Posts Tagged ‘outdoor’

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Is It Time For A Bicycle Tune Up?

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

All bikes require a service at some time whether you use it regularly or not. If you do not use it, it probably needs more attention than if you do, but if you do use your bicycle a lot some aspects will require attention as well. In this article we will discuss some bicycle tune up tips that should put you ahead of the competition.

The first thing to check is the chain. If the chain is not correct, it will not transfer all your leg power to the wheels – it will be inefficient and you will have to work harder. Not only that, but if the chain is not correct, it can wear down the teeth on the cogs and they are far dearer to replace than the chain.

So, test the tension of the chain by jiggling it up and down from its standard place. It ought to move around a centimeter (less than half an inch) up and down from standard. If it is more than this, slacken the wheel nuts off and tap the wheel back to improve the chain tension. If the wheel will not go back far enough, you need a new chain. Chains do stretch over time.

Next, check the bearings in the pedal mechanism. Do this with the chain off to reduce ambient noise. Turn the pedal arms and wiggle each one from side to side. Listen and feel for friction. The arms should not move from side to side at all, although the pedals might.

If the bearings are just dry, shame on you, oil them, but if you have let it go too long and some bearings are damaged, replace them.

Take the wheels off and holding each one in turn by its spindle, spin them. Listen to the bearings in the hubs. Do they sound OK? Oil or replace the bearings. With the wheels in position, put the front wheel between your legs and hold it tight between your knees. Rock the handlebars from left to right and back again a few times. Is there any play? If so, tighten the locking nut, oil the bearings or replace them.

Check your brake handles and cables. Replace anything that is cracked, fractured or showing signs of rust. Check your brake pads. If they are worn out of shape, replace them and fit new ones so that they will wear more uniformly.

If the pads are deformed then they were not installed properly so your brakes were not working well for a time which means that you were lucky that you did not require them in an emergency situation.

After the brake pads have been installed properly, recheck the tension of the cables operating them. Tighten or slacken them as necessary.

If you are still growing, check the height of the saddle and raise it if necessary. If you have stopped growing upwards, check that the saddle nut is tight enough to hold the saddle in position even if you hit a pothole.

Last but not least, make certain that your lights and reflector are working.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is now involved with London Olympic dates. Click a link to find out more 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.

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Being Geared up for Paintball

Monday, March 12th, 2012

When we talk about various sports, paintball is one out of them which needs to played with a high level of cautiousness. It would not be completely true if paintball is said to be a dangerous game. But the fact is, if you say paintballing is not serious; why not leave a kid of about 7 to play it.

What we are saying here is that the professional usage of games with a lot of precautions is very different from the leisure usage of games. When you walk down the streets, you are bound to see a lot of kids kicking and playing football without any harm or threat, but if you allow them to shoot paintball using a paintball gun or paintball guns you will see results soon. Dangers and protection threats are not the only reason for the need of knowing about the paintball guns and their usage. Another important reason for this is that it is very important to learn something properly before taking a shot at it.

Knowing about various strategies of the game is the primary need. You can choose from the kind of shooting or role you want to play depending on what you cherish. All he guns are manufactured with the same features and specifications. Knowledge regarding the basics of the game play of paintball is necessary for you to communicate with other players and officials during the game. One of them is the marker which is another name that some people will like to call the game derived from the marker that is used to equip and shoot the guns. Other terms which need to be understood are chop, paint, wiping, speedballs, woods ball, hopper, pods and C02 /Gas. Check and get the meaning of all these.

Injuries to eyes, ears and skin can occur when the guns hit these parts. The best thing to do is for you to always play wearing the proper clothing which includes the masks, the foot wears, the proper camouflage or its equivalent, the lenses etc. Also learn the technicalities involved. Playing without getting to know the game is a foolish act. Be careful not to wipe off the paint in middle of a game. Do not overlook the rules mentioned for the game. Knowing the goals and objectives of the game is supposed to be very wise. Never shoot a referee and always respect his decisions.

