So, I won part of a Formula 1 car.

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Icarus25

Icarus25

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ForzaTifosi79
Earlier this season, Team Lotus and a writer/blogger for The Daily Mail put together a fan Q&A with drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli. The entries were sorted and the best ones were asked, with the submitter of the question deemed best being awarded the rear wing endplate off of Heikki Kovalainen's 2010 European GP car. I asked them if, given their experiences in F1 and knowing the risks and danger involved, they would try and steer their children away from becoming drivers. I thought that it was an interesting question when you consider the incident between Heikki and Mark, Kubica's crash in Canada a few years ago and his rally incident, and the other violent crashes that have happened over the last few years...and because the prize was a result of one of those. Heikki said that he would support his in whatever decision they made while Jarno quite simply said "Yes, I would."

In that race, on lap 9, Mark Webber tried to pass Heikki and ended up running into the back of him. Webber's car then flipped and landed upside down before rolling back onto its wheels and crashing hard into a tire wall. The endplate I received is the right side endplate, the side Webber hit. The piece twisted off it's mounting points and went flying through the air, coming out amazingly intact.

During the British GP weekend the team had both Heikki and Jarno, along with 3rd driver Karun Chandhok, who was not part of the team in 2010 but that's not really important, sign the endplate before they sent it off to me. Now, it might not be a front-runner like Ferrari, Red Bull or McLaren, or a team with history like Williams or Renault, but it's very cool to see a team do things like this for their fans. They didn't need to give away any prize, just having your question be answered by a driver is an honor. I am very appreciative to Team Lotus and to Daily Mail F1 blogger Phil Duncan who set this all up. I just want to show it off as much as possible, and it's given me an itch to try and start an F1 parts collection, no matter how small or insignificant the part is.

I'll post some photos and a link to my flicker album, and you can search YouTube for a video of the crash.
 
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I should have wiped it down before taking the pictures, it's covered in prints.

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More located here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scuderia_tifosi/sets/72157627071549327/ including some shots of the damage and closer looks at each sig.
 
If you're gonna hang it over your fireplace, either frame it or center it.

Also, it's a damn shame they had to go and sign it with all the swirl marks in the paint like that. You wouldn't be able to polish it out without burning off their ink.
 
Omnis
If you're gonna hang it over your fireplace, either frame it or center it.

Also, it's a damn shame they had to go and sign it with all the swirl marks in the paint like that. You wouldn't be able to polish it out without burning off their ink.
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Yea it's not the best picture or position, its just sitting on the mantle. I put it there to get it up out of the way and because there's space. I fully plan on making some sort of display case or frame for it. I was told it had shipped on Tuesday and it arrived on Thursday, so I haven't had much time to think things through. It's not a bad display of the size of the piece though, considering your average fireplace. It's roughly 26x26 inches, or 66x66 cm.

I don't know if I'd want to polish it out, cleaning it up too much just seems to take away from the whole "it was smashed into and sent bouncing and sliding along asphalt," at least in my mind. It still has dust and grime in the gills and around where it was mounted to the rear wing, plus some tire marks. If it was an unused piece or something then yea, making it shine would be something to do.

rocko100
That's pure awsome sauce 👍 btw is there anywhere I can read the q&a
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Yes. The Q&A is HERE. I completely forgot to put my question in the first post, I'll edit it.

http://duncanblog.dailymail.co.uk/2...ns-for-jarno-trulli-and-heikki-kovalaine.html
 
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That's real cool, Icarus. Easily 57 varieties of Awesome.

And I'm gonna agree with you that washing the wing is not a good idea, since you'll lose more than the autographs if you do. Like you said (implied), the wing's imperfections are part of its charm, including the dirt.
 
Nice. Given the impact that crash had (no pun intended)on the media, I imagine that you have a very sought after object. Personally, I'd rather have had webber's steering wheel, but I've always wanted an F1 steering wheel. Still, nice of Team Lotus to do that.
 
Looking good but most visitors will probably never understand why it's so important. :)
 
Icarus25
I don't know if I'd want to polish it out, cleaning it up too much just seems to take away from the whole "it was smashed into and sent bouncing and sliding along asphalt," at least in my mind.
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Those spiderwebs are from some nub wiping it down, not from any accident.
 
Ah, ok. Car detailing is not my strong suit. I always see guys wiping down the cars during TV coverage of race weekends, I would have expected them to have some sort of soft microfiber cloth or something. Must have wiped it down before they signed it.
 
I'd put that over my workbench in the garage, but that's just me. Congrats.
 
Icarus25
Ah, ok. Car detailing is not my strong suit. I always see guys wiping down the cars during TV coverage of race weekends, I would have expected them to have some sort of soft microfiber cloth or something. Must have wiped it down before they signed it.
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Even a microfiber can cause those swirls if it's not stored or used correctly. I always test mine on a blank CD before taking it to my car's paint.

That said, it's an awesome piece you've got there and I imagine it's a brilliant talking point!
 
Very nice. I love lotus. I got a ride in a friends exige with a stage 2 exhaust on it. Drove it around during the long beach grand prix.
 
Thanks guys. It's such a cool piece I think it deserves to be showed off, and not just to gloat. It really is a work of art and I feel honored to own it.
 
rocko100
I'm curious the FAQ had questions from many people so why did you get the piece?
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I'm not sure exactly how it worked, but someone picked one question out of all the ones that got asked that they felt was the best. You either tweeted or e-mailed your question to the Daily Mail guy and he sorted through them to get it down to a manageable number. It's possible that Heikki and Jarno picked the one they thought was best, or maybe someone from Team Lotus' PR department. I think it was the Team's decision somehow since it was their prize that was being awarded.
 
rocko100
I'm curious the FAQ had questions from many people so why did you get the piece?
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His was considered to be the best question asked. I'm not sure who the judge was though, whether it was put to the public vote, or just the interviewer.
 

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