Posted on 11/07/2010 7:08:07 PM PST by jerry557
MOSCOW (AFP) – In a helmet emblazoned with the emblem of Russia and reaching a speed of 240 kilometres (150 miles) an hour, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Sunday burned rubber on a racing circuit in a Formula One car.
The high-speed session -- unthinkable for almost any other world leader -- was the latest in a series of widely publicised hardman outings for Putin as he seeks to cement his image as the Russian strongman ahead of 2012 elections.
It was also aimed at raising the profile of the sport in Russia as the country prepares to host its first Formula One Grand Prix from 2014 in the southern city of Sochi, under a plan championed by Putin.
State television showed Putin squeezing into the cockpit of the yellow Renault, wearing full racing overalls and a helmet emblazoned with the colours of Russia and the national emblem of the double-headed-eagle.
"My old Zaporozhets had more space," Putin quipped through his visor as he squeezed into the tiny cockpit, referring to a Soviet car not known for its creature comforts, the government website said.
But undeterred by the cramped conditions, Putin roared away from the pits onto the racing track outside Saint Petersburg, reaching what trackside experts said was a speed of 240 kilometres an hour.
"For a first time, it was good," the prime minister, unusually using English, told a senior Renault mechanic, television showed. The government statement said he spent several hours performing laps.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Pootie Poot, I did 150 in my car and I kept my shirt on.
Hmmm... for a commie, he sure seems awful nationalistic.
This is the kind of crap Mousilinii used to pull.
On an earlier thread about this, several denigrated his 150 mph speed.
I am the original owner of a '69 Charger 500 Hemi, and agree that 150 ain't much to write home about.....in a straight line.
But 150 on a short straight is much harder.
And 150 as a lap average on a road course is a BIG deal, and not for the fainthearted.
Although the article does not specify, I have a feeling it WAS on a road course; Putin is a macho SOB, and he has the balls AND an entire country's wallet to make it happen.
I somehow can't imagine OUR president doing it.
I checked the photos. I expected he was driving a junior formula 2 or 3 car. He was driving a full F1 Renault putting out about at least 800 bhp. Just to engage the clutch even if he was using launch control is not simple feat.
He “stunts” can be somewhat silly but he is a real man compared to that POS Kenyan usurper.
Well, true that. I suspect Obama's the one that gave birth in that relationship.
This is a real full blown Renault F1 car. 1260 pounds with 850 Bhp or more. They could have detuned it a little with computers. It can probably do 0-100 in less than 3 seconds.
F1 cars have incredible downforce due to air mgmt under the car so it can corner to a few G’s.
If he got the carbon fiber brakes warned up and used them, they have been described as being in a collision. Younger race drivers testing an F1 car for the first time say the brakes are incredible and like hitting a wall when you step on them.
This “stunt” ain’t for the faint hearted.
This is a real full blown Renault F1 car. 1260 pounds with 850 Bhp or more. They could have detuned it a little with computers. It can probably do 0-100 in less than 3 seconds.
F1 cars have incredible downforce due to air mgmt under the car so it can corner to a few G’s.
If he got the carbon fiber brakes warned up and used them, they have been described as being in a collision. Younger race drivers testing an F1 car for the first time say the brakes are incredible and like hitting a wall when you step on them.
This “stunt” ain’t for the faint hearted.
The ladies look pretty sporty, though!
Putin is showing off his manliness to his young mistress as much as anything else. Showing that he is powerful politically as well as physically. Keeps the girlfriend enthralled with him.
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