And Finally... Bulletin 108 (Dec 09)

Renault revives the Gordini brand; nitrogen in your tyres can mean safer driving; something fishy at Nissan; prize for a professor; the latest F1 news and the ultimate present for frustrated racing drivers.

French car maker Renault is set to revive their iconic Gordini brand some forty years after it was last seen on the roads and rally stages.  Named after sports mechanic and Renault sport manager, Amédéé Gordini, the blue and white striped design became closely linked to rallying, racing and 1960s French film stars.

Renault will be reviving the brand for the compact sports market, offering Gordini-badged Twingos and Clios.

For the faster driver wanting to keep their prized possessions safely on the road, new research from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims that inflating car and van tyres with 95-99% nitrogen is safer and more cost effective.  The study shows that tyres filled with the gas retain pressure for longer, thus maintaining tyre performance and handling and reducing wear.

Japanese car maker Nissan have updated their Eporo Biomimetic robot car with new behaviour.  Biomimetic basically means it copies the behaviour of the natural world to avoid collisions.  In 2008 the first Eporo design was based on bumblebee flight.  This year, its influence is fish, mimicking the patterns of schools of fish to avoid obstacles without hitting each other.

An assistant professor at Ontario's Queen's University is C$20,000 richer after being named as one of five Polyani prize winners.  Chemistry lecturer Nick Mosey was awarded the prestigious regional prize for his work on the chemistry of lubricants and the chemical reactions involved in converting motor oils for liquid to film.

There was good an bad news in Formula 1 as the post-season shuffle began.  Newly crowned World Driver's Champion Jenson Button announced a move from his winning Brawn team to join McLaren.  The move will see him partner 2008 Champion and fellow Brit, Lewis Hamilton.  Although Button is enthusiastic about the move, pundits and fans will be watching the hierarchy of the relationship with interest over the coming months as McLaren is seen to be 'Hamilton's Team'.  Meanwhile, Toyota announced it is pulling out of F1 after  just seven years in the sport, citing "economic realities" as the reason.

And finally, for the frustrated racing driver a solution may be at hand.  A professional F1 driving simulator can by yours to 'drive' in the comfort of your own home for a mere £120,000 ($200,000).  You can even include the family with a three-seater version of the Dutch-made Cruden Hexatech simulator.