in 1972, which is used for testing road and race cars. The team is named after its founder, Enzo Ferrari, Scuderia is Italian for a stable reserved for racing horses and is also commonly applied to Italian motor racing teams. In 1947 Ferrari constructed the 12-cylinder,1.5 L Tipo 125, a Formula One version of the Tipo 125, the Ferrari 125 F1 was developed in 1948 and entered in several Grand Prix, at the time a World Championship had not yet been established. In 1950, the Formula One World Championship was established, and it is the only team to have competed in every season of the World Championship, from its inception to the current day. The company later switched to the large-displacement naturally aspirated formula for the 275,340, after the 1951 Formula One season the Alfa team withdrew from F1, causing the authorities to adopt the Formula Two regulations due to the lack of suitable F1 cars
21.
Collective Soul
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Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of lead vocalist Ed Roland, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, drummer Johnny Rabb, before forming Collective Soul, singer Ed Roland studied music composition and guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Since the mid-1980s Roland was involved in Atlantas underground music scene making demos and he also worked at Real 2 Reel Studios in Stockbridge, which was owned by bassist Will Turpins father, Bill Turpin. Rolands duties were producing, mixing and engineering for local Atlanta artists and he recorded his demos and released an independent solo album Ed-E Roland in 1991. At this time the group was known as Ed-E. That initial version of the Ed-E band dissolved in the mid to late 1980s due to incompatible musical tastes among other differences, Roland subsequently formed Marching Two-Step which included original Collective Soul drummer Shane Evans, Michele Rhea Caplinger, and Matt Serletic. Marching Two-Step were a local gigging band for a few years, Rolands early attempts to be signed to a recording contract by a label faced rejections. Caplinger would become a music industry publicist and was appointed executive director of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy in 2000. Serletic would go on to become a Grammy winning producer for Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls and Edwin McCain, after the demise of Rolands previous music collaborations, he enlisted musicians to record a demo in a basement. Roland initially intended to sell the songs to a company and had no immediate plans of forming a band out of it. The demo was submitted to Amy Staehling, host of the Georgia music show at Album 88, Georgia State University’s student radio station in Atlanta. She carted up the song Shine, and it was added to the stations rotation, the demo was also passed along to WJRR in Orlando, Florida which began playing Shine, soon to be its most requested song. Atlantic Records took note of the popularity of Shine and subsequently signed them to a contract, upon Collective Souls signing, Atlantic wished to capitalize on the bands success and quickly re-released the 1993 demo Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid as their first studio album. Although reluctant to have the unpolished demo represent their new line-up, Collective Soul gained international recognition, the band quickly began work on what they would consider their true debut record and were invited to perform at Woodstock 1994. They also toured extensively across North America, the group’s self-titled second album issued the following year, was certified RIAA triple platinum, and logged a 76-week run on the Billboard 200. Notable singles from Collective Soul included US Rock Chart No.1 hits December, Where The River Flows, and The World I Know, No.2 hit Gel, and the Top 10 hit Smashing Young Man. While the legal battles continued, the band went to a cabin, in the middle of 40 acres of cow pasture in Stockbridge and they recorded into a computer their impromptu efforts of songs Roland penned, and these became Disciplined Breakdown. The legal case was settled, and both parties were instructed not to discuss the outcome
22.
Motorsport
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The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two-wheeled motorised vehicles under the banner of motorcycle racing, and includes off-road racing such as motocross. Four- wheeled motorsport competition is governed by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. In 1894, a French newspaper organised a race from Paris to Rouen and back, in 1900, the Gordon Bennett Cup was established. Closed circuit racing arose as open road racing, on roads, was banned. Brooklands was the first dedicated motor racing track in the United Kingdom, following World War I, European countries organised Grand Prix races over closed courses. In the United States, dirt track racing became popular, after World War II, the Grand Prix circuit became more formally organised. In the United States, stock car racing and drag racing became firmly established, motorsports ultimately became divided by types of motor vehicles into racing events, and their appropriate organisations. Open-wheel racing is a set of classes of vehicles, with their wheels outside of. However, in North America, the IndyCar series is their pinnacle open-wheeled racing series, more recently, new open-wheeled series have been created, originating in Europe, which omit the Formula moniker, such as GP2 and GP3. Former Formula series include Formula 5000 and Formula Two, the formula regulations contain a very strict set of rules which govern vehicle power, weight and size. In the United States, Indy Car is a class of single seat paved track racing and its premier race is the Indianapolis 500. Enclosed wheel racing is a set of classes of vehicles, where the wheels are primarily enclosed inside the bodywork of the vehicle, sports car racing is a set of classes of vehicles, over a closed course track, including sports cars, and specialised racing types. The premiere race is the 24 Hours of Le Mans which takes place annually in France during the month of June, sports car racing rules and specifications differentiate in North America from established international sanctioning bodies. Stock car racing is a set of vehicles, that race over a speedway track, while once stock cars, the vehicles are now purpose built, but resemble the body design and shape of production cars. NASCAR was organised in 1947, to flat track oval racing of production cars. Daytona Beach and Road Course was founded where land speed records were set on the beach, touring car racing is a set of vehicles, modified street cars, that race over closed purpose built race tracks and street courses. Motorsport was an event at the 1900 Summer Olympics
23.
