Megumi Fujii

And continuing with the policy of Asian fitness women from all walks of life, today we have Megumi Fujii.
"Mega Megu" was born on April 26, 1974 in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
She is considered one of the best female MMA fighters in the world.
And why not?
She got her martial arts training from Hiroyuki Abe and Josh Barnett.
Megumi has 16 wins (13 by submission, 3 by decision) and no losses.
Her first MMA fight was against Yumi Matsumoto on August 5th, 2004 at the Smackgirl - Holy Land Triumphal Return event. Megumi won by submission 40 seconds into the first round!
She also trained fellow MMA fighter Hitomi Akano (14-5)
You can visit her website at http://www.megumifujii.com/

Brenda Kelly

Brenda Michiko Kelly was born on January 15th, 1959 (that's right,1959!) in Honolulu Hawaii.
Her mother is Japanese, and her father is Dutch/English.
Brenda has held titles in:
The 2000 International Fitness Pro
The 2000 ESPN2 Series (swimsuit round 1st)
The 1998 NPC Northwest Women's Fitness
National Aerobic Championships (solo and mixed pairs)

Besides all that she is a Fitness Director, Polynesian Dancer/teacher, International Fitness Magazine Cover Model, Actress and a Published Writer.
You can visit her website here:
http://www.brendakelly.com/

Yvonne Bates, Female Fitness Competitor

Beautiful Cambodian Female Fitness Competitor and Model Yvonne Bates.
Okay, Yvonne isn't just a fitness competitor and fitness model, she also has her personal trainer certification.
And she has an impressive list of competitions under her belt so to speak,

2003-1st place, Short Division, Gold Classic in Kansas City. 1st place, Short Division, NPC in Kansas City. 3rd place, Pro Division, WNBF World Championship in New York.
2004-2nd place, Natural American Classic in Austin, TX. 1st place, WNBF Northeast Classic in Worcester, MA. 1st place, Natural Caribbean Grand Prix in the Grand Cayman Islands, 2nd place, WNBF World Championship in New York City.
2005-2nd place, WNBF Pro Natural International and 7th place at the WNBF Pro Natural Northeast Figure Championships.
2006- 2nd place, WNBF Pro Natural Caribbean Figure Championships.
2007- 3rd place, WNBF Bluffs Classic Figure Championships and 4th place, Ms/Mr. International Kansas City Golds Classic.

You can visit her website for a lot more info and pictures here:
http://www.yvonnebates.com/

NPC Figure Athlete Huong Vo

Huong Vo is a NPC figure athlete.
I couldn't find a lot of info on her other than the competitions that's shes been in......
2005 NPC USA Bodybuilding & Figure 13th place, 2007 NPC Junior Nationals Bodybuilding, Fitness And Figure Contest
16th place, 2007 NPC Junior California Bodybuilding and Figure Contest 2nd place, 2007 NPC Los Angeles Bodybuilding, Fitness And Figure Championships 1st place, 2007 NPC Los Angeles Bodybuilding, Fitness And Figure Championships 2nd place, 2007 NPC USA Bodybuilding And Figure Championships didn't place and the 2008 NPC USA Bodybuilding & Figure Championships 16th place.

Kimiko Hirai Soldati, Former Olympic Diver

The fitness women on this blog are getting very diversified.
Kimiko Hirai Soldati is a former Olympic diver and a sports model.
She was born on April 10th, 1974 in Longmont, Colorado.
Like a lot of other women featured on this blog, she began her career as a gymnast until a knee injury ended that dream.
BUT, as with a lot of other women featured here, that didn't stop her, it just made her shift focus.
Kimiko decided to move into Diving and it was a good choice.
She racked up a very impressive list of accomplishments....

2001 United States Diver of the Year
2001 World Championship Team member and Team Captain, 6th - 10 Meter synchro, 7th - 3 Meter synchro
2001 National Champion 1 Meter, Silver medalist - 3 Meter & 10 Meter
2001 Goodwill Games Bronze medalist, USA - 3 Meter, first medal for the USA since 1984 on springboard in international competition
2002 FINA/USA Grand Prix Silver Medalist - 3 Meter Synchro, Bronze Medalist - 10 Meter Synchro, Bronze Medalist - Team Event
2002 World Cup Silver Medalist - 10 Meter Platform
2002 US National Champion - 3 Meter Springboard
2002 WHOSAM, Inc. Award recipient
2002 US Diver of The Year
2004 World Cup Team Member, 4th - 10 Meter synchro (partner Laura Wilkinson), 7th-3 Meter (partner Erin Quinn)
2004 American Cup Champion 10 Meter synchro (with Laura Wilkinson), 2nd - 10 Meter
2004 Canada Cup Bronze Medalist - 10 Meter synchro (with Laura Wilkinson)
2004 FINA/USA Grand Prix Silver Medalist - 10 Meter synchro (with Laura Wilkinson)
2004 US Olympic Trials Champion - 3M
2004 Olympic Team Member
2004 Wendy Wyland Award Recipient
2004 National Champion - 3M

