Raging Roaring Road Runners Pt.2

There is nothing as loud as a Formula One car both in-world and on a real track. And what others hear as noise may in fact be music in the ears to some! Even in Second Life these racetrack-demons live by their reputation. The creations of RamessesIII Pharaoh are considered one of the best sculpted sports cars made specifically for virtual racing. Only a few cars made in SL are as super-detailed as Ram's creations. These mean machines are as exclusive and rare as they can get in SL. Try SLExchange and see if you can find one as magnificently done as Ramrod Racing's creation.

World-class drivers! One time F1 protegee David Coulthard (GBR) for RedBull Racing Team; current F1 world champion Kimi Raikonnen (Fin) for Scuderia Ferrari; and Fernando Alonso (Esp) for Renault F1 Team go head-to-head at Sim Australia's Ponderosa Race Track http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ponderosa/238/110/32

Like most of the cars I have in my collection, track-testing all of them is such a joy! Getting to control these cars rather than them controlling you may be a challenge. It may just be putting your mind over the matter and get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each car. And dwelling more on their strengths would be a deciding factor whether you will go far with these brutes.

SL Formula One cars just like in real-life are never easy to drive. Who ever said that they were and that they should be? After all, real-life Formula One drivers are the creme de la creme, so why do we (SL residents) have to be exempted from that fact? (laughter).

It takes a lot of dedication, discipline, patience and skill to get control over the wheels. Going through every chicane with the possibility of getting too much or too little under-steer, may mean the difference between safely driving through each bend or getting into a nasty crash (lucky enough if you won't come crashing on another driver).

Most importantly, honing your skills would mean the difference between getting first place or becoming second in a race. Talking about these supercars is awesome BUT driving them is really something else.

The F1-inspired shrine especially made for die-hard fans can be located in two interesting sims:

The Minoa Sim

Formula One inspired pits. The display area at Minoa has a more F1 feel to it. A garage housing three (3) of the best race cars ever to grace Formula One, as well as a Subaru Impreza rally car are on display. Look further and you'll find something sleek and interesting that you may take home for FREE!

A fantastic show! Come and see the uncanny resemblance of these sculptured F1-inspired cars to their real life counter parts. Red Bull Racing Team, Renault F1 Team and the Scuderia Ferrari supercars are on display at the Minoa shrine.

Celebrating The Cars

Not a lot know of the Red Bull F1 Team using a same specification Ferrari V8 engine as the Scuderia Ferrari team (when Formula One downgraded engine power from the ever popular V10 in 2006). The Red Bull Racing Team consecutively won 7th place in the Constructors Title in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. They went two notches up at 5th place in 2007 in spite of having 14 retirements between drivers David Coulthard (GBR) and Mark Webber (Aus) with whom the latter won a 3rd Place podium finish for the team at the European Grand Prix. The team currently uses a Renault V8 engine which won Fernando Alonso (Esp) of the Renault F1 Team, back to back championships.

The Renault F1 Team is famous for breaking up the Ferrari winning streak. A title which was held by Michael Schumacher (Ger) of Scuderia Ferrari for 5 years since 2000. It was the young Spaniard who took away the crown from the German, not only for the Drivers' Championship but also for the title for being the youngest F1 driver to bring home the cup. Schumacher was 25 when he won in 1999 for Benetton-Ford while Alonso was 24 winning for Renault. However, Renault's championship run halted when their ace driver moved to McLaren-Mercedez to join the newly signed up Lewis Hamilton (GBR), a Formula 2 drivers champion.

In F1's 2008 season, Fernando Alonso joins back Renault and is slowly gaining ground to fight back the championship. Just like when he joined McLaren-Mercedez replacing Kimi Räikkönen who then moved to Ferrari, he is "rumoured" to replace the Finn again if ever the current world champion decides to retire.

The Prancing Horse made history during its comeback in the Formula One scene with its first Drivers' Championship win in 21 years, courtesy of the legendary Michael Schumcher. The German gave Scuderia Ferrari a 5 year winning streak (2000-2004) with Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Jean Todt teaming up to be part of the strategic, technical and engineering team; and Rubens Barrichello (Bra) as his long-time running-mate. They were considered the dream team in F1.

