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Posts Tagged ‘Richard Branson’

Virgin and Lotus - Drag Racers

Virgin and Lotus - Drag Racers

Last week, Lotus F1 owner, Tony Fernandes, announced that if his team did not beat Virgin Racing, he would kill himself. At the launch of his team today, Branson chickened out of offering to top himself if the Malaysians beat… him, instead suggesting that if Fernandes lost this little battle then he should get into a stewardesses uniform and serve drinks on Bransons Virgin airline and if he lost then he’d do the same on one of Tony’s Air Asia flights.

Mind you, any passenger seeing either of these two show-off’s coming towards them dressed as a trolley dolly, while crammed into an economy seat on a 9 hour flight, may well feel that the suicide option was probably the best one.

And yes, the picture really is of an Air Asia hostess, hard at work.

 

 

Stop that at the back!

Stop that at the back!

At the launch of the Virgin Racing team, several schoolboys were ejected from the room after a bout of silly giggling when Richard Branson announced that “Virgin can go all the way.”

Lotus boss is Virgin on the ridiculous

Lotus boss is Virgin on the ridiculous

Monaco, Wednesday. Tony Fernandes, Lotus chief, and boss of budget airline, Air Asia, has set himself a worrying target for 2010, saying that if he does not beat rival airline owner Richard Branson’s Virgin Racing team that he will “retire… and kill myself.”

We aren’t sure why he would retire and then kill himself, as these days most senior executives top themselves at work.

However, a secret look at Lotus’ newly purchased F1 simulator shows that maybe he is taking this whole airline thing a bit too far..

air1

Tycoon in transatlantic dash

Tycoon in transatlantic dash

On hearing that Jenson Button has left Jessica Michibata alone in London, Sir Richard Branson jumps on the first flight home.

Virgin Manor deal hits a snag?

Virgin Manor deal hits a snag?

With the news that the long mooted deal between Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Yorkshire racers, Manor Grand Prix, is set to be launched at the Abu Dhabi race, an unexpected hitch has arisen.

The team is rumoured to be called… ‘Virgin Manor’, but the owner of Virgin Manor which is an old Oxfordshire pad of Branson’s, is not happy. The Marquess of Headfort, who lives in the house in Shipton-on-Cherwell (pictured) is (as is the way with the gentry these days) keen on the organic life and does not wish to be associated with the dreadful, noisy world of F1.

Maybe they should call the team ‘Man or Virgin’ which although it sounds like a personal question has a nice ring to it.

Branson in a pickle?

Branson in a pickle?

Monaco, Friday. Virgins are, by tradition, meant to keep the groom waiting, but Sir Richard Branson’s apparent dithering over agreeing a proper sponsorship deal with Brawn GP could see the opportunity of a lifetime pass him by.

Branson arrived in Monte… Carlo in high spirits, having had the news that his arch-rival and nemesis, British Airways, have suffered their first loss since 1987, but the gib of his beard dipped a bit as it appears that Brawn are now looking for a lot more than the $250,000 per race deal agreed on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix.

In Monaco, the Virgin chief has already been a dinner guest of rival airline boss and Force India owner, Vijay Mallya, while Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari are also sniffing around.

Meanwhile, the all white Brawn could do with a bit of colour and we reckon orange would look good. With Jenson Button being a fan of economy air travel maybe it’s time for Easyjet, as usual, to jump in and grab the spoils.

You’d have to provide your own nuts, but in F1 these days, that’s par for the course.

Easyjet probably fly to Budapest, or at least somewhere near it – buy your Hungarian Grand Prix tickets here.

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