Tavo Hellmund
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Tavo Hellmund is an American former racing driver and promoter. He was responsible for the United States Grand Prix held in Austin, Texas, Hellmund and his partners are responsible for building the 3. 427-mile Circuit of the Americas in Travis County, Texas. Tavo Hellmund is also responsible for bringing back the Mexican Grand Prix being held in Mexico City, Mexico, with the first race 30 October–1 November 2015. Hellmunds father, Gustavo Hellmund-Rosas, was a promoter, having promoted the CART Copa Mexico 150 in 1980 and 1981. Tavo promoted the Texas Racefest, a NASCAR / USAC regional short-track event from 2005–2009, Hellmunds relationship with Bernie Ecclestone has spanned nearly 40 years. In July 2010, Hellmund announced he had signed a deal with Formula One in April to return the United States Grand Prix to the F1 schedule in 2012. The Austin circuit was sketched then designed by Hellmund and engineered by Herman Tilke and Peter Wahl, in July 2014, Bernie Ecclestone confirmed the Mexican Grand Prix would return to the F1 schedule in the 2015 Formula One season. The revived Mexican Grand Prix is driven by two key figures, Tavo Hellmund mastermind of the F1 USGP in Austin Texas and his counterpart in Mexico, Alejandro Soberon, chief executive of Grupo CIE. On Sunday November 1,2015 the Mexican Grand Prix welcomed a race-day attendance of 134,850, and the three-day mark was 335,850. Three-time world champion and current Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda told reporters after the Mexican Grand Prix, “It was the best I’ve ever seen in my whole life. ”David Tremayne of the Straits Times wrote, ”Now, thats a serious audience. As an object lesson in how to organise a grand prix, Hellmunds team set a new benchmark, and for this, for the second consecutive year the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix was awarded event of the year. Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One Management, said This is a recognition of the promotion and organization of the Grand Prix
24.
1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
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The 1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 45th F. I. M. Kevin Schwantz won the 1993 world championship in a season marred by the end to his rival Wayne Raineys career. Schwantz started the season strongly with four wins by the midpoint of the season, with three races remaining, Rainey had battled back to take the championship points lead while Schwantz nursed a wrist injury. At the Italian Grand Prix, Rainey had just taken the lead and was pulling away when he fell and he suffered serious spinal injuries and would never walk again. Raineys accident marked the end of an era of American domination in Grand Prix racing, newcomers Daryl Beattie and Alex Barros took their first wins while Mick Doohan struggled to recover from his serious leg injuries. Freddie Spencer made one more comeback attempt but crashed in two of the first three rounds, when Itoh broke the 200 mph barrier at Hockenheim, it gave credence to these rumors. Officially, all three bikes gained the system at the same time A new star emerged on the 250 scene with Tetsuya Harada taking the crown in a tight battle with Loris Capirossi. German privateer, Dirk Raudies won the 125 crown with 9 victories on a Honda, chronosports S. A. ISBN 2-940125-32-5 The Official MotoGP website
25.
Kevin Schwantz
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Kevin Schwantz is an American former World Champion motorcycle road racer who competed during the 1980s and early 1990s. Schwantz, whose parents owned a shop, learned to ride at the age of four. He began his career as a trials rider, following his father and Uncle, Darryl Hurst. From trials, he progressed to motocross in his teens, becoming a top regional MX racer, after a serious crash in qualifying for the Houston Supercross in 1983, he decided to quit motocross. At the end of the 1984 season, he was offered a test ride with the Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike team, in his first race for Yoshimura, he won both legs of the 1985 Willow Springs AMA Superbike National. He finished seventh overall in the championship despite only competing in half the races and he finished second to Eddie Lawson in the 1986 Daytona 200 on the new Suzuki GSX-R750. Then, in what would become an all too common throughout his career, he broke his collarbone in a qualifying crash. Once again he finished seventh overall in the Championship, the 1987 Superbike National Championship marked the beginning of Schwantz fiercely competitive rivalry with Wayne Rainey. The two battled throughout the season, often coming into contact on the track. Rainey eventually won the National Championship but Schwantz closed the season winning five out of six races, so intense was their rivalry that they continued their battle during the 1987 Trans-Atlantic Match Races in which they were supposedly teammates competing against a team of British riders. Schwantz began 1988 by winning the season-opening Daytona 200 in what would be his only win in that prestigious event and his archrival, Rainey joined the Grand Prix circuit, signing for the Team Roberts-Yamaha squad. For the next six years, the two continued their rivalry on race tracks all across Europe. He was often at a disadvantage in that his Suzukis never seemed to be as fast as those of his Yamaha and his determination to win at all cost meant that he seemed to crash as often as he won. This trait made him a favorite among race fans the world over. His last lap pass of Rainey to win the 1991 German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring, with his rear tire fish-tailing on the verge of control and he culminated his career in 1993 by winning his only 500cc World Championship. Early in the 1995 season, after a conversation with Rainey, Schwantz had accumulated 25 Grands Prix wins during his career, one more than his great rival, Wayne Rainey. This made him the second most successful American roadracer behind Eddie Lawson, in a display of respect, the FIM retired his racing number as a testament to his popularity. Schwantz was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, the FIM named him a Grand Prix Legend in 2000
26.
