If you go by what Formula Money says, the cancellation of the first race of the 2011 F1 season will cost the organization and the teams Eu 70 million, $100 million. Of that total amount, 40% would be missed income by the teams and among them, the biggest single loser would be Scuderia Ferrari who forfeit Euro 8 Million in sponsorship. Mind boggling.
This explains why there was much reticence in canceling and why they will try their hardest to squeeze the race in at the end of the season. (Photo: Kristof Vermeulen/Raceshots.be info: Autosprint) end of post
Nice review, missing one obvious question from our tracktard point of view: in the rain we would have put the engine to "track" but the suspension on "soft", can you do that on the. 12c?? I certainly hope the answer is yes...
But what I'm guessing is that keeping it in stiff mode in the wet is the only way to get some photo friendly slides going in this, the only super car I'm aware of with an open differential, a car not even Lewis Hamilton can slide properly as the video after the jump suggests...
Short and sweet, a minute and a half for a lap around one of the world's great tracks, Road Atlanta. You are onboard the Doran Design, Robertson Racing Ford GT. Enjoy.
Sometimes, when rules allow it, they even go rally. In France, Spain, Portugal and Germany if I'm not mistaken, Porsche GT3 Cup cars, along with Ferrari Challenge can take part in national championship rallies in the GT Plus class.
Below is a clip of a 996 cup testing and doing shock setup in France. Check out that piece of undulating road, if your shocks work there...
Don't worry, Rihanna stops 1:30 in then it's all good, more than good actually.
The best part about this video aside from the huge PR coup for Porsche is that Webbo points out the obvious: even the GT2 RS, at the moment arguably the most badass production car on the market, is still a " slightly naughty street car, with AC and sat nav..". ... A message sure NOT to resonate with many an Internet forum racers..
So what is Mark's GT2 RS missing? Well, for sure a bike rack and while you're at it, why not drive many Porschistas livid with rage, rip out that useless scaffolding and install the rear seats!?! 911 do make such great Sport Utility Vehicles!
It's really not a bad dilemma to have, Axis Styles has a BMW 1M coming but he just cannot make up his mind on the color... personally, I think the choice is obvious but what do you think? Help the man make his decision, vote on the poll on the right. We promise to steal his keys and rip on that car as soon as he gets it! (photoshop: 1addicts)end of post
Senna, the movie, sure has a lot of hype to live up to. There have been so many books written, so many documentaries that you have to wonder if there is anything new left to learn about Ayrton. The Freep, Stee, Styles and I went to find out on Sunday afternoon.
This latest documentary is trying to appeal to a broader audience than just the Formula 1 fanatics. Senna is painted very much like the Zen monk of racing, a man for whom racing was not simply going faster on a track but part of a mystical quest. Lose yourself in speed and you will find God, Ayrton describes a moment at the 1988 Monaco GP where he feels himself as if driving beyond his own consciousness. You remember 88 of course, Senna ended up in the Aarmco at Portier throwing away a certain win, something he blamed on dropping out of that mystical state and relaxing. The monk learns a hard lesson. but he bounces back, better, stronger.
A hero needs a nemesis and the man who comes out the worse is by far Alain Prost, painted as a whiny, backstabbing bastard who only won because he had the support of Jean Marie Balestre. In reality both drivers made Schumacher's tactics seem like sunday school stuff, culminating with Senna's suicidal/homicidal move in Suzuka in 1990. Much is made about Prost's contract with Williams forbidding Senna as a teammate but nothing is mentioned about Senna doing something similar to Dereck Warwick when at Lotus. There is of course no mention of Senna punching out Eddie Irvine for having the gall to unlap himself in Japan 1993. But also, not much is made of Ayrton's quest for safety (no mention of him saving Eric Comas?) a quest he ironically helped achieve in death.
So, is the movie worth seeing or is it just another rehash? Well, if you are looking for an complete history of Senna's life, this is not your movie. "Senna" glosses over many key elements of his career, for example there is no mention at all of his intense rivalry with Nelson Piquet, very little is said about 1993 but it focuses instead on his own drive to win and the political obstacles in his way.
