Formula 1's class of 2010 and the Daytona 24 Hours winning Riley ...

After a particularly eventful winter, the 2010 Formula 1 season unofficially kicked off this morning with the first day of testing at Valencia. Due to the huge restrictions on testing, this was the first opportunity for the teams to sample their new cars. Originally a joint launch of all cars was planned at Valencia but in the end the teams could not agree. Nevertheless many of the 2010 Formula 1 machines were only revealed today.
Most eyes in the paddock were on the Mercedes Grand Prix, which, de facto, is the defending world champion and has seven-time world champion in its ranks. The new W01 was seen for the first team when the door of the pit box opened early this morning. The former Brawn team have produced a very attractive car with some hints of Adrian Newey's very effective 2009 Red Bull design. The most appealing part of the car is the heavily sculpted air-intake. Schumacher was third quickest today in the Mercedes-Benz W01. Other cars debuted this morning were the Toro Rosso STR5 and the Williams FW32. This Cosworth engined machine is a radical departure from last year's FW31 and unlike most other new cars, it does not follow Newey's lines. Renault already revealed their R30 last night. To be piloted by Robert Kubica and the first Russian in F1, Vitaly Petrov, it sports a very retro yellow and black livery.
Over the weekend the first major endurance race of the year, the Daytona 24 Hours, was held. In one of the fastest editions in history, the established teams were upstaged by a debutant team. Piloted by Joao Barbosa, Ryan Dalziel, Terry Borcheller and Mike Rockenfeller, the Action Express Riley featured an independently developed Porsche Cayenne engine. Built by the Lozano Brothers Porting, the V8 outclassed the 'official' GT3 derived flat-six as well as all other works engines. The Riley Mk XX was run by last year's winners Brumos racing, who were not so lucky this year with their own flat-6 powered Riley.

Enjoy the links:

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4401/Mercedes-Benz-W01.html]2010 Mercedes-Benz W01 - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4412/Renault-R30.html]2010 Renault R30 - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4414/Riley-Mk-XX-Porsche-V8.html]2010 Riley Mk XX Porsche V8 - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4416/Toro-Rosso-STR5-Ferrari.html]2010 Toro Rosso STR5 Ferrari - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/4403/Williams-FW32-Cosworth.html]2010 Williams FW32 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]