“Car Marbella” took victory in the latest race in China, and now leads the World Championship FIA GT1

A racing car bearing the Marbella town logo raced to victory at a recent race in Beijing, helping to put Marbella on the map in front of up and coming Chinese public.

Young Driver AMR – with “Car Marbella” experienced success  in the opening race GT1 World Championship in Beijing. Stefan Mücke (GER) and Darren Turner (GBR) claimed their first win of the season in a thrilling race with his Young Driver Aston Martin DBR9 AMR – while Alex Müller (GER) and Tomas Enge (CZE) finished the qualifying race with a superb second place. With a dominant performance in China, Young Driver AMR is in an excellent position in the FIA World Championship GT1 ahead of the next race in Argentina.

Sponsored by Buddha Beach and La Sala Bar in Nueva Andalucia, the car proudly wore the official logo of Marbella before a crowd of 250,000 spectators in China,  a great promotion for the city in the growing Chinese market.

Babak Alimoradian (who competed for Team Draculino) of Marbella in the blue belt level /80kg division competed with 70 athletes winnig a total of 6 fights in succession to compete in the final and win the title. At 36 years old, ‘veteran’ Babak was competing against much younger opponents in the open adult division, the majority of fighters between 20 and 25 years old.

In his first five matches Babak  managed to score 55 points,  his opponents failing to score a single point. The final match was fought against Youssef Lamrani, an Olympic judo black belt from Morocco. The match was hard fought but he still managed to a victory winning the title 7 points to 4 .

Babak had been accompanied by his two brothers, father and Brazilian coach from Marbella Thelmo Naranjo who had been enjoying his victory and giving him full moral support. Although actively competing in wrestling for more than 20 years starting at the very young age of 7, Babak only took up Jiu Jitsu 18 months ago. Since then he has also won the Open European title in Lisbon in January of this year.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. The art was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan judo in the early 20th century. The sport  teaches that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using leverage and proper technique—most notably by applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat the other person.

Congratulations to Babak – Director of www.teamxtreme.es

Babak Final Fight (Video)

The first look at the Weismann GT leaves you wondering, “haven’t I seen this before?”. Realisation dawns and the flash backs of Jaguars from the 1950′s come surging through. The front of the car has the unmistakable throwback grill of the XK 120 with all the elegant curves, but beneath the bonnet there is modern a BWW powered 4.8 litre engine, a true combination of ’50s styling with modern day performance. Weighing around 1,200 kilos, 100kph is reached in four and a half seconds from a standing start.

The Weismann coach building company founded in 1988 was the brain child oftwo brothers, Feildhelm and Martin Weismannn, the first a business graduate and his brother a passionate engineer. Now the hundred employees hand build exclusive sports cars for the exclusive driving experience of motoring purists. Each car is built to the specific requirements and wishes of the customer with almost no limits to the design possibilities. Once finished and sitting on the road, a little pressure on the accelerator and the tingling begins.

Gecko

As the Weismann Gecko logo would suggest, this animal really sticks to the road too, a good job with a top speed of about 180 miles per hour. The new, glass Wiesmann factory in Dülmen near Munster opened its gates in April 2008, and now the gecko symbol is seen everywhere in Munsterland. Not only can the little lizard be admired on the chrome radiator grille of the exclusive noble sports car, but a huge version of the trademark can also be seen on the building from a great distance. This factory, and the customer centre, is becoming a Mecca for all car enthusiasts.

Luxury Car Hire

Although the car was not tested to quite the limit, the director of Blue SkySupercar Hire, who drove the car with us was super impressed. Carlo Mason has a stable of luxury cars for hire including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, BMWs and even a Hummer. “But this”, he said, “has everything you need in a two seater in Marbella, power, style, elegance and quite definitely a uniqueness unlike the Ferraris and other cars.” He is confident that if his model arrives in time for the summer there will be a waiting list of people wanted to take the car out.

Driving experience

The cockpit is designed in all aspects for the functions of a sports car. Everything one needs to drive and operate the vehicle is positioned just the right distance from the driver. The low position of the seat just in front of the rear axle lets the driver feel and experience every movement of this driving  machine. Just press the silver start button right next to the ignition lock – and the butterflies in one’s stomach start fluttering.

