Thursday, November 30, 2006

In case anyone would like more goodies to purchase

For those that are into Jenson Button collectibles, here's a link that might net you a few more goodies:

F1RacingShop.net

They've got diecast models and litographies available. And a cap too. :)

Happy shopping! :)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Jenson honoured by readers of F1 Racing.

Jenson wins 'Drive of the Year' for his fantastic breakthrough win at the 2006 Hungarian GP! Good on you Jense!


Here's an exerpt from the official HondaF1 press release:

Honda Racing F1 Team driver Jenson Button and 2006 Third Driver Anthony Davidson have been honoured by the readers of F1 Racing, the world’s best-selling grand prix magazine, in its 2006 Man of the Year Awards.

Jenson was praised as having made the ‘Drive of the Year’ with his breakthrough win from 14th on the grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix, while Anthony was recognised as Friday Driver of the Year. Nearly 50,000 of the magazine’s millions of readers worldwide registered their votes in this year’s awards - the biggest turn-out ever.

Of course, you can always read more at HondaF1's
official site. :)

Is black the new white?

Formula One testing kicked off yesterday at Barcelona, and Formula1.com had this to say about Jenson and Honda:

Another man missing from this week’s line-up - though for very different reasons to Alonso and Raikkonen - is Honda’s Jenson Button. The British driver managed to crack two of his ribs in a recent karting accident and has opted to sit out the test to avoid aggravating the injury.

Honda are running their car with a black livery in Spain, and do not be surprised if other teams are sporting new graphics this week in light of the ban on tobacco advertising from 2007.

Black? Could they be running with that for the 2007 season? Hmm. (Formula1.com carries a picture of the black Honda in the article mentioned above... I'll try posting a picture as soon as one is made available).

I'm partial to the white and red that they've been running with since their launch as BAR. The new ban on tobacco ads takes that red Lucky Strike branding away though, so it will be interesting to see what colors Honda takes on for the 2007 season. I suppose black would be much better the potential green one.

Oh, and get well soon Jense!

*edit: It's been brought to my attention that Honda has run black before (Yup, on concept cars). With the Lucky strike branding out though, it's always fun to speculate on which livery Honda will take on for the 2007 season. Just like the green one. :)

---

On a side note, yup, that article from Linksheaven.com (above) was written by yours truly. Yay! I've become a contributor. Wish me luck these next few weeks as I work to establish myself as a permanent writer for this great F1 blog. :)

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

My World by Jenson Button

While Jenson heals up from his rib injury, you all might want to check out and purchase preview his book, My World.


It was published just last month, and is available supposed to have been published last month, as mentioned at Amazon.com here.

Book Description
Jenson Button entered the 2006 Formula One season with his best-ever chance of becoming world champion in what already looks like being the most open contest for the title in over a decade. The Honda team has spent fortunes to develop their car, and ensure that the progress of 2005 is just the start. So excited was Jenson by the prospects that he spent millions to buy himself out of his contract with Williams. Now he has decided to provide a full portrait of his life, speaking openly and honestly about his desire to be the best, the pressures he faces every time he races and his hopes for the future. Away from the circuits, he reveals much about his lifestyle and the glamour that attaches itself to the world's most exciting sport. This book provides unique access to Jenson Button's world, with candid photographs showing him both in his private moments and at the times of maximum exposure as the races get under way. This is a book that no fan of Jenson Button can afford to be without, nor anyone who wants to know what makes Britain's most exciting driver tick.

However, according to the forum peeps, it hasn't even been released yet. So I guess you can only pre-order it? You can still check it out at the link though. If it doesn't work, you could always just give it a search. It's bound to turn up at the top of the results page.

Now, I wonder if it's already available at our local bookstores. If someone does manage to get their hands on it, please let me know when and where you were able to get it. Ooh, and what it's like. Thanks! :D

*note: post edited after finding out from the forums that it hasn't been released yet. :(

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Where in the world are you?

As if we were lost. Hahaha.

