OT: Racing 2009 (Spoiler Alert)

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:10 pm

It was a sled, a shed and everything in between. Still, he signed his deal in 1995 and that car was alright, so I'm sticking to my point...

Really bad cars are something I want to blog about in the off-season - actually, really ugly cars too - but my favourite bad car story is the one recounted by Frank Gardner, the Australian all-rounder who sadly passed away a couple of months back, about Porsche's 917 sportscar:

"Late one Friday in 1969 the telephone rang. 'Hello Frank, this is Husche von Hanstein. We would like you to drive our new car at the Nurburgring 1000 km this weekend.' I said I was busy and recommended he call Brian Redman. 'Brian has had a crash, and is in hospital.' Jo Siffert was my next suggestion. 'Jo has had a crash and is in hospital.' Rico Steinemann? 'Rico is in the hospital.' 'What the bloody hell is going on there?' 'Our new car is not easy to drive, Frank' - and he wasn't kidding!

"Porsche came to us because there was a shortage of drivers but the money was good so David Piper and I decided to take it on. These first cars had an alloy tubular chassis, which was gas-filled to detect cracks. There was a big gauge in the cockpit measuring the gas pressure. If the gauge zeroed, they said it meant that the chassis has started to crack, and they said I should drive home 'mit care'. I told them, 'If the needle zeroes I'll park the bastard there and then and walk back, pick up my Deutschmarks and go home to Mum'.

"The chassis flexed so much that the position of the gearchange was never the same twice in a row. You'd reach out for the lever and it wasn't there anymore. You could have jacked up the windscreen wiper and put a new car under it, but even then you'd doubt the windscreen wiper. I've always said that the Nürburgring was the circuit that Hitler designed for Jewish racing drivers, but to be there in a Porsche that didn't handle was an experience. I was asked to drive it at Le Mans, and the money was great too, but I told them, 'I never wanted to be the quickest bloke in motor racing, just the oldest' - and that Porsche was going to interfere with my plans.

"Then there was the engine. You had about 300 horsepower at 5000 revs, and then between 5000 and 6000 you picked up another 300! So it was a bit of delight, really, and it was on narrow nine-inch rims all round. The computer had said that nine-inch rims would make the car very quick in a straight line, but the computer wasn't strapped in the bloody seat up in the Eifel mountains, where you tend to get the odd corner...

"David did one lap at the Nurburgring and said he was too young to die."

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:22 pm

GB_Simo wrote: "Late one Friday in 1969 the telephone rang. 'Hello Frank, this is Husche von Hanstein. We would like you to drive our new car at the Nurburgring 1000 km this weekend.' I said I was busy and recommended he call Brian Redman. 'Brian has had a crash, and is in hospital.' Jo Siffert was my next suggestion. 'Jo has had a crash and is in hospital.' Rico Steinemann? 'Rico is in the hospital.' 'What the bloody hell is going on there?' 'Our new car is not easy to drive, Frank' - and he wasn't kidding!

Damn that's a funny story.

That story brings to mind what Jackie Stewart would refer to when someone died while driving....he crashed. Adam, looking forward to your blog about F1 clunkers.

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:13 pm

Rodster wrote:And if i'm not mistaken didn't he give Ferrari three wins that year? One of which was at Spa where he out drove Jacques. Funny moment during the press conference he mentioned he radioed the pit wall and asked if something was broke on the car as the car didn't feel right going thru Eau Rouge. And Ross told him nah, everything's fine keep driving. That car was a sled, even Michael said that was one of the worst cars he had driven.

Yes, he earned Ferrari three opportunistic wins - Spain, Belgium and Italy. To be fair to Jacques, he was in the lead but failed to pit at the correct time during a safety car period. That screwed his race. Nonetheless, earlier in the race Schumacher was able to keep pace with the Williams, but if I remember correctly it was by using the curbs a lot. I recall reading that Schumacher got radioed by the pits to stop using the curbs like that.

On the other hand, the victory in the rain in Spain and the win in Monza were cases of him blowing away the Williamses.

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:27 pm

My thoughts on Brazil:

- Kobayashi should have been penalized for dangerous driving.
- I wasn't happy with what Webber did to Kimi, but it's nothing new for Webber. That and Schumacher got away with the same sort of thing against Montoya in the past. I'm just glad Kimi doesn't whine like Montoya.
- Great drive by Button. This season he's always delivered when he really had to (though not more often than that). I hope he shows more motivation next year when the Brawn isn't as competitive. That's the only way he'll prove himself to be a true champion.
- Notice that even when making very risky passes, Button for the most part doesn't ruin other peoples' races? Always a clean driver and someone people can trust on the track.
- Talking about risky passes, what about Vettel's move on Rubens? Scary stuff.
- Perhaps a "Flaming Kimi" will become a popular new alcoholic beverage in Finland?
- [Added] Too bad Murray Walker wasn't in the booth for this race.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:54 am

Rodster wrote:Nice win for Casey Stoner too. The guy is something else.

Ah, if only Stoner was healthy all season. We'd have a great, three-way title fight on our hands.

