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Game Of Thrones

By Nishant Boorla

“When you play the game of thrones you win or you die.”

It is said that Game of Thrones is TV’s version of Crack. Try it at your own peril. If you are grossed out by the violence or graphic sexuality, you won’t be the first person to quit the show or indeed be scarred for life by it. But if you can get past the shock value, you will be treated to one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Much like Crack addicts, you will be hooked to an extent where the only day worth anything each week will be the day you get your hands on a new episode. If you crave medieval settings, politics and multi-layered plots then you will love this show. Let me lend some perspective - this show has more key characters than How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang combined and then some. It’s not often that one comes across a screen adaptio

n worthy of the book that feeds it. Certainly not in the fantasy genre. For every Lord of the Rings you have several Eragons and more. Game of Thrones is blessed with an exceptionally insightful gang of writers who do more than just bring the characters to life. They let you in on just about enough in terms of plot and schemes to let your imagination run wild. Before you know it you find yourself picking sides and judging war strategy. You may even feel cocky enough to assume you know better than the miserable schemers on screen! As gritty as they come this is show where pregnancies and weddings don’t make you groan and complain about insipid writing. Every event, every twist contributes to the plot in more ways than one. Just writing about it makes me want to play a few episodes again.

Most film studios are cautious when it comes to making movies based on fantasy books. Unless the book is a proven champion like the Harry Potter series or LOTR, studios wouldn’t want to waste their time. The reason of course is the sheer expansiveness of the narrative. The Bourne series sets the action in the middle of cities and towns. Fantasy stories are set in far off magical lands that aren’t too easy to bring to the screen. From locations to costumes, accents and extensive CGI work to bring mythical creatures to a screen a fantasy adaptation simply costs too much. This is why HBO deserve all the respect in the world for bringing to TV screens what most studios fear to release worldwide. HBO are known for backing ambitious projects with mega budgets. Spielberg’s The Pacific proves that. So does Band of Brothers. But those were mini-series. Game of Thrones is a full length series which is sure to run for at least 6 seasons assuming all the books are adapted. It was a risk but they were bold and they now have a legion of fans full of gratitude. Not a piece of cloth out of place, no sets built on overly stingy budgets and no skimping on CGI skill. This show is a production design masterpiece. The city of Qarth looks stunning and would put most Hollywood movies to shame.

Basics: Game of Thrones is set in the mythical land of Westeros and its seven kingdoms.

The Kingdom of the North - ruled by members of House Stark from their castle in Winterfell. The Starks are an honourable clan. Virtuous as they are loyal and brave the Starks are well respected throughout the land and have the support of fiercely loyal banner men.

The Vale - ruled by House Arryn from their castle the Eyrie.

The Iron Islands - are ruled by House Greyjoy from the castle of Pyke. The Iron Islands are home to a fiercely combative race known as the Ironborns.

The Westerlands - rules by House Lannister from the castle of Casterly Rock. The Lannisters are people of immense wealth, high-cheekbones, tactical expertise and incest.

The Reach - ruled by House Tyrell from the castle of Highgarden.

The Stormlands - ruled by House Baratheon from the castle of Storm’s End.

The Dorne - ruled by House Martell from the castle of Sunspear.

Above all else, Game of Thrones deconstructs notions of power and destroys orthodox templates of those worthy of wielding it. The core attributes of power remain the same but the manner in which it shifts is what makes the show a compelling watch.

To the faint-hearted - watch the show’s pilot. I dare you.

To the rest - Watch the pilot and try staying away from the show. I dare you.

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Nishant Boorla
Sarcasm means the world to me. Yeah that's always a good place to start. I watch movies...a lot of movies! Sports nut and a die hard Manchester United fan. Highly opinionated and that shows in my articles.

Rebel Without A Cause

By Nishant Boorla

Religion tells us there’s balance all around us. Opposites that are worlds apart but strangely interdependent. Symbiotic. Good is good because of evil. Opposites provide a frame of reference against which they can be compared. No god without the devil. Yin Yang. No authority then, without rebellion. As simple as that. Then what are we talking about?