As is typical with purebred sports cars, the boot is practical, though not overwhelmingly large. However, it is big enough to accommodate the luggage of two people, or to put it another way: the boot in both the Roadster and the GT have enough room for two golf bags – important in Marbella! The dimensions of the GT give it slightly more storage volume and the boot lid is designed to make the boot space very easy to access.

For purchase details, visit Mario Guarnieri at Guarnieri Motors, just before Malaga airport or call 902 320 530 – 952 373 068

Weismann purchase:-
www.guarnieri.es

Once again marbellas.com follows adrenalin junkie Babak Alimordian and one of his TeamXtreme groups of fun seekers for another big adventure, this time up in the mountains of Almuñeca.

Another early start; meeting at La Cañada shopping centre at 7am on a Sunday morning, there were more than a few blurry eyes on the gaggle of athletes,  wannabe athletes and not-a-hope athletes. Most of the group were novices when it comes to canyoning, and one or two didn’t really know what they were actually letting themselves in for. Well, for those out there who don’t know either here is the Oxford English Dictionary definition: “Canyoning pronunciation; /kanj0ning/  (also canyoneering) noun; the sport of jumping into fast-flowing mountain streams and allowing oneself to be carried downstream at high speed.” Well no worries there then…

Nature rush

As Babak’s team left the rendezvous at 7.15am and headed East towards Malaga the sun was just peeking over the horizon and gradually rose like a huge orange space hopper in the sky (except without the smiley face). The first taste of an amazing dose of nature coming on this Sunday.

Wet suits and crash hats

Having spent almost two hours in the small convoy of cars and vans, a pan con tomate breakfast in a small venta at the foot hills of the mountain range above Almuñeca made a welcoming stop. Before long everyone was fueled up and eager to make the final assent to the top of the mountains where the river started it dive down the Mediterranean some 3 or 4  kilometers below. On leaving the venta, about 20 sets of wetsuits, helmets and harnesses were laid out for collection in the car park. Again there were quite a few who hadn’t even worn a wet suit before, let alone an abseiling harness so struggling into the rubber inner tube was quite a task in itself. Once everyone was dressed, the group were further squeezed, this time into the two mini buses for the climb to the top.

Souring Buzzards

A wake of Buzzards glided across the sun which now was rising fast in the sky. The silence was only broken by a faint breeze and the clinking of the abseiling hooks around the waists of the rubber clad canyoneers. The days rules were set out by the leading professional guide, Alex, who ironically had a thin face resembling that of a mountain goat; defined cheek bones, large dark eyes and a  sharp jaw complete with goatee beard.

A line of black figures filed down the mountain pass towards the river which could be heard in the distance crashing down between the one mountain and the next. Some paused to smell the wild herds growing along the path, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint and Lavender. Arriving at the river the air was fresh, and the water in the small, almost purpose made pool was icy cold to the touch but the wet suits worked well to keep the skin warm as everyone gingerly had their first taste of water from the Sierras.

Abseiling

Canyoning with TeamXtreme is not entirely as the dictionary definition would lead to believe, there is no being washed down the river at high speed, in fact the journey is fairly slow, but by no means without exercise. Arriving at the first major drop of about 50 feet threw some of the group and wasn’t made much easier by the deluge of gushing water which crashes down on the head of person on the ropes. But although the initial few steps are intimidating the technique of descending soon becomes fairly easy and even invigorating, helped enormously by the mountain goat, Alex.

No turning back

One by one the Canyoneers arrived safely at the bottom of the waterfall and continued on following the river down the mountain. Next came the first jump. A couple of meters after squeezing between to rocks there was a sheer drop of 15 feet with a water small pool at the bottom. 15 feet may not sound like much but when looking down into a pool the size of a small Marbella Jacuzzi, it seems much more difficult to just launch off. But, there is no turning back, forward is the only way, so one by one everyone had to jump. Some took longer than others but with a cheer for every splash eventually the whole team was down. Wading through the water and gaining confidence with each new jump the moral, support and camaraderie increased as the day went on. One of the group however, did found himself hanging upside down, dangling on the rope with feet in the air and his helmet filled with water. No harm down though and the sight was quite the most humorous part of the day. With each twist and turn of the river there was someone to help if the going got tough.

