OT: Racing 2008-2009 (Spoiler Alert)

[Rodster]

Well fellas it's a new year and I can't wait for the start of the 2008 Formula One season. I'm looking forward to another great year. Let's hope Lewis comes back strong again. I'm also hoping for another title for the Iceman.

I'm also looking forward to the first night race ever in F1 history. And oh yes lets not forget MotoGP comes to Indy for the first time.

2008 should be a great year indeed. !

[Dave]

I hope to add the Indy MotoGP to my 2008 racing itinerary that, at this point, only includes the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Hopefully another Indycar or even NASCAR race can be possible.

Last year was my first trip to the Rolex 24 but it isn't going to work out this year, I need to check out the entry list to see if it is the impromptu all-star event it has been the last few years.

Here's hoping the action on the track can match the ridiculous circus off it in F1 this year.

[Gurantsu]

The 24 at Daytona should be it's usual who's who. Penske is even running a car this year.

[pk500]

My primary personal racing wish for 2008 is for a safe and competitive WRC season.

With Marcus Gronholm's retirement after the thrilling 2007 season, it looks like a cakewalk to a record fifth consecutive world title for Sebastien Loeb in 2008. But I hope Subaru and Petter Solberg can re-emerge or that Ford's Flying Finns, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, can challenge Loeb.

Take care,
PK

[Rodster]

I'm also looking forward to this years Dakar Rally. Watching those garbage trucks or at least that's what they look like are very cool and reminds me of the same trucks in the DiRT racing game.

That is one cool series and from what I understand a very dangerous one as well. I could be wrong but some of the stages allow riders to make their own path to get to the finish line.

Here's a link to one of those trucks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rall ... se_097.jpg

[pk500]

That is one cool series and from what I understand a very dangerous one as well. I could be wrong but some of the stages allow riders to make their own path to get to the finish line.

Very dangerous, indeed.

It's almost a sad certainty that at least one competitor will lose his life during the Dakar Rally each year, usually a motorcyclist. Driving in the dunes is insane, especially in a sandstorm, never mind the constant threat of being robbed by desert bandits when staying in tents at night between stages.

And you're right, Rodster: The competitors in Dakar use GPS to reach their destination. There is no set path from Point A to Point B once the competition reaches the open desert.

Dakar is a VERY cool event, the last great motorsport adventure on Earth. Versus carried it two years ago but not last year. I had to rely on Eurosport coverage through the torrents. Well worth the time.

Take care,
PK

[Rodster]

That is one cool series and from what I understand a very dangerous one as well. I could be wrong but some of the stages allow riders to make their own path to get to the finish line.

Very dangerous, indeed.

It's almost a sad certainty that at least one competitor will lose his life during the Dakar Rally each year, usually a motorcyclist. Driving in the dunes is insane, especially in a sandstorm, never mind the constant threat of being robbed by desert bandits when staying in tents at night between stages.

And you're right, Rodster: The competitors in Dakar use GPS to reach their destination. There is no set path from Point A to Point B once the competition reaches the open desert.

Dakar is a VERY cool event, the last great motorsport adventure on Earth. Versus carried it two years ago but not last year. I had to rely on Eurosport coverage through the torrents. Well worth the time.

Take care,
PK

If I remember correctly Indy way back when was like that right whereby amateurs and different types of vehicle configurations showed up? I watched several of the stages last year and it was very cool to say the least.

When does this years Dakar Rally start? Is the Dakar Rally sanctioned by the FIA?

[pk500]

If I remember correctly Indy way back when was like that right whereby amateurs and different types of vehicle configurations showed up?

Not amateurs, but drivers from a much greater variety of backgrounds than now. The rule book was also much smaller and much looser, so there was a hell of a lot more variety and creativity in equipment, too.

When does this years Dakar Rally start? Is the Dakar Rally sanctioned by the FIA?

Jan. 5-20. The route is more than 9,000 kilometers (5,580 miles) long.

I'm not sure if the FIA sanctions Dakar. The FIA has an official series for Dakar-style vehicles called the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, of which Dakar is not a part.