Sepang International Circuit
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The Sepang International Circuit is a motorsport race track in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, approximately 45 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur and it is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race and other major motorsport events. The circuit was designed by German designer Hermann Tilke, who would subsequently design F1 venues in Shanghai, Sakhir, Istanbul, Valencia, Marina Bay, Yas Marina, Yeongnam, Greater Noida and Austin. The circuit was inaugurated by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad on 7 March 1999 at 20,30 MST. He subsequently went on to inaugurate the first Moto GP Malaysian Grand Prix on 20 April 1999, in October 2016 it was muted that the Sepang circuit may be dropped from the Formula One series due to dwindling ticket sales. The main circuit, normally raced in a direction, is 5.543 kilometres long. The layout is unusual, with a very long back straight separated from the pit straight by just one very tight hairpin. Other configurations of the Sepang circuit can also be used, the north circuit is also raced in a clockwise direction. It is basically the first half of the main circuit, the course turns back towards the pit straight after turn 6 and is 2.71 kilometres long in total. The south circuit is the half of the racecourse. The back straight of the circuit becomes the pit straight when the south circuit is in use. Also run clockwise, this circuit is 2.61 km in length, Sepang International Circuit also features kart racing and motocross facilities. Sepang starts with a long pit straight where the DRS zone exists – it is important to get an exit out of the last corner to gain as much speed as possible. Turn 1 is a long, slow corner taken in second gear. You brake incredibly late and lose speed gradually as you file round the corner, similar to Shanghais first turn, Turn 1 leads straight into Turn 2, a tight left hairpin which goes downhill quite significantly. The first two corners are quite bumpy, making it hard to put power onto the track, Turn 3 is a long flat out right hander which leads into Turn 4 – known locally as the Langkawi Curve – a second gear, right-angle right-hander. Turns 5 and 6 make up an incredibly high-speed, long chicane that hurts tyres and it is locally known as the Genting Curve. Turns 7 and 8 make up a long, medium-speed, double-apex right hander, Turn 9 is a very slow left-hand hairpin, similar to turn two but uphill
27.
Shanghai International Circuit
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The Shanghai International Circuit is a motorsport race track, situated in the Jiading, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, the 2008 MotoGP race was the last one on this circuit, as the FIM didnt select the racetrack for the provisional calendar of 2009. This is due to overcrowding problems in the circuit, partly due to location of the circuit, areas around turns 1,8 and 14 have been sinking, and therefore the circuit had to be inspected before the 2011 event took place. The Chinese Grand Prix attracted 260,000 spectators in its year in 2004 with a slight 10,000 increase in 2005. On Feb 18,2011, Reuters reported words from the Chinese Grand Prix organizers said Shanghai has extended the deal to host the Chinese Grand Prix to 2018 despite falling attendance. Reuters reported words from Yiping Chen, deputy director of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, Reuters reported prices for prime seats range would decrease from 3, 580-3,980 yuan in 2010 to 1, 980-3,280 yuan in 2011. On the same day, AFP reported that the Shanghai City government will keep open a line to the race track to boost spectator numbers from April 15–17,2011. In common with other new Formula One circuits, it was designed by Hermann Tilke, and also features his trademark track feature. Current-generation F1 cars can easily surpass 300 km/h on the straight between corners 13 and 14. The track layout was inspired from the Chinese character shang the first character in the name of the city Shanghai, the whole circuit plus seating areas and other areas for spectators, covers a total area of 5.3 km². Turns 1 and 2 make up a very long right-hand curve which leads immediately into turns 3 and 4, One and two are far more difficult - a lift on entry followed by various taps of the throttle and brakes are needed so the car maintains balance throughout. It also becomes blind towards the middle of the corner, three and four are nowhere near as difficult but a good exit is needed to gain speed down the following straight and through turn 5. The complex of turns 1-4 makes up the first of two snails on the circuit, the other being turns 11-13, turn 6 is a second gear, right-handed hairpin with plentiful run-off. Turns 7 and 8 make up a high speed chicane - the left-right complex sees a constant G-force of 3, turns 9 and 10 immediately follow - two slow left-handers which require a good exit to gain speed down the next straight. Turns 11 and 12 effectively make up a slow left-right chicane where the use of kerbs are important, turn 13 is a very long right-hander which becomes less and less tight, and a very good exit is important as the longest straight currently in Formula One follows. The total length of the circuit is 5.451 km, the lap record was set by Ferraris Michael Schumacher in 2004. He completed one lap of the circuit in 1,32.238
28.
Yas Marina Circuit
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The Yas Marina Circuit is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, about 30 minutes from the capital of the UAE, Yas Marina is the second Formula One track in the Middle East, with the first being in Bahrain. A two-day GP2 Asia Series test was held to open the circuit. It also hosted the event for the Australian V8 Supercars series. Outside motorsport the circuit was used for the stage of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour cycle race in 2015. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license, the marina-based development includes a theme park, a water park, as well as residential areas, hotels and beaches. The circuit has five areas and part of its pit lane exit runs underneath the track. It also houses a building behind the pit building, Media Center, Dragster Track, VIP Tower. Additionally, one of the gravel traps runs underneath the West grandstand. Seating Capacity –41,093 Area –161.9 ha Length –5.5 km Longest straight –1140 metres The circuit was built by main contractor Cebarco-WCT WLL, under contract from developer Aldar Properties. The circuit was constructed with a permanent lighting system provided by Musco Lighting, Yas Marina Circuit is the largest permanent sports venue lighting project in the world, previously that title was held by Losail. The surface of the track is made of aggregate, shipped to Abu Dhabi from a Bayston Hill quarry in Shropshire. The surface material is highly acclaimed by circuit bosses and Formula One drivers for the level of grip it offers. The same aggregate material is used at the Bahrain International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix, on 7 October 2009, the circuit was granted final approval to hold Formula One races by the FIA. Bruno Senna was the first driver to complete a test run on the circuit, gP3 visited Abu Dhabi for the first time at the end of the 2013 season. Force Indias Adrian Sutil rated the circuit as being better than Formula Ones other night race in Singapore as he felt there was too much light at Marina Bay. Not all of the drivers were complimentary, with Giancarlo Fisichella expressing a dislike of the pit exit. Although the pit exit remained free of incidents for the practice sessions
29.