Here's another great way to help Jenson Button fans from all over the world come together and get spotted:



You can also check it out here.

So, where in the world are you? :)

Two race suit contest winners?!


I hadn't noticed this before, as I assumed that Jenson's official site had announced the same thing Honda F1 did... but apparently not. It was brought up recently in the forums, and there seems to have actually been two winners. Check it out:



What's up with that? If there were two winners, good for them. Otherwise, pity the person that saw their name up there only to find out that it was simply due to a glitch in the system. Maybe they should have a re-draw. Hahaha. Kidding. I hope Honda gets that one sorted out.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

BATracer!!

I signed up for BATracer a few days back. I got myself into an F1 2002 league since Honda was already taken in the F1 2006 race (goes to show just how nuts I am about Honda F1... hahaha). So I picked BAR-Honda and got myself team leader. Hahaha. And I'm mightily proud of my race helmet, btw, which looks a lot like Jenson Button's. :D

Anyway, guess what? The results are just in from my first ever race! I finished 4th from 13th in the grid! Just behind two Ferarris and a McLaren! YAY! My team mate also finished high, 7th from 22nd!!! Go BAR-Honda!! Hahaha.

I just hope I get even more feedback from my team-mate. I'm quite particular about testing, and it really helps if he gets to give me feedback on a set-up that works. So far, so good though. :)

Curious? Sign up for BATracer, too! Maybe next month, we can all join up in one game. As long as I get a race seat at Honda, of course. Hahahaha.

Reminiscing: the 2006 Hungarian GP

It's fun reading other people's commentaries and recollections of events. I think getting different perspectives helps enrich one's own experience - it adds to the "completeness", giving it an added sense of clarity. Especially to those fondly remembered. That said, childofneptune.blogspot.com has a nice, play by play account of the Hungarian GP.

Me, I remember being all giddy and praying so hard that Jenson would just finish safely. I was all nervous watching Jense inching closer and closer to the chequered flag, yet thoroughly excited at the same time. It was such a big relief when he finally did, and made me believe even more in Jenson's talent and ability to win. I was like "YAY YAY YAY!" when he finally climbed that top step on the podium. Hahahaha.

What are your memories of Jenson's first win?

Jenson Button's first win, from HondaRacingF1.comJenson Button crossing the line at the 2006 Hungarian Gp, from HondaRacingF1.comJenson Button's first win, from HondaRacingF1.com

Get well soon Jenson!

Oh no.. Here's an exerpt from a Honda F1 report on the start of their winter testing program (and Jenson's health):

Jenson Button is currently en route from Japan where he attended the Honda Racing Thank You Day at the Motegi circuit on Thursday. There he met some of the 26,000 Honda customers invited to a special celebration of Honda’s motorsport participation. He recently sustained two hairline cracks to his ribs whilst participating in a karting test scheduled as part of his winter preparation. As a result, Jenson will not take part in next week’s test to ensure that the condition is not further aggravated.

I hope it heals up soon. It's currently being discussed in the forums here and here.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Putting some effort into it.

Just got back from forum posting. It's been really fun. I recommend any Jenson fans out there that haven't yet to join up, too. :)

Anyhow, I mistyped my blog's url and forgot to include the "fan" in jensonbuttonfan.blogspot.com. Lo and behold, there was a blog under jensonbutton.blogspot.com. It's nice to see other fans out there making an effort to start Button blogs too. Pity that it hasn't been updated though.

There's also this other blog that tops Google searches for "Jenson Button blog", and it hasn't been updated either. I think it's really sad that they just stay like that. Specially when it tops a Google search. I don't want that to happen to this blog (not being updated, that is). I want to keep updating as much as I can, because I do mean it when I say that I want to be able to cheer Jenson on and share it with you all.

