Bleacher Report - Articles by Laurel Andrews

Cape Town Hosting 2009 Peace Cup, Looking Ahead to 2010 World Cup

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:40:03 -0400

Cape Town soccer fans are in for a treat towards the end of the year when the inaugural Cape Town Peace Cup will take place in the Mother City.

The tournament which will feature four local and four international under-19 teams was officially announced at the Athlone Stadium.

The organizer of the tournament is the South African Peace (SAPC) in cooperation with the Nobel Peace Center (Oslo, Norway) and Cape Town.

International teams that will participate include, Boca Juniors (Argentina), Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), Chelsea (England), and Stabek (Norway).

The local teams will comprise of Orlando Pirates, Santos, Ajax Cape Town, and Supersport United.

We are honoured to have this caliber of teams participating in this tournament,"said SAPC CEO Kjetil Siem.

The message of peace and harmony needs to be spread across the world through every possible medium, and football can play a huge part in ensuring this."

Draw for Cape Town Peace Cup held

The iconic Nobel Peace Center in the heart of Oslo was the venue for the draw for the Cape Town Peace Cup held 8th October 2009.

The draw was conducted by the CEO of the Nobel Peace Center, Bente Erichsen, and
Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Chief Mandla Mandela in the company of club
representatives, the City of Cape Town and many other dignitaries.
The eight under 19 teams competing in the tournament have been drawn into the
following groups:

GROUP A                                                         GROUP B
Ajax Cape Town                                               SuperSport United
Santos                                                           Orlando Pirates
Stabaek                                                        Chelsea
Boca Juniors                                                    Eintracht Frankfurt

Fixtures for the above matches will be announced at a later stage. Speaking at the draw, Nobel Peace Center CEO, Bente Erichsen, expressed her joy at her organization being a key part of this event.

“Our focus at the Nobel Peace Center is respect, equality and brotherhood. Football can create fellowship that transcends beyond all boundaries and for us this is key,” explained Erichsen.

“For the City of Cape Town, the Peace Cup presents a further opportunity in the unification process. We know that sports play’s a major role in unifying countries and this is what we’d like to see at the end of the day when the South African team’s take on their international counterparts,” said Councillor Gerhard Ras of the City of Cape Town.

The two Cape Town clubs were represented at the draw by their chairmen. “I think that you can see that South African Football has finally arrived with us hosting the Nobel Peace Center and international teams all under one umbrella. We now need to deliver a world class tournament,” said John Comitis, Chairman of Ajax Cape Town. Comitis’ sentiments were echoed by Santos boss, Goolam Allie.

“It’s a culmination of the hard struggle of many years experienced by footballers in the Western Cape and it’s only fitting that we host a tournament of this magnitude,”
expressed Allie. The opening ceremony of the Cape Town Peace Cup will take place on 26 November 2009 with the King and Queen of Norway the guests of honour.

ENQUIRIES: Altaaf Kazi – +27 82 553 9595

altaaf@psl.co.za

South Africa Soccer History : 2010: 253 Days and Counting

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:27:22 -0400

History

South African Soccer

Football first arrived in South Africa through colonialism in the late nineteenth century, as the game was popular among British soldiers.^[1] From the earliest days of the sport in South Africa until the end of apartheid, organised football was affected by the country's system of racial segregation. The all-white Football Association of South Africa (FASA), was formed in 1892, while the South African Indian Football Association (SAIFA), the South African Bantu Football Association (SABFA) and the South African Coloured Football Association (SACFA) were founded in 1903, 1933 and 1936 respectively.

South Africa was one of four African nations to attend FIFA's 1953 congress, at which the four demanded, and won, representation on the FIFA executive committee.^[2] Thus the four nations (South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) founded the Confederation of African Football in 1956,^[2] and the South African representative, Fred Fell, sat at the first meeting as a founding member.

It soon became clear however that South Africa's constitution prohibited racially mixed teams from competitive sport and so they could only send either an all-black side or an all-white side to the planned 1957 African Cup of Nations. This was unacceptable to the other members of the Confederation and South Africa were disqualified from the competition, however some sources say that they withdrew voluntarily.

At the second CAF conference in 1958 South Africa were formally expelled from CAF. The all-white (FASA) were admitted to FIFA in the same year, but in August 1960 it was given an ultimatum of one year to fall in line with the non-discriminatory regulations of FIFA. On 26 September 1961 at the annual FIFA conference, the South African association was formally suspended from FIFA.

Sir Stanley Rous, president of The Football Association of England and a champion of South Africa's FIFA membership, was elected FIFA President a few days later. Rous was adamant that sport, and FIFA in particular, should not embroil itself in political matters and against fierce opposition he continued to resist attempts to expel South Africa from FIFA.

The suspension was lifted in January 1963 after a visit to South Africa by Rous in order to investigate the state of football in the country.

Rous declared that if the suspension were not lifted, football there would be discontinued, possibly to the point of no recovery.

inThe next annual conference of FIFA in October 1964 took place in Tokyo and was attended by a larger contingent of representatives from African and Asian associations and here the suspension of South Africa's membership was re-imposed. In 1976, after the Soweto uprising, they were formally expelled from FIFA.