Ideally we’d all like perfect harmony and balance all around us. Turbulence is the enemy. Sadly it’s time to wake up. You can’t hold the speedo at 60 throughout the journey. Takes too much effort. Sometimes it reads 62, and on other occasions 57-58. It’s balanced out in the long run and that’s all that counts. We pick our battles. Not because they’re cool but because we need to bring the speedo back to 60. Opposite lock only works after the tail has stepped out. Google it. Rebelling because it’s the “in” thing right now makes as much sense as applying opposite lock to a car moving in a straight line. Opposite to what?

So get over yourself. Your rebellion isn’t for a worthy cause. You aren’t someone’s messiah. Stop kidding yourself. Take the poster of Guevara off your wall. You know nothing about him. Stop saying “peace” all the time. Quit whining. The world is not on your shoulders. No more pseudo suicidal status updates. It’s not that no one “gets you”. It’s that no one cares. Lose the perennial frown. Drop the goth-chick act. Quit moping around so you can realize it’s not you against the world. It never was. So what are we talking about?

We’re talking about that all important balance. We don’t need ten plagues to set things right. An open mind would do just fine. Every stage of evolution involves radical changes. Changes concentrated in and around a select few sections of society or around a select few species. Imbalance. Now those left out have a choice to make. Fight the changes - Rebellion. Or move with the times. Pop culture tells us rebellion is a necessarily evil. Except that it doesn’t. It conveniently leaves out the necessary evil part. It’s what the manipulators don’t tell you that could kill you. You’re told you’re the saviour. You’re the messiah. You’re the soldier of Fortune. But you’re not. You’re the suicide bomber. You’re the evil that makes the devil cringe. You are the ten plagues no one ordered.

You’re parents don’t “get you”? Of course they don’t. You don’t get you! Rebel when your life depends on it. Not because you aren’t allowed in to class without clean shoes. We’re back to square one. We pick our battles. What was once a powerful tool in the hands of the oppressed is now a phase of teenage. Don’t be that guy. Don’t cry wolf at the slightest hint of an obstacle. Man up.

Don’t blame the Ref. You blew the game. Th-e question paper wasn’t tough. You were under-prepared. It’s not always the system’s fault. You’re not the answer. You’re not The One. Not until you can see green characters scroll down the space in front of you. But then I’m too late. You’re already on the dark side. Ever the rebel. That sense of weightlessness isn’t you mastering gravity. It’s the fumes consuming your consciousness. You’re falling in to an abyss but you don’t know it yet.

You are falling......

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And The Oscar Goes To

By Nishant Boorla

Oh her long, long silky smooth leg. The Academy Awards could have been so much more entertaining had they been hosted by Angelina Jolie's right leg. Instead, they chose Billy Crystal. Now as film buffs may recollect, Crystal was welcomed by a standing ovation when he came on to present at last year's awards. The Academy apparently mistook a brief spurt of nostalgia for a message from above and handed him the gig. His jokes seemed outdated and at times made younger viewers like me cringe. Hugh Jackman raised the bar and now it seems only contemporary stars can match his performance as host of the academy awards. Crystal's misery was compounded by the fact that one half of the first presenter duo was Emma Stone who I believe should have hosted the awards this year. She was genuinely funny and ever so energetic. Ben Stiller for once wasn't in full outer-space make-up!

Usually when I discuss the Awards with friends I skip the technical awards line-up so as to not bore them to death. But even I was surprised to watch Hugo win the award for best special effects. I thought Rise of the Planet of the Apes (ROTPOTA) had this category nailed. This category exists to recognize groundbreaking work in visual effects and in the case of Hugo, as breath-taking as the visuals were, there was nothing path-breaking about them. The motion capture technology developed for ROTPOTA was the greatest achievement in special effects since Avatar.

The writing category, as always had a lot of deserving contenders. It was only too easy to predict a win for The Descendants in the adapted screenplay category. It's debatable as to whether it deserved the award over say Hugo. In the original screenplay category I was rooting for Bridesmaids which was among the most hilarious comedies of the year. Never stood a chance against Midnight In Paris though. I'm not much of a Woody Allen fan but a deserving screenplay in a movie that featured the hitherto unknown acting talents of Owen Wilson!