That said, please share this blog with other Jenson fans that you know. And please try to link to my blog from your blogs/websites. Hopefully, when someone tries to search for a Jenson Button blog, they come here, where I hope to be able to continue sharing with them anything and everything Jenson. :)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

I'm only happy when it rains

Post title was taken from an old Garbage song. Hahaha. What's it got to do with Jenson, you ask? Well, I just re-read an old interview by Rachel Cooke on Buzzle.com. And this paragraph really stood out:

So where does Jenson Button fit into all this? 'Button is a very, very quick driver,' James continues. 'Definitely one of the tiny few. "How can we tell?" you ask. The answer is that the difference shows up when it rains. Both Senna and Schumacher first leapt to prominence when the rain temporarily nullified the otherwise crippling disadvantage of second-rate machinery.

Wow. That was back in 2004. Jenson did get his breakthrough win at Hungaroring in the wets. Wouldn't it be nice for Jenson to someday rank among both Ayrton and Schumi among the sport's best? At the very least, 2007 should be a great year, with Honda's potential looking as bright as ever. That should really bring out the talent that Jenson has. I hope, I hope, I hope.

Just to be absolutely sure though, maybe we could "seed" the clouds to make it rain on every single grand prix in '07. Hahahahaha. Just kidding.

Go Jenson!

On Jenson Button Websites

First off, I've finally been able to watch Jenson's vid at the Royal Albert Hall. YAY! Here's a screenshot:


I've had difficulty logging on with Firefox, so I switched back to Explorer just to try out Jenson's site. Thankfully, it worked then. :) I wonder if the site's got compatibility issues with Mozilla Firefox or there's something in my browser settings that keeps it from loading and working right. Hmph. Oh well. At least I've finally been able to access members' content. It's free, by the way, so all Button fans who haven't yet, you can sign up at his official site.

I've also been able to access the forums, and I've signed up for that too. YAY! Now I get to share with even more Jenson fans around the world. :)

Here's a temporary little siggy I made for the forums:


Design-wise, it's not much yet, but I'm learning photoshop as I go. I'm also learning about blogging and (trying to learn) css programming, so hopefully I'll get to give this layout a makeover and give it a more "Jenson-ish" feel. I'll also try to figure out how to make "" blog tags work here on blogspot, so I can maybe cut up the posts to make it easier for everyone to scroll through the main blog page and pick out what you all would want to read. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

So for all those that haven't yet, you can sign up for two great websites: Jenson's official site at www.JensonButton.com and the Jenson Button Forum. It's a great way to cheer Jenson on and share that passion and excitement with other fans from all over the globe. See you there! :)

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Button's race suit takes a trip to Oz

HondaF1 finally posted word on their Jenson Button race suit contest:

HondaRacingF1.com’s latest competition offered a fabulous prize – one of Jenson Button’s race suits, signed by the Honda Racing F1 Team driver himself. We are now pleased to announce the winner.


Congratulations to Julie Vella from Australia, who was selected by Jenson at random from nearly 5000 entrants.

The prize-draw competition asked Honda Racing F1 Team fans to tell us what they would like to see on Jenson’s own website: www.jensonbutton.com. For those that didn’t win this time, the feedback that has been obtained is much appreciated and will help to shape the future of his personal website.


Look out for a new competition on HondaRacingF1.com in the next few weeks!


Wow! Congratulations to Julie Vella indeed! Lucky lucky! For all of us fans that didn't win, there's always the next contest. Hahaha.

I really hope the entries help Honda's web team create even better content for us Button fans! YAY! :)

Speaking of which, Jenson's got a new video clip posted on his site! I'm having trouble viewing it at the moment though, so I'm not sure if the site navigation's buggy or my connection's just acting up right now. Grr. I'll try again later and post more info on it right away. Happy viewing to those that can! :)

On the 2007 Formula One race calendar

The 2007 F1 race calendar has gotten a bit shorter again, hasn't it? After reaching a peak of 19 races in 2005, the line-up has gone from 18 in 2006 to 17 for 2007 (with the very real prospect of getting trimmed to an even lower 16 with the possibility of alternating Magny-Cours and Silverstone in the years to come).

These changes can't be good for fans, can it? I mean, I know they're trying to cut down on costs and all, even getting the cars trimmed down to make it more competitive for everyone involved in the sport. But can Formula One really afford to continue cutting back on the number of races?