In 1991, with the apartheid system beginning to be demolished, a new multiracial South African Football Association was formed, and admitted to FIFA. On 7 July 1992, the South African national team played their first game in two decades, beating Cameroon 1-0. South Africa made the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, but failed to get out of the first round each time. They hosted (and won) the 1996 African Nations Cup and will host the 2010 World Cup, the first African nation to do so.

South Africa failed to impress local supporters by not scoring a single goal in the African Nations Cup of 2006. In light of these poor performances it was decided that the hiring of a more experienced manager was essential. Rumours began to fly, prior to the 2006, that England coach Sven-Göran Eriksson was to be the man for the job, with SAFA apparently offering him R30 million to take Bafana-Bafana to glory in 2010. However this has since been denied.

More recently the former Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has accepted the job. After accepting the job, he was awarded R100 million for a four year contract. His term as manager started 1 January 2007 targeting 2010 FIFA World Cup but he resigned in April 2008 due to family reasons.

Joel Santana signed to coach until 2010. ^[3]

South Africa hosted the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, a year before their World Cup, and finished in fourth place, coming through the group stages with a win over New Zealand and a draw with Iraq, despite a loss to Spain. They then lost in the semi-finals to Brazil, conceding a late free-kick after holding the South Americans at bay for most of the match. In the 3rd-place play-off, they lost to Spain after extra time, despite leading 1-0 at one stage. For many commentators, the ability of Bafana Bafana to stand up to the South American and European champions showed just how far the team had come.

To date the team are playing teams from all over the world and recently played against Germany to add to their experience for 2010 World Cup.

FIFA 2010 : Soccer World Cup Championship South Africa

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:45:44 -0400

This is just a few pictures of what happens in Cape Town and the Western Cape the main stadium will be finish before December 2009 and for 2010 you will have to rest now because our entertainment will make you tired day and night. For all the Bleacher Report soccer fans i will now keep you up to date as the Formula 1 Season is almost finish and all the pictures was taken at 2009 events which happens every year and i can assure you its not for the faint hearted. From the minute you touch down it will be a take off experience as it will be action,action,action and reaction all the way from Cape Town to Johannesburg and surrounding areas and you feel the African spirit in your soul.

Begin Slideshow

South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup: We're Ready To Roll

Laurel Andrews — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:07:10 -0400

To my amazement and shock, I have discovered that we do not have somebody that can give us an update on the 2010 FIFA World Cup that is on our door step.

I took the above picture in 2007, and the stadium is currently 90% complete with the roof all done and looking perfect and ready to roll and I will post an updated picture soon.

Our national team, called Bafana Bafana, has represented us very well in the Confederations Cup and made us very proud when top teams struggled to beat us.

Bafana Bafana National Team
Zulu meaning 'the Boys'

The South African national team are ranked 68th in the world and 12th in Africa, and are affectionately known as Bafana Bafana to South Africans and will be representing the country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

South Africa was admitted back into FIFA only 15 years ago and since then have been fighting hard to regain their footing and respect in the footballing world. They made their first international debut back into the global sporting arena against Cameroon on the 7th July 1992.

Bafana appear to be getting better and building their stride, in April they recorded a momentous 3 - 0 win over Paraguay. This was an unprecedented victory which has gained the team more respect and proved a few critics wrong regarding the team's capabilities. South Africa and Bafana Bafana will be making World Cup history by being the first African country to host a FIFA World Cup Tournament.

As a result the pressure and spotlight is on them, not only regarding their performance in the tournament as a team, but also the hosting capabilities of South Africa as a country representing the continent for the first time.

Up until April 18th 2008 the Bafana Bafana team was under the coaching of acclaimed Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who has since resigned and has been replaced by Joel Santana.

The team, despite being both shocked and surprised by Parreira's departure, still feel that their chances of winning the 2010 World Cup are very good. The issue of who will coach South Africa to the 2010 Soccer World Cup has always been a contentious one and Joel Santana has now taken over from Carlos.

We have 256 days to kick off and lets see if we can join our World Cup Rugby counter parts.

Some info from journeys2africa.com

Singapore No More, Lewis Hamilton Kept His Promise

Laurel Andrews — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:22:12 -0400

As per normal Singapore gave us drama from start to finish and with a race that was left wide open with at least 12 18 laps to go.

Lewis has really proved once again why he is the World Champion and that he can fight to the bitter end. Now we have 30 points still up for grabs McLaren will be a force to region with to and a few surprises up there sleeves we heading for a last race decision.

When Lewis Hamilton was trying to downplay his disappointment at his accident at the last Grand Prix, he said, Oh well, next. Remarkably, that's exactly what happened.

Two weeks after his Monza disappointment, he registered his first Singapore victory with a commanding performance.

The good news now is that McLaren-Mercedes again seemed to be the class of the field and the 2010 formula one will be as exciting as the last two.

Lewis took off in the lead at the start and stayed there,keeping his nerve through the safety car periods. Each time he would just go from strengh't to strength in true Lewis Hamilton Style.

