Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of Schumacher and the California

Michael Schumacher may have departed the Formula One grid, but he has most definitely not left Ferrari. The seven-time world champion, widely credited with building Ferrari into the power house it is today, still comes around the paddock at various tracks around the world to give the Prancing Horse's latest creations – whether racing cars or road vehicles – a healthy dose of Schuey-trademarked punishment.

After having been intimately involved with the development of the 430 Scuderia – proclaimed as the fastest road-going Ferrari ever to lap the company's private circuit – Schumacher returned to Fiorano to give his input on Maranello's newest offering, the California. And while his opinion is hardly impartial, he certainly knows what he's talking about and his impressions were glowing. Speaking to the conference of Ferrari dealers assembled at the factory, Schumacher proclaimed that "the Ferrari California is very much a Grand Tourer in terms of its usability and high level of interior comfort, it is still surprisingly sporty and fun to drive under any kind of conditions." You could try arguing with him, but you'd probably end up losing – like most of the drivers that have ever tried to go wheel-to-wheel with the most decorated driver in history. Click below to view the images in our high-resolution gallery, and follow the jump to view the video and press release.

[Source: Ferrari]

Ferrari Company Restaurant designed by architect Marco Visconti

Ferraris have long been known as striking and powerful machines, typically at the front of the pack in any competition. It should come as no surprise, then, that Ferrari the company is also a leader, extending that same philosophy to how it designs its manufacturing facilities. Late last millennium, the company launched its "Formula Uomo" plan to modernize production in a way that would be good for profitability, good for the environment, and good for the workers. With the opening of their latest new car assembly lines facility and company restaurant, they have reached that goal. The restaurant is a thing of beauty that allows workers a peaceful retreat from the factory. The new assembly lines reduce worker movements so they can work more efficiently, all while catching glimpses of the original plant's red walls through their huge windows. Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo and CEO Amedeo Felisa presented these most recent and final pieces in the "Formula Uomo" program, just over ten years after the launch in 1997. It cost the company something like 200 million euro to hire award-winning architects to design and build the new facilities.

The other bold move the company is making is the launch of a new magazine. Produced in conjunction with Condè Nast, this new Ferrari Magazine is a large-format mag that features "a lively and interesting mix of cars, racing culture, fashion and design seen from the point of view of the Ferrari world and the passionate individuals who buy these superb cars." What they said. This quarterly publication will be sent to 30,000 owners worldwide and will only be offered in English. A limited number of subscriptions will be offered to the public as well, at 250 Euro per year. Our CPAs tell us we can write this off. Expect Montezemolo and Schumacher to make regular appearances, as well as other company executives, designers, and even celebrity owners like Nick Mason. The magazine will capture everything Ferrari, with the December issue each year acting as a replacement for the annual yearbook. So you can be sure that F1 will get a thorough rundown as well. For more info, read the press releases after the jump.

[Source: Ferrari]

As was reported earlier, Michael Schumacher made an appearance racing on a Honda at the Oschersleben circuit of the German Superbike Championship last weekend. On the surface, his twenty-eighth place finish seems rather disappointing, but upon further examination, it was a pretty good weekend overall for the ex-Formula 1 champ. Technical issues kept Schumacher from starting well, with only two racers behind him at position thirty-seven on the grid. Finishing all the way up to number 28 in the first race is a rather good outing considering the competition he was up against. In race two, Schumacher charged his way to position 21 before crashing out.

Despite the accident, Schumacher seems to have enjoyed his time on the track, saying, "I am a racer. I find motorcycles such a lot of fun, but I do not have any plans to enter a race series properly. Perhaps I will race from time to time, but always as a guest runner and without ambitions for another career." Good for you, Schumie. Thanks for the tip, Erik!

[Source: F1-Live]

Seven-time Formula 1 racing champion Michael Schumacher will be racing this weekend on a Honda CBR1000RR at the IDM International German Motorbike Championship. There are rumors that he'll be racing under a false name, Marcel Niederhausen. Now that the cat is officially out of the bag, so to speak, he may as well skip the alias. Schumacher will race alongside current champion Martin Bauer for Holzhauer Racing.

With this announcement, all of the previous events which Schumacher took part in start to make more sense. Superbike racing is very hotly contested, and the bikes feature nearly two-hundred horsepower in race trim. Therefore, it would have been an exceedingly bad idea to race in this series without a few warm-up runs. According to event organizers, the thirty-seven year old Schumacher has been testing for the last few weeks with members of his new team and "he surprised many experts with fast times." We can only hope that our "retirements" will be so enjoyable.