As for Editing, a category that is under-rated beyond belief, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo with an easy win. It was a no contest really. That screenplay with David Fincher at the helm is an editor's dream. The creepy setting and plot only add to the appeal. It's not uncommon for editing to walk hand in hand with Cinematography but this year Hugo owned this category for a visual treat of a film that it was. No one can dare grudge them their Oscar! Neither can anyone doubt Rango's credentials. Quite easily the best among the animated film category. If you're among those wondering why TinTin isn't even nominated it's because TinTin features Motion-capture animation which according to the academy puts it in the feature film category.

Christopher Plummer

Right. Now on to the big one quickly before I start talking about Angelina's leg again! In the Supporting Actor category Max Von Sydow and Christopher Plummer brought the stone age back to the Oscars and Plummer, the eventual winner made great, heartfelt acceptance speeches fashionable once more. Watching him receive the award after decades of rejection felt like watching Morgan Freeman's character finally receive parole in The Shawshank Redemption. After all those rejected parole pleas, Freeman's "Red" couldn't care less about getting parole and for the first time, speaks straight from the heart without any rehearsed embellishments. Much like Christopher Plummer at this year's Oscars. As for the women, another no contest with Octavia Spencer being the most deserving nominee.

Meryl Streep

Jean Dujardin

For the awards for performances in the lead - The men's category had George Clooney and Brad Pitt in career defining performances and Gary Oldman nominated for yet another stellar performance. But the year belonged to Jean Dujardin who brought nostalgia to a theater near you in such poignant fashion. This is what The Academy wanted Billy Crystal to do, and it's what Dujardin did to perfection. Among the women, it's been a while since an award was this fiercely contested. As soon as the nominees were announced, people were quick to approve Rooney Mara's inclusion for having the balls to take on a role so risque that early on in her career and owning it. But they were just as quick to dismiss her chances of winning. Not this year. Not when Viola Davis, Michelle Williams and Glenn Close were nominated for performances which would have clinched the awards any other year. Not this year. Not when Meryl Streep is nominated for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Not when she's nominated for a record 17th time. Not when on top of all else, she had to put on a foreign accent. Not this year. This year was Streep's and Streep's alone.

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The Greatest Manager Ever

By Nishant Boorla

Privacy. A term much used and abused across the internet. Every site worth its name has a privacy statement. But that’s with respect to non-achievers sitting at home, surfing the internet. For celebrities, all talk of privacy goes out the window. Few in the business of journalism make a mockery of privacy the way British tabloids do. In Britain, the tabloids bring their A-game when stalking royalty. Not the monarchs, I’m referring to the players and managers of British football clubs. Terry nailed Bridge’s girl? The tabloids are the first to know. Rooney cheated on his pregnant wife? Tabloids. Darren Bent wants a smooth transfer to Sunderland? Tabloids are there to break the story and ruin that deal. You can imagine then, what a herculean task it was for Martin Edwards, Chairman of Manchester United Football Club to sign Alex Ferguson from Aberdeen without anyone hearing about it; in 1986. Yet they pulled it off. Because that’s how much they wanted him. They kept it under wraps until the nth hour. It was all “Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush.”

United were languishing in the relegation zone when Ferguson arrived. His first task was to instil some much needed confidence in the squad. He did that and it was a sign of things to come. He identified United’s best players. Kept Robson for his mercurial talent and packed Whiteside and the rest off for their partying ways. Early days as Manager weren’t the easiest as United continued their run of abysmal performances. Several Board members wanted him sacked. Consensus in the media was that he would be sacked soon given that most fans were calling for his head. United drew Nottingham Forest in the F.A Cup in 1990 and the pundits in the media expected a United defeat and a subsequent sacking of Alex Ferguson. United prevailed on the back of a Mark Robins goal and this was the first significant turning-point in Alex Ferguson’s stellar career in charge at the Theatre of Dreams. This following a month of what he called "the darkest period [he had] ever suffered in the game."

