The most exciting F1 race ever - 2008 Singapore Grand Prix

The most exciting race ever? This is a tough one for me and would be for all the F1 Fanatics out there. But to be honest, I do have one Race in my mind that i can never forget. Not because of the track technicalities but because of the sheer thrill and exhilaration and certain incidents that happened during the race.

For this, I would like to take you back to the Autumn of 2008. The Marina Bay Street Circuit of Singapore, Formula One's first ever night race was proclaimed into the life of each and every F1 fan. The weather was optimum for a perfect F1 night to be staged.

Every thing was going smooth with Massa in the lead, followed by Lewis H. and Kimi R. respectively, when all of a sudden on lap 15 Nelson Piquet Jr. lost control of his car at Raffles Avenue's turn 17 and hit the wall. The safety car came out and, once the pit-lane opened three laps later, in came a procession of tank-empty cars - including race leader, Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

The next thing that happened has made this race evidently memorable for me.
Massa prematurely left the pit box with his fuel hose still attached and dropped to last place. He was just a point behind Hamilton before this race and could have taken a huge mental advantage for the next 3 races by topping the standings.But this incident deprived him of a top spot in the driver's championship standings.



To this day, this race is etched in my mind and i believe that i haven't seen a race so far that can match the excitement, vigor and ruthlessness of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

F1- The Times are changing.

My love for F1 can be established from the fact that i have been following it from the past 6 years. The first time i followed a full season of F1 circuit racing ,Fernando Alonso lifted the Drivers Championship.

Now a days, you only see Jenson or Sebastian waving their hands to him and saying, "So long ,my friend" . I Don't really remember if these two people even qualified for the 2nd qualifier 5 years back. Anyhow, Leaving the "champions" aside, Let me portray to you my "LOVE" for F1.

To me ,F1 is like that dose of medicine that I've got to take every week,every day, every hour, Without which,i may not live well . So all in all, the thrill of speed ,the crashes,the mind bending tracks,the sweaty pit crew,Tires screeching the roads and not to forget, the pit girls *sigh* are some of the things that have kept me alive all this while and have kept my heart pumping.



To hear that our own country,India is hosting a F1 race was like a moment that we all Indian would have been proud of. I too ,was ecstatic to hear about the new track like the whole country. It was like an opportunity of a lifetime for me and all us F1 addicts to watch it LIVE!

I hope that this amazing sport becomes a more popular and main stream sport in India and more people from India indulge in professional F1 Racing rather than just trying to make a name locally by participating in local rallies. Kudos to Dr. Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher for trying to bring in a change in the Indian Sport Circle.Also, i believe that F1 deserves a larger fan base in India,not that people forcefully get drawn towards it,but just give it a chance and you'll fall for the thrill of your life @350Kmph, like i did.

Ronnie James Dio: R.i.P

Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear 'n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil horns" hand gesture in metal culture. Prior to his death, he was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009. Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010. One of the last songs he recorded was titled "Metal Will Never Die".

Early career

Dio performing with Rainbow. In the middle is Ritchie Blackmore. They first met when Dio's Elf opened for Deep Purple.

Dio's musical career began in 1957 when several Cortland, New York musicians formed the band The Vegas Kings, which soon changed their name to Ronnie and the Rumblers. This band's lineup had Padavona on the bass guitar, along with singer Billy DeWolfe, guitarist Nick Pantas, drummer Tom Rogers, and saxophone player Jack Musci.

In 1958, the band again changed their name, along with a few changes of personnel. The band was now known as Ronnie and the Redcaps. At this point, Padavona began singing, replacing DeWolfe. Musci also left the band, and a new guitarist, Dick Botoff, joined. The Redcaps lineup released two singles: "Lover" b/w "Conquest" (with DeWolfe on vocals on the A-side) on the Reb label, and on Seneca (S 178-102, USA), "An Angel Is Missing" with "What'd I Say" on the B side (both songs featuring Padavona on vocals).

In 1961, they changed their name to Ronnie Dio and The Prophets. The Prophets lineup lasted for quite a long time and produced several singles and one album. Some sources state that some of the single releases were made by Ronnie James Dio solo, but others, such as Dio himself, state that all of the singles were made as a band.

Padavona took up the name "Dio" after mafia member Johnny Dio,^[14] and first used it professionally in 1961, when he added it to the band's second release on Seneca. Soon after that the band changed their name to Ronnie Dio and the Prophets. The group released several singles during the following years, until 1967.

Ronnie Dio and the Prophets disbanded in 1967, but he and Prophets guitarist Nick Pantas started a new band called the Electric Elves. They shortened their name to Elf in 1969, and went on to become an opening act for Deep Purple.