To see more about this amazing lady, you can visit her website here:
http://www.kimiko-usa.com/

Elaine Kwon, Superwoman

You know I joke sometimes about how a lot of these models have long resumes.
Well this one is long and it isn't a joke.
This lady may be an evolutionary jump in the human race.
Elaine Kwon is a......
Five-time US National Tae Kwon Do Champion. (She now studies Shaolin Kung Fu at the USA Shaolin Temple in New York. I guess Tae Kwon Do got too easy for her?)
Fitness model for Nike Asia and Bodybow
Fashion Model, (Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Ahead magazines)
Concert Pianist, she debuted with the Washington-Idaho Symphony at the age of 15!
MIT Professor, she has her Doctorate of Musical Arts with highest honors from Boston University.
TV host of ImaginAsian TV.
I full expected to see part time crime fighter listed there.
If you don't believe me, you can check out her website for full details.
http://www.elainekwon.com/
It's okay, go ahead and look. Trust me, if I were just reading this I wouldn't believe it either!
I wonder if Doc Savage ever had a kid......?

Ms.Fitness USA of 2008: Tiffany Yee

This beautiful lady is of Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese descent.
She is a former Denver Broncos Cheerleader and Featured Dancer on the Soul Train Television show.
Tiffany has competed in several fitness competions (I'm saving the best for last), she was 1st Runner Up at the 2002 Ms. Physique California, 2002 Fitness Northern California Champion, 2002 and 2003 Ms. Fitness Rocky Mountain Champion, 2002 NPC Colorado State Short Class Figure Champion, 2002 NPC Colorado State Fitness Champion, 4th Runner Up at the 2003 Ms. Fitness USA, 9th place at the 2004 Ms. Fitness World and 1st Runner Up at the 2004 Ms. Fitness USA.
And now, six years after her first big win, Tiffany Yee is Ms.Fitness USA of 2008!
You can see and read more about Tiffany here:
http://www.tiffanyyeefitness.com/

Asian Fitness Model Liz Yu.

The really sad thing about Liz is that all I have is a name and a picture.
And possibly that this is the same Elizabeth Yu that competed at the 2006 Emerald Cup Figure, Fitness and Bodybuilding Championships.
If that is the same lady, then she also competed at the 2006 Alberta Figure Championships.
But I had to post this entry.
Look at those abs!

Fitness Model: Cori Nadine

If you haven't been on the interweb since the 90s, you might not know who Cori Nadine is.
Cori is a Filipino, Irish, and Navajo Indian beauty that was a staple in Muscle mags back in the 90s.
I think every swimsuit issue they put out had her in it.
Cori actually competed in a few amateur fitness and figure contests but nothing ever really came of it.
She also did some work as a personal trainer, but I don't know if she still does that or not.
The way Cori is built, she can look very soft and feminine, or very muscular and ripped when she wants to.
Cori was born on June 11, 1969 in Pasadena California.

Fitness Model: Mai Tran

Mai Tran is a Fitness model, Bikini model and Import Car model.
This 5'1, 96 pound (yes that's right...96 pounds!) Vietnamese (she was born in the US, but both her parents are Vietnamese) beauty is very popular on the internet.
And rightly so.
She has been in fitness magazines such as MuscleMag, Oxygen, Muscle and Fitness, Muscular Development and Flex.
And this is a "hat-trick" for Mai.
I have featured her before on my fitness blog and my beautiful women blog!

South Korean Bodybuilder Jung Young Ji

South Korean female Bodybuilder Jung Young Ji.
Not a lot of info on this young lady, but I expect to see great things out of her.
In 2007 she took first place at the Asian Championships in Women's Bodybuilding 58kg class (That's about 127 lbs. for the metrically challenged like me).

