OT: Racing 2017 (Spoiler Alert)

[Dave]

Yeah, not a good start. Hopefully these will end up being the two ugliest, but I doubt it.

[Jimmydeicide]

Yes it is But the Martini Brabham Williams is a classic in my heart, reminds me of my youth and scalextric. sniff

[Dave]

Just saw pictures of the new Renault, the front of these cars are just a mess. Ugly as hell nose and the front wings are stupidly complicated. There needs to be some sort of regulation limiting the number of 'assemblies' or whatever the hell you want to call them on the front wing. The cars would look much better with the main plane plus a only one or two additional structures.

[pk500]

Here's what I just posted on Facebook five minutes ago with a picture of the new Renault:

"First, Williams. Then, Sauber. Now, Renault. So much for the new-look "old school" specifications of Formula One in 2017. These cars are just as ugly as those from recent years. Most look like leftover designs from the A1GP cars of the late 2000s. Ross Brawn, you need to get a clean sheet of white paper, sharp pencils and hit the drawing room for the sake of the championship."

[GB_Simo]

First Scalextric car sounds like an interesting off-shoot, Jimmy. I don't remember if my Dad had this first (though he has no interest in cars or sport, so I doubt it) or if it was handed down from elsewhere, but the slot car version of this bad lad was where I started:



Hard to imagine we'd have a declining viewership if you could still drive them like that. I could never get mine that sideways without binning it, and my Mam got sick of repainting the skirting board after a bit. Still can't deal with oversteer to this day.

I hate the new Renault less than I hate the Sauber. Baby steps and all that. I'm some considerable distance away from loving it.

[Dave]

Really excited to read more about the ACO's opinion on IMSA's DPi strategy


wanking motion

[Rodster]

So the anvil is back and it looks like it's the thing this year. These cars suck plain and simple.



And just when PK thought it can't get any worse, Ferrari proves him wrong.

[GB_Simo]

The new Toro Rosso livery is pretty snazzy, though, and the Haas wins points for treating the fin completely separately to the rest of the paint scheme so as to highlight the stupidity of it all.

Jamie McMurray going to great lengths to win the Daytona 357.5. Not sure how that was ever going to end well.

[F308GTB]

Jamie McMurray going to great lengths to win the Daytona 357.5. Not sure how that was ever going to end well.

Was flipping the tele and saw Daytona was on lap 55 or so, so I decided to see the end of the "first stage". OK. ,And then we slow down for 8 laps. What a dumb concept. Makes me remember why I don't watch NASCAR.

[pk500]

Call me crazy, but I found the three-segment format of the Daytona 500 intriguing today.

There are more strategic options for crew chiefs, especially in the first two segments. And those pit stop timing decisions can play a big role in the final segment, as we saw today with cars running out of fuel. I enjoy the strategy of F1, and this reminded me a bit of it.

Yeah, there were a lot of crashes. But the last 20 laps were pretty snappy.

I'm interested to see how this new format plays out at tracks of different lengths.

[Dave]

From the no, sh*t Sherlock file

Fears that Formula 1’s new aerodynamic package will make overtaking harder in 2017 were borne out on the opening day of pre-season testing, as drivers found it harder to follow the car ahead.

Then there's this

Overtaking was not part of the brief from the FIA when the new rules were formulated, with the focus on making cars faster and more challenging to drivers.

Reading that article made me a lot happier to have Jay Frye in charge of Incycar's next aero design. Glad they are taking downforce away by reducing the dependence on big-*ss, complicated wings.

[Dave]

Lance Stroll sure seems to be living up to your expectations, PK.

[pk500]

Lance Stroll sure seems to be living up to your expectations, PK.

Hate to say I told you so, but ...

[GB_Simo]

The lengths Williams are going to in their efforts to shield Stroll are remarkable. Today we learned that Lance's day-ending shunt was on cold tyres, with fuel on board, on an out lap, and that the driver was an "innocent victim" of those circumstances. Still, at least he'll never face those circumstances again.

What's that you say? Every race weekend? Oh.

[pk500]

I'm sure Stroll is about as popular as syphillis right now among the mechanics in the Williams' garage.

Daddy's money can buy Lance the ride, but it can't buy the loyalty of the team like in European F3.

[Rodster]

Vettel gets the trophy for best quote of preseason testing. He was asked about the Ferrari's chances of clinching the title this year: "I don't have a crystal ball, "I have two other balls, but they don't tell me much…"

[Rodster]

Because of Stroll, Williams won't be running the car on Friday and Rob Smedley is already making excuses for the lad. Damon Hill even went on to say Michael Schumacher crashed and spun out in his rookie season. Something tells me Strolls will never live up to the German great.

[EffDee]

If anyone's been watching Atlanta this weekend I'd like you to comment on Harvick's driving. To me it looks like he's on the edge of disaster every lap and quite comfortable with it. This is something I didn't expect to see in NASCAR, hanging a car out like that lap after lap. Am I confused? I am not a seasoned NASCAR connoisseur.

[pk500]

If anyone's been watching Atlanta this weekend I'd like you to comment on Harvick's driving. To me it looks like he's on the edge of disaster every lap and quite comfortable with it. This is something I didn't expect to see in NASCAR, hanging a car out like that lap after lap. Am I confused? I am not a seasoned NASCAR connoisseur.

Two factors at work today.

One, the rear spoilers this year in NASCAR are much shorter. That generates less downforce, which makes the cars tougher to drive. Bravo!

Two, Atlanta's surface is old and notoriously bumpy and abrasive. Add bumps and quickly worn tires to lower downforce, and these 3,500-pound leviathans are sliding around more than ever at 185-190 mph.

Sadly, that was about the only attractive aspect of today's race at Atlanta. A very dull show. Glad I watched it on the DVR, as I used the fast-forward button often.

[pk500]

Godspeed, John Surtees.

The people in charge of knighthood in the UK should be ashamed today that Surtees died without being known as Sir John Surtees. He's the only man to win World Championships on two and four wheels. He was a gentleman. He also was a tireless campaigner for racing safety in his later years after his son Henry was killed in a racing accident.

What more must a dude do to feel the queen's sword on his shoulder?

[GB_Simo]

It's a mystery to us over here too, PK. The only possibilities are that the committees responsible for reviewing nominations decided that his CBE was enough, or that John himself turned down the offer of a knighthood. I have a bit of difficulty believing he'd have declined, having already accepted a CBE, and I struggle to see how John's achievements are eclipsed by, say, Sir Andy Murray. We'll never know, though ultimately, to be revered by so many who knew what you'd achieved is indicative of a life very well lived.


Hopping over to matters contemporary for a moment, here's a link that delivers what it promises: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/forc ... me-882669/

[GB_Simo]

I've also just seen the headline on Autosport.com, "How big is the McLaren Honda crisis?"

[Rodster]

The new owners are already making waves with the way F1 used to be run under Bernie and with Jean Todt. Liberty Media's CEO Greg Maffei wants to bring back the screaming engines while Jean Todt says NO because society would not accept it. Which is a 50 pound bag of bullshit. Everyone wants the old engine sounds of F1. F1 is all about the in your face world trotting party with the fastest and loudest cars.

Some F1 fan redid the audio of the 2017 cars with the V10/V12 screaming engines. My vote goes to the screaming engines and I say f#%K you Todt.

[F308GTB]

Fyi - there's some vintage racing live streaming on YouTube from Good wood this weekend

[Rodster]

The news keeps getting better for NASCRAP. With dwindling TV ratings and track attendance Roger Penske says teams will have to face budget cuts.