Finding civilisation

After about 4 1/2 hours of jumping, hanging, sliding, splashing, swimming and wading a dog was heard barking and the troop felt that civilisation and life was just around the corner. It was only then that some realised they had been so absorbed in the experience of the day and the beauty of the nature and the surrounding, they had totally taken their minds off the world they had left at 7am in La Cañada.

For a dose of pure escapism we would highly recommend a TeamXtreme Canyoning experience. Oliver, Jarlath, Gillian, Sandra, Hannah, Augusto, Caroline, Babak, Juan, Audrey, Craig, Alex the goat , Patricio and Gary were the TeamXtreme on this particular Sunday.

Contact Babak Alimordian at www.TeamXtreme.es for more details about the next Cayoning trip or any other of the many activities he has on offer.

If you have done Canyoning, please add your comments below !!

There are some experiences in life which are never forgotten. Your first kiss, your wedding day, the birth of your first child and for some, your first sky dive.

Autumn 2010
08.00 hrs – Hotel Palacio Sevilla
10 friends from Marbella meet in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Each one staring at their plate with similar thoughts, “Should I be eating? Is this wise? Will I feel sick? But I need the food to give me strength, I need to feed the butterflies in my stomach…” After half a slice of toast, some second rate tea and a spoonful of fruit the transport awaits and it’s time to leave.

08.45 hrs
Cloudy day, fog in fact. Perhaps the whole day will be canceled? The car continues on it’s way to the airstrip without hesitation. There is an eerie silence compared with the alcohol induced banter of the previous evening.

09.10 hrs – Aerodromo de Juliana
The morning mists seem to be lifting, and as the vehicle pulls into the car park it seems like there has already been some activity in the the skies above Sevilla. The 10 friends make their way to the registration office lead by Team Xtreme leader Babak Alimoradian. Shakily holding the sky diving branded biro the required details are filled in and signed… Name, date of birth, insurance details, emergency telephone number…. next of kin?

09.30 hrs
Suddenly a call comes across from Ainoa, the jump controller. There is a space in the next jump leaving in 16 minutes, “Who’s ready for the briefing? We need one more”. Ana, an unsuspecting pretty young Spanish girl from the group is selected and marched away with her dive partner to be given her instructions, jump suit, goggles and leather skull cap hat. The team feel their throats go dry as she disappears into the aircraft hanger.

10.05 hrs
Ana and a batch of sky divers and photographers file across the runway to the awaiting plane with the rather disconcerting registration HAV-OC. Within seconds the aircraft is lifting towards the sky.

10.10 hrs
The remaining nine members of Team Xtreme sit, eyes to the sky on a well worn wooden bench at the landing zone. Somewhere above the scattered clouds the distant hum of the planes motors can be heard. No sign of parachutes. As the minutes tick by the feeling of anticipation grows stronger. Suddenly there is a shout, “There they are!” Gradually the same people who had only minutes before disappeared into the sky were coming back to Earth. As they appeared larger and larger the next group were selected to go for their briefing.

10.28 hrs
Ana and her tandem professional sky diving partner land safely and Ana runs towards the awaiting team, arms aloft with a huge smile. Emotion kicks in, tears are in her eyes as she realises the magnitude of what she has just achieved. She can’t find the words to express how it felt and what it was like.

10.40 hrs
The briefing is short but precise. There seems to be a lot to remember and the worries turn to being able to remember all that is required by the tandem partner. Pulling the harness tight at the right time, moving along the bench, crossing the arms before the jump, lifting the legs off the floor of the plane and hanging in the harness, putting the goggles on correctly, uncrossing the arms after leaving the plane, crossing them again before the parachute is pulled ….

