Gadget Freaks

Over the past decade or so there has been a sharp decline in tobacco company sponsorship in all sports globally. Bans on tobacco advertising in all forms of media and motorsport have all but closed off the last avenue for the tobacco industry to parade its brands to the public en mass. An increasing number of countries have outlawed public tobacco branding even in the form of sponsorship in Formula One and Moto GP. This has pushed most companies to abandon these sports in droves and leaving with them are their huge investment dollars.

A quick look at todays F1 car and Moto GP bike reveals a whole new generation of sponsors picking up the huge bill involved. In exchange their brands are proudly displayed on the machine’s livery and plastered over just about anything involved with the teams. In fact there is more diversity among the sponsor companies with IT, financial management, airlines and even power drink corporations occupying the wings and wheels of the world’s most glamourous and dangerous sports.

One such company is SanDisk which has been a sponsor of the Moto GP Ducati Team. To celebrate, or maybe even cash in on their investment, they have released a series of computer accessories with a Ducati Moto GP theme. Boasting ‘Ultra High Performance’ the gadgets come in the style of the Ducati Moto GP team colours and are even styled like the machines and feature imagery of their #1 rider Casey Stoner.

CF Card Ducati Moto GP USB SD Card

Being the Moto GP fanatics that we are here at Gadget Freaks, we want these gadgets so bad it hurts! Considering that Casey Stoner is current World Moto GP Champion and one of the most exciting and popular riders in the sport and the huge international following the historic Italian motorcycle marque enjoys, we think SanDisk are on a winner.

Well what a fantastic Malaysian Grand Prix, full of action, excitement and controversy! Sadly, after qualifying well in third and fourth spots on the grid both Mc Larens were pinged 5 places for, apparently, obstructing cars during qualifying. This of course gave the Ferraris of Massa and Kimi Raikkonen a clean set of heels in the race. Raikkonen showed why he is the master by sitting comfortably behind Massa saving his machinery and staying out of dirty air. Knowing that Massa would pitting first Kimi turned up the wick in no uncertain terms and after the first round of stops it was The Flying Finn out in front. Massa later spun into the gravel ending his race and handing Raikkonen an unchallenged victory.

McLaren’s day was a mixed bag but considering the grid positions they were handed they could well be pleased with coming away from Malaysia with points for both cars. Heikki Kovalainen finished a fine third behind Robert Kubica with Lewis Hamilton surging through the field only to have a drama at his first pit stop which relegated the Briton back to 11th finally finishing fifth in what has to said, was a spirited drive.

So all in all quite a good race with all podiums filled by different drivers from the opening GP in Melbourne. So it’s off to the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain next for more F1 action and excitement!

Well what a week it’s been in Formula One. Ferrari Head Jean Todt resigns after their dismal performance in Melbourne and The Red Bull team is under scrutiny for a dangerously designed car. Now the Melbourne race may start in the early morning next year not 5:30PM as stated last week. Ah but that’s why we love F1 so much.

This weekend the action moves to Malaysia and looking at the grid for tomorrows race it would seem Ferrari are back on track and only Brazilian Phillipe Massa has managed to qualify in front of the Flying Finns, Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen. So we have an all Ferrari front row with a McLaren second row. The third row will be Jarno Trulli and Robert Kubica with Nick Heidfeld and Mark Weber starting from the forth row. Fernando Alonso will start from position nine on the grid with Timo Glock filling the top ten. Should be a great scrap tomorrow in the Asian heat but of course rain is never far away at Sepang so anything could happen.

Speaking of things fishy, we here at Gadget Freaks love keeping fish. So we are always on the lookout for fish gadgets and of course our fish tanks looks like something from an Alien movie! However we don’t have anything like this, well not yet anyway.

The Speedfish is a racetrack shaped fish tank so you can watch your fish race each other.Perfect for race fans and Gadget Freaks alike!

Feeding fish can be a tricky business. Feed them too much and you’ll be cleaning your tank more often than you’d like. Feed them too little and they may develop nutritional disorders. This Automatic Fishfeeder takes the guess work out of feeding and also feeds your fish to a pre-programmed schedule. You can vary the feed size, length of feeding program and it even keeps the food dry via an air nozzle which connects to any air pump. Oh and it looks like the Death Star too. How cool!!