The movie includes some fantastically restored footage and looks great on a big screen. There are many never before seen moments, especially interesting: clips from drivers meeting, one of Ayrton seemingly baffled by the evil handling of his Williams FW16 and unable to communicate with his engineers, a touching moment with Ron Dennis before the final race on 1993, a Brazilian TV interview with Rubens Barrichello so in awe of standing next to the great Senna that he can barely speak (a metaphor for his subsequent career?).
I think in the end, "The Right to Win" is a more complete and satisfying movie for a fan but the filmmakers have made "Senna" into a well paced and effective piece telling a very compelling story and it's great to see in a theater so yeah, definitively don't miss it. It's just that painting Ayrton a little less saint like would have made him seem more human and perhaps even more sympathetic.
Senna is playing in New York at the City Cinemas Village East on 2nd Avenue and 12th street, at 12:30 and 2:30 this next week. .
All kinds of rumors about the Alfa Romeo 4c, including that it would never see the light of day but now Auto magazine confirms a prototype will be shown In Geneva, early March with production starting in 2012.
Dallara designed carbon tub chassis mated with the current 1750cc turbo four, would give the 4c performance along the lines of a Cayman S, placing it in a market segment where the Fiat group in not playing in at the moment.
If it looks anything like this rendering and the price point is what is rumored (significantly less expensive than the Cayman), it will be insanely desirable.
Recently while reading a cool article on Wired Autopia about driving a 300 SL, I remembered that years ago, as I was sorting through my grandfather's papers, I had come across the owner's manual for the Mercedes 300SL he used to own in the fifties while working as a Life magazine photographer in Paris. Unfortunately he did not keep the car which he remembered as being hot and "impractical" (face palm). I think he traded it for a Jag and regretted it the rest of his life. Wonder where it ended up?
I thought you'd get a kick out of it so I scanned the whole thing. A lot of talk recently about how you need to connect emotionally to cars and how some enjoy mechanical interface complexities... how about a car that needs all of its 97 grease nipples greased at regular intervals? Kidding aside, my how the world of cars has changed, this manual has everything from what kind of fluid to put in the radiator ( make sure river water is well filtered) to how to apply your own wheel weights. Of course there are recommendations for a "racing" tire pressure inflation and instructions on how to bleed your brakes.
Some of the more eye opening facts about the 300 SL I learned here: the fuel tank held 34 Gallons/130liters and the block held 4 gallons of oil! What can you find in there?
If you are using an iPad, you can download the .pdf to view in iBooks --> here end of post
I'm guessing you read his anti Ferrari rant on Jalopnik by now. More than the "revelation" manufacturers serve up cheater cars and seek to influence the outcome of tests would be to know what pushed @Harrismonkey over the edge.
In any case, can we put a plug in for reviews like our shoot out between the Scud and the GT2? If we were able to do it, certainly real journalists could give it a shot more often!
Don't miss the comments below, some funny stuff there!
You'll read a lot about the 12C as the embargo on recent press drives was lifted today. I like this Mclaren video giving a peak at how these events go down, the best part is certainly watching journalists faces as they get a ride along with Jenson Button!.
We got to poke around the 12c a while back though only in static form, have a look HERE. Hopefully we will get to drive it in the future, perhaps put it through a proper test like with the GT2 and the Scuderia!
You got to love rallies: Petter Solberg was busted for speeding on a transition stage and local police confiscated his license. The only solution to finish the short final stage of Rally Sweden was to have co-driver Chriss Patterson get behind the wheel!
Patterson got to the end 51 seconds behind stage winner Ogier!
Faced with an onslaught of negative publicity, management at the Nürburgring turns to the courts to stop their critics and has the longest running Nürburgring fan forum shut down.
Specifics, which involve allegations of incompetence, corruption and collusion between local government and businessmen, are not easy to follow but suffice it to say that one side of the argument decided that if you just shut the other side up, the problem will go away.
With locals devided between the "if you can't beat them, join them" camp and those actively fighting "the man", it must be a very long winter in the Eiffel.