Always go out when a paintball of yours breaks in a game. Make use of the shouting which includes, Out, Bounce and Paint check whenever they are necessary and try shouting them loud to everybody’s hearing. Blind shots are not a good choice and you must definitely refrain from verbally abusing anyone during the game. You must be well equipped for the game of paintball which include the water and extra pair of clothes. Make sure all your playing equipment’s are intact and very usable. Don’t shout when there is no such need. You are supposed to be conversant with the terrain of the field to avoid ugly incidents.

New to paintball and need a paintball gun? Search Paintball Guns Direct for all of your paintball necessities. Take advantage of our everyday low prices.

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Using Paintball Guns Suitably

Monday, March 5th, 2012

The fact that there are a lot of cases of accidents when it comes to playing the paintball game makes it a very big imperative to get the game well played. There have been a lot of abuses ranging from use by infants and the act of playing the games without the required and needed outfits. What this means is that before ever you get into the act of paintballing, you have to play safe in all ramifications.

The Paintball gun used to play the paintball game is a sort of gun that is equipped with compressed carbon dioxide or air that uses its pressure to propel the paintballs out the paintball guns. Irrespective of the nature of the paintball game you play, you must always take good care regarding how you hold your gun. Try tucking the gun under your armpit especially under your most active arm. The dominant hand can be used better to press the trigger while the other one can be put to use for handling the gun and pointing the barrel.

There is a possibility of you trying to close one of your eyes when you want to aim the gun, but this is not the best for you because it will leave you in a position not to know the next attack that is coming your way. What you have to do is to position your heard at the top of the barrel so that you can have a good view of what is happening with both eyes open. There are a lot of other precautions that you will need to be handy with before you get into this firing process proper, and one of them is the fact that your opponent is almost always on the move and it will make good sense and exude some professionalism if you fire your bullets in the direction they are moving towards so that the bullets will meet them while they are on the move, rather than aiming at where they are at present.

There are other precautions you have to take as it concerns the functioning and smooth running of your gun. If at the middle of the game your gun will not fire again, you have to check two particular components of the gun. The things to be checked are the safety button and the cocking pin. If the safety button is popped up, then you will need to push it back or press it down before your gun can fire. If your cocking pin has also moved forward, you will also need to pull it back before your gun gets into proper firing.

If you observe any paint on your gun’s elbow, it signals a ball burst which will need you to call the marshals for further help. Sometimes due to inadequate pressure levels in canister you will not be able to fire your paintballs far enough, and to fix this issue you must call the marshals who will in turn fill up the pressure in the canister. To let the marshal know that you need some help all that you need to do is to shout out loud or raise your hand. The other players in the game will also get a signal to not to shoot at you while you take care of your issue.

New to paintball and need a paintball gun? Search Paintball Guns Direct for all of your paintball necesseties. Take advantage of our everyday low prices.

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The Ashes – The Trophy At Lords

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

The Ashes is the name given to a biennial series of test cricket matches played between England and Australia. The very first cricket test match was played between England and Australia in 1877, but the notion of ?playing for the Ashes? dates from some five years later after England had lost the ninth test match played between the two countries.

On their 1882 tour to England just one test match was played at The Oval in August. The ground was almost impossible to play on and Australia, who batted first, made merely 63 runs. England, in response, played a little better but by scoring 101, did achieve a first innings lead of 38 runs.

In Australia?s second innings Hugh Massie?s 55, struck at a run a minute, enabled the tourists to reach 122 runs . This meant that England needed a mere 85 runs for victory. But they had not allowed for Fred Spofforth, nicknamed ?The Demon Bowler? who refused to admit defeat.

?This thing can be done? he declared and swiftly succeeded in taking down the England batting. He took his final four wickets for only two runs and England lost the match by only seven runs.

This defeat sent shock waves right through the English sporting establishment and several mock obituaries appeared in the sporting press, including the most well-known one which appeared in ?The Sporting Times? on 2 September. It read :

?In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29th AUGUST 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P.

N.B.-The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.

Therefore this was the first reference in print to ?The Ashes?. The England tour of Australia later that year was captained by Ivo Bligh who was afterwards to be the Earl of Darnley. Bligh said that he would ?regain the ashes? and this he went on to do with England winning the three match series by two games to one.

However the term ?the Ashes? did not actually catch on until 1903 when Pelham (or ?Plum?) Warner led a team out to Australia with the same promise of recapturing the ashes. This England achieved by winning the series 3 -2 . The Australian press latched on to the phrase and this time it stuck.

