One thing about Fiats, and other small cars. It's a lot harder to drive a slow car fast than a fast car fast.

Incidentally, I was told yesterday to "go back to England!" by some Lyndon LaRouche supporters who had set up at a protest table at the post office. (Not that I'm from England--my heritage is German but I have relatives who fought in the Civil War.)

 

Yes indeed deb, you are right about that!

Cars with small displacement engines in order to be driven quickly need to maintain momentum, and that, though it may sound easy, takes some ability.

All this cause you drive an auto manufactured in the UK. Just goes to show their ignorance doesn't it. It boggles the mind how people think and behave nowadays!

Well deb, I suggest that you shrug off the hate and consider the source it came from. LaRouche and his supporters are extremists with polarized political views that border on the crackpot all the way to the far right (facist). These kooks are best ignored and shunned!

 

You're right on both subjects, Sabre. We have a '64 Porsche 356 SC sunroof coupe, and it'll move right smartly...in the right hands.

Wonder what the LaRouche gang would think if they peeked in my garage. Then again, maybe they'd approve of a car designed by an engineer Hitler shanghied into working for him.

Speaking of Hitler's automotive interests, know where you can see more old-style VW bugs? Arkansas. Everytime we go there (we're looking for real estate there), we see 10 to 20 bugs. Working, nonworking, works in progress, doesn't matter--they're all over the state. Who woulda thunk it?

 

Noted this article:

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/...dding-2535428/

You know, when we got married, our wedding cost $276, long dress and all. Then again, it WAS 40 years ago, and there HAS been a little inflation since then, but still...

 

It has been really quiet here of late!

Where did everyone go?

You must either all be attending races or out motoring in your MINIs!

This thread needs some input so lets see if I can get you all to chime in...

We all know that Sebastian Vettel is almost guaranteed the title this year (barring any disasters or stupid moves), which leads me to ask...

Who do you think will be the runner-up in 2011?

The race for second place in the standings is oh so close...

Mark Webber - 167 pts.
Fernando Alonso - 157 pts.
Jenson Button - 149 pts.
Lewis Hamilton - 146 pts.

Also after seeing how well Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher did at Spa...

1) Will Rosberg get his first GP win this year?
2) Will Schumi get on the podium this year?

Haven't heard from some of you guys in awhile (Gromit, flatlander, Vollgas, RaceTripper, Btwyx, S-Driver, et. al.)

So c'mon F1 fans sound off and lets hear what you're thinking!

 

You're all the better for it deb... This kind of wealth breeds bad seeds!

Gads! The daughter speaks like the father! Bernie has taught her well...

Listen to the rhetoric: She (Petra Ecclestone) told ABC, "I'm not spoiled, I'm privileged, and I think there's a huge difference in that."

5-7 million for a wedding!!!!! Nice to know F1 fans worldwide paid for this extravagant affair... Bernie should have invited all of us to attend!

Wait! Maybe I should check my mailbox... Awww, too late... guess I missed the wedding of the century.

 

I'm just grateful that the Belgian Grand Prix was so well covered here in Chennai - not that I was pleased to see Lewis make a mistake so early in the race. Michael did well though, and that cheered me up some. I really cannot pick a #2 at the present time, but boy am I enjoying the season. Damned good racing.

 

Well, Petra did invite me, but the Lear was in the shop, and I didn't want to mingle with the common people in first class.

 

Now thats funny!

Love your sense of humor, deb!

 

Glad that you were able to get some good TV coverage!

Lewis, Lewis, Lewis... what can you say about it all. Lately his racecraft has become a tad tawdry. The incident at Spa was not really his fault but he's been involved in too many altercations this season... Guess he's pulling out all the stops to try and catch Vettel and thats working on his head. He needs to take a page out of his teammate's book or Alonso's and pace his race making moves when the opportunity presents itself rather than trying to force the issue. Raw speed he is gifted with, smart racecraft... well thats another story.

I too am enjoying the season cmt52663, great watching the overtaking moves as the drivers manage their tyres but I still still think that the DRS and KERS has no place in F1 (especially DRS).

 

You know, you can slow the fast ones down, but you damn sure can't speed the slow ones up!

DRS = No
KERS = Yes

I like the idea of attempting to be socially relevant. F-1 is good at developing and exploiting technologies. What better way to develop a technology that could have some passenger car relevancy? I'd prefer to do this as a preemptive step rather than have someone lobby against F-1 for the lack of social relevancy.

 

I have no problem with DRS except the fact that on race day it can only be used on 1 section of the track (except upcoming Monza). It certainly promotes passing which is certainly lacking in modern F1. It just another technology being used in racing and if everyone can use it all the time than it becomes something the drivers have to think about and use.