Evolution of Drift Angle by Helmut Deimel, should be part of the required curriculum of tracktard education. Here is the complete film. Don't say you have nothing to watch today! (hat tip to Master)
For the first time in what seems like forever, Citroens are not dominating a WRC event, well not yet anyway. Rally Sweden marks the debut of the new 1600cc formula and Ford has four cars in the top five spots after the first day.
Sebastien Loeb was on snowplow duty, having to sweep the course for everyone else, the other Sebatien, Ogier, had a little navigational issue, so it was four Fiestas up top after day one.
But don't count on the French team not to spoil the fiesta yet, Peter Solberg is still in the hunt despite a penalty. Loeb won a stage but a puncture put him quite a way down. Raikkonen has not crashed yet, Ken Block ended up in a snow bank and had to be dug out by fans and relegated to last in class. He did win an informal "longest jump" contest and tweeted about it though. Expect "Block hoons" headlines to pop up :)
Pino Allievi, the main motorsport man at Gazzetta dello Sport, interviewed Kubica today. I'll summarize and translate:
"...Kubica is already back to his own self, his own sense of irony, he says he's not homologated yet. He moves the injured hand " Fingers are working, I can feel them. Same with the arm. But they have to operate more, only after I will know..."
Robert is extremely lucid, his face relaxed, he's not feverish. His life is no longer in danger. "I'm sorry about what happened...It should not but I don't remember anything. My manager, Daniele Morelli explained it all to me"
"My parents came from Poland but they already left, I'm really sorry for my mom, to have made her suffer... I don't have much pain...they sedate me. After the final operation, the countdown to my return begins....One gets better after these crashes, It happened after my crash in Canada in 2007. There are new capacities and motivations that come out, I will be back stronger as a driver, with a better head game. I have to return this season and my right arm feels better than when I was hit by a drunk driver seven year ago..."
"I've asked myself why run rallies: it's training, very hard, very severe for Formula 1. It helps develop concentration....Will I do more? We'll see."
"It was nice to see Briatore, an exceptional person. Then came Alonso, Lopez, Petrov, Alesi, Liuzzi, it was nice. Racing does not allow you to see the real human side of people, too many conflicts.."
Robert would like to talk more but he gets tired quickly but for him, it's the start of a new life, a "better one" he assures us."
Some sensors and florescent paint from the Jerez test. After the jump, Notice how a characteristic of the top 2011 cars are the very short sidepods and low gearbox to allow as much space as possible for airflow to wrap around the rear and into the diffuse/rear wing area. (f1.photos.org)
Let's move on to something F1 that does not, at least not yet, involve lawyers.
You might have noticed or heard about Lotus Renault's (the black and gold one...) and their forward placed exhaust. This picture from AutoMotor und Sport and Autosprint hints that Mclaren did one better: they have the exhaust blowing from the leading edge of the lower tub, the knife edge about where the body ends and the nose begins. It must also be more or less below where Hamilton and Button's buttocks will rest so one would hope it's well insulated.
The idea is to blow hot air over the longest possible length of the underbody as possible. Rules prevent designers from blowing air through the floor as they did last season so this is an attempt to blow around the rule. Some who know aero more than I are not convinced but, as usual the proof will be in the lap times. In the meantime viva out of the box thinking!
I thought this might be a good tonic as we look forward, at least in our part of the world, to the damn snow melting and our engines firing up again. Turn it up and there is more after the jump... From Stephane Benini of Clashproduction
Granted this camera is not great in low light but CG said that's pretty much all he saw. He was pretty grateful for the faster class car leading the way at last week end's Porsche Club races at Sebring.
CG vanquished the competition by winning all his class races and taking the Enduro overall win against much faster cars. Congratulations man!
I know little more about it than you will after watching the promo for a documentary on this Anti-OCC/American Chopper event in San Francisco. I do confess to accasionally sharing some of the same "chip on shoulder" attitude at some fancy track dates with my M-Shoe though. :Sue me :)
Thanks to our reader Gabriele for finding this on board from Mauro Moreno's car in Sunday's Rally Andora. Moreno and navigator Corrado Bonato were starting immediately behind Robert Kubica's Skoda, were first on the scene and got out of the car to try to rescue their fellow driver.
