New Delhi, October 24
Speed and power is Lewis Hamilton’s forte…his bread and butter, in fact. Yet, when he ventured out on the Noida roads today, he was amazed at the chaos and mayhem he witnessed, with people, more and more of them, everywhere. “Indian roads are so busy, I did not know what goes on when we went over some bridge”, he said after getting a taste of the traffic.

But he still likes India and Indians, and wants to come back, again and again. Because, it’s his ‘second home’. “It’s such a different culture. People…there are so many of them! India is becoming a second home for me. People are so welcoming, so polite, very very humble, who have started understanding FI”, he continued.

Hamilton is here on his seventh visit to the country, and he’s keen to explore the Capital city, the undisciplined traffic notwithstanding. He dispelled the popular notion that Formula I racing was all about thrills and spills, and rash driving. “In fact, FI is held in a controlled atmosphere, of safety and environment…It’s a sport”, he asserted at a function organized by team sponsors Vodofone to unveil his FI car. “We give out a good image to people, for the young who would take up FI sport we should be role models”, he noted.

He felt that a country of India’s magnitude and mammoth population should have more drivers on the FI paddock, than just one Narain Karthikeyan. “You must have several very good drivers in the FI”, he said. He sympathized with Karthikeyan’s plight of not making much headway with team HRT in the FI circuit this season, when he got to race a full season for the first time. “Narain does not have a good car”, Hamilton pointed out. He said it was only natural that the Karthikeyan was aspiring to drive for home team Force India when German Nico Hulkenberg leaves it join Sauber (Hulkenberg is expected to replace McLaren-bound Sergio Perez as Hamilton will be joining Mercedes). “Force India is getting better and better. If he (Narain) drives for Force India, it will be a huge advantage for him”, observed Hamilton.

In his second season at the Buddh International Circuit, Hamilton’s prime concern would be to help his team McLaren get the Constructor’s Championship this season “as we are too far away from the Driver’s Championship to aspire for it”. Last year, Hamilton had found the Buddh track very demanding and raw for tyres, though it has medium track speed. ”It takes a good race for the track to be more perfect”, he added.

Hamilton is concerned that he has had a rather lean run during the last three seasons, and it would be very difficult to catch up with Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull this time, though four races are still to go. “We have not been fighting enough for the World Championship, as we lost quite a few races”, he said. Hamilton felt rain would be no deterrent to prevent him from driving as he has won some competing under rain.

“But driving in rain is challenging and incredibly tedious”, he averred, when asked how he would react to racing in wet weather conditions. McLaren had tyre and engine problems, but Hamilton did not think that alone was responsible for the team’s tardy progress. “We won in Montreal and Hungary, but yes, we had problems with tyres”. He said winning and losing was part of the business as it comes in a cycle. “Some years you win, and some years others win”, he reasoned. He said the championship race was still open, and every race was seriously contested. “ In every race you want to win, whether you are in the race for the title or not. We as a team are good enough to do so. ”

He said it was the fans who really make FI a hit as their support is vital for its success. “After cricket, FI is the second most popular sport”, he added. 

New Delhi, October 24
Having failed to muster any points from the Korean Grand Prix, Williams F1 team driver Pastor Maldonado says he will look to make most of the cars potential at the Buddh International Circuit, which is one of his favourite tracks.

Maldonado along with Bruno Senna finished outside top ten at the last race but the duo is looking to make amends at the Indian Grand Prix (IGP), this weekend.

"India is enjoyable because it's so different and the track is one of my favourites. It's still a new track but it has a good combination of medium and high-speed corners, chicanes and good changes in direction," Maldonado said.

"Coming to the final few races, making the most of our cars potential is going to be important, so hopefully we can score points here and put ourselves in a strong position for the final three races," he added.

Meanwhile, Senna who is currently standing at 16th spot in the drivers standing, just behind his teammate Maldonado, said he was eagerly awaiting the second edition of the IGP. "I'm looking forward to this weekend because India has a different atmosphere to many other Grands Prix and it's always a unique place to visit.

