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The Formula 1 pitstop is an exciting feature of a motor race that relies on immense skill from the race team and great tactics. Many a race has been won in the pit, with the best teams now getting everything done in well under 10 seconds. How does it all work?

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Prior planning

The race team and strategists will plan ahead when the driver should pull into the pit and will load the car with exactly the amount of fuel to get to this point. The driver is informed during the race, and the pit crew scrambles together. The driver will enter the pit lane at about 80km/h.

Team work

The driver must be able to stop exactly where the crew is waiting; otherwise, valuable time is lost. Each team member will know exactly what their own very specific role is and will have rehearsed many times. There will be someone at the front jack, someone at the rear jack, and another two members of the crew for each wheel once the car is jacked up just a couple of inches off the ground. Of this pair, one will operate the gun to take off the central retaining nut while the other swaps the wheel. The gun operator then replaces the nut. This is all done in roughly three seconds!

The car is also refuelled during the pitstop at a staggering rate of 12 litres per second.

Meanwhile, the driver is preparing to get back on the track. Although speed is limited in the pit lane, once he passes the line he is clear to get back up to race speed.

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If you would like more information from those on the ground about what happens during an F1 pitstop, there is a great guide on the F1 website.

Alternatively, get up close yourself and go to a race. There is nowhere quite like Silverstone for a bit of home-crowd support, with the F1 Paddock Club Britain a great way to get involved. A specialist events company such as https://edgeglobalevents.com/f1-paddock-club/britain/ can arrange everything for you.

With the popularity of F1 as big as it is, you can always be confident the races will be shown on television; however, nothing beats the experience of watching live and hearing the roar of the crowd and the squeal of the engines.

Travelling by car with a group of friends can be a wonderful way to explore or simply a way to reach a holiday destination. If you’re all travelling within the same vehicle, it is simple to keep things fun and entertaining. The challenge comes if you’ll be using separate cars. Inspired by the fun group adventures enjoyed by classic car and motorcycle clubs, here are ways you and your friends can have a great journey to your destination or simply entertaining scenic drives. These can be great ways to keep everyone happy if the people in your group don’t all share the same love of the open road.

1. Scavenger Hunt

You may think of scavenger hunts as taking place around your neighbourhood but road trips can be the perfect time. Have one team of scavengers per vehicle and give them each a list of items or sights to collect. The easiest way is to have them take pictures of the items on their list as they find them. Keep things interesting by creating a challenging list and assigning a different number of points for the various items on the list. Provide a deadline for when all teams have to reach the end point so that you’ll reward teams that are more strategic in their choices in the items to collect. Once everyone checks in at your final destination, you can review all the pictures together and calculate the points for each team.

Scavenger hunt items can be as general as “cow” or include particular types of plants or buildings. They can be as specific as individual scenic landmarks or towns along the way. To make it more interesting, have people include their team members in the picture with each item on their list. Your scavenger list can also include collecting pictures of teams completing activities like eating cookies from a specific bakery or standing in the middle of a village’s fountain.

2. Number Plates

Each car or person in your group can try to spy as vehicle number plates from as many different locations as possible. This can be a fun activity to help keep children entertained during a long drive. You can even use it as a way to encourage them to learn more about different countries and regions.

3. Rally Route

You can have set points for each car to visit on the way to the final destination. Stopping at a specific restaurant can be a good way for the vehicles in your group to catch up if they become separated in traffic. Then everyone can enjoy a meal, beverage, or pitstop together before resuming the journey.

4. BINGO

Create bingo cards for each person to play. Each bingo square should include one item to try to see along the way. From a horse and buggy to a church or road signs, list various things they should try to spot. Ideally, the cards used by each person should have the items arranged differently. That will make it more exciting to see who gets a bingo first, even if everyone sees the same things during the drive. Another option is to simply create a list of items to see along the way and then the winner will be the person or team who spies the most items on the list.

5. Sing-a-Long

Singing songs together is a classic part of any road trip. Thanks to modern technology, you aren’t limited to singing with the people within your vehicle. Use your phone’s Bluetooth technology to enjoy a sing-a-long with other cars. Another option is to have the occupants of the cars take turns singing or make a competition of it.

For a person who has numerous business accolades under his belt, Las Vegas’ Don Forman is showing the world what it is really like to do meaningful business. The Tustin Nissan dealer has taken it upon himself to give back to the community by being partners with FOX5 Surprise Squad. This philanthropic work of the car boss has touched and changed lives.