Take care,
PK

[GB_Simo]

I'm not sure if the FIA sanctions Dakar. The FIA has an official series for Dakar-style vehicles called the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, of which Dakar is not a part.

I think, though I might be wrong, that the FIA don't sanction or have any connection to the Dakar. I know ASO, the chaps responsible for organising the Tour De France, handle the organisation for the Dakar and that's all I know with any certainty, but I don't think Dakar is FIA-sanctioned.

It's been a few years since I've watched any of the highlight shows but with this being a quiet time for motorsport I might have a look this year. Is the event still home to a crowd of WRC refugees? I recall Kenjiro Shinozuka and Gregoire de Mevius used to be involved regularly, at least.

[johnvon314]

Looking at the 2008 F1 schedule, I am surprised to see Magny Cours and Monza on the list. Is Imola out of the rotation? I thought the Italian Grand Prix was going to alternate between Monza and Imola. Also, is there anything in the works for a new U.S. Grand Prix site?

Still a great schedule!

John

[pk500]

Is the event still home to a crowd of WRC refugees?

Not a crowd, but there is a big name this year: Carlos Sainz. King Carlos has competed the last two or three years and is among the favorites for victory this year in the car category.

Former F1 drivers Tiago Monteiro and Ukyo Katayama are entered in the car category, as is former BTCC champion and current WTCC star Yvan Muller. Former DTM driver Vanina Ickx, daughter of Le Mans legend Jacky, is entered in the cars, as is Indy 500 starter and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon.

Take care,
PK

[Rodster]

Looking at the 2008 F1 schedule, I am surprised to see Magny Cours and Monza on the list. Is Imola out of the rotation? I thought the Italian Grand Prix was going to alternate between Monza and Imola. Also, is there anything in the works for a new U.S. Grand Prix site?

Still a great schedule!

John

I was under the impression that Imola (poor attendance and aged track) was getting axed in favor of Monza which is a high speed classic. I believe the tracks that will alternate are in Germany which is Hockenheim and the Neurburing. I'm glad Spa is back. The one track I would love to see them bring back is the A1 Ring. It's still my favorite and the most unique track in F1 when it was around.

PK might be able to answer or give you a hint re: a future USGP since he works for Indy's PR dept. and is closer to that sort of stuff. I do know that have publically said they want it back and are figuring out a way to do so. But we are not Europe and are not in love with F1 like it is over there. So they want to make some money from the event.

[pk500]

I was under the impression that Imola (poor attendance and aged track) was getting axed in favor of Monza which is a high speed classic. I believe the tracks that will alternate are in Germany which is Hockenheim and the Neurburing.

Correct. Imola was a classic hatchet job by Bernie. He forced track management to enact an expensive track upgrade, with new pit facilities and some track recontouring, and still removed the event from the schedule. I doubt it will return.

It's almost going to be impossible for a nation to play host to two grands prix during a calendar year, even under the guise of a principality like Imola does with San Marino. Track sharing like the new 'Ring and the new Hockenheim in Germany will be the only way that happens.

Otherwise, there are too many banana republics and desert sheikdoms willing to fork out $30-40 million per year to play host to Bernie circuses on facilities built with and supported by further government funds. So we'll see more races on Tilkedromes in locales that you've only seen before on a map. Oh, joy.

PK might be able to answer or give you a hint re: a future USGP since he works for Indy's PR dept. and is closer to that sort of stuff. I do know that have publically said they want it back and are figuring out a way to do so. But we are not Europe and are not in love with F1 like it is over there. So they want to make some money from the event.

The standard IMS answer remains the same as it did last July when it was announced that the USGP wouldn't return in 2008: We would love to welcome F1 back to the Speedway if there are terms that make fiscal sense for both parties.

As for other venues in the U.S. for F1, everything is smoke and mirrors now. There's not another road course in the U.S. with facilities that will meet Bernie and the FIA's grade, and it's unlikely that a promoter will pay tens of millions per year to stage the race and only be able to recoup that investment through ticket sales, parking and souvenir sales, with no TV or advertising revenues shared with the track.