Ever wondered how they transport big fish or lots of fish? Yamaha Australia has built 2 humungous fish transporters. They drive them around the country to boat and fishing shows and the like to demonstrate fishing tackle and other angling equipment. Could be cool to turn fishing into a spectator sport!

Well race fans what an opening F1 Grand Prix! We here at Gadget Freaks would sum it up in one word…..Carnage! Lewis Hamilton led the race from start to finish but it was what was going on in his wake that had the pundits gasping in awe and disbelief. Massa was first to go spinning at the first corner exit and hitting the barrier. He limped back to the pits for a new nose cone while fellow Ferrari pilot Kimi Raikonnen was carving his way through the field after starting from way down the grid.

However the day was to finish in disaster for both Ferraris as Massa crashed into David Coulthard whose car seemed to implode and fall apart. Massa later retired and Raikonnen also retired but gained one point due to the heavy DNF (Did Not Finish) rate. In fact only around 6 cars actually took the chequered flag with the Melbourne circuit once again proving to be a chellenge for both car and driver.

So at the finish it was Hamilton a clear winner with Nick Heidfeld second and Nico Rosberg ( son of former F1 ace Keke Rosberg) getting his first podium and the first for the Williams team in a long time. Stay tuned as the F1 circus heads to Sepang in Malaysia this weekend. Let’s hope that the safety car doesn’t get in almost as many laps as the F1 cars this race!!!

The 2008 Formula One season is finally underway with qualifying today and the race tomorrow. Of course there is drama on and off the track and a few surprises for tomorrows grid. The fine city of Melbourne , Australia is host once again to the opening round and Australia’s capital of culture has turned on it’s best weather for the occasion.

After a long running dispute with race officials, this years event has been moved to a 5:30 pm start time. It seems that if Melbourne wants to hang on to its Grand Prix it will need to run the race at night. This is to accommodate European television audiences and in fact it is looking like all races in the Asian region are being encouraged to follow suit (and of course we here at Gadget Freaks are so looking forward to the first night Formula One race to be staged on the streets of Singapore later this year) There is no shortage of potential host cities lining up for their own race so the Melbourne organizers are going to have to either do some fast talking, run the race at night or let the event go! Anyway……enough politics!

With the pre-race build up and media hype out of the way the cars were out for qualifying which produced some dramatic incidents which saw World Champion Kimi Raikkonen relegated to 16th on the starting grid order after problems with a fuel pressure regulator on his Ferrari in QP1. He will certainly have his work cut out for him in the race tomorrow but as we have seen in the past he seems to relish in challenges like this so never write him off. The Melbourne circuit has numerous passing opportunities and Kimi is the passing move meister so watch out for him producing some of that ‘Iceman Magic’.

Not altogether unexpected, Lewis Hamilton grabbed pole but was pressured by a fired up Robert Kubica who narrowly missed out after running wide and hit the grass on his last hot lap. Heikki Kovalainen and Phillipe Massa will start behind them from the second row with Nick Heidfeld and Jarno Trulli from row three. Nico Rosberg and veteran David Coulthard will occupy the fourth row while Timo Glock and Sebastian Vettel complete the top 10.

Another driver surprisingly out of the top ten is Fernando Alonso. Obviously still quite a bit of development work to do on the 2008 Renault. So with Mc Laren and BMW at full strength at the head of the grid it will be up to Massa to uphold the Ferrari honour. Perhaps a resurgent Toyota may surprise as it has been a long long time between drinks for the Japanese team. Could we see Williams back in the thick of the action, another team looking to regain some form. Whatever happens it promises to be an exciting and action packed race.

So till next time race fans…………

The start was the finish for many drivers in Melbourne in 2002 thanks to this rather unorthodox passing move by Ralf Schumacher!

Ah…… the old classic ‘Born To Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf. A great song to play over and over when on the road. It is also our favourite karaoke song here a Gadget Freaks along with anything by The Rollling Stones. Basically anything that involves screaming and no namby pamby lovey dovey stuff. Rock on!

As you have most likely gathered from the title and intro we are on the subject of cars and motorbikes again. Of course we are all getting ourselves prepped for the opening salvo of this years F1 season in Australia on Sunday. Yes, the high-octane soap opera that is F1 is on again. Following last years sensational season with it’s twists and turns on and off the track, this season looks set to enthrall and entertain. Resident F1 blubber boy Alonso will have his work cut out this year now he’s back with Renault while Lewis Hamilton should be able to keep his focus on the track where it belongs now that the formerly mention driver has left the McLaren camp. Anyway……..!