Figure competitor: Melanie Cheang

Figure competitor, Full-time Student and Personal Trainer, Melanie Cheang was born in Singapore.
Melanie currently lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
She stands 5’5 ½ and weighs in at 124 lbs for contests.
She came in second in Figure Medium-Tall catagory at the at the Canadian Championships in 2007.
And Melanie came in third at the 2008 Canadian Championships in the Figure Medium-Tall division.
You can visit Melanie's website here:
http://www.melaniecheang.com/

IFBB Fitness Pro Nicole Rollolazo

I have already done one write up on IFBB Fitness Pro Nicole Rollolazo over at my Female Fitness blog, but she needs to be included here as well.
Nicole is a female fitness competitor, model and personal trainer.
And the lovely Nicole is half Filipino.
Besides her long list of fitness competitions (her most recent begin 8th place at the 2008 IFBB 15th Annual Sports/Fitness Weekend and Europa IFBB Super Show and 7th place at the
2008 IFBB Houston Pro Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Contest), Nicole was also in a movie back in 2003 with Timea Majorova, Elaine Goodlad and several other fitness athletes called "The Interplanetary Surplus Male and Amazon Women of Outer Space".
Nicole contributed to the book "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women : The Way to Physical Perfection".
So I guess she's actually an actress, author, female fitness competitor, model and personal trainer.

May Maung

Beautiful May Maung was born in Burma.
She is a fitness model, personal trainer, sports nutritionist.
And besides all that, she is a MMA Ring Girl.
May also does fitness competitions, but I couldn't find the usual list....sorry.
This muscular, lean, and feminine lady stands 5' 4" and weighs 115 lbs.
And judging from her photos, that's all muscle.

Karen Pang

I swear they are putting something in the water in Canada!
Tracy Brooks, Gail Kim, Trish Stratus, Sharon Bruneau, Elaine Goodlad, Cathy Priest and now Karen Pang!
Born in Vancouver, Canada, this beautiful lady is a Fitness Competitor, Fitness Model, 2008 Bikini Universe (Short Class) 1st Runner Up, 2007 Bikini America Top 10 Finalist and a 2007 WNSO National Pro Champion Swimsuit Model....whew!
I think we are just beginning to hear about this young lady.
She has a very bright future ahead of her.
Karen is very cut and muscular when doing fitness competitions, but she shows a softer side in regular photo shoots.

Huong Arcinas

Huong Arcinas was born in Thailand, but moved to the US when she was 3 days old.
Her native language is Vietnamese.
This lovely lady is a IFBB Pro Figure competitor, model and personal fitness instructor.
She recently got her personal training certification in CrossFit training.
Huong has first place wins at the 2004 San Francisco Grand Prix Figure, the 2005 Contra Costa Fitness and Bodybuilding, the 2007 Jr. USA and the 2007 Figure Nationals (where she qualified for IFBB Pro Status).
She has also placed in many other fitness competitions since 2003.
You can visit her website at http://www.fithuong.com/

Fitness Model and Competitor Min Yung Kim

Fitness Model and Competitor Min Yung Kim was born on February 8th, 1970 in South Korea.
She is a Gymnastics Instructor, Personal -Trainer and Fitness Model.
Ming has placed in several competitions:
First place at the 1997 Mid-Atlantic-4th NPC Physique
Third place at the 1997 NPC Team Universe
Third place at the 1998 Women’s Extravaganza Fitness Strength Competition
Third place again at the 1999 Women's Extravaganza Fitness Strength Competition
She has also appeared in Musclemag International, Ironman, Flex, Muscle and Fitness and Oxygen.

Japanese Female Bodybuilder, Tomoko Kanda

Tomoko Kanda is a Japanese female bodybuilder.
She was born and raised in Osaka Japan.
Besides being a bodybuilder Tomoko has a Master's degree in management from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama.
She has competed in several bodybuilding competitions.
In 2002, she took first place at All Japan Bodybuilding in the Masters category.
Also in 2002, she took first place in the All Japan Open Bench Press competition in the 56kg weight class.
In 2004, she took first place at the Osaka/Kansai bodybuilding competition and was runner up at the All Japan Bodybuilding competition.