Take care,
PK

[Rodster]

How Spain pulled off two GP's per year is baffling unless they offered BE a few Spanish hookers.

The Two tracks I would love to see a GP held besides Indy would be Road Atlanta and Road America. Both are gorgeous tracks but the facilities and infrastructure seem lacking. Road America is located in the sticks.

I'm glad Indy had the sense to tell BE see ya, it's not as good for us as it is for you.

[johnvon314]

Thanks for the update. I was wondering if any other U.S. sites had a legitimate shot of hosting a USGP. I'd love to see it return to Indy, but I fear that's still a ways away.

Doing a little googling, it appears the Japanese Grand Prix may alternate between Fuji and Suzuka. I hate to see Imola go, but Monza has too much history and Ferrari influence to not have a GP every year.

John

[Rodster]

Thanks for the update. I was wondering if any other U.S. sites had a legitimate shot of hosting a USGP. I'd love to see it return to Indy, but I fear that's still a ways away.

Doing a little googling, it appears the Japanese Grand Prix may alternate between Fuji and Suzuka. I hate to see Imola go, but Monza has too much history and Ferrari influence to not have a GP every year.

John

That is correct as Suzuka is a classic track and a drivers favorite much like Spa, although Spa is legendary.

[GB_Simo]

Former F1 drivers Tiago Monteiro and Ukyo Katayama are entered in the car category, as is former BTCC champion and current WTCC star Yvan Muller. Former DTM driver Vanina Ickx, daughter of Le Mans legend Jacky, is entered in the cars

Something about those four in the same event makes me wonder if the Dakar isn't set for some kind of brilliant multiple-car accident. I suppose after all the mountains he's been climbing these last few years, the prospect of a couple of weeks tooling across a desert sounds like a holiday for Katayama.

Rod, Valencia's race isn't on the permanent track they have just up the road, but on streets around a harbour that can hold an awful lot of yachts. I've drawn my own conclusions from there.

[Rodster]

Rod, Valencia's race isn't on the permanent track they have just up the road, but on streets around a harbour that can hold an awful lot of yachts. I've drawn my own conclusions from there.

Yeah I thought the same as well, I didn't realize that. Valencia supposedly is trying to make it a night race from what I read. What's with Bernie and night races now?

[10spro]

It'll be dificult to match the great season that F1 had in 07. I am curious to see how Hamilton performs in his sophmore year. And now that Ralfie Schumacher has confirmed his hiatus I wonder who will take his place?

[pk500]

What's with Bernie and night races now?

Prime-time TV slots in Europe, at least for the night races in the Far East and Oceania.

Ironic Bernie is paying lip service to Europe considering he is turning his back on European venues, no?

Take care,
PK

[GB_Simo]

And now that Ralfie Schumacher has confirmed his hiatus I wonder who will take his place?

Timo Glock has been confirmed in the second Toyota for a while now. As far as the other drive Schumacher R. was linked with, at Force India, it looks a bit like Fisichella might get it even despite Klien and Liuzzi being available and interested.

PK, have you seen the Peter Windsor piece in a recent F1 Racing issue where he claims that some of Ralf's performances in last year's Toyota helped to show how good Jarno Trulli has become? Thinking of your likely reaction to that was a source of great amusement to me when I read it on Christmas morning. Just when I thought I was the most ardent Trulli defender on the planet, a professional comes along and takes it that step too far...

[pk500]

PK, have you seen the Peter Windsor piece in a recent F1 Racing issue where he claims that some of Ralf's performances in last year's Toyota helped to show how good Jarno Trulli has become? Thinking of your likely reaction to that was a source of great amusement to me when I read it on Christmas morning. Just when I thought I was the most ardent Trulli defender on the planet, a professional comes along and takes it that step too far...

Adam:

I didn't see the piece. I stopped getting F1 Racing in about 2003 after I tired of reading the same recycled features about Driver X every 14 months and reading Tom Clarkson's semi-monthly "I went (insert extreme sport here) with Driver X, so aren't I f*cking cool?" features.