“As a new track the surface is very smooth and the layout is fast and flows well with some high speed corners which will suit our car. We should therefore be looking to improve on our performance in Korea," Senna pointed out. Williams chief operations engineer Mark Gillan said that the team has worked hard. "On the back of a disappointing result in Korea the team have worked extremely hard to address the balance inconsistencies,” he said. — PTI

Mumbai, October 24
Having crashed out of the inaugural edition fo the Indian Grand Prix last year, Marussia-Cosworth F1 team driver Timo Glock says he is determined to do well this time around. Glock is impressed with the Buddh International Circuit and said that though the track was a challenging one it provides you with lot of options.

"Last year I went out unfortunately, let's see what we can do (this year)," the German driver told PTI here today.

"The circuit has a lot of unique qualities which makes it special. The track is quite wide which gives you lot of (overtaking) options. It is challenging but has a very nice drive. I hope they didn't do any track changes. I look forward to be back again," Glock said.

Glock who is currently placed at 19th position in the drivers standing, however, said the heat factor can make the weekend race quite demanding.

"It is not the most challenging (GP), but the combination with the heat can make it quite demanding for everyone," he pointed out.

The German racer who is the lead driver of the low-ranked Marussia-Cosworth said the smaller teams find it tough to compete with the teams having big budget.

"It is very difficult to close the gap. The big guys have 200-300 million euros and we have 60 million euros. So it is very difficult," he said. Glock, though, said the team will look to finish within top-ten among the 12 participating teams, which will ensure a better budget for them next year.

"Every race which comes up now is very important for us.

We are trying to keep the tenth place in the constructors standings this year, which will give us more money for next year. The only way to move forward is to have a better budget. This is what we are targeting," he said.

Glock who stood 12th at the Singapore GP, his best finish so far in the season, was modest enough to admit that he had some luck going in his favour that day.

He added that he will aim to break into the top-10 drivers standing next year.

"Singapore was quite special for us. We had a very good strategy and I did well. We managed 12th position. There were couple of cars out of way, so we had some luck.

"Our target is to be in top-ten (drivers) by next year. It will be quite difficult but we will try our best," Glock said. — PTI

Durban, October 24
Delhi Daredevils' batting might would be put through a stern test by the consistent bowling attack of Highveld Lions when the two sides clash in the first semifinal of the Champions League Twenty20 on Thursday.

While the Daredevils finished their league engagements unbeaten and on top of Group A after two wins and a couple of washouts, the Lions ended second in group B with three victories and a loss from their four preliminary matches.

Delhi are the only IPL side left in contention after three others were knocked out in the group stage itself. The Lions, on the other hand, are one of the two South African sides, the other being Titans, to have reached the semifinals.

Delhi's strength lies in its power-packed batting line-up which boasts of proven match-winners such as Virender Sehwag, skipper Mahela Jayawardena, Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor. Rising star Unmukt Chand makes it perhaps the best top-five in tournament.

But the team looked vulnerable the last time weather permitted it to come out in the middle, against Perth Scorchers. Had it not been for a uncharacteristically patient half century by Sehwag, Delhi did stare at defeat against the Scorchers.

David Warner has been warming the benches in this tournament and he will be itching to have a go in case the team management decides to include him in the line-up.

On the bowling front, Delhi's attack looks decent spearheaded by Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel. The young Umesh Yadav has come good and so has veteran all-rounder Ajit Agarkar, who seems to be rediscovering his form.

The Lions have been relying on their enterprising bowling. “We always thought we can make it to the semis and even the final. — PTI

Chennai, October 24
Tanmay keeps Central Zone's hopes alive Chennai, Oct 24 (PTI) Opener Tanmay Srivastava kept Central Zone's hopes of Duleep Trophy title alive with a patient 46 not out as his side ended the fourth day of the summit clash against East Zone at 74 for two in their first innings here today.

Srivastava had already consumed 126 balls in his knock after resuming the day at individual score of seven and team total of 12 for no loss at M A Chidambaram Stadium.

The start of the fourth day was also delayed by rain and only 34 overs could be bowled today.

The first day was washed out without a ball being bowled, while the second and third days had seen 31.2 and 70.3 overs being played, respectively. With just a day remaining in the match, the winner of Duleep Trophy is heading to be decided on the basis of first innings lead. Central Zone now need 159 runs to win the title with eight first innings wickets in hand.

