Zero Downforce

F1 2010 Testing Footage – Day 1 at Jerez

2010-02-10T18:14:00.001Z

Spanish cameraman “yossidlr” always seems to deliver when it comes to raw video footage of the latest goings-on in pre-season F1 testing, and today is no exception. The first day of the 4-day test at Jerez got underway today, with Red Bull launching their new RB6 and Force India and Virgin debuting their new cars for the first time against their competitors on track. Here are 2 parts of untouched camerawork via YouTube. Enjoy!

A change would do the WRC good

2010-02-09T19:30:00.001Z

So what’s happened to the World Rally Championship these days? The series we see now is just a straight fight between Citroen and Ford and that’s it. With the likes of Subaru and Suzuki being the most recent castaways, one would think that the WRC is descending into freefall.

It’s nothing like it used to be. Remember the days when it was all about the big manufacturers providing full works efforts and producing some truly great machines. Times like the Group B and Group A eras are sorely missed, as they provoke brilliant memories of an Audi Quattro threading its way along a mountain pass on the Monte Carlo Rally or a Subaru Impreza 555 catching massive air as it flies over a crest on the roads of San Remo. So where’s it gone?

The recent economic downturn could be a factor. With motorsport being such a money-orientated sport these days, the manufacturers need car sales in order to help finance their racing efforts, alongside sponsorship. But if no-one has the cash to buy a new Subaru or Mitsubishi for example, then this means they have to cut back in some areas. Motorsport, unfortunately, tends to be high on their list of things to drop.

With the new 2011 rules moving the WRC into the Super 2000 class of rallying, and with also talk of new regulations for a turbocharged 1.6 litre engine, things seem to be getting done to bring the sport back into its former glory days. The S2000 category already has a great influx of car makers on board, with machines from Peugeot, Skoda, Ford, Abarth, Proton, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen and Honda all represented in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, a series which already uses the S2000 rules and regulations. The WRC will have a championship for this class of cars for the first time this year, as a means to settling them into the premier rally series before the change in rules next year.

Also, rallying is now in capable hands with Jean Todt at the helm of the FIA. For those who know about him, he started his motorsport career as a rally co-driver before taking charge of Peugeot’s factory rally effort, when they entered the WRC under the Group B rules and took two driver’s and two manufacturers world championships with the fearsome 205 T16. He’s already said it himself that he wants to “create a much bigger interest from the manufacturers, the privateers and the media”. This is exactly what the series needs.

With just two factory efforts supported by a whole host of private and independant customer teams, there’s no real competition. Not like how it used to be. With more interest from manufacturers, the WRC can become great again, and if Todt can do it, which I think he will, it most certainly will be. Maybe they should even bring back homologation rules. Then we can see some real road-going rally rocket specials again. Now that would be something.

Autosport International 2010

2010-01-18T15:46:00.001Z

It’s a pilgrimage all motorsport fans take to start off the racing season. The long or short haul to the NEC in Birmingham in mid January, depending on where you live, always means it’s time once again for the Autosport International Racing Car Show. Spread over almost all of the venue’s many halls, it caters for everyone’s tastes, be they F1, WRC, sportscars, touring cars, single seaters, historics, oval racing or even karting. To me, the racing season hasn’t properly started until I’ve been there.

Myself and Dad left at 6:30am and took the 3 hour journey down to Birmingham. Stopping midway at a service station to grab breakfast and a copy of Autosport magazine, we parked up and promptly shared a taxi with 3 other guys down to the front entrance to the NEC. Once in, it was to the Atrium to pick up our Paddock Passes, and we entered the show in Hall 6.

This was significant to me because in this hall was where my current employers Classic Team Lotus had their show stand up, with the large British Racing Green transporter towering over great Lotus cars such as the 79, 102 and 38B. We stopped to say hi and then decided to make our way over to the Live Action Arena for the 11am show. Luckily, capitalising on an over by HMV on tickets to the show, our Paddock Passes gave us front row seats for the show, which made it all the more enjoyable. There were the usual short sprint races by the Autograss cars, BRiSCA F1 Stock Cars, Formula Palmer Audi’s, Rallycross etc as well as a few displays by Fifth Gear presenters Vicky Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell. Then came two very special cars – the Lancia Stratos and my favourite rally car of all time, the Audi Quattro. Seeing this 5 cylinder, 550hp, 4WD monster in live action for the first time was great to experience.

After a great live show, which ended with Jenson Button turning up in a lorry tractor cab to say hi, we made our way to the F1 Racing stand to meet up with some of my friends from Sidepodcast – Jackie, Kimster, Pat and Chris to name a few. Dad decided to leave me to it so he could have a wander round the show himself, whilst I stayed with the SPC lot. Coincidentally, on the stage behind us were 3 of the Peugeot Le Mans drivers, one of them being our favourite Franck Montagny. I promptly got in line to get his autograph along with Alex Wurz and Nicolas Minassian. I shook Franck’s hand and had a quick chat to him. He is a really nice genuine guy and we all wish him the best for Le Mans this year.

Lunch quickly followed, and we all sat down and chatted for a while. Myself, Chris and Pat all decided that we quite fancied a go on one of the show’s many simulators situated around the various stands. After looking at a few we decided to settle on the Mobil 1 Simulator, which comprised of a full scale F1 car which moved around on a rig depending on what the car in the game was doing on track. It was a bit of a wait, but we all managed to get a go. We even made a bet that we’d all put £5 in and whoever got the fastest lap would result in winner takes all. Sliding into the simulator, I managed to quickly get up to speed on my warm-up lap. Knowing where I stood in terms of how fast I could go, I promptly pushed as hard as I dared without risking going off the track. At the end of it all, I posted a 1’09.1, which turned out at the time to be the fastest lap of the day! Although I wasn’t too dignified getting out of the rig, as all my change from my left pocket had fallen out and rattled around the cockpit while I was driving! Pat and Chris were subsequently a bit slower, and I swiftly made £10 in the process! Thanks guys!

I decided after this to meet up with Dad again, so I left Pat and Chris to it. On the way, I stopped over at the Classic Team Lotus stand again and had a nice chat with Clive Chapman, my boss. We agreed for me to come back with Dad so they could meet and have a chat. I found Dad in the Oval Racing section and decided to head over to the McLaren merchandise stand so I could pick out something that Dad could buy me as a belated Xmas present. Before this, I visited the 30 Years of WRC stand and took a few pics of the MG Metro 6R4, Peugeot 205 T16 and Lancia 037, all Group B rally cars. Also, we stopped at the 60 Years of Autosport stand and I got to snap the Audi Quattro S1, my favourite incarnation of my favourite rally car. But eventually we made it to the McLaren stand where I settled on a new 2010 silver McLaren zip shirt, which I tried on the next day and fit me perfectly. Then it was time for me to spend some cash, so I followed that up with a black Rubens Brawn GP t-shirt, the 2009 F1 Review DVD and another DVD with over 2 hours of raw footage of Group B rally cars taking part in tarmac hillclimbs from 1989 to 2006. All worthwhile purchases, I can tell you!

With the final stop over to CTL once again, after Dad and Clive had chatted for a bit, we decided to make haste and leave the show for another year. For us, we considered it one of the best years we’d been to the show since we started attending. The reason for this? Well, my friends over at Sidepodcast all mainly enjoy and talk about F1, so from their point of view although there are features concerning it, they’re few and far between compared to what else is there. For me, because my taste in motorsport is much broader, I can appreciate and enjoy a lot more of the cars on display. This is why I think most of them don’t really consider all that worth the money. I certainly do, anyway.

So, Autosport 2011? If it’s even half as good as I found this year’s, hell yes.

1 season in 10 minutes

2009-12-09T21:09:00.001Z

How do you sum up a season’s racing in just 10 minutes? Like this. This is the official highlight reel of the 2009 DTM championship.

That’s all that needs to be said, really. Just watch, and you’ll see that it speaks more for itself than I could ever write about it. It is just simply stunning. Enjoy.

Thursday Thoughts – Is engine parity necessary for 2010?

2009-12-03T21:09:00.001Z

Over at Sidepodcast, they have started an initiative called Thursday Thoughts, where someone poses a topic or a question for people to comment and blog about. This time the question is as it states in the title: is it necessary to have engine parity for the 2010 F1 season. Or for those who want it in simple terms – should all engines be equalised?

Personally, my response is a combination of yes and no. Yes, everyone wants close racing and yes, no-one wants to see one team or one car driving off into the distance and dominating all the time. But at the same time, no-one wants F1 to become just another spec series like GP2, A1GP or IndyCar. Therefore, I propose a solution that keeps all the engines relative of each other while still allowing the teams some freedom in development.

What I think could work is this – the FIA gives every team a base unit. Very basic, very simple but with plenty of customisation available. The teams are then given a set budget which can be spent on developing this engine. They are free to spend as much of this as they want and develop it how they wish, but still keeping within the regulations laid out by the FIA.

That way, these engines are still related to each other in their basic components but at the same time are independent of each other as the teams have done their own work with them. Whether it could work we don’t know since nothing like this has been suggested. The only thing that comes close is the Cosworth unit which has gone to the new teams and Williams.

It’s nice to see competition and competitiveness in F1, but as mentioned no-one wants to see a runaway domination of the championship. Equality in F1 is good to a certain extent. Sure, series like GP2 can provide good close racing at times but this sport is all about the pinnacle of engineering and technology and innovation. Without any of that, it’s just another form of motorsport.

The drive to survive

2009-12-03T20:11:00.001Z

It’s interesting how a team’s fortunes can change so quickly. Renault are pretty much deciding their future in F1 as I write this, while Sauber’s is safe and secure. The long-awaiting announcement that they would take the 13th spot on the entry list for the 2010 F1 season was a big relief to all those concern with the Hinwil outfit’s future. After a false takeover from Qadbak, which turned out to be nothing but a plot to exploit the funding the team would receive from the FIA due to their championship position from 2009. But Peter Sauber rescued his team from the brink of extinction and now all is well.

Meanwhile over in France, there is talk that David Richards of Prodrive is looking to buy out Renault’s F1 team. There were rumours a few months ago that Richards would take over as team principal after Briatore and Symonds were both exiled from the team after the Crashgate scandal involving Piquet’s accident at Singapore last year. There was also talk of 4 times world champion Alain Prost would step in as a team advisor. But those rumours quickly faded into the background and into obscurity.

Now, however, Richards’ name has come back into the fray. If it does happen, I couldn't think of anyone better to take control of an F1 team. The man oversees proceedings for the WRC, has looked after Subaru’s World Rally Team, currently campaigns Aston Martin-Lola’s in the LMS and at Le Mans, not forgetting his past exploits with the team when it was Benetton and also with BAR. Oh, and he’s overseen Ford’s works effort in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship.

You can’t deny the guy’s done the rounds when it comes to looking after race teams. With him at the head of the team, should it be re-branded Prodrive, or Aston Martin as has been touted, it hopefully shouldn’t be too much of a task to help the Enstone outfit be on the pace of the frontrunners once again. But there is one question on people’s lips – what of Kubica.

Currently, he has a contract with Renault. But if they decide to sell up to Richards and it becomes Prodrive, where would they both stand regarding his position in the team? Would he still stay firm and race for them? Will he go to another team? It has been rumoured that Mercedes would be his best bet since the second seat alongside Rosberg is yet to be announced. There are many rumours flying around who is going to get that drive. So far, Kubica’s teammate from the past 3 and a bit seasons, Nick Heidfeld, has been tipped as favourite, although talk of Michael Schumacher making a surprise return with a manufacturer he once raced sportscars for has been rife, although it has trailed off recently.

Whatever happens, I’m sure it will all come good in the end. Just like Sauber, who have an engine supply from Ferrari and a team in charge by its namesake once again, things are getting back to how they used to be. Something I’m all for.

They are the young ones

2009-12-02T21:09:00.001Z

This week in Jerez, all 9 F1 teams are out testing potential up and coming talent in the FIA’s official Young Driver Days. To someone who solely focuses on F1, you won’t have heard of pretty much most if not all of them. But if you’re someone like me, who happens to have a broad spread of knowledge and following when it comes to motorsport, you will have. Below is a list of all the drivers participating, and alongside them in brackets is the series they come from:

Brawn/Mercedes: Mike Conway (IndyCar), Marcus Ericsson (F3)
Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo (F3)
McLaren: Gary Paffett (DTM), Oliver Turvey (WSR/GP2)
Ferrari: Jules Bianchi (F3), Daniel Zampieri (F3), Marco Zipoli (F3), Pablo Sanchez Lopez (F3)
Renault: Bertrand Baguette (WSR), Ho Pin Tung (Superleague), Lucas di Grassi (GP2)
BMW: Alexander Rossi (Formula Master), Estiban Gutierrez (F3)
Williams: Andy Soucek (F2), Nico Hulkenberg (GP2/F1)
Force India Paul di Resta (DTM), JR Hildebrand (Indy Lights)
Toro Rosso: Brendon Hartley (WSR/F3), Mirko Bortolotti (F3)

Not all of them will test on the same day as each other. Driver rotation throughout the 3 days ensure everyone gets a fair turn behind the wheel of their respective machinery. Apart from the BMW guys, the 3 Italian F3 drivers for Ferrari, Ericsson and Hildebrand, I’ve heard of all of these guys in some shape or form.

I think testing session like this are a very good idea. In fact, I’m in favour of bringing in some form of in-season testing again, if only to give drivers who are stepping in to take over from existing ones a chance to get used to the car before the next race weekend. We saw this season that drivers like Badoer and Grosjean suffered badly. Sure, Luca got a run in the F60 at Fiorano before his debut in Valencia, but it was a promotional run on demonstration tyres. He had no opportunity whatsoever to get used to the car in a qualifying or race simulation and spent most of the two race weekends he participated in suffering as a result, both from criticism and in pace.

Of course, the reason why the FIA banned in-season testing was to reduce costs. They want to get the spending levels back to those of the early 90s. But think about it – back then teams were still able to go testing, even the smaller ones. Well OK, maybe not all the smaller teams but the majority of the grid were still able to run at Silverstone or Monza in the days and weeks leading up to the respective race weekends. Why not allow testing for replacement drivers so that they get a chance to get to know the machine they’re about to wrestle around whichever circuit the F1 circus stops at next. But to make sure there’s no testing or development of any new parts, have an FIA steward present in the garage at all times. That way it ensures any updates only get tested in practice, like they have had to have been this year.

It should be a good thing that Formula 1 teams need to encourage young, up and coming talent into the sport, and the FIA should wholeheartedly embrace that. These Young Driver days are just the start, and while they do still want to reduce costs, this would surely be an initiative well worth investing in. Heck, if they managed to find any gems, I’m sure their potential success would help bring in the returns the FIA would want.

Also, who out of that lot up there seems to be in the best shape to secure an F1 drive in the future? Well, Bianchi for one has got to be up there. Yes, his times haven’t been fantastic but Ferrari have signed him up for the long term, which means they must have some faith and insight into the F3 Euro Series champion’s ability. If they can develop and nurture it appropriately, I think it’ll pay dividends for them. Also, I reckon a couple others are F2 Champion Andy Soucek and Paul di Resta for Force India. Soucek’s abilities shone through yesterday when he finished the first day on top of the time sheets. Personally, I think Williams should secure him as their 3rd and test driver for 2010 and then try and groom him as a replacement for Barrichello as and when he decides to end his racing career. di Resta has also looked impressive, as he put himself in the top 3 both yesterday and today. The man has talent, no doubt about it. Just whether any F1 teams pick up on it also remains to be seen. As with Soucek, he deserves a 3rd and test driver role with Force India.

These teams have to try and make more of an effort to help develop and nurture this young talents so that they become the stars of the future. All they need is for the FIA to see this too and allow them to run in test sessions away from the race weekends so that when a scenario like Massa’s in Hungary or Glock’s in Japan occurs, they don’t take forever to get up to speed and can instantly run at the pace the usual driver was at. If not on par, then around that level. This not only benefits them, but also the team and everyone else on the grid, as these replacement drivers don’t pose so much of a threat as they would when driving without having gotten familiar with their machine.

Will anything like this happen? Who knows. With a new FIA president in place, let’s sure hope so.

If I ruled the FIA…

2009-09-24T20:25:00.001+01:00

The FIA presidential elections are next month and at last we get to see the end of Max Mosley’s reign over the world of motorsport. In his place we will either see Jean Todt or Ari Vatanen and myself, along with a lot of my good friends over at Sidepodcast.com, would like to see the latter take the victory, despite the odds being against him.

This has just got me thinking – if I were FIA president, what rule changes would I want to implement in order for F1 to become better and more competitive, as well as easily accessible to the fans? These are only ideas off the top of my head, but of course you’re free to have your own say as to what you would do to change F1 if you had the chance.

1. Bring back pre-qualifying
For those of you who remember the late 80s and early 90s in F1, you will no doubt have heard of this. If not, let me explain. With so many small teams coming into the fray in this period of time, there simply wasn’t enough space on track for up to 39 odd cars from 20 teams all at once. Hence where pre-qualifying comes in. How it works is simple – at the time 30 cars were allowed to attempt to qualifying. But with only 26 spaces on the grid available for Sunday, this meant that 4 extra qualfying slots were available. A pre-qualifying session determined who got those 4 slots and were then permitted to attempt to qualifying for the race.

By the end of 1990, all these small teams were dying out and because of this it was no longer needed. But with so many entries for those 3 new team spaces for next year’s F1 World Championship, it would be a shame to see them all go to waste. Lola is a great example – they already have a scale model of what would have been their 2010 car on display at the factory, had they been selected by the FIA. Essentially, it’s a car that will never be built and therefore we will never find out just how competitive it would have been out on track.

Bringing back pre-qualifying would allow these teams to build their cars and take them to race weekends so that they could try and prove their worth. No matter how many cars that turn up, the pre-qualifying could take place and those who either don’t pre-qualify or those that do but don’t qualify can take part in a kind of support race alongside the GP2 and Porsche Supercup championships. This way their journey is not wasted – either way they would still be able to race and develop their cars and at the same time be able to test them against the other competition.

This would also require a reduction in the entry fees for the F1 world championship and of course the ability to allow teams to appear at GPs mid-season, like it used to be. It means more of a show for the fans and teams that want to make the leap into F1 can do so, just much more easily than before.

2. R&D budgets
There was a proposed £40m budget cap that for a short period of time was implemented for 2010. But thanks to FOTA, this has been increased and spending has now been agreed to be reduced to levels that were seen during the early 90s.

This is all well and good but I think they should go a bit further. Each team is given a set budget (let’s say £20m for example, can be more) for research and development on their car. They are only allowed to use that £20m and nothing else on developing the car to make it perform better. Once they’ve spent it, that’s it – they cannot enhance the car any more.

This would prevent teams like Toyota or McLaren spending millions upon millions trying to make their car work that little bit better. By restricting how much they can play with, it would force them to be intuitive and wise in terms of how they go about irking out that bit more extra speed. It’s amazing how teams such as Force India have a very small budget compared to the bigger teams, yet have already taken 2 front row starts, a 2nd place and a 4th place in the last two races. It’s not how much money you have, it’s how you use it, and that’s how it should be with all teams.

Plus it would mean they had a choice – use all their money early on in the season, produce a quick car and hope no-one else catches up, or spend it wisely, gradually continue development over the season and then use what’s left for one last push at the end of the season, or if the car’s performing well enough, they have to option to save it for next year’s budget. But also, a rule could be enforced saying they have to have spent at least 75% or so of that budget by season end, so teams can’t choose to save most of it for the following year.

There was an e-mail I sent to Christine at Sidepodcast way back at the end of 2007 expressing opinions on the 10 year engine freeze. I suggested a budget for engine R&D there, and said that if there were customer teams, then they had their own budget as well as everyone else to develop their engine themselves. Also, their supplier was not allowed to copy or share information with their customers and their engine development. This would give those teams more of a feeling of individuality as they are the ones putting the work into THEIR engine, not waiting on their supplier to come out with an update which could take some time and hinder the teams near the middle or back of the grid from making progress. Also, it could allow smaller teams to come up with ingenious and unique upgrades which can help them move up the grid.

3. Reduction in ticket prices
Now who here that’s an F1 fan wouldn’t want to pay less to go to a GP? Something needs to be done in this sector to help pack the grandstands again. At races like Turkey and Valencia this year, the fans were few and far between with mostly empty grandstands. What does this suggest to anyone from the outside looking in? That F1’s a boring sport? It’s too expensive? Uninteresting?

Cheaper tickets mean more of them are sold, more people get through the gate and the grandstands are packed to the rafters. This makes F1 seem more attractive and exciting if the circuits are heaving with fans. One series they need to look at for an example of fan satisfaction and value for money is the World Series by Renault. They have events all across Europe (in this instance, I still don’t know why it’s called a World Series when it never leaves Europe!) and they provide F1 demos, a full day’s racing and plenty of off-track entertainment. The cost for all this? Nothing. Nil. Nadda. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Tickets are absolutely free. This is why it’s so popular. I’ve been twice to the British rounds at Donington and Silverstone respectively (would have gone this year too had it not been for a last minute change of plans), and I’ve loved it. Some of the best days out I’ve ever had.

Maybe F1 needs to try this. Tickets at rock bottom prices and full access to the grandstands and circuit facilities. Sure, it could mean a loss for the circuit but think of the satisfaction it gives the fans. F1 wants to boost its popularity and draw in more interest and new fans. Doing something like this would help out no end. If not, maybe some official F1 promotional events which see a few of the teams get together and put on a show for those interested. Let them get close to the cars and drivers and enjoy the whole experience.

I was very fortunate to win the Puma Motorsport competition earlier this year and go to Silverstone for the British GP weekend access all areas in the paddock (well, almost). Now most fans will never in their life get a chance like that ever in their life. But something should be done so they can get a bit more intimate with the sport and let them take away memories and experiences they will never forget. That is how you create new fans and keep the existing ones.

Your opinions: These are the only 3 I can think of at the moment. If you had the power to implement new rules to help make F1 better, what would you do? Bigger engines? Changes to the race weekend? Restrictions on what teams can do with their cars? Leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments!

My 5 “Legends of Le Mans”

2009-09-23T22:04:00.001+01:00

With the Petit Le Mans taking place this weekend at Road Atlanta, I had a think to myself what my favourite 5 Le Mans machines of all time are. Le Mans and the whole sportscar genre that goes with it has been one of my favourite forms of motorsport over the years and all of these cars come from the 90s, possibly one of, if not the best era of Le Mans. So, let’s not waste any more time and get straight in with number 5.

5. 1999 BMW V12 LMR
We start with a Le Mans winner from Germany – the very strik ing V12 LMR from BMW. The car was originally the V12 LM, which was run in the 24 Hours by the Schnitzer team with works backing. Unfortunately, both cars entered suffered vibrations in their drivetrains and both were out after just 60 laps. With this in mind, these chassis were sold off to private teams and the guys in Munich set about redesigning a new car for an assault to win in 1999. With support from Schintzer and Williams F1, the created the V12 LMR.

The cooling ducts were relocated and a wide rollhoop was incorporated to aid airflow to the rear wing. Overall, the entire chassis looked sleek and aerodynamic. Power would come from a 6.1L V12, which was estimated to put out about 580hp and allow the LMR to reach 214mph at Le Mans’s Mulsanne Straight. It was a race winner straight away with victory in the 1999 Sebring 12 Hours. Two cars were entered into the event, but one suffered a huge accident which damaged it beyond repair.

