Falk Luxury Sports

Phil Hill, 1927-2008

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:08:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 04:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:57:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 21:32:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Fri, 04 May 2007 03:51:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:11:00 +0000

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.

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:12:00 +0000

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.

Eric Medlin, RIP 3/23/2007

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:40:00 +0000

I feel sick as I write this, but we just learned that Eric passed away about 1 hour ago. As much fun as racing is, you can never forget the danger. Eric was wearing all the proper safety gear, but sometimes nothing can save you with that kind of power and speed. A young life cut short by a sport he loved. Rest in peace Eric, you'll be missed by so many people.

Thoughts & prayers for Eric Medlin

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:01:00 +0000

If you follow NHRA you probably know this already, but Eric was critically injured on Monday in Gainsville Fla. testing following the Gator-Nationals over the weekend. Eric is one of the nicest guys in the sport. I'm not much of a religious person, or praying guy, but I'll be pulling my hardest hoping he recovers from his injuries. Lets all put our thoughts and prayers with Eric and his family.

The reports said he hit the right wall near the end of the track, and in Nitro-Funny Car, that means he was probably up around 300 mph.

Updated condition repot, 3/21/07 from NHRA.com

Injured NHRA Funny Car driver Eric Medlen survived a delicate, three-hour craniotomy procedure to relive pressure and hemorrhaging Tuesday evening but remained in critical condition Wednesday at Shands at the University of Florida medical center.

Over the next two weeks, the 33-year-old will remain in a drug-induced coma designed to promote healing.

“We consider ourselves fortunate that Eric is in one of the top hospitals in the world for this type of injury and is getting absolutely the best treatment possible,” said John Medlen, Eric's father and crew chief.

Update 3/22/07

Castrol has set up an email account so you can leave your thoughts and wishes for Eric which will be printed out and presented to him later. Send Eric your encouragement to this address getwelleric@castrol.com

FORMULA 1 - just 2 days away!

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:55:00 +0000

So now, the racing really begins. F1 is the ultimate test of man and machine. Other racing series might seem more competitive, but F1 is the absolute limit of speed in a car, which makes it the number 1 racing series and number 2 watched sport on the whole planet. All the teams have the same rules to follow, some get it right and win, while others, well...

Up to speed, the 2007 season is only 2 days and 22 hours away as I write this. So many changes have taken place since the last race of 2006 that this should be an awesome season, massively shaken up. Shumacher, the king has hung up his crown and taken a step to the sidelines. Alonso the current and 2 times champion switched teams to McLaren. Raikönnen has moved into Shumacher's empty seat at Ferrari. Michellin is gone and Bridgestone, as the sole tire supplier, will do a 2 tire compound per race like they do in the CHAMP Car series; each car has to use both compounds of tire during the race. Tobacco branding is all but gone with the exception of Marlboro Ferrari as the last holdouts to a basically by-gone era.

The 2007 race season has been under way for quite a while now with The DAKAR already nearly 3 months old. But nothing is quite like the first race of the FORMULA 1 season. The sounds of the twenty thousand RPM engines screaming down the track is like nothing else on earth. The sight of cornering and braking forces unlike any car in the world is amazing.

Wether or not there is as much passing as some other series means nothing to me, (I like almost all other racing series) but the sheer performance of the machines, the drivers, the pit crews and the whole team makes F1 the greatest form of racing that exists. And it's always a rush to watch and root for your favorite drivers and teams.

Count the hours and minutes, were just a few days away from FORMULA 1 2007!

2007 Racing season is under way

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:00:00 +0000

The season is now officially under way. Daytona Speedweeks is over and done, and was pretty exciting I might add. Kevin Harvick won the Bush and Cup races, go Kevin! Jack Sprague won the Craftsman Truck race in a fairly action packed race last Friday night. The Dakar Rally was as exciting as ever, Robby Gordon had a pretty good race winning a few stages and finishing the event. And Americans in cars and on bikes did pretty well this year too. Tragically, as always it seems during the Dakar, we lost 2 riders. One died from injuries in his crash, and the other died after finishing his stage from a heart attack! It's unfortunate that every year someone looses their life, but then, it's the most grueling race on Earth so you gotta expect it I guess.