Srivastava and his opening partner Vineet Saxena, who resumed the day on five, added another 56 runs in 27.3 overs today before the latter was out for 22 at the team score of 68. Srivastava has scored five fours in his innings so far while Saxena hit four boundaries.

Central Zone suffered a jolt just three balls before the draw of stumps when captain Mohammad Kaif was dismissed for two in an LBW decision of Iresh Saxena.

Brief Scores: East Zone 1st Innings: 232 all out in 101.5 overs Central Zone 1st Innings: 74 for two in 36 overs (Tanmay Srivastava not out 46; Iresh Saxena 2/23). — PTI 

New Delhi, October 24
England wicketkeer Matt Prior believes beating India in India is their biggest challenge to date. The 30-year-old said trumping India will be bigger than their triumphs against Australia in the last few years.

Prior also believes that the return of Kevin Pietersen into the English team after a brief reintegration period is good news for the team. “I've seen Kev, we had a good chat or meeting, whatever you want to call it," Prior said. "Obviously I don't want to go into too much detail about what went on in the meeting but the important thing about it is KP playing for England will make England a better team. He is a phenomenal player, we all know that.

“The really important thing is that we are all pulling and moving in the same direction. if one person steps out of line it becomes tough. — PTI

Chennai, October 24
Comeback batsman Yuvraj Singh was today picked in the India A squad which will play England XI in their opening three-day practice game scheduled from October 30 in Mumbai.

Yuvraj, who has returned to cricket after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, showed fine form in North Zone's Duleep Trophy match against Central Zone by getting a double hundred.

The 30-year-old left-hander will be the batting backbone of the 14-member India 'A' line-up, to be led by Suresh Raina. Post-recovery from cancer, Yuvraj had returned to competitive cricket in the World Twenty20 and a good performance in the warm-up game would go a long way in getting him the selectors' nod for the four-match Test series starting Nov 15. — PTI

Ludhiana, October 24:
Punjab National Bank, Namdhari XI, Indian Oil and BPCL have made it to the semifinals of the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Champions Trophy hockey tournament. The semifinals will be played tomorrow at Pirthipal Singh Hockey Stadium at the Punjab Agricultural University.

The semifinals would pit Punjab National Bank against BPCL at 4 pm and Indian Oil against Namdhari XI at 8 pm.

Indian Oil, with the likes of Olympians Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan and internationals like Inderjeet Singh Chadha, were held to a 3-3 draw by Indian Army in the first match of the day today. The Indian Oil played well and had a sniff at the victory, but the Army team gave them a tough fight. Out of six goals scored in the match, five came with the help of penalty-corners.

Hamza Murtaza had opened the proceedings for Indian Oil when he converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute of the match. Chandan equalised for Indian Army in the 54th minute, off a penalty-corner. He scored again two minutes later to gain a 2-1 lead for his team. But this did not last long as Afzal Yousuf of Indian Oil scored the equaliser two minutes later. Indian Oil shot back into the lead in the 62nd minute when Sunil Yadav scored.

Now it was the time for Indian Army to fight back, which they did, scoring the equaliser in the 68th minute. The draw was enough to help Indian Oil enter the semifinals.

In the second match of the day, BPCL beat Indian Air Force 3-2. In a keenly contested match, the Indian Air Force fought very well as the went for an upset, but it was not enough. The first goal of the match was scored by Harwant Singh of Indian Air Force in 9th minute, and Gurpreet Singh of BPCL equalised 13 minutes later.

Hari Prasad of BPCL took his team ahead with a goal in the 37th minute, but IAF's Virender bought the match back on to an equal footing with a strike six minutes later. It was left to Gurpreet to score his second goal of the match to ensure a win. — TNS

Gaurav Kanthwal
IF you are the one who seeks adrenaline rush at the sight of mountains, go mountaineering. If you want to put on wings of fantasy and soar high in the sky, try sky diving. If you want to conquer your fear of heights, go bungee jumping. Do anything, but stay away from paragliding. For it is a sport that seeks perseverance and fortitude to give serenity.