Onto Le Mans and despite the challenge from Toyota, Mercedes, Audi and Nissan, they stood firm and stayed consistent to triumph over their rivals and take Pierluigi Martini, Joachim Winkelhock and Yannick Dalmas to a legendary win in one of the most famous 24 Hour races ever. They continued to campaign the car for the rest of the year and throughout 2000, taking two wins and one car infamously flipping at the Petit Le Mans. With BMW and Williams now focusing on their F1 partnership, the cars were retired. Just 18 races saw one of these cars in action.

It’s a car which I remember for the sound – that beautiful wailing BMW V12 engine makes this car so memorable. I was fortunate to see it in action at the BMW Power Festival at Rockingham, Corby in 2005. Even though it’s at #5, it’s still one heck of a machine.

4. 1993 Toyota TS010
Now let’s rewind 6 years to 1993 and this beauty of a machine. Yes, it’s a Toyota but what a Toyota it is! The TS010 was a machine that again only race for a couple of years and never really that big an impression, but for those who truly appreciate cars like this, it really is a stunning looking thing.

Conceived in 1991 by legendary designer Tony Southgate, the car made its competition debut at the final round of the World Sportscar Championship that year at Autopolis, Japan. It managed a respectable 6th place finish in the hands of Brit duo Geoff Lees and Andy Wallace. For 1992, it now face opposition from Peugeot and the two battled it out for the next couple of years. Toyota struck the first blow with a win at Monza, but from there it was a case of staring at the 905’s exhaust pipes as it finished behind them in the rest of the races that year. It was enough to give them 2nd in the teams championship. Toyota also left one car to race in the final 2 rounds of the Japanese Sports Prototype championship, and it won both, with a second car ending up 4th at the final round at Suzuka, helping them secure the title ahead of Nissan and Mazda.

After 1992, the following year saw both the world and Japanese sportscar championships cancelled, meaning their only focus would be Le Mans. After coming 2nd and 6th with 2 cars while a third retired in 1992, they were aiming for the win. But once again Peugeot were in the way. With an updated car, the 905B, Japan’s best efforts could not overhaul them and they had to settle with 4th place behind their 3 car effort, that best-finishing car being lead by Eddie Irvine. With nowhere else for it to compete, the TS010 was retired.

It’s another car I remember for it’s noise. The beautiful F1-inspired 3.5L V10 meant it sounded like and went like an F1 car of that time period. But it also had the looks to go with it. Not that any of the other cars in this list don’t look good, but I would go so far as saying it’s the best looking out of the 5. Plus that engine is just wonderful. Thankfully, they returned 5 years later, and we’ll take a look at that effort in a sec. But first…

3. 1991 Mazda 787B

Here we have what is probably the most successful Japanese Le Mans prototype. It may have only won one race in its lifetime, but it’s the only Japanese car to have won this particular event. The Mazda 787B is the only Japanese car to have won Le Mans, ladies and gentlemen. That is why it’s so legendary.

The car went through a few generations before making to this version. It started for Mazda in 1983 with the 717C and the story with this car starts in 1990. The car itself was originally the 787, an evolution of the the 767 (you still with me? Thought not!) and that car’s updated version the 767B. The 787 was first raced at Fuji, but after a mediocre performance, Mazda’s motorsport division Mazdaspeed focused its efforts on Le Mans with the car, getting Jacky Ickx to lead preparation of the cars and tests taking place at Silverstone and Estoril.

With their initial performance with the car at La Sarthe ending up with both cars having to retire following electrical fires caused by overheating, Mazda decided to start developing the car into the 787B for 1991. The updated car first appeared at the inaugural round of the WSC at Suzuka, where it came 6th overall and 4th in the C2 class. The car was then kept back for further development while the previous 787s ran Mazda’s campaign in Europe. They were only seen again when the season went back to Japan, coming in 9th and 10th places.

Come Le Mans 1991, they had massive competition from Peugeot, Sauber-Mercedes, Jaguar and Nissan as well as a whole host of Porsche 962s. But as the bigger cars fell by the wayside with mechanical faults and driver errors, the little Mazda soldiered on, it’s thoroughly spine-tingling Rotary engine screaming round lap after lap. The Rotary was more fuel efficient which meant less time in the pits topping up and more time out on track. It also proved to have excellent reliability. And so the record books show that car #55, the bright orange and green, Renown-sponsored Mazda driven by Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler, crossed the line after 362 laps and made history.

This car is now preserved in Mazda’s history and is brought out to be demoed at promo and historic events. It still send gives people goosebumps every time the engine is fired up and at full chat down a main straight. It truely is a Le Mans legend.

2. 1999 Toyota GT-ONE (TS020)

OK, so it’s not technically a Le Mans prototype, but it is an LMGTP – a Le Mans GT Prototype, and in my eyes that counts.

It was tough to pick this over the 787B for #2, but I like it because of the styling. It’s functional and aggressive, yet elegant and beautiful. I think it’s one of the best looking Le Mans cars ever. It was created by Toyota Team Europe, who at the time also had a WRC program to look after. But they found the budget to go back to Le Mans. It’s first race was of course Le Mans in 1998 on the back of promising pace at the pre-race test. All 3 cars suffered problems but one still finished, ending up 9th and 25 laps behind the race-winning Porsche 911 GT1.

For 1999, Toyota knew they had to get stronger. So they set about on an extensive testing program, conducting long distance tests at Spa and, if I recall correctly, Magny-Cours too. They went to the Le Mans test day, 3 cars entered, filled with confidence. And it showed, with all 3 cars taking 1st, 3rd and 5th respectively. Qualifying saw a front row lock out and throughout the race a fierce battle developed with the Mercedes and BMWs. But again, it was not to be. Cars #1 and '#2 both crashed during the night and #3 looked set to win only for a heartbreaking puncture to to occur at high speed in the closing stages. Still, 2nd place was a respectable result but Toyota left knowing what might have been.

With an F1 program now the main focus, Toyota gave the GT-One one last hurrah at the Fuji 1000km in ‘99, but again victory was denied due to mechanical problems and 2nd place was the result again as Nissan’s R391 LMP took the win. It is one of Le Mans’s greats and will never be forgotten. Thanks to racing games such as Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, the GT-One still lives on in racing fans’ memories and is a firm favourite with them.

It’s also the only car in this list that doesn’t have a high-pitched wail. This car has a twin-turbo V8 which gives a lovely gruff engine note. I reckon that this is the greatest Le Mans racer that never won the great race. Such a shame, but it doesn’t take anything away from it. It is still one of a kind.

1. 1993 Peugeot 905B

This is it. This is the car that started it all for me. The car that kicked off my love for Le Mans. I remember when I was younger I would watch the video of the 1993 Le Mans 24 Hours endlessly and pick out this machine as my favourite. The way it looked, the way it drove and most of all, the way it sounded. Even now, it still gives me goosebumps. I give you – the Peugeot 905B.

Peugeot came off the back of a succesful World Rally and Paris-Dakar program with the 205 T16 and 405 T16. Mastermind of the project was head of Peugeot Talbot Sport, Jean Todt. He decided the next chapter in the team’s history in motorsport should be in sportscar racing and so the 905 was born. The project was announced in 1988 and the car was unveiled and debuted in late 1990, taking part in the last few races of the WSC, driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Keke Rosberg.

The first full season came in 1991 with competition from Jaguar. The car had early pace and reliability problems with Jaguar’s XJR-14 performing as fast as F1 cars of the time. Despite a lucky win at Suzuka, come Le Mans both cars never made it past 4 hours. Something had to be done, hence the 905B. Introduced at the Nurburgring that same year, the car finally had the race winning package and promptly took wins at Magny Cours and Mexico City to put Peugeot 2nd in the championship.

1992 was much better, with the 905B winning all but the first round of the WSC at Monza, which went to Toyota’s TS010. The car took 1st and 3rd at a rain-soaked Le Mans ahead of the Toyotas once again as well as the Mazdas which were effectively old Jag XJR-14 chassis with Rotary engines dropped in them. Peugeot were now looking to make it 2 wins in a row.

Jean Todt then made the decision to leave his post at Peugeot to become team principal at Ferrari’s F1 team. This meant the end of Peugeot Talbot Sport, so they were determined to go out on a high and, despite strong competition from a reinforced Toyota squad, they did it. Locking out the podium, it was an emotional end to what had been a brilliant team and a great project.

That 1993 race-winning car is now in the hands of AGS who use it on their F1 school programs. There was also a 905B sold at auction earlier this year, the car that won at Suzuka in 1991. But to me, this is my all time favourite. There is a shot early on in the 1993 Le Mans VHS which shows the car flying past the camera down Mulsanne and then coming over the crest down and round Mulsanne Corner. No commentary, just pure noise and the distinctive wail from that F1-spec 3.5L V10 engine. Watching that scene still gives me goosebumps and I’m sure it always will.

The 905B – my #1.

I would love to hear what you think of my top 5 Le Mans machines and indeed what are yours? What makes your top 5?

Fisi & Ferrari: Sweet dream or beautiful nightmare?

2009-09-13T00:18:00.001+01:00

As he sat in the cockpit of the F60 for the first time to have his seat fitted, Giancarlo Fisichella must have thought that Christmas and his birthday had all come at once. This was his childhood dream. Ever since he’d began his racing career, he’d longed to drive for Ferrari, to become one of the prestigious list of people who had driven for the Prancing Horse. He got a chance to test a 412T2 at Mugello in 1995, the last of the screaming V12 Ferrari F1 cars. Then came the call-up to Minardi a year later. After driving for Jordan, Benetton, Jordan again, Sauber, Renault and Force India, he finally got his wish.

His stunning performance in the VJM02 to take pole and finish 2nd two weeks ago at Spa simply blew the entire F1 paddock away. No-one had expected the ex-Jordan, Midland and Spyker team to be in contention for the race win, let alone pole position. Had it not been for Raikkonen’s KERS-shod Ferrari, he probably would have won it regarding how Fisi managed to stay on his rear wing for practically the whole race. It was enough for Luca di Montezemolo to make the call and ask him to step up as replacement to the replacement to Massa, Luca Badoer.

Fast forward to yesterday’s qualifying session and we find ourselves asking the question: was it the right thing to do? Was moving to Ferrari, despite it being a lifelong dream, really the right step for his career, especially at this point in the season? The Force India is at its strongest on low downforce circuits such as Spa and Monza, and this was proven by Adrian Sutil and Fisi’s replacement Vitantonio Liuzzi. Adrian almost had pole but was denied by a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton, while Tonio impressed many on his first race weekend since 2007 by planting himself 7th on the grid for the race. Giancarlo, meanwhile? 14th. Go figure.

Had he elected to stay with FI, it could have been 2 poles in a row for him. But, while he lives out the ambition which he so desperately wanted all his career, the minnows he left behind don’t seem to be missing him all that much. Development work is always continuing at Force India this season. Ferrari have halted theirs to focus on 2010. Mainly the reason why Fisi seems to be so off the pace is the simple fact of a lack of testing. With the in-season ban, he had to use Friday and Saturday morning to learn the car. An off at the Parabolica yesterday morning didn’t help matters, but the car was thankfully rebuilt. Still, he has a hard slog ahead of him on home soil tomorrow if he’s a chance at points.

The guy has pace, no doubt about that. It’s like any good driver. Give him a good car and he’ll do well. Right now, while the F60 is still a capable machine, there are better mounts out there such as the Brawn, McLaren and indeed Force India, all Mercedes-powered cars I might add. With no development work going on on this car at all now, it does seem to be hurting Ferrari, but with the focus on next season, perhaps a return to form in 2010 is the main priority right now. Certainly seems that way. Can’t deny though, he’s a hell of a lot better than that Badoer. Ugh…

Personally, I feel that as long as Giancarlo’s happy, then I’m happy. He’s got what he wants, so let him be. Besides, if he doesn’t get a race drive next season, he’s still Ferrari’s reserve driver, so expect to see him pounding out the testing mileage during the winter. I’m sure his experience will be as invaluable to Maranello as it was to Force India. But you have to admit – you’d certainly feel the weight of expectation from the Tifosi on your shoulders out on track, wouldn’t you?

The Madness from Maranello

2009-08-11T22:20:00.001+01:00

Is it me or are Ferrari going nuts again? First off, they decide to try and bring Schumacher back, then when he's not able to do it they choose Luca Badoer over Marc Gene. Are they mad? Gene is the only one out of the two that still has an active racing career, yet all Luca's done is test for 10 years. Marc's even the driver they take to the race weekends as the reserve driver, as far as I know, and he even won Le Mans this year. Yet it still all counts for nothing just because some guy who's not as talented gets to drive instead just because he's been with the team longer. Let's face it, Luca's career is over. Marc should be in that car, regardless of any other LMS commitments with Peugeot. Think about it, if you had a choice between a Le Mans Series drive with Peugeot or an F1 race drive with Ferrari, which one would you pick? Exactly.

Even when these two were teammates together at Minardi in 1999, it was Marc who scored more points, Marc who outperformed Luca and Marc who was kept on for another year. But it’s probably done because of 10 years of loyal service. Which I can understand. But if you were the team boss at Ferrari, you’d at least want someone who can still go racing and do it well. How can they determine he’s race ready when all he’s done is pound around the test tracks clocking up miles. He might have done race simulations in testing, but it’s not the same as an actual race situation. Gene has managed to run in a 24 hour race and win it with Brabham and Wurz. But despite their rich history there as well, it seems the endurance classic means nothing to them anymore, regardless of who waved the starter flag this year.

Plus now there's this new fiasco where LDM wants 3 car teams, just so he can get Schumacher back racing again! It's ludicrous. How on earth can anyone let this go on? I for one hope that Vatanen becomes FIA president, so to stop this whole Ferrari favouritism that seems to be going on. With Todt, no matter how glossy his brochure may be, I fear for the future of F1 as we know it. Ari is a politician, he knows what he's talking about and should be given the chance to lead. Todt's only in that position because he's rubbed shoulders with Max for years just to get into his good books, and in return is able to get the nod over controversial matters. They said it themselves that F1 isn't F1 without a competitive Ferrari. More like a coniving Ferrari, if you ask me.

The idea of 3 cars teams was toyed with a few years back. Ironically, I remember seeing a picture in Autosport showing 3 Ferraris with Jacques Villeneuve in the 3rd car. Now this idea is ridiculous, simply because a new Concorde agreement has just been signed, with everyone agreeing to bring spending levels down to those of the 1990s. How in the world are teams going to do that by running 3 cars? Plus, it’s probably just another cheap ploy for publicity by both Ferrari and Schumacher himself. Some people never change.

I for one am glad that Michael isn’t coming back after all. It did seem to be tearing the F1 community in to two evident halves - those that did want him to come back and those that didn’t. I was rather impartial at first, but after seeing what the mention of one man can do to F1 fans to a certain extent, I decided to move firmly into the latter. I think F1’s all the better for it. Now we just need Ari to become president and then everything will be alright. If Todt wins, I don’t even want to think about the consequences. Not for a second.

Tuning of a different kind

2009-08-08T12:08:00.001+01:00

I LOVE music. Who doesn’t? But then I also love cars and motorsport. So putting the two together always tends to make for an epic combination. This can be said for racing and driving games. Marrying the right soundtrack to such a game is crucial in order to help it flow smoothly when moving through the menus and raise the tempo when out on the virtual racetrack. Quite a few songs, bands and artists that I enjoy have originated from games I’ve played over the years. From that first play on a Sega Mega Drive to everyday use of an XBOX 360, there have been some great memories and these are just some of my favourite tunes that have helped create them.

Song: SURV1V3
Artist: Jonathan Underdown w/ Daiki Kasho
Game: Gran Turismo 5/Prologue (PS3)

Starting with something from the current crop of sim racing games on the mainstream consoles, we have the song from the European and Japanese intros of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3). As a song just by itself, it’s brilliant but as a driving song, it’s on another level. The intro envisions preparations before the beginning of a race, and the bridge sounds like something you’d nudge down a gear and nail the throttle to. Also, during the interlude, at about 2’05 when the drums kick in, I can see a car driving fast through a winding mountain pass. Probably just me on that one, but anyway that’s not the point. Back on topic, the guitar riff is catchy and something to move your head to and the lyrics can be hard to make out at first, but a quick search on Google will help you find and understand them. There are parts where the singer Jonathan Underdown shouts lyrics like “Break Out!” or “Block Out!” which helps to make it all the more addicitive. I could easily listen to this over and over again, which I do, and never get tired of it. It is such a great song and Sony and Polyphony Digital made a great choice. One only hopes this will be on the full game’s soundtrack, which I’m sure it will be.

Song: Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 Intro
Artist: Barry Leitch
Game: Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 (Amiga)

Now for something retro! Going all the way back to 1991, we have here a classic piece of video game music in my eyes. Personally, I never had an Amiga so I never heard this version originally. I had a Sega Mega Drive when I was younger, so it was this version here that I experienced. Still, it brings back fond memories of my first days playing racing games. This, plus Gran Turismo, helped me develop my love of cars and games to what it is now. Without them, I’d probably look at them a bit differently. The original Amiga version is in the style of classic synthesiser 80’s/90’s music and could easily be played in a club and people would dance to it regardless. It has been remixed several times, but my favourite is Lain Courbet’s Turbo Remix version, which can be found here. It’s like the original, only extended a bit and brought forward into the 21st century a bit more. This is a song I will treasure, since it set me off on the path of sim racing that I currently drive down today. Without it, and this game, who knows what I’d be like!

Songs: Paradigm Shifter, Photon Rez, Cygnus Rift, Quantum Singularity
Artist: Electronic Arts
Game: Need For Speed Road Challenge/High Stakes (PS1/PC)

Moving forward again into the late 90s and another favourite racing game from my past. Back when EA made good Need For Speed games, High Stakes (or Road Challenge as it was known to us Europeans) featured 4 instrumental songs which, although different to each other, seem to relate at the same time. All of them were used as menu music, but you could drive to them in reality if you wanted. Above is Paradigm Shifter, probably my favourite of the 4. They all tend to use a mix of electronic dance beats with drum and bass in the background for good measure to give it some feeling. As I mentioned at the beginning, music in a game should help the transition from menu to menu and these music tracks do just that. They’re not too relaxed, but at the same time not too upbeat and overpowering. Each has its own unique beat and meaning it seems. Still, I have great memories of this game and the music. It was probably the first to ever feature the mighty McLaren F1, in it’s GTR Longtail guise. I’ll never forget the standard colour it was available in which was the very same orange that featured on their Can-Am race cars of old. Plus, the engine note of the Porsche 911 in this game is also a lasting memory. At the time, I thought it sounded exactly like it, but then as an 8 year old boy, you tend to do such things. You can listen to the other 3 songs here:

Photon Rez
Cygnus Rift
Quantum Singularity

Song: The whole sountrack
Artist: Various Japanese composers
Game: Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1)

OK, I have saved the best, in my opinion, until last. I really can’t pick one song from this game’s soundtrack. I love them all too much in equal measure to decide. For me, the music in Ridge Racer Type 4 is THE best in any video game bar none. There is such a great mix of genres here, from upbeat dance to funk to drum and bass. It provides music for various occasions in the game. Pearl Blue Soul is great for a high-speed battle while Lucid Rhythms provide a gentle synthesiser track with a gentle yet effective drum beat, perfect to put over something like night racing at Le Mans. Other songs like Move Me have heavy use of drums and guitar to push home the illusion of speed and going fast. I think it’s brilliant how there seems to be two different styles of music in the same game, yet they match up so well. From the upbeat intro of Urban Fragments to the calming and sombre tone of Epilogue, it really is a complete soundtrack in my opinion. The best thing is, it is available to buy! A quick search on Amazon finds a music CD for the game. Sure it’s a little bit pricier than you’d expect, but take it from me – do some searching on YouTube, listen to a few of the songs and I hope that afterwards you’ll be hooked. I know I am, and I think I’m going to have to get that CD. The prospect of playing it in my car when I start driving is too good to pass up, me thinks…

I could list a lot more songs, but I thought I’d keep it short and sweet. So, if you have any favourites from racing games of past, present, and dare I say future, then by all means post them here. Who knows, you guys might have a song I’ve not heard yet that could just be a hidden gem.

Race-Shop World Series @ Pau – My P.O.V

2009-07-20T22:21:00.001+01:00

Race Pro (XBOX 360) is a racing game close to my affections at the moment while I wait in anticipation for NFS Shift and Forza 3. It has been for a while, but after a short break I’m back into the groove. With me being a member of RaceDepartment, a sim racing forum known throughout the community, I’d been able to put my racing skills, honed since I first played Lotus Turbo Challenge on the Sega Mega Drive all those years ago when I was little, to the test against other enthusiasts of the game. After eventually managing to win a WTCC race at Monza in a Chevy Lacetti a while back, I continued to run races online. But only a few days ago, a friend of mine from RD called Gred Dranard offered me the chance to run in the Race-Shop World Series. He was running a Volvo S60 Challenge under the genius team name of Prawn GP and from my experience of racing against him, he was VERY quick. So of course, I asked and I got. My debut – on the streets of Pau, France.

After some testing with Greg on Saturday night, I felt more confident, if only a little. He’d shown me a few ways on how to keep the car stable over the seemingly unsteady, winding streets, like making sure to always keep the diff loaded by applying power pretty much all the time through the long corners. That way it helped to redcue the chance of lift-off oversteer coming up the the very tricky, slightly downhill chicane with fairly large kerbs about halfway around the lap. Mind you, it didn’t mean I was never caught out a few times. By the end, I was in the low 1’22s with a controller, while he was managing 1’20s with a wheel. There seemed to lie the secret to his speed in a car with a stock setup.

Sunday came, and with more practice in the afternoon, I felt I was ready. But as soon as I got into the lobby and started seeing the times the other guys were producing, I knew my chances of even securing pole were slim. Still, I managed to put myself 4th fastest in the 2nd of the two lobbies with a 1’22.116:

Lobby Qualifying (to determine who would be in which lobby for the entire event):

Lobby 1

1. gregtwo, 1:21.214 (my teammate)
2. X calibur014, 1:21.714
3. UsR EXTR3ME, 1:21.916
4. VVV Haga, 1:22.281
5. Webbers88, 1:22.448
6. iiINIFIECTiiOIN, 1:22.916
7. TKR Garlicbread, 1:23.116
8. F4H Red Pod, 1:23.817

Lobby 2

RpM Mad Monk - 1:20.812
Noss The Boss - 1:21.447
Kerry Katona - 1:22.983
woodwiss - 1:22.116
writester - 1:24.684
iTrevorMcDonald - 1:21.481

Thankfully, that time came on my last flying lap and it got me into the A Final – just about, anyway. Onto the Superpole, which used the game’s normal qualifying system of just 1 flying lap. You were normally allowed to restart but the RWS rules did not allow this. One shot at pole was all you got. I knew I’d never get it, but I also wa hoping not to make a mistake – which is exactly what I did. That tricky downhill chicane with the big kerbs? Yup, lost it there and nosed it into the wall. But unlike the other guy who messed up, I carried on and finished my lap, which is why I started 6th instead of 7th.

A Final Superpole for Race 1

1: RpM Mad Monk - 1:21.346
2: gregtwo - 1:21.814 (teammate)
3: X Calibur014 - 1:21.948
4: UsR EXTR3ME - 1:22.515
5: Noss The Boss - 1:22.850
6: woodwiss - 1:30.924
7: iTrevorMcDonald – DNQ

The start was fairly straightforward. I decided to hang at the tail of the field for the first couple of laps and then started to try and advance up through the pack. A few times I managed to get a faster run through the final chicane than iTrevor in the SEAT in front of me, which meant I could pull alongside on the pit straight but only before backing out for the tight right hander before Turn 2. I managed to get as high as 4th before the inevitable mistake came. Going a bit too fast into the fast right kink after the pit straight, I clipped the outside wall, spun, hit the opposite wall and quickly got going again, albeit dropping to 5th with UsR EXTR3ME’s Chevy on my tail. The front of my car was crumpled which seemed to affect front end grip somewhat, but thankfully there was no mechanical damage. For the last 5 or so laps I bravely kept EXTR3ME behind, despite messing up at the tricky chicane on the last lap. So, 5th place on my debut while my teammate and series leader Greg went on to beat Mad Monk’s SEAT to the win.