An ?urn? to contain the ashes was created and presented to Bligh during the 1882-83 tour. It is rumoured to hold the ashes of a cricket bail. It was presented to Bligh by a group of Victorian ladies including Bligh?s future wife.

The urn is a small terracotta vase about six inches high and might originally have contained perfume. It is so fragile that it is now kept permanently at the MCC headquarters at Lords.

There is a general belief that the urn and its contents represent the official trophy played for by England and Australia, but it is in fact a private memento owned by the Darnley family and is just on loan to the MCC.

The trophy actually played for is a larger Waterford glass replica, but the original ?Ashes urn? still stays one of the most famous sporting icons in the world.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several subjects, but is at present involved with tickets for London Olympics. Click a link if you are interested in 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.

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Dog Grooming And Brushing Tips

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

All dogs need some form of grooming, there is no question about that. Even hairless chihuahuas should be wiped with a damp chamois leather to get rid of loose skin and dust. However, one of the main purposes for grooming your dog regularly is so that you can check him for skin problems such as allergic reactions to flea or tick bites. Another reason is bonding. In a pack situation, dogs groom other dogs and are themselves groomed every day and dogs like it.

Therefore, you should groom or brush your dog at least once a week and take him to a dog parlour every three, four or six months depending on how fast his hair or fur grows and whether you can manage it or not. Having said that, you will find grooming easier if your dog’s hair is the right length, because it will not tangle so readily.

You ought to wash your dog every month or so and groom him at at a minimum of once week. This will make certain that your dog gets used to being bathed and handled. If this is done from the puppy stage, most dogs will not only accept it, but they will come to enjoy it, although there will always be those dogs that run for it as soon as they see a hose and a bowl. They get to know what to look out for. If you talk to him constantly, reassuring him and occasionally giving a doggie treat, he should soon come to accept the inevitable – that he is going to be bathed and groomed.

Actually, most dogs enjoy the grooming, although many only tolerate the bathing. Anyway, bathing and grooming on a regular basis will keep the job as simple as it can be. Once your dog is no longer a puppy, say after six months or so, you could take him to a professional groomer in a so-called ‘Poodle Parlour’. By then, he should be becoming accustomed to the routine and he will accept the treatment from strangers more willingly too.

You could look for professional groomers in adverts in the pet shop or the vet’s or simply ask your friends and neighbours for recommendations. Finding a groomer should not be problem, but you might have to try a few before you find one whose style of grooming you like or who is adaptable enough to suit your lifestyle.

When you drop your dog off at the Poodle Parlour, ask when it will be ready to be collected up. Turn up fifteen minutes early and you might be lucky enough to witness first hand how your dog is being treated and how your dog is getting on with the groomer. This is invaluable information, because it will help you make up your mind whether the groomer is getting on with your dog or not.

If the groomer is doing a good job, but your dog is anxious, you can help put him at ease. If the groomer is being a bit too rough, then you will know whether to change Poodle Parlours or just have that groomer banned from taking care of your dog.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few subjects, but is currently involved with indoor mosquito repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Mosquito Repellent For Dogs.

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Aspects Of Racing Radio Controlled Cars

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Racing is the most exhilarating part of owning a radio controlled car for most RC car aficionados. There are millions of RC car racing aficionados, so it is normal that a number of different types of racing have evolved, but the two main variances are on-road and off-road racing.

Whichever aspect of RC car racing interests you the most, there are a number of items that everyone has to do to prepare for a race. The rest of this piece will discuss some aspects of racing your radio controlled car.

We will take for granted that you already have the best model car that you can afford, so the first thing to do whilst preparing for a race is choose the tyres to suit the conditions, just as they would in a full-size car race.

The tyres employed for on and off road racing are different and the tyres used for a dry or a wet road are not the same either, so you will require at least two sets of tyres and you will have to practice switching them quickly at pit stops.

Most serious on-road RC car racing is done with models of real cars like Lamborghinis, Porches, Ferraris and Aston Martins leading the way. Others like to use Formula One style cars. Off-road scrambling is normally done with trucks, heavier models that can get a better grip on the landscape.

