Motor racing-Alonso wins German GP in Ferrari one-two

July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 25 (Reuters) – Fernando Alonso led Ferrari to a one-two finish in the German Grand Prix on Sunday after denying Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa an emotional victory one year on from a near-fatal crash. While Alonso celebrated his second triumph of the season, and 23rd of his career, it was accompanied by a whiff of controversy with Massa sent what sounded like a veiled message to allow the Spaniard to overtake on lap 49.

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel was third for Red Bull after starting on pole position. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was fourth to extend his overall championship lead to 14 points.

(Editing by Justin Palmer; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Hamilton leads McLaren one-two in Montreal

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton held off his McLaren team mate Jenson Button to win Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix and jump to the top of the Formula One drivers’ championship.

Sports

In a repeat of the last race in Turkey, Hamilton crossed the line just a few seconds ahead of his fellow-Briton to leapfrog Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber and Button at the top of the standings.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished third to join the two McLaren drivers on the podium while Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was fourth and Webber fifth after a thrilling 70-lap race.

Hamilton’s second win in a row took him from third to first place in the championship with a total of 109 points. Button remained second on 106 while Webber dropped to third on 103 ahead of Alonso (94) and Vettel (90).

While there were no major crashes the race, back on the program after being left off last year, lived up to its reputation as one of the most enthralling races on the Formula One calendar.

Five different drivers held the lead as teams were forced into a strategic battle to keep their tires from falling apart on the street circuit.

(Editing by Alan Baldwin)

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Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Britain’s Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix in a McLaren one-two with team mate Jenson Button on Sunday.

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Hamilton’s second win in a row, from pole position in Montreal, sent him top of the championship standings after eight races. Spain’s Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari.

(Editing by Alan Baldwin)

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Motor racing-Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 13 (Reuters) – Britain’s Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix in a McLaren one-two with team mate Jenson Button on Sunday.

Hamilton’s second win in a row, from pole position in Montreal, sent him top of the championship standings after eight races. Spain’s Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari.

(Editing by Alan Baldwin; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Vettel, Webber clear the air following ‘disaster’ Turkish GP crash

June 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, June 4(ANI): Red Bull Formula One racing drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have had clear-the-air talks following Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix ‘disaster’ collision.

The pair met with team bosses at their headquarters in Milton Keynes, and Vettel made the statement that both drivers are happy to continue to work together, The Sun reports.

The crash, a reprise of a collision between the two in Japan three years ago, came on the 40th lap when Vettel attempted to overtake Webber on the inside and then turned right into him.

Vettel spun out of the race, while Webber went on to take third place behind the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Red Bull principal Christian Horner said the crash, which robbed them of a one-two finish, was simply an “unnecessary” racing accident, and added that all factions of the team believed both drivers were equally guilty of not giving each other enough room.

“Ultimately we win as a team and we lose as a team and on Sunday we lost as a team, as a result of our two drivers having an incident. Having looked at all the information it”s clear that it was a racing accident that shouldn”t have happened between two team-mates,” Horner said. (ANI)

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Hamilton smiles while Red Bull smarts

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton returned to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time this season on Sunday with a smile of delight that only rubbed salt in Red Bull’s wounds.

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The 2008 world champion, without a victory since September, led McLaren team mate and champion Jenson Button in a one-two finish in Turkey after his Red Bull rivals collided in front of him.

While Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel blamed each other, Hamilton put on a display of harmony afterwards by embracing Button and hugging his team mate’s father before spraying the champagne.

The two Britons had also jousted on track, fighting hard for the lead without putting a wheel out of place or banging into each other.

Button offered his immediate congratulations over the team radio: “That was excellent, well done Lewis,” said the older Briton, who has already won twice this season.

“Me and Jenson had a good little battle,” said the 25-year-old Hamilton of his 12th career win. “He got me on the outside into turn 13 and then fortunately I was able to get him back into turn one and so that was definitely unexpected.

FAIR BATTLE

“But a really fair battle with him and a great result for the team. Our second one-two. I think we truly deserved it and I want to dedicate this win to my dad. It’s his 50th birthday tomorrow. Perfect way for him to celebrate.”