This was the start of Ferrari F1's comeback as a dominant force, setting the standards on Formula One racing, only yielding to Renault for 1st place in the Drivers' Championship in 2005 and 2006.

Kimi Räikkönen (Fin), a former rival of Schumacher, took over the reigns of the 7-time world champ and narrowly won back the championship from Lewis Hamilton (a newcomer and a surprise contender to the crown) in the 2007 season. As of press-time, the ongoing F1 2008 Season sees Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen, and Ferrari team mate Felippe Massa (Bra) vying for the prestigious and most coveted Drivers' Championship.

Look Around Minoa And Prepare Be Amazed...

It would be fun for any F1 fan to visit the Minoa shrine and get to meet "Schuey" tending the stalls (who also seems like he needs his job back hehehe). You'll be surprised to see the BEST RACING HELMETS in the WHOLE of SL guarded by the former world champ! I have all of them including the Ferrari bull caps which are on display. I do not see why you should not have them as well hehehe.

Uhmmm, don't bother talking to the champ. He does not seem to be in the mood for chats. Believe me, I tried and even told the funniest and corniest of jokes that I know of. But not the slightest smirk can be seen on his face (sighs). I think it must have been that Macarena dance I did for him as I chant: "Viva Ferrari!". I speculate that he has some issues with anything Spanish... then I thought to myself: "ahhh.. Fernando Alonso.." laughter

These fantastic helmets are none like no other in SL. I have seen so many sports helmets BUT nothing comes close to RamessesIII Pharaoh's collection! They go well with any sports gear, be it superbikes, hydrofoils or any other supercars.

This black prototype is not the Batmobile, so do not be fooled by its sleekness and colour. It is RamessesIII Pharaoh way of saying thank you to all the fans who visits the shrine. It has the option to change to three more other colours apart from black. And being a FREEBIE is something that makes visiting Minoa worth the trip.

It has the F2007 engine pre-H4 and would be a good way to test your skills in driving a proper F2008 car. I am sure after trying this baby, you would definitely move up to the next level! Good luck!

The Hope Capital Sim

Here you will find Ram's Ferrari Shrine and see the history on how the car evolved. It is also the only museum in Second Life dedicated to Scuderia Ferrari. A dismantled scaled-model on display will show you the level of complexity the sculptured car has, as well as RamessesIII Pharaoh's outstanding craftsmanship.

From having built it on raw and edgey prims for the first prototype to the more rounded and formed second prototype, you will see RamessesIII Pharaoh's ingenuity at work.

His first attempt on textures shows his dedication to produce a car that closely resembles the real life model. And as more and more features are being introduced in building and crafting in SL, the details of the supercar becomes more and more prominent. The F2007 was the start of something big for Ferrari fans in Second Life. And the ultimate unveiling the F2008 version gave racing enthusiasts a taste on how virtual realism really should be.

The introduction of the Sculpty in SL had indeed revolutionised the building of virtual crafts to people like RamessesIII Pharaoh. I wont be surprise at all that if ever the F2009 comes out, it would be nothing less than awesome and inspiring!

Don't just take my word for it, go and experience the F1 phenomenon in Second Life now.

Talk Of The Town

There have been rumours about a detailed albeit low prim hot car being offered in the SL racing community. A super-car dubbed the katana blade of exotic automobiles, the Porsche Carrera GT which never fails to amaze me in RL is now available for in-worlders to own in SL.

Showing off the Porsche Carrera GT at the Mooz race track for a test drive... Being one of the few owners of this brute machine is not only prestigious, but also a privilege. Never felt this pleased with an SL car since owning a 2007-08 Ferrari Formula One. Although my Kimi Raikonnen replica helmet still says how much I still feel about my other "red devil" of a car (laughter).

I believe fate had lead me to cross paths with this car as it was being road tested by IAm Zabelin (not a mis-caps name by the way), the car's creator who was at the Mooz Racing Circuit at that time. I was burning pixel rubber of my older Lamborghini Gallardo (my all-time favourite road car before the Carrera showed up hahaha) when I chanced upon Zabelin and his magnificent creation. It just seemed like yesterday when I was told about the eventual release of the prototype which was said to be just a couple weeks away. Since then, I had never stopped wondering when I can finally get my sweaty hands on this beauty. With that in mind, I was still confident that it would be just a matter of time when the roaring sounds coming out of the double barrel exhaust as I put my foot on the pedal, gnashing its gears and cruising around popular SL hotspots.

