From BBC – Robert Kubica signs with Renault to race in Formula One Racing for 2010. Kubica originally raced for BMW Sauber since 2006, and has had only one victory (2008 Canadian Grand Prix). It will be interesting to see how well Kubica will race next year against top competitors Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonzo, and Michael Shumacher.

From Cobra.com – Cobra just announced the launch of their new full color touch screen radar detector. The touch screen provides a graphic interface that makes it easier to set up the radar detector. Does touch screen really make radar detetors that easy to set up? Most radar detectors that I’ve seen only have one button. The touch screen radar detector is Cobra’s first radar detector that costs under $200.

From OCRegister.com – On January 15th and 16th, Orange County Race-Craft, a high perofmrance driving school, will allow supercar owners to learn how to learn the capabilities and limitations of their vehicles. This event came about after the many supercar accidents that have been occuring in Orange County over the past year. Owners can sign up at ocracecraft.com.

Okay, perhaps the word “cheap” doesn’t necessarily apply to the Valentine 1 radar & laser detector from the get go. At $399, it’s certainly not cheap and many of you may ask, “Why should I spend $400 for a radar detector?” Sure, there are cheaper alternatives available on the market. Sure, you could spend those 400 George Washingtons elsewhere. Personally speaking, I discovered the Valentine 1 literally paid for itself on our recent trip to Sonoma with the 2010 Nissan GT-R – yes, there really couldn’t have been a better vehicle with which to test the V1.

As with all radar / laser detectors, you want to be alerted as early as possible so that you have sufficient time to slow down and avoid getting ticketed. The Valentine passes this test with all A’s. On one particular flat stretch of the 5 freeway from LA to SF, it started buzzing with a specific tone alerting us to the presence of a radar gun. With only 1 light lit up on the strength meter, we knew the California Highway Police officer was a distance away, but slowed down to a manageable 70mph. As more lights on the strength meter lit up, we knew we getting closer. Sure enough, about 2 miles down the road from where the V1 initially set off, there was  a CHP squad car by the side of the road, already having pulled someone over for speeding. The same type of scenario played itself out 6 additional times during our trip to the Sonoma Indy race. Each time, the Valentine V1 alerted us ahead of time of an impending speeding ticket and saved us from some costly financial penalties as well as potential points on our driving records.

Okay, you are probably asking yourself yet another question – “Sure, the V1 is great but other radar detectors can probably save me from tickets as well without spending $400.” Yes, that’s a fair question to ask on the surface, but another awesome feature of the V1 is the set of directional arrows that provides what Valentine calls “situational awareness.” The directional arrows tell you exactly where the radar / laser source is located so that you can react accordingly. No other radar / laser detector offers this functionality – since it’s patented by Valentine – and it’s well worth the price premium you pay over its competitors.

Combining effective functionality, clean design and “situational awareness” directional arrows, the Valentine V1 is a great safeguard against costly speeding tickets. Simply put, it just plain works and anything that sheds marketing BS and delivers 100% of its promises is a must in our book.

Sourcebox

Valentine Research
Customer Service
10280 Alliance Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
(800) 331-3030