1381 replies to this topic

[Nacho]

So much fail..

1) Renault gets engine upgrade, but nobody else. Basically Toyota and whoever picks up Honda get screwed.

2) Homologation on any parts that actually make any sort of performance increase in '10.

3) Refueling ban.

All hail Lewis Hamilton, the last true Formula 1 champion.

[Redliner]

How did the FOTA deem this all to be okay? What good are they?! Doesn't anyone care what we think? We're the ones ultimately lining their pockets...

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

How did the FOTA deem this all to be okay? What good are they?! Doesn't anyone care what we think? We're the ones ultimately lining their pockets...

some of the stuff does make sense though..

mechanical purging of tires: overcomplicated and doesn't add anything to the 'show'. the only time you might even hear about this is during the pre-race RPM segment

restrictions on scaling of wind tunnel experiments: saves cost for the guys who don't already own a 1:1 tunnel

standardized radio/telemetry: no reason that each team needs their own proprietary data logging and radio comms equipment. plus it will possibly mean a ban on encrypted radio communications

shared tire and fuel data: once again fuel and tire degradation data don't add to the racing, if anything it will bring the field closer together



now the whole homologation crap sounds like if you develop a part and it was expensive then they'll ban it.. the team with the best car in F1 will be the one who can build effective parts out of paper mache and cardboard.

[Nacho]

now the whole homologation crap sounds like if you develop a part and it was expensive then they'll ban it.. the team with the best car in F1 will be the one who can build effective parts out of paper mache and cardboard.

Red Bull's been testing?

[_R_]

Today's World Motor Sport Council meeting confirmed that the World Rally Championship will become a Super 2000-based series from 2010, as predicted by autosport.com yesterday.

A proposal to base the WRC on both Super 2000 and Group N cars was rejected following the World Rally Championship Commission's concerns over the cost implications of trying to level the playing field between the two cars.

The decision means that every manufacturer will be forced to introduce a new car for 2010, including Subaru who only entered their new Impreza part-way through the 2008 season.

A statement from the World Motor Sport Council said: "The 2010 World Rally Car will be S2000 based. However, the removable kit, already adopted by the WMSC, will be redefined with no electronic benefits, or similar upgrades, to ensure cost reductions.

"The new S2000-based World Rally Car will only be permitted for use on World Rally Championship events."

The FIA also confirmed that Group N cars, including the existing S2000, will be retained in the Production Car World Rally Championship, and that - as predicted by autosport.com - it is in negotiations with Ralliart Italy to supply and service Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution cars for the Pirelli Star Drive winners to contest their designated WRC events in during 2009 and 2010.

If Loeb keeps to his word, 2009 will be his last season then...
Subaru might pull as well...

[_R_]

why the ban on tire warmers?
i thought they said that was okay after the drivers freaked out about the lack of grip?
it's not like it's going to save the money or cost them money?

[Redliner]

some of the stuff does make sense though..

mechanical purging of tires: overcomplicated and doesn't add anything to the 'show'. the only time you might even hear about this is during the pre-race RPM segment

restrictions on scaling of wind tunnel experiments: saves cost for the guys who don't already own a 1:1 tunnel

standardized radio/telemetry: no reason that each team needs their own proprietary data logging and radio comms equipment. plus it will possibly mean a ban on encrypted radio communications

shared tire and fuel data: once again fuel and tire degradation data don't add to the racing, if anything it will bring the field closer together



now the whole homologation crap sounds like if you develop a part and it was expensive then they'll ban it.. the team with the best car in F1 will be the one who can build effective parts out of paper mache and cardboard.

It's the homologation of the parts, the possibility of a single KERS-tender, and the fact that engines aren't allowed to have a difference in power. They're building them all to spec-hp output. That's *boring* We'll never have days where a higher hp Merc is chasing down a Ferrari after Eau Rouge ever again

The show...the show needs to be like the early 90s again. Chassis dragging aero with slicks and tons of HP. I really don't understand why they even bother putting out fan surveys. It's not like anyone actually listens to the fans...

