Geared Up For F1 Season

So far, 2012 has proven to be quite busy at Blackcircles.com, however, I have had the opportunity in my increasingly rare “down time” to sit back and enjoy the start of this year’s F1 season.

I don’t know about you, but I have been more than pleasantly surprised with what I’ve seen up to now.

The best part, of course, being the unpredictability – I know we’ve only seen the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix, but who would’ve expected to see Ferrari (Fernando Alonso) leading the driver’s table?

The role tyres have been playing has also been fascinating. We’ve already seen that if teams don’t get their strategy right then they are suffering – just look at Mercedes.

In both races they seem to have been suffering from extreme tyre wear, causing them to only come out of the first two races with one point – the lesson is clear; ignore the importance of tyres at your peril.

Speaking of tyres, it was great to see Button doing well in the opening race – it’s been said many times in the past, but when he’s on top of his game he really is a master at tyre management.

Pirelli will no doubt be very encouraged with the way their tyres have performed so far. Especially when you consider that they have already been thoroughly tested in both the dry and the wet – monsoon wet!

One thing I noticed after the Malaysia Grand Prix was the unusually emotional post race interview from Sebastian Vettel.

The Red Bull camp has been less than happy with the first two races. But, that is to be expected when you consider the changes to the rules that came in over the winter.

But, just as Red Bull may be stewing over what went wrong in Malaysia, you can bet your mortgage that Sauber will be over the moon. I was surprised at the result, but that’s been the great thing so far, unpredictability is ruling the standings – long may it continue.

I’ve also been impressed with the Sky coverage, especially Croft and Brundle's chat. Sky have managed to, quite expertly, balance the right blend of live action with interesting commentary.

The new Sky channel is in its first year, so I fully expect it to get better as the season goes on, fine tuning an already highly enjoyable F1 experience.

Right, no post about Formula 1 would be complete without a prediction of some kind. So, I may be sticking my neck out here – or reliving the glory days in my head - but I am a firm believer that Michael Schumacher is going to finish in the drivers top 5 – for me, he showed a lot of promise in Malaysia.

It’s been a great start to the season and I can’t wait to see how it continues to unravel at the Chinese Grand Prix - roll on the 13th.

Auld Lang Tyre

Happy New Year, Prosit Neujahr, Bonne Annee, Feliz Año Nuevo and Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

That’s it - another year done and dusted. It only seems like yesterday that Charlie Sheen was winning, the News of the World was crumbling and we were getting the bunting out to celebrate the Royal Wedding.

It’s no wonder that 2011 flew past when I think about what a massive twelve months we’ve had at Blackcircles.com.

Whilst we’ve heard and read a tonne of stories about economies and currencies struggling, I’m pleased to say that that 2011 was an exciting year for us – kicking off with the launch of Tesco Tyres and finishing with our debut advert on Sky TV.

It was also a great year for investments within the company. We have continued to ensure that Blackcircles.com employs the top candidates in each section of the business – not just in terms of their skills and experience, but also their drive, vision and desire to create a service that provides motorists with top value for money.

When you mix that together with the continuing growth of our fitting network – where you will find some of the best mechanics in the country – we can safely say that 2011 was the best year yet and 2012 looks like it is going to be even better!

Although the end of a year is a time to reflect on what has been achieved and what lessons you can learn from your mistakes, it’s also a good time to look forward and prepare.

We don’t want to give away too much information at this early stage, but, some of our main aims will be to invest in creating even more value for our customers when shopping with Blackcircles.com.

Since founding the company, making sure our customers are happy has always been one of our top priorities and we are positive that the developments in the pipeline will further enrich their experience.

As we roll these changes out I will be listening, with interest, to your thoughts and feedback. With our customers’ help, which has always been invaluable in the past, I am certain that 2012 will surpass 2011 – as long as the Mayans were wrong.

All that is left now is to raise a glass and wish you a Happy New Year.

I hope to see you all throughout 2012.

Vive L'EU!

You would be forgiven for thinking that, until recently, the EU and ‘saving money’ were about as estranged as Sepp Blatter and ‘sensible football statement’ or Ricky Gervais and ‘Golden Globes 2012’.

While Blatter continues to do more jinking that Ronaldo’s feet in his quest for something sensible to say, we have seen Ricky handed the hosting of the Golden Globes again. An unlikely event when his poking fun at big Hollywood stars last time seemed to have all but killed off chances of a reprise.

Well if Ricky’s new Golden Globes gig shocked you, I’m about to knock your socks off with the news that new EU legislation coming into force today could save you money on motoring maintenance.

Honest. It’s true. There is a general misconception that having a car serviced away from a main dealer or using non-car –maker parts will invalidate its warranty. Like most urban myths this is not the case as long as any replacement part is either the original component, or a part of matching quality. Gripped with a desire to help motorists save money, the EU people decided to enshrine this in law.

According to my sources the EU people got crazy one lunchtime at Delirium Café in Brussels and returned to the office with joy in their hearts and goodwill to all men. The result is that main dealers are quaking. Thanks to the change in law, motorists can choose where to take their new or used car for a service AND can also specify that cheaper equivalent quality part should be used.

At Blackcircles.com we have long known about the benefits of using independent garages and have been successfully saving our customers lots of money on their car servicing. However, it’s nice to see the EU throwing their support behind this cause and doing what they can to help motorists.

So when you read all those EU stories don’t think too badly of them. Just remember that wonderful day at Delirium Café…and hope they go back soon!

On Monday Blackcircles.com is going to have some very exciting news to share with you. Check out our site at 9am to see what it is - believe me, it’s cool, very cool!

Have a good weekend

Mike