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<Shattering' Ferrari impounded after 231km/h test>

Driving a Ferrari California - one of just two in the country - is a " shattering" experience. That's what one motoring writer said after driving the $472,000 sports car. The word applies in more than one way after the Financial Review motoring writer Rod Easdown was allegedly clocked doing 231km/h in a 110 km/h speed zone in the West Australian Wheatbelt. Police have impounded the supercar for seven days. And that could mean a number of his colleagues who were waiting to review the car this week will be forced to miss out. But it is understood the review car is much in demand and it is unlikely test drives can be rescheduled. Easdown was driving the car on the first of three days of test drives arranged by Ferrari dealer Ateco Automotive for a a select group of West Australian motoring journalists when he was stopped by police yesterday. He has been charged with reckless driving. Ateco, which does not wish to comment on the incident, has two of the Ferraris - one in a police pound, the other in Auckland. Another four are due to be delivered to dealers across the country, with the waiting list of Australian buyers standing at 200. The first customer delivery is expected this week to a Ferrari enthusiast in Queensland. So what is the car like to drive? It is a "civilised, pampering" experience, "the perfect way to enjoy" a drive through the Australian countryside, wrote The Age's Andrew Heasley after testing the car last month. "Nothing can prepare you for the metallic rasp that leaps from the four pipes stacked in two clusters when blipped at idle. `It's shattering." And shattered is what The West Australian's Steve Lague and the Sunday Times' Neil Dowling, may feel as the car sits in a WA police pound as their test dates pass by. "I'd definitely been looking forward to it," said Lague, who was due to test the car tomorrow. "I'm sure Ferrari will try and look after us ... hopefully it's just a delay of a couple of days." Lague said his first reaction to hearing there had been an "incident" involving the Ferrari yesterday was to hope motoring colleague Easdown was OK. He said motoring writers understood they followed the same road rules as everyone else, and said yesterday's alleged speeding may have been only a small "slip of concentration". "To get to 230km/h in a Ferrari you're probably looking at 8-10 seconds, and that's from zero. "If you're already doing 110km/h, in 4-5 seconds you could be doing those sorts of speeds. "He may have just put his foot down momentarily to see what the acceleration is like. Five minutes later you're sitting on the side of the road being booked ... it can happen really quickly."

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Hey all hope you all still doing great, get those pics in and load them to the group

Thank you all for joining the Ferrari Group.. Regards Chris

Massa: Brawn GP is Ferrari's main foe for F1 title By TALES AZZONI – SAO PAULO (AP) — Felipe Massa expects newcomer Brawn GP to be Ferrari's biggest challenger in the Formula One season — not McLaren. Brawn GP, the former Honda team, impressed in offseason testing ahead of the opening race in Australia this weekend, while McLaren appeared to struggle with the new regulation changes for 2009. "Looking at the latest test sessions, for sure Brawn GP is the main opponent," Massa said Monday before heading to Australia. "We saw Brawn GP rising from the ashes, running a second faster than everyone else." Brawn GP, owned by former Honda team principal Ross Brawn, began testing later than most teams but became the biggest surprise on the track. The team seems to have adjusted best to the new changes, which include the reintroduction of slick tires, the addition of the KERS energy system and drastic aerodynamic modifications. Massa reiterated that he was surprised by the apparent problems of McLaren, which won last year's drivers' title with Lewis Hamilton. "A lot of people say that the tests are not as important as a race weekend, which is true, but when you are always running behind it shows that you are not doing well," Massa said. The Brazilian finished one point behind Hamilton last year, losing the title at his home track of Interlagos after Hamilton made a final-turn pass over Toyota's Timo Glock for fifth place. "Mentally, that was a great lesson for me," Massa said. "It certainly made me stronger." He said he is satisfied with Ferrari's performance this year and is optimistic. "The car is competitive, it's quick and it's constant," Massa said. "We were able to make a few race simulations and there were no problems with the car. We are ready to start the championship and I hope we will be as competitive as in the previous years."

Formula One teams reject scoring system as FIA perform dramatic U-turn Formula One's faltering start to the season suffered a dramatic twist yesterday when its controversial new 'winner-takes-all’ scoring system was scrapped after a protest from the teams.