Formula One is supposed to showcase the very best drivers driving the very best, cutting-edge cars. It brands itself as the penultimate event in open-wheel racing. It even makes a solid case for the best in all of motorsport. That's what makes it so fun to watch. Yet here they go limiting development on the cars WHILE giving us less races to watch? Nearly a month in between Bahrain and the launch of the European leg in Catalunya? C'mon. What can they be thinking?

*sigh*

I just really think it would be better for the sport if it was able to showcase the amazing machines that are Formula One cars on a more regular and frequent basis. As a fan, I would definitely love even more races to watch (and cheer Jenson on his impending championship run). Wouldn't you?

Then again, I really don't know all that much yet about what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe the constructors prefer a lighter schedule to give us better performing cars for the race weekends. I don't know. So if anyone can, please, do enlighten me.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Anthony Davidson on Jenson Button

I was browsing through some Ant stuff for a bit, and found this little tidbit from an interview on Crash.net:

Q:
There could be as many as four British drivers in F1 next year, which is good to the sport in this country. How much are you looking forward to the chance to rekindle the old karting battles that you used to have with Jenson?

AD:
A lot. Hopefully, we are in a position to be high up on the grid as Jenson probably will be and I won't be looking for him in my mirrors during the race as he comes round to lap me! It will be good to be out on the same track as him and I hope we can have some good battles.

Aguri and Honda are two totally different teams but, as I said earlier, I am still in the Honda family and it will be interesting to not only fight with Jenson but with the team I used to work with - it will be quite strange.


Just wanted to share that. There isn't much else on the news at the moment. Ant deserves his time in the spotlight though. After all those years behind Jenson and Taku (and then Rubens), I'm glad that he finally gets his chance at Super Aguri (with Taku... yet again). He's a lightning-quick driver, and his testing and development abilities will be greatly missed at the factory Honda team.

Anthony Davidson Fan Blog

Just stumbled upon an Anthony Davidson fan blog. :)

All you Ant and Honda fans might want to check it out, as well as their neat website at AntDavidson.com.

I hope Ant starts scoring some serious points for Super Aguri Honda this year. Oh, and by the way, Ant will start the 2007 season at 27 too. 27 IS good. Hahaha. :)

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Is 27 already too old?

Is 27 already too old to win a championship in today's Formula One? Jenson Button will have turned 27 by the start of the 2007 F1 season, and with already 118 Grand Prix starts under his belt and just one (albeit spectacular and well-earned) win to show for it, a lot of people have been doubting if Jenson will ever win a championship.

Much of it, I think, is due to the fact that drivers are getting started much, much earlier these days. And they're getting thrust into the media spotlight like crazy.

There's certainly a lot being said about how young the likes of Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica are, and it isn't without good reason, given the way they've already performed. At age 20, Rosberg (now 21) became the youngest driver in F1 to set a fastest lap (set during his points-scoring debut at the 2006 Bahrain GP). Kubica, meanwhile, drove to a podium finish at the 2006 Monza GP. Similarly, teener Sebastian Vettel set the fastest times at the Turkish GP practice sessions without any prior F1 or track experience! Add to that the retirement of Schumi, and the possibility of Lewis Hamilton being thrown into the mix (also 21), and these guys are already being tipped as the future of Formula One.

Having started at roughly the same age as these "next gen" racers and racking up 118 races along the way, it certainly does make Jenson's 27 years look old, doesn't it?

But is 27 really too old? I think not.

You've got to remember that those 118 races also mean 118 races worth of experience. That experience is invaluable, and it should speak volumes about the top-level consistency of performance that Jenson has found for himself. Jenson is now entering his prime. The young guns may be fast, but it remains to be seen whether they (and their teams) can be consistent enough to fight for a championship.