Intercity Istanbul Park
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Intercity Istanbul Park, also known as the Istanbul Racing Circuit, or initially as the Istanbul Otodrom, is a 130,000 capacity motor sports race track in Akfırat village east of Istanbul, Turkey. It was inaugurated on 21 August 2005 and it has been called the best race track in the world by Formula One Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone. It is adjacent to the newly constructed Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and is surrounded by forests, the circuit is 5.338 km long, with an average width of 15 m ranging from 14 to 21.5 m, and covers over 2.215 million square metres. With a total of 14 corners, the sharpest with a radius of merely 15 m, the total race distance of the Turkish Grand Prix is 309.356 km over 58 laps. The main grandstand has a capacity of 25,000 spectators. In addition, natural stands and temporary stands can provide a total capacity of over 155,000. The paddock buildings are structures, the ground floor reserved for racing teams. At each end of the paddock, there are two 7-story VIP towers, the circuit and its facilities were designed by the well-known racetrack architect Hermann Tilke, who said he designed the track to try to catch the drivers out. The inaugural Turkish Grand Prix certainly caught the drivers out, with many drivers spinning off throughout the weekend, Turn 8 particularly caught the imagination. The corner is a fast, sweeping corner with four apexes, spectators and drivers alike raved about Turn 8, comparing it to legendary corners such as Eau Rouge and 130R. The circuit itself has already been compared to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, another notable corner is Turn 1, a sharp downhill left-hander immediately after the front straight. This corner has been nicknamed by some as the Turkish Corkscrew in reference to the famous Corkscrew at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, both the 2006 F1 and MotoGP races at the circuit featured multiple incidents at this corner. A third noteworthy area is the kink in the middle of the back straight, due to its similarity to Eau Rouge. The circuit is not, however, without its critics, after qualifying, Jenson Button claimed that the track was getting bumpier as the weekend went on, particularly at Turn 8, which was what caused so many drivers to spin off. This harks back to another circuit designed by Hermann Tilke, Shanghai International Circuit, jarno Trulli was notable for his lukewarm feeling towards the circuit, saying that he felt the circuit was easy to learn, and that good performance was down more to the car than the driver. Building area,220 hectares Race track area,8 hectares The first Grand Prix of Turkey took place in 2005, due to financial disagreement, the last Turkish Grand Prix took place in 2011, despite earlier agreements concerning Istanbul Park. Top speed at the trap in 2005 was 329.5 km/h by F1 cars. In 2006 with the smaller 2. 4-litre V8 engines the fastest cars reached 320 km/h, Felipe Massa has an affinity with this circuit, with the Brazilian winning three of the seven Grands Prix held at Istanbul Park
30.
Bahrain International Circuit
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The Bahrain International Circuit is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 Series and the annual Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2004 Grand Prix was the first held in the Middle East, beginning in 2006, Australian V8 Supercars raced at the BIC, with the event known as the Desert 400. However, the V8 Supercars did not return for the 2011 V8 Supercar season,24 Hour endurance races are also hosted at BIC. The circuit has a FIA Grade 1 license, the construction of the Bahrain circuit was a national objective for Bahrain, initiated by the Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Crown Prince is the Honorary President of the Bahrain Motor Federation, TRL was asked to build the circuit, headed by Patrick Brogan. In the end, the circuit was not quite fully complete, after the 2004 race and ahead of the 2005 race the track was realigned at turn four, decreasing the circuits overall length by 5 metres. At the 2009 Grand Prix, BIC announced a collaboration with @bahrain to develop next to the circuit. @bahrain is part of the Mumtalakat group of companies, in 2011 the circuit was scheduled to be the first GP of the season. However, due to civil unrest in the country the race had to be cancelled in March 2011. On early June the FIA announced that the race would be scheduled for 30 October, the slot for the inaugural Indian GP. However, two later following concerns from teams and other officials, the race organizers officially cancelled the race. The 2012 Formula One calendar had the race scheduled for 22 April, the circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, the same architect who designed the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The main contractor for the project was Cybarco-WCT, the circuit cost approximately 56.2 million Bahraini Dinars to construct. It has six tracks, including a test oval and a drag strip. The circuit posed a unique problem, positioned in the middle of a desert, there were worries that sand would blow onto the circuit and disrupt the race. However, organizers were able to keep the sand off the track by spraying an adhesive on the sand around the track, the surface of the track is made of graywacke aggregate, shipped to Bahrain from Bayston Hill quarry in Shropshire, England. The surface material is highly acclaimed by circuit bosses and Formula 1 drivers for the level of grip it offers. The same aggregate material is used at the Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the DRS zone is on the pit straight at the Bahrain Grand Prix, so turn 1 is the prime overtaking opportunity
31.