Come the 1990-91 season, United were beginning to show glimpses of the dominance that would become a trademark. United enthralled their home crowd with a 6-2 mauling of Arsenal. A much improved squad featured quality additions such as Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Paul Ince and McClair. United were delivering the goods on the pitch but it was the work behind the scenes that impressed the Board of Directors at Man United. Ferguson had restructured the Youth Academy and the scouting system and this paid rich dividends. In 1991 Ferguson brought in Andrei Kanchelskis and Peter Schmeichel. Two outstanding signings. But rather more significantly, the youngsters from the youth academy were beginning to break through. Good ones at that. Ryan Giggs good.

In the close season, Ferguson missed out on signing Alan Shearer and ended up signing Dion Dublin. By November United were rotting in 10^th place and were in desperate need of a source of inspiration. That came by in the form of Eric Cantona. The French footballing genius was signed from Leeds United in January 1993. He formed an instant partnership with Mark Hughes and the two bombarded defences on United’s way to their first League title in years. No one dared call for Ferguson’s sacking now.

Our history lesson ends there because we all know what happened after that. Ferguson and his mighty army conquered all in sight on their way to knocking Liverpool “right off their f***ing perch”. He was knighted for his services to football.

In 1999 Sir Alex Ferguson’s (SAF) men achieved an unprecedented treble of the Premier League, the F.A Cup and the UEFA Champion’s League.

"Champions of Europe, Champions of England, winners of the FA Cup, everything their hearts desired” – Clive Tyldesley

SAF picked up a second Champion’s League medal after his side beat Chelsea in Moscow in 2008.

SAF’s biggest gift was the ease with which he formed all-conquering team after all-conquering team with seamless transitions which saw the exit of established players coincide with the breaking in of well groomed replacements. When “Captain Marvel” Bryan Robson retired Ferguson already had Roy Keane waiting for his turn. When David Beckham left the club he had Cristiano Ronaldo shipped in almost immediately. Superstars may come and go but there’s no replacing perhaps the greatest manager the game has ever seen.

In an era where clubs change managers for fun, SAF gets away with murder. In 2003 SAF had the gall to sue the majority stake-holder at United over a dispute regarding the ownership of a race-horse. Any other manager at any other club would surely have been fired.

He also decided to boycott the BBC altogether after they ran a documentary about his son (a football agent) using SAF’s influence to his advantage in the transfer market. Subsequent post match interviews were handled by Assistant Managers at Old Trafford. In 2010 however, new Premier League rules required managers to be present for post match interviews. SAF decided to boycott them anyway, and Manchester United supported his decision and agreed to pay the required fines to the Football Association.

He has always ruled with an iron first. He has always maintained that no player is bigger than the club. No other manager would have dared to send David Beckham packing. Yet he’s still lives life as the Lord of Old Trafford. And on completion of his 25^th year as the United Manager, the club came up with a wonderful gesture by renaming the North End (the biggest at Old Trafford) as “Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.” His club, his success, his rules, his way or the highway. A greater the manager there will never be.

12 Premier League titles.
2 Champion’s League titles.
5 F.A Cups.
4 League Cups.
1 UEFA Cup Winners Cup
1 UEFA Super Cup
1 Intercontinental Cup
1 FIFA Club World Cup
10 F.A Community Shields

And counting....

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8-Bit Wonders

By Nishant Boorla

If you're a hardcore gamer there are lot of boxes that a game must tick to warrant your attention. Graphics, gameplay, Artificial Intelligence, character development, quality cut-scenes and by extensions voice overs and so on. When I was a kid all we cared about was being able to control a character or vehicle on screen. No matter how ridiculous the premise of the game. 8-Bit video games made me the man I am today! Since we at LTGTR are officially in nostalgia mode, I've compiled a list of what my top 10 8-bit games of all time.

10. Spartan X - The character you control is called Keiji Thomas. His girlfriend has been kidnapped by - wait for it - Mr. X! He needs to get her back. What follows is cartoonish mayhem. Thomas can kick and punch high and low and that's all there is to it. Fight your way past a never ending stream of cronies and take on a boss at the end of each floor of Mr. X's building. Endless fun!

9. Bomber Man - The layout is along the same lines as Pac-Man but the grid is of increasing complexity. There are a bunch of aliens you need to finish off. You can plant bombs which will explode after a constant interval of time. Anticipate their movements and place bombs that will blow when the aliens are nearby. Make sure you get out of the way!