So, the faster, lighter cars are built for speed and need a smoother surface to run on. The surfaces used vary from a length of regular concrete or tarmac road that has been closed off for the day to a purpose built racing circuit of concrete or tarmac. Off-road vehicles are raced or scrambled anywhere, the rougher the better.

These conditions also affect the scale to a limited extent. Racing RC cars tend to be the smaller 1/10 th scale, whereas off-road trucks tend to be built to the slightly larger 1/8 th scale, because they need the weight for increased traction.

However, contemporary developments have seen the rise in popularity of huge 1/5 th scale tucks and cars with real miniature petrol engines in them.

Regular two-wheel drive is sufficient for racing, although some racers do prefer four-wheel drive. However, four-wheel drive is more or less indispensable for all terrain racing. It is also preferable in wet and icy conditions, exactly like the real thing.

Fuel is an vital consideration. Most speed racing cars run on nitro. It burns very fast and produces high acceleration, but you have to stop and retank frequently in a long race. Some racers prefer petrol, especially in the larger, off-road trucks.

Petrol is not so ‘violent’ as nitro and it goes further. This means fewer pit stops. It also causes less wear and tear on the engine. Petrol engines do not break down as frequently as nitro engines. The parts are sturdier as well.

Maintenance is a big part of RC car racing, but it is more vital the smaller your car is and nitro engines need the most maintenance of all. This is not a problem for many enthusiasts, in fact, they like taking their car to pieces and rebuilding it, but you might not. Maintenance is a factor to keep in mind whilst selecting an RC racing car.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with gas remote control cars. If you have an interest in model or toy rc vehicles, please go over to our website now at 1/5 Scale RC Cars

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The History of Rugby

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Today, every schoolboy knows the story of William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil “who with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it”. The presentation trophy for the Rugby World Cup is named the Webb Ellis trophy in his memory, and his “achievement” is honoured by a plaque at the school

There is just one thing wrong with this story. It simply is not the case. It was not until four years after the death of Webb Ellis in 1876 that the story first saw the light of day and its origin is thought to come from a local antiquarian and previous Rugbeian Matthew Bloxam.

He was not a contemporary of Webb Ellis but says that the story was told to him by an anonymous source some 53 years after the incident is supposed to have happened.

In 1823, when the event is alleged to have happened, the rules of rugby had yet to be written and any alterations, such as the legality of carrying or running with the ball, were often agreed on an ad hoc basis a short time before the start of a game.

There were therefore no formal rules for football during the time William Webb Ellis was at the school (1816?25). It was not until 1845, some 200 years after football was first played at Rugby School, that three pupils published the first written rules of the game.

For numerous years it had been the boys, and not the masters who had set down the rules which were often modified by every new generation of pupils.

Guy’s Hospital Football Club, created in London in 1843, by old boys from Rugby School, has strong claims to be the oldest football club in the world. It definitely predates by 14 years the creation of Sheffield FC, believed to be the oldest club playing association football.

In 1871, after a number of problematic disputes with the Football Association, 21 clubs met in London to create an association of those clubs ‘who play the rugby-type game’.

Consequently, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was formed. The first International rugby match was played on 27 March 1871 between England and Scotland. The English team wore white shirts ornamented with a red rose and the Scots brown shirts with a thistle. (Scotland won the game).

The worries and conflicts regarding amateurism and professionalism had long proved a thorny topic. The representatives of Yorkshire and Lancashire are accredited with bringing in rules concerning amateurism in 1879.

These rules were finally formalized by the RFU in 1886. It is widely believed that the northern clubs were in favour of the professional game whereas these northern bodies were robust advocates of amateurism,

However, conflict arose over the controversy regarding ‘broken time’, the topic of whether players should receive reimbursement for taking time off work to play.

The northern clubs had a large number of working class players who had either to miss games due to working commitments, or give up their wages in order to play rugby. By 1892, this subject of broken time payments was a problem not just for northern clubs such as Bradford and Leeds but also for clubs in the south.

It became a concern of the RFU: these broken time repayments would become a rapid path to professionalism.

On 29 August 1895, 20 clubs from Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire met at the George Hotel, Huddersfield and decided to resign from the RFU and create the Northern Rugby Football Union, which from 1922 became the Rugby Football League.

