Shell V-Power race fuel, blended to perfection

Long before the official Formula One World Championship began, the relationship between a passionate young racing driver named Enzo Ferrari and a global fuel company called Shell was blending on the circuits of Europe. Now, more than 80 years on, as it celebrates its 450^th race in Formula One, the collaboration has never been stronger.

Ferrari was working with Shell to obtain the best fuels and lubricants when he ran Alfa Romeo cars in the late 1920s and ever since he created the legendary Ferrari marque in 1947 and filled his first car with Shell, the technical partnership has proven the importance of fuel and oils in the performance of both road and racing machines.

Scuderia Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is the latest in a long line of race-winning drivers who have experienced the benefits of the partnership first-hand and after joining the team this year he is already seeing how the long-standing relationship works, both at the racetrack and in the heart of Ferrari at Maranello.

“In motorsport the longer the relationship and the partnership can be, the better it is for both parties,” said Alonso. “The experience you can have with so many years of information, so many years of data you can analyse, so many years of little issues you can learn about, is very important and it is great to be part of this family now.”

At home with Ferrari

The technical partnership has come a long way since that first race together, in 1947, when the Italian team simply used the products in their cars.

The days of corrosive and volatile fuel mixtures made of aviation fuel and benzene and overly viscous engine oils are long gone, replaced by highly sophisticated and constantly updated fuels and lubricants that have been developed through years of testing on track and in technology centres around the world.

The close collaboration begins at the respective facilities – the Shell Technology Centre in the UK, and Ferrari in Maranello, Italy – with constant communication to define requirements and proposals for the mixing team. New fuels and lubricants are then developed and tested in Maranello, with representatives from both companies present.

Their all-encompassing facility at Thornton allows Shell to keep pace with the demands of Formula One and Fuels Development Manager Mike Evans explains: “We can formulate the fuels, blend them and get them analysed very, very quickly on-site, so it's a very good working relationship we have to get the products out.

“These days, we have very good integration with the Scuderia Ferrari team. Probably ten years ago, there was a real step change where we integrated all our computer modelling with Ferrari's so we got better integration and better feedback into how everything was performing. It's all been pulled together as one big team effort.”

Embedded at the race

This close working relationship continues at the track, with Shell’s unique Trackside Laboratory positioned right in the heart of the Scuderia Ferrari garage at every Formula One race.

The level of confidential information involved can only be shared thanks to the trusted long-term partnership and at the race it enables the team to make vital performance checks to ensure the car behaves as expected with current or new fuel or lubricant advancements.

“It is amazing to see how our role has changed from the first race to the 450th,” said Shell Trackside Analyst for Ferrari, Dan Jamieson. “The technology has increased, the number of personnel involved has increased and the equipment and the facilities have improved immensely.

“Originally we were in a corner at the back of the garage and now we have our own dedicated trackside laboratory in the middle of the garage. Over that time period our role has also increased and the service that we’re able to offer to Ferrari is becoming more and more important. And that doesn’t stop, it is continuously developed.”

The Shell technicians regularly check fuel samples throughout the race weekend to ensure they are free from any contamination that could have been caused in transport to the race, while the continued analysis of oil samples can show how the engine is performing and reveal signs of engine wear, before it is too late.

Constant development

The importance of reliability and fuel efficiency, driven by the latest engine regulations and the ban on refuelling in 2010, has made the technical partnership even more of a focus.

Increasing knowledge and the ever strengthening drive towards perfection has created greater understanding of the relationship between engine, fuel and lubricants. Now, simply putting a product in a Formula One engine is not good enough which is why this working relationship, unique in Formula One, is so valuable.

Scuderia Ferrari Chief Engineer Chris Dyer explained: “Now, more than ever, when we design a car and go racing, it’s important that all the pieces work together. Working very closely with Shell is an extension of that concept. Not only are we designing an engine and a gearbox, we’re designing fuels and oils together with that, so it’s just a complete integration.”