8. Excitebike - If this game were to release now it would flop miserably. It's a straight line bike race against a time limit on tarmac/dirt featuring flawed physics and ramps straight from Moto X! This was the SH** in the 80's though. The best part - you get to design your own track with ramps of your choice!

7. Ice Climber - Ok this is embarrassing. I tried so hard but I never did complete this game! Armed with a wooden mallet the objective is to smash the ice floors above you to create and opening for ascent. That's about it really. Avoid the enemies and keep moving up. Thoroughly entertaining.

6. Metroid - Before Metroid arrived on the scene the most popular games were either shooters or explorations games. Metroid clubbed these two genres and paved the way for next gen gaming. It was among the first games to allow backtracking. Metroid was a case of "Contra meets The Legend of Zelda." Quote like Zelda, Metroid spawned a hugely successful gaming franchise with titles for consoles from every subsequent generation.

5. Pac-Man - If you don't know what Pac-Man is or why it's famous I really can't help you.

4. Duck Hunt - This game brought arcade style point and shoot gaming in to living rooms. You had to use a gun instead of a controller. The gun is plugged to the console and your objective is to shoot down clay pigeons or live ducks! Yeah this was when the super annoying PETA had a sense of humour. You could of course cheat by sticking the gun to the tv screen and shooting from point blank range!

3. Contra - This is the anti-Splinter Cell, anti-MGS game that I grew up on. No stealth, no tactics just shoot em' up. Great background score, detailed visuals for its time and a semblance of a plot. That's all it took back then.

2. Double Dragon - Spinning heel kick. An 8-bit game that allows you to perform a spinning heel kick and several other complex manoeuvres. You start with Jimmy and Billy and you progress through each level fighting off thugs in the process of course. Quite predictably each level ends with a boss. The bosses from levels 2 and 3 however join your team for the next levels. Highly entertaining and a game that never loses appeal.

1. Rather predictably - Super Mario Brothers. The Rosa Parks of the video game world, Super Mario Bros. was the first game to get everyone in the family playing leading to wider acceptance of video games in society! Ok that's a little too dramatic but i'm trying to hype up my favourite game of all time! You play as Mario - a plumber. In 2 player mode the second player gets to control Luigi - Also a plumber. Simple as you like. Kill the owls (goomba) and turtles (Koopa) and get to the boss at the end of every 4 level - The boss being a fire-breathing giant Koopa. All this to rescue Princess Peach. Plumber, Princess, giant fire-breathing turtles - it's complicated!

You can still find some of these games online and play them on the computer via a simulator!

Which were your favorite games? Let us know as comments.

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Idle Observer

By Nishant Boorla

Continuing my tradition of writing baseless non-sense I will reveal what a few celebs are doing this holiday season.

Charlie Sheen: The usual for him. Same old same old. Cocaine and hookers. Most people would get excited at the prospect of the romance of the holiday season. Not Charlie though. Coke and hookers as always. Romance of holidays you say? Charlie doesn’t wine and dine, that’s not his style. He snorts and cavorts. Like a pro!

Tiger Woods: I had heard Tiger Woods was pumped about celebrating Diwali. It made no sense to me. Sure he enjoys a good bang for his buck! Sure he enjoys oily wicks and flower pots but I still don’t.....ok I get it now!

Rajnikant: The usual for him this Diwali. He’s going to continue his tradition of setting fireworks alight just by staring at them. I won’t lie to you. There are times when he simply stares at thin air wondering why the “atom bombs” aren’t exploding.

Members of Parliament: Members of Parliament are going to light a customary sparkler each before hoping out loud that the country enjoys a safe Diwali. They will go on to advise us against burning money on harmful fireworks so they can burn it on statues for themselves, on T.V channels and the Swiss Bank.

Foot in the Mouth Moments:

Alex McLeish: Emile Heskey is like Franz Bekenbauer.

Sure and Pravin Kumar is like Viv Richards.

There’s nothing that can top that so I’ll move on.

As always I’ll give you, the reader, some more proof that we live in a crazy ass world.