A lot of it is also down to the car, and I think the upcoming season is as good as any for Honda and Jenson to finally win it all. Bernie [Ecclestone] can diss Jenson all he wants, but I do believe firmly in Jenson's dedication to testing (the most of anyone last winter), commitment and ability to win a Formula One Driver's Championship. The pieces are in place for Jenson to finally deliver on the promise of his talent; I believe that he can, and that he will win it all this year.

The likes of Rosberg and Kubica may be the future, but this season is Jenson's to take.

Emerson Fittipaldi, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso may have all won multiple championships before they turned 27, but one of the greatest, the late Ayrton Senna, hadn't even gotten his first until the age of 28.

27 sounds just about right.


(Go Jenson!)

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Limited edition RA106 model

Oh wow.. Check this out:



Now that is one amazingly detailed model. It's a limited-edition run; only 50 handmade 1/8 scale replicas were made. The RA106 is Jenson's, supposedly based on the car Button brought to third in the 2006 Malaysian GP. It's very pretty, but it also comes with a steep price tag. At $4912.96, this isn't a "toy" for just anyone. That's as close as real gets though to owning an RA106, so the few that do get to purchase this thing are pretty lucky.

I wish someone could buy one for me. Buy me one please? :D

121 days to go!

121 days til the opening in Melbourne! Hahaha. I noticed the countdown on the HondaF1 site just now. That's roughly four more months from today. Pft. Still a long way to go.

As big an F1 fan as I am, I've never actually watched a grand prix in person. I really wish I could though. Problem is, I'd need some serious fundage to watch one. I seriously doubt there'd ever be a grand prix held here, so I'd have to plan a trip to the Asian races, or maybe even the Aussie one. Still, it'd probably be well worth it. Then I could meet Jenson. And take his car out for a test drive, too. Hahahaha. Hey, a guy can dream. And who knows? It could happen someday. :P

Anyway, still no news on the the Jenson Button race suit contest winner. Gah. I suppose whoever won it would've been notified by now. And since I haven't been contacted for anything, I think it's pretty safe to assume that I didn't win. Oh well. :(

121 days more and there'll be another race suit being put to use. Maybe they'll raffle that one out by the end of the 2007 season. And hopefully it'll be a championship-winning one then. Hahaha.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Looking forward to the RoC

Not much in the news today.

The Autosport Team England squad for this year's Race of Champions (RoC) has been finalized with the addition of 2005 WTCC champion Andy Priaulx. Priaulx joins Jenson in what should be a pretty solid pairing for the Nation's Cup event. I can't wait to see the race. I just hope it gets televised over here. Hahaha.

Still no word on the Jenson Button's Race Suit contest winner, although the contest page has already been closed. I wonder who the lucky person is?

That's about it really. *yawn* I'm off to rest. Good day everyone!

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Jenson Button's motorhome

Jenson's motorhome is reportedly up for sale. For £200k. I can only wish that I had that much money on me right now. Hahahaha.

Jenson Button's motorhome from Edwards Hospitality Services
Anyone interested? You can check it out at Pitpass and Edwards Hospitality Services.

EDIT: Hahaha. This article from itv-f1.com was just too funny to pass up. Click on the link to get an "idea" of what Jenson's might be replacing his motorhome with. :D

EDIT part II: Ooh.. is this Jenson's new motorhome?

Things to read from months past

For all those who haven't come across it yet (it came out about a month after the win at the Hungaroring), I think this article by The Sunday Times Online on Jenson makes for a good read. It's a bit lengthy, but it does share with its readers a glimpse of what Jenson's like.

You've also got Button's exclusive year end interview from Formula1.com.

Happy reading! :)

Honda signs Klein

Just checked in on Honda F1's site. No winner has been announced yet for the Jenson Button Race Suit contest. They've posted news on their test driver line-up for 2007 though.

The Honda Racing F1 Team is pleased to announce its test driver line-up for the 2007 Formula One season. Joining race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will be Christian Klien in the role of Test and Reserve Driver, while James Rossiter steps up to the role of an official test driver.

Klein had been in competition with McLaren's Gary Paffet for the role (see Crash.net and Eurosport.com) after third driver Anthony Davidson secured a well-deserved race seat at Super Aguri Honda (all the best to him!).

