Sidepodcast

Sidepodscience: The Shell V-Power Challenge

You may have heard we visited the Shell lab and Ferrari garages during Friday Free Practice at Silverstone. We might have mentioned it once or twice.

After talking to the very nice and incredibly smart people at Shell, they convinced us that V-Power is worth a second look. Mr C has tried superior fuels before and was already aware of the potential benefits - a cleaner engine, and better performance. I was not, and disappointed everyone by suggesting my local supermarket fuel was just as good.

With this in mind, we thought it a great opportunity to officially debut Sidepodscience with the Shell V-Power Challenge.

The Aim

• To establish whether V-Power makes such a difference it can be felt by someone not scientific like me.
• To compare V-Power with BP Ultimate - a rival fuel of similar description.

The Challenge

I have run my car down of supermarket fuel and will fill up with V-Power. After two weeks I will report back on whether any difference could be felt.

Mr C will be moving from BP Regular to BP Ultimate to see if there is any difference. He will then switch to V-Power to determine any difference between the two (supposedly) equal fuel types.

Finally

It is worth noting that V-Power (and Ultimate) costs a couple of pence more per litre than regular fuel does, which would work out as a few pounds extra for a full tank.

We have it on good authority from multiple sources that the more expensive fuel is better for your engine. Even if the difference couldn't be felt, that doesn't mean it isn't keeping the insides clean and saving you a couple of hundred quid at the garage.

I think that sums up what we're going to be doing and why. We'll report back here in two weeks with our findings. Meanwhile, let us know if you have any experience of fuels and the difference between them, or if you have any more scientific notes to add.

Mark Webber Breaks Leg in Tasmania Challenge

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

This weekend, Mark Webber was taking part in the charity challenge he set up - the Mark Webber Challenge in Tasmania. The event takes place over five days and involves athletes, celebrities, and anyone with the desire to do so, teaming up to run, cycle, climb and kayak their way across the Tasmanian landscape to reach the finish line first. The money raised along the way goes towards two charities - one for Leukaemia and the other to protect the Tasmanian devil. More information can be found on the website.

During the cycling part of this weekend's event, Webber was involved in a head-on collision with an SUV. He was airlifted to hospital and it was confirmed he had broken his leg. He then had surgery to fit a rod in the leg, and came through okay. Red Bull issued a statement saying he was well and in good spirits after the accident.

It's likely Webber will be released from hospital this week, and will return to the UK as soon as he is able to. In the Red Bull statement, they believe that he will be back in action in time for the Australian Grand Prix, however he is going to miss a big chunk of winter testing.

With the 2009 regulations making things so different to this year, this could be quite a costly accident for Webber. The majority of testing duties will now fall to teammate Sebastian Vettel, which immediately gives the youngster a head-start in the new car. The return of slicks, and the severe changes in downforce due to the new wings will make the cars something completely different to drive, and getting as much time in the car as possible is vital.

Last year, the Red Bull team did a lot of miles, and both drivers arrived in Melbourne feeling tired from their exhaustive winter testing schedule. Perhaps an upside to Mark’s predicament is that he will be well rested before the season begins.

However, as long as Webber is well, rested and recovering, that is all that matters. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope that he can find ways to occupy his mind during the long off-season out of the car.