“Adults puzzled by Hollister store that keeps shoppers in the dark with almost no lighting and ear-splitting music to create a club-like environment!”

• They should try this at Tata car showrooms. Might just help them sell a few more Manzas if the customers can’t see what it looks like.

• Bad idea to try this stuff in a cricket stadium. Batsmen can’t see anything; bowlers don’t know what the hell they’re aiming for and so appeal anyway. The umpire of course can’t see the ball and can’t hear the bowler appeal. Every once in a while he raises the index finger. The batsman can’t see this so he stays put. The commentator thinks this is a good time to talk about his personal problems. The scorer can’t make head or tail of the situation. So they decide result of the match on the basis of the Duckworth Lewis System, which miraculously makes sense in this situation

Berlin - Police arrest man who burned more than 100 luxury cars.

• This is Germany, where cars are considered more sacred than humans! PETA are full of lunatics who would prefer dating a dog over a human and Germany is full of Petrol heads that would rather sleep with a V8 engine (naturally aspirated of course).

Judge: Do you confess to burning 100 luxury cars?

Arsonsteiger: Yes your honour.

Judge: Was a Yugo among the cars you burnt? (The other witnesses cringe when the judge says Yugo)

Arsonsteiger: No your honour.

Judge: Any Pontiac Aztecs? (Some more cringing)

Arsonsteiger: No your honour.

Judge: Then you have no excuse. You’re hereby sentenced to 60 hours of community service cleaning Porsche Panameras!

“60 Elvises flee hotel during fire alarm at a public event.”

• You know what they say don’t you? Elvises have left the building.

• The fire alarms were triggered by a smoke-machine used in the performance. A smoke machine in an indoor location with smoke detectors. Yes I know what you’re thinking. The event management firm does recruit from a crack house.

Metallica concert cancelled after fans stampede and break through barricades.

Time for some lame Metallica references.

• They couldn’t master these puppets.

• Exit light. Enter crazy fans.

• The concert has been cancelled. Sad But True.

• I hope the organizers have learnt a lesson. Security is of paramount importance. Nothing Else Matters.

• Nowhere in Delhi will the fans hear Metallica play live. Wherever they may roam.

• On Sunday, When the 5 red lights go out the Indian Grand Prix is Goooooo! On Friday however, as the lights went out at the arena, it was simply a case of Fade To Black.

• Does this stampede count as assault and – wait for it – Battery?

• They broke barricades but they didn’t “Hit The Lights”

• If only they could refund the ticket money. It would be a nice gesture and Justice For All.

Honoured to have wax statue at Tussauds: Kareena

• Incredible how life-like the wax statue is.

• There’s just no way you can the real one from the statue. They both look just as plastic.

MJ was probably addicted to Botox, says expert

• Expert my ass. If you came to this conclusion in 1990 you’re an expert.

• What next? Was Kurt Cobaine addicted to cocaine?

• Maybe this “expert” can throw some light on Elton John’s sexuality. Hopefully at a time when Elton John isn’t “doing it”

And on that colourful and gay note, Goodbye.

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To The Redline

By Nishant Boorla

Not too long ago, I was involved in a heated argument with a fellow petrol-head. No ground-breaking stuff. The usual Ferrari Vs Lamborghini conundrum. If you know your cars I’m sure you already have a firm opinion. There’s no middle ground in this debate. However, let me start with a brief history lesson for the uninformed.

Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari’s racing arm came first and was founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari. If his first name sounds familiar to you, you know more about cars than you think! Back then the factory racing scene wasn’t as rigid and orthodox as it is now. This meant it wasn’t uncommon for teams to race using cars made by established third-party manufacturers. This is comparable to the Indian Rally Racing scene today where independent teams race using modified Cedia’s and Evo’s.

Ferrari 250GTO

Anyways, Scuderia Ferrari participated in races with Alfa Romeo cars throughout the 30’s. The wise folk at Alfa Romeo took notice and signed up Enzo to head their racing division in 1938. In 1941, Alfa Romeo was confiscated by Mussolini and his fascist regime, prompting Enzo Ferrari to shift focus to his own company. In 1943 Ferrari moved his company to Maranello, their headquarters to date. Things got off to a turbulent start, however, when the factory was bombed by the Allied Forces in ’44. It took a while, but in 1946 the factory was restored and in 1947 the world welcomed the Ferrari 125 S. Not ones to start quietly, Ferrari’s debut attempt housed a V12! Ferrari stamped their authority over the supercar market over the course of the 50’s.