Stoner has finished second and first since his return. The dude is looking pretty damn imperious right now.

Too bad about Lorenzo's brain fade on Lap 1 yesterday at Phillip Island. The championship is basically over, as Rossi only needs to finish fourth this Sunday at Sepang to clinch the title. And he still has Valencia in his back pocket if something goes wrong at Sepang.

Lorenzo has tremendous speed, but he still lacks the racecraft of Rossi and Stoner. They're in a different category.

My admiration for Stoner as a rider grows by the week as I see that Ducati buck, bounce, shimmy and shake. The violent nature of that Ducati is magnified every time it's running just ahead or behind one of the Yamahas. The difference in handling is stunning: The Yamaha is so smooth, so precise, and the Ducati looks like a mechanical bull.

Judging by Hayden's piss-poor performance this season, I really think Stoner is the only rider who can tame or at least handle the Ducati. Aleix Espargaro looked surprisingly fast on the Pramac Ducati when Kallio was deputizing for the ill Stoner. I was happy to see Pramac give him a ride for 2010.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:25 pm

Would love to see Rossi try the Ducati.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:38 pm

Rodster wrote:Would love to see Rossi try the Ducati.

That would be cool. But I reckon Yamaha will pay whatever The Doctor wants to finish his career on its bikes.

Take care,
PK

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:05 pm

Horrible, cheap, shameless self-promotion - my blog's new layout went live earlier today, in celebration of my finally getting around to writing something about last weekend's racing. I like it, being especially fond of the way the permalinks and the comments now work again after disabling themselves on the old layout for reasons nobody can quite fathom, but would be interested to hear what the people who read it think. It'd be especially interesting to know if anyone who visits finds anything that's broken on there.

Oh, there is an advert top-left that's slightly too big and extends on into the main body of the site. It doesn't interfere with the text, but I do want to fix it anyway and am aware of it, so that one doesn't need pointing out. Anything else, though, does - please shoot me an email at my blog address (do I need to Spamproof it? I don't know, but adam is at petrolheadblog.com and you're all intelligent men) if you see anything.

What's that? Racing? How about Williams looking certain to go with Cosworth for 2010?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:51 pm

Well, considering the site's logo is Gilles' helmet and the ad I see is for the Gerald Donaldson book I already own...not a bad first impression for me

But as always, fantastic work; your site has become my first stop for F1 recaps.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:33 am

Hey guys, just throwing this out there for some opinions.

I was wondering if there was any interest in trying to get together at a race weekend somewhere. It might be cool to meet some of the other race fans from DSP.

3 races came to mind. First, the Indy 500. It's the biggest in the US, and it's central in the country. Bad things are how filled up the hotels/campgrounds are and also PK will be working so he won't be able to hang out with the gang.

Second would be the Indycar race at Watkins Glen. This is one of my favorite tracks, you can camp on premises, and the whole town oozes auto racing history. Again I'm not sure if PK would have to work or not. Another bad part is that the race is on July 4th which could cause a problem if any guys have other obligations for the holiday.

My last suggestion would be the Grand-Am race in Millville, NJ, on July 17-18th. It's a new track, they always pack a lot of stuff into the weekend, the access to the garage area was the best I've ever experienced, and the Grand-Am guys always put on a hell of a race. Also, there is a karting track on the grounds that we could try (real carts too, they go around 60mph). Another plus is that it's only about 30 minutes from Atlantic City so if any significant others are coming they can go there or one of the other South Jersey beaches and leave the smelling of exhaust fumes to us guys. There is some camping on the grounds so if we go this route I can check with my step-brother if we can get his Mom's camper to use; otherwise tents are also allowed. Of course, there are motels all over and the casinos in AC if anyone wants to do that.

Anyway, just throwing the idea out there. I didn't make it to any races this year and since I really wanted to go to one next year I figured I'd see if there was any interest in getting a group of us together.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:35 am

Grant:

Great idea! Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate at any of the races you mentioned.

I'm working the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen. The Grand-Am race in Millville probably will be my only weekend off next July, as I'm probably working consecutive weekends for the IRL at Watkins Glen and Toronto at the start of the month and then finishing the month by working the Brickyard 400. Sorry, but I'm staying home with my family on the weekend of Millville!

But you guys should go for it. Sounds like fun!

Take care,
PK

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:43 pm

GB_Simo wrote:Horrible, cheap, shameless self-promotion - my blog's new layout went live earlier today, in celebration of my finally getting around to writing something about last weekend's racing. I like it, being especially fond of the way the permalinks and the comments now work again after disabling themselves on the old layout for reasons nobody can quite fathom, but would be interested to hear what the people who read it think. It'd be especially interesting to know if anyone who visits finds anything that's broken on there.

Oh, there is an advert top-left that's slightly too big and extends on into the main body of the site. It doesn't interfere with the text, but I do want to fix it anyway and am aware of it, so that one doesn't need pointing out. Anything else, though, does - please shoot me an email at my blog address (do I need to Spamproof it? I don't know, but adam is at petrolheadblog.com and you're all intelligent men) if you see anything.