Thrill is one component that takes a backseat in this adventure sport. Of course, it is exhilarating to have an on-top-of-the-world feel but that's not exactly why hundreds of para-gliders run in and jump of the cliff at Billing in Himachal Pradesh during this time of the year. There is an urge to fly, to explore the sky and be one with the nature. It's a quest to sooth mind and seek unparalleled joy to the soul. That's why people keen on paragliding rush to Bir Billing in Dhauladhar mountain ranges in October and March. It is that time of the year when the clear blue sky is splattered with countless practitioners of paragliding hovering like merry eagles. Some deft and skillful, others hanging in there for fun, all making for a spectacular sight downhill at Dharamshala-Jogindernagar highway.

The beeline on roadside stretches for hours with tourists and locals naively trying to capture far away moth-like objects on their camera phones. It takes hours before they realize that all they have got is a mere coloured blotch on the extra large screen of their high-end cameras and mobile phones.

It isn’t easy to grab a pie in the sky either. After four unsuccessful attempts, with a bruised body and a battered mind, a pilot uphill makes one last ditch lunge and falls flat on his face again. By the time he collects himself, the instructor's shadow looms over him, looking in his eyes, tersely asking, "Where is the urge to fly?" The wolf whistles and condescending comments from generic pilots doesn't make the task easier but the instructor realizes the guy needs a pep talk and perhaps a cup of hot tea from the only shop the place has.

The flight will have to wait for now. As many as 100 to 150 pilots take off from Billing to Bir from sunrise to sunset and hang in there for five to six hours. Such is the mirth in the air that the pilots keep prolonging the journey that normally takes half-an-hour if someone chooses road over the aerial route. That’s something to do with ambition. But experts say it’s as safe as any other sport, all a pilot needs is to strike a balance between ability and ambition.

London, October 24
Danish debutants FC Nordsjaelland were within nine minutes of a memorable win over Juventus before having to settle for a 1-1 draw while last season's beaten finalists Bayern Munich bounced back from a shock defeat by BATE Borisov on Matchday Two to beat Lille 1-0 in France.

A year to the day since Chelsea captain John Terry racially insulted Anton Ferdinand of Queens Park Rangers, for which he is now serving a four-match domestic ban, he is eligible to play in Europe but could not stop Shakhtar scoring after three minutes. He failed to clear a pass to Alex Teizera who took advantage of poor defending to angle a shot past Chelsea's Petr Cech who then made a succession of good saves to keep the score down.

Fernandinho doubled the home side's lead after halftime before Oscar became the third Brazilian to score in the match with a late consolation for the well-beaten visitors. "We are not afraid of playing against teams like Chelsea," said Shakhtar's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu. "I think we deserved this victory - we created many more opportunities and the score could have been 4-1.

The result left the Ukrainian side at the top of Group E with seven points, three more than Chelsea. Juventus have three and Nordsjaelland one.

Juve have now drawn their last nine European matches, and salvaged a point when Mirko Vucinic equalised nine minutes from time. Nordsjaelland, ahead through a 50th minute Mikkel Beckmann goal, at least hung on for their first point in the competition. Unlike Chelsea, who failed to come back after falling behind, Barcelona, European champions three times in the last seven seasons, did just that. But they needed a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time from Jordi Alba to beat Celtic 2-1 after the 1967 European champions had taken the lead at the Nou Camp through Javier Mascherano's own goal after 18 minutes before Andres Iniesta's brilliantly-worked equaliser just before halftime.

Barca lead Group G with nine points from three wins, ahead of Celtic on four while Spartak Moscow have moved on to three points after their first win of the campaign, 2-1 at home to Benfica thanks to Jardel's own goal.

Manchester United avoided an upset at Old Trafford, coming from behind to beat Braga 3-2 after being 2-0 down inside the first 20 minutes as Alan found the key to unlocking United's defence with two crisp finishes. United fought back with two headers from Javier Hernandez either side of a Jonny Evans goal which he scrambled in with his left foot after missing his kick with his right one.

United manager Alex Ferguson told ITV that conceding early goals was a fault they needed to correct. “It has been the story of our season at home, starting badly and losing goals," he said. — Reuters