And as Damon Hill has put it in the past people should not underestimate what he has achieved in an incredibly short space of time.

So with a good team, a good car, and a cool nerve Lewis Hamilton blew the field apart.

F1's Lewis Hamilton: Its War in Singapore and Sparks Will Fly

Laurel Andrews — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:02:36 -0400

Singapore, with a circuit length of 5.067 km will be the launch pad for the 40 points up for grabs and a track that came fresh in to the news after the Renault saga.

Bruce McLaren was F1's youngest ever race winner until Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

McLaren established his own team in 1966 it was the start of the three litre era, and McLaren struggled to find a unit that would do justice to the Robin Herd design M2B.

While "Black Jack"; won his third crown with the superb Brabham-Repco, the Kiwi had just three points to show for his season's efforts.

McLaren came closest to halting the Schumacher-Ferrari five year juggernaut when Kimi Raikkonen lost out by by just two points in 2003. In 2005 the Iceman was dogged by ill luck yet still managed seven wins in the MP4/20.

McLaren won 10 of the 19 races but missed out to Alonso and Renault in both championships.

In late 2005 it was announced that Alonso would be joining McLaren in 2007, creating febrile speculation over the future of Raikkonen and Montoya. In the event, Montoya quit the sport and Raikkonen moved to Ferrari leaving an opening, which is to be filled by Lewis Hamilton, a rising British talent.

In the mean time he became the World Champion and hit two Pole positions in succession and is set on course to take quit a few, if not all of the 40 points left.

So all eyes on Sinagapore and in a few hours time the "War in Singapore" will start with a bang and sparks will fly all the way to the podium.

Lewis Hit Pole At The AUTODROMO Nazionale Di Monza:

Laurel Andrews — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:19:58 -0400

MONZA:

Despite numerous changes over its long and auspicious history,Monza, or the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, remains widely regarded as one of the world's greatest motor racing circuits, and one of Formula One's spirual homes, for its has played host to every Italian Grand Prix, bar one, since the inception of the world championships in 1950, and the combination of the circuits history, recent heroes such as Michael Shumacher, and the Italian Ferrari fans, or Tifosi, as they are known, makes for an atmosphere that is practically unknown anywhere else in the Formula One calender, with the possible exception of San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

Number of Laps: 53

Circuit length: 5,793

Race Distance: 306.720

Lap Record R.Barrichello 2004: 1.21.046

Last Year Winner: S.Vettel

The original circuit, which was constructed in 1922 in a park outside Milan, was comprised of a road course and a high speed banked,oval track, and officially opened to hold the second Italian Grand Prix in September of that year, the first having been held in 1921 at Brescia.

The race was dominated by Fiat, who took the top four places.

September 2009 the year the World Championship title is still undecided with four people still in the race and time running out very fast for Lewis but be that as it may we can never say never or impossible as Lewis has surprised us in the past and will no doubt do so with the last few races at hand.

Despite all the efforts to reduce the overall speed at Monza, the long straights still ensure that drivers are going flat out for much of the race, and in qualifying in 2002, Juan Pablo Montoya completed the fastest ever lap in Formula one, with a average speed of 259.827 km (162.392 mph)

Britons dominated the circuit, with three wins by Stirling Moss,a dn one from Tony Books.

And to add to history another British driver will take the flag on the 13th September 2009 when Lewis Hamilton will take the number one spot if all goes well with him and his team.

Monza is still and incredibly fast track,and no doubt new records will be set again as in 1971 when Briton Peter Gethin had the record for clocking an average speed of 242.616 which also had the closest finish of all times, with Gethin beating Ronnie Peterson by 0.01 seconds.

With a British driver at Pole we can only expect fire works in Monza.

The Pain In Spain: No Tyres No Number 1

Laurel Andrews — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:11:14 -0400

Regardless, if he wasn't testing during the off-season,Lewis was usually in the McLaren Technology Centre—or at the Mercedes engine shop in Brixworth, Northants. I told Lewis that when he takes the start at Melbourne, I want him to be the best prepared driver on that grid, said Ron Dennis. I want him to know the rules and regulations better than any other driver, I want him to understand the car better than any other driver. When he changes gear I want him to understand not only that the gear has changed but what the mechanical processes are that have enabled that to happen.

He is going to spend time here in the factory understanding exactly what is involved in creating the machine he will race.

All well said and implemented, Ron Dennis is still alive and Lewis with all the knowledge he could get,coming back after long struggle in the McLaren camp to get pace,Proving to the public at large that give me a fast car i can perform wonders.

With a race so tight where every split second counts never mind the seconds Lewis comes in for fuel and tyre change and what happens.

THE TYRES ARRIVES STILL WRAPPED IN WARMERS / So with all the high-tec available the tyre people apparently cannot see when the cars come in to change tyres.

All it needs is a monitor feed to them then they do not have to wait for instructions to bring the tyres to the front.

Okay, they say that the tyres must be kept warm, My word we talking about Valencia that was so hot on race day the beach was packed with people so how cold could those tyres really get.