 

The November date for the US GP has been confirmed: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlin...1/8/12472.html

 

Arrrgh! I have been of course following that..... Before they announced the proposed date change my nephew announced his wedding date. Yup - a date conflict!!

Guess I have to wait until year 2.....

 

You are so right flatlander_48 and I agree, but Lewis lately has been banging into too many things. He has the speed, of that there is no doubt, but I feel that at times his judgement is circumspect. What Hammy needs to display is what I like to refer to as "Tempered Aggression".

By all means race and charge as much as you can but do it when the opportunity avails itself... don't force it.

Examples on how to do it are readily available (e.g. Alonso & Button) and Lewis would benefit from taking a page out of either driver's playbook.

It's not that he needs to slow down he just needs to use his head. Recall the old race addage... "To finish first, first you must finish."

It applies here as broken cars and DNFs garner zero points in the WDC.


I've always felt that racing is a double edged blade and for it to succeed, it has to strike a balance. On the one hand it is a sport, a competition and on the other hand it is a proving ground, a testing lab of sorts. I firmly believe that racing improves the breed and so, like you, I applaud the idea of F1 being "socially relevant".

Where I have issues with this is mainly with the DRS... It is an artificially contrived aid implemented to improve overtaking. It has nothing to do with racing as much as it does with "improving the show" quality of F1 to garner the greater appeal of the masses.

Artificially created areas where (in the FIAs opinion) overtaking is allowed via DRS is absurd. Overtaking is now up to the stewards and removed from the driver's hands. It does not level the playing field as the car being overtaken has no chance to defend, he is a sitting duck! The defending driver cannot counter an overtake by deploying his DRS. Its all about the show and not about racing and does not translate into any future road car technology that I can see.

Not really a fan of KERS either. I feel that it is a token attempt by F1 to appear "green". Lots of money is being spent on this technology in an era where fiscal responsibility is being scrutinized and sponsorship $$$ are becoming scarce. Perhaps at a point further down the road when the global economy improves then I will look at KERS differently (assuming the teams actually try to develop it and not just tinker with the idea).

 

I am sure that you will be sorely missed at the wedding!

 

If I could only pull that off!

 

That would make his teammate Butty?

You know, it could be the other way around. Many companies like the idea of being aligned with high technology in general. KERS adds the energy saving aspect, which is also a good thing to be aligned with in current times. So, in some situations, I believe it can have just the opposite effect that you mention and act as an attraction.

 

I really enjoyed watching the Italian GP!

There's no place like Monza... the race, the venue, the tifosi all make it a feast for the senses!

Really enjoyed the duel between Schumacher and Hamilton... two talented drivers battling it out... most entertaining!

For those who think that Schumi should hang-up is helmet, Michael's performance is proof that there is life in the ole boy yet!

I had to wag a finger at Michael on his double blocking move (something that he's always done and gotten away with ) on poor Lewis but otherwise it was a spirited clash of two great talents with dissimilar but realtively equal cars with each driver trying his best to get the upper hand on his rival. Good stuff! Then throw Jenson Button into the mix and it had me glued to the TV.

Alonso's plucky move at the start made me hold my breath! Fernando knows how to motivate that Ferrari of his and I applaud his overtaking manuver.

All in all Monza was an entertaining race!

 

Uh-Oh! Is there trouble on the horizon for the USGP?


Report hints US GP project to lose promoter Hellmund

Sep.30 (GMM) There are fears about the ongoing involvement in the 2012 US grand prix project of the race's promoter Tavo Hellmund.

Hellmund has been the driving force behind the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, scheduled to host its first formula one race next November.

But the slowing of construction work at the venue has been "noticeable" lately, according to the local Austin American Statesman newspaper.

And it is now suggested that the "promoter or management" could be changed after Texas comptroller Susan Combs this week wrote to F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

The letter was written after Hellmund reportedly asked Combs whether "a change in management or promoters" would affect the funding promised by the Texas government.

Ecclestone and Hellmund did not respond to calls or emails on Thursday, the newspaper said.

 

That's just great.......

 

If the USGP opens on schedule in 2012, and is still functioning 3 years later, I'll be gobsmacked, as the Brits would say.

 

With rumblings in the press that the USGP is having trouble, and the GP of India also encountering problems, this news really comes as no big surprise and I suspect is indicative of the state of affairs with all the new GP venues.



Little changed after Korea's calamitous debut

Oct.14 (GMM) Little has changed at Korea's Yeongam circuit since the calamitous inaugural grand prix a year ago.

