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Sunday February 21, a woman was hit by a tire flung by a crashing dragster.  The woman was airlifted to the nearest hospital for treatment, but later died.

It was Firebird International Raceway’s first-round Top Fuel run that caused the tragedy.  Driver Antron Brown was piloting the Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster, when a crash caused the rear left wheel to come off.

Top fuel dragsters are unbelievably powerful machines that can reach speeds up to 340 miles per hour within a quarter mile’s distance.  A tire launched at this speed would have an amazing destructive force on any person or any thing.

Top fuel injuries and deaths are not a new thing, however, it is more rare for someone in the audience to get hurt from accidents.

The NHRA issued this statement regarding the incident:

“The entire NHRA community is deeply saddened by today’s incident and sends its thoughts and prayers to the woman’s family and friends”

Dragster Crash

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In Palo Alto, CA a small Cessna airplane crashed killing three employees from Tesla motors.  The names have not been released yet.  A statement by the Tesla CEO Elon Mus indicated they wanted to notify the family members first.  Tesla motors is a small tightly knit company and loss for this company is devastating according to Mus.

The airplane was owned by one of the engineers of the company, and it appears as if they were joyriding and something went wrong.  They crashed into power lines and the plane exploded.  Some houses were damaged including a day care, but no one was injured on the ground.

This comes at a bad time for the company as they are preparing to go public and offer shares through an IPO.  Hopefully this setback won’t hurt them in the long run.

[source http://www.ktvu.com/news/22589862/detail.html]

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According to Left Lane news the South Korean court has found Chung Mong-Koo, Hyundai CEO, guilty of protecting managerial rights knowing it would hurt the company and bring about financial loss.  The courts fined him 60 million dollars… holy crap.  But that doesn’t even come close to the amount desired, which was $480 million according to the lawsuit documents.  The losses had to do with sales of shares of Hyundai affiliates Hyundai Airspace and Aircraft Co. and Hyundai Hysco.

At first thought, who could pass judgment on this guy.  Who knows what really went down? However, come to find out in 2007 this guy was found guilty of embezzling 90 billion won of Hyundai’s funds, which is like 78 million dollars give or take, through fraudulent accounting practices!  That is too bad considering I love this company.  Every year they surprise me… you know you liked the Sonata presented in the super bowl commercials.  Don’t deny it.  Starting under 20K for a sleekly designed 4 door sedan running at 35 mpgs?!?  Remarkable…

Leave a comment darn it! Oh and here is the full article if you want to read it.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai-ceo-to-pay-60m-fine-over-losses-to-company.html

NG4GUHWGWHMX

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If you are like me, there is no “best car” per se.  If I had my choice, then I would have a line up of twenty cars and in the morning think to myself “hmm… which car do I feel like driving today, the Tesla Roadster, my Toyota FJ Cruiser, or the Camaro?  But of course, Motor Trend must be a little more realistic than I am because they realize that that doesn’t happen.  For 2010, they picked the Ford Fusion.  Let’s find out why.

To sum it up, it’s economical, practical, and doesn’t bore your pants off.  It’s an exciting car to say the least due to its 4 engine choices and various trims, and great design. (it was completely redesigned for 2010)

Here is a quote from the Motor Trend article:

It isn’t often that lower-end models impress our lead-footed, enthusiast-driver staff, but our 2.5-liter four-cylinder Fusion SE tester proved the biggest of surprises. Paired with a slick-shifting six-speed manual transmission and optional Monochrome Appearance Package, (which, at only $895, includes 18-inch alloy wheels, V-rated performance tires, a rear spoiler, leather steering wheel, and cruise control), the Fusion SE goes from mild-mannered commuter to worthy canyon charger. Edward Loh said it has a “balanced ride, yet it’s sporty and really fun to chuck in corners.” And it boasts an EPA rating of 22 city, 29 highway, and an as-tested sticker price of just $23,065.

Full Article Motor Trend Article: http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/112_1001_2010_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_ford_fusion/index.html

There are lots to say about this car, but the other item I wanted to point out was the hybrid option that boasts a 45 mile electric only range.  Thats incredible.  For me , that finishes my everyday commute plus 20 miles.  Give me the option to plug in and I would hardly need the 2.5l  combustion engine that’s mated with it, only on long road trips.  Think about it.  I now spend $2000 a year on gas.  If I keep the car for 5 years and only spend $500 per year because of the electric feature, thats $7500 more dollars I can spend on the price of the car.

Anyways props to the engineers and creators of this car.  Check out the article if you are interested.

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