Free Friday - June 14th - Guess the Car

Last Friday we asked our fans if they could determine the 5 cars we posted from the small snippets given.

No-one got all 5 right however Katerina Skorova got 4 correct which was brilliant going considering how tough they were.

Can you get them right? Answers below.

The correct answers are as follows: Kia Picanto, Rover 25/200, Opel Zafira, Honda Jazz and Skoda Fabia!

If Katerina could e-mail maxb@micksgarage.com with her details and the Car Reg for the filters then we will get them out to her! Congrats!

Adulterers' In Audi's

As Audi hopes to surpass BMW as the top-selling luxury automaker, sometimes it has to look at the small victories, too. For instance, IllicitEncounters.com – a UK dating site for married folks (also known as adultery) – is reporting that a recent poll shows that more people willing to cheat on their spouses drive an Audi. Last year, this same poll showed that BMW was the car-of-choice for adulterers.

With Audi on top (pun intended) and BMW bumped to number two, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Volkswagen round out the top five car brands owned by unfaithful wives and husbands. Check out the poll over at IllicitEncounters.com, but be sure to clear your browser history afterward. You know, just to make sure your spouse doesn't get the wrong idea about the websites you visit.

MicksGarage.com Formula Sheane Championship Rounds 4 & 5 - Mondello Park

Round 4 and 5 of the MicksGarage.Com Formula Sheane Championship was held in Mondello on Sunday 9th. June where Mondello was celebrating 45 years of motorsport at the venue. There was a great buzz all weekend with the stand and the paddock full of spectators. The glorious weather helped the huge effort made by Mondello to encourage people to the venue for what was going to be a thrilling days racing.

Formula Sheane hosted a grid of 14 cars with a couple of new faces making their debut in Formula Sheane which bodes well for the future, more later. The weather was quite simply fantastic for spectating even the garages were warm but would it be too hot for quick times ? There were reports from testing earlier in the week that the lap record was under threat. This in fact was not to be the case. There was a constant battle between oversteer and understeer as tyres went through the transition from cold to hot. So finding that compromise in suspension settings would be crucial. There was also the potential problem of having qualifying and two races in the one day. This is tough going for all competitors as one mistake could cost you the championship as time for repairs etc is just not available.
It was Brian Hearty, who with his wealth of experience, showed how it was done in qualifing. He took pole position by 0.614 of a second from Kevin Sheane and 1.037 seconds from Robbie Allen and 1.275 seconds from Barry Rabbitt. Was this going to be a Hearty "whitewash" weekend ? The Scholarship runners were not that far off the pace either so things were looking good for the usual Formula Sheane "two races in one race"

Race 1.
Hearty was on pole followed by Sheane, Allen, Rabbitt (started from pit lane), Eoin Crowley and David Parks . They are all quick and "demon" starters, however it was Kevin Sheane who made the best start and was into turn 1 in the lead a lead he was not to give up despite the efforts of Brian Hearty who was the quicker of the two. But clever defensive driving from Sheane enabled him to effectively steal the win from Hearty. 1.828 seconds separated the first 4 cars at the chequered flag. It should be noted that Barry Rabbitt who started from the pit lane made a storming rise through the field to finish 5th. Down through the field there were battles waged. John Linnane and Eoin Crowley had a great tussle, Gary Corcoran was in the "wars" but Jenifer Mullan was one who just kept her head down stayed out of trouble and scored her best finish so far. Aidan Byrne and Gilbert Clancy (the grey haired larger than life brigade) were both going well as was Brendan Carr who is getting to grips with his recently acquired Sheane. Then we have our "debutants" Mondello Race School winner of a season in a Formula Sheane Stephen O' Keeffe and Michael Sweeney both got involved in the banter and craic as well as seeking and getting advice from fellow drivers in an effort to improve and enjoy the experience of racing a Formula Sheane.