In conclusion, I think that Brawn speed caused McLaren to scramble with the decisions they had to make in split seconds, and with the new team who had very little split second experience's and decisions in 2009 at their disposal fell apart.

Be that as it may Lewis still forgive them for costing him the first place as the only thing he needed less than 4 seconds to have his number one spot.

We now have to wait and see what happens next as Brawn GP and Ferrari are still big contenders with Red Bull still very much breathing down Brawn's neck.

Lewis is currently at number six with 27 points and if McLaren can keep up the performance we again looking at a nail biting final with 60 points still waiting to be claimed

And let me remind the readers of the last 500 meters in Brazil as we might see another KERS boost in the home straight.

Lewis Hamilton: Will He Re-Write The History Books Again With Champagne

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:27:38 -0400

EUROPE VALENCIA—August 23, 2009

Number of laps 57

Circuit length 5,419 km

Race Distance 308.883 km

Lap Record: F.Massa 1:38.708

Last years winner F. Massa

Practice 21 August

Qualifying 22 August

The future is now:

McLaren carries No. 1 and 2 on its cars for the first time in a decade after winning the drivers championship via long-standing protege Lewis Hamilton, who has been central to team boss Ron Dennis's aspirations for even longer

At the launch of MP4-24—as slinky a car as permitted by 2009's regulatory impositions—at McLaren's space age Technology Centre, Dennis announced that he would step away from the role of team principal handing over day-to-day control of the team to Martin Whitmarsh to concentrate on growing the diverse McLaren Group.

Whitmarsh has been with the team for 20 years and the relationship with engine suppliers and shareholder Mercedes harks back 15 seasons. All major sponsors have been retained despite the downturn, and the company's unique matrix-style management structure is fully embedded within the company.

Hamilton continues to spearhead the team, again joined by Heikki Kovalainen.

Long-time testers Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett remain on the payroll.

Last year Lewis confounded critics by taking the title—despite making a heavy fist of it—so this year the questions centre on his ability to repeat the feat to become the youngest double champion in F1 history

Last year McLaren ticked one box by winning the drivers championships and this year it needs to score both titles.

Whether it can, remains one of the fascinations of 2009. The way TOPCAR have put in their article.

We are now on the door step of more upsets, history, shocks, surprises and in the true spirit of the Formula one circus no monkey business—may the best man be crowned in a few months time.

KERS or Curse Lewis Is Back and With Style Too

Laurel Andrews — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:04:50 -0400

Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) and Hungry to win in Hungarian Lewis drove like a true World Champion.

The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held in 1936, but the political climate of Eastern Europe ensured that the event would not return for 50 years, and therefore when it did so in 1986, it represented a major coup for the Formula One world championships and Bernie Ecclestone.

It was also the first Formula One Grand to be held behind the Iron Curtain. The race has since become a regular fixture on the Formula One calender with its home at the Hungaroring near Budapest.

The circuit was constructed in just eight months in 1985.

In 1988 Senna stood on top of the podium for McLaren. That was then.

2009: Lewis Hamilton proved to the world that with a good car he rode the race of his life with Hungary being one of his favourite races. He enjoyed every minute and with the perfect car at his disposal, disposed off the competition second by second.

And the way "The Complete Encyclopedia of Formula One put it so nicely a major coup for the F1 World Championships."

This was a major coup for McLaren. Well done Lewis and the team. You have just indicated with this win that McLaren is back and it will be a fight to the bitter end.

We also wish Massa all the best and a speedy recovery and back in action as soon as possible.

Lewis Hamilton and the Debut Part 2: Let the Games Begin

Laurel Andrews — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:36:21 -0400

On Friday morning at Melbourne's Albert Park, the first practice for the Australian Grand Prix was about to get under way.

The track was wet and a light drizzle was still falling. In the McLaren garages, the Mercedes engines were being warmed as an overall-clad Lewis Hamilton put in his ear plugs, attached the mandatory HANS device that protects against spinal injuries, and pulled on his bright yellow helmet.

He was minutes away from taking part in his first F1 Grand Prix weekend, the first day of a completely new life. He was about to be catapulted into an entirely new orbit of existence.

His only experience of which way the track went came via Playstation. He knew the track well by now, and his winter training program had gotten him familiar with the operational aspects of a Grand Prix weekend.

So, under the glare of a watching world of millions, he has most of the pieces. All he has to do is slot them together for the race, which runs March 26-29 at Albert Park.

Located just south of Melbourne, the Albert Park circuit has been home to the Australian Grand Prix, which had been previously based at Adelaide for 10 years. During that time, it has probably become best known as the opening venue for the Formula One World Championship season.

The circuit, which is essentially street-based and is situated around a small man-made lake in Albert Park, was opened in 1996 after considerable expense and improvement of the road sections, resulting in a smooth and rather picturesque course.

In 2001, a marshal was killed by a flying tire following a crash between Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve. In 2002, the Australians celebrated when Mark Webber put in a performance which saw him finish a surprisingly fifth position in his Minardi.