In the last 10 years, thanks to advancements in the accuracy of engineering tools and systems, reliability has improved dramatically in Formula One. Most of the leading teams will suffer few failures during the season and that makes it vital to focus on every possible factor that can influence Ferrari’s on-track performance.

The general trend towards reduced resources in Formula One has also stepped up the importance of all factors and Dyer added: “Every aspect of the business is focusing on becoming more and more efficient, and as resources have become more limited in the last ten years, the resources you have gain in value.

“You have to get much more out of everything, so we ask more of our partners and we ask more of ourselves. Reliability is absolutely paramount and performance is always critical. Every hundredth of a second is important and working closely with Shell we gain those hundredths and thousandths and tenths week in week out.”

Improved fuels and lubricants can help improve power output, fuel efficiency and reliability and Evans added: “Every aspect has to be at the top level to get ultimate performance from the car. Anything you can have – one or two horsepower, one or two per cent improvement in fuel efficiency or similar gains from the lubricants – all stacks up.”

Reaching beyond the track

The pressure the two brands put themselves under to perform on track not only results in dramatic Grand Prix victories, but it directly drives into products for the road.

“We discuss a lot with Shell about development and we apply a lot of pressure,” said Ferrari Technical Director Aldo Costa. “I cannot say there is Ferrari and there is a Shell. We see it as a unique team, as a single team. We think and we develop new ideas and new technologies together.”

Formula One may be seen by some as a global sport and a marketer’s dream, but Shell is also in it for the technology. The knowledge gained from racing in Formula One with Ferrari is invaluable and the way Shell works means it really is a testing ground for the fuels and lubricants of the future.

“This technical partnership is incredibly important to what Shell does for motorists,” explains Lisa Lilley, Shell’s Technology Manager for Ferrari. “It’s a core part of our R and D program. It gets ideas from our innovation hub and from our long return research areas and it feeds back what it is learning into the development programs.

“We use the same people to develop the Formula One products to develop the products that are commercially available. We make sure the ideas are transferred through and ultimately the customer who buys the Shell V-Power fuel or the Shell Helix lubricant is really benefiting from this Formula One Program.”

Shell has a long history of working closely with Ferrari, but the two motorsport brands are now committed to a long-term future together developing technologies to improve performance both on and off track.

“Shell has been close to Ferrari since the beginning, winning in Le Mans, winning in Formula One, winning in the Carreras Americanas, winning in Daytona, winning in Sydney, winning everywhere,” said Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo. “Looking at the future, the relationship will be focused on advanced research, (helping to prevent) pollution and competition in Formula One. When you are partners, you always have the creativity to look ahead, to do more, better. But the main goal is always to win…”

Learning How To Astral Project Naturally

Astral Projection :
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or use of psychotropics. The consciousness or soul has transferred into an astral body which moves in the astral plane.

The ability to astral project is something which everyone already has naturally; in fact, you've probably astral projected before without knowing it. What we're going to talk about here is learning to consciously astral project and have control over where your astral body goes.

We're going to assume that you already know what the astral plane is and that you know about your astral body. Instead, we'll go ahead and discuss methods that can help you learn how to astral project. Everyone does best with different techniques, so you may want to try different ones until you find one which is best for you.

The following technique is a five-step process which can be done as you're lying in bed before you fall asleep.

First: Start by tensing, then relaxing every part of your body. Start with your toes and work your way up to your head. You'll probably begin to feel heavy; this is nothing to worry about and is a sign that you're becoming deeply relaxed.

Second: Focus on your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths and concentrate on the feeling of the air filling your lungs. Exhale slowly, visualizing your tension and stress leaving your body each time you exhale.

Third: Concentrate on the feeling of your body's total relaxation. Think of it as a stone or a lump of earth; something which is heavy and immobile. Now refocus your attention to your astral body; think about how light it feels, weightless in fact. Close your eyes and visualize your astral body floating away on the breeze.

Fourth : Right now, you may experience what many people do while practicing this technique; the sensation of seeing around in your darkened room, even with your eyes closed. The room will appear to be illuminated by a purple light. If you experience this, try to focus on the ceiling.

