Sepang International Circuit by Navroze Contractor

The first ever F1 race I saw was in 1969 at Spa-Fracorchamps in Belgium. I had read so much about races there. The first Grand Prix was held in 1924. It is set in the most gorgeous Ardennes Mountain's surroundings. The Belgians wanted to have the fastest circuit on the calendar so they made it just over 15 kilometers long and used some public roads in it. Later, when I saw, it was cut down to 14.1 kilometers, but still was the fastest circuit around, not including Le Mans. The long uphill straight from the paddock cars did over 330 kmph, if they wanted to be in the first ten! The lap record for the 14.1 km circuit is held by Chris Amon, in a March GP car timed at 3:27:04. The circuit is shortened after the massive crash of Jackie Stewart in the 1970 GP, which also sparked off the whole 'safety revolution'.

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Escorts Limited to consider merger with American unit on Apr 29, 2009

Escorts Ltd, the agro-machinery arm of the Escorts group, has announced that a meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held on April 29, 2009, to consider and approve the merger of its wholly owned subsidiary, Escorts Agri Machinery Inc (USA) with itself and any other consequential matters therein. The Escorts Group is operating in the high growth sectors of agri-machinery, construction & material handling equipment, railway equipment and auto components.
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Tata Motors manages Rs. 2,000 crore from public deposits

According to reports in the media, Tata Motors has managed to raise at least Rs. 2,000 crore selling term deposits to the public, which will helping it pay off the bridge loans that it has borrowed from debtors for purchasing Jaguar and Land Rover, the marquee British brands it purchased for US$ 2.3 billion.

Mazda launches first RX-8 Hydrogen RE for Norway

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that it has built the first Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle with Norwegian specifications, developed specifically for participation in HyNor, Norway’s national hydrogen project. The first unit will take part in ceremonies marking the official opening of HyNor’s hydrogen filling stations.

Limited edition of Mercedes A-Class 2009 unveiled

Mercedes-Benz is ushering the spring with a new special model of the A-Class. With design features reserved only for this edition, plus extensive, high-grade appointments, the Special Edition 2009 is not only eye-catching, but also combines the well-proven basic virtues of the compact Mercedes-Benz model with more than a touch of passion.

Mercedes-Benz to present Coupe range in the new E Class

Mercedes-Benz presents the Coupé range in the new E‑Class. Three months after the presentation of the Saloon, the brand is therefore launching a new highlight in the new model series while continuing a tradition that has repeatedly met with great enthusiasm throughout the history of the E-Class.

Chrysler bankruptcy will severely impact Indian auto part makers

While the slowdown in the domestic automobile market had badly affected Indian auto parts makers, but still many were witnessing shored up profits on account of their export orders from US, better rupee-dollar currency conversion rates. But now the writing is on the wall. Chrysler is finally preparing to file for bankruptcy protection as early as next week, irrespective of whether the company cracks a deal with its lenders or forges an alliance with Italian entity Fiat SpA, as reported by a number of American business dailies.

Tata Motors likely to tap Indian luxury car market with JLR release

Tata Motors likely to tap Indian luxury car market with JLR release
Discerning the burgeoning demand of luxury cars in India, Tata Motors is also chalking out strategies to shore the volumes of Land Rover and Jaguar models in the country. Apart from ramping up the dealer network of Land Rover over the next one year, the Indian automaker is also considering introducing its Jaguar models in the country.

Chetan Maini gets into BusinessWeek Top 50 Most Powerful People list from India

BusinessWeek has included Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman & CTO of REVA Electric Car Company (RECC) among its latest list of the 50 most powerful people in India. This is the first time Chetan Maini has been named in BusinesWeek’s list of the top 50 most powerful people in India.

Bajaj Pulsar in co-promotion TVC act with Hollywood's Fast & Furious 4

Bajaj Auto has partnered with the adrenaline-fueled franchise and the smacking Hollywood hit movie ‘Fast & Furious 4’ for Co-Promotion. This association will be seen in a form of a special co-branded TVC campaign which features adrenaline packed visuals of Bajaj Pulsar and the action packed ‘Fast & Furious 4’ together. P9 Integrated (A Division of Percept Ltd), a leading 360 degree entertainment marketing company has conceptualized, planned & executed this entire association in a cleverly integrated format.

Malcolm Ilavia emerges Castrol Power1 Most Passionate Biker

Malcolm Ilavia from Mumbai has emerged the winner of the Castrol Power1 Passion Hunt beating back a strong challenge from 9 other finalists from across India. The adrenalin pumping excitement was palpable as India's top ten biking enthusiasts fought it out for the title of Castrol Power1 India's Most Passionate Biker.

Audi introduces the new Audi A6 in India

Audi India has announced today the launch of the new Audi A6, the world’s most successful business sedan, in India. The new design of the Audi A6 emphasizes the cars strong personality; the latest engine generation including the new turbo engine 3.0 TFSI equips the model with more power and highest efficiency. The new Audi A6 with four engine variants - 3.0 TFSI, 2.8 FSI, 3.0 TDI, 2.7 TDI - will be available at the Audi dealerships across India from May 4th, 2009 onwards.

Hyundai 'Always Around' campaign comes back from April 26

With the novel idea of ‘Always There, Because We Care’, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the country’s largest passenger car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer, is back again with its nationwide service initiative - ‘Always Around’ campaign in a mega avatar for the third consecutive year. Starting from April 26th the ‘Always Around’ campaign will provide free check-ups for its customers at convenient locations. Last year around 80,000 Hyundai vehicles across 6,000 locations attended the camp.

Noida gets its first mother CNG station from IGL

Dr. U.D. Choubey, chairman & managing director, GAIL (India) Ltd., on 22nd April, 2009, has inaugurated the first mother CNG station of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) in Sector 53, Noida (which is in the national capital region). IGL is the sole supplier of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) in the national capital region.

Sharing the August Issue of WheelsUnplugged!

Cover Story: Big bikes cometh
Yamaha and Ducati have become the first superbikes on Indian roads... and more are coming, explores Indu Prasad

Report: Alternate Transport- Cyling: A fresh look
There is a revival of sorts for bicycles in India. They use no gas, emit no CO2 and burn calories as well. Indu Prasad rides the story

Driving Holiday: Jalori Pass - Up the hill, down the hill
Driving the ever-faithful Maruti Zen on an impromptu trip over Jalori Pass is fun, says Namita Punjkaran and Kaushal Desai

Test Drive: Honda Accord
The eighth generation Honda Accord is built on a completely new platform and is a better car, finds Anamit Sen

F1 Races: Germany & Britain - Hamilton aims for hat-trick of wins
Stunning wins for Lewis Hamilton in Germany and Britain as he turns to Hungarian GP F1. Anamit Sen looks at the last two races

My Say: Girish T.- Indica is sakath*
It’s a great car, but Tatas haven’t mastered the art of finesse in car making, says Girish T. of Varista Technologies, Bangalore

Dream Bike: Victory Vision Bike
Clad in metal and one of the best for long-distance luxury touring... WheelsUnplugged brings you the Victory Vision

Celebrity Interview: Gaurav Jani
On top of the world

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