The heart and soul of the car is its engine! You'll be amazed with the detail this car has as well as it being crafted to scale the real life model. In RL the car boasts of a 5.7 V10 engine and is considered the third most expensive car to ever be manufactured (and the most expensive Porsche in the company's history), about £330,000 and close to L$7,000.00 in Second Life. There is a certain sense of pride in getting to own one, something money simply cant buy.

The Second Life version of the Porsche Carrera GT was crafted by ZA Motors and has its humble beginnings at Mo Island http://slurl.com/secondlife/MO%20Island/211/229/24. Who would have thought that this awesome car would be assembled in a beachfront cottage! You can also see the car in its earlier version by visiting the place and be witness to its raw and prime glory! Not to mention variations of the car's upcoming colour updates which are on display. If you're lucky, you just might see IAm himself working on upcoming upgrades for the car.

The rear engine hood, front car boot and its two sleek doors are fully functional (they open and close in a click of a mouse). Sporty tan leather cup-seats which are also standard in the RL version adds more to its x-factor. Authentic Carrera GT engine sounds is but one of the many features that make this car a must-have and worthy enough to be included in your SL wish list.

To date there are a little over a hundred proud owners of this dream car which includes the Lindens (wow!) and me of course... We're like a group of racers who can't seem to wait for its official launching! The car is currently in its infancy stage and owners are testing, as well as enjoying it at the moment. It may still be considered a prototype but the car works like a charm. Having to shed 7Gs of your precious lindens, I personally believe it still is a great investment as the car is a limited release. Only a few more brave ones would probably be getting the chance to own one, so I suggest you get yours now while you still can.

Careful.. careful! This car was crafted with an ingenious feature of getting real-like damage when bumped into or when crashing off the tracks.

This beauty does have a few aces up her sleeve and is probably the first in SL, where the car actually gets damaged when hit or during the event of a collision. Apart from rezzing up a new car from your inventory to have a fresh one, you also can actually "mouse-click" the damaged panels and they quickly return to their normal form. It also has functional head lights and tail lights which activates when driving as well as 3 start-up modes (Chill, Cruise, and Racing); a burn and drift option and 5 gears that absolutely work well with the Havok 4 platform.

Of course there are occasional FREE updates which is part of the package when purchasing the car. The first update in the pipeline will give the owners the option to customise the colours of their cars. Fine-tuning of this new feature is still being done by IAm as of press time, and more updates will be sent out to group members as they come. If you are not a member yet, I would suggest you join the group... it's FREE!

Chillin'-out with Liz as we both evaluate and test the car for ourselves. The verdict? Two-thumbs up! With so many Porsche wannabes in SL, nothing so far beats this Carrera. As what the old adage says, if the wife approves of it then it must be really good! Hahaha!

The Colour HUD tool which is still on its BETA stage will be on a Release Candidate version in a couple of days time. The new HUD will include adjustments for the car's base colour, its shine and tint levels that conforms to the owner's taste and sense of style! This will add more character and individuality to each car's identity. I was just so fortunate enough to be at the right time to spy on IAm working on this new feature! hahaha AND not only that!... we may be in for another pleasant surprise with a BONUS for an unannounced update! Don't you just love surprises!

Superb after-sales service! An unannounced update for the car's existing alloy wheels. Well ventilated disc-brakes and the official 5-spoke alloys adds more charm to the already mind-blowing creation of ZA Motors.

The Head's Up Display (HUD) is one of the most unique and cleverly-designed fully functional HUDs in SL with interactive buttons and features. The car's gears status also appear in its digital display. The blue i-button which can be located at the far most left part of the HUD will open an online owners handbook, you simply just cant go out without it! All the A-Z about the car can be found in there!

So are you up to it? Want to be one of the coolest dudes on hot wheels in Second Life? Then go get yourself one! Believe me its one investment worth trying. For more information, please refer to the official sites and blogs of ZA Motors: http://zamotors.blogspot.com/ and http://sl-carreragt.blogspot.com/.

