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If my rather pompous title didn't give it away, I tend to be a bit tongue in cheek. I guess I'm one of many longtime lurkers on the site, who has relied on the reviews and ownership reports religiously for years and finally decided to actually try stepping inside and meeting everyone instead of peering from the outside in, and smudging the windows.

I'm very much an avowed devotee at the altar of internal combustion, so much so is my fervour I find myself in my daily work as a Petroleum Geoscience PhD student working to try find some more of that lovely crude that fuels the motors we all very much love (well not quite but it sounds more poetic this way). Born in Calcutta (when it was called that) I very much grew up bouncing back and forth between India and the UK and at this point I'm firmly embedded in the greyscale city that is Manchester. As part of my day job I often find myself in rather obscure places looking at rocks most of the time. When I'm not I'm determined to eat my way through the best burgers in the country and do enjoy a bit of sports, of most kinds, but with F1 and football taking pride of place. For those wondering I'm a long suffering Newcastle United fan (you can imagine I got a lot of shtick from friends in high school in India).

Seeing as technically I haven't yet owned a car myself, instead counting on using mum and dad's when I come visit, I'll talk about which I'm the biggest fan of. That would have to be mum's old Santro. Now, in no way I will admit is this due to it's driving dynamics, feedback or more honestly lack thereof, but more to do with how cheerful a little runabout it is and how I can chuck it into any old parking spot without a care in the world. Anyone who's visited Park Street would know my pain. Also a rather belligerent scooter trying to squeeze through a non existent gap in traffic tore one end of the bumper bracket off so to me it always looks like the poor car has a lopsided expression on it's face.

Incidentally I was introduced to Team BHP by a pair of brothers I had tuition classes with many years ago, so it would be coming full circle if I came across them again as part of the wider community!

You'll probably see me sometimes pipe in to threads, especially those involving motorsport. The dream is to one day do the Dakar Rally, more realistically as part of the support staff even, but maybe as a competitor (though it'll most certainly kill me..). Oh well, a man can dream.

I'll leave you with my favourite ever F1 car. The 1996 Ferrari F310 that Michael Schumacher so stupendously drove in that sogging wet Spanish Gran Prix. To this day it remains one of my most vivid memories.

Feel free to drop me a shout. As a Bengali I imagine I'm genetically predisposed to having a chat.

[GTO]

Welcome ads11! A Schumacher fan . He's the only F1 driver I've supported with all my heart in the last decade.

Originally Posted by ads11

I find myself in my daily work as a Petroleum Geoscience PhD student working to try find some more of that lovely crude that fuels the motors we all very much love (well not quite but it sounds more poetic this way).

but more to do with how cheerful a little runabout it is and how I can chuck it into any old parking spot without a care in the world

It sure is one heck of a city car. Excellent driveability too.

The 1996 Ferrari F310 that Michael Schumacher so stupendously drove in that sogging wet Spanish Gran Prix

The rainmaster!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSkLILrgrpY

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Thanks for the warm welcome GTO. Looking forward to my time here.

You can be an F1 snob all you want but as soon as you see a driver really kill it in the wet you know that the hype is real. I speak of course of Max Verstappen. Wasn't fond of him, didn't rate him that highly. Till I saw what he could do in the wet. Begrudgingly admit there's a lot of talent in that kid. Nothing like a bit of rain to throw the cat amongst the pidgeons.

Jenson's legendary win at the never-ending Canadian GP that lasted forever will still probably be my all time favourite race. What a roller coaster.

[confused.geek]

A fellow tifosi! For me it is the F2002. Similar to the F310 (3 litre and 10 cylinder engine).... Its impressive 15 wins and its debut in Brazil..... Welcome to the forum mate. I am newbie here myself, but I am happy to see a fellow Ferrari and Schumacher fan

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Hi confused.geek, nice to meet you too. I'm very much a Schumacher fan and I will always have a soft spot for them. I think now I have a great love for the sport as a whole and many of it's other marques. I am very much hoping to see Williams once more make it to the top step of the podium. Not to mention my near continual purgatory with the situation at Woking. I've silently screamed into the sky so many times at the total inability of Honda to provide a competent motor I very nearly let it cloud my thinking whilst test driving a Honda Jazz for my mum's new car.

[confused.geek]

I always felt bad for Raikonnen and Coulthard in the early 2000s. When they moved to RBR and Ferrari, it was no surprise. Honda produced those amazing turbo charged engines that propelled Senna and Prost to fame (and into each other, literally), I doubt we'll see anything like that today.

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Hmm. Yeah Honda might really just be powered by dreams right now..dreams of those heady dayglo Mclaren days. Even their last F1 effort in the BAR days and that total tripe EarthDreams car prior to the Brawn chassis was utter tripe. One also needs to remember that the Brawn GP though a Honda developed chassis really made it to the front thanks to Mercedes power along with the double diffuser.
Raikonnen always had so much potential. After his title win he just seemed to coast. I still think his time in the pre-silver paintjob Mclaren's was his finest period in F1 in terms of his raw pace. I think his overtake around the outside in 130R in the Japanese GP still gives me goosebumps.