Fitness Legend : Susie Curry

Susie Curry is a professional fitness competitor of Irish-Indian-Italian-Vietnamese decent.
She was born on November 22, 1972, in Santa Barbara, California.
She is the most successful fitness competitor in the world to date, having won four Miss Fitness International titles, and four consecutive Miss Fitness Olympia titles
Like a lot of other fitness competitors it seems, Susie started out in gymnastics, but was way-layed by injuries. Having already begun weight training to help in her gymnastic competitions, she stayed with it.
Susie began fitness competitions in 1995, and turned pro in 1996.
She is now retired from fitness competition.
But before retiring, she racked up first place finishes at the 1996 NPC North Carolina Women's Fitness Championships, the 1996 NPC Junior USA Women Fitness, the 1996 NPC National Women's Fitness, the 1996 IFBB World Amateur Fitness, the 1997 IFBB World Pro Fitness Championship, the 1998 IFBB Fitness International, the 1999 IFBB Fitness International, the 2000 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness, the 2000 IFBB Fitness Olympia, the 2001 IFBB Fitness Olympia, the 2002 IFBB Fitness International, the 2002 IFBB Fitness Olympia, the 2003 IFBB Fitness International, the 2003 IFBB GNC Show of Strength , the 2003 IFBB Fitness Olympia.
GEEZ!
And those are just the FIRST PLACE finishes!
Susie lives in Bremen, Georgia now, where she co-owns a gyms and is a personal fitness trainer.

Female Bodybuilder Michelle Jin

Asian-American female bodybuilder Michelle Jin.
Michelle was born in China, but moved to the US when she 18.
She is competing in amateur contests right now, mainly natural bodybuilding.
Other than that, I don't have a lot of info on her.
Then again, her mass and definition speaks for itself.

Fitness Athlete: Lyen Wong

Lyen Wong was born Milagros Lyen Wong Aseguinolaza on August 5, 1980 in Matanzas, Cuba.
She is a German-Cuban fitness athlete of Spanish, African and Chinese decent.
Lyen began as a fitness trainer in 2003 and moved into fitness competitions in 2005.
She has participated in the 2007 Miss Universe Fitness, NAC International taking second place, the 2007 Miss Fitness, International German championship again taking second place and the Miss Bikini Contest at Mr. Olympia taking third place.
Before that, she competed in several fitness competitions in Germany taking first place in many, including the Miss Fitness, International German championship and the Miss Universe Shape N.A.B.B.A. International.

Chinese-American bodybuilder "Lili" Xin Li Cao

Chinese-American bodybuilder "Lili" Xin Li Cao (or Cao Xin Li) was born in Mongolia in 1981.
She started practicing Judo at the age of 12, switched to weightlifting at 15, then started bodybuilding training in 1998.

Lili has competed in the 2000 General Assembly Session of the National Sports Competition, the Chinese national Bodybuilding championship, the Asian Bodybuilding Championship, the Chinese national, and Asian bodybuilding championships among others, and has won many of them.
Right now she is training for the Eighth World Games to be held in Taiwan in 2009.

Despite her obvious power, when you watch videos of this lady, she seems..I really hate to say this..but cute.
I know cute isn't a word usually associated with massive bodybuilders, but she seems to have a very open and sweet disposition.

You can check out her website here:
http://www.xinlicao.com/

South Korean bodybuilder Mi-Hee Yu

Couldn't find a lot of info on South Korean bodybuilder Mi-Hee Yu other than she has had two children and started training AFTER she had them.
So yes, this is how cut and ripped this lady is after having kids.
I swear I cannot see how they do it.
Two kids, married and works as well.
Bodybuilding is basically an amateur sport in South Korea, so she doesn't get paid for it, she does it for the love of the sport.
But imagine having to manage her regular life, plus make time to hit the gym and watch what she eats.
My hat is off to these ladies that can keep that up.
And look this good doing it!

IFBB Pro Christine Wan

IFBB Pro Christine Wan is a figure competitor from Florida.
Christine won the 2008 Atlantic City Pro Masters Figure.
In addition to that, she has competed in the 2004 GNC Show Of Strength, the IFBB California Pro Figure and the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Figure.
And before that, Christine competed in several Amateur Figure and Bodybuilding competitions.
She had first place finishes at the 2003 NPC Figure Nationals/Team Universe, the 2003 NPC Sunshine Classic Figure, the 2001 NPC Southern States Figure and the 1998 NPC Women's Extravaganza.
All this and she's a mom too!
Plus, Christine has a blog here on Blogger:
http://christinewan.blogspot.com/

Natalie Minh

The beautiful Natalie Minh is a Vietnamese-American fitness competitor.
She was born in Houston, Texas USA in 1980.
Natalie currently lives in Brussels, Belgium.
She has competed in the 2008 FAME World Championships, the 2008 FAME European Fitness Model champion, the 2008 FAME European Championships and the 2008 Muscle Mania/Fitness Universe Italian Championships, where is won first place in Ms. Bikini.
You can visit her website here:
http://www.natalieminh.com/