11.05 hrs
The next four are ready. In the same way as before the adrenalin seekers troop across the runway protecting their eyes from the dust kicked up by the propellers. One by one they get in the winged machine. Professionals, virgin divers, photographer/ film men. Packed like sardines there is no comfort here, there are two benches, the ceiling is low and space is minimal.

11.10 hrs
The Earth is left behind and through the small scratched window the Spanish fincas, trees and fields get smaller. Dan the camera man removes his crash helmet with stills and video camera attached. Over the noise of the engines and wind, pointing the video camera back he gives the thumbs up and shouts something like “are you ready?”. Not really… Passing through the clouds and still climbing there is far too much time to reflect. “What are we doing here? Why am I doing this?”. Pete, the instructor in his pink jumpsuit and Star Wars style helmet taps his altimeter and shows it to his companion. 5,000 ft and the plane is far above the clouds… only another 10,000 ft to climb.

11.25 hrs – 15,000 ft
The door is opened. Wind enters the carcass of the plane but there seems to be little air to breath. Is this nerves, an adrenalin release or a lack of oxygen? The photographer is perched on a ledge outside the aircraft as the first tandem positions themselves to go. The three people suddenly disappear. The line of people are rapidly shifted along the bench nearer and nearer to the gaping hole of the side of the plane and the next group are ready. Gone. Wind rushes around, eyes look down towards the emptiness, the clouds and the Earth five kilometers below. Dan is ready, the feet are off the ground, the harness takes the weight and arms are crossed as per the briefing.

11.27 hrs
The tandem flips over in mid air and faces the plane as it seems to disappear rapidly into the sky. The duo is rights itself and faces earthwards. Flying through the air at 125 miles an hour it is difficult to smile for the camera, the skin flaps around the mouth and neck. Dan flies with ease up and down and around the tandem sky divers. Adrenalin kicks in as the clouds get ever closer. 60 seconds and 10,000 feet pass before Pete gives the signal to cross the arms again, although it only seems like only ten seconds since leaving the plane. This is the moment of truth … There is a welcome tug and the parachute has opened, legs and feet swing to a vertical position..

The goggles are are pushed back and the ground below becomes clear like never seen before. Passing between the clouds this is as close as it gets to being a bird… to really flying. The panic feels like it’s over and the rest is like a ride in a pram. Six minutes of gliding through the air, seeing at the fincas, the cars, the fields getting slowly bigger again.

11.32 hrs

With feet raised in the air the tandem makes a soft landing and the euphoria is immense. Cheers from the awaiting spectators, hugs all round…. What an experience… Sky dive achieved.

Enjoy The Sky Dive Jump Film for yourself:-

Team Xtreme Sky Diving  group were:-

Babak Alimoradian (Dir. TeamXtreme),
Gary Edwards (Photographer)
Andy Chapell (Proprietor Molino del Santo Hotel, Ronda)
Gary Garcia (Real Estate)
Ana Alonso (Photographer)
Carol Mailer
Hannah Murray (Radio Presenter TRE)
Sandra Mole
Robert Sánchez Saavedra (Lawyer – Lawyers of Spain)

Gary Edwards personally raised Over 800 Euros for charity, 790 Euros of which was donated to help the much needed Cancer Hospice, Cudeca on the Costa del Sol, and £64 to the Marie Curie Hospice in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Gary would like to thank all those who so generously donated, knowing he was helping people in need, made the whole experience that much more enjoyable for him.

Links:-

TeamXtreme
SkyDiveSpain
Cudeca
HospiceNewcastle – MarieCurie
Molino del Santo Hotel
Gary Edwards Photography

From 16 to 19 September 2010, the Puente Romano Tennis Club will host Marbella’s first ever Masters Tournament.

Expected to attract over 15,000 visitors, this four day event will see some of the world’s biggest tennis stars take to centre court for a spectacular sporting showdown.

Taking centre stage

Organised by Northern Vision Ltd, an event and sports management company with offices in the UK and Norway, the tournament has been held each year in Liverpool since 2001 and is now the largest of its kind in Europe.

Masters of the universe

Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin, David Ferrer and Martina Navratilova have been among many world class players to have already taken part in the annual event.