The quarrel about payment was one which at the time was also affecting soccer and cricket. Each game had to work out a compromise; rugby’s position was the most radical. Amateurism was strictly enforced, and anyone accepting payment for playing rugby league was disqualified.

However, on 26 August 1995 the International Rugby Board declared rugby union an “open” game and thereby removed all restrictions on payments or advantages to those connected with the game.

It did this because of a committee conclusion that to do so was the only way to end the hypocrisy of sham amateurism and to maintain control of rugby union. The wheel had turned full circle.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is at present involved with the London 2012 Olympics mascot. Click a link if you are interested in the 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.

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Essentials Of Golfing Etiquette

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Golf is a carefully balanced game of rules and etiquette, and it’s very important to know the basics of golfing etiquette before you go on the course to play your first game of golf.

Golfing etiquette dictates that it doesn’t matter whether you are playing alone, in a twosome or in a foursome, you must always wait your turn. You must also stay aware of the group on the next hole and wait until they are well ahead of you before hitting your ball.

Golfing etiquette also says that it is never correct to “hurry” the group in front of you. If you are playing with others, wait your turn to hit the ball and never hit at the same time as another player.

While you are waiting for your turn to play, go to your ball and determine what golf club you will need to use and how you are going to hit the golf ball with it. This is called “ready golf” and keeps the game moving along. Don’t rush anybody, just be ready for your turn.

Another useful piece of golfing etiquette, especially for the beginner is ‘playing through’. For example, if your team is holding up the players behind you, say because you are playing consistently over par, let them play through. You would simply wave them through, or if they are near enough to you, just ask them if they would like to play through. You will never make enemies by doing this!

When someone is making a shot, you should be behind them and you shouldn’t make any noise! It is so distracting to be just about to to tee off and just as you pull back, someone decides to jingle coins in their pocket or noisily unwrap a piece of candy.

Replacing divots. Let’s say you are on the fairway and you strike the ball a bit thick and a clump of dirt and grass goes flying, no problem, but golfing etiquette says that you ought to replace it. On some courses you just put the clod back into the hole and step on it to keep it down, but on most courses, there is a sand/seed mixture on the course to put into the divot. Also, if your ball makes a deep impression when it lands on the green, you should use your divot tool to repair it.

As soon as you have finished a hole, replace the flag and leave the green as quickly and quietly as possible (there may be another team teeing off at the next hole) so that the next players can play that hole. Count your score and write it on the scorecard when you get back to your cart.

For sure, there is much more to golfing etiquette than this, but these basic rules of golfing etiquette will enable you to get around the course without upsetting anyone. If we all uphold golfing etiquette we will keep the game nice and friendly, or not?

If you are interested in learning more about golfing etiquette, visit our website on Golfing Tips for Beginners for loads of free tips.

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History Of Tennis

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

The very first recorded mention of tennis was in the fourteenth Cycle of plays known as ‘The Second Shepherds? Play’ from the Wakefield Yorkshire writer known simply as The Wakefield Master. In scene VIII Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur?s round table plays tennis with a band of giants.

However, this would have been the medieval form of tennis known as real tennis which had evolved more than three centuries from an earlier ball game played in France around the 12th century.

This involved hitting the ball with the naked hand or later a glove and is thought to have begun with monks playing the game in monastery cloisters, judging by the construction and appearance of some of the early courts.

The game soon proved to be a success among European royals and in England was taken up by Henry V in the early fifteenth century. A hundred years later Henry VIII had the biggest effect as a young monarch, playing the game with enthusiasm at Hampton Court on a court he built in 1530.

The game flourished among the 17th century upper class in France, Spain, Italy, and in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but suffered under English Puritanism. By the time of Napoleon, the royal families of Europe were under threat and real tennis was mostly abandoned.

In England, in the 18th century and early 19th century, as real tennis became less popular, three other racquet sports emerged: racquets, squash racquets, and lawn tennis (the modern game).

The modern sport is tied to two separate inventions.Between 1859 and 1865, in Birmingham, England, Major Harry Gem, a solicitor, and his friend Augurio Perera, a Spanish merchant, combined elements of the game of rackets and the Spanish ball game pelota and played it on a croquet green in Edgbaston.