In one occasion, he and the rest of the Surprise Squad gave an unexpected yet pleasant gift to a very young family who is struggling with the medical bills of their son. While the family is deep into facing the problem, they experienced a break into their car where they lost some personal things including the power tools that dad David Amaya is using to earn a living as a maintenance man.

The Amaya family has a second son named Ezekiel whose heart, liver, and some other organs are partially outside of his body. Amid their struggles with their son’s medical condition, they became unfortunate victims of theft leaving the dad scrambling to borrow tools for work.

Don Forman’s United Nissan stepped in to provide them with a $5,000 family fund to help them out with their expenses. The money aims to ensure that the family gets what they need at the time when they need it.

Speaking about his whole experience with the FOX5 Surprise Squad, David Amaya said,“We never got so much help before. It’s pretty emotional for us.”

“It’s surprising to know that there is people out there that … actually, care for us,” added his wife, Desteny.

In yet another emotional and unforgettable episode of the show, FOX5 Surprise Squad surprised a man helping communities and families heal from the brutal loss of a loved one.

Greg Zanis of Crosses for Losses has been making crosses for areas where tragedy struck in order to mourn and, more importantly, to celebrate the lives lost. The carpenter from Illinois has made crosses for victims of a number of tragedies including the Las Vegas shooting, dubbed as the deadliest mass shooting in the US, where 58 individuals were killed.

While delivering the crosses to Las Vegas, Mr. Zanis was using his almost 20-year-old truck to transport the items. His efforts did not go unnoticed. He then got the surprise of his life from Don Forman and FOX5 Surprise Squad when United Nissan gave him a brand new Nissan Titan XD.

“Words are not enough to describe how appreciative we are for the love you’ve shown for our community,” said Don Forman.

The Las Vegas-based philanthropist added, “And although our hopes are for you to never travel to another city in the wake of a tragedy, from our family at United Nissan and FOX5 Surprise Squad, we want to present you with this new truck.”

Las Vegas’ Don Forman has indeed fully comprehended and appreciated what a true meaningful business is all about. It is about engaging in partnerships like what he has with FOX5 Surprise Squad to give back and share to those who need and deserve them the most.

Engineered for multiple defense purposes at 9,000-kilogram capacity, the AJBAN Class of 4×4 vehicles ranges from utility vehicles to fully protected patrol vehicles.

A universal 4×4 chassis is utilized for a common logistic basis to minimize maintenance, training and spare parts management. All vehicles in the AJBAN Class can be suitably fitted as per the specific user’s requirements. Specific armed models are equipped with thoroughly tested and certified cabins for higher crew survivability.

Here is an insider’s guide to four of the AJBAN class of military vehicles.

1. AJBAN LRSOV

The AJBAN LRSOV was presented to the public during the 2015 IDEX conference. Featuring a fuel tank capacity of 180 liters and a maximum cruising range of 700 kilometers, this fierce military vehicle reaches a maximum road speed of 110km/h. It can also support self-sustaining missions for up to two weeks.

Incredibly, the AJBAN LRSOV is light enough that it can be transported by helicopter, enabling military personnel to covertly use it across various terrains and environments. This long-range reconnaissance vehicle can move four crew members (with an optional fifth seat) at the same time.

The AJBAN LRSOV’s armament includes a roof-mounted machine gun that can be swiveled 360° in mere seconds — a major element of success and survival. The AJBAN LRSOV is often used in missions taking place in harsh desert conditions, and which involve reconnaissance, border surveillance, patrol, logistics support, as well as command and control.

2. AJBAN VIP

The AJBAN VIP armored military vehicle is designed with discrete blast and ballistic protection and can be seamlessly combined with other AJBAN support vehicles during convoy assignments. As the VIP version of the series, this particular model comes with a wide range of interior options that enable them to be customized to meet the highest standards and preferences of the most discerning clients.

In addition to providing the crew with high-end commercial comfort, the AJBAN VIP also integrates fire-suppression systems, an over-pressure system for chemical and biological protection, a night vision camera system, full 360-degree situational awareness, and the latest tactical communication systems.

For all these reasons, the AJBAN VIP is the primary vehicle for ensuring the secure movement of dignitaries and VIPs through hostile and adverse environments.

3. AJBAN 440A

Designed with only the harshest environments and the most onerous of missions in mind, the AJBAN 440A is equipped with the most advanced technologies in ballistic and blast protection.

The modular design of the AJBAN 440A gives it the capability to be tactically set up for a variety of assignments:

• CBRN defense
• Command and control
• Combat
• Patrol
• Reconnaissance
• Surveillance
• Transportation

Strategically set up the roof of the vehicle is a remotely-operated turret on a ring mount that can be armed with a range of weapons – usually a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

For the safety of the personnel housed inside it, the AJBAN 440A has a facility that can be fitted with eight smoke grenade launchers and an RPG protection net for rocket-propelled grenades. It also has an overpressure protection system to safeguard the crew from all sorts of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.

