Schumi is back!

Yes, 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher is back in Formula One. He will be driving the other Ferrari up until Felipe Massa is fit again to drive for the Italian carmaker.

This is good news to Ferrari and F1 fans alike. And I am equally delighted for I have not followed F1 as much as I did ever since his retirement in 2006.

This is another challenge for him and knowing how competitive he is, people will naturally expect him to win some races. But whatever the outcome, it will not diminish the fact that he is one of the best, if not the best driver in Formula One history.

Now, it’s time to take those vintage red Deutsche Vermogensberatung caps out as the prancing horse will definitely be flying again.





UPDATE:

"I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however much to my regret it didn't work out"

--Michael Schumacher on his failed bid because of the neck injury that he suffered in a motorcycle accident earlier in the year that prevented him from returning to F1.

Yes, He KHAN!

Amir Khan’s convincing win over WBA light- welterweight crown-holder Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena in Manchester Saturday night to become one of the youngest world champions in British boxing history proved once again that there is life after a devastating knockout loss with the right formula.

And the right stuff that help Amir Khan’s remarkable comeback to the top (after being knocked out cold by Breides Prescott in less than a minute in the first round 10 months ago) was Freddie Roach.

They wrote him off after that bitter loss as nothing but a pretender with a glass chin; a product of British media hype long hungry for another boxing hero. But he did the right decision when he left England to hook up and train with the venerable trainer in his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood right after his loss to Prescott.

And he showed improvement in his arsenal since then. Still, his win on a technicality over Marco Antonio Barrera was branded a fluke because of the Mexican Hall of Famer’s cuts and many thought that he, fighting for the title just 10 months and three fights off his knockout loss was premature.

But Roach said that his ward will be ready and will win the title come fight night. And Khan did not disappoint and proved the skeptics wrong when he fought a calculated, slick and effective fight on the way to victory against Kotelnik, a fellow Olympic silver medalist from Ukraine.

Obviously he gained a lot of confidence by holding his own with Roach's prized fighter P4P- King Manny Pacquiao in their sparring sessions at the Wild Card Gym. And with that kind of exposure, any boxer worth his salt will come out a lot better fighter than expected.

He showed his improvements in various departments: his footwork was great; his lateral movements were a sight to behold; his defense improved; his hand speed was fast and his jabs were effective. But Khan certainly needs to pack more power in his fists if he wants to be considered an elite fighter and be in the hunt for bigger prize money in the future.

Amir Khan’s chin will always be suspect until he face and overcome a heavy-handed hitter like his fellow Brit Ricky Hatton. But for now, he showed that he was able to handle a big fight and overcome the pressure of being in the ring with a veteran like Kotelnik. Surely, he is not yet in the Pacman’s class at this stage of his career but he is surely taking some small baby steps in the right direction.

After all, he is only 22 and still has a lot to learn to improve his game. And with Freddie Roach beside him, we can only see a bright future in the ring for this young lad from Bolton.

Daytona Fireworks

The 4th of July NASCAR Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona lived up to expectations as drivers engaged each other in an exciting wire-to-wire finish that ended up with Tony Stewart winning the coveted race in smoking fashion.

En route to his second win as an owner, Smoke unintentionally (?) whacked Kyle Busch into the wall when the Wild Thing tried to block him for the second time just meters away from the checkered flag.

The result was the usual and expected Big One in Daytona or in any other NASCAR restrictor- plate racing ground like Talladega.

Incidents like these would have been fatal to drivers in the past but because of NASCAR's prime focus and concern on safety including the development of the Car of Today (CoT), drivers can now race hard and focus on their strategies without reservations knowing that they are in good hands err cars.

Although many racing aficionados outside the United States (who are more exposed to the sleek and high-tech open wheel race cars in Formula One) think that NASCAR is boring, but if this kind of hardnosed, fast and furious racing continue, NASCAR will eventually earn their respect, gain more fans and attract more sponsors in the near future.

Keep the rubbers burnin' people!