This year however, Marbella’s sports fans can look forward to witnessing superb skills from the likes of French Open Champion, Serge Bruguera, Dutch tennis ace, Richard Krajicek,  Former Wimbledon champion and Ozzie, Pat Cash, British-born Jeremy Bates, Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco, Barcelona’s Sergi Bruguera, Czech tennis starlet Martina Hingis and the Iranian ‘Harlem Globetrotter’ of tennis, Mansour Bahrami.

Where it’s at

Thanks to its breath-takingly beautiful surroundings and excellent, 5 star service, the hotel’s tennis club, situated on Marbella’s luxurious Golden Mile, has played host to a large number of events over the past few years,  including the 1988 Davis Cup, which saw Spain take on Mexico in the qualifying match. Back in 2000, the Puente Romano also provided the Australian Davis Cup Team with training facilities as well as hosting the WTA Andalucía Tennis Experience. This year however, the club will host the first ever Marbella Masters and is set to attract over 15,000 tennis fans over a four-day period.

Offers you can’t refuse

The event will officially begin on Friday 17 September and Northern vision have invited anyone under the age of 16, accompanied by a full paying adult to attend absolutely free. For more information email info@marbellamasters.es
Northern vision is also offering a 25% discount on the first 1,000 tickets sold for the tournament. Ticket prices start at 10€ each are available from from www.ticketmaster.com and El Corte Ingles before 1 September.

Over the past few years, Marbella has experienced many hurdles. However, things are finally looking up as the town’s new sporting image gets catapulted to pole position in the Andalucía region.

As well as being the perfect place to relax, unwind and let your troubles take a back seat, Marbella is a mecca for those who enjoy keeping fit and enjoying world class sporting events. Since the Andalucian Association of Sports Managers praised the town for having the ‘Best local authority for the management of sports in Andalucía’ in 2009, Marbella’s sporting atmosphere has improved dramatically.

As well as a wealth of popular golf courses, tennis courts and watersports facilities, the town is now working towards promoting a better lifestyle for families, by encouraging children to partake in physical activities such as swimming, football and basketball.

Event horizon

Already, there have been a number of events that have helped to boost Marbella’s new ‘sporty’ image including the Davis Cup quarter finals which took place in July 2009, the International Grand Prix of Rhythmic Gymnastics and the Andalucía Tennis Experience, which saw many well-known Spanish players grace centre court for an all-girl tennis extravaganza.

UD Marbella is the town’s very own football team which plays regular matches at the Estadio Municipal de Marbella, boasting a capacity of 9,000 seats. As well as football games, the stadium also hosts cultural events such as music concerts and festivals.

To the extreme

Sports of the more adventurous variety are becoming increasingly popular in Marbella. With a wealth of excellent watersports and professional training available (think surfing, kite-boarding and scuba-diving) plus more hardcore activities, such as caving, climbing, quad-biking and skydiving, it’s not surprising that Marbella’s extreme sporting facilities are attracting people from all over the globe.

Motorsports are also popular here. With a fantastic go-karting track at Funny Beach, off-road buggy racing through the picturesque Andalucian countryside and even the opportunity to take control of a lush Lotus Elise at Ascari, one of the world’s top luxury racetracks, it’s not difficult to see why so many holidaymakers choose Marbella.

Marbella’s got personality

For many years, Marbella has been a magnet for celebrities seeking fun in the sun including sporting personalities such as famous international football heroes David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo and Claudio Caniggia.

The town is also a favourite with the wives ang girlfriends (WAGS) of many famous sportsmen so you can expect to see the likes of Colleen Rooney and Victoria Beckham shopping for new Jimmy Choos in Marbella’s upmarket Puerto Banus.

Be good to yourself

As well hosting annual sporting events and attracting sports personalities from across the globe, Marbella now offers a wide array of sports and fitness centres many of which offer indoor and outdoor swimming facilities, saunas, jacuzzis, powerplates and gymnasiums as well as a number of classes such as spinning, Tai Chi, kickboxing, body combat and karate. Wellbeing classes like yoga, pilates and aquatic exercises can also be found at a large number of fitness centres in the area and most members of staff at the larger centres speak English.