Korea International Circuit
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The Korea International Circuit is a 5.62 km motorsport circuit located in Yeongam, South Jeolla, South Korea,400 kilometres south of Seoul and near the port city of Mokpo. It was the venue for the Korean Grand Prix from 2010 to 2013 after a $264 million deal between Bernie Ecclestone and the Korean F1 promoter Korea Auto Valley Operation. By 2015, having only hosted four Grand Prix events and relegated to hosting modestly attended local races, the facility has been criticized as a debacle. It was announced on 2 September 2009, that the funding was in place to start construction at the site, the organisers also ruled out the possibility of staging the race at night until they have more knowledge of and experience in running a Grand Prix. German designer Hermann Tilke was given the responsibility of the design of the track and it is part permanent, part temporary. The temporary part is along the side of the province where spectators from the promenade, hotels. Part of the city with possible exhibition facilities, shops, restaurants, the initial contract has a duration of seven years, with a five-year option that could take the race until 2021. The circuit planned to revive the Korea Super Prix in 2011, the Formula Three event, previous held at the Changwon City Raceway, last raced in 2003. In the midst of speculation that the race would be aborted because the circuit would not be completed in time, four thousand spectators travelled to the new track for the event. The final track inspection was delayed multiple times, the inaugural Korean Grand Prix was run on 24 October for the 2010 Formula One season. The event was the 17th out of 19 events during the season, the capacity of the venue is 135,000 spectators.8 billion won. However, it was difficult to secure the remaining 35.2 billion won, the Korean circuit was included in the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship calendar, but later it was removed. It was announced in 2012 that the circuit would host a round of the 2013 Super GT season. The GT Asia Series has raced frequently at Korea, the circuit starts with a double left hander, the first corner is taken in second gear, with the drivers accelerating through the second turn. This opens up onto a straight 1.160 km long, which in turn feeds into the slowest corner on the circuit, a second-gear right-hand bend. The cars follow a straight, home to the support pits, before a series of tight switchbacks at turns four, five and six. The final turn on the circuit is a kink that feeds onto the main straight. The pit lane has been due to its entry and exit
32.
Buddh International Circuit
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Buddhism is a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. Buddhism originated in India sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, from where it spread through much of Asia, two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars, Theravada and Mahayana. Buddhism is the worlds fourth-largest religion, with over 500 million followers or 7% of the global population, Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of various teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices. In Theravada the ultimate goal is the attainment of the state of Nirvana, achieved by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path, thus escaping what is seen as a cycle of suffering. Theravada has a following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon, rather than Nirvana, Mahayana instead aspires to Buddhahood via the bodhisattva path, a state wherein one remains in the cycle of rebirth to help other beings reach awakening. Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian siddhas, may be viewed as a branch or merely a part of Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth century India, is practiced in regions surrounding the Himalayas, Tibetan Buddhism aspires to Buddhahood or rainbow body. Buddhism is an Indian religion attributed to the teachings of Buddha, the details of Buddhas life are mentioned in many early Buddhist texts but are inconsistent, his social background and life details are difficult to prove, the precise dates uncertain. Some hagiographic legends state that his father was a king named Suddhodana, his mother queen Maya, and he was born in Lumbini gardens. Some of the stories about Buddha, his life, his teachings, Buddha was moved by the innate suffering of humanity. He meditated on this alone for a period of time, in various ways including asceticism, on the nature of suffering. He famously sat in meditation under a Ficus religiosa tree now called the Bodhi Tree in the town of Bodh Gaya in Gangetic plains region of South Asia. He reached enlightenment, discovering what Buddhists call the Middle Way, as an enlightened being, he attracted followers and founded a Sangha. Now, as the Buddha, he spent the rest of his teaching the Dharma he had discovered. Dukkha is a concept of Buddhism and part of its Four Noble Truths doctrine. It can be translated as incapable of satisfying, the unsatisfactory nature, the Four Truths express the basic orientation of Buddhism, we crave and cling to impermanent states and things, which is dukkha, incapable of satisfying and painful. This keeps us caught in saṃsāra, the cycle of repeated rebirth, dukkha
33.
Hockenheimring
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The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it hosts the German Grand Prix. The circuit has very little change in elevation, the circuit has FIA Grade 1 license. The Hockenheimring was originally built in 1932 using roads in the forest as an alternative to the Wildpark-Circuit in Karlsruhe, the Hockenheimring was used for motorcycle racing and was expanded to be used as test track for Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union in 1936. In 1938 it was renamed the Kurpfalzring and that name was used until 1947, after World War II, former DKW and NSU factory rider and world record setter Wilhelm Herz promoted the track successfully. Grand Prix motorcycle racing events were held, with the German motorcycle Grand Prix alternating between Hockenheim and other tracks, the original circuit was almost eight kilometres long and consisted of two long straights with a long Eastern corner in the forest and a U-turn inside Hockenheim joining them together. In 1965, when the new Autobahn A6 separated the village from the part of the track. After Jim Clark was killed on 7 April 1968 in a Formula 2 racing accident, a small memorial was placed near the first chicane, at the site of his accident. In 1982, another chicane was added at the Ostkurve, after Patrick Depailler was killed there in 1980, and the first chicane was made slower as well. The long track length also meant that a typical Formula One race had only 45 laps, prost ran out at the end of the 1986 race, pushing his McLaren towards the line before giving up. He was placed 3rd when he ran dry and was eventually classified 6th, many problems came to light during the 2000 German Grand Prix, where Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello won from having started 18th on the grid, in changeable weather conditions. All the overtaking moves that took place during the race were in the chicanes of the forest sector, a former Mercedes employee, who had been dismissed, breached the tracks security barriers on the first main straight, showing vulnerable security facilities in the forest. The state government of Baden-Württemberg secured the financing for the redesign by Hermann Tilke for the 2002 German Grand Prix, the stadium section remained mostly intact, despite a new surface and a tighter Turn 1. However, the circuit was shortened, with the long. In an extremely controversial move, the old forest section was torn up and replanted with trees, several drivers and team principals, including Ron Dennis, Jarno Trulli and Juan Pablo Montoya, criticised the changes and stated their preference for the old circuit. The new track has a capacity of 120,000. The complex also features a track for drag racing. The Hockenheim Circuit hosted the German Grand Prix for the first time in 1970 when the F1 drivers decided at the French Grand Prix to boycott the Nürburgring unless major changes were made
34.