Tanji Johnson

This lovely lady is not only a fitness competitor, but an American Gladiator as well.
She is of Black/Korean decent. Born in Bamberg, Germany, Tanji grew up as an Army Brat in Germany and Korea.
Besides being a fitness competitor and Gladiator, she is a personal trainer, NPC Promoter and writer.
Being very busy on the competition circuit, she has competed in the 2008 IFBB Olympia, the 2007 IFBB Olympia, the 2007 IFBB Tournament Of Champions Pro Figure, the 2007 IFBB All Star Pro Fitness Championships, the 2007 IFBB Europa Super Show and the 2007 IFBB Arnold Classic, and that's just in 2007 and 2008!
She placed first at the 2002 IFBB Toronto Pro, the 2006 IFBB Europa Super Show and the 2007 IFBB All Star Pro Fitness Championships.
On American Gladiators, her character is "Stealth".

Mona Liza Reyes

Ms.California and Filipino figure athlete Mona Liza Reyes
Mona was born in Subic Bay, Philippines but raised in San Jose, California
As with a lot of other fitness competitors and bodybuilders, she overcame a lifestyle that probably would have put her in the grave.
You have to admire her spirit and drive to get to where she is today.

She has competed in the 2008 USA Bodybuilding & Figure Championships, 2008 Junior California Bodybuilding & Figure Championships, 2007 North American Championships, 2007 USA Bodybuilding & Figure Championships, 2006 USA Bodybuilding & Figure Championships and a host of others.

Mona has a blog that you can check out here:
http://www.goteammo.com/

Aki Nishimoto

Aki Nishimoto is a Japanese female bodybuilder.
She won the Ms Japan bodybuilding contest in 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008!
Talk about dominating!
Besides Ms.Japan, she has placed in the 1998 Asian Bodybuilding Championships, the 2005 World Games and the 2006 World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships.
Aki started out in Karate, but got a knee injury that put her out for awhile.
Ms. Nishimoto is 41 (yes 41!) a former civil servant, a fitness instructor and lecturer.
There are tons of videos of her posing out on the web.
And here is one....
It's a short video of Aki hitting a double bicep pose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnGN_SsC70c

AC Cobra 212 S/C Sports Car 3506 cc V8 Twin Turbo (Lotus) Engine

AC Cobra 212 S/C

The AC Cobra 212 S/C used the ultra low weight of the advanced Formula One carbon fibre body technology pioneered on the AC Cobra MKIV CRS. High performance Avon tyres have been selected to create a special road/race package for the AC Cobra 212 S/C to ensure that the output of the Lotus V8 reaches the road.Powering the AC 212 S/C is a 350 bhp Lotus engineered 3.5 Litre, V8, Twin Turbo engine mated to a 6 speed gearbox all hidden under a carbon fiber body.
John Owen says,"With the AC 212 S/C we've been able to bring together three tremendous assets in the same package".
AC Car Group Limited's Chief Engineer and the man who earlier led the Lotus design team which conceived the V8 unit. "We've got the ultimate sports car looks of the iconic AC Cobra. We've developed the pioneering F1 carbon fibre technology from the CRS. And we've mated all of this to one of the most powerful engines available today - the Lotus V8."
The car develops 350 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 295 lb ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. It drives through a Tremec T56 six-speed manual gearbox and BTR Hydratrak final drive (ratio 3.73:1) to the rear axle. Power steering is standard together with AP Racing dual circuit servo-assisted ventilated discs all round.The specifications of the AC Cobra 212 S/C model reflects the power of the 3.5 litre Lotus engine with twin Garratt turbochargers.
"The AC Cobra 212 S/C is a hugely valuable addition to our line up of models which so proudly display their AC Cobra pedigree", said Mike Hall, AC Car Group Limited's Joint Chairman. "

Peugeot shows new 908 HY diesel-hybrid Le Mans racer!