Race 1 (14 laps)
1: gregtwo 19:20.354
2: RpM Mad Monk 1:20.646 - +1.273
3: Noss The Boss +8.890
4: iTrevorMcDonald +27.377
5: woodwiss +33.819
6: UsR EXTR3ME +34.120
7: X Calibur014 DNF

Race 2 would be wet and a reverse grid based on the finishing order of Race 1. This placed me 3rd behind X Calibur and UsR. It was also a rolling start with an extra lap added on to the 14 so we could perform it. It was a little confusing though. The front row went about 30 metres ahead too early which meant it was a drag race between the two of them into T1. But as I arrived there, I watched X Calibur’s SEAT spin sideways and lose it big time. UsR slowed to avoid and amidst all the carnage, I popped through the middle to lead on my debut! So there I was at the head of the pack doing Prawn GP proud. Granted, I was a tad slower than everyone else which meant I was essentially forming my own version of the Trulli Train. For 8 or so laps I bravely hung on, getting close to losing the lead once or twice but eventually it happened. Greg, iTrevor and Mad Monk all slipped by at the bottom hairpin to knock me to 4th. But Greg made a rare mistake and hit the final chicane wall getting him very loose, promoting me to 3rd, and then iTrevor outbraked himself at T2 and slid off, pushing me to 2nd. For the final laps I tried to close the gap to Monk but it was all in vain. Still, 5th and 2nd on my RWS debut was pretty decent, I think.

This isn’t a racing driver’s excuse here, but I don’t feel the Volvos were at their best at all on the streets of Pau. It is a good handling car with a stock setup, provided it’s on an actual race track. On a street circuit it seems it’s a little clumsy which seems to hamper it when faced off against the shorter, nimbler SEATs. But Brno is next, which is big and wide and hopefully should suit Prawn GP much better. Plus, I’ve just put in an order for a Logitech Drive FX Racing Wheel for the 360, the exact same one that Greg uses. Things are about to get serious.

‘Ere, Loeb’s coming!

2009-07-18T01:13:00.001+01:00

There has been much talk of a big name in motorsport making the jump into F1. The rumours flying around at the moment are concering Toro Rosso (they did about Bourdais’ eventual exit) as reports suggest that 5-time and reigning World Rally Champion, Sebastien Loeb is to make his debut in the World Championship before this season is through, most likely at the end of it in Abu Dhabi. Autosport magazine this week suggests that deal is done and he will get a go in the STR4 as will Bourdais’ current replacement, Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari and also, rumoured to be, previous reserve driver for both Red Bull teams, Kiwi Brendon Hartley.

Loeb’s tie in with Red Bull as a whole comes from the drinks company’s title sponsorship with Seb’s current employers, the works Citroen WRC team. Olivier Quesnel, the team boss, has said that right now, it’s simply not possible for Seb to race with STR now since he’s caught in the middle of a championship battle with Mikko Hirvonen and Ford. But with the Abu Dhabi race taking place after the WRC season finishes, he has said that Loeb is essentially a free agent and can do what he likes. This would of course open the door for him to step through, into F1.

So is this serious or just one big publicity stunt by Red Bull themselves just to push promotion and sales of the brand? In motorsport as a whole, I’ve seen a Red-Bull sponsored car in pretty much every race series currently in existence. Their reach in this sport is amazing. With their own driver program and of course 2 F1 teams, it’s not hard for Dietrich Mateschitz for capitalise on any kind of marketing opportunity. But somehow, I don’t think it is. Loeb has said that he is committed to his duties in the WRC but wouldn’t say no to a drive in F1. I’m sure every other racing driver in the world be the same. Well, maybe not Montoya, but…

Of course, Seb has driven an F1 car before. His first time was when he and then Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen swapped cars, with the Finn trying out the C4 WRC while Loeb got behind the wheel of the R27 at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit. You would have thought he’d take it easy and just trundle round. But this is Sebastien Loeb we’re talking about here, and this clip of him in said R27 proves my point – he doesn’t:

It seems to me that Loeb has that confidence that he’s picked up from all his years rallying. With this just being a publicity thing, you would have thought he’d play it safe and not push the car too hard. But he looks right at home in that car to me. He’s not afraid at all to go flat out. Look at the video at 2m 03 seconds onwards. He’s flat out at the end of the long Mistral straight at Paul Ricard and without a hint of lifting just powers round the long right hander with ease. Not a hesitation, not a flinch.

Then only last year was Seb invited by Red Bull to join them on an official test day in Barcelona. Beforehand, they brought him down to the factory in Milton Keynes for a seat fitting ahead of his first run in the RB4 at a damp Silverstone. Now without traction control as opposed to that in the Renault, on a wet track, you would think once again that Loeb wouldn’t particularly go too hard. Wrong:

Despite the wet conditions, Loeb still gives full pelt down the back straight and also seems to carry decent speed through the corners too. I think that with more track time he’ll be as fast as the current field of drivers and fit in very well. His performance at the Barcelona test last November was impressive, setting the 8th fastest time of the day he drove, faster that Piquet if I recall (fail).

It makes me think why rally drivers don’t get the opportunity to drive F1 cars more often. As I mentioned earlier, they seem to have a level of confidence that is on a par, if not higher, to those who regularly compete in the World Championship. F1 drivers just have the track, other drivers and weather conditions as obstacles. Rally drivers face all of this plus objects in the road such as rocks, boulders, trees and not forgetting the jumps and loose slippery surfaces. F1 drivers don’t have to contend with the potential scenario going at top speed through a narrow forest, trees all around, on a muddy, slippery road with braking distances greatly increased, knowing that you can slide off the road into the trees or down a bank at any moment if you make but a minute mistake. Rally drivers dare to push the limits a bit more than F1 because they need to be in order to stay in the hunt for the overall win.

I think that should this all go ahead as seemingly planned and it turns out Loeb does get to do the Abu Dhabi race and then a full time drive next season with Toro Rosso (and that’s something I’d definitely like to see), he has the potential to do fairly well. I think he seems to know how to handle a car on the edge and that might just put him in good stead. Reports suggest he’s been getting track time in an F3000 car in order to get up to speed. Apart from the 3 F1 test drives, his appearance at Le Mans and a drive in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 car, he’s had very little time on the racetrack compared to being on the stages. But as I pointed out in the last blog post I did, he needs a lot of track time in the car to get him up to speed as quickly as possible. That’s what needs to happen to make this work properly. If it all goes through, I wish Seb all the very best and I shall be supporting him!

Finally, he wasn’t actually the first rally driver that I know of to drive an F1 car. That honour fell to the late, great Colin McRae who was given a test drive by Jordan Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1996 as a birthday present in exchange for team driver Martin Brundle driving Colin’s world championship winning Subaru Imprezza 555 rally car. Eddie Jordan believed that had McRae chosen to race on the track than on the dirt, he could have had the potential to win multiple titles. But then again, when have we taken anything EJ says seriously recently, if at all ever?

Au Revoir, Seb

2009-07-17T22:24:00.001+01:00

Sebastien Bourdais’ F1 fate has been sealed - for now at least. Toro Rosso have cut him loose and set him free into the big wide world of motorsport once again as a free agent. After 9 rather lacklustre and unimpressive performances, his promising points score in Australia has been a very far cry from the situation he finds himself in now. Nurburgring was the final straw, with his car and his F1 career finally giving up the ghost after just a few laps. Handshakes and hugs all round to his mechanics, it was a scene that plainly said “Thanks guys, nice knowing you”.

What has happened to the Bourdais that took 4 straight Champ Car titles, from 2004 to 2007, in a row? The Bourdais that was F3000 champion and did well at Le Mans? Are drivers that come from across the pond really destined to fail when they answer the call of F1? Some will argue that Jacques Villeneuve was a success, with a great debut season to finish 2nd in the championship behind eventual champion teammate Damon Hill in 1996, before seeing off Michael Schumacher all the way to the infamous final round at Jerez a year later to take the crown himself. But what else did he achieve? Nothing! Now he seeks a return to F1 after 3 seasons away in 2010. Somehow, I fail to see what would attract team bosses to a driver that likes his overalls at least 3 sizes too big.

Other such American imports that have tried and subsequently failed include Michael Andretti and Cristiano da Matta. You could half count Alessandro Zanardi since he started in F1, went to America and then came back as CART champion. By mentioning them, it’s made me come to a conclusion. All of these drivers are Indycar/CART/Champ Cap champions, a series which was mainly a half-spec series with 3 different chassis, 3 or 4 different engines and 2 tyre compounds. A lot of combinations there, but essentially every team didn’t have their own car. It was essentially a customer series. No works teams at all, just outfits buying what they needed to run in the championship. When Champ Car became a spec series, this is where I think Seb’s problems started. With him being so used to running against other drivers in identical machinery, he essentially was only going out there to prove he was the best driver in that car as a whole. Once he came to F1, with teams building their own cars and different engines and tyres and such, it was certainly a shock to the system.

It did seem as though something was starting to come good when STR hit their stride late last season, but it was Sebastien Vettel who benefitted from it most, netting his and the former Minardi team’s first victories. Since then of course, Vettel has moved on to the senior Red Bull team and become a winner with them twice over this season. It was thought that before this season even began, Bourdais would not keep his seat. He was up against Takuma Sato for it, and personally I wanted Taku in there purely for his experience and the fact that it would help Red Bul as a brand break into the Japanese market. For some reason, Franz Tost decided Le Seb was the better option and stuck with him to plonk alongside the sole new boy in the class, another Sebastien – Buemi, that is. So far the man has shown promise, especially with an impressive drive early on in the season in the soaking wet of Shanghai. Since then, the car hasn’t been updated but for Hungary the STR4 is getting an identical update to that which the Red Bull RB5 received at Silverstone at the hands of Adrian Newey. Buemi is hopeful of points, and after seeing what this upgrade has done for Vettel and Webber’s championship charge, I think he’s right to be.

Another problem I’ve found with drivers coming over from America is that they don’t get enough track time in the car prior to the new season. When Williams poached Villeneuve, they made sure he had as much testing mileage under his belt as possible in order for him to get up to speed quickly. It certainly seemed to work as he almost win the opening race of 1996 in Melbourne had it not been for techincal difficulties meaning he had to relinquish the victory to Hill and finish 2nd. But all this good form came when he was in a competitive car. 1998 was only a terrible season due to the fact the car was too far off the pace of the McLarens and Ferraris to even trouble them.

That’s another problem – these drivers have all entered F1 (bar Villeneuve) in rather uncompetitive cars. When they make their debut and not everything quite goes to plan, we make assumptions such as “Aww, he’s only new. Give him a few more races and he’ll be up to speed”. It’s only when they still continue to fail to impress and struggle that we assume they’re actually a load of rubbish and call for their heads. It was the same with Andretti. He got fed up and ran off back to his homeland leaving Mika Hakkinen to take over. He of course went on to greater things with the team.

So we see these champions in a different light, on circuits they seem befuddled by, in cars they don’t recognise the look or more importantly the feel of. Plus the fact that mainly, their racing is done on ovals which just means they turn left constantly for some 200 laps, or on street circuits which is a lot of stop-start, 90 degree, usually low speed mazes. Oh sure, they do run on road courses and some of them are brilliant. But none of them can really compare to the modern, European and Asian motordromes that have such advanced and excellent facilities. Our efforts seem to make the US look like they’re still in the 60s and 70s. Also one thing could be that because their racing is predominantly an oval series, the normal circuits tend to see those who dominate on them normally struggle.

In recent years, F1 exports to America such as Justin Wilson and Robert Doornbos have seen them win races. I feel this is because they’ve been at the pinnacle of motorsport and they know what it’s like. They can use that invaluable knowledge and experience they gained on the European circuits to their advantage when the Yanks visit their road courses. Wilson recently won the IndyCar race at Watkins Glen which is, of course, a road course. There aren’t many of them around in the US, apart from in my opinion Laguna Seca and Road America.

It’s a shame. They come over full of such promise, yet they leave empty-handed and seemingly red-faced. There needs to be more track time available to them if this is going to work in future, testing ban or not. Also, they need a competitive car to showcase their talents. Otherwise, they’ll end up the same as the rest. As for Bourdais, I’m tipping a future in the Le Mans Series with Peugeot. He seemed at home at Le Mans, finishing 2nd with Franck Montagny and Stephane Sarrazin. He’s also been there before with Pescarolo so I think there’s something there for him. As for now, time has been called on his F1 adventure. If you ask me, it was for the best.

F1 2009 Super Season Grid – post Germany catch-up

2009-07-13T06:31:00.001+01:00

It’s been a while, but I thought it was time to get back on track with the Super Season Grid. Things have changed in the F1 world since the last grid update after Spain. For one, the balance of power seems to have shifted to Red Bull with Vettel and Webber taking wins at Silverstone and Nurburgring respectively as Brawn have fallen behind a bit in the development race, Adrian Newey introducing a raft of chassis changes for the British GP. Meanwhile, the likes of Toyota and BMW have slipped back even further while Williams, McLaren and Ferrari have made a few jumps up the order.

But in terms of the drivers, who is still class of the field on average? Well, I’ve filled in the gaps from Monaco to today’s race and here is how it stands as of now:

Jenson Button – 1’28.319 +0.000 Non-mover
Nico Rosberg – 1’28.378 +0.059 Non-mover
Rubens Barrichello – 1’28.407 +0.088 Non-mover
Mark Webber – 1’28.489 +0.170 Non-mover
Sebastien Vettel – 1’28.568 +0.250 Non-mover
Felipe Massa – 1’28.647 +0.328 +1 place
Kazuki Nakajima – 1’28.764 +0.446 +4 places
Kimi Raikkonen – 1’28.775 +0.457 Non-mover
Fernando Alonso – 1’28.798 +0.479 +4 places
Lewis Hamilton – 1’28.821 +0.502 Non-mover
Jarno Trulli – 1’28.855 +0.536 +1 place
Timo Glock – 1’28.906 +0.587 -6 places
Robert Kubica – 1’29.115 +0.796 -4 places
Nick Heidfeld – 1’29.123 +0.804 +1 place
Heikki Kovalainen – 1’29.185 +0.866 -1 place
Nelson Piquet – 1’29.298 +0.980 Non-mover
Adrian Sutil – 1’29.451 +1.132 +3 places
Sebastien Buemi – 1’29.573 +1.254 -1 place
Sebastien Bourdais – 1’29.622 +1.303 Non-mover
Giancarlo Fisichella – 1’29.709 +1.391 -2 places

So, despite the surge of pace from Milton Keynes, Button is still at the head of the Grid after wins in Monaco and Turkey helped his championship charge with a couple of dominant weekends. Contrast that with the less than successful he’s had in Britain and Germany. Brawn now seem to be putting more focus on development on the BGP001, which should hopefully mean a big update is just around the corner.

Rosberg stays second ahead of Barrichello and the Red Bulls. The first 5 have stayed in exactly the same order since Spain, but the gap has closed by just under a quarter of a second which shows just how tight it is at the top. Behind them, Massa has taken over from Glock as best of the rest with Ferrari seemingly starting to find a bit of pace. Timo, meanwhile, has suffered the most. He is the biggest faller with a drop of 6 places. Such has been the fall from grace for Toyota that they are now no longer one of the top teams, a far cry from the front row lockout back in Bahrain. Trulli does jump one place thanks to good free practice pace.

Other big movers are Nakajima, Alonso and Sutil. Kaz and Fernando have jumped 4 places as well, with definite improvements being shown in the Williams allowing the Japanese driver to show his worth. Some of this will have been down to the excellent 5th place he scored in qualifying at Silverstone, where the team brought a new specification of the rear diffuser. Alonso, meanwhile, seems to have found some pace from the Renault at last, although it needs a bit of running before it’s properly wound up and ready to challenge. A decent run this weekend at the Nurburgring will have helped him no end with decent free practice pace, good speed in Q1 and being able to come on strong in the race with the fastest lap.

Non-movers, apart from the top 5, are Raikkonen, Hamilton, Piquet and Bourdais. You could say that in terms of their careers, the latter two seem to be heading that way. Le Seb seems to be on his way out (there’ll be a blog post on that soon), while people are still amazed that Nelson is STILL in that Renault. I thought Silverstone would be the last straw, but then when have we ever believed or taken anything that Flavio’s said seriously? Lewis now looks like he has a car which is on the pace once again as his performance at the weekend showed. Topping 2 practice sessions, making Q3 and getting a rocket start thanks to his KERS system meant he could have been in contention for the win had he not cut his tyre on Webber’s front wing, effectively ending all chances of a good race. Still, the new diffuser seems to have done the trick, but it’s rather ironic that it’s Kovalainen who came away with the points and his car wasn’t fitted with said diffuser.

Finally, let’s look at Sutil. The Force India has suddenly received a injection of pace and it was clearly evident at the weekend as Adrian got as high as P2 in Q2 and to the same point in the race. But fate, and Raikkonen, interfered once again and for the 3rd time in his career the chance of a points finish was snatched from him. Contact with the Ferrari damaged his front wing and ruined his race. But it hasn’t disheartened him and I’m sure that in the races to come this season he’ll have more chances to shine. Still, a jump of 3 places has gotten him off the back row, which means progress is being made.

With Hungary next on the calendar, it will be intriguing to see if Button and co can stop the current Red Bull steamroller. With Webber now seemingly hitting peak form in the best car he’s ever driven and Vettel taking over 2nd place in the championship, the boys from Brackley need to do something quick. Otherwise, it’ll only be a matter of time before Jenson’s chance for the championship is gone. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn out that way.

Puma Pride

2009-07-05T22:51:00.001+01:00

Just a very quick courtesy post to let all you guys know my fan report is up on the Puma Motorsport website and has been for a bit now. There’s 2 seperate pages – one which contains my written report, which has had one or two little sections chopped and changed (Don’t worry, I said they could if need be), and the other with my two interviews with Kubica and Heidfeld. You can find them both here:

The report:
http://www.pumamotorsport.com/2009/07/puma-uk-fan-reports-from-silverstone/

My interviews with Rob and Nick:
http://www.pumamotorsport.com/2009/07/our-fan-reporter-interviews-robert-kubica-and-nick-heidfeld/

Please do leave a comment on the site with your opinion on it. Of course, you can also do that here if you wish as well ;)

A matter of hot and cold

2009-07-04T20:38:00.001+01:00

While I was at Silverstone, I remember overhearing on the circuit radio that all weekend the Brawns of Button and Barrichello had been struggling in the colder conditions, while it seemed the Red Bulls were relishing it. Not to mention those new parts having something to do with it. During the race, Button could only manage 6th while Rubens scored a podium behind the RBRs.

Afterwards, it got me thinking - maybe both drivers suit different conditions. We know Jenson to be the smoothest driver on the grid. He never turns the wheel more than he has to and is very precise in his cornering technique, whereas Rubens is just that little bit more aggressive. Looking at the season so far, all of Button's victories (not counting Malaysia) have come when it's been dry and more importantly, sunny and hot. His more dominant ones have been in Bahrain, Spain and Monaco when the skies were blue and the temperatures fairly warm.

So here's my theory: Jenson prefers it when it's warmer because the heat helps him get his tyres up to temperature as quickly as everyone else while still maintaining his smoothness and precision, therefore being able to manage them better, make them last longer and run at the front at a stronger pace. Meanwhile, Rubens's aggression means the higher temperatures don't do his rubber any good which means they go off quicker and he drops off the pace of his seemingly more dominant teammate.

But look at Silverstone as a prime example of how the tables turned. Button's inability to perform as well as he could have done was probably due to the fact that it was overcast and colder than it had been earlier in the season. Without being aggressive, his tyres wouldn't have been able to come to him as quickly as he would have liked. Rubens, on the other hand, probably relished the lower temperatures as it meant he could still drive as hard as he normally would, but get help from the colder track to keep his tyres at a good temperature meaning he could stay on the pace of Vettel and Webber that little bit better.

It was also evident back in China that the Brawns didn't like it when the sun was hidden by clouds and it got cold and wet, as Der Seb and Mark ran away with a 1-2. Malaysia's really a 50/50 since even though it did get to monsoon levels of rain, the race is known for it's unbearable humidity, which might have been the reason why Jenson was able to drive back to the front as he did as the heavens opened. Mind you, Webber was really on a charge in the rain and had the race continued for a few more laps, it's very likely that considering the pace he was on, it could have been him on the top step instead.

Going into the German GP at the Nurburgring, the early weather forecasts predict it to be partly cloudy but with around 70% humidity, which should suit Button more than Barrichello. Personally, I feel Rubens should win at least one race this season, but as long as it stays warm, it looks like it might just be Jenson's championship to win or lose. Well, unless the Red Bulls have anything to say about that, which undoubtedly I'm sure they will.

So Nick, about your beard…

2009-06-28T00:07:00.001+01:00

First things first – yes, that is me outside the Brawn GP motorhome. I look an idiot, especially with my glasses, don’t I?

So, how was my weekend at Silverstone? Freaking. Awesome.

…What? You want me to actually tell you about it? Oh, go on then!

It was probably one of, if not THE best, experience of my life. This is something I could only have dreamed about. Meeting up with Tim Stedman, the Puma correspondent I’d be with for the weekend, it was a 2 hour drive down to Silverstone. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t as hectic as it would be on Sunday morning. The first big thing on Saturday was the Renault garage tour. But before that, I managed to get professional pics taken with Romain Grosjean, team test driver and then Fernando Alonso! Tim spotted him coming out of the garage straight after practice had finished and I shook his hand and everything. Now that to me was freakin’ awesome :D Back with the garage tour, I got to see mechanics working up close and personal on 2 R29s which was something else, as well as the engineers monitoring the telemetry on the super-computers they bring to every race. Also seeing the mechanics take the double diffuser off the car was pretty special to witness. Plus, I got to hold the steering wheel! OK, it was empty of its electronics, but it was cool to hold an current F1 steering wheel in my hands and play with the buttons and paddles. Also venturing out to the front of the pits to look at the main bodywork, the front nose and wing section and engine and sidepod covers. Still can’t believe how thin the shark fin is – it’s literally the thinnest piece of carbon fibre I’ve ever seen up close!

Qualifying was viewed at the beginning of Hangar Straight, which was probably a mistake picture-wise. Everyone knows how fast an F1 car is, but trying to take a snapshot of one going by at high speed is something of a fine art. I eventually had to wait for the car to come into my field of vision and then take the pic. Most of the shots I took were blank track but I did manage to get some cars on camera. Afterwards, it was time for the BMW driver interviews, but before that I found out after the event that straight after qualifying, the “Brawn Boys” (Jenson, Rubens and Ross) had been signing autographs at one of their merchandise stands. I’ll speak more on this in a bit.

It was so surreal when I walked into the BMW motorhome because as I was moving through, I turn to my right and who do I see standing right there looking up at a TV screen? Robert goddamn Kubica, that’s who! I thought “Jesus christ! It’s Kub!” Getting to interview both Kub and Nick was brilliant. I only got 3 questions with Rob but I got in 9 with Heidfeld, including the crucial one about his beard! He says he got fed up with shaving one day and when there was no PR or events to cope with, he just stuck with it. Mind you, both did look a little fed up with how things were going with the team and the car right now. Can’t blame them to be honest. But they’ve now become a favourite team of mine.