And this will be the playing field of Lewis Hamilton for the second time when he will take the podium in his rightful place of No. 1.

Being the world champion is the only position expected from Hamilton's millions of fans all over the world, including his No. 1 fan in South Africa, me.

F1 the Two-Race Sport: Black and White or Color; Lewis Hamilton and Chris Hoy

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:45:17 -0500

Graham Hill the only person to complete the :

BLUE RIBAND TREBLE : The World Championship, the Indy 500 and the Le Mans

He was World Champion form 1962-1968.

He retired in 1975

The Blue Riband was later changed to the Blue Ribbon award.

Now we know where Lewis Hamilton's inspiration came from.

When Giuseppe Farina's won with his Alfa Romeo at Silverstone on May 13, 1950 he would never ever thought that a young man born July 1, 1985 in a place called Tewin would make equal history 58 years later by becoming the youngest and darkest of them all would make headlines like never before.

When Stirling Moss won the British Grand Prix in Antree England in 1955 it never cross his mind that a young, 23-year-old dark-skinned second-year rookie will be the world champion 53 years later. Moss won so many races and the runners up to the World Champions but was always denied the World Championship as he crashed out in Goodwood as he passed Hill and crashed his Lotus.

In 1965 New Years Day East London South Africa Jim Clark wins the Grand Prix and Nelson Mandela already one-year in jail and Lewis Hamilton not even born yet.

Jim Clark would never ever in his wildest imagination or dreams realized that a young thin colored chappie would come along 43 years later, smashed most of the titles and records and re writes the history books,and Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa.

1976 The Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji James Hunt in extremely terrible weather conditions at the start had to come third to gain enough points to win the World Championship followed by Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter. Nelson Mandela was then already 12 years in jail.

When Lewis Hamilton met Mr. Mandela who by then was 12-13 years out of jail both of them did not now that 2008 the weather would caused also problems in order for Lewis to win the the World Championships.

1996 Damon Hill won the world Championship while Lewis Hamilton was only 11 years old and never ever did both of them new that one day somebody will write articles about them and comparing their achievements.

Bruce McLaren who had four Grand Prix wins, who won at Sebring to become the youngest-ever GP winner at 22 years and 104 days old, never,ever,ever,new that one day a Dark Skinnned young man will be the World Champion at 23 years old.

Stirling Moss born Sept. 17, 1929 London England had 16 victories but never managed to win the World Title but was never the less acclaimed as one of the greatest of his generation.

2008 Brazilllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeee LEWIS MASTER MIGHTY HAMILTON AND YOUNGEST DARKEST DRIVER EVER IN FORMULA 1 became the NEW UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEWIS FOR JAN. 7. YOU ARE THE MASTER AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR YEARS AND YEARS TO COME.

And for all who read this Formula 1 is now officially a Multi-Colored Sport and may it go from strength to strength.

Lord: Lewis Mighty Hamilton Deserves All The Titles / The Queen Is Never Wrong

Laurel Andrews — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:06:37 -0500

MBE: means "MY BEST EXPERIENCE." Just joking; all I know that it means a lot for Lewis and his family so let us all share in the joy.

Its been sometime since I've write an article, but with 2009 in our face it will only be in a few months time and i will be back with my world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Lets get back to the recent situation when the queen awarded Lewis with a title and only naturally the anti Lewis brigade started to march.

But lets just get a few things in perspective here by taking a drive down memory lane and then we can decide if Lewis deserve it or not.

The year 1950 Nino Farina the first world champion in motor racing was inaugurated in February

1952 Alberto Ascari / 1953 Aberto Ascari / 1954 Juan Manuel Gangio / 1955 Juan Manuel Fangio / 1956 Juan Manuel Fangio / 1957 Juan Manuel Fangio now please read this carefully

Mike Hawthorn Britain's first World Champion born 10th April 1929 in Mexborough England became World Champion in 1958 when he pip Moss for the title by a single point yes 1 point sounds familiar for the British World Champions.

1960 Damin Hill born 17th September 1960 London England became World Champion in 1996. Hill became Williams No. 1 driver and rose to the challenge battling with Michael Schumacher, and losing the championship in the final race in Adelaide.

2007 Lewis Mighty Hamilton lost with 1 point the World Championships

2008 Lewis Mighty Persistence Hamilton wins the world Championship on a wet circuit with 1 point and re-writes the history books for once and for all.

Now to get back to my point how on earth can we still doubt or tried to debate the extra ordinary qualities Lewis Hamilton have to come back the very next year to proof that it was not a lucky achievement to loose by one point in your rookie year.

So even if Lewis immigrates to South Africa where he will no doubt receive some award from Mr Mandela he deserves each and every title bestowed upon him.

And if McLaren nursed him as a Daddy's boy, why not they saw the potential and extra ordinary qualities and it payed off every pence and pound.

Lewis Hamilton: Might He Be The New Muhammad Ali Or Michael Schumacher?

Laurel Andrews — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:48:39 -0500

Lewis Hamilton, the first "NONE WHITE BRITISH, GRENADIAN BORN" Formula One World Champion is a headline on its own.

