OT: Racing 2010 (Spoiler Alert)

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:26 pm

Kruza wrote:Yeah. It's a one-hour wrap-up show for each rally event. Unfortunately there isn't any type of live coverage or any long extensive coverage of each WRC event that Eurosport network reguarly shows across the Atlantic. And you'll have to use 'alternative means' to access shows from that network as pk500 appropriately states, heh.

Kruza

Squidly:

Drop me a PM if you need info. on Eurosport feeds.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:12 pm

Kruza wrote:Yeah. It's a one-hour wrap-up show for each rally event. Unfortunately there isn't any type of live coverage or any long extensive coverage of each WRC event that Eurosport network reguarly shows across the Atlantic.

Don't know if Eurosport still has the rights to WRC in continental Europe - my understanding is that they're losing any rights they still held, since they're now very much in bed with the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. They lost the UK rights some time ago. We get a one hour wrap-up show too, on an entertainment channel called Dave (yes, really), and have done for a year or two now.

I believe WRC will be shown here on Motors TV this year. They're a French-based network whose in-house coverage is usually on the low-budget side of cheap, but the WRC coverage is currently handled by the same people who did ITV's F1 coverage so it should be decent. Current plans are for an hour of highlights each night during a rally, so that might be worth keeping an eye out for via the regular completely legitimate channels.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:45 pm

I hope conditions tomorrow are good enough to allow for a reasonable comparison between Rossi and Massa:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81017

I know F1 would have ended up strangling all the life out of Vale - he has a mind and a personality, neither of which are in an F1 driver's job description these days - but would I ever have loved to see him give it a proper go.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:46 am

Autosport is saying that teams have agreed to ban double diffuser's from 2011.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81024

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:55 am

Rodster wrote:Autosport is saying that teams have agreed to ban double diffuser's from 2011.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81024

Let's take another step and BAN WINGS. Now that would be fantastic. We'd find out who really can drive.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:40 pm

Man I would hate for you to be a team manager.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:42 am

Dunno if this is racing or game material, but it should fit here. Awesome Ken Block ride along video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3obxPwn6QE

One of those guys appeared to be hyperventilating haha. That one girl wasn't to bad, either.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:55 am

Yeah that was a funny ass video, still get a laugh out of it but Teal posted the video in the Dirt 2 thread.

Hoping Ken Block kicks ass in the WRC or at least someone posted he got signed up for a ride.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:53 pm

What's everyone's take on the Castrol world driver rankings? They rank over 2000 drivers, and even have countries ranked. For 2009 there were 4 F1 drivers, 3 IRL drivers, 2 WRC drivers, and one NASCAR driver (Jimmie Johnson #5) in the top ten. Clearly the weighting within the points system is questionable, but an interesting concept nonetheless.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:43 pm

toonarmy wrote:What's everyone's take on the Castrol world driver rankings? They rank over 2000 drivers, and even have countries ranked. For 2009 there were 4 F1 drivers, 3 IRL drivers, 2 WRC drivers, and one NASCAR driver (Jimmie Johnson #5) in the top ten. Clearly the weighting within the points system is questionable, but an interesting concept nonetheless.

I'm a bit confused by it, in truth. I understand the purpose of the football ranking they've got going, because they play the same game in the Premier League as they do in Serie A, La Liga or wherever, but motorsport's not exactly like that. There are good touring car drivers, good sportscar drivers, good single-seater drivers. That's where the weightings come in, sure, but as you say, those weightings are questionable.

I note that in the guide to how the ratings are calculated on the Castrol Rankings website, equal 3rd place is 'Le Mans 24 Hours'. Just that race? LMS? ALMS? Why is WTCC, home of Gabriele Tarquini, Alain Menu, Yvan Muller and Andy Priaulx to name only four, ranked lower than the A1GP series that gave us the magnificent Team Lebanon? If car performance isn't factored in, then a guy finishing 10th in a car that doesn't deserve it won't feature, even if he's doing more with what he has than anyone else in the field.

There's too much about it that either needs further explanation or just doesn't seem correct for me to view it that seriously. It's something to view out of curiosity, but I feel that the only true and fair comparison remains the one made between drivers in the same series.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:24 pm

toonarmy wrote:What's everyone's take on the Castrol world driver rankings?

A clever PR stunt by Castrol. Nothing more, for the reasons Adam so ably described above.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 4:11 pm

Yeah, that's what I gathered. I didn't know if anyone actually takes the rankings seriously. They seem to be so fundamentally flawed that nobody would pay them much mind.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:43 pm

toonarmy wrote:Yeah, that's what I gathered. I didn't know if anyone actually takes the rankings seriously. They seem to be so fundamentally flawed that nobody would pay them much mind.

Fun to talk about and stir debate while keeping Castrol's name at the forefront. "Hey, did you read those Castrol rankings? They're WAY off."

Bingo. Mission accomplished for Castrol. Smart PR.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:26 pm

I just realized Castrol is also doing a major football rankings system as well for FIFA. They are an official sponsor of the World Cup. Their football rankings are as absurd as their racing rankings. Henry currently ahead of Messi -- really? Five Barca players in the top ten players of the world, out of literally thousands of players, whatever. After reading in detail the formulas being used to compute the numbers I better understand what is going on now.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:11 pm

But hey, you just mentioned Castrol again. Bingo!

Sh*t, so did I ...

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:40 pm

Castrol is all I use in my car.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:08 am

The new Mercedes GP car has a pretty radical looking/different front wing. Could Ross Brawn have more tricks up his sleeve?

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:12 am

pk500 wrote:But hey, you just mentioned Castrol again. Bingo!

Sh*t, so did I ...

Looks like someone probably from India registered the name CastrolRankings on DSP.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:02 am

Rodster wrote:The new Mercedes GP car has a pretty radical looking/different front wing. Could Ross Brawn have more tricks up his sleeve?

Wow -- that wing makes an ugly era for front-wing regulations just plain FUGLY. I've seen more attractive snowplows running up and down my road this winter.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:20 am

LOL, I was thinking the same thing, snowplow or field harvester.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:22 am

That's last year's car, fellas. New model doesn't launch until next week. What you're looking at is the team and livery launch using the 2009 model.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:48 am

Oops I didn't catch it, thanks Adam.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:06 pm

No worries. I love the launch season so I've had those dates pencilled in for a while. Having liked the concept livery so much that I was moved to write a piece about it, I'm happy to see that they've not cocked up the final product. I do like silver racing cars.

The question we all want answering, of course, is this: sure, it says Petronas on it, but do they really use Castrol?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:13 pm

Proposed new F1 points system for 2010, subject to approval:

25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1

The original revision for 2010 was similar to MotoGP: 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1. I like the new one even better since it rewards winning.

Screw points racing. Racing is about winning.

But hell, anything is better than 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. I always thought 10-6-5-4-3-2-1 was just fine.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:23 pm

pk500 wrote:Proposed new F1 points system for 2010, subject to approval:

25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1

The original revision for 2010 was similar to MotoGP: 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1. I like the new one even better since it rewards winning.

Screw points racing. Racing is about winning.

But hell, anything is better than 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. I always thought 10-6-5-4-3-2-1 was just fine.

Thanks to Schumacher they did away with that. They should bring back the old points systems. F1 currently has a good balance of driver and team talent.

Damn the new proposed points system is turning into Hockey where just about every team gets in the playoffs.