The Formula BMW hospitality was great too, but it began with a bit of a glitch with the TV feed for the FBMW race. A quad bike ran over the cable and snapped it. The announcer brought it in the said cable to show us he wasn’t lying! After a press conference with the top 3 from that race and some food, Kubica, Christian Klien and Mario Theissen were interviewed on stage. What was really funny was watching Rob get his phone out and play with it, and Klien all the while trying to concentrate on Mario while he was talking but getting ever so distracted by what Kub was up to. Shows F1 drivers are still human after all!

Saturday out of the way, Sunday was less eventful but still enjoyable nonetheless. The Santander stand was the main hub of activity for myself, taking part in the pitstop challenge and the simulator. I didn’t do all that well with the wheel gun on the pitstop, as most of the time the wheel nut was flying off the end and it was up to me to test my reactions just to keep hold of it. Also managed to get grease on my face somehow! The simulator was interesting and more my kinda thing, what with my passion with sim racing. The front half of a McLaren with a proper replica F1 steering wheel too was what I had to work with. I got 2 laps and messed up the end of my practice lap which meant I wasn’t at full speed going over the line. Still, a 1’15 put me 3rd on the board of times for the day. The fastest time over the whole weekend was a 1’06 by someone called “heikki”. Hmm… (Sorry Amy)

Afterwards, I received a call from the lovely lot over at Sidepodcast, who were in the middle of their pre-race live show The Parade Lap. I chatted with them for a good 10 minutes and really had a laugh. Also, my purpose on the day was to interview fans about their British GP experience. I ended up chatting to two Ferrari guys, two BMW ladies, a pair of guys who supported Renault and Red Bull and two girls who were Hamilton fans and had Union Jacks draped around them. But I guess a highlight of the day was spotting and getting a picture with two Page 3 girls – Amy Green and Nikkala Stott. You probably have no idea who they are, but let’s just say… I know of them, OK? Ahem, where were we?…

Our spot for the race was the Luffield B grandstand, which was a much better spot for pictures. I did have a brief scare when I thought all the pictures I’d taked on Saturday were missing from the camera but thankfully that was just a misunderstanding thanks to the camera itself. I personally found the race rather uneventful but still a great experience to see a GP for real again (my first GP being Silverstone ‘05). With Vettel a worthy and rather dominant victor, while Hamilton decided to treat the home crowd to some post-race donuts, I had one other event which also made my day. I met up with F1Wolf after the race and had a nice brief chat with him. Someone who I knew through SPC, I got the chance to meet and talk to. Now how’s that for connectivity!

If I may, I’d like to go back to the subject of those driver signings I mentioned earlier. These were something I’d been looking out for over the entire weekend but there was no information posted up about them at all. If they are something that is only done on a Thursday or Friday on the GP weekend, I find that rather disappointing. This means fans don’t get to meet and greet their favourites and get autographs or pictures with them. If there are going to be such signings, there needs to be clear info on who, when and where right when fans have just gotten through the gates. I was rather disappointed not to come away with something like a signed picture or poster, but I did get Kubica and Theissen to sign my autograph book and got pics with all 3 of the BMW guys after their appearance in the FBMW tent.

So, that’s it really. My Fan Report should be up sometime next week now. It was going to be the end of this week but there were complications sending my written report. But I’m confident that it’s all gonna be good and that the finished and edited video that goes with it will be awesome, if a little cringe worthy having to watch myself on camera. But I have to say a massive, massive thanks to Puma Motorsport for everything last weekend. Without it, I wouldn’t be sat here telling all of you about my experience. If I ever get to do something like this ever again, I will be truly thankful as so far, nothing in my life has ever come close to my weekend at Silverstone. To them, and all of you guys for continuing to follow my work, I say – thank you very, very much.

Question time

2009-06-15T00:25:00.001+01:00

NOTE: Read the end of this post for an update

As you’ll have seen in a blog post I did last week, I am going to be attending the British GP next weekend thanks to Puma Motorsport, as a guest of one of the 5 teams they supply. Well, I’ve now found out which team that’s going to be – Renault. Now, it does seem a little ironic that all this time Nelson Piquet hasn’t been my favourite driver in the world (far from it, actually) and now I have to sit in the same room as him, asking him and Fernando Alonso questions. Still, good experience and all that.

After hearing this news, I thought to myself – this is all about getting an insight to the fans as to what goes on behind the scenes at a GP weekend. So in a way it would seem maybe a little selfish if I only asked questions that I wanted answers, like why Piquet is completely and utterly…oops, almost forgot where I was going with that one…anyway… So, after a bit of thought, I decided to include some questions from other F1 fans that I associate with on the web, particularly Sidepodcast.

So, to anyone who happens to read or know about my blog, if you do have any questions for Fernando and Nelson that you want answering, then please leave them in the comments. I will compile a list of them and print them off to take to Silverstone. I will ask if we keep them sensible and realistic and nothing like “Nelson, why are you so rubbish?” or “Fernando, why do you hate Lewis Hamilton?”. While it may be a great experience for me, this is still serious business.

So, get thinking and I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

EDIT: Have found out that it will be the BMW drivers, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld that I will be meeting and not Alonso and Piquet like I first thought. All questions are now for Robert and Nick instead. Also, if you have any for Anthony Davidson, then please do post them too. Thanks!

13 – the unlucky number?

2009-06-13T11:30:00.001+01:00

After weeks of speculation, we finally found out who is joining the 2010 grid (hopefully) alongside all 10 existing teams. We have USF1, which to me was a forgone conclusion anyway, Campos Meta 1 which I thought had an outside chance but wasn’t a favourite to get there, and Manor Grand Prix, who I had no clue who they were at all at first until I linked the words Manor and F3 eventually found that it was the same Manor Motorsport that gave Lewis Hamilton his first break in the Euro F3 series before he switched to ART and went on to bigger things. In fact, I don’t think any of us even knew they’d lodged an entry. In an interview with John Booth, team director, Autosport’s first question to him literally was “You kept this quiet…”

But despite this, there is unfortunately still the ongoing feud between the FIA and FOTA, one which I’m pretty sure all F1 fans such as myself probably got tired of just after it began. Here we are thinking “Oh look, Ferrari are throwing their toys out the pram again, just because it’s not going their way”. It’s true. Every time something has worked against Maranello, they kick up a stink and make some preposterous statement which will change their stance in F1 unless their demands are met. Frankly it’s getting ridiculous, but then again that’s politics for you. Sadly, F1 does not know the meaning of the word democracy, and you can see why.

It’s plain simple – the current F1 grid comprising of 10 teams has seemingly been split into 3 groups. There are those who want to stay in F1 provided their requests are met, those who are appealing against such a decision by the FIA to put them on the entry list because of a supposed contract that ties them in for the next couple of seasons, and those who just want to race in F1 no matter what happens. Williams and Force India, the latter of the 3 groups it seems, probably are better off in the short term, aka next season, in staying out of FOTA. By avoiding getting caught up in the issue of the day, it means they can focus on what F1 is truly about: the racing. Having said that, there is a downside to it – any decisions on the rules would go ahead without any input from either of them, meaning they would have no say at all as to what is and what isn’t allowed in F1. It would simply be a case of “Take what you’re given, don’t like it? Tough.”

Since Bernie and Max announced there would be 13 teams on the grid for 2010, I can’t help but feeling maybe the laws of superstition has crept into the sport. Like it’s the metaphorical black cat that’s crossed the path of the sport and bringing nothing but bad luck, bad fortune and a bad image. Back in the days when we had 26 car grids before, there was never this much politics. There were politics to some extent, but not to the level that we faced the threat of all the teams walking away from F1 to start their own series with their own rules. Sure, we had that in 1982 but that was a different era. Nevertheless, the FISA/FOCA war can be related to in the current arguments of the day. What strikes me is the fact that the teams had an occasion in the past where they had the opportunity to shape the rules to how they wanted to, as granted by Max. But did they take it? Did they heck. Now look what the result is some years later.

I guess now F1 isn’t truly that without some kind of political controversy or scandal to throw the whole thing out of balance. I fear that we shall never go back to the days when all it was about was the greatest drivers in the world in the best cars in the world and it simply being a matter of getting up, driving the car, having a glass of champers afterwards and then going home. Right here, right now, in 2009, that isn’t happening. If I’m honest, I don’t think it ever will ever again. Shame that, could have seen pre-qualifying come back.

Once in a lifetime

2009-06-10T21:56:00.001+01:00

Today, on the train home from work, I received some rather shocking but fantastic news. Checking my e-mails on my iPhone, I find one from Puma Motorsport. Some time ago now, I entered a fan report competition being run by said company, simply asking why you think you should get the chance to go behind the scenes at a GP of your choice with a PUMA backed F1 team. After submitting my entry, all that was left to do was wait.

Last month I got a message through on Twitter from Tom McLoughin, head of Edelman PR who work with PUMA on promoting their products. He wanted to talk to me about the website itself and what my opinions on it were and what I thought would be good ideas to attract more visitors. For a while I had my hopes up that I was in with a chance, but after other things in my life, such as a new job, taking priority, it eventually slipped out of my mind

But then, this evening as I casually opened my inbox, I found an e-mail titled “Puma Fan Report / Congratulations You Have Won”. Upon reading the full thing, I sat there, mouth open in complete and utter shock. I simply could not believe it. I was now lucky enough to get the chance to go behind the scenes with an F1 team at what will surely be the last British GP at Silverstone, essentially becoming one of those people who say “I was there when…”

So yes, it is confirmed – next weekend, I shall be at Silverstone on the Saturday and Sunday for the 61st and last British GP at the circuit, courtesy of Puma Motorsport and one of the 5 teams supplied by Puma – either Ferrari, Red Bull, BMW, Renault or Toro Rosso. I’ll get to meet the drivers and technicians as well as receive a tour of the pit garages of the team I’m put with. That’s all I know at the moment, but after sending a response e-mail confirming my availability and also giving them my number to contact me on, I should get a call from them sometime very soon. I did ask for tomorrow (June 11th) but we’ll see.

Oh and just for the record, this isn’t a post to brag at all, that’s not the intention. But it has started to sink in and now I’m just looking forward to it! This comes a handful of weeks before I’m back at Silverstone again for the World Series by Renault, so this means two free trips to big race events! Yep, you guys probably all hate me right now!

So, who wants a new team?

2009-06-08T22:42:00.001+01:00

2010 will once again go back to the days of 26 car grids as 3 new teams will join the 10 existing ones (hopefully) in the pitlane for next season. With about 8 new entries coming in from various teams, outfits and companies, there’s certainly a lot of competition. Of course, we won’t see the days of pre-qualifying return, or at least not any time soon. But with these new slots meaning more cars on the grid and therefore more packed and competitive racing, are we seeing this new era of F1 advance at such a rate that it’s getting difficult to keep up? Nevertheless, here is who I think will make it onto the grid. I’m looking at 4 teams, not ruling out the possibility of one team pulling out should the new rules not turn out the way they want them.

USF1/USGPE
I feel that this team is in the best position to get one of the 3 places. A dream of Ken Anderson’s to have an American F1 team is on the verge of coming true. With support from journalist Peter Windsor, USF1 already has two bases set up in Spain and in Charlotte, North Carolina which is deep NASCAR team territory. But don’t see that as a bad thing. With so much technical expertise behind what seems like just going round in circles, poaching some of that talent will be valuable for this team to get off the ground.

There’s already been talk of engine deals, but the speculation of who will be driving for them is rife. One such name that seems to keep cropping up is Danica Patrick, IRL’s “first lady”. With an IndyCar in at Motegi last year already under her belt, the pressure’s on for her to perform and do it again. But if she was to come to F1, I can’t help but feel it would be more of a publicity stunt rather than a logical decision based on talent. There’s no doubting the girl can drive, but probably not at the level required for the pinnacle of formula racing. I’ll be honest, I’ve not seen her perform all that well on the road courses. But with enough time in the car, who knows.

Windsor and Anderson made it clear their intentions driver-wise were to have one American driver and one experienced veteran, therefore looking at both sides of the talent market. By introducing a driver from their homeland into F1, the first since Scott Speed in 2007, it might just rekindle America’s enthusiasm for the sport. Of course, it probably could never overthrow NASCAR as the number 1 viewed motorsport in the country. As for experienced, I can’t help but have Barrichello in my head for this one. Should he have finally had enough of Jenson’s winning ways at Brawn, a wise old fox like himself might just give USF1 the kickstart they need in terms of on and off track development. The American driver? Marco Andretti seems like the popular choice.

Predicted driver line-up: Marco Andretti and Rubens Barrichello

Lola
Not since 1997 have we seen this name in F1, and everything didn’t quite go to plan that time. 14 seconds off pole in Australia and that was it. The cars made it to Brazil but the covers never even came off. All the money and sponsorship had dried up and with it had Eric Broadley’s dream of a true works Lola F1 effort. But with the new rules, new company owner Martin Birrane seems to have sorted out their reputation and gone on to a world of great things in other forms of motorsport. Single seaters and Le Mans have been their strengths since their disastrous ‘97 campaign. They have built cars for F3, F3000, A1GP and Champ Car in terms of single seaters, while a variety of LMP machines have graced the world’s best race tracks including Le Mans of course.

What this says to me is that they have rebuilt themselves and done it well. With so much in their design portfolio, it’s clear to me that they’re best equipped out of all the teams applying. They have excellent facilities including their own wind tunnel, which will be a big aid in the design process. Personally I think they are the best developed race car builders. It’s plain to see what they’ve been to since last time we saw them on the grid. Surely some of the time they spent on projects for A1GP and F3000 will be of use. It’s good to see that they’ve kept themselves in the single seater loop all this time, so I think getting up to speed won’t be a problem.

Drivers seems to be a rather tough one when it comes to Lola. Seeing as there is no works Lola team in motorsport at the moment, choosing 2 drivers isn’t for me. For some reason, I’m not sure why, Vitaly Petrov from the Barwa Addax team in GP2 is the first name in my head. Alongside Renault-bound Romain Grosjean, the two of them have helped the ex-Campos team shoot to the top of the series. Kinda like Brawn only without the financial troubles. As for a second driver, I reckon Bourdais could seek refuge since it’s looking ever increasingly like his seat is under threat. Brendon Hartley would be the best choice to replace him, and with Le Seb having experience in a Lola Champ Car, it could be a wise move that saves his F1 career.

Predicted driver line-up: Vitaly Petrov and Sebastien Bourdais

Prodrive/Aston Martin
Now here’s a team that promised so much but delivered nothing, quite literally. After securing the 12th slot on the grid for 2008, Prodrive decided against entering, feeling that the ongoing row on customer cars at the time was the main reason why they pulled out. It was highly touted a customer deal with McLaren to provide chassis would help them along, but thinking better of it, David Richards decided to focus on his WRC and Le Mans projects with Subaru and Aston Martin respectively.

Then Richards was put in as a potential buyer for Honda, but he ruled himself out after a while stating that the current state of F1 was not good enough for him to consider re-entering. But when the budget cap was unveiled, it was just the spark that he needed to put forward the plans to mount a serious bid for the top flight. Richards is one of those guys who I admire as a team owner and businessman. He’s done so much, from starting out as co-driver to Ari Vatanen to running Porsche 911s in rallies, then being team boss of 2 F1 teams, Benetton and BAR, and ongoing projects like the Subaru WRC program, Aston Martin’s return to sportscar racing and also orchestrating Ford’s works team assault in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship. All that, plus he’s head of the WRC.

Now, there’s big talk of David bringing the Aston Martin name to F1. When his initial bid was made, he said he had no intention of using the brand, or Subaru for that matter. But with the British marque being the only major partnership he works with right now, he has hinted that while he’s not looking at doing so straight away, he wouldn’t mind incorporating them into the team in a few seasons’ time. An Aston Martin F1 car in Gulf colours would looks simply stunning and probably sound great too. In terms of drivers, Anthony Davidson crops up straight away. He’s racing for Aston in their LMP1 prototype at Le Mans this coming weekend, so if he performs well there he’d stand in good steed for a race seat and a return to the big time. Who to partner him? This requires some thought. I would suggest Darren Turner to make it an all British line-up, but despite the guy being an ex-McLaren tester, it probably wouldn’t happen. Perhaps Gary Paffett could benefit from this, or Paul di Resta. I can't decide!

Predicted driver line-up: Anthony Davidson and Gary Paffett/Paul di Resta

Epsilon Euskadi
OK, so if one team was to throw a hissy fit or lose interest and declare the words “I quit”, I believe this entry to be the best placed to capitalise on it. All I know of Epsilon Euskadi is that they’re Spanish, they have their own Le Mans prototype, their team is run by ex-Benetton man Joan Villadelprat and…well, that’s about it. Apparently, they have a full sponsorship board already in place and ready to initiate should they be accepted which means financially they could the best placed in that category. Villadelprat is a wise man who has been around a long time, so his experience in motorsport will prove invaluable. Apart from that, I’m not sure what else to say about them.

So, drivers? Alvaro Parente has come up straight away in my head for some reason. Maybe it’s because he’s Portuguese, I don’t know, but he seems to fit. Alongside him could be Lucas di Grassi. This man has been overlooked for a Renault driver thanks to Piquet and Grosjean and I think he deserves a chance at least.

Predicted driver line-up: Alvaro Parente and Lucas di Grassi

Now I dare say you’ve got your own opinions on who should be in which new team, whoever gets accepted. Please do share them, I would love to hear what you think. All I know is 2010 is shaping up to be rather awesome – I think…

E3 2009 round-up part 3 – Gran Turismo 5

2009-06-08T01:00:00.001+01:00

Now come the 3rd and final part of the E3 racing game round-up, and I’ve saved the best ‘till last. Seriously, this is a game worth waiting for.

Gran Turismo 5 (Sony/PD)

Yes, folks – that is a screenshot of a game, not real life. Sony and PD had us all guessing whether GT5 would make any kind of announcement or appearance at the show this year and at one point, they said no. But with rumours rife about them actually bringing something to the E3 table, the whole Sony press conference went through without any mention – of GT5 but not of GT as a whole. About midway through, Kazanori Yamauchi, father of Gran Turismo and Polyphony Digital, officially announced and showed GT PSP for the new PSP Go. It certainly looked impressive and as the conference drew to a close, everyone was thinking about GC or the TGS next year for news. But then, right at the end came a trailer which…actually, I’ll let you pass judgement on it:

The epitomy of awesome, is it not? Let’s just clarify the obvious first, in case you haven’t tagged on to it. Those sneaky beggars at Sony and PD have not only managed to secure the official licence of the World Rally Championship but also America’s premier race series, NASCAR. Yes, 2 official licences! Plus, some other little things. First off, eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted the NASCAR scenes at Indianapolis, which confirms the Brickyard’s presence alongside Daytona in terms of oval circuits. Also, we finally, FINALLY, got out first look at damage in Gran Turismo! This is something which fans and players of GT have been screaming for ever since GT2 was announced. At last, their prayers and calls have been answered. Thank goodness.

Also, if you’re even more of a good spotter, you will have noticed some new Super GT/JGTC cars, such as the classic Castrol Supra and a couple of NSXs from the past couple of seasons. There is also a shot of a Mazda 787B and an Audi R10 TDI on a runway of some sorts. A lot of people, through observation and picture comparisons, have come to the apparant confirmation that this is our first look at the Top Gear Test Track at Dunsfold. How has this come about? Simple – BBC did a deal with PD and Sony: you let us put Top Gear on Gran Turismo TV and we’ll put the TGTT in the game!

There’s not been an official word on how many cars and tracks GT5 will feature exactly, as that’s something that these guys like to keep us guessing on until the last minute. But according to Yamauchi, they have gotten to the stage of development with the game that if they wanted to, they could release it tomorrow. But I’m sure they’ll work on it as long as they need to and continue to tease us with pictures, videos and announcements. But let’s look at what we do know – there’s damage, 2 official licences, some of the world’s best tracks including the Nordschleife, Indy, Le Mans and Daytona, Ferraris for the first time, 16 cars on track, online play and graphics that have to be seen to be believed.

Put simply, no matter who you are, no matter how, if you so much as even have a minor interest in cars and motor racing, you NEED this game. I don’t have a PS3 but by god I will have one either in time for or when it comes out. Again, we’re still guessing on that too, but signs do seem to point to somewhere between Christmas and Spring 2010, with my money on the sensible option of the latter.

To sum up this game and the whole franchise in one sentence I shall simply say this: Gran Turismo is like Grolsch – never rushed! Nor should it be. See? We had to wait for it for 5 years, but look at the result. Trust me, this WILL be worth the wait.

E3 2009 round-up part 2: Forza Motorsport 3

2009-06-08T00:33:00.001+01:00

Here’s the second part of my E3 2009 racing game round-up. Next, let’s look at Microsoft’s latest offering.

Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft/Turn 10)

Looking at that screenshot, you can instantly tell that this is gonna be an awesome game. Just look at that detail! All cars in the game have 10 times the polygon count than those in Forza 2, which means Turn 10 have worked bloody hard to get the game to this level. With the game officially confirmed and unveiled during Microsoft’s press conference at E3, we soon quickly found out some details. 400 cars and 100 tracks for a start. Gameplay footage, trailers and screenshots initially show us cars such as the Audi R8, Aston Martin DBS, Chevy Corvette ZR1 and Nissan 370Z.

As for circuits, all 3 shown off at E3 are fictional layouts based in Montserrat, Spain. According to the developers, all fantasy circuits in the game will each have their own unique features and back stories, which helps add depth to these locations. In terms of real-world locations, the Nordschleife is back (of course), as well as Sebring, Silverstone and Suzuka so far. There is talk of Le Mans being featured too, as an announcement concerning Forza 3 is expected at next weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours. Microsoft have close relationships with both Peugeot and Audi, with the latter officially confirming their partnership with them at E3. What this announcement entails remains to be seen. But hopefully it will be something that helps make the already awesome spectacle that is the 24 Hours just that little bit more enjoyable.

Turn 10 have been working very hard on perfecting their tyre physics for FM3, going to both Michelin engineers and their partners at McLaren for information, data and notes on tyre behaviour, flex and deformation. This concept of realism is nothing new, as sim racers will know too well that Live For Speed on the PC simulates deformation brilliantly. Apparently engine and tyre sounds and physics have both been upped in quality as some websites have reported after getting the privilege to . Also, another notable addition to the game is the addition of roll-over, i.e a car going into it’s roof. The trailer clearly shows a Ford GT lose it and barrel-roll through the air. Speaking of damage, this has also been given the once over with improvements in bump and dent mapping. All 400 cars also feature cockpit views, a first for the Forza franchise, with detail so fine even the indicator stalks look completely life-like. That shows just how much precision and hard graft has gone into the making of this sequel.

October 27th has been revealed as the release date, exclusive to XBOX 360. Dan Greenawalt, head of Turn 10, has said that FM3 is pretty much finished, all cars and tracks had been built and that as a whole the game ran rock solid during the entire duration of E3. Plus, if you think the game looks good now, then apparently it can only look better from now on. As some will know, I already have a 360 and along with NFS: Shift, this is one purchase I definately will not think twice about.

E3 2009 round-up part 1 – Need For Speed: Shift

2009-06-07T22:16:00.001+01:00

For those who are avid gamers such as myself who follow what goes on in the gaming world, you will probably have seen all the news that has filtered out of the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short. The racing genre was well represented and I shall reel off the 3 big titles that got revealed and reported on at this year’s show.