B/R readers and analyst, it's been a long time since I wrote my last article, followed by insults, accusations, controversy, you name it. And the way Lewis caused a stir and upset in Formula One, Laurel Andrews must do something on Bleacher.

But one thing is for sure: The amount of enemies I've created is very little compare to the amount of people that read my articles in this short period, almost 6,000.

The fascinating part is that I could've joined other Web sites that predominantly preach or sing the "We are Black Songs", but no, I decided that being the only black person from South Africa to write for Bleacher I know of, it is only fitting to give my perspective, as one day my children and grandchildren could say my dad or grand dad was very proud of what he is and where he comes from.

But let's talk about the main man, the man that smiles in the face of adversity, the man that will be the next Muhammad Ali or the next Michael Schumacher.

With Cassius Clay, I could not watch him on television, as I grew up with no television. I could not write articles about him because there was no Internet. I could not cheer and promote him openly because he was a black man. But be that as it may, he shocked the world and became the world champion, just like Lewis did. Some loved him and some hated him.

When I got involved with Formula One, I loved it so much that I had four people that kept me glued to the television: Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Barichello, and Ralph, and I had to wait until six hours after the race finish to watch the poor man's version of Formula One.

Today, I have television, I have Bleacher Report, I have the Internet, and man do I let the world know when people that I support, and who have my color, achieve unbelievable titles nobody ever dreamed of.

So, the names I get called because I stand up for what I believe in is nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to what I've experienced for 30 years and more.

And those that stood up for me, thank you guys, it is people like yourselves that give me inspiration on a daily basis.

Rest assure "Laurel Black Racist Pig" is here to stay.

Because "Those that run away lives to fight another day..."

Why Timo Glock Moved Over for Lewis Hamilton: The Outside Story (Humor)

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:43:34 -0500

After a long and hard look at the controversial move over and over, it is a now been decided by all the "red flag wavers" that it was a setup to assist Lewis and see Massa loose the Championship.

What we forget to realize is that the FIA have the final say and they have all the power at their disposal to pull the strings up until the very last minute.

So lets see how it was done, the James Bond 007 way.

Besides the team radio, the teams can communicate with each other and the team bosses can also speak to each other without us knowing whats going on behind the scenes.

It was agreed that they will not smash Lewis Hamilton out of the race but will wait for the last minute and let Raikkonen slow the race down in order for the back markers to tangle with Lewis, provoking him into a fight for the fifth place he so badly needed. When the rain came down it threw the master plan into disaray which mean they had to go to "plan B."

Plan B then, saw Raikkonen speed up again and the top order had to go in for intermediate tyres and it was only logical Lewis will go in as McLaren had made the tyre selection mistake earlier in the season.

Glock then received the messages not to change his tyres as they need him to perform a make believe stunt that must look convincing as nobody would expect that Glock would team up with McLaren.

And because they need all the excitment and fans to support them, the FIA decided to wait for the last corner to let Glock make his move by driving directly into the water side of the track as, with dry tyres, it would look so easy to slide out of the way.

So with two minutes and 600 meters remaining, the signal for Glock to move over was sent via a computer bug into the steering system to lock Glock's steering wheel and turn his Toyota to the otherside of the track without him knowing as a result, Lewis Hamilton saw the opening and went past Glock like a bullet.

As Hamilton went past, the computer automatically deleted all the data that was sent to Glock's car and an undisclosed amount of money was transfered to the hacker: the same hacker that last year stalled Lewis car in order to let him loose the title, as, if he had won last year the FIA bank balance would've been a lot less today.

So yes, all the red flag guys, you're right, Glock did move over but it was done via a hacker and so when he says in the interviews, he really did not know why—it is because he really didn't.

In the final twist to the tale, the person that had been instructed to take Lewis out on the first corner got taken out on the second corner leaving his team mate to get a podium finish.

Lewis Hamilton: The Black Knight with Black Magic

Laurel Andrews — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:37:13 -0500

The day that caused happiness, sadness, surprises, excitement, and victory to the master of the masters came, but, as predicted, it was a fight to the bitter end—come hail, come storms.

Never could anybody have predicted the outcome; even the most seasoned writers could not have had the slightest idea of the outcome.

We had fights with each other, called each other names, and even threatened each other sometimes, but, in the end, we have ended up with the youngest and first black undisputed world champion of Formula 1.

I have never seen a more careful Lewis Hamilton in any race than the final; even in the qualifying, you could see he wanted to be out of the main stream and protect the world championship stake. Now, if we just look back the way McLaren set up the finals, they gave the front row away, they gave the manufacture trophy away—all they wanted was the world championship, which they won by 600 meters.

Going back to my old saying: Whether you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.

What do Felipe Massa and Lewis father's have in common? They both had to do two jobs to put their sons through their training times.

And even if we try to overlook the racial elements, we have to face it, and it is so sad that a country like Brazil, of all places, has such individuals in its society who acted like they did.