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

The show...the show needs to be like the early 90s again. Chassis dragging aero with slicks and tons of HP. I really don't understand why they even bother putting out fan surveys. It's not like anyone worth a damn actually listens to the fans...

fixed.
f1 racing magazine and autosport still do

[vietlol]

If Loeb keeps to his word, 2009 will be his last season then...
Subaru might pull as well...

six consecutive titles isnt bad to go out on

[vietlol]

So much fail..

1) Renault gets engine upgrade, but nobody else. Basically Toyota and whoever picks up Honda get screwed.

2) Homologation on any parts that actually make any sort of performance increase in '10.

3) Refueling ban.

What I gather from this is that the FIA took a look at all the engines and found that Renault was the only one significantly out of whack v0v

I think Honda especially might have used the engine excuse, but their car was just shit.

This makes me quite optimistic about Renault's chances in 09 if they did so well at the end of 08 with an underpowered engine and just Alonso/Chassis powah

[vietlol]

Twelve-year-old German F1 star Sebastian Vettel has been in a relationship with schoolyard sweetheart Hanna Prater for some time, but the folks at Bild have noticed the relationship status on his official website has changed from “ledig” (”unmarried”) to “single” (er, single).

Unlike Hamilton and Nicole ‘I like to hang around in the pits and hug people’ Scherzinger, Vettel seldom took his lady to the track on race day. When asked why, he simply said: “Other men don’t bring their wives to the office.”

[HighTachPres]

^^^^
Vettel is turning into one of my favorites

[Shi]

12 yr old

[_R_]

Suzuki has decided to pull out of the World Rally Championship with immediate effect due to the world's financial crisis.

"In responding to the contraction of the automotive sales caused by recent global economic turmoil, Suzuki has been promptly taking possible countermeasures including the reassessment of its global production output," said the Japanese car maker in a statement.

"The company, however, foresees the shrinking trend in longer periods of time rather than a short-term phenomenon.

"To secure its own business environment for tomorrow, the organization reviews every aspect of the operations and decided to focus on the core business functions such as the manufacturing system, environment technologies, and development of new-generation powertrains. As a result, Suzuki concluded to suspend the WRC activities from 2009."

Suzuki is the second major car maker to pull out of a world championship in the last 10 days, with Honda having announced their exit from Formula One.

Suzuki started its participation in the Junior World Rally Championship in 2002, before moving to the WRC in 2008 with its Junior champion Per-Gunnar Andersson and the experienced Toni Gardemeister.

The team struggled for speed and particularly reliability in the opening rounds, and by mid-season there were already rumours that the SX4 WRC project would be short-lived.

However, despite this uncertainty, Suzuki made good progress in the final part of the championship, with Andersson finishing fifth in both Japan and Great Britain, having run in the top three in the latter event.

The Japanese company said it would continue to support its customer teams taking part in the JWRC.

"Suzuki expresses its great appreciation to sponsors and fans around the world for their strong support to its activities," it added. "The company will continue to provide valued products for its customers by utilising the experiences earned through the JWRC and WRC activities."

and they started to get good at the end of the season...

this is going well...

[yonson]

^^^^
Vettel is turning into one of my favorites

My next favourite driver is looking not to be a Finn

[vietlol]

Finns sucks at driving heard it here first

[yonson]

Finns sucks at driving heard it here first

tone down the disrespect...

[MrHahn]

Finns sucks at driving anything not sideways heard it here first

fixed.


Juha Kankkunen FTW

[Redliner]

Porsche drops from ALMS too! WTF!!!!

edit: I should read. They dropped out of the P2 category but remains in the GT categories. Still, the wtf levels are still there

PRESS RELEASE:

It's been a roller coaster of a week for the American Le Mans Series. Last Friday, Audi served up a curve ball worthy of Sandy Koufax when, seemingly out of the blue, it revealed it would not compete in the 2009 Series after the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida. Coming on the heels of the not-unexpected news that Porsche had elected not to compete in LMP2 next year on a factory level, Audi's announcement was - if not devastating - worrisome news.