Need For Speed: Shift (EA)

EA’s NFS series was well represented by it’s new flagship game simply called Shift. It’s supposed to focus more on the driving experience and the reality of it. One feature they have done is worked on in-car views. By making it as realistic as they can, in a way it helps you believe you really are at the wheel of a Porsche or Lamborghini. The camera shakes as the car goes over bumps, turns to focus on apexes and corners and goes completely mental when you have a crash. On impact, all colour drains out of your in-game vision for a moment, the camera violently shakes and everything goes blurry before readjusting. What this does is help simulate the feeling and experience that is a car crash. Not that you’d ever really want to in real life, that is.

They have also introduced a brand new Driver Profile system, which awards points depending on how you drive. Clean drivers get scored for clean passes, brilliant cornering and achieving top speeds on straights, while those who prefer to bump and grind with other cars will get points on collisions with other cars and also with the barriers. Basically – dirty driving. This all counts towards a profile which can be viewed by anyone around the world and shows off what kind of a driver you actually are. Now let’s face it – this game won’t lie, so if you decide the best way to get past someone is to ram them off the road, your profile will reflect that and it’s more than likely you’ll only attract similar drivers. You have been warned!

So let’s get on the important matter of cars and tracks. The headlining vehicle seems to be the all-new BMW M3 GT2 which runs in the ALMS under Rahal Letterman Racing. A stunning looking car with a transmission that screams as though it’s just been castrated means this is one fierce machine. Other cars of note include the Lambo Reventon, Pagani Zonda R, Bugatti Veyron and Audi R8 GT3. Course-wise, the mighty Nurburgring Nordschleife makes its NFS debut, along with Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Road America, Spa and other real world circuits, with street tracks in London and Tokyo providing an urban challenge.

Visually it’s not as stunning as the other two games I’ll be talking about, but in terms of a driving/racing experience it probably looks like the best of the 3. The level of immersion which the in-car view seems to give will make drivers believe they are there in the car clipping an apex or rubbing door handles with a Supra or Nissan GT-R. The profile system will mean we get to see who are race winners and who are race ruiners and with a rather impressive line-up of locations and machines, this might just be a racer that gets your blood pumping should total simulation not really be your thing. It’s out in September on the 360, PS3 and PC. One game I definately like the look of and will be purchasing.

F1 2009 Super Season Grid – Post Spain

2009-05-10T20:36:00.001+01:00

Today’s Spanish GP brought another victory for Jenson Button and Brawn’s second 1-2 of the season. Barrichello meanwhile will be lamenting what could have been his first win since China 2004, while Webber surprised us all with a great drive to 3rd. But now it’s time to review the Super Season Grid, and with McLaren and Ferrari suffering another dismal weekend and BMW and Renault less than impressing, how has this weekend’s activities shaken up the order? Fastest man on average in Barcelona was Button once again with an average lap of 1’21.598. Let’s dive in and see who is where this time.

Jenson Button – 1’31.526 +0.000 Non-mover
Nico Rosberg – 1’31.627 +0.100 Non-mover
Rubens Barrichello – 1’31.649 +0.123 Non-mover
Mark Webber – 1’31.868 +0.342 Non-mover
Sebastien Vettel – 1’32.010 +0.484 +1 place
Timo Glock – 1’32.030 +0.504 -1 place
Felipe Massa – 1’32.094 +0.568 +4 places
Kimi Raikkonen – 1’32.161 +0.635 +1 place
Robert Kubica – 1’32.168 +0.641 +3 places
Lewis Hamilton – 1’32.169 +0.643 Non-mover
Kazuki Nakajima – 1’32.184 +0.658 +2 places
Jarno Trulli – 1’32.295 +0.769 +5 places
Fernando Alonso – 1’32.312 +0.786 +2 places
Heikki Kovalainen – 1’32.399 +0.873 -6 places
Nick Heidfeld – 1’32.413 +0.887 -1 place
Nelson Piquet – 1’32.641 +1.115 +2 places
Sebastien Buemi – 1’32.776 +1.235 Non-mover
Giancarlo Fisichella – 1’32.843 +1.316 +2 places
Sebastien Bourdais – 1’32.884 +1.358 Non-mover
Adrian Sutil – 1’32.884 +1.358 -4 places

Listen carefully, because I’m only saying this once…

2009-05-09T22:35:00.001+01:00

While some people seem to enjoy my Super Season Grid, there are those who continuously ask “What values do you use?” or “How do you get those results?” or something else along those lines. So, to set the record straight once and for all, I am going to tell you exactly how I get my average lap times.

So, let’s take Lewis Hamilton at Melbourne as an example. To work out his average lap time over the entire weekend, I use:

Fastest lap from FP1
Fastest lap from FP2
Fastest lap from FP3
Fastest lap from the entire Qualifying session (usually Q2 because of running low fuel)
Fastest lap from the race

Using an Excel spreadsheet, it adds the lap times altogether and divides by 5, which obviously is how many values we have to work with. This then produces the average result. Now, I work with the times by listing them in seconds rather than minutes and seconds. Doing this makes it so much easier and simpler for Excel to work out the average. So, let’s work out Hamilton’s average lap time of Melbourne as an example:

FP1 – 1’39.042 (89.042)
FP2 – 1’37.813 (87.813)
FP3 – 1’36.714 (86.714)
Fastest lap from qualifying - 1’36.454 (86.454)
Fastest lap in race – 1’39.020 (89.020)
AVERAGE LAP TIME – 1’37.809 (87.809)

But the averages don’t stop at single race weekends. Over the course of the season, I have a page which keeps track of all the average lap times from every round of the championship which culminates into an average lap time over the course of the season so far. Right now, we’ve done 4 rounds and with Barcelona tomorrow I’ll be able to finish the data for Spain and look ahead to Monaco.

And we don’t just stop at drivers! I also work out an average lap time and field spread for the teams too. For the field spread, I take the fastest lap time set by a certain car, McLaren again as an example. Now this time could have been set by either Hamilton or Kovalainen, the driver doesn’t matter. It’s the time we’re after. Then after getting the best lap over the entire weekend for all 10 teams, I work out the gap from the fastest to slowest. These times and gaps get recorded and an average is taken for both. For the latter, whatever the lowest gap value is, let’s say Brawn at the moment, this then gets subtracted from the other 9 teams’ gaps to the fastest. So this leaves the fastest team with 0.000 as a gap.

It might sound confusing and maybe a little inaccurate as it’s not taking in fuel loads and the like, but it’s my own personal way of working out how close or how apart the grid is at any given moment. I hope that’s cleared up any confusion and if it’s only made you even more so, then I do apologise!

Greatest Racing Eras – Group B Rally Cars (1982 - 1986)

2009-05-02T17:52:00.001+01:00

The mighty Audi Quattro S1 (Image: flickr.com)

What can I say? We’ve now moved on to a post I’ve been looking forward to writing. All about quite simply the greatest, if not very short, era of rallying to ever occur. A class of race car so unrestricted and outrageous, it brought thousands of spectators lining the stages. Power levels were astronomical, the crowds were ridiculously huge and the drivers some of the finest ever lived. Its popularity and success brought about its demise after spectator and driver deaths forced the FIA to ban it. This is a collection of cars that became too fast to race. This…is Group B.

The story begins, believe it or not, in 1980, when Audi decided to embark on a project to go rallying. They came up with the unique Quattro, which was so because it was the first competition rally car with four-wheel-drive. The FIA were sceptical at first, as the drivetrain wasn’t allowed in the rules and it was also considered too bulky and heavy to be successful. Taking this into the final verdict, they went ahead and allowed the Quattro to compete, thinking that their 4WD system would just slow it down and make it uncompetitive. How very, VERY wrong they were. A Quattro driven by Hannu Mikkola was used as a course car on an event. It’s a fact that had he been entered as a participant, he would have won by 9 minutes.

The car won it’s first actual event, the Austrian round of the European championship and from there just set the rallying world alight. In 1982, French female driver Michele Mouton became the first woman to win an international motorsports event and so narrowly missed out on becoming World Rally Champion had it not been for the Audi’s transmission failing in the final stages of the Ivory Coast Rally, allowing Opel’s Walter Rohrl to sweep in and claim it. In the same year, Group B was announced. The rules stated that only 200 examples of the car being entered had to be produced before it could be homolgated. It was also a much more relaxed class, with a kind of “anything goes” approach allowing manufacturers to pretty much do what they liked. A further 20 could be produced to allow “Evolution” models, which really were extreme versions of the original car.

Lancia were the first to build a true Group B car with the 037, a modified version of the Beta Monte Carlo. It was rear wheel drive and initially carried 265hp before being boosted to 325 in the Evo model. It won the manufactuers championship for Lancia but Audi’s Hannu Mikkola took the marque’s first Group B driver’s title. Also entering that year had been the little Renault 5 Turbo with a punchy little turbocharged engine mounted in the middle of the car giving it perfect weight distribution and almost go-kart like handling. It won 3 WRC events in it’s lifetime, the Monte Carlo once and the Tour de Corse twice.

By 1984, other manufacturers and people were seriously taking notice. One of those was a certain Jean Todt, who decided to give up co-driving to run a team. He chose to join Peugeot and, after studying the rulebook from cover to cover, came up with a machine based around the little 205 hatchback. The end result – the 205 T16. Again, the engine was mid-mounted and turbocharged but 4WD was adopted. It was smaller and lighter than the big, bulky Quattro and instantly made a huge impact. An accident was the only thing that stopped it taking its first win that year, but Audi could already see them as a serious threat, despite Stig Blomqvist winning the championship for them. In fact, they were so concerned, they were sending messages back to the factory in Stuttgart saying “Don’t stop the development programs just because we’re winning”.

For 1985, Audi and Peugeot made revisions to their cars. The Germans came up with a shorter wheelbase for the Quattro, but it wasn’t really enough to match the Evo version of the 205, with added wings and a secret in the form of an F1-type turbo fitted to the engine. To Audi, the writing really was appearing on the wall for them – big and written in French. Timo Salonen in a way inherited the championship for Peugeot after their star driver Ari Vatanen suffered 3 horrific accidents in a row, the 3rd putting him out of action for the rest of the season. Audi had some serious thinking to do.

All the while, Lancia had still been running the now outdated 037, so a change was needed. They decided to build a new car around the Delta hatchback and came up with the Delta “S4”. It was 4WD, but it’s engine featured something which was sure to put the fear in its rivals – both a turbocharger AND and a supercharger. The reason behind this was to provide as smooth and as constant a power curve as possible. It scored a 1-2 on it’s debut, the 1985 RAC Rally. But they weren’t the only new kids on the block on that event. Ford made a return with the RS200, built by Reliant Engineering, and the MG Metro 6R4, made with help from Williams Grand Prix Engineering. The Ford was a turbo while the Metro was only a naturally aspirated V6. The theory was that with more torque than the turbos, it would help them gain an advantage. Sadly, it didn’t, despite the 3rd place on the RAC in ‘85.

With 1986 shaping up to be a titanic battle for the championship, with Renault also updating it’s R5 Turbo to Maxi form, things were looking promising. Audi made one last update to the Quattro to compete with the competition, with big wings and engine power upped to over 600hp. Everything didn’t run quite as smoothly as people had hoped, though. The increasing popularity of the WRC meant events were attracting ridiculous amounts of spectators, and at times they seemed to form human walls which didn’t leave the drivers room for error. Then, the inevitable happened. A Ford RS200 plunged into a crowd of spectators on the Rally Portugal and killed some 20 people. The event was abandoned after a meeting with the drivers. Things really were getting out of hand. And then came the final nail in the coffin.

On the Rally Corsica, Finnish driver Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto slid off a stage in their Lancia Delta S4, plunged down the mountain side and burst into flames, killing them instantly. Ford and Audi immediately withdrew from the championship, leaving Lancia and Peugeot to fight it out. But it was simply too late. The FIA had been paying too much attention to F1 and as a result, things had gone too far. They had no choice but to ban Group B at the end of ‘86. A sad but sensible decision in order to prevent any more tragedies.

Group B cars weren’t killed off completely just because the category was banned from the WRC. They were adapted and kept on for events such as the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Paris-Dakar Rally, rallycross and the Race of Champions. In fact, like all race cars, they still exist and are used on historic events and at shows. Who could want to forget awesome cars like these? They truly were monsters with astronomical power figures and mad aerodynamics and shapes.

Henri Toivonen drove his S4 around the Estoril circuit, and the lap time would have been quick enough to put him 6th on the grid for the actual F1 race! Nigel Mansell also tried out a 205 T16 and said that it could out accelerate his F1 car. This was how brutal and crazy these cars were. A Delta S4 was proven to go from 0-60 in just 2.3 seconds on gravel! They were aptly named the “Formula 1 cars of the dirt roads”. A few manufacturers also tried out Group B efforts. Porsche ran their 911 SC against the competition for a couple of years. Toyota created an Group B MR2, Citroen made the BX4TC, Mitsubishi tried to develop a Starion. Ferrari even had a go at building a car! The 288 GTO Evoluzione was originally going to compete in the WRC but when Grp. B was banned, they used it as a base for the F40 supercar. Opel also created the Manta 400 and entered it on the Mille Piste event. Although, it was a prototype, and the event organisers decided to stupidly ban prototypes while the event was still running! Driver Henri Toivonen had to forfeit his victory and accept a “special prize” instead. Mazda also campaigned an RX-7 on a couple of occasions.

Group B was also intended as a sportscar category but that part of the class never took off. The only two cars close enough to being true cars for the class were the Porsche 961 (a racing 959) and the Jaguar XJ220 (which won its class at Le Mans in 1993 before being disqualified after losing an appeal on racing without catalytic convertors).

Today’s rally cars are actually faster on the stages due to advances in technology and engineering with better suspension, tyres and chassis. But nothing can ever again come close to the giants of the rally world from the 80s. They may have only ruled for some 5 years, but they still live on in all motorsports fans’ memories. They truly were supercars on dirt and snow. But sadly, they simply became “too fast to race”.

Next: The legends of Group C sportscars

It’s been 15 years…

2009-05-01T11:11:00.002+01:00

For those who are familiar with significant dates in F1 history, then you should know that today marks the 15th anniversary of the tragic loss of one of the world’s greatest racing drivers – in my opinion, the greatest. Ayrton Senna lost his life at the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1st, 1994. It’s considered by many to be the blackest day in the whole of motorsport because that weekend also featured the loss of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger the day before.

Senna was loved by many and his death literally brought the whole of Brazil to a standstill. In fact, it brought the whole world to a halt. He was a magician at the wheel of a racing car and a philosopher and genius out of one. Although he was not always a samaritan, especially in some of his on-track exploits, you could not deny he had that certain aura about him. Something that just made you want to like him. Some of his quotations are amazing and I feel can not only be applied to racing, but to life in general. My favourite of all time is:

On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. You then go for this limit and you touch this limit and you think “OK, this is the limit”. As soon you touch this limit, something happens and suddenly you can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct and the experience as well……you can fly very high.

Say what you will. I feel personally that each year on this day, racing fans should remember this great man. Of course, there are some who will argue we should do so for others including Gilles Villeneuve and Jim Clark, which I agree with of course. But to me, May 1st will always be the day we lost Ayrton. He was and still is my main inspiration, my hero and the person I aspire to.

There is a song by Chris Rea which he wrote and recorded in tribute to Senna, and so I shall end this small tribute to him on this sad day for racing fans with the one word which Rea titled his song and is fitting to how we should remember him.

Saudade, Ayrton. Saudade…

Greatest Racing Eras – Group A Touring Cars (1982 - 1994)

2009-04-28T22:06:00.002+01:00

The start of the 1992 Australian Touring Car race at Mallala (Image: IBC Holdings)

Starting a new series of blog posts, I’m taking a look at some of what I consider to be the greatest eras of motorsport. They’re also my favourites as well, in case you couldn't tell. First off, we start with the great Group A touring car category.

Ah, tin-tops. Everyone who’s anyone and a motorsports fan loves touring cars. It’s really a great way of relating back to what you drive in real life. Watching now, you see a Civic, Vectra, 3 Series or Leon and recognise it instantly, even see it on the roads today, unlike GT racing where those kinds of vehicles exist but aren’t commonly seen on the roads. Modern day touring car racing definitely has its roots, and I believe one of the major contributions to it was the Group A era.

The FIA introduced Group A for both rally and touring cars in 1982, the same time that Group B was conceived (which we’ll cover in another blog post). But for the tourers, it marked a replacement to Group 2 for modified touring cars, while Group N took over from Group 1 for standard touring cars. The regulations stated a minimum of 2500 road versions of the chosen vehicle had to be manufactured in order for it to homologated according to the Group A rules.

The European Touring Car Championship adopted the class first in 1982, followed by the ever popular and world-renowned British championsip a year later. At first, cars such as the V12 Jaguar, BMW 635CSi and Rover Vitesse which were the early big guns across Europe. 1984 saw the new tin-top phenomenon sweep to Germany, with the 635 asserting itself as the dominant vehicle of choice, while the Tom Walkinshaw-run Jags took the Euro title. Japan and Australia caught the Group A bug in 1985 with the BMW continuing its success in the Far East, while Volvo set about conquering Europe with the 240 Turbo, claiming Euro and German titles. Australia had Holden and Ford battling together with Volvo and BMW with giants such as Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and Jim Richards.

By 1987 the FIA decided to stage the first ever World Touring Car Championship which also saw the emergence of 2 legendary machines – the BMW M3 E30 and the iconic Ford Sierra RS500. In their Texaco livery, the Rudi Eggenberger-tuned Fords ran away with the Teams title while Italian Roberto Ravaglia claimed the name World’s Best Touring Car Driver in his M3. But after just 1 season, the series was scrapped due to the FIA fearing it would take away money from Formula 1, the premier racing series in the world, and so they discontinued it on the count of being too successful!

The biggest shake up in the class’ history came when Nissan began a program running the R32 Skyline GT-R, with four-wheel-drive and over 600hp. From it’s first race in 1990 at Winton Raceway, it was clear that the opposition had good reason to be very worried. It competed in the Spa 24 Hours and took a victory in 1991. But by this time, the Sierra and M3 had been the main forces in Group A events across the world. Now it was time for the Japanese to step it up a notch. The governing bodies could see the advantage it was gaining and allowed power gains for the other cars while the GT-R was told to put on weight.

1991 was their first full campaign and it was a straight walkover, with Jim Richards taking his second straight title ahead of teammate Mark Skaife. The Holden Commodore, Sierra and M3 fought as best they could, but could not overthrow them. So for 1992, seeing that despite adding as much weight as they could to the Nissan, the final verdict was to scrap Group A at the end of the season. Nissan managed to go out on a high with Skaife winning the GT-R's 3rd straight title, while Jim Richards took its last ever win at the Australian GP support races at Adelaide. By this time the world’s championships had moved on. The BTCC had switched to their own 2-Litre formula in 1991, and the end of 1992 Germany got rid of it too for their own 2.5L format. Slowly but surely, the category was dying out, and Japan's touring car series was the last to let go at the end of 1993.

While it was great fun while it lasted, those who were around in that time cannot forget how glorious the racing was. My favourite championship of the era had to be the Aussies. Growing up, I watched video tapes of the 1990 ATCC and Bathurst 1000, instantly planting memories of some great cars and racing. Since, I’ve been able to look at the ‘91 and ‘92 series and look back with great pleasure. The Nissan GT-R of 1990-1992 has now stuck with me as one of my favourite cars of all time. As has the Holden Commodore VL of 1990. Also, who can forget the RS500 and the M3? All 4 were the main weapons of choice in Australia and it was a series that became a main contributor to my love of tin-tops.

Would I like to see something similar return in the future? Depends. If they can get it right, then it’ll be a hit. But I think right now the current touring car series formats, such as the S2000 class for BTCC and WTCC and Germany and Australia coping fine with their own championships. So the touring car world is moving along nicely now, but I feel that it probably couldn’t get back to the hype and the intensity that it reached during this magical time of tin-tops.

Next time – The monsters of Group B rally

F1 2009 Super Season Grid – Post Bahrain

2009-04-27T20:46:00.001+01:00

Jenson Button is back to winning ways with victory in Bahrain, but has his efforts over the weekend allowed him to retain his average pole position on the 2009 Super Season Grid? Well it's that time once again, and as you've already seen in an earlier blog post, the field is so, so close now with the spread as close as a fraction over 1 second! Believe it or not, it wasn’t Rosberg or JB who ended the weekend the fastest man on average over the whole weekend. Nope, it was in fact, surprisingly, Lewis Hamilton for McLaren with an average time of 1’33.676. So, has it helped the reigning World Champion move up the order? Let’s find out:

Jenson Button – 1’34.008 +0.000 Non-mover
Nico Rosberg – 1’34.047 +0.039 Non-mover
Rubens Barrichello – 1’34.132 +0.124 Non-mover
Mark Webber – 1’34.350 +0.342 Non-mover
Timo Glock – 1’34.447 +0.439 Non-mover
Sebastien Vettel – 1’34.511 +0.502 +1 place
Jarno Trulli – 1’34.560 +0.552 +2 places
Heikki Kovalainen – 1’34.584 +0.575 -2 places
Kimi Raikkonen – 1’34.607 +0.599 -1 place
Lewis Hamilton – 1’34.618 +0.609 +3 places
Felipe Massa – 1’34.642 +0.633 +1 place
Robert Kubica – 1’34.665 +0.657 -1 place
Kazuki Nakajima – 1’34.674 +0.666 -3 places
Nick Heidfeld – 1’34.825 +0.817 Non-mover
Fernando Alonso – 1’34.872 +0.864 Non-mover
Adrian Sutil – 1’35.091 +1.083 +1 place
Sebastien Buemi – 1’35.124 +1.115 -1 place
Nelson Piquet – 1’35.218 +1.209 +1 place
Sebastien Bourdais – 1’35.237 +1.229 -1 place
Giancarlo Fisichella – 1’35.370 +1.362 Non-mover

As it turns out, it has helped Hamilton. In fact, he’s the biggest mover in the grid by jumping 3 places from 13th to 10th. I reckon this was mainly down to topping FP1 and making the top 10 in qualifying. So it definately shows the MP4-22 is slowly but surely moving up the grid with the oncoming updates every race. At the head of the grid, Button retains the average pole, but has only managed to move away by 8 thousandths from Rosberg with Barrichello, Webber and Glock completing the top 5. They are all non-movers along with Heidfeld, Alonso and Fisichella, who remains at the back of the pack.

In the midfield, Vettel has made up one slot after a solid weekend’s work, as have Massa, Sutil and Piquet. Trulli is the second biggest mover, shifting up 2 places, while Kovalainen goes down 2. Biggest loser is Nakajima who sinks 3 places and out of the top 10. The field gap has closed up by about 2 tenths which means the upgrades brought by Force India and the like have helped. With Ferrari, BMW, McLaren and Brawn all reportedly bringing updates to their car for Barcelona, as I’m sure the majority of the grid will be too, we might just see the field either tighten up further or start to widen up.

That’s all for the Super Season Grid this time. Spain will be where the season really begins as it’s F1’s return to Europe and the chance to gauge just how the current crop of F1 cars really stack up against each other. Bahrain was the first completely dry race on a proper racing circuit, but the temperatures there are higher than those usually experienced at the European races. But we’ll have to wait and see whether the former “big 4” teams can reassert any of their former authority at the front. See you after Barcelona!

Let's "C" now, which one?

