The gone girl

WHEN Lyle Lovett went to Trinity Lutheran Church in Klein last Sunday -- it's the church his family has attended forever -- several members congratulated him on headlining the upcoming RodeoHouston. "I could tell from the greetings that, finally, because I'm playing the rodeo, I'm doing OK. This (music career) might work out," he says with a grin. The 43-year-old singer-songwriter, who has won several Grammy Awards and acted in movies (he's a favorite of director Robert Altman 's), is thrilled about performing at the rodeo for the first time, on Feb. 19. But if music is Lovett's passion, motorcycles rank a close second. When Lovett was 7, his family vacationed in Galveston. His father rented a small Honda sport bike, and they took a ride on the beach. "It was exhilarating. I had never felt anything like it," he recalls. "And I felt comfortable and safe, because I had my arms around my dad." Ever since that day on the beach, Lovett has held intense feelings about … [Read more...] about Lyle Lovett found peace on the seat of a Harley

It has been stressed that James Vowles to Williams is not a strengthening of Mercedes ties, but ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok has his doubts. With Jost Capito having vacated the Williams team principal role, the Grove outfit moved to confirm Vowles as their new team boss, Mercedes’ now former strategy chief stepping up to a team principal role for the first time. He has made it clear that this move is not designed to provide a clearer bridge between both teams, Williams already an engine customer and technical partner of Mercedes, while the Silver Arrows have said the same. However, Chandhok is not so sure that this is the case. “I think it caught most of the paddock by surprise,” he told Sky Sports F1. “I do wonder whether there’s some Mercedes element to this deal, because it’s very rare that you find someone certainly in a senior position of a team move across with zero gardening leave, and James has done that, so clearly a very amicable thing. “I mean, to the point of … [Read more...] about Karun Chandhok suspects a ‘Mercedes element’ to James Vowles’ Williams move