How it all finished.
1 K Sheane
2 B Hearty
3 R Allen
4 D Parks
5 B Rabbitt
6 J Linnane
7 E Crowley sc
8 G Corcoran sc
9 J Mullan sc
10 A Byrne sc
11 S O' Keeffe sc
12 G Clancy sc
13 B Carr sc

DNF M Sweeney sc
sc = Scolarship Championship

Race 2.
Hearty was on pole from Sheane,Allen and Rabbitt. Was this going to be a rerun of race 1. Well from the start you would have thought so as Sheane took the lead into turn one but was under serious pressure from Hearty. How long could Sheane defend from the quicker Hearty. The answer is until the third last lap when Hearty dived up the inside of Sheane into turn two, a move you would only try with a driver you respect and trust in case it all ended in tears. Allen pounced on the now off line Sheane to take second place putting Sheane from first to third in no more that a second. Meanwhile Rabbitt and Parks were having a massive race, Linnane and Corcoran, Byrne and Mullan were caught up in their own battles, O'Keeffe, Clancy and Carr brought up the rear. Michael Sweeney had a day to forget ! Hearty was to hold on to the lead to the finish but only by 0.291 of a second from Sheane who took second place from the stricken Allen who had a suspension problem.

How it all finished.
1 B Hearty
2 K Sheane
3 D Parks
4 B Rabbitt
5 G Corcoran sc
6 J Linnane
7 A Byrne sc
8 J Mullan sc
9 E Crowley sc
10 S O'Keeffe sc
11 G Clancy sc
12 S Carr sc

DNF R Allen (suspension)
DNF M Sweeney sc
sc = Scolarship Championship

We were treated to two absolutely fantastic races from Formula Sheane well done to all.

All the best until the next time,

Snr.

TVR Back From The Grave

Top Gear reports a UK entrepreneur has purchased TVR from former Russian owner Nikolai Smolenski. As you may recollect, Smolenski bought the British automaker in 2004 for around 15 million pounds, but never got around to producing a vehicle under the brand's name. Les Edgar won't say exactly how much he paid for TVR due to non-disclosure agreements, but he has made it clear he has big plans for the brand. Edgar made a name for himself in video game development but is no stranger to the automotive space. He also helped push Aston Martin back into GT racing.

Details are similarly scarce about what we can expect to see from TVR moving forward or when a new product will touch down, but Edgar has said his vision includes the brand retaining its essential Britishness.Top Gear quoted the entrepreneur as saying, "You can't let these great brands disappear or go abroad. The starting point was 'let's get it back.'"

The MickGarage Scalextrics Grand Prix

In the most hotly anticipated film of 2013, MicksGarage.com challenge The Engine Room to a race to the death......in minature. With more action than all the Fast & Furious movies put together, performances more sultry than Ryan Gosling caught in a thunder storm and less actual talent than the combined cast of Geordie Shore.....this is one short film you do not want to miss!

Gentlemen.........Start Your Engines!

€1500 Bosch Giveaway - Winner Announcement

The winner has been found, we entered everyone's details into Excel and randomised it to find the lucky person. The winner of our €1500 Bosch Giveaway is ..........drum roll please........... Ciaran Lehane!!!!

Congrats Ciaran and thanks to everyone for entering, we have another nice prize ready for June so make sure to come back.

We will be in touch with Ciaran to arrange his prize collection.

Concorso d'Eleganza, Villa d'Este 2013

As much as we tried to persuade management that an all expenses paid, week long stay at the luxurious Villa d'Este on the shore of Lake Como in northern Italy was critical to our understanding of providing the best car parts service on the internet, the idea of any of us getting to the annual Concorso d'Eleganza 2013, much like a car with a bust ignition switch, never really got started.

The Concorso d'Eleganza is a competition for classic and vintage cars, organised by BMW Group and held at the end of May every year. A range of cars are on display from the 1920s to more recent times, as well as come concept cars. Possibly a romantic trip away on the cards next May for the other half?

www.press.bmwgroup.com