Next up, my favorites, Formula 1 and MotoGP. Winter testing has been going on for a month or so in both series but it's always hard to read much into winter testing. Someone may seem to be flying during preseason but then come race time languishes mid-pack and everyone wonders what happened. Shumacher is retired now, so the new guard, so to speak, is looking to fill his shoes.

Nicky Hayden, the Kentucky Kid, is going into the new MotoGP season as a first time World Champion. All the teams will be running 800cc engines and re-designed chassis to accommodate the new mills for the first time so the playing field should be pretty level for the first few races anyhow. Team mates Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards are going well so far with Colin - the Texas Tornado - seeming to have the better handle on his Yamaha, go Colin! I got the idea for my son's name from Colin Edwards, he's always been a favorite of mine from his WSBK days, so i really hope he can pull off a win or two this year.

Finally, something good to watch on TV and look forward to each weekend. Ahhh, I love racing!!!

Hayden brings the title back to America!

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:12:00 +0000

Through consistency all season long and a couple of victories, Nicky Hayden took the top spot of the Moto GP World Championship in the last year of the 993 engines. Just as his disastrous luck at the Portuguese GP where his team-mate Dani Pedrosa took him out leaving him with no points from that race, Valentino Rossi's luck balanced the table when he took himself out. Rossi recovered from dead last to finish 13th, but it wasn't enough to stop Nicky, who won the World Championship by 5 points. Dani Pedrosa did an excellent job as Nicky's team-mate this time, and kept other riders behind him, while Nicky was in front of him.

What an amazing season of Moto GP this year has been! One of the closest in a while, with lots of different winners, not just one certain Valentino Rossi winning everything. I love Rossi, don't get me wrong, he's the master, er, "The Doctor", and is just amazing to watch, but some change every now and then is good, and to bring the title back to America, after a 6 year absence is also a good thing. I hope that it's not a trend though of American World Champions winning at the end of an era: Kenny Roberts Jr. won the last 500cc championship, now Nicky's wont the last Moto GP 993 championship and next year we have Moto GP with 800 cc engines. I don't want to wait another 6 years before the next US World Champion, or longer, depending on how long the 800cc formula lasts.

Congrats to Nicky Hayden, the 2006 Moto GP World Champion, Dani Pedrosa, the 2006 Rookie of the Year, the Repsol Honda the 2006 Team Champions, and Honda the 2006 Manufacturers Champion. Now let's keep it going for next year with the amazing new Honda RC212V, which must be one of the coolest looking bikes I've ever seen. At the same time, I'd love to see Colin Edwards get some well deserved good luck next year and win a race or two.

Shumacher: the end of an incredible eara in Formula 1

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 16:53:00 +0000

So we've witnessed Michael Shumachers final race in the Ferrari F1 car. And through all the bad luck in this past weekends final Brazilian Grand Prix for the 7 time champion, he never lost focus, he kept his head down from starting 10th, then dropping to dead last (and 20 seconds behind the next to last car!) after a left rear tire puncture from contact with Fishicella's Renault, and intermittent power loss, to finish in a fighting 4th place, 1 spot off the podium. His final appearance in an F1 race was a fitting end to his storied and almost untouchable career. Although I would have loved to see him jumping for joy at a final race-final victory, the performance he put in was nonetheless proof that he's still the best there is, and probably ever has been.

With a career including 7 World Championship titles, 91 victories, 68 pole positions, more laps led, more fastest laps, and just about every other record a driver in Formula 1 can hold, we are unlikely to ever see his records beaten, or even matched. Personally, after 12 years of watching the master race, I will miss him. I think other folks, even those who don't like him will miss his competition on the track. Best wishes for your future Shumi, you've been my hero for a long time.

'06 Portuguese GP, what was Pedrosa thinking?????

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:29:00 +0000

It was the penultimate round of the 2006 Moto GP World Championship, Nicky Hayden has a 12 point lead, Valentino Rossi is trailing in 2nd and on the charge while Nicky's team-mate, Dani Pedrosa is down in 4th. Colin Edwards, Rossi's team-mate knows his job is to help protect Rossi going into the race and you would have thought Pedrosa would have been instructed to do the same for Nicky. So what does he do? Takes out his World Championship leading team-mate in the 2nd to last race!! This really shows his age and I realize he's only 20 or so, but dude, c'mon! 2 races to go, you're a long-shot for the Championship, your team-mate has been leading it most of the year and still has a decent sized lead, it's your job to keep other riders from passing you thus protecting your team-mate.