If you are looking for the thrills and spills of F1 in a physical sense but don’t have the a budget that resembles the GDP of Switzerland, you may what to get yourself one of these! This seriously nasty gadget will give you the rush and sense of danger that a real F1 car will give you. In fact the power to weight ratio may actually exceed that of any racing vehicle known to man! Powered by a 1300cc Suzuki Hayabusa engine nestled in a simple Kart chassis, this is a gadget for the brave at heart or short of grey matter! Of course the Hayabusa motor is the most powerful production motorcycle powerplant ever produced. Some have been modified to a point where they are pumping out 500 bhp. No, that’s not a typo, this is a nasty bit of gear! Read and see more….!

We love ‘American Chopper‘ here at Gadget Freaks. That Tuttle family sure do know how to make motorcycles even if they are a little dysfunctional. We’ve seen them make many a concept chopper but this one is probably the most gadgety we’ve seen. Produced together with Intel and Black Diamond, this beautiful machine has a fingerprint recognition system, digital dash instrumentation and rear view cameras which eliminate the need for cumbersome mirrors. Awesome! Read more…..

Now for a few gadgets on the more sane, practical and affordable side. Flat tyres are an inevitable part of motorcycling. When off on an extended ride you need to take your own repair equipment. This off course can be quite a load to carry and who needs extra weight and baggage! This Tyre Repair and Inflation kit from Cycle Gadgets.com is just the thing for your touring bags or even your race kit. Light and compact it has all you need for running repairs. Also available is this Solar Powered Digital Tyre Gauge. Light weight and reliable, it is a valuable addition to your travel gear.

And finally here is something that is long overdue. This ‘Invisible Sheild” will keep your gadgets looking like new. Developed for the US military to protect the leading edge of helicopter blades in desert conditions and now available to the consumer. I am sure we have all experienced that horrid feeling when your shiny new gadget( esp. Touch Screen MP4) gets its first scratch. Well fear no more. Awesome, I need this for my new camera when the approval for my second mortgage comes through! Ah the horror! The horror!

Exotic cars and motorcycles have to be the ultimate gadgets. Many of them are brimming with gadgetry themselves, kinda like gadgets on a gadget. If you watch a Formula One Grand Prix or Moto GP race you’ll see gadgets everywhere. Not just in the pit garages but on the drivers and riders themselves. Everything from MP3 sunglasses to USB body coolers.

The Formula One and Moto GP seasons are just about to kick off for 2008 and we here at Gadget Freaks are close to wetting ourselves in excitement. So we thought we’d take a look at some exotica on 2 and 4 wheels as we gear up for 2008.

Koenigsegg is a Swedish Company that builds some of the most exclusive supercars in the world. They produced their first prototype in 1993 and produced their first production model, the CC8S in 2000.

The latest Koenigsegg to roll off the production line is the sleek and expensive CCX. With its 4.7 litre twin supercharged V8 engine and 6 speed manual gearbox it produces 806 Bhp with a respectable top speed of 245+ MPH ( 395+ KPH ) and it will set you back around US$600,000.

Whilst the Koenigsegg is fabricated primarily of carbon fibre US designer Joe Harman has chosen a slightly unorthodox material from which to build his brand of supercar. The ‘Splinter’ has a 4.6 litre V8 engine with a top speed of 245+ MPH and is made of wood! Yes that’s right! Wood! The first production models are expected to hit the road later in 2008 and the price is listed as TBA. Like if you have to ask you couldn’t afford it anyway. We are thinking of ordering one as a Gadget Freaks runabout to pick up the lunches and such. Better find a good carpenter to do our crash repairs I guess.

Now to two wheels and the crazy world of motorcycles. Not content to just have a cool ride some folk seem determined to create machines that resemble assisted suicide devices. One such creation is the ‘Y2K’. It is a US$185′000 motorcycle that is powered by a jet engine which would normally be found in a Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter. It has an estimated top speed of over 250mph ( +400 KMH ) and can accelerate to 200 MPH in under 15 seconds. The ‘Y2K’ is manufactured in the US by MTT and each bike takes 3000 man hours to build. Famous car and bike collector Jay Leno has one and he described the sensation of riding it as “Having the hand of God pushing you in the back.”