At about 2:30, as they are climbing into the fog, Moreno remarks to his codriver how it's getting slippery. Soon after they come upon Kubica's wreck and immediately realize he was seriously hurt.
Kubica's condition as he arrived to the hospital were perhaps even worse than first thought. For one, as one might imagine as he was trapped for a scandalously long time with an forearm almost fully amputated, he lost a great quantity of blood, this was the first concern of medics as he arrived in the ER.
He remains sedated but he's been brought back to consciousness for checks. The hand is apparently satisfactorily warm but it will be over a year before the extent of nerve recuperation can be determined.
Robert also broke his elbow, shoulder, tibia and had a knee tendon severed. All of these have yet to be treated for fear of complication. (info Gazzetta dello Sport)
here is Lotus Renault's press release today
07.02.11 UPDATE ON ROBERT KUBICA
Robert’s general condition is much better today.
After spending the night under constant observation, he was briefly woken up by the doctors of the Santa Corona Hospital (Pietra Ligure) this morning. The Lotus Renault GP driver was then able to talk to his relatives. He was also able to move his fingers, which is encouraging for the rest of his recovery process.
Professor Mario Igor Rossello, Director for the Regional Centre of Hand Surgery at San Paolo Hospital in Savona, did not notice any swelling or infection on his right forearm, and this is another good sign, although it will be several days before it is known if the operation has been 100% successful.
In order to avoid any physical stress, Robert will be put under gentle medication in order to sleep for the next 24 hours at least. Meanwhile, the doctors will decide how they will treat his elbow and shoulder fractures. Robert may have to undergo surgery once again for this, but not for a few days.
Lotus Renault GP wishes to thank the Hospital of San Paolo (Savona) and the Santa Corona Hospital (Pietra Ligure) for their professional approach and their dedication.
Lotus Renault GP will issue another update on Robert’s condition later this evening. end of post
Chevrolet and Transformers 3 have teamed up to bring you a Super Bowl commercial! This spot, which features Bumblebee transforming into the 426-hp Camaro SS, can be found on the Chevrolet YouTube channel at HERE. You should also check out their explosive car chase at HERE.
Don’t wait until the big game to see these. Get a leg up on your friends and catch a sneak peak now!
Disclaimer: In full disclosure, this post is part of a sponsorship campaign with Chevy/GM in coordination with Lijit Networks, Inc. for SuperBowl XLV. I received compensation for these posts, about a set of rear brake pads worth, I'm sure you tracktards understand ! :)
Reports say he suffered multiple fractures he might lose the use of one hand. Terrible news for Robert Kubica who was contesting the Rally Andora in Italy when he lost control of his Skoda Fabia, slammed against a wall and was trapped in the car. The guard rail penetrated the car and it took a long time, a shocking 90 minutes, to extricate Robert who was then airlifted to a hospital where he is being kept in an induced coma.
An official statement from Lotus Renault GP was non committal, but I would guess Bruno Senna will step in.
Get well soon Robert!
UPDATE: Kubica is as of 8AM ET in surgery with a team of orthopedic specialists. There are more serious concern because of internal bleeding. Kubica was first attended at the scene by the crew of the next car behind, Mauro Moreno and Corrado Bonato. Bonato has said that the scene looked bad with Kubica crushed in the car and with "the guard rail passing through his foot".
UPDATE: This news report showing the accident aftermath claims Robert had an arm amputated, I have no other confirmations of this! proceed with caution. Kubica is said in the report to have suffered head injuries and a broken femur as well.
Video from the scene would suggest Robert must have hit the end of a guard rail with the metal penetrating the car as earlier reports suggested.
Final Update: Doctors were able to save Robert's limbs but question remain as to the functionality of his right hand. It's fairly safe to say he will be out for at least most of the season.
Check out this clip. I know it's an ad but tell me you don't feel like running out, buying a big BMW, KTM or in this case, a Yamaha Super Tenerè ( how's that for a cool name?) and hitting the trail for a week... Amazing piece of kit.
Scuderia Hanseat is the grand daddy of all high performance driving schools, founded in 1958, it is expensive, exhaustive and by all accounts a fantastic learning experience. Since its beginnings 52 years ago, Scuderia- Hanseat has run their classes on the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring and were all set to run the 2011 edition when they got a call from the office at the track....
