OT: Racing 2009 (Spoiler Alert)

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:01 pm

The last three laps of the Spanish MotoGP was mesmerizing. Just edge-of-the-seat, white-knuckled, pick-your-cliche racing. I don't know how either rider had the balls or skill to pull of some of those moves with zero grip.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:06 pm

EZSnappin wrote:The last three laps of the Spanish MotoGP was mesmerizing. Just edge-of-the-seat, white-knuckled, pick-your-cliche racing. I don't know how either rider had the balls or skill to pull of some of those moves with zero grip.

EPIC. That's all my son and I could say after watching that race.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:14 pm

Jorge Lorenzo is the new up and coming Valentino Rossi and Valli knows it. I felt bad for Casey, he said he was sick as a dog and had no strength, third was his best to fight off Dovizioso. Our boy Nicky is getting better with the Ducati although the team admits it's almost a new bike for him, different ride height, longer wheelbase etc.

Brave ride from Pedrosa, a huge groin injury, falls off his bike during qualy and pulls off a whale of a performance.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:20 pm

Rodster wrote:Jorge Lorenzo is the new up and coming Valentino Rossi and Valli knows it. I felt bad for Casey, he said he was sick as a dog and had no strength, third was his best to fight off Dovizioso. Our boy Nicky is getting better with the Ducati although the team admits it's almost a new bike for him, different ride height, longer wheelbase etc.

Brave ride from Pedrosa, a huge groin injury, falls off his bike during qualy and pulls off a whale of a performance.

I'll give you that for Pedrosa, who had big-time pain injections in his injured hip just so he could ride. But he's still a whiny little b*tch. A brave, whiny little b*tch.

Roll on Assen! Remember: It's a Saturday race, June 27. MotoGP is the most exciting motor racing championship in the world this year, hands down.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:31 pm

I heard the commentators say that Pedrosa had a muscle tear around the groin area. Sounds awfully painful and that off into the wall yesterday didn't help matters.

I didn't get to see pictures of the terrible accident last night. Adam mentioned the driver but since it was dark few if any pics were released. I checked the Autosport website and they had nothing available.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:22 pm

Rodster wrote:I heard the commentators say that Pedrosa had a muscle tear around the groin area. Sounds awfully painful and that off into the wall yesterday didn't help matters.

I didn't get to see pictures of the terrible accident last night. Adam mentioned the driver but since it was dark few if any pics were released. I checked the Autosport website and they had nothing available.

http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/pa ... es_gb.html

Click to page 3.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:34 pm

Amazing anyone survived that.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:35 pm

Rodster wrote:I didn't get to see pictures of the terrible accident last night. Adam mentioned the driver but since it was dark few if any pics were released. I checked the Autosport website and they had nothing available.

The SPEED commentators said no one had footage of Treluyer's accident since some of the cameras are turned off on the circuit during the night hours.

That was a steaming hulk of a race car when SPEED showed a nighttime shot of the accident scene. Damn near miraculous Treluyer wasn't killed, let alone hurt.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:37 pm

Amazing pictures. Thanks for the link, Grant, and the post, Rod.

Has anyone read what happened to Treluyer's car to cause such a huge shunt? Something break or fail? Driver error? Man, that was a biggie.

Update -- Found this at autosport.com from team principal Henri Pescarolo:

"It seems that he lost it on a bump on the Esses. We don't know why and we haven't found anything on the telemetry. So it seems that he lost it and I don't know why.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:44 pm

Two great pics from today's AMAZING MotoGP race:

Pictures really do tell 1,000 words in this case.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:01 pm

This is all the info I could find of the incident.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76165

"Benoit Treluyer has had a huge accident in the #17 Pescarolo-run customer Peugeot 908, bringing out the safety car for the third time in the race.

The 32-year-old Frenchman had just taken over the car from Simon Pagenaud in fourth place, just two laps behind the leading #9 factory Peugeot.

Pagenaud brought the car into the pits with smoke pouring from the front-left wheel arch. it was in the garage for four minutes while the team changed the nosecone, cleaned out the radiators, worked around the front left corner and replaced the engine cover and rear bodywork, before Treluyer was sent out.

He only made it as far as the Esses after after the Dunlop Bridge on his out-lap before the Peugeot left the road and struck the barrier at high-speed. The car was destroyed in the accident with only the cockpit shell remaining in tact.

It is not yet clear whether the crash was caused by a mechanical failure.

The safety car was scrambled while medical crews worked on Treluyer at the scene. He has since been removed from the car and left the scene of the crash in an ambulance.