In the 5th lap of the Portuguese Grand Prix, he decides he want's to pass Hayden on the inside, the front washes out, and BAM! down goes Pedrosa who collects Hayden in the process. Not only was it a lame thing to do in terms of taking out Hayden, but the team didn't score a single point either! Not good for Nicky's individual hopes of his first World Title, nor for the Repsol Honda team's hopes of Constructors World Championship. Pedrosa is brilliant for his young age, but he's got some maturing to do still. Meanwhile, he's got one chance to make it up to Nicky and the Repsol Honda team and the rest of us can keep our hopes up for The Kentucky Kid. Go Nicky!

Super Sedans®

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:42:00 +0000

Super Sedans® is a term my buddy Jim came up with to describe the direction my Infiniti Q45t has taken and how the "VIP & EXE" scene can grow in the USA during our many conversations about luxury sedan styling. The very terms VIP & EXE are mostly known to people who are into Japanese car culture or the Asian scene and therefore, very limiting to the possible growth of the style across the nation and globe. So how can this scene ever grow in the US? Give it a new name. Thus, Super Sedans® was born.

What is a Super Sedan®? By definition, it's a V8 powered, rear wheel drive, full size luxury car, with tasteful modifications to the stock starting base point. Since the car must be V8 powered, it excludes the 6 cylinder versions of some models that fit the Super Sedans® theme, such as the Lexus GS series, and Infiniti M series. Although the GS 400 and 430 are Super Sedans®, the GS 300 is not, the same goes for the Infiniti M45 which is a Super Sedan® while the M35 is not.

The very principal of these cars was derived from discussions we had about my car. The whole thing with my car is that it's been modified extensively, but maintains a very clean look. The car is as comfortable cruising to Las Vegas at 100 mph as it is cruising Sunset Blvd. at 10 mph. At high rates of speed Super Sedans® are composed, confidence inspiring, extremely comfortable, safe, and most of all, fun and relaxing to drive. At 100 mph, you are cruising across the land very quickly, but it's smooth, and quiet inside, you almost have no concept that you're traveling as fast as you actually are. This is a Super Sedan®.

A Super Sedan® does not have to be a Japanese luxury car either, it can be a European V8 powered RWD luxury car, it can also be an American V8 powered RWD full size sedan. Now, you can't just buy a Chrysler 300C and slap 24" wheels on it and call it a Super Sedan®, that is not what this is about. However, if you got your Chrysler 300C and lowered the suspension with quality parts, and installed some 20" wheels with a flush fitting offset, you're starting to get the right idea. Now go park your 300C with 2" drop, perfect fitting staggared 20" wheels and nice exhaust next to a bone stock 300C that's got 24" wheels and lets see which looks nicer. I can tell you for certain, it's the Super Sedans® styled 300C that will win. Not only in looks either, it will actually perform better too.

Super Sedans® is about looks & performance, not just one or the other, but a beautiful blend of both. Working together harmoniously, looking great and working as well as it looks. Welcome to Super Sedans®.

Shumi's 8th all but impossible now.

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:53:00 +0000

I'm not a Ferrari fan per-se, I've just always been a Shumi fan. What a drag man, but hey, look how he responded compared to the ways that Alonso has responded in similar situations. Did Shumi go and say the team sabatoged him and they don't want him to win? No, he took it like a man, thanked his team and conceded the title. He was so on the way to an unprecedented 8th title too. Oh well. Doesn't look like Alonso is headed off to the right place either, we'll see next year though. Williams and McLaren are my traditional favorite teams (Renault when it used to be Benetton was always in there, but I don't care so much since Renault took over), but then, I root for drivers more than teams, and Kimi is my other favorite driver out there, so I guess next year I'll be rooting for Ferrari again.

Super Autobacs VIP show 10-7-06

noreply@blogger.com (Falk Luxury Sports) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 20:13:00 +0000

Todays VIP theme car show at Super Autobacs was disappointing. There were mostly R.C. drift cars on a small drift track, and about 15 VIP cars scattered all across the lot. Parking should have been reserved for the cars that registered, if the two rows adjacent to the R.C. drift track were blocked off, that would have been a perfect fit for the size of the event, and would have looked much more professional. Think about this next time you guys do a show!