Fuji Speedway
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Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s, in the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing. Originally managed by Mitsubishi Estate Co. Fuji Speedway was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000, the circuit hosted the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in 2007, after an absence of 30 years, replacing the Suzuka Circuit, owned by Honda. After Fuji Speedway hosted the 2008 race, the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka for the 2009-onward races, Fuji Speedway is known for having one of the longest straights in motorsport tracks, at 1.475 km in length. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license, Fuji Speedway Corporation was established in 1963, as Japan NASCAR Corporation. At first, the circuit was planned to hold NASCAR-style races in Japan, therefore, the track was originally designed to be a 4 km high-banked superspeedway, but there was not enough money to complete the project and thus only one of the bankings was ever designed. Mitsubishi Estate Co. invested in the circuit and took the management right on October 1965, converted to a road course, the circuit opened in December 1965 and proved to be somewhat dangerous with the banked turn regularly resulting in major accidents. Vic Elford recalls, In 1969 I spent two months in Japan doing a test contract for Toyota and their Toyota 7, which along with a big Nissan, was destined for CanAm. My last testing and then the subsequent Sports Car GP were at Fuji, the reason that banking was so horrific, was that at the end of the straight we went over a blind crest at around 190/200 mph and dropped into the banking. At other tracks you climb up the banking, One of the results was that although there were many brave Japanese drivers there were not too many with great skill and the death toll from that one corner was horrendous. In 1966, the track hosted a USAC Indy Car non-championship race, the track had a 24-hour race in 1967. The speedway brought the first Formula One race to Japan at the end of the 1976 season, the race had a dramatic World Championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and in awful rainy conditions, Hunt earned enough points to win the title. Mario Andretti won the race, with Lauda withdrawing due to the dangerous conditions, there was less celebration after the second race in 1977 as Gilles Villeneuve was involved in a crash that killed two spectators on the side of the track, leading to Formula One leaving the speedway. When Japan earned another race on the F1 schedule ten years later, F1 didnt return to Fuji until 2007. Fuji remained a sports car racing venue and FIA World Sportscar Championship visited the track between 1982–1988 and it was often used for national races. Speeds continued to be high, and two chicanes were added to the track, one just past the first hairpin corner, the second at the entry to the very long. But even with changes the main feature of the track remained its approximately 1.5 km long straight. The long pit straight has also utilised for drag racing
35.
Travis County, Texas
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Travis County is a county located in south central Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,024,266 and it is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas, the county was established in 1840 and is named in honor of William Barret Travis, the commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo. Travis County is part of the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area and it is located along the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Blackland Prairie to the east. Evidence of habitation of the Balcones Escarpment region of Texas can be traced to at least 11,000 years ago, two of the oldest Paleolithic archeological sites in Texas, the Levi Rock Shelter and Smith Rock Shelter, are located in southwest and southeast Travis County, respectively. Several hundred years before the arrival of European settlers, the area was inhabited by a variety of nomadic Native American tribes and these indigenous peoples fished and hunted along the creeks, including present-day Barton Springs, which proved to be a reliable campsite. At the time of the first permanent settlement of the area, the region was claimed by the Spanish Empire in the 1600s, but at the time no attempt was made to settle the area. In 1691 Domingo Terán de los Ríos made a tour through East Texas that likely took him through Travis Country. The first European settlers in the area were a group of Spanish friars who arrived from East Texas in July 1730. They established three missions, La Purísima Concepción, San Francisco de los Neches and San José de los Nazonis. The friars found conditions undesirable and relocated to the San Antonio River within a year of their arrival, in 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain, and the new government enacted laws encouraging colonists to settle the Texas frontier by granting them land and reduced taxation. Over the next decade, thousands of immigrants moved into Texas, in particular, American empresario Stephen F. Austin established one of his colonies near what is now Bastrop. Josiah and Mathias Wilbarger, Reuben Hornsby, Jacob M. Harrell, in 1836 Texas declared and won its independence from Mexico, forming a new Republic of Texas. After Texas Vice President Mirabeau B, lamar visited central Texas during a buffalo-hunting expedition between 1837 and 1838, he proposed that the republics capital be relocated to a site on the north bank of the Colorado River. In 1839 the site was chosen as the republics new capital and given the name Waterloo, Texas. A new county was established the following year, of which Austin would be the seat. In 1861 Travis County was one of the few Texas counties to vote against secession from the Union, since the majority of the state did favor secession, Travis County then became a part of the Confederacy for the duration of the Civil War. After the Confederacys defeat, Texas was fully readmitted to the Union in 1870, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,023 square miles, of which 990 square miles is land and 33 square miles is water
36.
Subdivision (land)
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Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is known in the United States as a subdivision. If it is used for housing it is known as a housing subdivision or housing development. Subdivisions may also be for the purpose of commercial or industrial development, in the United States, the creation of a subdivision was often the first step toward the creation of a new incorporated township or city. Contemporary notions of subdivisions rely on the Lot and Block survey system and this was followed by publication of the Standard City Planning Enabling Act in 1928. It includes resubdivision and, when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the land or territory subdivided, the intention is to cover all subdivision of land where the immediate or ultimate purpose is that of selling the lots or building on them. A subdivision does not need to be sold, in whole or in part, a subdivision plat approved by a local planning commission, once recorded in a registry of deeds, is generally deemed to have created the parcels of land identified on the plat itself. The problem of division of property was identified by the SCPEA in the footnote to the definition of subdivision. In some jurisdictions, a division of property does not constitute a legal subdivision for purposes of separate conveyancing of the subdivided parcels. Interpretations of this vary among American jurisdictions, in the Philippines, subdivisions are areas of land that have been subdivided into individual residential plots. Whereas some subdivisions comprise exclusive gated communities, others are merely demarcations denoting a specific neighborhood, some subdivisions may conduct autonomous security, or provide basic services such as water and refuse management. Most subdivisions are governed by associations made up of members who are residents of the subdivision, in the Philippines, subdivisions are also known as villages. In Alberta, subdivision is the dividing of a parcel of land into two or more parcels, each to be given a separate title. Subdivision is also used for existing lot line adjustments, exceptions may occur with parcels of land that contain more than one quarter section, a river lot, a lake lot, or some settlement lots created prior to July 1,1950
37.