But maybe I'm missing Windsor's point. He thinks Ralf Schumacher's performance in last year's Toyota flatters Jarno Trulli? How so?

Did it ever occur to Peter that Ralfie SUCKS, and maybe that's why Trulli outclassed him? Trulli is a fine driver, with beautiful lines and smooth control. His victory at Monaco was as precise and special as you'll see from anyone not named Michael Schumacher.

But Trulli's racecraft and toughness behind the wheel are seriously lacking.

Still, I'm not surprised that Windsor used Ralfie as a potent yardstick. He drove and won races for Sir Frank, after all, so that makes him a deity to Windsor.

Peter is a very, very nice fellow, as I've met and talked with him a few times, and VERY knowledgeable about F1. But he can't hide his Williams bias since he worked for the team in the 80s and was in the passenger seat during that traffic accident in France in the mid-80s that claimed Frank Williams' spinal cord forever.

Peter is a Williams devotee, through and through. My favorite team, too!

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

It'll be dificult to match the great season that F1 had in 07.

I'll beg to differ on that assessment, mate. This was one of the least memorable F1 seasons to me since 2002, when the Ferrari steamroller crushed its opponents, and the soul of F1 with overt team orders as early as the Austrian Grand Prix.

Sure, three drivers entered the finale in 2007 with a chance at the world title, and the top three ended up separated by one point at the checkered flag in Interlagos.

But this year's World Championship was an exercise in mathematics, not in racing. How much great wheel-to-wheel dicing was there among the three title protagonists? Very, very little. Most of the races were processional as hell.

And there's no way this season can be called classic since it was so besmirched by politics. Ten years from now, assuming Lewis Hamilton has won a couple of World Championships or more, the 2007 season will be remembered for Spygate and the acrimony between Ron Dennis and Fernando Alonso more than the breathtaking accomplishments of Hamilton.

The 2005 season was better than this one. The banning of tire changes at pit stops introduced an element of uncertainty that F1 badly needed, and the racing was far superior to this season.

Plus the subplots were so much more interesting than this year because they pertained to racing. Ferrari and Schumacher looked unbeatable in 2004, yet they were awful in 2005 due to the Scuderia's inability to design a car around the new tire regulations. Alonso drove a magnificent season to end Schumacher's reign, and Renault won a tight Constructors' battle over McLaren.

There was a tire war between Michelin and Bridgestone, which is good for F1, adding more uncertainty. The cars used the wonderful 3-liter V-10 engines with rev limits reaching 20,000 rpm, not the neutered, rev-limited 2.4-liter V8's used now.

I also loved single-lap qualifying, as it really put the pressure on drivers to perform.

Sure, there were politics, mainly the tire affair at Indianapolis. But that was a blight of one race, not half of a season like Spygate.

I'll take 2005 over 2007, any time. Hell, 2003 was better than 2007. Five teams won races that season, with Schumacher taking the title by just two points over Raikkonen. Montoya was third, just 11 points back, as the top three drivers each came from different teams.

Take care,
PK

[Rodster]

In todays news the following:

1) This years Dakar Rally has been canceled due to terrorists threats by our friends from the religion of rest in peace. Bummer I was so looking forward to it. The organizers say they will try next year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64518

2) Todt had first offered the team principal role to Michael who turned it down. I guess he prefers earning a fat seven figure paycheck from Ferrari and taking the wheel of a taxi cab as he tries to race to catch a flight so as to pickup his dog at a German airport. Can you blame him?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64517

[pk500]

1) This years Dakar Rally has been canceled due to terrorists threats by our friends from the religion of rest in peace. Bummer I was so looking forward to it. The organizers say they will try next year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64518

That is a damn shame. A depressing development that these sub-human animals can interfere with a peaceful sporting event.

Next year, I think every competitor should be allowed to carry a firearm and shoot to kill at any terrorists or bandits. No, I'm not kidding. That might put these f*ckers back in the holes from which they came -- for good.

Take care,
PK