In the current world of big time international endurance racing, two cars stand head and shoulders above the rest, the Audi R10 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDi. Put these two Le Mans Prototype class 1 cars, both powered by 5.5L turbo diesel V12s, on a wide open track and nothing can run with them. With Formula 1 introducing hybrid kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in 2009 and the American Le Mans Series introducing a Green Challenge award, Peugeot has decided to take the next step with its program. The French manufacturer is using the last race of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Sliverstone to unveil a demonstrator called the 908 HY which may foreshadow the next generation of its Le Mans challenger. The 908 HY adds a 60 kW electric motor, a set of lithium ion battery packs and corresponding power electronics. The diesel hybrid system will allow the car to operate in electric-only mode in the pits, and get a power boost on the track thanks to recaptured kinetic energy. The current demonstrator has a net weight gain of 45 kg (99 lbs) compared to the standard car. Whether Peugeot runs a car based on this powertrain depends on the ACO, the organization that sets the rules for Le Mans.

New Honda City unveiled in Thailand - is this the look of the new Insight?

The new Honda Insight concept was teased last week in advance of the vehicle's unveiling at the Paris Motor Show next month. We don't know that the production version will look like, but it'll be similar in some ways to the concept and different in others. That's a cop out, sure, but what else is there to know? How about by taking a look at the 2009 Honda City, which was just unveiled in Thailand and is based on the Fit/Jazz. An anonymous poster wrote to Carscoop that, "We'll definitely see a variant of this in the US. It'll have a slightly different profile from the c-pillar back, be a hatchback and will be called the 'Insight.' Due at dealers in April..."

Last year, Honda became one of the first international automakers to take advantage of Thailand's financial aid packages to get more green cars built domestically. As to what the local vehicles might reveal about Honda's global line-up, go ahead and compare the two cars in high-resolution galleries below. Do you think that anonymous is right? Thanks to Rob for the tip.

Gallery: 2009 Honda City

Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid to launch in June 2009 in Europe

Mercedes-Benz hasn't publicly announced an official on-sale date yet for its first hybrid models beyond the first half of 2009. However, BusinessWeek is reporting that the S400 BlueHybrid will go on sale in Europe in June 2009. The big gas-electric luxury sedan is due to arrive on U.S. roads one year from now. The S400 will use a lithium-ion battery pack and will likely be the first from a major automaker to do so. With a current U.S. base price of $86,700 for an S550, it's not quite clear where the hybrid will fit in the U.S. lineup. The S400 will pair the 3.5L V6 that is not available in the U.S. S-Class with the Daimler/BMW mild hybrid system. BusinessWeek reports the system will command a premium of less than €10,000 (I should hope so, since that's almost what Lexus charges for the full hybrid system on the LS600h). On the plus side, the Mercedes should get significantly better fuel economy than the Lexus. Mercedes is claiming 29.8 mpg (U.S.) for the hybrid although it remains to be seen how it will fare on the EPA cycle.

Rain Supreme: Big surprises at soaked Italian Grand Prix (SPOILER ALERT)

Racing fans are used to tuning in on the Saturday of a grand prix weekend to find the words "Scuderia" and "Ferrari" at the top of the qualifying list. But interrupted by the words "Toro Rosso"? Never. But that was only the first of many surprises at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel shockingly secured his first pole position thanks to some exceedingly brilliant driving joined with good strategy on the part of his Ferrari-powered Scuderia Toro Rosso team, which wisely stuck with the extreme wet tires on the rain-soaked Monza circuit while others experimented with intermediate treads. The young German's unprecedented qualifying performance put him in the record books as the youngest driver ever to secure a pole position, supplanting Fernando Alonso's previous record. But with so many other drivers with more experience and backed by teams with immensely bigger budgets, surely Vettel's lead would quickly be stolen by an established front-runner. Wouldn't it? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2008 Italian Grand Prix

First official Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo teaser revealed

It's not like Porsche has done a very good job keeping the Panamera, its upcoming four-door sports sedan coupe, a secret. We've seen more spy shots of the Panamera undergoing testing than pics of Britney doing something unseemly in public, and that's a lot. But rather than just show us the final production form of the Panamera, the name of which is now officially followed by "Gran Turismo", Porsche has decided to do a full blown marketing roll out using the just launched Panamera Online Magazine as the medium through which we'll see the production Panamera bit by bit. The first issue is out and contains a few not-very-revealing sketches of the car as well as an image that will be used in upcoming advertisements in which the Panamera peeks its nose out of a garage. Unfortunately, the front end of the car looks pretty much like every other Porsche. Nevertheless, the roll out has begun and sooner rather than later we'll be able to pass judgment on Porsche's first four-door passenger car. Porsche says the Panamera's official debut is scheduled for next spring (probably the Geneva Motor Show in March), with sales to commence in late summer or early fall of 2009.

Gallery: Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo

[Source: Porsche]