Race organiser the ACO confirmed that Treluyer remained conscious after the crash and has been taken to the medical centre for inspection."

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:24 pm

I find it amusing/ironic that the F1 guys use that sh*tty chicane before entering the start straight and the MotoGP guys who have more risk and more to lose still use the previous high speed layout.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:13 pm

Rodster wrote:I find it amusing/ironic that the F1 guys use that sh*tty chicane before entering the start straight and the MotoGP guys who have more risk and more to lose still use the previous high speed layout.

Check out what Colin Edwards told me last week about this subject in our interview series, "Tornado Warning:"

I saw where Dani Pedrosa set a new top speed record for MotoGP at Mugello when he hit 217 mph in the speed trap. When you're going that fast on a bike, do you realize the speed?

You never think about it. It's just something that I don't think any of us think about it. All we're thinking about is getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible. Now, granted if, if you have some issues, some setup issues or tire issues or construction might be too soft or whatever, you'll definitely notice it the faster you go. It might get a little more unstable. But that's one thing: Man, I'll tell you, the Bridgestones, they are just unbelievable. If you're doing 60 mile an hour or 216 mile an hour, the bike feels exactly the same. And that's all just down to tire technology they have.

The reason I ask is because the top speed down the straightaway this year at Indy was 230 mph, in an IndyCar. You guys are only about 15 mph off, and they're inside a carbon-fiber shell with a roll hoop and belts, and you're on a bike.

Well, you can take that carbon-fiber shell. I don't want anything to do with that. When I crash, I want to get as far away from all that action as possible. That's the mentality of a motorcycle racer. It's like: "I want to get away. It's just me, with a whole road of gravel. Not me and some 2,000-pound vehicle fricking hurling into a wall. I'm out on that gig.

http://www.redbullindianapolisgp.com/ne ... _Catalunya

Colin is as cool as they come. Great dude.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:22 pm

Colin is very cool. It's nice to have two top notch American MotoGP riders on the grid. Colin makes a good point about getting away from an accident as fast as possible similar to the glory F1 days where the drivers weren't buckled in, in case of an accident.

Hey PK any chance if you see Colin at Indy this year you could get a signed photo of him and Nicky? I'll pay for it of course.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:50 pm

Rodster wrote:Hey PK any chance if you see Colin at Indy this year you could get a signed photo of him and Nicky? I'll pay for it of course.

Sorry, dude. Getting autographs is VERY forbidden when you're working at an event.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:15 am

Well it looks like all of you guys were right, Max appears set to be getting his way. FOTA just issued a letter to the FIA stating they are willing to compromise if the FIA will use an independent watchdog group to oversee cap costs. And they are requesting a 2 week extension to entries for the 2010 championship.

I see that as a reasonable offer as Max compromised by dropping the two tier cap rules. And really $65 million to run a two car team is down right reasonable, especially when the $65m allows for one or two high profile team members to be excluded from the cap and I believe drivers don't count towards the cap either.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:05 am

There is no one who postures as a hard ass yet brokers a better compromise that portrays him in a good light than Max. He does it arguably better than anyone in the history of motorsport.

Say what you will about the CART-IRL and ALMS-Grand Am splits here in America, but in time they could be seen as the "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" of worldwide motorsport. They both inflicted/are inflicting so much damage that they are serving as a deterrent to competing series borne of strife in other forms of motorsport.

Any time you hear talk of a potential schism in a worldwide motorsport, some authority figure inevitably says, "Look at what the split did to open-wheel in America" or "Look at what the split is doing to sports car racing in America."

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:41 am

I think Damon Hill referred to the IRL/CART split as well and warned them about going off into those uncharted waters. As you cats rightfully stated, Formula One has too much brand recognition to successfully compete against it. At least the IRL had Indy which carried loads of brand recognition. FOTA would have to start from scratch.

The only other thing I can see FOTA doing is entering and becoming more visible in other forms of Motorsports such as LeMans and running Prototypes. Ferrari did something similar back in the '80's when they built an Indycar they never raced but pressured the FIA to allow them to run a V10 or whatever engine they used back then.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:08 am

Rodster wrote:The only other thing I can see FOTA doing is entering and becoming more visible in other forms of Motorsports such as LeMans and running Prototypes. Ferrari did something similar back in the '80's when they built an Indycar they never raced but pressured the FIA to allow them to run a V10 or whatever engine they used back then.