With Klein, Honda gets some three years of invaluable race experience and technical know-how. He could also conceivably fill in rather ably for either race driver should the need ever arise. Paffet, I suppose, is back to competing with Lewis Hamilton and Pedro Dela Rosa for the second McLaren seat alongside Alonso.

So there. Just wanted to report on that. On to Jenson news...

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Jenson Button Fan Listing

Just joined a Jenson Button Fan Listing! Join up too! :)

Jenson Button Fan Listing at http://www.pitstraight.net/fan/button/

Get a chance to win Jenson's race suit!

I don't know if it's still on, since the notice posted was as follows:

The winner of the signed race suit will be selected on Monday 15 November 2006 and announced on HondaRacingF1.com shortly thereafter.


Weeell, Monday was last November 13... but... since the winners haven't been announced yet (the racing forever contest draw has been the only one posted thus far) and the link is still active, I'm thinking that the right date would be for today, Wednesday, November 15, 2006. If it is, you could still get a chance to win Jenson's race suit!

If you somehow manage to stumble across my site within the next few minutes (highly improbabale, I know, but it's worth a shot), do please enter! You only have to fill out a quick survey on which features you'd like to see on JensonButton.Com. It's a good chance to help give the Honda web team some valuable feedback, and there's a cool prize in store for ya if you win! The current site's a bit slow, and there are nav glitches, so any improvement there would be a big plus (remember, your chance to win the race suit is also a chance to let the people at HondaF1 know how they might be able to improve Jenson's site!). Hurry and join up while you still can!

Introduction FanButton!

Hello! My name's Josh. I'm an Alonso, but I'm not related to Fernando (or at least, I don't think I am). I've been a big fan of F1 since I was a kid (the Ayrton Senna/Alain Prost/Gerhard Berger days) and I've been a loyal fan to what is now the Honda Racing F1 Team since its inception as BAR [Supertec] in 1999. I started out cheering for Jacques, but Jenson won me over in 2003 with his driving, and I've been a HUGE Button fan ever since!

I think by now it's been established that Jenson's got remarkable consistency and excellent race pace, but I think what really sets him apart is his smooth driving style. He may not be as aggressive as the likes of Fernando and Michael, but he can definitely make going fast, fast, fast look so effortless. And I like that.

Take Jenson's maiden victory at the Hungaroring, for example. Now that was an absolute stunner! I mean, starting from 14th in the grid to chasing and gaining on Fernando (until the latter's retirement) in rain-soaked conditions? WOW. That race was a true showcase of Jenson's talents - his consistency and resiliency, his racing smarts and his smooth driving style.

Team-wise, Honda hasn't always been able to provide Jenson with the most reliable and consistently competitive package out there. It's been maddening at times to watch them set the bar during practice and testing only to see them sputter during the actual race. When they do get it right though, they are fun to watch and root for.

If the last few races of 2006 season are any indication of form for the 2007 season, then they are getting there - and in a big way, too. Jenson finished the year with a flourish, scoring the most points of anyone (yup, besting even Fernando and Schumi Sr) since his Hungaroring win. Yeah, yeah. That's been seemingly pointed out a lot lately... but hey, why not? It IS impressive, and with the engine freeze coming up, we can and should expect more of the same good stuff for the upcoming season.

Now that the 2006 season's over, there has been a bit of a lull in the stream of happenings around Formula One. Most of the racing seats have been secured, and testing no longer seems to be as furious with the expected homologation taking effect. All that does nothing to discourage my Jenson fandom though! Hurrah for him year round!

Over the next few months, I'll be crawling the web for any news and scoops on anything Button. I'll also be checking for any updates from both Honda and Jenson's official sites. And posting them here, of course. So do check back, because I personally like keeping posted on my favorite driver. And if he's yours too, then I'd very much like to be able to share that with you. Go Jenson!


Jenson Button from HondaRacingF1.comJenson Button from HondaRacingF1.comJenson Button from HondaRacingF1.com