Fifth: Now, visualize pulling the light from the ceiling to your astral body. You should experience a sensation of floating. Remain conscious during this part. You might even see your physical body lying in bed if you were to look down.

At this point you are now astral projecting and your astral body is free to begin traveling the astral plane. If you aren't able to successfully astral project using this technique, you can try the following method.

This is called the gazing method and is used by many when learning how to astral project. It's a very simple method where you focus your complete attention on an object. This can be anything as long as its within your line of sight while you lie in bed.

Gaze at this object and stay focused on it. Eventually, your eyelids will become too heavy to keep open; but if you've succeeded you'll still be able to see this object in front of you. Continue to gaze at it until you feel an urge to stand up. When you do, you'll see your physical body lying in bed asleep! Don't be alarmed; this means you've succeeded and can begin to astral travel.

If you aren't immediately successful with these techniques, don't give up. There are other ways to astral project, though any technique can take some practice. Be persistent and you will learn how to astral project before too long.

It's less important how you do it as that you are able to get the message to your subconscious mind that there's nothing to fear about astral projection and that it's perfectly fine for your astral body to leave the physical realm and travel. One good way to communicate with your subconscious is to repeat affirmations to yourself.

There are plenty of techniques which can make it easier to astral project and you should use whatever works best for you.

Hypnosis is useful for many, since it can easily produce the deeply relaxed state needed. A guided hypnosis session is especially helpful, since you'll have an expert to explain every step along the way.

New audio technologies called binaural beats can also help you learn to astral project. These specially designed recordings consist of slightly different frequencies played into each ear. The effect of these recordings is to place the listener into the meditative, deeply relaxed state where astral projection comes naturally.

Learning how to astral project isn't actually that difficult. It's really just about practicing. This is an ability which every man and woman already possesses; it just takes a little work and a little patience to learn to do it at will. Just like being able to read, it's something you're born with the capacity to do; but you do need to practice to become expert in it. - 14755

About the Author:

The author David Groomes writes for the popular astralprojectiontravel.com site. Discover the incredible experience of astral projection for yourself and get 29 Free how to astral project Audios when you visit here.

Art of Writing in Journalism

Journalism is a very popular past time for many people holding the history of great nations. It is a place where they can pour out there emotions or simply keep a log of their lives. Some may even use their journals at times when they feel the need to scribble down an idea and an image when their creative ideas take hold.

Journals come in many sizes, colors and formats. All bound and finished off in a variety of materials. The most classic and stylish is that of the leather bound journals. Nowadays there is so much variety in the colors and type of leather you can buy, one is spoil for choice.

A great way to really make a journal personal is to have it embossed. This is very common on the leather bound journals where through a process of heat and pressure an image or text is stamped onto the leather. This gives the journal a uniqueness all of its own. The most popular embossing is that of initials and dates, but the joy of personalizing an item is that you can have what every you wish. There is also the option of images and logos, but due to cost constraints this is usually only done in bulk.

When it comes to the embossing, there are also different options to the final finish that you can have. The most common and in my opinion the most stylish option is that of the blind embossing. This is when the text or image is just burnt straight onto the naked leather. This then comes through in the natural color of the leather and is very dependent on the type of leather that is used as to how this finish looks. But in all cases it is a subtle and classic finish.

The other option is that of a foiled embossed finish - the most common options with this finish being the gold and silver. There is also a variety of shiny colors that can be used, so something for every occasion can be found.

Custom Pen Printing is now a promotional tool for your business market and i could be a personalized gift to the people you meet outside the company.

About the Author:
Pri Vag Writing with the best quality lamy pens.

Easily Find Investors and Financing For Your Business, Guaranteed!

Easily Find And Secure: Angel Investors, Private Investors, Institutional Investors And More! Raising capital for a start-up, corporation in expansion mode or a company in virtually any position presents it's challenges and roadblocks. There has been no period in recent history that can simulate the difficulties that current entrepreneurs and executives are having when trying to achieve the procurement of venture capital. The standards have become more stringent and the cross-col-lateralization of personal and corporate assets as security for loans has virtually become a mandatory prerequisite for any type of funding, equity or loan based.

