Write In The Driving Seat

And the winner is...

Paul Bond, 22, is originally from Peterborough, but is currently based in North London. Having studied English Literature at UEA, Paul went on to achieve a Journalism Masters at Kingston. Paul now works as a freelance journalist and heard about 'Write into gear' while searching the web for media jobs.

Winning the competition is a dream come true for Paul. While growing up, he always loved cars and going to the home of Ferrari was a brilliant experience for him. Paul says: “My love of cars, and indeed motorsport, means that writing about them for a living would be my dream job.”

Having been crowned 'Write into gear' champion, Paul claims that he's now a lot closer to achieving that dream.

Ferrari and Shell V-Power technology:
A winning combination

Few things in life quicken the hearts of men quite as fast as the word ‘Ferrari’.

Standing just outside the home of the iconic marque, in Maranello, I can see that word, in 10ft high yellow lettering on the outside of the factory itself, and my pulse is certainly racing.

It doesn’t help that as I stand there, pondering the mysteries that lie within those walls, I hear a throaty V8 growl, and catch my first glimpse of the new 458 Italia, prowling out onto the autostrade, looking sleek, black, and menacing.

That single moment, my very first impression of the home of some of the world’s rarest and most beautiful automotive exotica, crystallizes what both Ferrari, and their partners Shell, are all about: The subtle blending of rich history and tradition with cutting-edge technology and modern design. Everything that I see, and experience during the course of my visit, confirms this to be as true today, as it was when the two companies first came to together in a fusion of spark and creativity, over 60 years ago.

The Galleria Ferrari, is quite simply, stunning. Over two gleaming white floors, the gallery houses a visual feast, a priceless collection of old F1 cars from every era, numerous racing trophies, and bare shining engines, all showing how with every new model, Ferraris have gradually evolved.

At every opportunity the old and the new are placed side by side, so that the debt owed to the past is never forgotten as the company forges into the future. The very first car to leave the factory gates, the 125 S, is placed right next to the Championship winning F2003, which stormed to six Grand Prix victories that year.

Those gates still remain standing, but the rest of the factory has been transformed by modern architects and follows the concept of ‘Formula Uomo’, a programme started in 1997 which aimed to improve the safety and comfort of the working environment for all Ferrari personnel.

The road car assembly line is a rare chance to see these cars at each stage of production, the bare mechanical bones being intricately pieced together, hand-stitched dashboards and body shells finally meeting for the first time. It is in the small buildings by the Fiorano test track, however, where the most elusive creations are kept, like the FXX models, track-specific cars designed to push automotive technology forward. It is in the race engines like these that Shell can test their products, and gather all the data they need to create fuels like V-Power.

Racing drives both Ferrari and Shell to evolve, it is racing that has always made the success of Ferraris possible. Enzo Ferrari said so himself, and as my tour of the Maranello factory proved, he knew a few things about racing cars.