The only jarring point of the afternoon came when a questioner asked Hamilton at the post-race news conference whether he was now back.

“I don’t think I was ever gone,” he said.

“I have just been a little unfortunate up until now and I think bit by bit myself and the team have just worked very hard to chip away.

“Yesterday we qualified second. We knew that was just one step we needed to make. They made it very tough for us but we put up a good fight.”

Hamilton was right behind the Red Bulls when they collided 18 laps from the finish and he could scarcely believe his luck.

“It was great to watch, it was like an action movie in HD or 3D; it was fantastic,” said the Englishman, now third in the standings and nine points off Webber’s lead.

Hamilton also had his American singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger with him at a race for the first time this year and is sure to encourage her to come along more often.

“I wouldn’t say no to it,” he said when asked whether she was his good luck charm.

“Every time she seems to come I seem to win. I think it was Monaco 2008 she came, Hungary I won and Singapore (last year), so she is definitely a little bit lucky for me I think.”

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Brickyard best place for Formula 1, says Speedway

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Texas state capital Austin will host Formula One when it returns to the United States in 2012 but Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) still believes it is the “right place” for the motorsport series.

Formula One commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone announced on Tuesday that a 10-year deal had been agreed to host races in Austin, the 15th largest city in the United States.

While the decision to bring the sport back to the United States came as no surprise to Indy car teams, officials and fans as they descended on the famed Brickyard for Sunday’s 94th Indy 500, the choice of Austin did raise more than a few eyebrows.

“We’re proud that we had among the largest crowds in Formula One then and now,” said IMS spokesman Fred Nation.

“Certainly Indianapolis is the right place for Formula One in the United Sates and if and when they express an interest here again, which could happen, we’re ready to talk if we can find a business arrangement that makes sense for both parties.

“That has been difficult in the past.”

The United States last hosted a Formula One race at Indianapolis in 2007, a grand prix won by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

Since that deal ended, Ecclestone had been seeking an alternative venue with teams, car manufacturers and sponsors all keen to return to the United States.

“It’s not a surprise that Formula One is returning to the United States because Mr. Ecclestone made it clear because of the interest teams sponsors and manufacturers to be back in the world’s largest market,” said Nation.

“That Formula One expressed any interest Austin was a surprise. It was a surprise to us. Austin is not particularly known as an auto racing market.”

STABILITY

Since Sebring hosted the first U.S. Formula One in 1959 the event has never really found a permanent home.

Numerous other U.S. circuits have hosted races over the years including Las Vegas, Detroit, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Phoenix and Dallas in 1984 on a temporary street course.

Indianapolis hosted the race from 2002 to 2007 but the relationship between IMS and Ecclestone always appeared strained.

Critics claimed the American mid-west lacked the sophistication and amenities normally associated with the F1 circus and Ecclestone was often at odds with Speedway officials over what he believed was a lack of promotion and cooperation.

The Brickyard was also the scene of one of the biggest Formula One fiascos when seven teams withdrew from the race in 2005 over concerns about the reliability of Michelin tyres leaving only six cars to run the race.

American Formula One champion Mario Andretti said the 10-year deal with Austin would provide the stability the sport needs in the United States.

“Awesome, it couldn’t happen quick enough,” Andretti told Reuters. “It’s about time something has been done about it.

“I always felt it was a travesty that we (United States) did not have a grand prix. What we need is stability.

“I think the strength of the fan base (here) is totally underestimated for Formula One.”

(Additional reporting by Lewis Franck; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Red Bull’s Webber claims Turkish GP pole

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Istanbul, May 29(ANI): Red Bull Formula One racing driver Mark Webber on Saturday claimed his third straight pole position of the season, when he clocked the fastest time in qualifying for Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix.

Webber lapped the Istanbul Park circuit in one minute 26.295 seconds to secure his place at the front of the grid ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

In making it three pole positions in a row, Webber became the first Australian to achieve the feat since Sir Jack Brabham in 1960 and the first driver in F1 since Ferrari’s Felipe Massa three years ago, The BBC reports.

The 33-year-old Australian has now claimed four poles this season, while the Red Bull team has taken all seven.