New management, Nurburgring Automotive GmbH declared their previously negotiated contract renewal null and void and demanded more money for less track time. Hanseat was forced to cancel or face a 60% increase in fees.
This mirrors rumors that the Nurburgring has demanded a 10x increase in fees charged to the motor industry pool for their testing days at the track. As you may know almost all major manufacturers maintain a testing base at the ring and use the track about 3 days a week. The rumored fee increase, coupled with requirement of included lodging in Nurburgring owned hotels, has apparently resulted in Pirelli dropping out first.
While some will argue that the Motor Pool was getting too good a deal, it's harder to argue forcing a company like Scuderia Hanseat out is a good move, Check out Hanseat's full press release after the jump
Freitag, 04. Februar 2011 Scuderia Hanseat has to cancel their Spring course - for the first time since 52 years.
Scuderia Hanseat has cancelled their Spring course - for the first time since 52 years.
This is the Press Release from today (thanks to Frank for the translation!)
A fast buck instead of sporting tradition – is this the end of the Nurburgring?
The Nürburgring is a legend. Even people who have nothing to do with motorsports know about its importance. And now this legendary track is in danger. When profit comes before tradition, then there is reason to be concerned. The Automotive GmbH is now managing the day to day running of the Nurburgring and the company is not afraid to snub and offend regular customers and motorsport fans in a way that has not been seen before in this usually quite fairly run business. The case involving the Scuderia Hanseat is given as case in point here.
Scuderia Hanseat was founded by well known motorsport personas 52 years ago. The list of instructors reads like a who-is-who of motorsport: Edgar Barth, Graf de Beaufort, Richard von Frankenberg, Paul Frère, Helm Glöckler, Hans Herrmann, Stirling Moss, the legendary Hans Stuck, Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips – to name only a few.
For 52 years has the Scuderia Hanseat organised two major yearly training courses for sports drivers on the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit at the Nurburgring. Every course saw around 300 drivers from 20 nations take part, with many big names from the world of showbiz and business attending, such as the King of Sweden and his son who both attended multiple times. This tradition, success and not least promotion of the region is now under threat of being destroyed by the new management of the Nurburgring.
Due to expiry of the contract on 31.12.2010, a new five-year contract had already been signed between the former management of the Nürburgring GmbH and representatives of the Scuderia Hanseat on the 01.08.2009. As in previous years, everything from the time frame of the event, over days for the courses, right down to pricing was firmly agreed on. The management of the Automotive GmbH then approached Scuderia Hanseat unexpectedly with requests for changes to the contract.
In a still relaxed atmosphere both sides tried to find a mutually acceptable solution. On 31.12.2010, a new draft contract was submitted by the Automotive GmbH. This draft was wholly unacceptable as far as Scuderia Hanseat was concerned. The course days and periods were changed and other terms and conditions were also altered. In particular, track times were shortened considerably. In return, track rent experienced an extreme increase and additional costs were also introduced – this would have increased the total package cost by 60%.
Attempts to reach an amicable settlement unfortunately failed. Scuderia Hanseat is currently considering legal action – firstly, to claim damages for the Spring 2011 course, which is now unfortunately canceled (for the first time in the history of the school), and secondly to force the Automotive GmbH to honour the existing contracts.
It is regrettable that, at Scuderia Hanseat alone, 80 staff members and hundreds of drivers are affected by the business tactics of Automotive GmbH. And surely this is just one example. Moreover, these business tactics by the new “Ring Masters” are depriving the local hospitality industry, the car industry and the local towns and regions of valuable income.
Here are just a few key points about this:
3200 overnight stays in the immediate vicinity of the ring Petrol consumption in excess of € 100,000.00 per course Loss of shopping, eating / entertainment revenue in places like Adenau, Daun, Mayen und Bad Neuenahr. For more information, please contact Scuderia hanseat: Scuderia Hanseat Tel: +49 40 390 50 86 eMail: info [at] scuderia-hanseat.de
ports say he suffered multiple fractures he might lose the use of one hand. Terrible news for
