All Things Motorsport

[Rey C.]

In all the years that I've watched and followed Formula One, that was surely the most disappointing season opener that I can remember watching.

F1 was the one sport that thumbed its nose at political correctness. It's loud! It's fast! It's dangerous! It's offensive! If you don't like it, don't watch it! Go watch some tuity-fruity sport that follows all the socially acceptable rules. But now PC seems to have firmly wrapped its dirty hands around the neck of even F1. The dud engines in the IRL kit cars sound better than those "things" I heard yesterday. It's nice that the cars are harder to drive. But they're uglier than Rosie O'Donnell and Roseanne Barr put together and they sound like farting mules! But oh, they're "green". Fuck green! This is Formula One!!! This is about the best racers in the world in the best race cars in the world. So I say again, fuck green!!!!!!!

BTW, real shame about Daniel Ricciardo getting DQ'd. Even if the team cheated, that was still a great drive.

 

[Motor.boater]

As far as the engines go, it what the manufacturers want. If we keep the old engines, the manufacturers would piss off, and then we really would end up with the IRL!. As far as Ricciardo is concerned, the big deal over here (regardless what happens with the result), is that he's brought himself into the mainstream public's awareness of him. There's been a much more positive vibe coming off this race, than there's been pretty much since the second one at AP.

 

[Rey C.]

I'm actually a big fan of turbo engines. And I don't have anything against the manufacturers (and the FIA) wanting a formula which allows more relevance to their road car offerings. But F1 is popular in places where many people don't even have cars or drive. So I think the powers-that-be have to be very careful in balancing the needs & wants of the engine manufacturers and the needs & wants of the viewing/attending audience. Without the eyeballs, the sponsorship ROI drops off and the sponsorship value decreases. If that happens, then the teams will have even less money to play with and these super expensive power units will push more teams even further into the red.

I'm OK with the overall engine/power unit concept - I don't think that's the real problem. But I (and a growing number of promoters, including the Aussie promoter, Ron Walker) want to make sure that the visual and aural appeal of F1 does not suffer in the name of "going green". The FIA had to scrap the idea of 4 cylinder turbo engines when the circuit promoters revolted back in 2011(?). And when they then went to 6 cylinder engines, the promoters wanted to keep the revs at 18,000 rpms. I think the promoters had it just right. The FIA should have listened to them. To "fix" this, IMO, scrap the new fuel rules (amount and flow) and either open up the turbo regs (the turbo is what is largely muffling the sound) or *maybe* let them run a single-sided turbo, as Toyota tried in the old CART series in the late 90's. I mean, at the end of the day, it really is about THE RACING (which includes the sights, sounds and sexiness), right?

 

[Motor.boater]

If they kept the old engines, the manufacturers will eventually go. Then it'll become a slightly better version of Indycar or A1GP. It'll be shit.

 

[Rey C.]

Again, I don't think it was necessary to stay with the old engine formula. F1 is and has always been about change. But a lot of smart people had some genuine concerns about what a "quiet engine" would do to the spectacle that is Formula One. With so many promoters now hounding the FIA about the lack of sound, I can almost guarantee that's going to get fixed by next season, if not this season. It's just a question of what they can do with these incredibly complicated power units to improve the sound and not create an extra few million in modification costs.

F1 is not about being "green" or politically correct, it's about mad speed and sexiness. Long time fans just want that back.

 

[Rey C.]

Rumors around the net suggest that the F1 powers-that-be worked on mic placements and volumes to make the cars sound better/louder this race. I don't have the means to measure that, but IMO they did sound better or louder this race. Didn't do anything for the people who attended, but at least on TV, they sounded better (but still not good) to me. And massive congrats to my man Lewis for a dominant win and a great & clean drive to the top of the podium in Malaysia. Good job by Nico too. A great 1-2 for Mercedes.

Rough luck for Kimi. I want him to get above Alonso at Ferrari. And how about poor old Massa, getting that Ferrariesque message from his team to let Botas by? Props to him for not doing it. But I bet he had hell to pay once he got back to the office after the race. IMO, this was a very good race. Not great, but very good overall. And nice one by Vettel for wetting down the podium girls with the champagne (or whatever they use in Malaysia). He's apparently said that he enjoys doing that (he does it all the time) so the girls can really share in the celebration too. Yeah, riiiight. I think he does it to make his version of a wet t-shirt contest. He's not my favorite driver. But especially in these annoying, politically correct times, it's really tough for me not to like this kid. My guy, Lewis, is a little bit forced and fake at times. But I think Vettel really is who he appears to be: a ruthless, cunning kid who loves to win and loves to have fun (on his terms).

 

[larss]

The thing I like about the quieter engines is being able to hear the tyre squeals and the radio coms.
The cars are less stable this year with all the extra torque which makes the drivers have to work a lot harder as well.
F1 has always been about innovations in technology that can be brought back into production cars and the new power units are a big step in that direction.

Great race by Lewis. Even being so far out in front he still managed to use less fuel than the rest of the top 10 and managed a fastest lap 1.5 seconds quicker than anyone else at the time. Nico managed to get to within 0.8 seconds of that by the end but it does seem that Lewis is a man in tune with his new wheels.