2009-04-27T16:49:00.004+01:00

Image: flickr.com

OK, I've a bit of a dilemma here. I quite fancy purchasing one of the new World Sportscar Review DVD which available from Duke Video now. I saw them featured in Autosport and right now I'm tempted to buy one. I'm a massive Group C sportscar fan and it's my favourite era of sportscar racing with such classic race cars as the Porsche 956 and 962, Jaguar XJR-9, Toyota TS010 and my all-time favourite the Peugeot 905B. Admittingly the latter 2 don't feature in any of the DVDs I'm looking at but they are 2 of my best-liked machines from the category.

So, which one to buy? Well, that's the problem - I can't decide! So, after a rather helpful suggestion from Christine and Mr C at Sidepodcast, I am going to put up a poll asking you lovely lot which one you can recommend me to buy. The original toss-up was between 1985 and 1988, but do you think there's a year which is worth looking at as well? Whichever one comes out the winner is the one I will buy with my own money from Duke Video - and that's a promise.

So, direct your attention to the right-hand side of the screen, scroll down to the poll and vote which one you think is the best year of WSC racing!

They can haz F1 race here?

2009-04-24T22:55:00.003+01:00

As good as the current F1 calendar is, there are fans who will say "This circuit should be on there" or "They should hold an F1 race here". I'm just the same, if I'm honest. There are circuits which I would love to see Lewis, Jenson, Webber, Sutil and co thundering around. So, I think to myself "What circuits would I truly love to see F1 cars race on?" Well, I'll share them with you:

1. Road America
If the US Grand Prix were to ever make a comeback, this is the circuit I would champion to host it all the way to the final announcement. Set in the pristene surroundings of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, this is one of a select few circuits left in the world which have remained unchanged since they first opened. Home to many IndyCar/ Champ Car races, America's favourite single-seater series is the closest there's ever been to an F1 race there. Speaking from experience of racing it virtually, it is a glorious track. I adore the way the course winds and undulates through the trees and the elevation changes really make it feel so natural, unlike all the modern Tilkedromes we get these days. There's plenty of nostalgia there and in some ways you get a real sense of that when you drive around it. It's long sweeping corners tied to winding high-speed sections, and it is one of the most fantastic courses in the world. I love it. Please, Bernie, regardless of the size of the town, please bring F1 back to America here!

2. Macau
OK, I know this is a favourite with many people who follow the Macau Grand Prix. The city, nestled in the hills of Hong Kong, is another superb example of a circuit which needs to have F1 cars screaming through its streets. As Martin Brundle once described it, it's "Monaco with Silverstone tapped on the end of it for good measure". He's not wrong there. It really is a track of two halves. There's the high speed section which speeds past the Mandarin Hotel and down towards Lisboa, where it changes into this endless snake of complex turns. It's almost like you're constantly bombarded with 90 degree corners for some 2 or 3 minutes. But that's what makes it so awesome. It really is like Monaco - one momentary lapse of concentration and you're in the barriers. The most famous corner here is definately the Melco hairpin, a corner so tight that a permanent yellow flag is waved there because passing there is simply impossible. Regardless, it's such a jewel of a circuit.

3. San Luis
This is a relatively new circuit - it was only opened late last year - but my god it's epic. How can I describe it? Well, think of a mountain situated next to a beautiful lake with a racetrack draped around them and that sums it up adequately. Located in Argentina, it hosted it's first race, the final round of the FIA GT championship near the end of 2008. It was a huge hit, although I'm mystified as to why it was dropped from this season's calendar. I think it was money issues, but I'm not entirely sure. A real shame since this circuit reminds me of El Capitan from Gran Turismo 4. It really is a beautiful location and an amazing layout. Should F1 ever consider an Argentine GP once more, I'd like to think something can be arranged.

So there's 3 to start with. Right now I can't think of any others which really stand out for me. But if I could see an F1 car run around either of these places, I'd be happy. I'm sure everyone has different opinions and choices on where they'd like to see the F1 circus stop at. Then again, Bernie's always looking at new countries to visit so maybe it's not likely to happen any time soon. Ah well, a man can dream...

As close as you like

2009-04-24T20:18:00.002+01:00

Today's Free Practice sessions threw up something rather amazing. Not the fact that Force India's on the rise, or that Alonso once again decided FP2 was a good time to put his Renault near the top of the timesheets, but something else. As those of you who follow my blog will know, I have started conducting a Super Season Grid, tracking the progress of the 20 drivers in the F1 championship and seeing who is fastest on average throughout the season. I decided to save myself some time after the GP to enter the Free Practice times into the spreadsheet I use and see where everyone stood after the first day of on-track action.

Now, we all know that the form book from 2008 has been torn up for 2009 and completely rewritten and that everything has closed up that little bit more, but just take a look at the average order of the field after FP1 and 2:

Rosberg - 1′33.783
Hamilton - 1′33.821
Button - 1′34.064
Barrichello - 1′34.208
Webber - 1′34.252
Kubica - 1′34.272
Vettel - 1′34.300
Trulli - 1′34.326
Heidfeld - 1′34.349
Nakajima - 1′34.390
Sutil - 1′34.392
Alonso - 1′34.439
Fisichella - 1′34.534
Glock - 1′34.549
Massa - 1′34.577
Kovalainen - 1′34.633
Piquet - 1′34.693
Buemi - 1′34.748
Raikkonen - 1′34.749
Bourdais - 1′34.860

Wanna know the gap between Rosberg and Bourdais right there? You ready?

1.077 seconds.

That's how close it is on average. Believe it or not, this is what came out as the result when I entered the times into the spreadsheet this morning. Just think - back in 1992 the field gap was some 6 seconds. Now, according to this it's closed up by 5 seconds. Who said these new rules weren't going to work? After 3 weekends full of brilliant racing, it just goes to show that, no matter how they look, these new cars ARE making the difference they were intended to. I for one am thrilled at that and can only hope it gets better and better.

World Series, here I come (again)!

2009-04-24T10:28:00.004+01:00

Image: automobilsport.com

For the past two years now, I have been an attendee of the British leg of the Renault World Series, which to motorsport fans and drivers is kind of like GP2 but not exactly as well known or popular. But it's still spawned Heikki Kovalainen, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel as F1 stars, so it must be doing something right! But still, this is an event that is a great place for any motorsports fan in general to attend. Simple answer - it's free! Yup, that's not a typo. Renault genuinely do give away tickets to these events absolutely free. Who doesn't love a free day out anyways?

So what's it all about? What can you actually see there? Well for a start, there's the main event which are the 2 World Series races of course (1 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday). Then to go alongside that, there's a full program of support races from the Clio Cup, Formula Renault and my personal favourite, the Megane Trophy. Have you seen one of those things?! It's quite simply, as I put it, a standard Renault Megane that's overdosed on steroids. It's such an awesome looking car with huge flared wheel arches, a massive protruding rear wing and a chassis so low to the ground it's unbelieveable. Couple all that to the same howling V6 that the WSR racers use and it's literally heaven on wheels in my book. I absolutely adore the series and the new car, based on the new Megane Coupe, looks stunning. Cannot wait to see that this year!

Apart from the racing, you get some lovely demo runs on track as well from some historic Renault race cars from F1, Le Mans and rally. I should point out the rally car is an R5 Maxi Turbo which is usually driven by Jean Ragnotti, a rally driver and probably professional madman. The guy's skills in a rally car are simply jaw-dropping. He can literally drive a front wheel drive Clio on a rally stage like it's rear wheel drive. Search him YouTube and you'll know what I'm on about. But the big event of the day, apart from the WSR races, has to be the 2 F1 demos, usually showcasing a year old F1 machine in this season's colours. So judging by the pictures I've seen of Renault's roadshows, it's going to be an R28 in that white, yellow and orange paint scheme the current R29s are running around in.

Off track, there's a pitstop challenge, various racing simulators, a driving experience in Clios and plenty of merchandise to have a browse at. Plus, because of the open paddock at Silverstone, across the bridge and behind the pits, you can look at the teams working on the cars and take pictures. There's also a pit walk which takes place before the WSR race, but I've missed it on both occasions and I am determined not to miss it this year! In 2007 the event was held at Donington and last year and this year, as I've just mentioned, it's run at Silverstone. Another good thing is that the tickets allow you to use all of the circuits facilities, which means you can watch the on-track action from the grandstands. Last year, we watched the WSR on the back row of one of the covered grandstands on the pit straight. Lovely and cool, and just about in view of the big TV screens showing the action.

There's a few people from Sidepodcast who don't have the cash to make Goodwood, where another meet-up is going to take place I should imagine, who will be attending the World Series event too, so if you're reading this I hope to see you at some point during the day. As for me, I'll be attending with my dad and some of his friends from when he worked at Toyota, who are a riot to be with. Peter and Gareth have gone with us on both occasions and the latter is such a hilarious guy to be with, especially in the car travelling to and from the circuit. Both times on the way back he has made me laugh so much it's made me cry. That's how much fun I have at these events.

If you think a free day's racing sounds too tempting, then direct your attention to www.worldseriesbyrenault.com, click the event you're interested in, click the icon in the corner for free tickets, fill in the form and they'll be with you within 6 weeks. If you've never been, I can thoroughly recommend it if you haven't got the money to go to somewhere like Goodwood on the same weekend. A great alternative, if you ask me.

So you wanna be a virtual racing driver?

2009-04-23T20:21:00.007+01:00

Anyone who knows me will know that as much as I enjoy real racing, I am a sucker for a good racing game, be it console or PC. They're practically all I play on my 360 and if I see a simulator at a show or race event, I just have to have a go and prove my worth. Either way, if there's a racing game and it looks good, then I'll play it. Although I have to admit I am longing to become a regular PC sim racer in the future. I just don't have the equipment necessary or up to standard - yet.

It is a plan of mine to have a proper desk in my room with a decent spec desktop PC with a bigger processor and good graphics card to get started. In terms of controls, I have a Logitech Chillstream joypad which is pretty much an 360 controller with an internal cooling fan that keeps your hands cool and sweat free. Why can't all controllers carry that? It is such a small feature, yet so useful. It's not uncommon for some gamers' hands to get a little clammy in the heat of battle. I for one can testify to that, as unpleasant as it sounds. I did have a wheel, a Logitech Driving Force Pro which was originally made for the PS2 game Gran Turismo 4 but is still a decent starter wheel and dead cheap to pick up now, but...well...let's just say it broke.

The wheel I've been so desperate for for a long time now is the Logitech (see a pattern here?) G25, which has a clutch pedal and a seperate shifter with the option of switching from a sequential to a H-pattern setup. There are of course paddles on the wheel but I like the fact that it covers all the bases in terms of how you want to shift gears. Trivial, I know, but that shows just how popular the wheel is. I've only tried the wheel once, at the Autosport Show on a sim racing pod that had RACE 07 running. I can still remember the car and circuit - a Caterham on the Brands Hatch GP layout. I did 3 laps and had a very big moment on one corner which somehow I was able to save.

Racing with a wheel is obviously a lot more realistic than doing so with a controller, but in my mind the G25 is the best one out there at the moment. Apprently they're already working on the successor, the G27, news of which I read on VirtualR.net, so just what changes there are from the 25 will be interesting to see. In terms of games, rFactor stands out as the premier racing sim for me more than the others. There may be others that claim to have better physics and be more realistic, such as Live For Speed, but I like rFactor because of the sandbox nature of it. It's pretty much a base for modders to basically create what they want. That's what I love about it. You get F1 mods, touring cars, rally, sportscars, GT, road cars, single seaters, NASCAR - you name it and it's probably available as a mod for rFactor. Image Space Incorporated, the game's developers, are already well underway and screenshots are coming through every week it seems. Graphics-wise, it looks great and I'm following them on Twitter, so any updates will come through there and on VirtualR.

There's an online racing series I've been following for a while called Formula Sim Racing. Right now, it's run using rFactor and the CTDP F1 2006 mod this season (I think - the cars look like they're from that mod). They run a rather nifty 7-tier system which allows drivers to progress from Amateur, with races at 50% of the length of the real race, all the way up to the World Championship with full length races and some of the best sim racers on the planet. Looking at some race replays and broadcasts on PSRTV, it looks really competitive and my kind of racing. I would love to race in that series and take part in the hard slog to progress up the ranks to the WC. It will take a lot of work but I'd really appreciate the shot at running at least one race. Hopefully I can do that sometime in the future. If you fancy having a look or finding out more, then visit www.formula-simracing.com

For now the 360 is my hub for racing games, with GRID and Race Pro dominating my racing gameplay. The latter received an update from Atari and Simbin which went online yesterday and fixes some online and offline gameplay issues, bugs and glitches. It's been long awaited but at last it's out and players can run online without any problems. Well, I probably wouldn't say every bug has been fixed, but the most noticeable ones I assume have been sorted out. Nevertheless it's the most realistic racing sim I've played on a console physics-wise. Sure the graphics aren't as good as GRID's for example but I've not played a racer on the console that feels better or more true to real life. Plus when you get a decent field of 12 players online, the racing can be simply brilliant. You do get some idiotic French and Germans, I've found, but I'm a member of RaceDepartment, a sim racing community that prides itself on clean, fun and professional sim racing.

So my advice? Well if you're a PC racer, get something like rFactor, GTR2, GTR Evolution, GT Legends or Live For Speed. All are great sims and all have thriving online communities. It only takes a bit of effort to find them. As for consoles, the new F1 game is coming, but not to the 360 or PS3 until next year, but the PSP and Wii will get one based on this season later on this year. Apart from that, GRID and Race Pro are great as is Forza Motorsport 2, which I haven't played for a whie but is still a golden oldie for the 360. Project Gotham Racing 4 is also fun if you don't want a racing game that's too simulated but too arcade. It's a nice balance and has half-decent graphics to boot. But to get started, get yourself a PC or laptop that has a good processor and graphics card. You can get gaming laptops and desktop systems which are pricey but give you what you want and more. But don't go mad and spend a fortune!

So who knows - get into it properly and I may be sat on the virtual grid next to you one day ;)

Their name is Lola, they are a race team...

2009-04-23T12:59:00.005+01:00

Allan McNish drives Lola's 1995 prototype F1 car at Silverstone (Image: forix.net)

No doubt those of you who avidly follow Autosport Magazine's ever-popular website will know that yesterday the world renowned and world-famous race car manufacturer Lola made it known their considerations for a re-entry into Formula 1. It certainly came as a completely out of the blue announcement and pretty much shocked myself and my closest friends who associate with F1 in the same way I do. Certainly the last time we heard Lola and F1 associated together, it wasn't for anything good.

For those who are unaware of the Lola Group and what they do, they are pretty much one of motorsport's most productive race car constructors and have been for some 40 years. But when it comes to F1, their record isn't as glistening as it may be in other formulas such as IndyCar/Champ Car or sportscar racing for example. Despite the Lola Mk4, run by Reg Parnell's team, taking pole position in the hands of John Surtees on its first F1 appearance, the company have never seemed to get F1 and success to go hand in hand together. In fact their only victories came in partnership with Honda from Richie Ginther and Surtees respectively. That relationship soon ended and we didn't see the name Lola in F1 again until the 70s.

At that time, double world champion Graham Hill, father of 1996 world champion Damon, commisioned them to build a car for his new Embassy Racing team. While it looked more like a Formula 5000 car than F1, it was never really successful and the partnership only scored 1 point in its entirety. It quickly ended after 2 seasons and Lola disappeared off the scene once again until 1985, when a new partnership with Carl Haas, one half of the successful Newman/Haas/Lanigan IndyCar team (as it's now known), came to be for his Beatrice Foods-backed F1 team. Patrick Tambay and 1980 champion Alan Jones drove for them for two seasons with the best results being 4th and 5th respectively in Austria in '86.

After this came a link-up with Larrousse which resulted in Aguri Suzuki scored an amazing 3rd place at Suzuka which sent the Japanese fans wild. But it still wasn't enough. The partnership ended before the 1991 season, and they weren't seen again until 1993 where they tried another project with Scuderia Italia which, despite the Ferrari engine, failed miserably. Then came the infamous saga in 1997 when, after building the 1995 prototype as pictured above, they made a beeline for the 12th spot on the F1 roster. They successfully secured it, but the investors were impatient in wanting the car finished quickly. As a result, it was literally a case of going from the drawing board straight into building it, with no CFD and a miniscule amount of wind tunnel testing. The car was rushed to Melbourne without even turning a wheel and when it came to qualifying, the fastest time between the two drivers (Vincenzo Sospiri and Ricardo Rosset) was some 14 seconds off pole man Jacques Villeneuve. Thus, they failed to qualify and seeing this, their title sponsor Mastercard upped sticks and left along with all the other sponsors they had, leaving them broke and unable to continue. The cars turned up at Interlagos 2 weeks later, but the covers on them were never taken off and that was that.

But just because they haven't been a success in F1 doesn't mean they're a failure in general. Lola's cars have been some of the best around in the lower single seater formulas and other series such as IndyCar/ Champ Car and sportscars. Not only that, but they have been the designer of cars for Formula Nippon, Formula 3000 and A1GP which have all been great looking cars that still provide great racing. Their sportscar record isn't the most successful but Lola have made some recognisable favourites including the T70, the Lola-MG EX prototypes and more recently their own LMP1 closed prototype and Aston Martin's new LMP1, which managed a sensational debut victory just a couple of weekends ago at the LMS season opener at Barcelona.

So can they actually last more than about 3 or 4 years in the sport without having to pull out? I say on this occasion: yes. Reason? Look at what they've done since the shameful 1997 pull-out. They've got brilliant facilities which have enabled them to produce some wonderful cars which, despite not being the best or the fastest, haven't exactly been flops. Plus by being the main supplier for 4 seperate one-make single seater series, they've still been keeping their hand in with Formula cars. All this under the guidance of Martin Birrane who, after taking over from Eric Broadley, has transformed the company dramatically.

At the moment they're only considering it, but with Bernie confirming there will be 3 new teams on the grid for next season, and with USF1 pretty much owning one of them already, Birrane has said himself that the facilities they've built up since '97 can easily be adapted for the development of an F1 car. The only other info we know is that should they go ahead with it, it's extremely likely they'll go with the "FIA engine" from Cosworth. Because of the cheap, cost-effective engine and transmission package the governing body can provide teams, new or exsiting, an easy way to either get started or stay in the sport without it costing the earth. Yes, I know the Cosworth engine is 4 years old and useless, but to be fair it's the only way for those new teams coming in who, despite the propsed budget cap set to be enforced for next season onwards, can't afford a customer deal with an existing engine supplier.

Perhaps the FIA can do as Renault were allowed to and upgrade the Cosworth unit to bring it up to spec with the current crop of engines currently under the engine freeze (which is set to finish at the end of 2011). That way these teams which decide to go with this package won't suck! As for Lola, well I do hope it all comes good. Personally, I think they build good and fairly quick machines. Whether their efforts will be good enough for the pinnacle of motorsport once again - well, it's early days yet, but I'd certainly like to think so, wouldn't you?

Why are you still here?

2009-04-21T12:49:00.007+01:00

Image: GPEuropa.net

Young talent these days is never really hard to come by, especially in racing. Those who initially impress in karting and the lower formulas can find themselves staring an F1 drive in the face. Some get there just on pure talent alone, like Fernando Alonso or Kimi Raikkonen. Some have their talents nurtured and supported, such as Lewis Hamilton. But there are also those who have greatness expected of them, and it's fair to say that greatness is not what Nelson Piquet Jr. has, at any rate.

The kid impressed in GP2 and A1GP, but since he stepped into an F1 race seat last season alongside double world champion Alonso, on his return to Renault after the fallout that occured at McLaren, it's been plain to see he hasn't shown anything significant that proves he is deserving of that drive. Despite a tough start to 2008 for the team, Alonso was still able to score back to back wins in Singapore and Japan and more points than anyone else in the second half of the season. Yet all Piquet really achieved was a lucky 2nd place at Hockenheim, all down to the strategy played by his race engineer. There's that and the reputation that he is utterly useless.

I don't know what it is with some drivers but when they make the jump from F3000/GP2 to the big time, something happens and their skills either get better and go from strength to strength or just disappear. Nelson most certainly falls in the latter. So far in his tenure at the top, he hasn't had one major success. Most of the time he fails to make it out of Q1 while Fernando managed to sail into Q3, and in the race he was usually the one who either suffered reliability problems or trundled round near the back of the field spending the afternoon racing with the Force Indias. 2009 hasn't been an improvement on last season so far, as the Chinese GP just gone has shown. His shenanigans on Sunday are a prime example of why his place in that team isn't deserved. With the wet conditions, similar to those of Fuji 2007 in my opinion, making things tricky enough for everyone out there, Nelson lost the car on the approach to Turn 5, skated across the grass and gravel and into a polystyrene marker board. Funnily enough, the nose of his R29 was broken by it, questioning resilience of such a machine. Anyway, he then almost became stuck in the wet sandtrap, but managed to haul himself out. Then comes the best part - it takes him around 30 seconds to a minute just to get the car going again. The anti-stall kicks in continously until Nelson is finally able to resume racing. Honestly, it made Richard Hammond's escapades in the R25 on Top Gear look good.

As if that wasn't enough, no sooner had the team replaced the nose on his car, that just a couple of laps later he dropped the car again under braking for the last corner, damaging the nose again in the process. Flavio Briatore's body language said it all. He certainly was not impressed. But this is what puzzles all us F1 fans - if Flavio can't tolerate Piquet's antics and misfortunes, why on earth is he still in that team? My guess is that he still maintains a close relationship with his father, 3 times world champion Nelson Piquet Sr. Flav joined Benetton in 1989, the same time that Piquet began his final 3 years of his career with the team. So my guess is that not only did he build and maintain a working relationship with the guy, but also a personal one which has pretty much lead to Jr getting the testing job and then the promotion to race driver.

I don't even think they're keeping him on because of sponsorship. From what I've seen, there's no evidence of any sponsorship links between Piquet and Renault. Nelson did mention in an interview with F1 Racing that he'd known Flavio since a young age. When asked about the first F1 race he attended and what made it special he said:

"My mum was friends with Flavio and Naomi Campbell - it was in July and there was a race in Austria. I was about 14 or 15. Flavio asked me if I wanted to go and I said "Yeah, sure!" You wouldn't believe it - it was just me and him on his plane. I stayed in his room, went with him to the track and he took care of me all weekend, like a father. It was really special, a great weekend. For him to be my boss 10 years later was really strange at first."

But in the same interview, he also mentions briefly that is not all "buddy-buddy" with him either. Talking about how supportive and fair he is, he said:

"Not always. He can be really tough and you need to be able to ignore the right things, absorb the right things and be able to judge everything."

Obviously there's some things which are right that he seems to be ignoring. You see, this is what gets me about talentless namesakes like him. He quite plainly and simply does not deserve to be in F1 any more. If I were Flavio, I would have cut my ties with him at the end of 2008. The 2nd place in Germany last year wasn't earned, it was just luck of the draw. The rest of the year he spent crashing, failing to make Q2 and breaking down all the time. I don't see any logic in keeping him in the team. Everyone predicted his head would be on the F1 chopping block either before or at the end of the season. Yet he's still there. That seat could be put to better use by promoting third driver Romain Grosjean or someone like Lucas di Grassi or Bruno Senna even. It just doesn't make sense at all. Hopefully Flavio will see some soon and do the right thing for both his team and in fact the rest of the grid. Then it'll be a case of "Nelson, you are the weakest link. Goodbye..."