Webber’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel was third fastest, with reigning world champion Jenson Button fourth in the second McLaren.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes finished fifth, ahead of Nico Rosberg in the other Mercedes, Renault’s Robert Kubica and Massa. (ANI)

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Lewis Hamilton charged for bad driving

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, May 23 (DPA) Police charged British Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton for ‘over-exuberant’ driving near the Melbourne circuit where the Australian Grand Prix was held in March, media reports said Sunday.

The 2008 world champion was charged with ‘intentionally losing control of a vehicle’ when he did burnouts and fishtails in a borrowed Mercedes on a public road.

‘What I did was silly and I want to apologise for it,’ the 25-year-old said at the time.

In 2007, Hamilton had his licence suspended for a month after being caught speeding on a motorway in France.

A court date was set for Aug 24 in Melbourne, but it is not known whether Hamilton is obliged to be present.

A court appearance in Australia would clash with preparations for the Belgian Grand Prix Aug 29.

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Red Bull dismiss Button as title threat

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21(ANI): Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button has been dismissed as a title threat by his main rivals Red Bull.

Button has dropped from first to fourth in the championship standings behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

Red Bull claims that Button’s McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso are the only men to fear.

“There are two people we fear for this world title. They are Alonso, because he is at his absolute peak, and Hamilton,” The Sun quoted Helmut Marko, Red Bull adviser, as saying.

“What the others are doing doesn’t bother us so much,” he added.

The Red Bull drivers are favourites to win the title this year, with the team already leading the constructors’ championship, 20 points ahead of Ferrari.

They have consistently out-paced others till now in the season, claiming pole position for all six races. (ANI)

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One more mistake will wreck McLaren’s title bid, warns Button

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 20 (ANI): Formula One champion Jenson Button, who is trailing this year in drivers competition, has warned that his team’s one more mistake will wreck their title bid.

The Formula One champ has followed teammate Lewis Hamilton in urging McLaren to sort things out.

Button slumped from first to fourth in the standings when a mechanic left a cooling bung in his side pod as he went to the grid in Monaco, causing his engine to blow early in the race.

“Lewis and I have failed to finish in one race. The whole team has got to make sure that’s the only time this year we fail to score points,” The Sun quoted Button, as saying.

“I think we’ve seen all the top teams make small mistakes so far this year. But those small errors can sometimes have bigger consequences,” he added. (ANI)

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Hamilton looks for clean sweep against Red Bull heroes in Brit GP

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 19 (ANI): Formula One 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton has said that he wants revenge in the form a clean sweep against the Red Bulls in next month”s British Grand Prix.

The Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are dominating their rivals, starting all six rounds from pole and winning three times.

“It was a bit too easy for Red Bull. They are a long way ahead but I have a lot of belief and faith in my team. I still reckon we can win both championships. We”re the best team,” The Sun quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

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Hamilton warns McLaren to sort out mess or forget about title

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 18 (ANI): Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has warned his team to sort the mess out, after McLaren was swept from the top of the drivers and constructors championships by the Red Bulls.

Hamilton and teammate Jenson Button’s challenge for title glory has been hit by a series of reliability problems.

Button slumped from top of the drivers standings to fourth after his engine blew up in Monaco on Sunday, The Sun reports.

Button is now eight points behind of race winner Mark Webber with Hamilton at seventh position.

Hamilton said: “We’ve under-performed. We’ve a big gap to make up. I doubt whether we can catch up with them by the next race. It’s not impossible but not likely. It’s up to me and Jenson to go in and really push the guys and get them on it.”

“We have to keep stressing to them they have to make that step forward. But they are under no illusions we have a big gap to make up.

“It’s too easy for Red Bull at the moment. They weren’t even pushing in the race. It’s not that it was scary but it was just taking the mickey a little bit,” the paper quoted him, as saying.

Hamilton fears it could take until the British Grand Prix on July 11 before he and Button can trouble Red Bull.