It's a shame she never raced:

http://atlasf1.autosport.com/99/bra/preview/faq.html

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:38 am

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76273

This Autosport article states D. Patrick is really considering Nascar at the end of the year. While i'm not in the so-called groupie fan club, I find it ironic see wants to race for a "front running team" in Nascar. Ok i'll admit I don't follow the IRL but I thought AGR was a front running if not an elite team when she signed with them, maybe i'm wrong?

I guess I don't get all the hype regarding D. Patrick. She's won only one race if IIRC. Good luck to her if she thinks she can tear up Nascar (brutal schedule) and have better success than she has had in the IRL. Again maybe i'm wrong on this but the only former open wheeler who has become a star and has won a couple of Championships in Nascar has been "Smoke" who just one helluva driver in any racing series. I would have loved to see either Stewart or Gordo in F1 but that time has passed, sadly.

I think she should stay in the IRL where she belongs. She's not good enough for F1 or Nascar. Just my 2 cents but I know the Danica fans will say i'm way out of line.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:05 am

I heard that she was thinking of going to the Target team in IRL.

I hate to see any driver go to NASCAR now days. Despite its wild popularity its a step backwards if you ask me.

I know, I know, I'm living in the past; but it ain't what it used to be. I'm just old and crusty now...

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:10 am

The only real reason for her to go to Nascar is to cash out on a huge pay day. The article did state she's considering the Ganassi team but it revolved more about her aspirations in Nascar. I don't think she has the skillz to turn Nascar on it's head but it's a business so good luck to her.

And yes, Nascar is not the racing league I remember watching hell just 14 years ago. It's changed for the worse.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:25 am

Rodster wrote:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76273

This Autosport article states D. Patrick is really considering Nascar at the end of the year. While i'm not in the so-called groupie fan club, I find it ironic see wants to race for a "front running team" in Nascar. Ok i'll admit I don't follow the IRL but I thought AGR was a front running if not an elite team when she signed with them, maybe i'm wrong?

AGR definitely has slipped to third on the ICS food chain behind Ganassi and Penske. The Big Three has become a Big Two.

Autosport is a bit late on this one. Danica has said throughout this year that NASCAR is one of her options. She only reinforced that in the teleconference this week. This is not news.

Rodster wrote:Again maybe i'm wrong on this but the only former open wheeler who has become a star and has won a couple of Championships in Nascar has been "Smoke" who just one helluva driver in any racing series. I would have loved to see either Stewart or Gordo in F1 but that time has passed, sadly.

Depends on what your definition of "open wheel" is. Jeff Gordon was a USAC Midget and Silver Crown national champion before moving to NASCAR. Ryan Newman was a USAC Silver Crown national champion before moving to NASCAR. Kasey Kahne was a USAC Midget national champion before moving to NASCAR.

Rodster wrote:I think she should stay in the IRL where she belongs. She's not good enough for F1 or Nascar. Just my 2 cents but I know the Danica fans will say i'm way out of line.

She's "good enough" for the IndyCar Series but "not good enough" for NASCAR or F1, huh? First off, Danica Patrick is a damn good race driver. She only has won one race, but she's against some tough competition and is driving for a team that is nowhere near as good as its salad days in 2004-05.

And by that statement, are you saying top IndyCar drivers like Dixon, Franchitti, Castroneves, Briscoe and Kanaan are inferior to those in Cup and F1? Interesting ...

And before you trot out the "Franchitti failed in NASCAR" argument, he was in crap equipment with no funding last season. Ganassi's NASCAR outfit is nowhere near a top team, and he was in Ganassi junk.

Plus stock car racing is a completely different discipline than open-wheel formula cars, and the adjustment to completely different machinery and new tracks takes time. Hornish is starting to turn it around and has run decent lately in Cup.

I would love to see some of the "superior" Cup drivers come and run an IndyCar Series road race against Dixon, Franchitti, Kanaan, Castroneves and Briscoe. Something tells me "the best drivers in the world," as DW and Larry Mac call them, would be looking at the back of quite a few Xtrac gearboxes for most of the race.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:59 pm

FOTA to Launch it's own Breakaway Series !

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76292

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:35 pm

Oh, good. I was really hoping this would all be over with before the weekend started. Now, we've got weeks of this sh*t in front of us.

The FIA seem convinced that three of the FOTA teams are contracted to them for next year in any case. Presumably, though, there'll be another entry list tomorrow (probably not the last entry list either) that includes Prodrive, and Epsilon Euskadi, and - time to let you in on it, I suppose - PK Engineering. Terry and I are but a Superlicence away...

The more this goes on, the more I begin to wonder whether we might want to form a synidcate, buy an old March 761 with a couple of spare DFVs and see if we can't end up as first reserve for 2010 or something.