 

[larss]

I have just watched one of the most exciting races ever.
Mercedes were dominant and finished 1st and 2nd but there was some great racing between Nico and Lewis in the last 10 laps. Lewis had managed to get a 9 second lead when a safety car bunched up the pack. Both Mercs came into the pits for their final set of tyres. Lewis had to have the slower medium tyres as he had only used the soft tyres up until that point. Nico was swapping the mediums for soft so had an advantage. Somehow Lewis managed to stay front after some exceptional driving from both of them.
There was also a lot of passing and great racing further down the pack. All in all a great day's racing. Sod the noise, if the racing is like this for the rest of the season, the F1 got it right.

 

[TheAdmiral]

Weekend!

 

[Rey C.]

I have just watched one of the most exciting races ever.
Mercedes were dominant and finished 1st and 2nd but there was some great racing between Nico and Lewis in the last 10 laps. Lewis had managed to get a 9 second lead when a safety car bunched up the pack. Both Mercs came into the pits for their final set of tyres. Lewis had to have the slower medium tyres as he had only used the soft tyres up until that point. Nico was swapping the mediums for soft so had an advantage. Somehow Lewis managed to stay front after some exceptional driving from both of them.
There was also a lot of passing and great racing further down the pack. All in all a great day's racing. Sod the noise, if the racing is like this for the rest of the season, the F1 got it right.

Was that an amazing race or what???!!! My gosh! :eek: At least on TV, I'm now pretty satisfied with the new sounds. Apparently they did work to place more (and better) mics on the cars and around the track. And you're right, you can now hear the tire squeals and various other things that you couldn't before. But the way that Lewis held Rosberg off for what, 7 laps(?), was AMAZING!!! Yeah, I thought Lewis was toast too, after the safety car came out and Lewis had to go to the harder tires, while Nico was on the softer tires. From what I just read, both sides of the Mercedes garage were changing the power management on different parts of the track every single lap! And while that might sound kind of video gamish... I think it's an amazing display of dynamic F1 technology - especially since both Merc teams could see what the other one was doing and both had to react to the other. I thought maybe Mercedes told Rosberg to lay off once he was behind. But clearly that wasn't the case. Those guys put on a show for the ages! I have that one saved to DVR and I have to remember to burn it to a DVD the first chance I get. That's easily one of the best races I have EVER seen.

If anyone ever wonders why I'm an F1 fanatic, that race would be the perfect example to explain it to them. Great stuff!!! :clap:

 

[larss]

Ricciardo - Australian Grand Prix Disqualification upheld.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/27009862

 

[TheAdmiral]

Sir Stirling Moss to be Featured Guest on Saturday of Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion - See more at: http://www.mazdaraceway.com/homepag...erey-motorsports-reunion#sthash.lBvstOTs.dpuf

Arguably the greatest all-around racing driver of his time and a true icon of the motor racing world, Sir Stirling Moss will be the honored guest at the Picnic in the Park at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on Saturday, August 16. Historian Murray Smith will conduct the always engaging noontime session in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca marketplace where fans may bring their lunch, listen to stories and ask questions. The Saturday-only picnic is a popular activity that allows fans to engage with a driving legend.

 

[TheAdmiral]

Scott Dixon tops the charts on the first day of IndyCar testing at Texas Motor Speedway (218.605mph)

 

[TheAdmiral]

Scott Dixon tops the charts on the first day of IndyCar testing at Texas Motor Speedway (218.605mph)

The test offered teams the ability to review their oval aero package and gain data while two drivers in particular – Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter – helping IndyCar find the perfect package to enhance the racing for the Firestone 600. The additional track time proved to be a huge benefit for those drivers who participated in the all-day session.

http://racer.com/indycar/item/102815-indycar-teams-prep-for-texas-in-firestone-tire-test

 

[TheAdmiral]

WEC 6 Hours of Silverstone

Porsche led the way in both the LMP1 and GTE-Pro classes in the opening practice for Sunday’s FIA WEC season-opening Six Hours of Silverstone.

The No. 14 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Marc Lieb topped the time charts with a 1:44.042 lap time, set late in the 90-minute session.

Porsche Team Manthey ended the session 1-2 in GTE-Pro, with Patrick Pilet the only GT driver to break the 2:00 barrier.

The Frenchman’s 1:58.981 lap time in the No. 91 entry was a considerable 1.474 seconds quicker than the sister No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR of Marco Hlzer, who was second in class.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/porsche-tops-practice-1-at-silverstone/

 

[Rey C.]

Lewis gets a hat trick with the China rout and pulls to within 4 points of Rosberg for the WDC lead! :nanner:

Is Lewis Hamilton now one of the all-time greats in Formula One?
Hamilton now moves to 4th on the all time poles list and 8th on the all time wins list. I think this is going to be our year, Lewis! :thumbsup:

 

[TheAdmiral]

The IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama was delayed by rain and ended under caution, but was still a highly watchable race. Ryan Hunter-Reay took the victory, repeating his 2013 success. Marco Andretti finished second to mark Andretti Autosport's 1st 1-2 finish since Iowa 2013.

 

[TheAdmiral]

Round 2 of the FIA World Endurance Championship...only part of a stacked racing weekend!

 

[TheAdmiral]

Super GT also takes place this weekend.

Highlights from the previous race (Japanese)

 

[knowone]

And NASCAR Cup & Nationwide Series are at Talladega the worlds fastest race circuit.