“I’m hoping by Silverstone we will be able to challenge them. Just imagine me and Jenson with a one-two. We’re fired up – don’t worry about that. I think we’re doing an exceptional job considering our true pace. We’re punching a bit above our weight. I still reckon we can win both championships. We”re the best team,” he said. (ANI)

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‘Don’t want Schumacher’s tainted legacy’

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lewis Hamilton says he wants to be remembered as a Formula One great, but not in the manner of Michael Schumacher. The 25-year-old Briton entered the sport the year after seven-time champion Schumacher retired from Ferrari in 2006, and this weekend is the first time the two have raced each other around the streets of Monaco.

The German’s comeback with Mercedes, at the age of 41, has revived memories of his last appearance in Monaco when he was sent to the back of the starting grid for blocking the track in qualifying to secure pole. That controversy was one of several to have dogged Schumacher’s career despite his status as the most successful driver the sport has ever seen, with 91 wins.

Hamilton, the 2008 world champion with McLaren, said he would hate to walk away from the sport with his reputation similarly ‘tainted’.

“When I leave F1 I want to be remembered as one of the best drivers of all time,” he said. “I am not really bothered if I am remembered or not. But clearly I am going to be remembered. I am part of the sport, I’m part of its history, I am a world champion,” he added.

“I think as I am going to be anyway, I would like to be remembered in the best way and the best light,” added the driver, who was himself embroiled in a furore over lying to race stewards last season.

“For me, when I think about the history it is not just about me, it is about how my family raised me, and where we came from. For that to be potentially tainted by something like that (Schumacher’s Monaco controversy) would be really devastating for me. That is definitely something I don’t want to be remembered for.”

Hamilton refused to be drawn into a judgement on what Schumacher did last time around, however.

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Webber takes pole for Monaco Grand Prix

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Monte Carlo, May 15 (DPA) Mark Webber of Red Bull will start from pole position in the Monaco Grand Prix after holding off the challenge of Renault’s Robert Kubica to finish fastest in Saturday’s qualifying session.

The Australian, who also won last week’s Spanish GP, clocked 1 minute 13.826 seconds for the 3.340-kilometre street circuit to grab his third pole of the season and fourth overall.

Kubica will start from second on the grid after registering a time of 1:14.120 minutes, followed by Sebastian Vettel in the second Red Bull and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

Red Bull have now claimed top spot on the grid for all six races so far this season while Renault engines occupy the top three places for Sunday’s race.

‘Today’s lap just all came together, nice clean exits,’ said Australia’s Webber.

‘Three Renault engines and to get pole at Monaco is a nice feeling.’

Kubica was fastest in the final free practice session but had to yield to Webber’s superior pace in qualifying.

‘This was a good effort for us, the team and myself,’ said the Pole, adding that he thought the result was the best his team could have expected.

‘So far, so good. When you are so close it’s better to finish first but we have to be happy.’

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had to be satisfied with fifth place while team-mate and championship leader Jenson Button qualified down in eighth spot behind Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso will have to start from the pit-lane after crashing out in final free practice earlier in the day.

The two-time world champion crashed into the barriers at Massenet 23 minutes into the hour-long session and was unable to repair the damage to his car in time to register a lap time in qualifying.

Defending world champion Button leads the 2010 standings with 70 points from Alonso (67) and Vettel (60) after five of 19 season races.

‘Around here it counts a lot to have driveability,’ said Vettel.

‘I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’s a long race and lots of things can happen.’

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Kovalainen bids big at Monaco charity auction

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lotus Formula One driver Heikki Kovalainen was the biggest bidder at a Monaco Grand Prix charity auction, shelling out 300,000 euros ($381,100) towards an AIDS project in Cambodia.

The auctioneer did not name the Finn but the former McLaren driver told Reuters after the event on Friday night that he had made the bid, although multi-millionaire team principal and Air Asia airline boss Tony Fernandes was also present.

“It is my money but Tony pays my salary,” said Kovalainen. “I have been looking to do something for a long time. This is a good cause.”

The sum will cover half the budget of a project to provide 320 permanent homes for 1,760 people living with AIDS/HIV in the country.

Organisers said the Elton John AIDS foundation would contribute a matching donation.

The seven lots at the Amber Lounge auction raised a total of 520,000 euros for the charity, including 50,000 splashed out by an anonymous bidder on a pair of black and white diamond cufflinks.

