RobiNZ Personal Blog

Vale Murray Walker OBE

Although best known for his iconic race commentary I'll also remember Murray's tales of his day job, advertising/marketing, outside of motorsport as well. His autobiography is well worth a read. I was privileged to be at the 2001 Melbourne kick-off to his farewell year, although he remained active long after that official 'retirement', and see his joy in response to deafening applause and a standing ovation from the entire crowd in the pre-race parade of drivers. There is no better way to remember him than a recap of this podcast from April 2019: F1: Beyond The Grid 1000th race special... Read more →

Photographer Shoots Formula 1 With 104-Year-Old Camera

Amazing photos, shows the art of photography is not all about the tech... Photographer Shoots Formula 1 With 104-Year-Old Camera, And Here’s The Result! – Into Our World Read more →

Official Formula 1 app on Windows 10 PC and Mobile!

Shock, Formula 1 have rediscovered* Windows! There is now an official app, desktop and mobile, but wonder how it will compare with the brilliant third party PitlaneOne? Official Formula 1 app races onto Windows 10 PC and Mobile | Windows Central* There hasn’t been an official F1 app on Windows for several years. Nice to see it is both desktop and mobile, a benefit of the common OS and Universal App Platform? Read more →

PitlaneOne: Brilliant Windows 10 F1 App (with instant updates!)

Ten minutes before the Canadian Grand Prix start I noticed Sebastian’s brilliant new PitlaneOne F1 app was showing an incorrect lap count on the live timing. The race hadn’t started but the counter showed Lap 2/70 (left). I grabbed a screen shot and at 05:50am (NZ Time) sent him (in Germany) an email. Just 8 minutes later, and 2 minutes before the start, the counter came right and I got an “I fixed it” confirmation email. Less than 8 minutes to log a bug (from New Zealand) and see the correction appear is a pretty fine response rate and the... Read more →

Twitter creates Pirelli relationship advice service #F1

@pirellisport Amusing conversation link glitch by the Twitter app tonight during #F1 FP1 This was my actual response It's really hard for a woman to be friends with a man, because 99% of the time they want more than friendship.— Michaela (@mikokiko) April 29, 2016 @robincapper haha it wasn't but I like it— Michaela (@mikokiko) April 29, 2016 Read more →

Bruce McLaren Trust back online

Great to see the revamped Bruce McLaren Trust website back on-line with impressive new site. An amazing historic resource and lots of information on the Trust’s activities. Bruce McLaren Trust - www.bruce-mclaren.com In July 1990 a small memorial trust had been formed to honour Bruce. Upon its closure in 1995, it was realised by the McLaren family and Ross Jensen that there was a need to form a permanent trust. Therefore in response to repeated demands to commemorate Bruce McLaren's achievements and honour him as one of New Zealand's international heroes, the new Trust was formed by Ross Jensen and... Read more →

Sky NZ Formula 1 2012 coverage sucks

As sent to Sky New Zealand: Do you offer a discount for my Sky Sport Subscription due to poor quality product? The F1 coverage from Melbourne was absolute rubbish. No intro, vast chucks with no commentary and mismatched sound (car engine noise after all the cars had stopped running?). In a year when Sky U.K. are promising better than ever coverage it appears Sky NZ have got the cheapest possible package. Regards, Annoyed F1 Fan On the upside, looks like (Ferrari aside) the racing is going to be great. Read more →

The Formula 1 Countdown…

Yay, Melbourne Grand Prix time! Read more →

The Red Bull Formula 1 Car Owners' Workshop Manual

Want to build, or maintain, a 2010 Formula 1 Championship winning car? This Haynes Manual would be a good start. The last/only Haynes Manual I owned was for a 1973 Fiat 127. Although the technology in this one is rather different the format is familiar. There are lots of cutaway illustrations, assembly diagrams and info on all the car components, systems and the technical rule requirements which drive the design. There is enough detail to satisfy a F1 fan, especially those who love the techo and design aspects of the sport, although not detailed enough to have McLaren heading for... Read more →

How they keep F1 engines healthy

James Allen on the life and times of a F1 engine. Interesting to see the Shell V Power Fuel I run the Flying Spaghetti Machine on (simply because Shell/Z Station is conveniently located on my commute) really might be keeping its valves clean… How to keep F1 engines healthy as they do their 3rd race of the season Read more →