Fast forward to circa ’63 – A challenger stepped up. Ferruccio Lamborghini set up his company with the sole aim of knocking Ferrari off their perch. A wealthy man, Lamborghini himself owned a number of Ferraris’s, but felt they weren’t refined enough since they sported tuned down versions of coarse race engines. His vision was to make cars that offered greater levels of refinement without skimping on performance figures. Refinement, performance and handling. In that order.

Now you probably think Ferrari and Lamborghini have been neck and neck ever since. But you couldn’t be further from the truth. It all started with Lamborghini outsourcing the design of the engine for their first car to Giotto Bizzarrini, the man behind the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO. He had quit Ferrari over a dispute with Enzo Ferrari and I assume was only too pleased to design a V12 for a rival.

Lamborghini Muira

However, it wasn’t until 1967 that Lamborghini were considered serious rivals. The Miura was the first 2 seater supercar Lamborghini ever, and it took the challenge to the Prancing Horse. The car was a trendsetter and is to this day the most awe-inspiring Lamborghini ever made. They stepped it up a notch in ’69 with the Espada which put impressive numbers on lap boards and sales charts alike. Ferrari had a star of their own in the 365 Daytona. Throughout the 70’s, Lamborghini struggled with their finances and went through multiple ownership changes while Ferrari cruised along.

Countach

The 80’s saw the Countach grow in popularity but in the ‘90’s it was game on. Ferrari was slipping up a bit and it was at this opportune moment that Lamborghini launched the quintessential “raging bull” – The Diablo! The beast, powered by a V12 engine, boasted of speeds over 325 kmph! This was followed by the most recognizable Lambo of all time, the Murcielago, which set the supercar world on fire in 2001.

So you’re probably thinking Lamborghini launched absolutely incredible cars one after the other, knocking Ferrari out of the park. Wrong again.

Lamborghini Diablo

You see, the Diablo was a raging bull that was launched with one purpose – To take on the Ferrari F40. General consensus to this day is that the F40 is the greatest supercar of all time. It blew the Lamborghini Countach out of the water and held the record of being the fastest road car with a top speed of 320kmph. The Diablo, of course, was marginally quicker but it was the Ferrari that walked away with all the plaudits for its incredible handling and driver involvement.

Ferrari F40

The Diablo still had the higher top speed and one could sense that the boys from Maranello were aching for revenge. They launched the F50 which matched the Diablo’s top speed but fell by the wayside and was largely criticized. And before they knew it, Lamborghini landed another blow by launching the Murcielago. And the numbers were mighty impressive. 6.2L V12 engine, 580bhp, 0-100 in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 330kmph. Game, set and match then? Hardly! You see, Ferrari hit back with a car that made jaws drop, snap and hit the pavement. The Ferrari Enzo.

Some Enzo Numbers then with corresponding Murcielago digits in brackets:

· 6L V12 producing an astronomical 660bhp! (580bhp)

· 0-100kmph in 3.14s (3.5s)

· Top Speed – 350kmph (330kmph)

As a reference: Maruti Swift

- 1.3L engine.
- 87bhp.
- 0-100 in 13.8s
- Top speed - 160kmph

Now you get it!

Ferrari Enzo

Those were the days. Cut to the present and Lamborghini have moved in to Hypercar territory with the Aventador while Ferrari is happy ruling the supercar world with the incredible 458 Italia.

Murcielago

There really is no way to be objective about this. The Ferrari Vs Lamborghini debate isn’t

decided by the numbers they put out. The winner isn’t decided on the basis of technical superiority. It’s all about perception. I like Ferrari because they make beautiful automobiles. To me Lamborghini is like an annoying, attention seeking, high school girl – slutty persona, goth make-up, the whole nine yards. They deal in shock and awe. Outlandish designs and the like. I leave it to each of you to decide – The grace of the prancing horse or the fury of the raging bull.