Homologation (motorsport)
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In motorsports, homologation is the approval process through which a vehicle, a race track, or a standardised part is required to go for certification to race in a given league or series. The regulations and rules that must be met are generally set by the sanctioning body. The word is derived from the Greek homologeo—literally I say the same—for agree, since such vehicles are primarily intended for the race track, practical use on public roads is generally a secondary design consideration, so long as government regulations are met. Sales aids, even where such accommodations are made, are generally barely within the limits of government requirements for sale to consumers, such accommodations are often reversible, so that production vehicles can be modified to racing trim. A common example of this process is the exhaust system, often modified in the vehicle to meet legal requirements in the jurisdictions where the vehicle is sold. Many manufacturers of vehicles used in production-based racing offer a line of high-performance parts not intended for use on public roads, such components could include exhaust systems and engine internals, and are generally within the homologation guidelines of the racing series in which the vehicles are to be used. There is also a brisk after-market supplying components for converting production vehicles to race trim for production-based racing series, one example is lightweight, quickly removable bodywork, to replace stock bodywork that is often heavier and has features required on public roads, such as lighting systems. Some sports cars are released to the public for the purpose of meeting the homologation guidelines of a particular series or several series. In such cases, numbers manufactured are often just enough to meet the requirement for homologation by the racing series for which the vehicle was designed. As with automobiles, motorcycle manufacturers manufacture certain models for the market to enable the model to qualify for entry in a particular production-based racing series. One example of a motorcycle that was designed and built primarily to meet the homologation requirements is the 2008 Ducati 1098R a limited edition version of Ducatis 1098 S sportbike. Ducati even refers to the 1098R, in the press, as the Homologation Special
38.
Geneva
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Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situated where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic, the municipality has a population of 198,072, and the canton has 484,736 residents. In 2014, the compact agglomération du Grand Genève had 946,000 inhabitants in 212 communities in both Switzerland and France, within Swiss territory, the commuter area named Métropole lémanique contains a population of 1.25 million. This area is essentially spread east from Geneva towards the Riviera area and north-east towards Yverdon-les-Bains, Geneva is the city that hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world. It is also the place where the Geneva Conventions were signed, Geneva was ranked as the worlds ninth most important financial centre for competitiveness by the Global Financial Centres Index, ahead of Frankfurt, and third in Europe behind London and Zürich. A2009 survey by Mercer found that Geneva has the third-highest quality of life of any city in the world, the city has been referred to as the worlds most compact metropolis and the Peace Capital. In 2009 and 2011, Geneva was ranked as, respectively, the city was mentioned in Latin texts, by Caesar, with the spelling Genava, probably from a Celtic toponym *genawa- from the stem *genu-, in the sense of a bending river or estuary. The medieval county of Geneva in Middle Latin was known as pagus major Genevensis or Comitatus Genevensis, the name takes various forms in modern languages, Geneva /dʒᵻˈniːvə/ in English, French, Genève, German, Genf, Italian, Ginevra, and Romansh, Genevra. The city in origin shares its name, *genawa estuary, with the Italian port city of Genoa, Geneva was an Allobrogian border town, fortified against the Helvetii tribe, when the Romans took it in 121 BC. It became Christian under the Late Roman Empire, and acquired its first bishop in the 5th century, having been connected to the bishopric of Vienne in the 4th. In the Middle Ages, Geneva was ruled by a count under the Holy Roman Empire until the late 14th century, around this time the House of Savoy came to dominate the city. In the 15th century, a republican government emerged with the creation of the Grand Council. In 1541, with Protestantism in the ascendancy, John Calvin, by the 18th century, however, Geneva had come under the influence of Catholic France, which cultivated the city as its own. France also tended to be at odds with the ordinary townsfolk, in 1798, revolutionary France under the Directory annexed Geneva. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, on 1 June 1814, in 1907, the separation of Church and State was adopted. Geneva flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming the seat of international organizations. Geneva is located at 46°12 North, 6°09 East, at the end of Lake Geneva. It is surrounded by two chains, the Alps and the Jura
39.
HKS, Inc.
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HKS, Inc. is an American international architecture firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It was founded in 1939 by Harwood K. Smith, in 2014 HKS launched a year-long public campaign to commemorate the firms 75th anniversary. In 2012 HKS announced the acquisition of Miami-headquartered educational design firm HADP Architecture, in 2011 HKS saw rapid expansion. In October HKS released an announcement it had acquired the design firm Maregatti Interiors LLC in Indianapolis. The HKS Science & Technology Practice was formed after the firm acquired Earl Walls Studios in San Diego, HKS also opened new locations in Chicago, Denver, New York, and New Delhi, India. In 2010 HKS announced the formation of an architectural research group, Center for Advanced Design. HKS has expanded its presence, in 2008 opening offices in Abu Dhabi and São Paulo, Brazil and again in 2010 with an office in Shanghai. In 2007, HKS expanded their hospitality architectural design services and also acquired the hospitality design firm Hill Glazier Architects, located in Palo Alto, the firm also opened offices in Miami, Nashville, Oklahoma City, and Chennai, India. In 2006, HKS acquired the Stein-Cox Group and Trinity Design to have presences in Phoenix, Arizona and Detroit, Michigan, in 2002, HKS expanded its international presence by opening HKS Arquitectos in Mexico City to serve its Latin American clients. This list includes projects in which HKS collaborated with other architecture firms, Phoenix Childrens Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas Orlando Health/Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando, Florida L. A
40.
