Motor Racing Nirvana

[LariatTom]

Good weekend for motorsport. Second round of the WEC was yesterday from Spa. Audi dominated and Toyota look to be struggling, though it could just be that they hadn't run Spa before with the TS030. The new car was reckoned to be around a second quicker than the 2012 model and they don't seem to have got that quite right, but their fuel consumption is greatly improved and the long tail which will be used for Le Mans (and was tested on the #3 Audi) worked well. Great race though with fights throughout the field going right the way until the end of the race.

 

European F3 series were supporting DTM at Hockenheim too and produced three cracking races. Marciello looks to be running away with the championship after nine races and already has double the points of anyone else. All it could take it one bad weekend to bring others right into the hunt though. Great to see Josh Hill with a cracking drive in race 2 to get onto the podium.

 

Then there was the first round of the DTM with the inclusion of option tyres and DRS. If you haven't seen the DRS on these cars in action, check it out. It's a bit funny since the wings just look broken (I believe they have a 15 degree flex when activated) but they seemed to work during the race as we actually saw some overtaking. Timo Glock put in a great showing for his first DTM race and was running as high as second before an error in his first pitstop meant the right rear wasn't attached properly and decided to make a bid for freedom down the back straight. He was quick, feisty and comfortable overtaking and among the pack so he can look forward to a good first season. It'd be quite nice for Timo to be an F1 driver to successfully make the switch to DTM and be competitive.

[BigJag]

WRC was in Argentina this past weekend. Loeb was making one of his three guest drives here,and completely dominated the rally. How is this guy so good? Can't seem to find any tv coverage anywhere. Anyone know who has the rights this year? I was sure Motors TV would have been showing it,it isn't on their listings though.

[444 4444]

The BRDC Formula 4 championship started in Silverstone yesterday and even though they are short races it was very entertaining. Some great wheel to wheel racing at times - definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Edited May 6, 2013 by 444 4444

[BigJag]

WRC on ITV 4 at 2000.

[BigJag]

Seems I completely missed the Indy 500 yesterday. Catching the replay now. Dario Franchitti starts way down in 17th,two seconds off the pace. Katherine Legge of England is in the race.

[LariatTom]

Without spoiling it, the 500 was an absolutely fantastic race. People can knock the DW12 as much as they like for it being an ugly looking car...but my, it certainly produces some great racing. That was one of the best 500s I've seen in recent year, not only for the level of excitement that it produced during the race but also for the winner.

 

Best of all, not a single discussion about dodgy Pirelli tyres in sight!

 

Also, Pippa Mann (returning after her horrible accident a few years ago) and Justin Wilson were in the race. 4 Brits from a field of 33 isn't too shabby.

Edited May 27, 2013 by LariatTom

[cogitoergozoomo]

James Jakes was in there as well to make it 5. Biggest British presence for a few years. No idea why Mike Conway wasn't there, he was at some of the races earlier in the season.

[4chords]

James Jakes was in there as well to make it 5. Biggest British presence for a few years. No idea why Mike Conway wasn't there, he was at some of the races earlier in the season.

 

Poor Conway doesn't do oval races anymore. I believe he said that it's a psychological thing after his massive crashes at Indy last year and a few years before that.

Edited May 27, 2013 by 4chords

[BigJag]

I watched the race whilst flicking between the playoff final. So missed portions of it. Did it really have to finish like that? Are we ok to give out the result now? I really like the look of the DW 12.

[LariatTom]

I forgot about Jakes. Some really good showings from the Brits, Wilson was still right up there going into the last restart.

 

Yeah, it's a shame that Conway seems to have been scarred by his big smashes on ovals. I don't blame him to be honest...he's had some absolute horrors on ovals though. There have been a fair few drivers who have said they don't want to race ovals. Barrichello said that he never wanted to race on them and it was only after talks with Kanaan and his wife that he decided to race on them.

 

Yeah, we're fine to talk about the race. It's 24 hours after the race...I guess usual spoiler rules apply and if you're coming into a thread like this, you can expect discussion. Brilliant race from Kanaan...you could just sense he was really up for it and wanted the win. Ridiculous number of lead changes too, slipstreaming has always been a major thing around Indy and for some reason, the DW12 seems to be absolutely perfect for oval racing. I remember a lot of concern last year going into Indy that it wouldn't be good on ovals and I don't recall a single boring oval race last year.

[cogitoergozoomo]

The last lap of the Indy Lights race on Saturday

 

 

and from the sublime to the ridiculous start in GP2 in Monaco

 

Edited May 28, 2013 by cogitoergozoomo

[LariatTom]

That Indy Lights race was actually from Friday but regardless, it was an absolutely brilliant little race. 4 cars within a blink of an eye, and that's a third of the Lights field. Really disappointing how that support series can have such small fields since it usually throws up some interesting races.

 

If ever there was a video to showcase the power of slipstreaming, that video probably takes it.

 

The GP2 crash. Idiots. It's amazing how these guys are meant to be one step away from F1 and they still pull out so many stupid antics like this. Once again, driving standards in the series get called into question...and the worrying thing is that drivers don't seem to be learning from these incidents. We're then seeing guys progressing from GP2 into F1 and not getting rid of this overly aggressive and quite frankly, sometimes dangerous style of driving. That T1 crash could have been a lot worse...and I fear it's just a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt in a GP2 race.

Edited May 28, 2013 by LariatTom

[4chords]

If any F1 team principal were to be shown those two videos and asked which series he would like his next driver to come from, the answer would sadly be: who will bring the most money/sponsorship. And therefore, GP2.

 

GP2 should be an excellent feeder series, but the last few years have been awful. No one has really made an impact there since Lewis Hamilton. It's basically turning into old-school F3000, with the most experienced driver winning the championship rather than the most talented. Mainly because talent is not the deciding factor, it's the money and sponsorship.

 

Look at Pastor Maldanado. GP2 champion in 2010 after 4 years, but is only in F1 because he brings the Venezuelan money with him. The only teams that would employ him are those that need the money, so if he left Williams he'd probably end up at Caterham or Marussia, or potentially Force India. The fact that he drove into a marshall at Monaco under red flag conditions mean diddly-squat. Apart from the fact that every driver gets to see the video of it at the stewards briefing before the GP weekend.

[King Coconut]

It's a bit unfair comparing one amazing Indycar clip to one mildly embarrassing GP2 clip. I've seen crashes in Indycar that would make your cock fall off and I've seen overtakes in GP2 that would re-attach it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree in principle with all the criticisms of GP2 that have been mentioned, but the gulf in skill isn't quite what the gulf between those clips would suggest.

Edited May 28, 2013 by King Coconut

[windoesnot]

GP2 is in a very poor state this year, far too many drivers in there because of money instead of talent, some of them drive like absolute bandits and look like they should have never gotten out of the karting ranks. Its like a grid full of Maldonando's and Gorsjean's at times and makes you worry about how the future F1 grids will pan out with this being the preliminary feeder series.

 

And sadly I completely agree with Tom, its only a matter of time before someone is hurt no matter how safe the cars have become.