With the ability to climb grades of 60 percent, traverse through 1-meter-deep waters, reach a maximum speed of 110km/h and operate in temperatures ranging from -19°C to 49°C, this sure is one advanced military vehicle!

4. AJBAN ISV

The AJBAN Internal Security Vehicle (ISV) is an internal security, riot and crowd control personnel carrier engineered for fast deployment. It can move up to ten fully equipped troops in all weather conditions, both on and off the road.

Designed with a military grade armored cabin, this incredible vehicle can endure ballistic threats, as well as other risks that are possible in riot situations. The AJBAN ISV meets the highest level of military standards, and can be kitted out with a broad array of non-lethal crowd control systems and mission equipment.

As defense technology is continuously developing and expanding, so too are the pieces of equipment that military forces around the world are utilizing on a daily basis. The AJBAN Class of 4×4 vehicles is a testament to this exciting and ongoing evolution.

AUTHOR BIO

Miles Chambers

Senior International Business Development and Sales Manager, NIMR Automotive LLC

Miles Chambers joined NIMR Automotive in October 2016 as Senior International Business Development and Sales Manager. In this capacity, Miles oversees NIMR Automotive’s expansion to Global markets, particularly into Europe and Southeast Asia. In addition to his responsibilities at NIMR Automotive, Miles is the Chairman of the Azerbaijan-South Africa Chamber of Commerce.

In-car internet is a modern convenience that is quickly becoming a necessity. The benefits are far-reaching including better entertainment, improved communication, better navigation systems, by-the-minute traffic updates, vehicle performance stats, etc. But there are certain things you need to know before you decide to hop on the bandwagon.

Your choice determines the extent of convenience

There are a number of methods of getting Wi-Fi in your car, ranging from using your smartphone as a hotspot to purchasing a car with internet connectivity as an integrated feature. Most people assume and expect that they will get the same level of convenience as long as they have Wi-Fi installed in their car. In truth, some methods of connectivity are more limited than others. For instance, when using a smartphone, only the internet enabled features such as internet radio and navigation will function in the car. If you want full integration with the vehicle’s systems, your best option is buying the car with pre-installed internet features from the manufacturer. These are linked to the car’s computers and allow you to monitor the car’s systems and performance, such as checking the battery level or even running engine checks from the laptop or tablet.

Safety should be a major concern

Modern car manufacturers argue that the cars are secure from hackers because the on-board computers operate in a completely closed network; the Controller Area Network (CAN bus). However, installing Wi-Fi into your car provides a way for hackers to gain access to the CAN bus and gain control of your vehicle’s electronic systems. This concept was proven when a Jeep was hacked by a team of researchers through its Wi-Fi. If you’re thinking of getting Wi-Fi for your car, you should also consider installing cybersecurity measures such as a VPN and antivirus software.

Expect increased data costs

Regardless of the method you use to install Wi-Fi in your car, you should expect increased data costs. Since every internet-enabled system in your car will link to the same network, you will go through your data plan pretty fast. Although the increased cost is inevitable, the extent of the increase is dependent on your data provider. That is why it is important that you choose your data provider wisely and after much consideration.

Connectivity is not always guaranteed

This is yet another reason, choosing your data provider carefully is important. As you know, there are regions that get limited connectivity. How often you become a victim of such instances is again, dependent on the data provider. Even more so, you have to be careful about the strength of the data signal. Some providers guarantee 4G connectivity but limit it to select regions, leaving you with 3G connectivity most of the time.

Consider system accessories and upgradeability

These are two different but equally important considerations. First is how well your accessories work with the new Wi-Fi installation. For instance, if you decide to use a smartphone you will need sustainable charging. Another example is handsfree tech you’ll need for communication.

When it comes to upgradeability, keep in mind that mobile technology moves pretty fast. In a few years, there’ll be something much faster and more reliable than 4G networks. That is why you need to consider whether the system you install is upgradeable. For example, upgrading a fully integrated system requires the manufacturer’s involvement and might turn out to be impossible. On the other hand, all that’s needed to upgrade a dongle or MiFi device is to buy another one.

The Takeaway

Your choice of a data provider, the method of installation and the security of the car after installation are all things that determine your level of comfort or discomfort when getting Wi-Fi for your car. Making well-informed decisions about this could save you a lot of money and heartache in the future.