Formula One drivers, led by McLaren’s 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton, took part in a fashion show before the auction, attended by celebrities including former tennis great Boris Becker and actress Elizabeth Hurley.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Alastair Himmer. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Button accuses Massa of screwing his qualifying at Monaco

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 16 (ANI): Formula one champion Jenson Button has accused Ferrari’s driver Felipe Massa of screwing his qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, where as Michael Schumacher complained that he was impeded by his own Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg.

Button was the chief victim, McLaren’s championship leader hitting out after he was impeded by Massa going into the final corner, The Telegraph reports.

He ended the session eighth fastest, three places behind his team mate Lewis Hamilton, and afterwards called for the stewards to intervene.

“It’s disappointing because he screwed that lap of mine and also the next one because I had to drop back. I don’t know what he was thinking,” Button said.

Massa claimed in his defence that he, too, had been held up by Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg.

Mercedes, the last of the ‘big four’ teams, also had a frustrating day.

Rosberg and Schumacher claimed sixth and seventh on the grid respectively, but the former felt he could and should have been on pole, The Telegraph reports. (ANI)

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Driver with biggest balls will win in Monaco: Hamilton

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 15 (ANI): Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton, who is hoping to win his second Monaco Grand Prix, has said that the driver with the biggest balls should come out on top in Monaco.

The Briton triumphed in Monaco in 2008.

“Here you are always on the edge and think if you brake a little bit too late, you’ll be in the barrier. This is a track where you really have to have serious confidence in your car.

“When you say people outside of F1 could never understand what it feels like to drive around a track, this is the place where you really could never get anywhere near to understanding,” The Sun quoted Hamilton, as saying.

“There is nowhere else you could experience anything close to what we experience here. And even when you are away for a year you seem to forget how crazy this race is.

“There is a certain buzz and special atmosphere here. When you have a good car here it just feels phenomenal – and this car feels light years ahead of last year’s car,” he said.

Hamilton heads into the race 21 points behind title pacesetter Button after his cruel tyre failure in Barcelona last week.

But Hamilton is confident he can still regain his drivers’ crown this year, despite lying sixth in the standings going into the sixth round of the 19-race season.

“I don’t feel I’m at the point where I need to turn it around as such because what needs turning around is just my fortunes. We’ve got the pace and the speed to get better results than we have been getting. We have the power in our hands,” he said.

Hamilton’s biggest threat could come from former teammate Fernando Alonso, who dominated Friday’s practice sessions for Ferrari. (ANI)

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Button would prefer to win UK than in Monaco

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 13 (ANI): Formula One champion Jenson Button has revealed he would prefer to win in front of his own fans at Silverstone than in Sunday”s world famous Monte Carlo Grand Prix.

He was speaking as he attempts to become the first British driver since Graham Hill in 1969 to win the Monaco road race two years on the trot.

In 10 seasons in Formula One, the Englishman has not even stepped on the podium on home soil in front of his own fans.

“In your F1 career you would want to win your home Grand Prix, definitely, because there is such a special atmosphere,” The Mirror quoted Button, as saying.

Team mate Lewis Hamilton said his victory at Silverstone in 2008 was one of the greatest moment”s of his soaring career. (ANI)

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Hamilton hopes secret new helmet will help him to win at Monaco

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 12 (ANI): Former Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is hoping that a new helmet design will help him to head off his rivals.

Hamilton has been synonymous with a yellow helmet as sported by hero Ayrton Senna during the three-time champion”s illustrious career.

For the previous three races around the principality, specialist jewellers Steinmetz have provided the McLaren drivers with diamond-encrusted helmets.

This year, though, it sounds like Hamilton has something a little different as he is refusing to give the game away.

He said: “I”ll be wearing a specially-painted helmet for the occasion.

“When you see it you”ll know why I”ll be hoping for it to swing the odds in my favour,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.

Hamilton is now gearing up for the Monaco Grand Prix.

He said: “I love the Monaco circuit. It”s the greatest track in Formula One and my victory there in 2008 is still probably my best win and one of the greatest moments in my career. It was an incredible day.” (ANI)

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