F1 2009 Super Season Grid - post China

2009-04-20T20:40:00.004+01:00

It's time for my second Super Season Grid and with Sebastien Vettel and Red Bull taking their first victory together, with teammate Mark Webber completing a great day for the Milton Keynes team, it's the chance to see whether the festivities has shaken up the order of the field a bit. The wet weather on the Sunday meant lap times on race day were some 20 seconds slower than those in the sunny qualifying, but nevertheless it was Barrichello who went away the fastest man of the weekend overall with an average lap of 1'39.637. So let's take a look at how the Super Season Grid lines up as we go into Bahrain:

Jenson Button - 1'34.068 - +0.000 Non-mover
Nico Rosberg - 1'34.099 - +0.031 +5 places
Rubens Barrichello - 1'34.187 - +0.119 -1 place
Mark Webber - 1'34.371 - +0.303 +1 place
Timo Glock - 1'34.670 - +0.602 +1 place
Heikki Kovalainen - 1'34.678 - +0.610 +7 places
Sebastien Vettel - 1'34.729 - +0.661 -3 places
Kimi Raikkonen - 1'34.754 - +0.686 +1 place
Jarno Trulli - 1'34.795 -+0.727 -6 places
Kazuki Nakajima - 1'34.802 - +0.734 +2 places
Robert Kubica - 1'34.824 - +0.756 -3 places
Felipe Massa - 1'34.858 - +0.790 +2 places
Lewis Hamilton - 1'34.931 - +0.863 +2 places
Nick Heidfeld - 1'35.005 - +0.937 -4 places
Fernando Alonso - 1'35.053 - +0.985 -4 places
Sebastien Buemi - 1'35.269 - +1.201 +3 places
Adrian Sutil - 1'35.304 - +1.236 +3 places
Sebastien Bourdais - 1'35.364 - +1.296 -1 place
Nelson Piquet - 1'35.516 - +1.448 -3 places
Giancarlo Fisichella - 1'35.605 - +1.538 -2 places

What a shake up! I was expecting a few position changes, but not as many as that! Anyway, let's look at the facts. Button is still the fastest man in the field bar his 3rd place yesterday and 5th place grid slot in qualifying. It seems his performances in practice were enough to help him stay at the head of this grid. Behind, it really is all change. No-one other than Jenson is in the same place they were after Sepang. It's Rosberg who is now just behind Button by about 3 hundreths ahead of Barrichello. Nico becomes the meat in a Brawn sandwich here. Mind you, he has jumped an impressive 5 places, but not nearly as impressive as Kovalainen. After actually managing to complete a racing lap on Sunday, his weekend's running has seen him shoot a whopping 7 places up to 6th. Brawn, Williams, Red Bull and Toyota are the only teams with both cars in the top 10, while Kovi and fellow Finn Raikkonen make up the numbers.

Biggest fallers outside of the 10 are Heidfeld and Alonso respectively. Even Fernando's super-light special in qualifying to get him on the front row doesn't save him from sliding to 15th, while Nick was quite simply nowhere the whole time. The driver who dropped the most was Trulli who, despite staying in the top 10, goes from 3rd to 9th. Other notable climbers are Sutil, who hauled himself off the bottom to 17th as teammate Fisichella takes up that uncreditable honour, and both Massa and Hamilton who moved up 2 slots each.

OK, so there's the grid - but we're not stopping there. I've also compiled a field spread for the teams as well. By taking the fastest time set by each car, regardless of driver, I can look at which team is on paper the fastest and who's lounging around at the back making up the numbers. I did this last year for the 2008 season and it proved that the Ferrari was overall fastest over the entire season, but only just with McLaren just a fraction behind. So, after 3 rounds, how does it look now? Well I have some average lap times for every team so let's take a look, shall we?:

Brawn GP - 1'31.357 +0.000
Red Bull Racing - 1'31.491 +0.134
Toyota - 1'31.633 +0.277
Williams - 1'31.826 +0.470
Ferrari - 1'31.877 +0.520
BMW - 1'31.896 +0.540
Renault - 1'32.038 +0.681
McLaren - 1'32.124 +0.767
Toro Rosso - 1'32.633 +1.276
Force India - 1'33.138 +1.781

Obvious who the fastest team on average is, isn't it? But with that great performance all-round, it's Red Bull who are now their main threat. The RB5 is an extremely capable chassis, designed by the great Adrian Newey, and with the man himself electing to say in England to work on a new double diffuser for the car, one has to suspect Brawn are going to be looking at them a lot more closely from now on. They know they're a threat, but if RBR manage to really start putting the pressure on in the next couple of races, especially when the circus begins its European season in Barcelona in less than 3 weeks time, it's going to be a battle royale. Right now, it's these 2 teams that look to be heading for the championship, with Toyota trundling along in the background in 3rd.

Behind, Williams is heading the midfield of sorts, but what really surprises me is behind BMW in 5th is Ferrari. Ferrari? FERRARI?! Yes, believe it or not, the F60 has been, on average so far, faster than Renault and McLaren. Yet, no points and 3 DNFs between Kimi and Felipe. I'm shocked at that for one. As for Macca, the "lie-gate" scandal's taking it's toll, and despite a double diffuser and new front wing, it hasn't help that much according to the averages. But then again, the dismal start they had in Australia and Malaysia is the cause of that. As ever, behind them are Toro Rosso and Force India staking claim as backmarkers already. I personally hope Mallya's team does make some progress up the pack. As I've said a few times already, it's the race where it's stronger and more consistent. Sutil has proven that in all 3 races, but I am still feeling sad for him after a cruel twist of fate sent him aquaplaining into the tyres and retirement just 6 laps from his and FI's first points finish. It was Monaco '08 all over again - except, without a Ferrari losing it and thumping him in the rear.

Well I'll wrap it up now. It seems these first 3 flyaways have really been shaking the order up, and if the rest of the season is anything to go by, then it's going to be a real barnstormer. So, goodbye for now, thanks for reading and look out for another Super Season Grid after the Bahrain GP coming up this weekend.

F1 2009 Super Season Spread - Post Malaysia

2009-04-10T22:38:00.002+01:00

Starting from post Malaysia, I will be assessing the current grid and just how close or how spread out all 20 drivers are in relation to each other, on average. By taking an average of the fastest lap times of each driver over both race weekends so far, I was able to see who are the front runners, who are the midfield battlers and who seems to be struggling at the back. Think of it as a super qualfying session expanding over the entire season. So without further ado, here is the grid as it stands after Malaysia:

Button - 1'29.320 +0.000
Barrichello - 1'29.585 +0.266
Trulli - 1'29.628 +0.308
Vettel - 1'29.699 +0.379
Webber - 1'29.732 +0.412
Glock - 1'29.770 +0.450
Rosberg - 1'29.790 +0.470
Kubica - 1'29.857 +0.537
Raikkonen - 1'29.918 +0.599
Heidfeld - 1'30.137 +0.817
Alonso - 1'30.156 +0.836
Nakajima - 1'30.198 +0.878
Kovalainen - 1'30.375 +1.055
Massa - 1'30.481 +1.161
Hamilton - 1'30.680 +1.360
Piquet - 1'31.153 +1.833
Bourdais - 1'31.198 +1.878
Fisichella - 1'31.293 +1.973
Buemi - 1'31.305 +1.986
Sutil - 1'31.347 +2.027

Brawn are clearly the fastest of the field with Button top of the pack, Rubens backing him up. Behind it's a scrap for best of the rest of the frontrunners with both Toyotas, Red Bulls, Rosberg, Kubica and Raikkonen covered by around 3 tenths. Next, it's another half a second covering 10th to 15th with Heidfeld seemingly heading the "midfield" despite his second place in Malaysia. Both McLarens and Massa are somewhat of a surprise in here but it's no secret both the MP4-24 and F60 aren't up to scratch yet. The backmarkers are the 5 drivers who have filled the bottom of Q1 on both race weekends with Piquet, Toro Rosso and Force India claiming the rear of the grid as their own for now.

That's all from the Super Season Grid for now, but look out for the next one after the Chinese GP. Take care now!

A Force to be reckoned with, perhaps?

2009-04-10T19:27:00.002+01:00

To me, one of the biggest leaps in terms of techincal advances has to be Force India. Say what you will but I think that while they're still considered the backmarkers of the field somewhat, they do have an ace up their sleeve in the form of that partnership with McLaren and Mercedes. The effects of it aren't really evident at the moment but I'm sure that behind the doors of Vijay Mallya's outfit at Silverstone there is some Woking magic being waved on the VJM02.

The team has certainly come a long way and been on quite a journey since Eddie Jordan cast his eyes on his cars rolling out of the garages in Phoenix, Arizona some 18 years ago now. From there they've won 4 races and changed ownership and name 3 times, from Jordan to Midland to Spyker and finally Force India as we now know it. But right now, they are far from the race-winning form that some people might have thought possible with the influence of Ron Dennis and McLaren alongside them. Oh sure, it's going to take something pretty special for them to taste the sweet nectar of success for the first time but with the right resources and some good know-how, it can be done. Mallya himself still believes an FIF1 on the podium at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix is achieveable. People can dream of course, and what's wrong with that? But somehow it does seem a little ambitious. Give them credit, this incarnation of the team's championship challenger is strides better than 2008's, which saw them firmly at the rear of the pack following Super Aguri's tragic demise prior to the Turkish Grand Prix.

Adrian Sutil has recently said it himself that the improvements to the car will come eventually and probably within the next few races. He says there is potential in the package they have, but one quote from the story stands out for me more than anything else contained in it:

"It's a difficult situation because there was not much testing as we built
the car in about 120 days, so it's hard to pick up."

4 months? 4 months?! Not even McLaren leave that amount of time to make their car. In fact at the time they launched the MP4-24 they were already some 2 months into design for the 2010 machine. One can't help but wonder why they didn't start working on it in 2008. Honda knew their season would be useless and rightly focused on '09 and look where their successors Brawn GP are now - topping both championship tables with Button on 2 race wins from the first 2 rounds. So why didn't the Force do this as well? Surely they must have known their car wasn't one to get them podiums or victories, so changing focus to this season would have been a logical step. Look at what it's done for Toyota, Williams and in some ways BMW.

I can see these guys scoring a few points but probably not regularly just yet. From what I've seen so far the car is lacking pace in qualifying which is why it hasn't made Q2 just yet, despite being fairly close on both occasions. In terms of race pace and reliability it's certainly quicker than a year ago and a heck of a lot more reliable. I blame the Ferrari engine for their dismal 2008. As I briefly touched on in my post about Maranello yesterday, the Mercedes-Benz unit is rock solid and very powerful, the best in the field. Sutil himself was close to scoring FI's first point in Melbourne with 9th place. This means the car seems consistent and has better longevity. While the pace isn't quite there, it's only a matter of time before that McLaren techincal wizardry shines through and enables this team to live up to one half of its name - a real Force.

Prancing Horse is falling at the first hurdles

2009-04-09T16:55:00.004+01:00

In light of the new rules ripping up the original form book in Formula 1 and creating a brand spanking new one, it's clear to see that the teams that were considered the front runners and championship contenders last season have pretty much fallen from grace and found themselves dangerously close to the latter end of the midfield. McLaren have already admitted their car isn't up to scratch, but what of Ferrari?

Their start to what has so far been a thrilling 2009 season has been significantly less so. The proof is in the results - 2 races, 2 DNFs, 0 points. Massa and Raikkonen have had to sit and watch while the likes of Toyota, Williams, Red Bull and of course not forgetting Brawn GP have taken up the mantle as the new "Big 4" at the front with the ex-Honda squad leading the way with 2 victories. Looking at their rivals, it seems BMW are the ones coping with the new regulations the best. Already they've proved their car can run at the front given the right time and place and in some cases the right tyre compound. As for Renault, it's clear that their late season for from 2008 has vanished and while Alonso's getaway in Malaysia was simply astounding, it was down to his skills as a double world champion alone to hold off the chasing pack behind him along with the use of KERS as an aid. The car just simply is not up to scratch.

So what of the boys from Maranello? Why is it the first team to launch their 2009 contender finds themselves with nothing to show for their hard efforts over the winter after just 2 races? There's no denying they have the talent when it comes to personnel. Raikkonen is a world champion while Massa was one - for about 30 seconds. They have a 7 times world champion as an adviser and Stefano Domenicalli at the helm, someone who has worked with the team for over 20 years. I know for a fact he was Ferrari's commercial manager before being promoted to a more senior role. So if it's not the team it must be the car.

Reliability hasn't been something Ferrari have been able to lean on these past couple of seasons. It always seems like their cars have a tendancy of failing at the most inconvenient times. Suzuka 2006, Nurburgring 2007 and Hungary 2008 are 3 clear cases in point. While it could be said the Ferrari engine has been the most powerful, it's not the complete package that enables both the factory team and those that are customers to push on. The Mercedes-Benz unit is touted as the best all-round unit, which is probably why Force India and Brawn are partner and customer respectively. The trend has unfortunately continued for 2009. In Australia Massa had to park the car due to suspension problems while Raikkonen seemingly gave up the ghost sometime after a rather light but possible telltale spin into the wall which may have damaged the differential, the eventual cause of Kimi's DNF there. More car trouble arose for the Finn on Friday at Sepang when his KERS system's batteries caught fire and began to melt, causing the cockpit to fill with smoke and Kimi having to leap from his car rather hurridly. During the stoppage on the Sunday due to the heavy downpours, Ferrari themselves also revealed that had the race been scheduled to restart, there was a possibility they would have to retire Raikkonen after water was rumoured to have leaked into the car and caused internal damage.

So is it just a case of being too slow, or is it a lack of precision and common sense? Ferrari were the first to launch their car, as I've already mentioned earlier, but was this a mistake? We've seen that the likes of Red Bull and Brawn decided to work on their cars until the very last minute to try to exploit the rules as best as possible and for both of them it has paid off. There is always a gamble to take and a decision to make for all the teams when producing a car for a new season. Launching early means more track time at the risk of development work in the design studio while going late produces the opposite. From what we saw in winter testing, Ferrari virtually made no aerodynamic progress on their car whatsoever, or at least nothing significant that I could see anyway. So if they've launched early but not developed the car further to make it as fast as possible, what on earth have they been doing? Probably sat back sinking red wine and having extraordinarily long lunches, if you ask me.

It seems their trip to Bahrain hasn't done their car's pace or reliability any good whatsoever, and if it had, it wasn't as predominant as Toyota's and BMW's, and that is evident in their pace in the first 2 races. While they did top the time sheets on a couple of occasions out in the desert, it was fair to say they were not the dominant team there. Toyota had made huge steps to ensure the speed and reliability were up to scratch and the times showed that in evidence. Ferrari's mileage there was nothing compared to the Japanese team's. Glock and Trulli managed a total of approx. 4 race distances worth of laps in just 2 days, while the red cars didn't manage nearly as many.

Another factor could be their loss of focus on this season. If you'll quite clearly remember, they were fighting with McLaren for both championships last season while everyone else was clearly thinking of 2009 at that stage. BMW admittingly gave up on development of their 2008, but at a cost of Kubica losing out on a shot at the title. Honda, when they weren't pulling out of the sport, talked of nothing but '09 at their '08 launch, which made it clear they had no interest in succeeding that time around. Renault even reported they were done with it and decided it was time to switch focus, though that might have changed when Alonso eventually got into his stride with the R28. This may be the very reason why the former frontrunners are struggling. Preoccupied with trying to succed in 2008, they hadn't put enough attention into the new rules and only now are they paying for it in bad results and pace.

Ferrari seem to be pinning their hopes on the 3 teams running the controversial diffusers - Brawn, Williams and Toyota - being found illegal. But with the parts in question already being declared legal twice over by the FIA, it would seem stupid to change their minds. Team prinicipal Luca di Montezemelo has said it could cost Ferrari somewhere in the region of $20million dollars to implement such a diffuser onto their cars. Whether this is true or just an exagerrated figure, you can see what he means by it. Putting a new diffuser onto the car means a complete redesign of the underside. But with the world's economy not in the best shape and the FIA committed to reducing costs, you wouldn't have thought a team like Ferrari would be able to just use up money like that just to make their car that little bit faster. Raikkonen has said it himself that the outcome of this hearing at the FIA's Court of Appeal will be a deciding factor in this season's championship.

Perhaps Maranello is feeling the pressure right now. Their decision to run Kimi on wet tyres on the virtually dry track in Malaysia, despite the overhanging black clouds, proved ridiculous and somewhat comical. His laptimes fell dramatically as the tyres were torn to shreds and when the rain finally did come down, Raikkonen could clearly be heard on the radio saying "My tyres are completely destroyed". Right now, this is their worst start to a season since 1992, in which their car from that year has been classified by Autosport as one of the worst ever. Seems like at the moment, it's back to the good ol' days of comedy Ferrari, when the Italians thought they were doing something right when in reality, they're getting it very, very wrong.

My tribute to Nelson Piquet Sr

2009-01-14T18:44:00.003Z

(I wrote this for a competition being held on RLB. It asked for a roleplay in tribute to Nelson Piquet Sr, so here it is and I hope you enjoy!)

Look about the Formula 1 paddock and all you really see are drivers who are never really interested in the media or do nothing but working with and for them just to keep the sponsors happy. Nowadays, drivers don’t seem to have a real sense of personality or humour about them. Some do, but decide never to show it when they’re at work. Kimi Raikkonen is a classic case in point. So where have all these characters gone? What happened to them all? Sponsors is what happened to them. That and a hectic schedule of briefings and track time. Back in the days some 20-25 years ago, drivers were at least allowed to show off a lighter side to their role. And no-one did or ever has done it better than Nelson Piquet.

This man who could not only drive fast but also probably make it as a comedian is known as one of Brazil’s finest ever talents to grace a racing car. But even growing up, it was never easy. His father was strongly against him taking up a career in motorsport so in order to hide it he chose to race under his mother’s maiden name purposely misspelt so he could develop his skills without him finding out. But that’s not what we remember him for. That does beg the question – what is it about this charismatic clown from Sao Paulo that will stick in our minds forever and be the first that comes through when his name is spoken?

His racing career was certainly one to be highly accredited for. His rise from karting through the lower formulas to a drive with Mo Nunn’s Tissot-backed Ensign was meteoric. The initial effort one weekend in Germany in 1978 got him a few races in a private McLaren before Bernie Ecclestone offered the young gun a ride at the last race of the year in the BT46 Brabham. This transformed into a 7 year long partnership that would bring Nelson 2 of his 3 titles. The amazing Gordon Murray-designed BT52 was one of the most difficult and powerful F1 cars of all time, yet Piquet made it look as easy as driving a hatchback. To be fair, driving a car that has a power to weight ratio of almost 3000hp/tonne is something that would probably scare any normal person to death. But not Nelson. After Brabham came Williams and title number 3 in 1987. His achievement put him in that prestigious elite group of drivers who have won the crowd at least 3 times. But that’s not what we remember him for.

He raced alongside and against the some of the greatest of his era – Lauda, Villeneuve, Prost, Senna, Mansell, Rosberg, Schumacher. He was sometimes one for rivalry, particularly that 2 year grudge with “our Nige”. Reportedly making bad remarks about his wife with Mansell returning with the same against his. Who can forget the dummy Nelson was sold by Nigel at Silverstone ’87 for the home race hero to claim the win the whole country wanted. He won the battle that day, but Nelson won the war. What about the fist fight with Salazar at Hockenheim, the way he added a karate kick in there for good measure. His exploits back in 1981 where he produced his first title – at the last round by a single point. He was always quite an exciting driver to watch. The way he could storm to the front and sometimes completely dominate a race. One moment on the racetrack that always sticks is that unbelievable manoeuvre on Senna at Turn 1 at the Hungaroring in 1986 around the outside. The way the Williams-Honda’s rear end squirmed sideways under braking, Nelson staying cool. He truly was a driver to be feared. But that’s not what we remember him for either.

No. What sticks in our minds about him was unbelievable charisma. The way he would joke around in the pitlane with the other drivers. Getting into a prank war with one of the mechanics at Williams, such as rewiring the windscreen wash to come through the dash. Having his expensive shoes filled with food, only to have the guy's own superglued to the side of the team transporter. He was always one to be smiling and making funny faces when the camera was on him. Whether it be being interviewed after his ’87 Imola shunt or in the drivers briefing, he would always bring out the cheeky little boy in him. He was always joking around. Wearing one shoe on the podium after winning the 1984 Canadian GP because he had a blister. Collapsing from exhaustion on the top step after winning a race. Making fun of Alain Prost by bending his nose to look like the Frenchman’s while being interviewed. Making bunny ears and trying to hug Jean-Marie Balestre on the ’91 USA GP podium. Fooling around with Murray Walker and Mansell while the BBC commentator tried to record the intro of the TV coverage.

These are all little things that make an everlasting impression on us. When you see the group photo of Prost, Senna, Mansell and Nelson, the latter was always the one who would seem to be enjoying himself the most. Sure, the latter part of his career wasn’t as successful as before, but it doesn’t matter. Seeing Nelson with a cheeky smile on his face would bring even the most downbeat person in the paddock to do the same. As we’ve asked at the beginning, why can’t there be more personalities like this in the F1 world now? Why does everything have to be so serious? If they want to know how to inject a little fun into the pitlane, perhaps they can look to the past and see how it was done – the Piquet way.

Holy Smokes....Toyota?

2009-01-12T19:14:00.003Z

With Ferrari launching their brand new car for the 2009 season, the F60, we now have our first official championship contender unveiled for the world to see. Next comes Toyota, and judging by their launch page, is it going to be a case of living up to the hype or failing to reach expectations?

I was directed to the "TF109 Premiere" page which features a dramatic looking background featuring clouds emblazoned across a sunset and a striking silhouette of what looks to be the TF108 rushing towards the screen. A timer counting down towards the official launch of their 2009 car finishes the page, but it does kind of leave you wondering - what does it all mean?

Are they just looking for attention? Or could it really be the signal of something big about to happen? The way the silhouette looks suggests there could be another Toyota-Batman tie-in. If some of you don't remember, the team joined up with the new Batman movie The Dark Knight for a promotional stunt involving their F1 and the Batmobile at Silverstone before and during the British GP. Both vehicles ran on track together prior to the race weekend for a promotional display and the TF108 featured black rear wing endplates and aerodynamic side pieces (or whatever they're called!) with the Batman logo on them. It did seem overall a rather pointless stunt. But could this be the sign of a new movie for the franchise and a new partnership. If it is, you'd be wise to expect Batman and Robin running round changing tyres.

We've seen news stories with Toyota pledging their future to Formula 1, targeting perfect reliability and claiming Timo Glock will be the key to their further development and progression up the grid. How they've decided to interpret the new for 2009 aero regulations remains to be seen, but we do know their KERS system will not be expected any sooner than mid-way through the season. Judging by how Ferrari's car looks after today, it would be wise not to expect anything too pretty. One thing which would be welcome though is a different paint scheme. Since 2002, their car has looked virtually the same up to this point. Please Toyota, do something different! Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing them become Lexus and going with something striking in black and gold. Now that for me would look awesome.

What are your thoughts and expectations on what Toyota have up their sleeve? Will we see a radical interpretation of the rules from Japan? Will we get anything better looking than what we've had so far? And will they ever change that livery?

RLB - Taking a stroll down the grid

2009-01-06T11:46:00.001Z

"Wow, look at those crowds" was the first thing to come to mind as I walked out of the AGR pitbox and up towards the grid. The sun was beating down, warming up my overalls which were already making me quite hot due to the many layers of fireproof material. Clutching my helmet with gloves and balaclava inside and HANS device in one hand and a drinks bottle in the other, I wander down the paddock, my attention is caught my the many flags and banners waving in the gentle breeze. The atmosphere at a place like this simply has to be seen and experienced to be believed. The fans who come here year in, year out are some of the most devoted and die-hard Indy supporters you could ever meet.