See the latest review of the Carrera GT here: http://n71aeon.blogspot.com/2008/07/raging-and-roaring-road-runners.html

If that ain't enough for you, watch this official video from UK's number one car magazine show, Top Gear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE_WqdKbTvY&feature=related. I am sure after watching, you may really want to get one.

F1 Past Time...

(Revised March 2009)
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Another favourite past time of mine in Second Life would be race car driving. Not that I am a very good racer in RL, in fact I really suck! hahaha Revving up the new Ferrari 2008 F1, one of the most coveted virtual driving machines in SL releases the V6 beast hibernating under its pixel chassis.

Though not many of us can comfortably own a Ferrari in real life (buying the car would not be that impossible BUT think taxes, insurance, petrol and maintenance OMG!) more so with the latest Formula One car, yet having one even in its digital 3D glory still gives you the buzz! Apart from these Ferrari F1 legends; Michael Schumacher (Germany) , Rubens Barrichello (Brasil), Felipe Massa (Brasil) and the current FormulaOne World Champion Kimi Räikkönen (Finland), it is quite impossible to actually get our hands on one. But as we know in Second Life anything and everything is possible, and living your fantasies here is easy as clicking your mouse and tapping those worn off keyboard keys...

... with the help of a couple of thousand lindens of course!

Oogling at the Ferrari2008 F1 car, like it was Pamela Anderson's bosom just wasn't enough. I never had second thoughts, nor did I have to convince myself that now is the right time to get one. Having to visit the SL showroom was just enough for me to push that purchase button. To actually own one in Second Life is prestegious, and to drive one is an absolute privilage! There is some sort of power and magic in having that famous prancing horse emblem on you car, just looking at it is marvelous.

RamessesIII Pharaoh, Genius... Generous... God?

GENIUS. The creator of this brute machine had done a fantastic job in crafting this year's model. The details are superb, very close to the real McCoy. Only a few SL builders are skillful enough in making quality virtual cars and Ram is one of them. The handling responds exactly how an actual/real F1 car does on the tarmac. How he did it is where the word genius comes in.

GENEROUS. Free updates anyone? While some in-world car sellers really suck in terms of customer support, Ram gives you more value for your lindens. Regular updates (when necessary) are immediately sent via official group notices. Who would ever thought that previous Ferrari F1 owners would all be getting the new F2008 H4-ready (Havok 4 platform) car for FREE? Fantastic isn't it?

GOD? Well i worship the car... and he's a Pharaoh... nuff said!

Interesting Enough?

But simply reading this blog wont get you the car, visit the Ferrari F1 showroom and I am sure you would be glad to invest 2.5 grand of your lindens without a doubt! The whole package, apart from the car would include an official Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari F1 uniform (which includes his signature helmet). For Michael Schumacher die-hard fans, there is a helmet for the all-time champ which can be purchased separately (see first picture above). I got one for myself and I see no reason why you shouldn't as well. /me smiles

Want to feel first hand on how it is to drive one? There is a FREE F2007 model on offer in blue (pre-Havok 4), less the famous Ferrari-Shell paint-job of course. But surely one cannot complain as it is FREE, still very much worth the test-drive.


Recommended Race Tracks...

There are two superb race tracks that I would highly recommend for your new Ferrari F1 car (I presume after reading this blog you have teleported there and got one for yourself hahaha). But please do take note that it is mandatory to devoid yourself of any "scripted" items or attachments before using the track. Absolutely NO BLING! Unless you want to be booted out or banned from using the tracks for the rest of your virtual racing career! They have checker boards and lag-martials patrolling the sim so be aware of that.

Driving script-free reduces lag and I guarantee you will enjoy the experience without it. You should also set your drawing distance (access it by pressing Ctrl-P > Graphics Tab) to 250 metres to have the whole track rezzed up to view. You will never have fun driving half blind and crashing on every kerb, it sucks I tell you!

MotoSL (Mooz)

The Pond Race Track (Ponderosa)

Both circuits have different levels of difficulty. Mooz is flat and changes its tracks layout from time to time, while Ponderosa has slopes, bridges and narrow kerbs making them both unique and challenging in their own right.

Fancy an oval race track with a romantic (in case you feel lucky hahaha) Japanese garden for a change? Then this track is the right one for you! But please make certain that the only rubber here "burning" would be your car's tyres and nothing else okay? hahahahaha

Live to drive... Enjoy the ride!