When initiating the process of raising capital one should take into consideration the use of a combination of funding options such as but not limited to: traditional venture capital, bank institutional, institutional equity investment, hedge fund lenders, private money lending, angel equity and loan investment, a private placement memorandum as the mechanism for raising capital distributed in shares, international equity based funding, the reality of taking your small business public on the OTCBB and many other concepts of capital raising that can be placed into a simultaneous strategy.

It's a common mistake among entrepreneurs and executives to place all of their attention and time into one singular aspect of the above funding concepts. Instead, you should pick a multi pronged approach and go after multiple genres of financing for your business. Some avenues will yield success, some will not but you are more likely to achieve incremental funding successes as oppose to one gargantuan, be all and end all finance victory.

To achieve funding you'll need to be able to contact multiple finance sources to start the ball rolling. Find online membership database sites that are owned and operated by professionals in the venture capital industry.

There is a big difference between a generalized database of possible lenders and a strategic database of success driven finance solutions. Find the most cutting edge, full range database on the web and join them.
About the Author:
Do You Need Financing For Your Business? Do You Need Angel Investors, Private Investors or Venture Capital, then visit Angel Funding Project's site and find the best Business Funding Sources In The Industry.

Murcia: A Great Travel Idea For Your Next Vacation

Murcia is a town located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Spain in a province with the name Murcia as well. It is an ancient city founded in 831 AD by the Muslims. Murcia is usually warm, with more than 300 days of sun each year and temperatures reaching 40 degrees C, 104 degrees Fahrenheit, in the summer and the winter days passing by very quickly and mildly.

The tourist trade is very successful in Murcia and as such, there are several hotels, apartments and other places available for people wishing to visit the area. There are luxury resorts, nice hotels, and basic rentals all available in Murcia. The Internet can provide a valuable resource when traveling to Murcia, with searches of both places to stay and reviews listed by past guests to aid in your decision making process when planning where to stay.

If you are staying in Murcia for an extended period of time, it may be very cost effective to consider renting one of the many apartments for lease in the area. These apartments often offer several amenities and conveniences for those on prolonged vacations and also gives residents the option of cooking meals in a full kitchen, instead of ordering room service or eating in restaurants. Both travel and real estate agents can provide assistance in finding the right apartment to suit your needs, in the right location to fit your plans

There are many tourist attractions in Murcia. The summer brings in the beach lovers, and the endless days sun keep them out there for weeks at a time. A popular spot is the Mar Menor, or "small sea" that is carved out of the Mediterranean by a sandy ribbon of land.

There is a beautiful old church called the Cathedral of the Diocese of Cartagena-Murcia that was built from the 14th and 18th centuries. The church is a fabulous representation of the passing architectural styles that were prevalent during hundreds of years, from the Renaissance and Gothic, Baroque and Rococo periods all well represented. The bishop's house is also located nearby, and the Palacia Episcopal, built during the 18th century, draws visitors of its own.

The patron saint of Murcia was honored with the Sanctuary of Fuensanta, built in the 18th century. The statue of this saint is carried throughout the town in the Holy Week Procession, when the sculptures representing the life of Christ before the Crucifixion are displayed in a parade.

The Museo de Tradiciones y Artes Populares is a folk museum with representative local art with many items, some as many as three hundred years old, on display. - 14755

About the Author:

Concentrating on the topic of murcia city, Clinton Maxwell pens first and foremost for http://www.alicante-spain.com . On this site one can have a look at his articles on murcia city and murcia attractions.

Take My Company Public : Here Is How To Have A Successful Offering!

So many companies dream of going public both as a growth and exit strategy but unfortunately few succeed with this process. The third party audit, sponsoring of the S1 and 211 by a market maker and SEC comments stage is just one of the obstacles involved with taking a company public. The attempt at going public and actually achieving a symbol are two entirely different things and if you are lucky enough to achieve a symbol there's a completely separate area of expertise needed to keep your stock trading and to preserve a company's longevity in the marketplace.

