F1 2009 megathread

Even among "spec" formula racers there is still a big gap between a front running car and a midpack car.There will always be room for team tweeking/improvising.You can't expect to just buy a Form mazda off craigs list and go win a national race.....or could you:redface:
 
Re: In our humble paddock

Even among "spec" formula racers there is still a big gap between a front running car and a midpack car.
true, there is a big gap, but it's not the equipment. Our track record holder at all 3 major central CA tracks has been a close friend for the 5 years I've been racing and I can verify the speed is in his hands, not the equipment. To keep a car in good shape and running strong, there just isn't that much to do and it's common knowledge anyway. No secrets in spec series club racing. He was just telling me last Sunday that he typically only puts the car on the scales at the beginning of the year. Based on what I know of him and his schedule, I believe it.

So, I could put the Kipster in my car and he'd prolly be within a second of pole time in a weekend and then winning next month. People would be going; "whoa nelly, who dat? :eek: that ain't old Tedrow in the car !!!" :wink: Hmmmmmmmmm, now there's a thought. :tongue:
 
Interresting,I have heard just the opposite for spec miata:confused:
 
Honda's gone, and now BMW too. Rumors of Renault and Toyota to follow. Will we soon have a homologous series like Champ Cars?

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090729183210.shtml

Formula1 hasn't always had or been about major car manufacturers. The only mfgr that has been there pretty much since the beginning, is Ferrari. Honda, Porsche, Jaguar, Lotus, Ford(Cosworth), and others have come and gone, a few several times, from F1. Most of these were just engine suppliers to private teams. All factory teams could go away, F1 would still live on.
 
Re: Helmet Tech & History

Watching the video of Massa's helmet strike was quite painful!
Dont' know if many of you saw this article, but Gib, Snell's chief engineer, thought enough of it to send it to me, so if you're into helmet tech or racing history, it's a good read.
 
Re: Those fendered' bastards !!!!

That's just not right. :rolleyes:

Is that you driving?
Yeah, my first faultable contact (requiring a meeting with the Stewards) in 5 years. And the guy (his first SCCA race) refused to take responsibility; apparently saying I owed him racing room. I couldn't f'ing believe it. I should have hauled his ass to the Steward of the Meet with the video and gotten him a stiff penalty, but it was 105F, 430 PM on Sunday and all I wanted to do was load up and go home. But I made my point to him on the Sports Racer Forum, very hostile territory for us FM guys. :eek:
 
Wow Ted, I would have chewed him up right there and then - or did you have your cool suit on :wink: What was he thinking dive bombing when you had the line ............. and the flagger was still looking with no yellow flag coming out.

Hope the damage is not major.
 
Re: Fire that flagger !!!

and the flagger was still looking with no yellow flag coming out.
Hadn't realized that. I was more than a little pissed off that he didn't see the incident well enough to have an opinion of fault but there were several cars both ahead and behind so he was busy. It was pretty wild out there, but forgetting to flag, how bad is that?? :mad::mad: I guess that SOB was as green as the DSR that hit me.

Good news is the damage looks to be fairly minor (a sidepod and a radiator), but I havent' torn it down yet, so keep your fingers crossed.
 
Re: the race world is drooling.......

Time to get this thread back on track :tongue:
Schumi is back! Love it. But jeez, what a weird season in Formula One. At this pace, I half expect to see Sasquatch humping the Loch Ness Monster on a live F1 feed during the Euro GP.
Well, the old man is almost dead even with Jensen on the odds of winning Valencia. Keep an eye on this. {except you, Reb; don't look; I'm serious; Fred's not on there....at all!!!:eek:}
 
Re: "A man's got to know his limitations"

I feel some sympathy for Nelsino Piquet:

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5471513,00.html

If his account is true then perhaps another team will realize it and bring him on.
Well, given his situation under Flaming Flav and Fred, I can see that he might have gotten screwed in ways other than equipment and engineering support. Racers, to be good, have to be somewhat emotional to be motivated and they don't need the negative input. They may not show the emotions, but it's there. (The 2 fastest guys I personally know in club racing (track record holders) never talk smack or show any emotions, but I've come to see the pride and competitiveness is alway boiling just below the surface.) And some racers can't handle the negative type of pressure that Peaky got.

As for talent, obviously some superstars in the lower series did not have enough to make the quantum leap to F-1. Bourdais is a case in point on the emotions issue and probably on talent as well. Is Peaky in that boat? Can't tell since he's had his dad "helping" all the way along.

It will be interesting to see if Peaky can stay and win. He's likeable enough and that always helps with the engineers. And prolly his Dad will find him another chance. But he's got to show some talent, and the Speed pundits have expressed doubt. :frown:

As David Coulthard recently said to Brad Spurgeon:

“It was a realistic, it was a professional decision,” he said of his decision to retire at 37 last year. “I was given world championship winning cars, I didn’t win the world championship; there’s a connection. You know? Good, not good enough.”
 
Re: Calling Shawn.......

I know you're burning out or maybe just taking a break, but ya gotta love this

Schumacher’s Preparation

.......This would be around 1995 or 1996, I believe, although it may have been earlier. In any case, what I saw that weekend was a bunch of F1 and other high level drivers going to Bercy to have a fun weekend racing go-karts against each other and against go-karting champions of the day. In between the various practice sessions and qualifying and races, most of the other drivers lounged out, ate, slept, chatted. Michael, however, spent the whole time working on his go-kart himself, and with his mechanic. Not only that, but he spent the time flitting back and forth between his go-kart and that of his little brother, Ralf, who was there and also more interested in lounging around while his brother worked on his kart for him. (Michael had always been Ralf’s go-karting mechanic.) You could see the passion in Michael’s eye and application working on the karts - in between being solicited by the people who managed to get into the paddock area, asking for his autograph. And then, yes, Michael won the weekend’s feature race.

I can just see him preparing his return to F1 the same way. Wouldn’t that be amazing if he won?!
 
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Re: Don't look Shawn

They're just baiting you Schumi lovers with the "next year-3rd car" news. :eek: For your own piece of mind, you need to heal and not look at any of the websites for at least a week. By then, they'll be focusing on the race and not the rest of this B.S. And then you can come back out and gnash your teeth over Brawn's attempts to salvage their pride and performance. :rolleyes:

Just tryin' to help, doncha know. :tongue:
 
The drama is heart wrenching. Not sure I can handle much more. I thought for sure that McLaren was going to bring back Mika just to add to the crescendo of F1 fervor...

And now all that excitement for naught. I feel like the F1 equivalent of blue balls. Frack.
 
Re: Guess the old circus is just ho-hum?

Well, the Schumi circus was quickly over not long after the FOTA/breakaway circus left town. So, we're back to the old circus of the Brawn-Red Bull fight.

Guess it's old hat though, since I have not seen any Brackley factory leaks (real or imagined) or any teeth-gnashing, desk-pounding, anguished cries here or anywhere over whether or not the Killer Bees have solved their problem or if they're as dead as a 22 day old worker bee (life span=20 days).

Well, nevertheless, I'm starting to move up to the edge of my seat for this weekend. Hope the buzz on WindTunnel next Sunday nite is that Ross is still the golden boy.
 
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