Bild newspaper reports the ghastly news that, when some teams opened the fridges in their paddock offices this week, food left over from the 2010 event remained rotting on the shelves.

And Williams revealed that the stickers on the team's hospitality suite still show Nico Hulkenberg driving for them, while the words 'Mark Webber' and 'Sebastian Vettel' on the floor of the garage had to be painted over by McLaren.

"It looks as though they locked the gates after the last race and simply unlocked them yesterday," one source is quoted as saying.

Said Sebastian Vettel, who has won two world championships since last visiting Korea: "It's funny, thinking about everything that has happened since then."

Another bone of contention is the circuit's location in Mokpo, hundreds of kilometres from Seoul and with the drivers all staying in the same five-star Hyundai hotel.

For the less affluent team members and journalists, they are still having to stay in so-called 'love motels', while the entire Williams team is staying in Gwangju, an hour from Yeongam.

"Here in the south it's really a little too quiet," said Vettel. "I think basically there hasn't been a lot going on since we left."

The fact Yeongam still seems barely finished has raised speculation about financial problems for the event.

"It is true that we are struggling in terms of profit because of the high investment and high cost structure," said chief organiser Park Joon-yung.

 

Sad to say, I'm not at all surprised that new venues--especially those in third-world countries--are underfunded, underattended, and unwilling to continue. Many of the countries Bernie is dealing with are grabbing at any chance at cash possible, and some are politically unstable as well. Bahrain, India, Turkey, China, South Korea, U.S.--all are in trouble. Who have I left out?

Of course, I'm not calling the U.S. and South Korea third world countries, but they certainly are markets where F1 is less than a tradition! Yet Spa, Silverstone, Monza, and other venues--where FI IS a tradition--struggle for Bernie's continued blessing. A real shame, to say the least.

 

I'm sure that by now all of us are aware of the tragic death of Indycar driver Dan Wheldon.

His death has brought to the forefront (again) the talk of how safe open cockpit cars are. The FIA and F1 have again initiated talk of the use of fully enclosed driver's cockpits by employing a jet fighter canopy over the driver's enclosure...


Cockpit Canopies Again Under Discussion After Wheldon Accident

by James Allen, October 17, 2011

The accident which killed British racing driver Dan Whedon yesterday in an Indycar race at Las Vegas has raised a number of safety questions, including the wisdom of running 34 open wheel cars on a tight 1.5 mile oval track such as Las Vegas with an average speed of 220mph.

But it has also revived discussion about the possible use of canopies to make the drivers safer in the cockpit from flying wheels or debris, as happened with Felipe Massa and Henry Surtees.

The FIA Institute has done some work in this area and produced some interesting content in the current edition of its quarterly magazine, IQ. A video of their recent canopy test is posted below. There is no suggestion at this stage that a canopy might have saved Wheldon, but a moment like this always calls for the sport to reflect on safety issues and consider the work that’s already being done.

The work has been carried out by FIA Institute Technical Advisor, Andy Mellor, along with Institute Research Consultants Peter Wright and Hubert Gramlin. Prompted by the F1 Technical Working Group, which comprises senior engineers from F1 teams as well as FIA technical people, they’ve been looking into the possible benefits – and drawbacks – of adding some form of additional protection to the open-cockpit area of F1 cars.

According to IQ, “The aim was simple: to fire a Formula One wheel and tyre, together weighing 20kg, at 225km/h into, first, a polycarbonate windshield and, second, a jet fighter canopy made from aerospace-spec polycarbonate, and measure what happens (all close-up observations being recorded by strategically positioned high-speed film cameras).”

The canopy was the same as used on an F-16 fighter jet. The FIA Institute team wanted to see how it would cope with an F1 wheel and tyre.

The answer was that whereas the windshield shattered, the F-16 canopy deflected the object away from the cockpit where the driver would be seated, says Mellor, “It was possible to see that the windshield did manage to deflect the wheel over the space that would be occupied by the driver’s helmet, but in so doing it sustained significant damage.

“The canopy, however, deflected the wheel assembly suffering no permanent deformation. And viewing the canopy impact in slow motion shows it flexing to absorb impact energy, before ‘launching’ the wheel and tyre away. ”

The results are currently with the F1 Technical Working Group. It is is the first stage of the process. According to IQ, any debate on implementation would have to take account of a number of known drawbacks, such as: Visibility, Optical quality, Ventilation, Cleaning, Access and Emergency exit of the driver.

Here is a link to the FIA's video of the test of the canopy v. windscreen