But be that as it may, Lewis has proven beyond a doubt that he deserved the world championship and, rest assured, it will not stop here. So, come 2009, the fights will continue as usual, and Lewis will be more experienced, with a lot more enemies but enough determination to prove that he became the world champion by a fraction of a polony skin with a hard-fought race in 2008.

So with lots more to come, I am saying, "Have a good rest of 2008, as we're going to have a dark 2009 Formula 1 coming up."

But did you notice how Lewis brought thousands of red flags to a standstill?

Lewis Hamilton Tested Positive, Might Loose Win (Humor)

Laurel Andrews — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:24:27 -0400

Lewis Hamilton will receive a fine for driving positively well in China. The stewards discovered that Lewis was receiving inside information from a book entitled Positive Driving for F1 Drivers.

The opposition had no answer for Hamilton's text book driving ability and is looking at ways to stop the onslaught coming in two weeks time.

One aspect we should definitely be looking at is team orders; we need to stop drivers/teams from purposely swapping positions now. Otherwise, at the end of the season, teams can have teammates swap places in order to give one driver a title (even if his teammate had a faster car).

I also could not believe it when I read that the Stewards are not actually former racing drivers.

Surely, even with my logic, that can be changed.

So, with Brazil looming in two weeks time, we hope Hamilton is up to his best, as usual. The race will surely be a tense and nail biting experience. We'll be waiting to see who the new F1 champ will be.

In fact, I think that new champ appears somewhere on this page.

Lewis Hamilton Get World Class Pole But Sad Result—Japan

Laurel Andrews — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:34:31 -0400

Hi all Hamilton fans I know how you feel to day but always remember that Lewis Hamilton is, and will always be the master whether in going faster, or the Master of disaster. So relax sit down and take it in your stride he will come back with a bang and as usual zip the critics and all those who think that after two seasons Lewis don't deserve anything.

Be that as it may, Lewis Hamilton on behave of the fans I forgive you for not realizing that if you have a bad start don't panic you have the qualities and the abilities to come back, even if you can just a few points its better than nothing.

As a father, my son your dad in South Africa once again has forgiven you, pick it up my son and lets have fireworks in China and champagneeeeeeeeeeeeeee in Brazil.

Sorry guys I just had to give my world champion a pep talk and for those sports lovers who participated in high level sports like myself, you know how you can come unstuck in a sort time, but Professionals recover, move on and become World Champions like Lewis will be in Brazil.

And by the way my friends he is still on the top of the leader board and for some time now, and as you know you can win with a mile or an inch you still the winner.

And to all the critics and jealous fans it's only the second year for this outstanding professional, highly skilled, well mannered, no nonsense future world champion young man and the best is yet to come.

I will personally answer later to my critics as it's morning in my country be assure that will never disappoint you guys.

And once again I will personally send a note to Lewis, as its simple you dont need to win and you dont need to have pole, all you need is to come second or finish before Massa and you will be the champagneeeeeeeeeee.

Lewis Hamilton Flying High To Collect F1 Crown

Laurel Andrews — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:56:40 -0400

Singapore gone and forgotten Japan here we come the land of the rising sun, or the flying Englishman.

I notice the critics is getting very quite out there, only logic as Lewis Hamilton is getting nearer to be crowned the UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF THE WORLD as the boxing world will put it.

History in the making Mohammed Ali/Tiger Woods/Williams Sisters/Arthur Ashe/Brian Habana/Carl Lewis/and plenty others but these are the household names that can start a conversation and an argument at the same time.

Nevertheless Japan will come and go, and if the team look after Lewis my words and articles will all be worth it.

But let's say something does happen in Japan, Lewis will then be three points down - that's to say if Massa wins - which then takes us to China, nothing happens, Lewis wins, that will take us to Brazil and naturally he'll have to win and what a sweet victory.

My predictions will be after Japan the championship will be sealed and China and Brazil will be a formality.

So guys and girls cross your fingers for Japan as time is running out for everybody and what a season we had.

I dont know what I will do after Brazil as Formula One racing has become a part of my life and off course yours, as I can see how many people is ready the articles some even call it bullshit stories but they just jealous as Mclaren is the force that make the Ferrari fans turn red with envy.

I've lost a few friends as I've switched from BMW to Mercedes but be that as it may, Lewis lose with dignity but win with respect.

Japan - it's showtime as usual for Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton: Won The Appeal !!!!!

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:03:21 -0400

It is Judgement day for the new Formula One World Champion or should I say 2009 WDC.

Well it is Tuesday 08:33 a.m. in Cape Town and in Paris as well as Berlin and 14:34 in Singapore on the 23rd of September 2008 and in a couple of days time we will experience our very first night race.

So let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that the world will like my new headline. The days ahead will be nerve wracking and champagne will rain down over Lewis as in the picture.

Neverthless, we will no doubt be surprised with the result or outcome of the appeal, but we will not be surprised when Lewis will be crowned as the new and undisputed champion of the world.

Did you guys notice when Lewis left the court room in that lovely shining Mercedes. Even the camera man got his settings mixed up as he forgot to set the camera to day light settings.

