After 130 Grand Prix starts, Mark Webber finally scored his maiden Formula 1 victory at the German Grand Prix during the second weekend in July. In doing so, he became the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1981 to win a race in Formula 1.

Webber’s career in F1 began in 2002 with the underfunded Minardi team. He moved to Jaguar for 2003 and 2004, and then Williams for 2005 and 2006, before signing with Red Bull in 2007. And while he’s consistently demonstrated tremendous pace over the course of his career, he hasn’t exactly had race winning machinery at his disposal – until now that is. 2009 itself has had its share of frustration for the Australian, as he saw his far younger teammate take two wins while, for one reason or another, the top step of the podium had thus far eluded him – having to remain content with three second place finishes at the Chinese, Turkish and British Grand Prix.

Well, Webber’s grit and determination paid off at the Nurburgring, as he put in a dominant performance all weekend, which saw him take pole position and the race win – despite having to serve a drive-through penalty for colliding with Rubens Barrichello at the start. Rubens was able to get the jump on Webber off the line, and the two cars touched as Webber moved across to defend his position. Webber claimed the contact was unintended, as he didn’t realize that the Brawn GP car was alongside. Thereafter, going into the first corner, his front wing made contact with the KERS equipped car of Lewis Hamilton, who started in a much improved 5th place and drove his way around the leaders at the start. The incident gave the reigning champion a puncture, and effectively ended his chance of a competitive race finish. Webber, meanwhile, had to bide his time behind the Brawn of Barrichello during the initial period of the race. He would emerge with the advantage however, as the Brawn’s were lighter on fuel owing to their 3-stop strategy versus a two stop for Red Bull. Webber set a blistering pace during the race, and despite his drive-through was able to emerge with the advantage.

Following the race, Webber was clearly relieved to have secured his maiden GP win. The normally reserved Australian appeared overjoyed on the podium, as he showered himself with champagne. Without a doubt, he’ll now posses the added confidence of having a Grand Prix victory under his belt – and it seems that counts for a lot in Formula 1, where that psychological edge can be a big one. Nevertheless, Webber will have to contend not only with his teammate, but also with a set of Brawn GP cars that are likely be more competitive going into the next few races. At Silverstone and the Nurburgring, the Brawn GP cars struggled to get heat into their tires as a result of the low temperatures in the UK and Germany, but the weather should be warmer going into Hungary and back to Spain thereafter. Plus, Brawn GP are expected to introduce some dramatic upgrades on their car prior to a mid season break, which will see all the teams close their factories for two weeks. Prior to Hungary, Jenson Button still has a 21 point advantage over Vettel, with Webber just 1.5 points further behind. Jenson and the Brawn GP team will certainly look to consolidate their lead over the next few races, which will be crucial, and undoubtedly competitive, leading into the final few races of the 2009 season.

The Brawn’s and Red Bull’s won’t have it all their own way however, as McLaren and Ferrari finally appear to be finding their feet. McLaren recently introduced a dramatically altered aero package and seem to have gained a tremendous amount of pace, while Felipe Massa’s podium in Germany will undoubtedly have motivated the Scuderia. Plus, both teams are the only ones of the grid still using KERS, which gives them an added advantage off the line.

Force India, meanwhile, have also made tremendous improvements over the course of the season – perhaps more so than any other team. They were painfully robbed of their first points once again at the Nurburgring when Adrian Sutil collided with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen as the Force India exited the pit lane – prior to which he had run as high as second place. Not only have the Force India cars demonstrated excellent race pace over the past few Grand Prix, but, in Germany, Sutil displayed blinding qualifying speed as well – making it into Q3, and out qualifying the two Ferrari’s, despite being the heaviest car on the grid in the top 10.

2009 has been an unusual season thus far, which has seen new faces and teams emerge at the top. The battle for supremacy is certainly an interesting one, as it involves not only a fresh pecking order but also a fight back from the established teams – making for an interesting dynamic indeed. Look for the second half of 2009 to be as exciting as the first.

Much to the relief of FOTA (Formula One Teams Association), FIA president Max Mosley, who has held his position for 16 years, confirmed in a letter to all FIA member clubs that he will not stand for reelection once his current term ends in October this year. In the same letter, Mosley also endorsed former Ferrari head, Jean Todt, as his preferred candidate to replace him. Prior to Mosley’s confirmation that he would in fact retire, former Finnish World Rally champion and European Member of Parliament, Ari Vatanen, announced that he would run for presidency this October.

The politicking prior to the election has already begun with Vatanen accusing Mosley and the FIA of assisting Todt’s campaign. Vatanen was World Rally champion in 1981, and also four-time winner of the legendary Paris-Dakar rally. After retirement, he turned to politics, and until as recently as early this year was a European Member of Parliament. Jean Todt steered Peugeot to titles in the WRC, as well as wins at Le Mans, before taking the reins at the then struggling Scuderia Ferrari, where he was instrumental in setting up the team that went on to dominate the world of Formula 1. However, in this case, his former position at Ferrari could prove to be more of a liability, as some current F1 team bosses have already voiced their preference for a more neutral figure as the next head of the FIA. Todt has also previously been a member of the World Motor Sport Council of the FIA.

Both candidates will undoubtedly run effective campaigns between now and October, and it certainly appears as though it’ll be a tough battle for the next presidency of the FIA. Our very own Vicky Chandhok was also rumored as being a potential candidate, but has since confirmed that he will not run at this time.

Spanish driver and reigning British Formula 3 champion, Jaime Alguersuari, became the youngest driver to race in Formula 1, at 19 years and 125 days, when he replaced the ousted Frenchman, Sebastian Bourdais, at the Hungarian Grand Prix with Toro Rosso.

Bourdais, who’s been dropped by the team mid season after a disappointing first half of 2009, has threatened legal action if he finds that the team have violated the terms of his contract. Bourdais got a Toro Rosso race seat in 2008 after becoming one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series – the premier racing series in the US – having won the championship four times in succession between 2004 and 2007. His time with Toro Rosso, however, has been marred with sub-par performances and bad luck.

Alguersuari, meanwhile, currently races in the Formula Renault championship with Carlin Motorsport – the same team with whom he claimed the British F3 crown last year, becoming the youngest driver ever to win that title at 18 years and 203 days. He follows in the footsteps of Sebastian Vettel, who also moved from Formula Renault with Carlin Motorsport to Formula 1.

Five-time WRC champion, Sebastian Loeb, was also linked to a Toro Rosso seat, but has since played down speculation saying that he’s committed to rallying, and his Citroen team, for the moment.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, known as the ‘Race to the Clouds,’ is a legendary event that takes place annually at the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA. The Hill Climb consists of 159 turns of half tarmac and dirt, covering 21 kilometers that lead from 9,000 to 14,000 feet – with sheer drops of upto 6,000 feet off the mountainside.

In 2007, Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, President of Suzuki Sport, set a record of 10 minutes and 1 second in his Suzuki Sport XL7 Hill Climb Special – finally breaking the 13 year record held by Australian Rod Millen in a Toyota. This year, Tajima was back in a Monster Sport SX4 Hillclimb Special with a 2.7 liter, twin-turbo V6 producing 870 horsepower, in an attempt to break the mythical 10-minute barrier.

Unfortunately, prevailing conditions meant that under 10-minutes proved elusive, however Monster Tajima took the win once again with the time of 10 minutes and 15 seconds – fending off double World Rally champion, Marcus Gronholm, and Swede Andreas Eriksson in specially developed Ford Fiesta’s, as well as Englishman Mark Rennison in an 1,150 horsepower Ford RS2000.