Phil Hill, 1927-2008

Phil Hill / FerrariAmerica's 1st Formula 1 World Champion has passed away. Driving during a time in which Formula 1 drivers died racing every year, Phil Hill's F1 career came to a close with him relatively unscathed. He continued to achieve success in other forms of racing including winning at LeMans 24 Hours as well as Sebring 12 Hours races 3 times each. He was an avid collector of vintage cars, a television commentator on ABC's Wide World of Sports, and a writer for Road & Track magazine. Always the consummate ambassador for motorsport, Phil will be missed.

VIP Drink & Phone tables

I brought a few of these beauties home from Japan, one for my car and a few more to share with the rest of the US VIP car crew! These are not easily found in America, not even Japanese chain Super Autobacs carry them. These are only available in black with chrome. They hold a drink and a cell phone or a pack of smokes. Can be attached to air vents, hung on door or mounted flat somewhere. Mine is mounted on the center hump in the back which looks pretty sharp. Price is $35 plus shipping, contact sales@falkluxurysports.com

F1 - Winter 07-08

As the 2007 F1 season settles into memory, we look forward to what’s in store for 2008. With so much change going on between seasons this year; driver changes as always and surely some surprises there, changes to the cars, teams and management, the fast approaching 2008 season is set to be full of excitement!

There are many changes going into 2008 for the world of F1, and we’ll name a few of them here. Next year all cars will use a standard ECU and traction & launch control will be banned. Fernando Alonso is back at Renault after just 1 year at McLaren. Some lable his short tenure at McLaren a “disaster” but in all reality, he was still only 1 point from the World Championship at the end of a long season, so it’s hardly a disaster. Heiki Kovalanen is going to the empy McLaren seat left by Alonso, Giancarlo Fischicella is not sure where he’ll be, and Renault have an all new line-up in returning 2x Champ, Alonso and ‘08 rookie, Nelson Piquet Jr. Some people are gone, or unsure where they’ll be going next year, such as Fischicella, Ralf Shumacher, Liutzi & Alex Wurz. The Champions, Ferrari are keeping things mostly the same but we’ll see less of Jean Todt next year as he’s no longer General Manager, but now the CEO of Ferrari. Sauber BMW look to keep things goig with the continuation of Heidfeld and Kubica, Honda hope to improve with the factory works team with the same driver line-up. Williams, Toyota, Red Bull, Spyker - er- Force India as they’ll be know from now on, & Super Aguri will all have some or all new drivers next year as well.

With all the changes over the winter, 2008 should be quite an exciting F1 season. In just a matter of 3-4 weeks the new challengers will begin to debut and hit the track for the first time ever with teams begining the winter launch galas that always mark that time of year, although McLaren have said they are not doing a lavish launch this year, kind of the bad dog with it’s tail between it’s legs just trying not to get attention and stay out of trouble after the spy saga that rocked the sport this year. All in all, can’t wait for the racing to begin but that’s still exactly 87 days out.

Father's Day is here!

Don't forget to get Dad something cool for Father's Day and what would be cooler than some original automotive art items? Nothing would be cooler than that! So check out my collection, he's guaranteed to love whatever you choose.

Falk Luxury Sports Original T-shirts and goods

Can Colin Edwards catch a break?

He won the World Superbike championship twice before moving to MotoGP so it's obvious he's talented. He's finished on the podium in MotoGP a number of times, and fought for victory, but that elusive first MotoGP victory still looms in the distance. Last weekend, he qualified his Yamaha on Pole Position in LeMans France for his first MotoGP Pole, only to have the race start in damp conditions and declared a "wet" race (riders can switch bikes to wet setup in this case).

The race starts and poor Colin immediately drops from 1st to pretty much last as his hard Michellins were simply not up to the task. As the rain started falling harder, he was the first rider to pit and get onto his wet conditions bike with Michellin rain tires. Through sheer attrition with 6 or 7 riders crashing out in the rain, and his more cautions approach, he finished 12th and managed to salvage a few points. Bad luck can't last forever, let's hope for Colin's success the rest of the season, and hopefully that first MotoGP win will play into the cards this year.

