RACE STUFF THREAD

[Giannis]

Today and tomorrow is IRTA MOTOGP tests the winner gets a BMW car...

see live times here http://www.motogp.com/  or catch live action  on www.justin.tv  i heard in Europe will be shown live so Andre will see it on his TV   

[♣ McKraut ♣]

looks like a healthy coat of armor all on those tires...   

[Ronr]

looks like a healthy coat of armor all on those tires...   

that's a speed secret.
I think they started making the tire molds very smooth so they didn't have to use chemical release agents. So the tires are very smooth and polished looking.

I'll try to jot down the F1 changes later. Too hard on the iPhone, but its a bunch of big changes with aero and traction to improve passing.   The huge front wings are more vulnerable in turn 1 to other cars. I predict more than average wing damage. 

[AndreRA3]

Today and tomorrow is IRTA MOTOGP tests the winner gets a BMW car...
 i heard in Europe will be shown live so Andre will see it on his TV   

French eurosport will show 1 hour of it tomorrow, so I'm recording that.   

nice shot of the hayate bike, hadn't seen a good one yet

[AndreRA3]

gibernau's bike:

[Giannis]

gibernau's bike:

just plain UGLY! they should fire the graphic designer

[fastwin]

Shocking news!!! Stoner switches to BMW!!!

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2009/03/29/stoner-wins-bmw-1

[Duc L'Smart]

Shocking news!!! Stoner switches to BMW!!!

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/road-racing/2009/03/29/stoner-wins-bmw-1

 

[Ronr]

F1 race was great, lots of passing, some unfortunate carnage, but very exciting, which is saying a lot for an F1 race!  No spoilers here, but the results were really unpredictable, a real tossup in qualifying and finishing positions.  Should be an interesting season.

The FIA really changed the formula this year, so the cars are very different.  The teams had to pretty much start from scratch, so some are obviously starting out better than others.  The main objective was to improve overtaking.  In recent years, the aerodynamics were dominant in the designs, and the results made for very difficult passing between cars of similar capability.  They had large rear wings, and lots of other aero devices that left a big wake behind the leading cars, and screwed up the effectiveness of the trailing car's aero, so they didn't have enough down force and traction to pass.

They also are trying to be more "green", so the teams have the option of incorporating a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).  During braking, the KE lost can be recovered in an electrical or mechanical energy storage system, and the stored energy can be reused later in the lap for up to 6 seconds per lap.  It adds around an 80 hp boost.  Pretty cool.

They're also trying to reduce cost for the teams.  Not just because of the recent economy problems, but it's been too expensive for a long time, especially for the smaller support teams that don't have major automotive companies behind them.

Aero/Overtaking Changes:
Larger front wings for more downforce behind another car
Smaller rear wings to disturb the air less behind them
Fewer aero devices - barge boards, and other appendages
Slick tires!!  No more grooved tires, so more traction with rubber to make up for less aero downforce
Movable front wings - driver operated to adjust downforce and drag during turns and straights
Two required tire compounds are now two steps apart instead of adjacent compounds

Economic Changes:
Engines must last three races instead of two
Max rpms reduced from 19k to 18k to help engines last
Less testing
Less wind tunnel time

I know there are more changes, but those are the major ones I can remember.

Race plays again at 3:30 today (Sunday) on Speed.

[calscrazy]

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN RACE!!!!


f1 race was awesome. love the new rule changes.
ferarri- tough luck
hamilton- dumb luck
kubica- just plain dumb
ross brawn- mucho congrats dude!!!

congrats to stoner!!!!
nice save nicky!!!

[Ronr]

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN RACE!!!!


kubica- just plain dumb

yeah, but did you see who got the blame??  BS in my opinion

[Cher]

That really was awesome stuff in Australia; I used to live and breath Ferrari F1 but since the whole grooved tire thing, Schumacher's retirement, then Ross Brawn bailing to Honda, I  had pretty much lost intrest in the sport...

