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Any relevant motorsports news

The coming weekend will see the first ever Indian Grand Prix. The newly built Buddh International Circuit represents a flight into the unknown for Formula 1 fans and drivers alike. Each track has special qualities and this New Delhi track will be no different. The track will open up the sport to a whole new demographic of fans in a sport which could well take off in Central Asia.

Narain Karthikeyan was the first Indian F1 driver and will feature for the HRT team. Karun Chandhok will also be hoping to get the nod from Lotus. It would enhance the occasion if there was some national interest for Indian F1 fans.

Sebastian Vettel will be looking to stretch his lead at the top of the championship. Vettel achieved sporting greatness in winning this years title – he became F1’s youngest competitor to win the championship twice. 30,000 fans turned out in Hoppenheim for Vettel’s homecoming. Button, Alonso, Webber and Hamilton are jostling for position below him.

Vettel has taken the glory that many thought might come to Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton has been dogged by unfortunate collisions in what has been a fairly miserable season. His father claims he has found his focus again and will return with new found vigour next season.

2012 promises to be an exciting F1 campaign if this is the case. The prospect of seeing Hamilton take on Vettel in top form is a prospect to relish. Hamilton and Vettel are two of the most talented young drivers F1 has ever seen and they can breathe life into the sport through a fierce competitive rivalry.

Any great driver needs a rival to push him to new heights – Hamilton and Vettel could emulate the Senna/Prost rivalry. The driver’s battle in the early stages of the Korean Grand prix could be an exciting taste of things to come. Hamilton knocked the Red Bull team off pole for the first time this season in Korea.

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Top 3 solutions to rusty tyres

OK, tyres don’t really go rusty, but we got you thinking didn’t we? It is wheels that get rusty, tyres just go flat. Sometimes tyres just go flat because of rusty wheels, or certainly because of corroded alloy ones.

If you find that one or more of the tyres on your allow wheels is continually deflating, then a very likely cause is that it is failing to correctly seal against the rim. If often happens that when we have a new tyre all is OK, but after just a few months we find that the tyre starts to lose pressure.

Some people find that a tyre sealant helps, but that is only a short term solution. The only way to fix the problems properly so that it won’t recur in the short term is to have the tyre removed and the rim cleaned. If it is badly pitted by corrosion then a wire brush can be used to remove the worst of it. Also ensure that the tyre rim is clean and use bead sealer on the wheel before inflating the tyre.

If you have steel wheels and you are suffering rust problems, then there is a fairly simple solution. Take off the wheel covers, carefully go over your wheels with a wire brush (if they are very rusty, then use a wire brush attached to an electric drill), carefully wash all the dust away and ensure that they are thoroughly dries, and spray then with black tyre paint. You will generally need several thing coats. Finally replace your wheel covers and admire your handiwork.

If the rust is not too bad, then you might be able to get away with a proprietary rust remover. These contain phosphoric acid (indecently, so does Coca Cola). Rust is really iron oxide, and the phosphoric acid reacts with this to form ferric phosphate. As the ferric phosphate is black and the rust is brown, you can see the reaction taking place. You can either leave the ferric phosphate in place where is will help protect against further rusting or it can be scrubbed off the reveal the underlying steel. Whichever you do, you will need to repaint your wheel with a spray paint.

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