MotoGP heads to China

Racing resumes this weekend, at the Shanghai Circuit in China. What will hold for this round? All the teams have tested since the last round in Turkey, most from the Monday after the race; Nicky Haden put nearly 2 seconds on his best race lap. He & the rest of the Repsol Honda Team will be hoping to get the season going in a more positive direction for the current World Champions. People say the Honda is being developed for Pedrosa's smaller frame and riding style of a European/Moto-style upbringing vs. Hayden's U.S. bred style honed on the flat tracks of Kentucky. In either case, Hayden's no joke, and has more than proven it with his impressive career.

The Yamaha Fiat team of Rossi & Edwards will also be looking to improve on a dismal last race which saw Edwards taken out in a first lap melee. Rossi went on to charge at the front only to be foiled by a disintegrating Michellin during the latter part of the race and falling down the order. Rizzla Suzuki will hope for improvement on a fine 6th for John Hopkins during the last round. Ducati shouldl aim to keep the outstanding start they've had in the opening rounds of 2007 with 2 victories for Casey Stoner and a podium for Capirossi. Melandri, Pedrosa and Tony Elias will all be shooting to improve on the solid continuations from last season they're having.

Gear up, 'cause the Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix or China is about to hit the track! Check your local listings and get those TiVO's and DVR's ready, you don't want to miss a beat.

F.L.S. Apparel & Accessories launches!

Yes, I finally have made some of my automotive art available on apparel & accessories! These are not your typical run of the mill designs, but original, and artistic interpretations of my favorite cars. New content will be added regularly to provide almost everyone with something cool to scoop up. Be the first in your area to sport these designs, guaranteed to catch the discerning eye of true enthusiasts.


Falk Luxury Sports Original T-shirts and goods

If you have a request for a particular car that I haven't drawn, let me know and I will do it!

NHRA, life & racing must move on.

After the tragedy following the GatorNationals in Gainsville, Fla. which saw Eric Medlin lose his life from injuries sustained during testing after the race, the NHRA circus was back in action for the O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, TX. The 2 weeks between events were a roller coaster of emotions. Eric was injured testing Monday, 3/19/07, from "intense vibrations beyond anything recorded in Funny Car", he was in a coma and underwent brain surgery, but it was to no avail, he passed away on 3/23/07, never having regained consciousness. The entire drag racing world (and much of motorsports in general) was shaken by the loss of such a bright, likable, young star.

John Force racing, who Eric drove for, withdrew from the Houston event in Eric's honor and to give the team time to examine his car and try to understand what went wrong. Throughout the Houston event, there were reminders everywhere of Eric. Most team members wore commemorative shirts and every car and bike ran stickers in his honor. It was obvious in just about everyones voice what an impact Eric made on them and the sport with several drivers on the verge of tears or asking to be interviewed later as emotion got the best of them.

Weather played a big part in the weekend, rain Friday delayed qualifying day 1, and Saturdays qualifying was completely rained out, so Friday's session set the field. Racing was tight, with some great runs down the track. J.R. Todd took Top Fuel with a run of 4.603 @ 313.8 MPH. Ron Capps won his 2nd Funny Car race in a row with 4.868 @ 307.93 MPH, Jaon Line in Pro Stock ran to victory with 6.661 @ 207.75 MPH and Angelle Sampy clinched Pro Stock Bikes with 7.046 @ 188.91 MPH.

After the races were run, there was a feeling of "I'm glad this weekend is over" from everyone involved. There were some awesome, tight races, with cars less than 1/2 a length apart at the line in some classes. Pro Stock bikes must have set a record for the number of red lights, in final eliminations, there were 7 or 8 red lights in a row which led Angelle to be conservative and not try to win off the line!

Life is fragile, and no sport showcases this more than racing. But in the end, it's the sport we love, and we know those who give their life doing it, die doing what they love, and would never want us to stop, they would want us to carry on, and carry on we must. God Speed Eric Medlin.