P.S: Go to Google Images and search for “Ferrari P4/5 Pininfarina”

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F1 For Dummies (part 2)

By Nishant Boorla

Formula 1 Glossary:

Pole Position – The driver to have posted the fastest single lap time gets pole position. This means he heads the racing grid come race day.

Chequered Flag – Waved when the Race leader finishes the race.

Safety Car – This season’s safety car is a Merc SLS AMG. When there’s been an accident on the track or when the conditions aren’t suitable for racing, the safety car is introduced. It sets the pace and all others have to follow the safety car. No over-taking is allowed while the safety car is on the track.

Slipstream – Those familiar with the NFS franchise will know another word for slipstreaming – Drafting. Slipstream is a region an F1 car which has minimum wind-resistance. An F1 car is designed such that it forces air to flow around and over it, offering minimum resistance. If another F1 car were to...err...slip in to the slipstream behind, it would experience even lesser wind-resistance. Rain-shadow region if you will. This makes for faster over-taking manoeuvres.

As with any motorsport series, the rules make a huge difference to the sport. Here are crucial additions to the F1 rulebook this season.

The 107% Rule – All drivers must finish their qualifying laps within 107% percent of the Pole Position Time, failing which they will not be allowed to participate in the race.

DRS – Drag Reduction System includes but is not limited to adjustable wings on an F1 car. During qualifying the wings may be adjusted any number of times but during the race the Driver may adjust the wing to reduce drag only on specified segments of the circuit and only when he’s within 1 second of the car in front of him.

Pirelli – Those who have been following F1 for a while now will recollect the old Bridgestone-Michelin rivalry. Those were the days. But now Pirelli are the official tyre suppliers for F1 races.

KERS – Kinetic Energy Recovery System – is back! The Carbon-fibre disc brakes generate a lot of heat energy under heavy braking. (Watch closely and you will notice the red hot brake discs in F1 races glowing in orange.) KERS stores said energy and this energy reservoir is called upon to boost acceleration when needed. Lithium Ion Cells are used to store energy and their capacity is limited to 400KJ.

Minimum Weight – Cars must now weigh a minimum of 640 Kilograms, up from 620 Kgs last year.

No Double Diffusers – The rules have been tightened which means no more loop-holes that allow double diffusers.

With the new rules coming in to effect this season, the focus has shifted back to Pit Stop Strategies. F1 Pits Stops really are breathtaking. Where else would you see 4 car tyres being changed in less than 4 seconds? Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the key personnel in a Pit Crew.

The "Lollipop Man" holds the team's pit sign, helping the driver identify his pit stall on a possibly crowded pit road. During the stop, he holds the sign in position to remind the driver to keep his brakes on while tires are being changed, and then to remember to put the car in first gear once the jacks are lowered. He also gives the driver the sign to depart his pit stall by raising the sign from in front of the driver.
The four tyre changers, one at each corner of the car, have the sole responsibility of using a pneumatic wrench to remove the car's single locking lug nut from each tyre, then reinstall it on the new tyre.
Eight tyre carriers are used, two at each corner of the car, one assigned the task of removing the old tyre from the car, and one to install the new tyre on it. The front new tyre carriers also have the responsibility of adjusting the car's front wing during the stop.
The front and rear jack men use simple lever-type jacks to lift the car and permit the changing of tyres. The job of front jack man is considered the most hazardous, as it requires standing directly in front of the car as it enters its pit stall. By contrast, due to the location of his duties directly behind the car, the rear jack man is the only team member not in his working position before the car enters its pit stall.
The fire extinguisher man does not actually work on the car; instead, he stands ready with a hand-held fire extinguisher to try and stop any accidental fires that may occur during a stop, at least long enough for the pit crew and driver to evacuate. This job became standard following Jos Verstappen's 1994 pit fire.
The starter man does not normally work on the car. His job is to stand ready with a starter tool to restart the car should the driver stall his engine during the stop.

That’s everything you need to know. I’d right about flags used in F1 but I think you would be bored to death. And as the lights go out, the Indian Grand Prix is gooooooo!

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F1 For Dummies (part 2)

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