[Source: Motorcycle News]

Click on the image for more high-res shots of the Schuberth Race helmet

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher doesn't seem to have any desire to take it easy after retiring from the pinnacle of motorsports. It turns out that his four-wheeled racing excellence has translated rather nicely to two, and it sounds as if the ex-champ's perfectionist attitude continues on unabated as he now begins designing helmets for Schuberth. The German producer of brain buckets had previously supplied the headgear for Schumacher as he raced in F1 and currently provides the units for Ralf Schumacher, Nick Heidfeld, Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen and Mark Webber. Though no details regarding pricing or availability have been released as of yet, Schuberth assures that its new 'Schuberth Race' helmet is "an extremely lightweight and aerodynamic helmet, filled with numerous technical and safety innovations." From the looks of things, the helmet, with its orange and grey highlights, would be perfect mounted atop a KTM rider's head.


[Source: Schuberth]

Michael Schumacher made an auspicious motorcycle racing debut at the Misano track in Italy on Sunday. The race was the seven-time F1 champion's first professional competition on two wheels, following last week's amateur event in Hungary.

The short ten-lap event was run on 990cc KTM Super Duke motorbikes, on which Schumacher managed to qualify third and finish an impressive fourth, having dropped down to 14th and fought his way back up through the field. Schumacher was quick to assert, however, that this was a casual pursuit and not the start of a second career. Cautious reservations aside, we wouldn't be surprised to see the champ sporadically climb back onto various two-wheeled racing machines for the occasional race here or there.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by STR/AFP/Getty]

click above image to watch video of both finales

The Race of Champions only comes around once a year, and somehow Michael Schumacher always seems to be in the thick of things when the final rounds arrive. This year's Race of Champions was no different, as Schumacher and fellow Germanian Sebastian Vettel served up a steaming bowl of whoop ass to the English team of Jenson Button and Andy Priaulx in the Nations Cup final. We're sure the fact that that Button and Priaulx were beaten on their own home turf in Wembley Stadium was just more salt in the wound.

The finale of the Race of Champions, however, pits the two best individual racers against each other, and as we reported yesterday, it came down to last year's winner Mattias Ekström versus Michael Schumacher in three rounds of no-holds-barred closed circuit racing. Ekström won, but as you'll see after the jump, Schumacher was a gracious loser and seems genuinely pleased just to be doing something competitive again.

Check out video of both races after the jump.

[Source: Race of Champions]

When news broke of Michael Schumacher's adventure behind the wheel of a taxi in Germany, most of us chuckled at the thought of the multiple-champion driver hustling a cab through the streets of Munich. German police were evidently not quite so amused, and have reportedly launched an investigation into the matter.

Both Schumacher and Tuncer Yilmax, the cabbie whose taxi Schumacher commandeered in exchange for fare plus a 100-Euro tip, are under investigation by the Coburg traffic authority for their respective involvement in the erstwhile-amusing affair.

"That was an offence against transport laws. We will have a hearing," said a local law enforcement official. Schumacher's response: "You just have to laugh about it". We'll go with Michael's approach, but keep you posted on what couldn't very well turn into the court-room drama of the year.

[Source: Autosport, photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty]

Ever found yourself sitting in a taxi, thinking you could pilot that cab much better than its driver? Well, who hasn't, but that's rarely an option. If only everyone recognized your driving talent. Unfortunately most of us don't get that kind of recognition. Unless, of course, you're Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time world champion was with his family in Munich en route to the airport, and like the rest of us, they were running late. Naturally Schumi asked the driver, Tuncer Yilmaz, if he could drive, and the next thing Tuncer knew, he was riding shotgun as Michael did what Michael does best.

Needless to say, the Schumacher family made their flight, landed in Coburg and picked up their new dog from the breeder. (Seriously). The cabbie, for his part, attested to having the ride of his life, and in addition to the fare, got a generous tip.

[Source: F1-Live]

click above image for more high-res shots of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia

It's not a good sign when there is a massive throng pushing into the display hall and an announcement from inside the hall is asking people to step back away from the stage. But when the booth happens to have a Prancing Horse above it and none other than 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is standing front and center, it's understandable that there might be some interest in seeing what he has to show. Jean Todt was even on the outside looking in...for a short time. He was here like the rest of us, of course, to see Schumacher unveil Ferrari's latest track model for the street, the F430 Scuderia. We already know all of the pertinent details about the car, but seeing one in person was what this event was all about. And it didn't hurt that MS was here for the photo op. We actually lucked out and he walked right up to us at the side of the stage after his introduction. He looked incredibly well-rested and relaxed, unlike the car which looks like it wants to jump out of its skin.

Follow the jump for the rest of the story and make sure you check out the galleries as well.