In 1872, both men moved to Leamington Spa and in 1874, in the company of two doctors from the Warneford Hospital, established the world’s first tennis club. In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield devised a comparable game for the enjoyment of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd in Llanelidan, Wales.

He founded the game on the older real tennis. At the suggestion of Arthur Balfour, Wingfield named it “lawn tennis, and patented the game in 1874 with an eight-page rule book titled “Sphairistike or Lawn Tennis”, but he failed to be successful in enforcing his patent.

Tennis was first played in the U.S. at the residence of Mary Ewing Outerbridge on Staten Island, New York in 1874. In 1881, the desire to play tennis in competition led to the establishment of tennis clubs, which led to the four Grand Slams, which are regarded as the most important activities on the tennis circuit.

They are: Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open and they evolved into and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis. Both the name and much of the French vocabulary of tennis are borrowed from real tennis:

Tennis comes from the French tenez, the imperative form of the verb tenir, to hold: This was a cry used by the player serving in royal tennis, meaning “I am about to serve!” (rather like the cry “Fore!” in golf). ? Racquet comes from raquette, which derives from the Arabic rakhat, denoting the palm of the hand. ? Deuce comes from ‘? deux le jeu’, meaning “to both is the game” (that is, the two players have equal scores). ? Love is commonly believed to come from “l’oeuf”, the French word for “egg”, representing the shape of a zero. ? The convention of numbering scores “15″, “30″ and “40″ comes from quinze, trente and quarante, which to French ears makes a pleasant sound, or from the quarters of a clock (15, 30, 45) with 45 simplified to 40.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with tickets for London Olympics. Click a link if you are interested in 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.

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History Of Formula One

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Formula One, also called Formula 1 or F1, and officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World is the highest class of single seater auto racing authorized by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

The “formula” in the designation refers to a set of regulations with which all participants’ cars must comply. It is almost certainly the most widely watched televised spectator sport in the world after football.

Formula One can be seen live or tape delayed in almost each country and territory around the world and attracts one of the largest global television audiences. The 2008 season attracted a global audience of 600 million people per race.

It is a enormous television event; the cumulative TV audience was calculated to be 54 billion for the 2001 season, broadcast to two hundred countries.

This is a long way indeed from its first beginnings. The very first Formula One World Championship Motor race took place at Silverstone in the United Kingdom in 1950 . In those initial days, teams who no longer compete on the modern F1 circuit dominated proceedings with the very first World Championship being won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo.

His team mate, the legendary Juan Fangio, won the title almost continuously until 1957 and, in fact, his record of five World Championship wins held until 2003 when Michael Schumacher won his sixth title.

It was during this timespan that almost certainly the greatest driver never to win the World Championship was contending – the U.K.?s Stirling Moss.

One team that did contend in those early years was Ferrari, or Scuderia Ferrari to give the team its full title, whose prancing horse logo is followed by the red shirted fans or ?tifosi? across the world. In fact, during the last few years the sport has been dominated by Ferrari who until recently has been one of the few teams to assemble the complete car, engine and all.

However the U.K. team of Maclaren, using engines from Mercedes Benz, have proved extremely successful. Another very successful team during the 2010 season proved to be Red Bull racing using engines supplied by Renault.

It is remarkable to note that in the cases of both Maclaren and Red Bull, they have proved much more successful than the teams fielded by their engine suppliers, Mercedes and Renault. This probably goes a long way to sustaining the argument that it is the aerodynamic properties of the car that win races.

After several years in which we have seen the number of teams has stayed quite static or even declined, 2010 saw a renaissance in the number of cars on the grid with new entries from Lotus, Virgin Racing, and Hispania Racing bringing the number of starters to 24.

The calendar of races is also in a constant state of flux with Korea joining for the 2010 season and India being added in 2011 as Formula 1 becomes more and more a world- wide spectacle as it moves away from its traditional European heartland.

But wherever the teams race and whatever the number of cars on the starting grid it will continue to set the pulses racing as those 5 red lights go out!

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on lots of topics, but is currently concerned with London Olympic dates. Click a link to find out more 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.

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