Thumbs up for Lewis. Singapore here we come, it's payback time.

Lewis Hamilton: No Rain, No Gain

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:03:26 -0400

Hi. I really tried to write my weekly article earlier, but I am still sick from Sundays race. I also drove in the rain to go watch the race with my brother-in law on T.V.

But, here we go. First and foremost, qualifying was a huge shock for us Mclaren fans, as Lewis Hamilton ended up 15th on the grid. It was a heart breaking disappointment to see him fare so poorly.

The only nice feeling about the race was that a Mercedes did start the race in front (the safety car is a Mercedes). Although, that only lasted a few laps.

I joined the race on lap four and watched Lewis destroy the field as he made his climb up from 15th. He was a bit reckless at times, but a man with a mission is always a little reckless.

Now, I agree with the British press that Lewis Hamilton "won" at Monza; he came from 15th to second by lap 24, and was 26.11 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel.

Let me just run this by the experts: If it rained later on as it did at the start, the Mclaren driver would have boiled Vettel in a kettle in the rain with no pain.

Unfortunately, it did not rain and Lewis ended up seventh.

Now, we will go to our next race in Singapre. This season, the World championship will not be decided with before the last race, unlike 2007, where the last race and points kept Hamilton and Alonso from giving Mclaren a World Driving Championship.

Okay, now everybody is saying I am optimistic; its fine and if I am wrong, I will write a long apology note.

Have a splendid day and will be in touch soon.

Lewis Hamilton After Spa: Now What?

Laurel Andrews — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:22:18 -0400

What a week of of opinions suggestions.

It's almost show time again, but we had no definite feed back on last weeks results and I was only going to write next week. But, every time I think about the race, I get so annoyed, so thought I'd analyze Spa again, this time from a steward's point of view, leave emotion out of the equation.

Okay, on lap 18 they announced it would rain in 20 minutes. Lewis was then about six seconds down on the fire brigade...oh sorry... the red Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. We all started to calculate and discovered that the rain would come near the end of the race.

The wait was heightened when the commentators mentioned that the Mclaren performs much better in the rain with dry weather tyres than the Ferrar.

Lewis then brought the gap down to sixth tenths of a second; bare in mind that he came from six seconds down. The rain came and, as I mentioned in my previous article, the movie plot was thickening.

Then with extreme termination/skill/guts, Lewis appeared on the scene, breathing down the neck of Raikkonen with no intention to stay there. With no problem what so ever, he closed on the Ferrari and, as expected, the dog fight started.

Next, Lewis made an attempt to pass and, as expected, got cut off. Logically, he tried to avoid an accident and cut the chicane, meaning he would have to surrender any advantage he gained (to appease the Stewards).

Because Lewis was so close to Kimi before his attempted pass, nothing was there to justify a 25 second penalty, which handed the win to driver never in contention at any point in Felipa Massa.

In conclusion, if there was really a need to penalize Lewis, it should come from a professional, not emotional, point of view.

The Stewards apparently are extremely qualified and professional in running the show. Us spectators know nothing; we only support the TV channels and the Gate fees we are the last people they think about when they have to make the decisions. So, why would the stewards decide using an aspect the fans use: emotion?

Now, finally they had a choice of handing down a ten position grid penalty for the next race. Please tell me then, why settle for 25 seconds on to Lewis' race, taking away his win after the fact. As an outsider, I see their decision as spiteful; a penalty for the next race would have been received much better than first place he worked for.

So, for all the people that said Lewis was at fault, the officials never punished him for that.

That's my story, see you in the land of the RED Brigade.

LEWIS HAMILTON 1st On TV 3rd In News Papers

Laurel Andrews — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:23:32 -0400

Lewis Hamilton came first at SPA in Belgium, but third in all the print media all over the world. With so much excitement and tense moments and no more nails left the last four laps was true movie style material.

But after all the (camera lights action) and lots of champagne the mighty FBI, sorry, FIA, took over and in 25 seconds Lewis Hamilton was demoted to third place based on a decision that had nothing to do with the racing skills of both Raikkonen and Lewis but for taking a short cut in a corner.

Now almost 24 hours later the world is up in arms and cannot believe the stewards decision or rather the logic behind this and now they will have a re-run of the race in the board room or court room with one week before Monza.

It's been a well known fact that certain manufactures and drivers get preferential treatment—especially if the color is red with a yellow horse—because such an insane decision can only come from people who make up the rules based on color.

When they see red they don't even think twice to ignore the actual facts and people in their thousands and millions who watch the race are proved that they worked from a color coded book that says, "if it's red then you fine them with money, don't worry about the amount, the red camp can afford it. But do not take the positions away, we just call it dangerous driving."

But we the spectators irrespective who we cheer for have to accept these people on their high horses who horse around with us and the end of the day its not over until the red ladies sings.

So next week before the winners get on to the podium a neon light will come on above the podium: "Seeing is not believing." The winners will be announce in the international press the next day as we have to check with the red team if they happy with the result.

So until next week when the funny one goes to red town, we will have to wait with high expectations until monday morning to see who won. Enjoy speak next week