Seven days later, however, Mazda and Dyson Racing confirmed they will join forces in 2009 for a two-car LMP2 effort. While Mazda's decision to double its effort with one of the Series' top independent teams hardly balances-out the loss of two manufacturers who regularly fielded six prototypes in recent seasons, it goes a long way to nullify the perception that the Series is hemorrhaging manufacturers. In fact, given that BMW confirmed its plans for a GT2 program a fortnight ago and that Porsche's commitment to GT2 remains steadfast, the number of auto makers committed to the '09 schedule remains essentially unchanged from last year. And with a new, two-car LMP1 program and a continuing (if reduced) LMP2 effort, Acura is more committed to the Series then ever.

Still, there's no denying prototype racing circa 2009 will lack some of the pizzaz of recent seasons. Where once Porsche and Acura went toe-to-toe in an LMP2 battle that, often as not, threatened Audi (and occasionally Peugeot) for overall victory, now it will be a surprise if Acura does not win more or less at its leisure in LMP1 with any opposition from LMP2 for the overall victory offered by Mazda and, er, Acura.

On the other hand, GT2 figures to be more fiercely-contested ever, what with the welcome addition of BMW and (after Le Mans) Corvette with ANOTHER manufacturer in the wings. Indeed, this figures to be a dream season for GT2: not only a battle royal among a host of the world's leading auto makers, but an opportunity to emerge from the shadows of the prototypes.

No two ways about it, though, Audi will be missed. Just why the German automaker opted for a Sebring-only American Le Mans Series program this year is hard to define. Audi was sending all the right signals to the Series last year, from its less than top-secret decision to develop a successor to the mighty R10 TDI to Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich's upbeat comments at the post-season banquet about competing with Acura in 2009.

While the worldwide economic meltdown is an obvious reason, nowhere in its official statements did Audi even mention the worrisome economic environment as a factor in its decision.

Some have opined there must be more to this than meets the eye; that Audi would hardly have taken on the design and development of the R15 just to race at Sebring and Le Mans. And if Audi's '09 focus is beating Peugeot in Turbo Diesel Smackdown III at Le Mans, wouldn't competing in the American Le Mans Series after Sebring be the best way to develop the R15?

Not necessarily. For after Sebring come St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Miller Motorsports Park - the latter the only one of the three on a pure road circuit and thus the only one remotely close to approximating the environment of le Sarthe. Perhaps the plan is to dispense with those street races and focus on Le Mans in '09 before embarking on a more ambitious program for 2010 - a variation on Audi's modus operandi with the R10 which, it will be recalled, debuted at Sebring in '06, was replaced by the venerable R8 at Houston, Mid-Ohio and Lime Rock, then returned to complete the post-Le Mans part of the schedule prior to a complete seasons in '07 and '08.

Then again, some have connected the dots and concluded Audi has other fish to fry in North America, namely an IndyCar Series that is actively pursuing additional manufacturers for the 2011 season, the centennial of the Indianapolis 500. Audi's name has been frequently mentioned in association with the ICS; indeed, Audi is widely seen as the manufacturer most likely to join Honda competing at the pinnacle of American open wheel racing.

What is known, however, is that Mazda is taking what was already the most comprehensive commitment to American racing by an automotive manufacturer to the next level. To its support of grass roots competition, the MX-5 Cup, Skip Barber National and MazdaSpeed Challenge series, Star Mazda and Formula Atlantic, now add a top shelf prototype program to which the stars of the MazdaSpeed Motorsports Development ladder can aspire...and rest assured Audi's departure hardly leaves the American Le Mans Series manufacturers cupboard bare.

[Skyliner]

Trulli says he will win a race in 2009

[Redliner]

Trulli says he will win a race in 2009

It is good for everyone to have hope. I hope to win the lottery next year

[MrHahn]

Porsche drops from ALMS too! WTF!!!!

edit: I should read. They dropped out of the P2 category but remains in the GT categories. Still, the wtf levels are still there

I had a feeling Porsche were going to do that all along. They recently developed direct injection and changed the capacity of the RS Spyder - The only reason they'd pull out the factory teams is for the privateers, Porsche has been known to do that before.

[vietlol]

Trulli says he will win a race in 2009

This is my year

-DC

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

Trulli says he will win a race in 2009

what he meant to say was that toyota have the deepest pockets, and he'll be winning races next year when there's nobody else for him to race against because everyone pulled out of f1.

[DrDickAction]

Trulli says he will win a race in 2009

right after quick nick