But, WOW!  Ross Brawn... what can you say?!      I can not believe the results from today's race.  Very spectacular stuff and totally unpredictable thanks in large part to the '09 regs change.

One of the tid bits I caught about the new rules for this season is that with the start of the season today, the teams are no longer allowed testing days between races.  That makes the two 90 minute practice sessions on the Friday of a race weekend HUGELY important since this is really the only time the teams can legally test new race bits on their cars; might be using the new stuff for that weekend's race or maybe one that's a couple of races away.  Mmmm, lots of potential for plots and intrigue - gotta love it 

All of that  makes it great for the fans in the stands on Friday since under the old rules, very few of the front running teams would even bother to head out onto the track on Fridays.  Sucks if you bought a three-day race ticket 

Anyway loved the race - looking forward to next weekend's event, woo-hoo 

[Cher]

The '09 race season has FINALLY started for just about all forms of motorsport for this year; does anyone else follow The American Le Mans Series?  They ran the 12hours of Sebring last weekend, then they'll have a few more races here in the U.S., then the teams pack up and head for Le Mans in June...

Excellent broadcast coverage from SPEED makes this one of the more intresting race series to follow (ten races per season), so if you ever run across an ALMS/IMSA race on TV, I highly recommend checking it out.

[Ronr]

ALMS is really good.  Excellent cars and great racing.  I've stayed away from it pretty much though.  I hate to get all fired up about another race series, I'll never get out of the house!

[RED]

I really like the ALMS form of racing. It's real road racing. The Le Mans series of cars represents the cutting edge of automobile technology from the competing factories in the highest form. They spend tons of cash on these cars and it shows. The series is very exciting to watch I find. It's cool to see everything from vettes to Ferraris to one off factory rides going at it all at the same time. Total mass confusion on the scorers I would think.

We need the ALMS in this country. It's the only form of true factory sponsored road racing we have here in the states. That is an anomaly in and of itself. I say that because of the tried and fried true blue racing Americans claim to know is done mainly on an oval track. I guess it's easier for bubba to keep up with on the couch. It's sad now a days that the only racing America supports is taxi cabs racing in a circle. Oh now you say come on RED NASCAR has some road courses. Yeah, sure I know but if you will check the ratings on those days bubba has checked out with bubbette and the bubblings and gone down to the crick!! 

Back in the late '60's Hollywood had a brilliant idea and made a movie about that way ferren place over across the water called Le Mans. Soon after Americans got on board with all things European including racing styles. This was the heyday of the road racing/rally racing/cafe racing set. It was all of a sudden cool. Now it's just old stuff to many GenX and Yer's. It is an artform to be able to road race on a purpose built track like that of the famous Eurpopean tracks. Europeans know the thrill of watching a rally or endurance race on those courses. Most of the world thinks of us here in the U. S. as bumpkins who don't care about true road racing.

It's sad that we here in America can't support a F1 race. We're damned lucky to have two MotoGP races and one WSBK race! That is the whole sum total of international racing to come here. To Americans it seems that all you need is an engine with the bhp of a small jet stuffed into a taxi cab and that equates to fun for bubba and more profits for the France's and more money for the sponsors. For crying out loud how can you sit in front of your tv and watch taxi cabs go round and round at the one mile oval of Martinsville for 4 freakin hours people?? Scheistenhooover how comatose do you want a person?? Give me a third tier road racer on a 250cc class MotoGP road race doing practice laps over Martinsville any day of the week! I just don't get it why all the good stuff goes to the Orient or Middle-East and Europe like F1. Hell the closest F1 race we have in this hemisphere is Sao Paulo South America!

The AMLS drivers are sometimes F1 racers. Some were at Sebring prepping for the F1 season. That's as close as Americans are going to get to a famous F1 driver on these shores. All in all the ALMS is THE premier American race series that is true road racing. Just my opinion. Cheers