Here are some things you need to keep in mind when gearing up to take your company public. Forget everything that you've read and heard and pay attention to what you're about to read because this is the straight forward, objective reality of the process. First, do not hire an attorney to take you public as they will take you on a long drawn out process to get as many billable hours as possible, instead, hire a consulting firm whose sole business model is to take companies public and take advantage of the relationships that they have with attorneys. This is the first rule: hire a consulting firm that offers a complete A to Z turn-key solution for taking a company through the process of going public, achieving a symbol and preserving the trade with a solid, ongoing post public investor relations strategy.

Next, when you've decided on a consulting firm evaluate their team, don't ask for references to call to research their track record, better yet, ask for symbols of previous clients and links to the Edgar database to check out current deals in the comments stage. The proof is in the empirical track record, not potentially fraudulent phone references that are easily engineered and BS.

Now look at their team. Make sure that the consulting group has a solid legal team, market makers, investor relations team, auditing group and someone well versed in the comments stage response as this can be one of the major hang-ups in achieving your symbol in a timely manner. Also, most important, they absolutely MUST have a solid group of investors to fund the process for equity and to sell their shares into the marketplace post public to create a market for your stock as well as a network of market makers familiar with your deal to piggyback off of the sponsoring market maker's 211.

About one month away from symbol achievement you'll want to meet with your consultants to get a solid IR strategy together for a big offering dbut. You will want to set up a strategy for 30 day IR intensives every other month with general corporate publicity strategies in between. I suggest changing your IR firm each quarter to keep it fresh and open up your trade to a new network of investors.

One special note to consider is that when you are raising your initial round of capital from seed investors, the fastest way to do this is to have a fist full of contracts and purchase orders in hand to strengthen your position and publicize this reality with an arsenal of press releases. Its 100 times easier to raise capital if you are showing seed investors a handful of 'soon to be' cash than to solicit them empty handed.

Obviously there are a multitude of other issues that you need to take into consideration when going public so find a consulting firm that can help you make it happen. Don't try to venture out into these waters on your own as you'll be diving into shark infested waters and you'll almost certainly fail.

About the Author:
For Corporate Consulting or Invest Seed Capital In Pre-IPO Companies, Princeton Corporate Solutions Take Your Company Public the easy way!

How To Implement Feng Shui For Your Kitchen Renovation

Kitchen in the world of Feng Shui epitomizes sustenance and wealth. How you arrange things in your kitchen can greatly affect your health and your wealth. In this article we will talk about the different Feng Shui tips that you can employ whether you are just about to design your kitchen or if you are about to perform renovation.

1. Kitchen Location. When implementing Feng Shui in your kitchen, the first thing you need to think about is the position of the kitchen. Ideally, the optimal position for the kitchen is a space that you don't see when you enter the house, this would of course be the back of your house.

A view of the kitchen upon entering the house would make your life revolve around food which most often than not can lead to eating problems.

If you already have your kitchen located close to the entrance of your house, you can apply particular renovation and designing techniques that would divert the attention of any person coming into your house away from your kitchen. A good idea would be to hang draperies that would hide your kitchen.

2. Kitchen layout. You should design the layout in such a way that the cook can distinctly see the doorway. Feng Shui consultants also advises that it is good to have a something reflective in the kitchen. So utensils that are stainless are the way to go. It is also advisable to add mirrors behind the burner, as Chinese think that by adding a reflective burner, you are in away doubling your wealth.

3. Kitchen Lighting. Incandescent bulbs or halogen lights are the most recommended for kitchen. A well lighted kitchen is good for Feng Shui. Lights must be placed such that no shadows are casted while preparing and cooking food.

4. Kitchen appliances and utensils. There must be a grouping among the appliances and utensils in the kitchen. You need to isolate fire elements from water elements.

About the Author:
Find experienced and competent Renovation Singapore Contractors to perform your Renovation from our site!