The conflagration which enveloped Ferrari’s Ice Cream Man was fuelled by racing fuel from his fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen’s McLaren.

Kovalainen left the pits prematurely, dragging a piece of refuelling hose behind his car, which sprayed fuel as he made his way down the pitlane. The spray flashed up for an instant when it touched Räikkönen’s hot Ferrari. With his characteristic cool, he drove on immediately after the flames had died down.

After the race, McLaren was fined $50,000 for dangerous conduct, while Kovalainen received a 25-second penatly, which dropped him from 9th to 12th position in the final classification (both outside the points).

(Hat tip to everyone for the tips!) Photo credit English Russia. (where else?)

The son of a garage owner and car enthusiast, O'Quinn never lost his interest in automobiles and automobila. His collection rivals almost anyone's and includes hundreds of famous and well-known cars including half-a-dozen Duesenbergs, one of JFK's Continental limos, a Batmobile, FDR's Packard Limo, and a Ford Escort once owned by Pope John Paul II.

On a personal note, I've met O'Quinn and know his friends and they remember him as a big, powerful, gregarious man. He seemed every bit the big Texan his giant frame projected. [Chron] (h/t to Zerin)

Better even than the pics, or the fact that this guy fled, is the article from a local Seattle affiliate that describes this as a $117K Gran Turismo. Clearly, it's a significantly less valuable Maserati Coupe. Whatever it is, we doubt it's worth the charge of "fleeing the scene." [KIRO-TV]

Photo Credit: John Nuttal

(Hat tip to Roger!)[The Guardian, Photo: Wharf.Co.Uk]

(Hat tip to Peugeot!)

(Thanks for the tip Dave)

[Goods BMX, NASIOC]

I recently purchased a 2009 For F-150 and I am writing you this email to praise the safety features of that vehicle that saved my life. I was recently at the Texas State Fair and was looking at the new Ford vehicles because we will soon be in the market for my wife a new SUV, and I told one of the representatives my story. They told me that I should send the pictures in to someone at Ford. I did a google search for contact info at Ford, and I am taking a guess at your email address from your name.

On May 9th, I was driving on south Interstate 45 from Dallas to Houston at 5 in the morning. It was pitch black outside and as I came over a small hill in the road, there were 6 cattle standing across the freeway. I was traveling 65-70 miles an hour and I did not have time to react and swerve away from the cows. I hit and killed 3 of the cows. I don't remember much of the wreck, but I do remember that I walked away from it. Once the police arrived on the scene, the were sure that anyone in the vehicle was surely dead. As every new officer and helping passer by came upon us, I was asked if I had checked on the people in the vehicle. They were surprised every time that I told them that I was the only one in the vehicle. They would ask how I was even standing after the wreck. I firmly believe that God put me in an F-150 exactly one week before the accident for a reason. The truck was totaled, and looking at the damage, I can see how anyone would not believe that I walked away from the accident. I had a twisted vertebrae, dislocated ribs, a concussion, and some burns from the airbag. All of that is fixable, and the one thing that I also have is my life. If I would have been in my previous vehicle, they said I would have been decapitated. On my F-150, the hood rolled back over the windshield and shielded anything from coming through it. The frame kept the cockpit in tact and overall, this truck truly performed the safety features to the max. No-one ever thinks of hitting 3 900 lb cows when they think of auto accidents, but your engineers and designers have put features into this truck that will save hundreds of lives, and I am sure glad they saved mine. My wife were married in March and this accident happened only 2 months after our wedding. Now we are expecting our first child, and I will only trust Ford vehicles with my wife and family in the future. I have attached a picture of the truck and I will say, the sales staff was fantastic in assisting me with getting a new 2009 F-150.

Thank You So Much,
Joe Cross

Mulally apparently responded with "Hello Joe.....WOW.....soo pleased for you, your family, and our Ford.....I am sharing your story with our team that lives to design the very best cars and trucks in the world.....thank you Joe!!" He's just so happy to have another customer and continue Ford's dominance in the cattle-killing market.

Based on the paint scheme, our first impression was "A C6R ate the wall, Oh No!" then we got to sleuthing. This particular racing automobile is wearing the ZR1's giant ceramic brakes up front, sporting the hood window to show off the ZR1's intercooler, and was racing at Watkins Glen — all things the C6R GT2 cars for this year do not have or do. So we were stumped and resorted to asking for details. Asking a tipster for details on a race car is like asking for directions while your wife and her mother and her father are in the car. In any case, we found out the following:

The Car is owned by Greg Soebelski, and it's a Private car that
essentially mimics the Phoenix Racing C6R cars. The car itself has
been modded (bolt ons, and IIRC increased boost) and is supported by
Entropy Racing (http://www.entropyracing.net/)

He purchased this car in early spring, and has been taking it to track
days with PDA (www.pdadrivingschool.com) and received his comp
license this season with NASA (www.nasanortheast.com). This race (Thunder at the
Glen) was his first 'competitive' race with this car.

The accident occurred between turns 8 and 9 ('Heel of the boot") on
Watkins Glen Long course.

As of last knowledge, he's already looking for another ZR1 to replace
this one. Greg comes to the track with his 'East Coast Racing Team',
which is comprised of an E92 M3 (fully modded engine and suspension) a
Widebody 350z 'vert (Supercharged) and a CLK 63 Black Series...

To which our immediate response was:

This is very important. Do you know if Greg looking to get rid of that motor (or the one supplanted by the race built one in the wrecked car)? Because we know of at least one place it would end up in a very good home if the price is right.

(Thanks for the tip, pictures, and details Cody)

[Fox12]