What's that? Racing? How about Williams looking certain to go with Cosworth for 2010?

I had never been over to your site before today. Very nicely done! I'll be sure to check it out frequently. I take it you don't think Jenson is much of a Freddie Mercury? lol

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:18 pm

GB_Simo wrote:Horrible, cheap, shameless self-promotion - my blog's new layout went live earlier today, in celebration of my finally getting around to writing something about last weekend's racing. I like it, being especially fond of the way the permalinks and the comments now work again after disabling themselves on the old layout for reasons nobody can quite fathom, but would be interested to hear what the people who read it think. It'd be especially interesting to know if anyone who visits finds anything that's broken on there.

Always a good read, matey. And I like the new design!

Well done.

Take care,
PK

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:22 pm

Grant, if I'm able to swing the time off work and can sort out the travel issues (you know, that whole being in the UK thing) I'll be interested in attending any of those races. Yes, really.

toonarmy wrote:I had never been over to your site before today. Very nicely done! I'll be sure to check it out frequently. I take it you don't think Jenson is much of a Freddie Mercury? lol

Thanks mate, much appreciated. The best I can say for Jenson's singing is that it's better than when Fernando Alonso sang it.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:57 pm

That would rock Adam! My preference would be for the Grand-Am race, as the date works out better for me, and like I mentioned the garage access given to fans the last time I was there was more open and laid back than any other track I've ever been to. If you fly into Philadelphia I could pick you up at the airport. (Of course I know you're really interested in trying your luck at the casino's in Atlantic City; its like a seedier version of Las Vegas!)

Anyway, it's a ways off but lets see who we can get and hopefully we can make it work!

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:14 am

Interesting bit of news. Don't know how accurate it really is.

Button in frame for McLaren drive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsp ... 322334.stm

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:26 am

Mystic Sim strikes again, then. I'd still be surprised if that particular move came off.

In other news, meet the new boss, same as the old one. Todt wins.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:54 am

Congrats to American Ben Spies, who won 14 of 24 races this season to clinch the World Superbike title as a rookie. Can't wait to see what "Elbowz" can do next season in MotoGP!

And what can you say about Valentino Rossi, who clinched his seventh premier-class and ninth overall World Championship Sunday? Forget the numbers: "The Doctor" is the GOAT, as Colin Edwards says.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:24 am

Congrats to Ben and Rossi as well as to Casey Stoner who will things interesting next year along with Jorge Lorenzo. Big congrats to Sebastien Loeb for taking his sixth WRC championship.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:19 am

Rodster wrote:Congrats to Ben and Rossi as well as to Casey Stoner who will things interesting next year along with Jorge Lorenzo. Big congrats to Sebastien Loeb for taking his sixth WRC championship.

Indeed on Loeb. What a topsy-turvy year it was in the WRC. If anyone had told me after Loeb swept the first four rallies of the season that the title would come down to the final day in Wales, I would have told them to pass the pipe here.

If only Stoner had been this healthy all season ... We would probably be looking at a winner-take-all scenario for the title in two weeks at Valencia between Stoner and The Doctor. Stoner looks untouchable now.

Take care,
PK

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:53 pm

Malcolm Wilson made the point that in Sardinia, when no team orders were issued and the winning Focus had Latvala at the wheel, not even Ford felt taking the title to the wire was on. Hirvonen would be world champion now had Ford employed the same tactics there that Citroen employed to get Loeb back into the points in Poland, but at the time it just wasn't on.

Completely unconnected to any of that, some footage I found on YouTube just now of some old racing at Crystal Palace, this taken from the last ever major meeting there, held in 1972.

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VtkQZg_ZxOk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

It's all from one corner, but there's some wonderful driving on show in some glorious machines, and a marvellous piece of no-nonsense crashing from Mike Wilds too. The wall he hits looks awfully solid, but better that than the people and the trees lining the infield. The circuit's closure, it will shock and astound you to learn, was largely because of safety concerns...

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:08 pm

It looks as though at least one of the men on next year's grid will be needing new helmet technology to avoid having his crushed by the weight of Brazilian expectation. Best of luck, Bruno Senna.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:25 pm

It's awesome to see Bruno get a deal. He's a quality driver and seems like a nice young man. I'm hoping one of the young American drivers gets a deal in the next few years as well. The grid is going to be very interesting in the next couple years. And let's not forget that there are whispers of Schumi making a full-fledged comeback at some point. A Schumi return would be epic. The current season is not quite over, yet I am already getting excited about next season.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:28 am

The facilities at Abu Dhabi are ridiculously impressive. The track looks to be laid out in a way that could provide for an exciting race tomorrow. I think I may have to put attending a race at Abu Dhabi on my to-do list.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:32 am

toonarmy wrote:The facilities at Abu Dhabi are ridiculously impressive. The track looks to be laid out in a way that could provide for an exciting race tomorrow. I think I may have to put attending a race at Abu Dhabi on my to-do list.

I've been reading the drivers are very impressed with the circuit as well. At least it's in a better location than the Bahrain circuit.