I acknowledge a few people as I near the gap in the wall which opens up to the pit apron and then across from that the main pitwall where the circuit lays just beyond it. As I cross, I look to my right and see the blue and white car of Ryan Carter. He gives me a scathing glare as he goes by, obviously still bitter after the exchange we had before qualifying. Walking out on the circuit to find my car, a cheer from the stand goes up. I wave to them to show my appreciation. It's only fair to do that. These people give up their weekends to come and watch 20 cars and 20 drivers run round in circles for 200 laps, so saying thanks that way at least gives me satisfaction.

I find Bradley, my race engineer who came over from Force India with me, making some final checks on his laptop. He tells me everything is good to go and the car has a clean bill of health so to speak. That's what I like to hear. I take a sip from my drinks bottle and set my things down on the sidepod. From the corner of my eye I notice Daryl Wickham, my fellow compatroit from Norwich coming over.

Daryl: Sup bitch.
Scott: What's goin' on, slag.
Daryl: You know I'm starting behind you right?
Scott: Yeah I know. Hopefully you'll stay there for all 200 laps.
Daryl:Me? Stay behind you? You crack me up sometimes, Wiss.
Scott: Nice to know someone finds me funny for something.
Daryl: So what's your strategy?
Scott: Run on one set of tyres for 200 laps and just come in for fuel all day.
Daryl: Good luck with that then. You know that's impossible.
Scott: I know. I that's why I'm giving you a fake strategy to throw you off.
Daryl: You b**tard, Wiss.

I laugh as Daryl walks back to his car and take another sip of drink. Daniel then runs over for a chat.

Daniel: Hey Scott.
Scott: Sup Daniel my teammie *we shake hands*
Daniel: How's your car running?
Scott: Brad says it's all good in the hood here. What's the deal with yours?
Daniel: Same, same. Strategy's all set then.
Scott: Oh yeah, I'm all set.
Daniel: Good good. What do you reckon our chances are today?
Scott: I say we're gonna smoke 'em all and get a 1-2.
Daniel: Sounds like a plan. Catch you out there.

Before I get a chance for another swig of drink, one of the ESPN pit reporters comes over and asks for a chat.

Reporter: Scott, you're starting 5th, what are your chances?
Scott: Yeah I think where we are on the grid gives us a great chance to go for the win. Top 5 is where you want to be and I'm there so I'm happy.
Reporter: What kind of strategy are you looking to run today?
Scott: We've decided on something that's for sure. *smiles*
Reporter: Can you tell us anything about it?
Scott: *smiling* Errr, it's top secret. You'll have to wait and see.
Reporter: Before qualifying yesterday you had an altercation with Ryan Carter who starts 18th. Can you tell us any more on that?
Scott: No, not really. I don't want to go into that if you please.
Reporter: 'K, thanks Scott. Good luck today.

Man, am I busy with people today or what? Can't get a chance to relax. Sure enough, I don't. Over the tannoy the words "Would all drivers please get into their cars" is heard. Ah well, it's showtime!

Prepare to Launch

2009-01-05T21:12:00.002Z

The off-season. When it comes around at the end of every season, from November to March it's normally seen as a hive of activity for all the teams down the F1 pitlane in order to assess new drivers, cars and regulations. Or in some cases, rather the lack of. So far on this occasion, the only notable things to talk about have been the 3-way driver shootout at STR and the new regulations for this year especially regarding the new wings. In most cases, the reaction to them has been a negative one. Quite substantial at that.

Although, let's continue on with the theme of the new regulations. Autosport.com today revealed that Ferrari will be launching their new car next week, followed by Toyota and McLaren with Renault, Williams and BMW Sauber hot on their heels. We also have a date for Red Bull who have said their 2009 challenger will been unveiled at Jerez on February 9th. As for the remaining teams - not a dickie bird. But to be fair apart from Force India, the other two teams are already occupied with other things to be concerned with.

So, what has each team been up to so far in the period between post-Brazil and pre-Melbourne?

McLaren - Most recently the Woking-based team have been testing alongside Ferrari at the brand new Algarve International Circuit. Before that, they became the 3rd team to unveil a 2009-spec piece of aero with a new nose and front wing. What they will do with their rear wing remains to be seen. Have also been testing their KERS system via Gary Paffett.

Ferrari - Nothing in terms of new aero pieces but they have been sighted running an F2008 with large sculpted hums around the cockpit which was said to be a temporary housing for their KERS system. Reports have said they struggling with the development from theirs.

BMW - What haven't they been doing?! Officially the first team to be running as full a 2009 car as possible without giving everything away. Their front wing, however, does seem overly large compared to those from other teams so far. Also running a flat-edged raised nose and the tall rear wing. KERS development has been continuous and strenuous at every test so far with plenty of testing miles achieved.

Renault - Nothing much to report from France. No new parts have been announced or seen from them. Piquet and Alonso have both been on track in testing working on 2009 aerodynamic data and also developing their KERS system. How far along they are with it remains to be seen.

Toyota - Have been seen performing at tests, but informed us early on their KERS won't be ready until halfway through this season. Still, they've partaken in some development testing of it. Again, no 2009 aero parts seen from them as of yet.

Toro Rosso - Their focus has been on selecting their drivers. Sebastiens Buemi and Bourdais and Takuma Sato have been locked in a 3 way duel for the two race seats. Buemi has been all but confirmed bar an official announcement but all the signs are pointing to an obvious outcome. As for the other drive, Sato is looking likely to be sat alongside the young Swiss. Although between a couple of F1 fans I know, that would see that as the wrong choice. Their car? Well, just look at Red Bull's is all.

Red Bull - Vettel and Buemi have been behind the wheel 9 times out of 10 due to an unfortunate accident for Webber during the Tasmania Challenge in which a head-on collision with an SUV saw him break his leg. He's expected to be fully fit for Melbourne though, so a speedy recovery is wished to him. Apart from that, it's pretty much the norm - no new aero parts and a small portion of KERS development.

Williams - Officially revealed the first 2009 spec wings to the F1 world. They've done a lot of running with them alongside BMW. Haven't heard very much about their KERS system although logic dictates they'll get Toyota's as well. Could be disadvantaged due to their mid-season delay however.

Force India - Has been some kind of hoorah about their drivers. Speculation included Pedro de la Rosa and Paul di Resta taking over from Sutil and Fisichella. Mallya also pulled the preverbial rabbit out of the hat by forming a technical partnership with McLaren to be supplied with Mercedez-Benz engines, transmissions, electronics and KERS. A lot of slick tyre testing but nothing in terms of aero.

Honda - Well what else can you say about them? Promised so much throughout last year boasting they would spend the whole of 2008 concentration on 2009, and then comes the shock announcement they are pulling out. Buyers have been speculated including Mexican Carlos Slim and David Richards. An insider to the team, however, has said the deal to save the team has been done and an announcement is expected sometime soon, probably this week if not the next.

So for some teams, it's all about 2009 and adjusting to the new regulations and trying new things out. Every team at some point has run the new specification Bridgestone slicks and more than half the field has developed KERS on track. Only 3 teams have revealed and begun testing 2009-spec wings and BMW is the closest to running a full 2009 car already. Teams like Ferrari, Renault and Toyota are keeping their cards very, very close to their chest as we have yet to see what their interpretation of the rules will be. Nevertheless, it's going to be a busy couple of weeks for the press reporters.

RLB - The said confrontation (Indy)

2009-01-05T17:21:00.002Z

(Just to make it clear, this isn't real. It's just something I wrote to go along with my qualifying RP for Indianapolis. Also, even though it's blanked out, there is a bit of bad language.)

Scott: *shouts* Hey Carter!
*Ryan looks over*
Scott: *shouts* Get over here.
*Ryan dispondantly walks over ignoring the request to "leave it" by team boss Kalvin Filarski*
Ryan: What do you want?
Scott: I just wanted to say what everyone else hasn't been able to.
Ryan: Oh yeah and what's that?
Scott: Change your attitude, Ryan. It stinks.
Ryan: What?!
Scott: You heard.
Ryan: Where the f*** do you get off saying that to me?
Scott: I watched you towards the media. I've seen you in the paddock. The way you act, it's like you don't care how serious this business is.
Ryan: F*** you man, you don't know me.
Scott: Wouldn't want to either.
Ryan: Hey if you don't like it, you can get lost, a**hole.
*Scott begins to walk away*
Scott: Just don't come crying to me when that attitude of yours makes you incompotent.
Ryan: What the f*** did you say?!
Scott: You see? What I'm talking about happening right in front of me. You get angry too easily, Carter. You need to control yourself better. Otherwise, no-one will want you. You'll be all washed up.
Ryan: Hey, I have more points than you. That means I'm the better driver. You got that?
Scott: 8 points ahead. That's nothing. It's how you act as a driver that matters, just as much as how you perform. Though looking at you, I'm thinking you're more focused on whether you're inbred or not.
*Ryan grabs Scott by his overalls*
Ryan: Alright, that's it! You and me, right now, punk!
Scott: If I was a punk, I'd listen to Sum 41. Now get your hands off me, would you?
Ryan: What? You too chicken to fight?
Scott: No, I'm just not that stupid.
*Members of Forsythe pull Ryan off and hold him back*
Ryan: Get the f*** off me!
Forsythe Mechanic: Leave him, Ryan. He's not worth it.
Scott: Hmph, typical Americans. Can't resolve a problem by talking so they have to use their fists.
*Scott begins to walk away, but stops*
Scott:...And another thing - lose the cap. You're not 10 years old. Although sometimes, it's hard to tell.
*Ryan tries to go after him but is held back. Scott walks off while Ryan is ushered off, still red with anger.*

RLB - Top 10 for AGR despite Woodwiss-Carter confrontation

2009-01-05T17:19:00.002Z

Qualifying for tomorrow's Indianapolis 500 will see only two teams have both cars starting inside the top 10. Vision Racing is one of them and the other will be the home team Andretti Green Racing. Although it could so easily have been different for AGR after team driver Scott Woodwiss was seen getting into an altercation with Forsythe Racing's Ryan Carter.

Woodwiss has been quoted in press conferences as saying he isn't a fan of the British-American driver's attitude as a whole and insiders from both teams tell us this was the subject at hand during the said confrontation. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to affect Scott as he firmly put his Lola-Honda 5th on the grid for the classic 500-miler. Carter, however didn't seem to have recovered from it too well as a major mistake on his first lap seriously damaged any hopes of a good starting place and he will start from 18th. The second AGR Lola of Daniel Quick also showed speed, although not as much as he had done in practice, and planted himself 9th.

Scott Woodwiss:
"5th is brilliant for myself and the team, we've really worked hard as you know to keep the car in top form off the back of our 2nd place in Nazareth and so far it's going all to plan. I had a small slip on the 2nd lap when the rear end slid out wide coming off Turn 2, but nevertheless an excellent result. I'm happy that Daniel could join me in the top 10 and I hope we'll both have good races tomorrow."

"As you guys probably will have seen, there was an exchanging of words between myself and Ryan (Carter). Basically, I just told him what I've been saying about him before and that was to rethink how his attitude is perceived by others. I remember when I tried acting all high and mighty like that and it only got me into trouble. Still, it's his choice whether to ignore it or not, I was just trying to help. If he wants to be an a***hole then good luck to him."

Happy Birthday, Franck Montagny!

2009-01-05T11:18:00.005Z

Today is French racing driver Franck Montagny's 31st birthday. Why am I singling this out in particular. Over my time at Sidepodcast, Christine has taken a liking to him after seeing him at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2007 when he was still with Toyota as a test driver and noting he was just wandering about not doing anything special in particular because, well, I guess no-one really knew who he was.

Still, since his F1 testing days, he has gone on to bigger and better things. He produced a fantastic drive at last year's Le Mans 24 Hours for Peugeot, driving long stints at a brilliantly fast pace. His car could have even won the event had it not been for the incompetence of Christian Klien putting it in the gravel during the night. Still, he managed 3rd which is something to be proud of. He also came 2nd in his first Champ Car race last year as well, which was ironically the final race for the formula ever before the IndyCar Series took over, been a race winner for Acura in the American Le Mans Series AND raced for Team France in A1GP! Boy, does he get around or what!

Next season, we all hope it will be success all the way for Franck, who I actually class to be one of the best French drivers in the world right now, second only to Sebastien Loeb who quite frankly can drive anything with 4 wheels and beat the pants off of anyone around. But for now, here's to Mr Montagny reaching 31 years on this earth. Many happy returns, Franck, and all the best for 2009!

RLB - AGR set initial pace in Indy practice

2009-01-04T21:25:00.002Z

It is known to many people that when it comes to the Indianapolis 500, anything can happen. It is such a prestigious race that every single driver on the grid is fighting for one thing, which is the chance to get their name on the Borg-Warner Trophy. And judging by practice results alone, right now it seems this season the next face to be cast upon it might just be the face of an Andretti Green Racing driver.

Daniel Quick, who on occasions like to live up to his name, decided that this was one of those times to do so. The team he drives for is based just up the road from the famed Brickyard and with home support he knew it was his chance to make every second count around the 2 mile oval. That he did as he ended the practice session fastest of everyone with teammate Scott Woodwiss managing 6th best time to make sure both AGR Lolas were firmly inside the top 10. Both drivers posted average speeds of over 225mph with Quick even managing just over 230! But practice can only tell the teams so much. It is merely an experimentation session. To see who can find the perfect setup for what they hope will be the perfect weekend. Can both Andretti Green pilots keep this turn of pace up with the 4-lap aggregate qualifying imminent?

Scott Woodwiss:
"Daniel did an awesome job today to manage fastest around here. To be fair though, we did some private testing here and he actually did more laps than me so it's no wonder he's higher up the sheets than I am. Still, we see it as a team result, not a personal one, and I'm sure we can both make a substantial impact in qualifying later on. It's quite different than what we'd normally prepare for at any oval.

Here at Indy you run 4 consecutive laps and the thing which matters the most is keeping a constant and consistent pace throughout all 4 in order to achieve the highest average speed possible with the setup you have. Our work today has given us quite a solid setup on mine and Daniel's cars so I think that on paper we're both in the hunt for pole. But whether it's just all talk and no actions remains to be seen. I'm confident we can pull something out of the bag but just making the front row is going to a challenge, let alone securing P1."

RLB IndyCar Round Preview - Indianapolis

2009-01-04T14:12:00.005Z

(Starting from today I will be posting all of my roleplays which I have written for the RLB. This first one is a preview at the upcoming race, the famous Indy 500)

So here we are. The big one, the grand daddy, the jewel in the IndyCar calendar. And now for the first time, it's a point-scoring event. The RLB IC convoy has arrived at its next scheduled stop in the championship and it couldn't get any more prestigious - The Indianapolis 500 at the legendary "Brickyard".

So what can we say about this historic mainstay of racing, the mecca of motorsport? Well it started live as an oval made of wooden boards constructed in 1909 and initially hosted motorcycle events before moving onto the first 500 two years later in 1911. Since then the surface has changed to bricks (1909) and then the tarmac we now have (1935). Whoever takes victory here joins will join greats such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, AJ Foyt, Al Unser Jr and Bobby Rahal. The circuit also features a road course configuration which has hosted Formula 1 and more recently MotoGP, while NASCAR have also made their mark on the oval alongside the open-wheelers. What still survives from its past is the sacred yard of bricks directly after the start/finish line. Winners are traditionally known to kiss them and also drink from the famous bottle of milk.

After a weekend of fantastic fortunes for the team, Andretti Green Racing are going to the 500 on a massive high. The speed shown throughout the sessions at Nazareth made a considerable impact on the rest of the IndyCar field with Scott Woodwiss coming back from a driver error which put him down to last place, due to a pitstop to repair damage, to take the 2nd place step on the podium by the end. Now with the team at their home circuit, Scott feels that they could the dark horses of the Brickyard this weekend.

Scott Woodwiss:
"You know, we're really psyched up about coming here. Everyone in the team is still buzzing from that 2nd place last time out in Nazareth and we were all laughing and joking when we came here started unloading the transporters. But seriously, I think we now know where we feel at home and it's on the ovals. The speed we were able to produce in the previous weekend brought us up to a new level which we need to try and stay at for as long as possible, hopefully the remainder of the season. Plus, we are literally racing on our doorstep! This place is just a few miles away from our team factory so the short journey made a nice change."

Scott also rate his own chances for the weekend ahead.

"I scored the pole last season in the all-star event when it wasn't part of the championship and that's still something I regard as one of the highlights of my career so far. Whether I can do it again remains to be seen but I'm pretty confident. We don't want to seem too optimistic though because anything can happen here at Indy. But I'm sure we'll have a trouble-free schedule. Whether we can get that illusive win here remains to be seen. Do I think we can? If everything goes according to plan, yes I think it's possible."

Fantasy Racers - The start of out Title Defence!

2009-01-04T00:54:00.005Z

Over at Sidepodcast, we partook in an online Fantasy F1 game last season called Fantasy Racers. If you're familiar with the concept, you pick a few driver with a set budget and you can't spend more than what's been allocated. I joined the league by the time the game was at the Spanish GP and didn't do too badly. By the end of the season, I was in a private battle with SPC's Christine to see if I, who started late, could beat her, who had been in it from the beginning. Alas, I missed out on overtaking her in the standings by less than 100 points.

Upholding our Honour
Today, FR has opened its doors so to speak once again and we at Sidepodcast have already created our private league. For us there is a lot at stake this season. Why? Well, it's the small matter of us being the reigning private league champions. What makes it more prestigious is that we were able to beat the league set up by the forums at the one and only Autosport magazine. Yes, you've read that right - we, a community centered around a humble F1 podcast, managed to pip the UK's number 1 weekly motorsport magazine! Christine and Mr C, her husband and partner in crime, received a nice trophy for our success and Jordan Allen got the prize for winning our private league.

What's That Name Again?
Now of course me being a member of the SPC community, I am participating although this time at the beginning of the game instead of joining mid-season and playing catch up. One thing which any fantasy F1 game lets you do is give your team a name. Last season, I went with Neg's Urban Sports F1 in honour of the hilarious segment on the comedy show Balls of Steel. This time, I decided to go with something that was rather unique and quite frankly genius. We're used to silly team names, but one in particular was Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, which I know is a reference from an episode of The Simpsons. So I thought to myself - what could I call mine this time around to try and top it? To gain inspiration, I looked for things synonymous with Sidepodcast. After some careful decisions and a bit of experimentation, I came up with the FR name to end all names. Ladies and gentlemen, the team I have entered this season is called noneother than....

Dumbo-Flugel'd Kung Fu Marmots!

I can quite imagine you're staring at that thinking "What in the name of all that's holy is that supposed to mean?!" Well, I'll explain:

Dumbo-Flugel - The German name for the weird nose attachments on the front of the Honda F1 car last season. It translates in English as Dumbo Ears.

Kung Fu - After watching the new Sidepodcast Diaries video on YouTube today (the series making a welcome comeback), Kung Fu Panda was mentioned and from there it just stuck.

Marmots - Christine at SPC thinks they're cute after she saw them on track during the Canadian GP these past two seasons.

Come and Have a Go if You Think You're Hard Enough!
So, maybe you want to have a go at this and take part, huh? No problem. Simply head over to the Fantasy Racers website (www.fantasyracers.com), join up for free and enter Private League 6 with the password "franck". I would recommend doing it now though and not later on when the 2009 F1 season has already started as you might just get left behind. Anyway, I hope I see some of you from here over there. It is quite fun and competitive once it gets into full swing. Who knows, you could even win it!

I am a Racing Driver (Sort Of)

2009-01-03T21:12:00.000Z

As mentioned in my introductory post, I am a member of the Real Life BATracer community. It involves playing the browser-based racing simualtion game BATracer. But if you're wondering what it's all about, then wonder no more. Everything will be come clear as I open the doors to the RLB world.

Finding Your Feet
When you decide you want to be part of the fun, you first of all need to write an introductory roleplay. Roleplays, I hear you ask? Yes, you heard correctly. A roleplay is where you write a fantasy news story or personal account of an event such as a qualifying session, a race, a team launch, etc. The RLB is more centered on your RP capabilities than how you perform in the game itself. On-track results do obviously matter to an extent, but your ability to translate those results and happenings into words matters more, especially when it comes to finding a drive for the following season.

An introductory roleplay gives the other members of the community a chance to assess your potential as a top flight driver. Therefore it is recommended you put a lot of thought and effort into it to make the best initial impression possible. You'll get some comments about it and some friendly welcomes out of it too. The RLB community is an altogether friendly and supportive one, so don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any.

Moving up the Ladder
So, you've announced your arrival. Your next objective is to find a place on a team in the starter series we call Formula Trinity. The way to do this is to sign up for tests and roleplay on the results as best you can. Obviously the more work you put into it, the better your chances are of securing a drive for the upcoming season. Currently, RLB has 3 championships which all ascend in such a way that it's like climbing up the ladder to the top flight. Here is a typical RLB journey:

Formula Trinity --> IndyCar --> F1

You'd typically run one season in FT to begin with and gain experience. You'll start off with an Amatuer licence but if the Licence Commitee feel your RP quality over the season is good enough, they will upgrade it to a ProLicence (allowing competition up to IndyCar) and finally a SuperLicence to allow entry to Formula 1. But to maintain these licences, you have to keep your roleplay quantity and quality up. Let it slip too much and you'll find it being downgraded.

My Racing CV
So what's my history in the RLB? Well, I'll be honest - it's a turbulent one. That's certainly the best way to describe it. I started with Davidson-Rees Motorsport in the first ever FT championship and came joint 8th on 74 points. That season also saw me fill in at Toyota for the last 2 races and score a surprise 6th in Brazil. I started the 2nd season of FT before grabbing an opening at Spyker where my best finish was 9th twice. I only lasted until Monza where I lost my licence altogether over a fairly minor issue (which I won't go into detail about). I came back for FT Season 4 with Petronas Concept Racing and won my first RLB race at Mid-Ohio from 13th on the grid. This performance was good enough for 2 seasons at Force India, which sadly was a complete letdown. From a total of 36 races for the team, I scored no more than 3 points altogether.

Right now I am racing for Andretti Green Racing in the IndyCar series and so far I place 9th in the standings with a best qualifying of 5th and a 2nd place at Nazareth to my name. The next race coming up is the legendary Indy 500 and qualifying will advance in a couple of days time. I'm hopeful this season I can get back to F1 as I've drastically improved and strengthened my commitment to the RLB. Over the course of the rest of the season, I will post my thoughts on it all as well as my RPs for each session. I want to let you into this community and let you see what I do and how I do it. I hope you enjoy.

Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

2009-01-03T20:53:00.000Z

Greetings everyone, Scott Woodwiss here venturing on my second blog since the first one kind of faultered and came to a halt. But, no matter. It's a new year so a new start for me writing one of these things.

If some of you recognise my name, then you'll have heard of it either from the excellent F1 podcast/blog site Sidepodcast, where you'll find me there on a regular basis hanging out with the other members of the community, or from the Real Life BATracer site where I'm currently taking part in the IndyCar series.

So what's the purpose of this blog? Well, it's a chance for me to express my views on the latest F1 and motorsport news as well as keep you guys up to date with my fortunes in RLB and my roleplays there, which I'll post here as and when I do them and also my opinions on the latest racing and driving simulation games and maybe even a review of one or two.

So, let's see if I can keep this going for the rest of the year. Although knowing me, I'll need a kicking every now and then to be reminded if I lose interest. Still, here's to a new start, eh?

Links
Sidepodcast
Real Life BATracer