Circuit of the Americas
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Circuit of The Americas is a grade 1 FIA specification 3. 427-mile motor racing facility located in Elroy, on the southeastern periphery of Austin city limits, in Central Texas. COTA plays host to the Formula One United States Grand Prix and it previously hosted the Australian V8 Supercars series, the American Le Mans Series, and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2013. The circuit and Grand Prix were first proposed in the middle of 2010, the circuit was the first in the United States to be purpose-built for Formula One. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license, a crowd of 117,429 watched the Formula One race in November 2012. In a news conference on July 27,2010, Tavo Hellmund announced plans to build the track on about 890 acres of undeveloped land in southeastern Travis County, the majority of the site was previously planned for a residential subdivision called Wandering Creek. In the same conference, Hellmund also revealed that Texas billionaire Red McCombs was the projects largest investor. McCombs wished to call the site Speed City, but the originally anticipated selling the naming rights to various parts of the facility for $7 million. On April 12,2011, the name was announced as Circuit of the Americas at a press conference. The circuit homologation design was submitted to the FIA in Geneva for approval on December 17,2010, HKS, Inc. and Tilke Engineers & Architects designed the track and Austin Commercial, a subsidiary of Austin Industries, was the general contractor. Construction began on December 31,2010, and was due to be complete by June 2012, following a stop-work order in December 2011, the completion date was revised to August. The first tasks were building the silt fences, taking core samples, on January 21,2011, a $900,000 check was posted with Travis County that permitted grading to begin. The money was to be used to restore the land if the U. S. Federal Emergency Management Agency declined to allow the project to move forward because part of the lies in a floodplain. FEMA issued a letter on June 28,2011, stating the project meets its floodplain management criteria, at the time of the announcement, the unstable clay soils under the road surface had caused Elroy Road to gradually buckle and shift, necessitating the upgrade. The first layer of asphalt was completed on August 3,2012, construction began laying the final layer of asphalt on August 14, and was finished on September 21. The Grand Plaza, Observation Structure, Tower Amphitheater, and Main Grandstand were designed by Austin-based architectural firm Miró Rivera Architects. The final plan of the circuit was released on September 1,2010, the design draws from several European Formula One circuits, including a recreation of Silverstones Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel sequence, Hockenheims arena bends, and a replica of Istanbuls Turn Eight. Other corners were loosely inspired by the Senna S at Interlagos, a feature of the circuit is a deliberate widening of corners, to encourage drivers to follow multiple racing lines. A similar feature was used at the Buddh International Circuit in India, the circuit was one of only a handful on the Formula One 2012 calendar to be run counter-clockwise, the others being Marina Bay, the Korea International Circuit, Yas Marina, and Interlagos
41.
Silt
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Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay, whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as sediment mixed in suspension with water in a body of such as a river. It may also exist as soil deposited at the bottom of a water body, Silt has a moderate specific area with a typically non-sticky, plastic feel. Silt usually has a floury feel when dry, and a slippery feel when wet, Silt can be visually observed with a hand lens. Silt is created by a variety of physical processes capable of splitting the generally sand-sized quartz crystals of primary rocks by exploiting deficiencies in their lattice and these involve chemical weathering of rock and regolith, and a number of physical weathering processes such as frost shattering and haloclasty. The main process is abrasion through transport, including fluvial comminution, aeolian attrition and it is in semi-arid environments that substantial quantities of silt are produced. Silt is sometimes known as rock flour or stone dust, especially produced by glacial action. Mineralogically, silt is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar, sedimentary rock composed mainly of silt is known as siltstone. Liquefaction created by an earthquake is silt suspended in water that is hydrodynamically forced up from below ground level. In the Udden–Wentworth scale, silt particles range between 0.0039 and 0.0625 mm, larger than clay but smaller than sand particles, ISO14688 grades silts between 0.002 mm and 0.063 mm. In actuality, silt is chemically distinct from clay, and unlike clay, grains of silt are approximately the size in all dimensions, furthermore. Clays are formed from thin plate-shaped particles held together by electrostatic forces, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture Soil Texture Classification system, the sand-silt distinction is made at the 0.05 mm particle size. The USDA system has been adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization, in the Unified Soil Classification System and the AASHTO Soil Classification system, the sand-silt distinction is made at the 0.075 mm particle size. Silts and clays are distinguished mechanically by their plasticity, Silt is easily transported in water or other liquid and is fine enough to be carried long distances by air in the form of dust. Thick deposits of silty material resulting from deposition by aeolian processes are called loess. Silt and clay contribute to turbidity in water, Silt is transported by streams or by water currents in the ocean. When silt appears as a pollutant in water the phenomenon is known as siltation, Silt, deposited by annual floods along the Nile River, created the rich, fertile soil that sustained the Ancient Egyptian civilization. In south east Bangladesh, in the Noakhali district, cross dams were built in the 1960s whereby silt gradually started forming new land called chars, the district of Noakhali has gained more than 28 square miles of land in the past 50 years
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 2017)
