OT: Racing 2010 (Spoiler Alert)

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Sun May 30, 2010 2:30 pm

It seems difficult to reach any conclusion other than 'Vettel was in the wrong', doesn't it? Not if you're Helmut Marko, it doesn't...

Leaving aside the revision of history that link presents you with, I'd be fascinated to learn what Helmut was expecting Mark to do when Seb turned into the side of him. Disappear, presumably.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun May 30, 2010 4:37 pm

According to Autosport Mark was in fuel saving move so that's probably why Vettel initiated the pass. If that's the case don't hold up your teammate if he's quicker than you. Just another angle to it.

Ferrari is abysmal, they've gone from 2nd to mid-fielders. It's obvious Fred is losing his patience with the way they are falling back. Congrats to McLaren, nice to see someone else other than Red Bull get a 1-2.

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Sun May 30, 2010 5:04 pm

Rodster wrote:According to Autosport Mark was in fuel saving move so that's probably why Vettel initiated the pass. If that's the case don't hold up your teammate if he's quicker than you. Just another angle to it.

But he didn't finish the pass before he forced his way back on line. Webber had the line and despite Vettel being a few inches ahead, it's up to Vettel to complete the pass with Webber holding position.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Mon May 31, 2010 12:27 am

F308GTB wrote:Who says F1 is boring! Vettel proved to be a huge goat today. Webber was completely in the right and Vettel was a complete moron. And then Lewis and Jenson almost doing the exact same thing? Lots of passing today and the most exciting race I've seen in a few years.

I love F1 and Tilke designs are the best ever.
what a blast that was.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Mon May 31, 2010 3:02 pm

Paul,

Care to give us your afterthoughts of the race?

It's a shame that Indy racing has fallen so far down the pecking order to where even the Indy 500 isn't as big of a deal. It's still a big deal but not like it used to be.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Mon May 31, 2010 3:03 pm

I always forget to Tivo F1 without fail.

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Mon May 31, 2010 10:40 pm

Two brief moments - as exciting as they were - do not make for an exciting race.

Ultimately, that long left-hander only served to keep the McLarens stuck behind the Red Bulls lap after lap.

As far as the soap opera goes, I'd love to know what was going on in Hamilton's head. He was the most upset race winner I've ever seen (putting aside the 1999 Champ Car finale of course). It would be funny if both Red Bull and McLaren messed up their communications in the same way and put their drivers in the position where they'ed be racing each other hard.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon May 31, 2010 10:53 pm

Smurfy wrote:It would be funny if both Red Bull and McLaren messed up their communications in the same way and put their drivers in the position where they'ed be racing each other hard.

That's pretty much what happened. It appears Lewis was told and thought both he and Jenson were going to hold station and bring both cars home. The next thing he sees is Button taking the lead. I guess he had a WTF moment and so passed his teammate on the next opportunity.

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 12:03 am

GB_Simo wrote:It seems difficult to reach any conclusion other than 'Vettel was in the wrong', doesn't it? Not if you're Helmut Marko, it doesn't...

Leaving aside the revision of history that link presents you with, I'd be fascinated to learn what Helmut was expecting Mark to do when Seb turned into the side of him. Disappear, presumably.

Unless Webber's driving violated an agreement made within the team before the race, I can't see how it was his fault. The races are boring enough and now the team bosses seem to want to eliminate what little excitement is left in a dry race.

Lovely driving from the McLaren duo that was. I can't imagine Button enjoyed being beaten like that after it looked like the lead was his?

Oh, and it seems I'm batting 0.000 with my predictions for 2010. Button's still ahead of Hamilton, Webber's doing better than Vettel now that he's got the confidence, and Massa isn't shocking Alonso at Ferrari. I might as well have picked Virgin to win the constructor's championship. Still, Button can't beat Hamilton over a whole season, right?

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:06 pm

Rodster wrote:Ferrari is abysmal, they've gone from 2nd to mid-fielders. It's obvious Fred is losing his patience with the way they are falling back. Congrats to McLaren, nice to see someone else other than Red Bull get a 1-2.

Could be worse, Rod. Imagine how far back Ferrari would be if it wasn't for the 6 tenths Fernando brings.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 10:16 pm

GB_Simo wrote:
Rodster wrote:Ferrari is abysmal, they've gone from 2nd to mid-fielders. It's obvious Fred is losing his patience with the way they are falling back. Congrats to McLaren, nice to see someone else other than Red Bull get a 1-2.
Could be worse, Rod. Imagine how far back Ferrari would be if it wasn't for the 6 tenths Fernando brings.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Sat Jun 05, 2010 7:47 pm

Gents,

I don't know if you're all aware that on the official Formula 1 website, there are highlights packages released the week after every race, usually including bits of team radio that didn't make it to broadcast. Entertaining stuff at all times, but particularly fun this week given that the Turkey video contains a bit of McLaren pit radio that explains exactly why Lewis had his long face on post-race:

http://www.formula1.com/video/race_edits.html

If you aren't already registered, you'll need to create an account before you can watch anything.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 7:42 pm

A fairly tasty weekend of racing coming up, boys, none of which I'll be seeing because I'm off to the Download festival at Donington Park, a weekend of rock music which would have me far more excited had it not been pissing down solidly for the last week. Anyone feeling bold enough to tip anything other than a Peugeot victory at Le Mans?

While I'm here, those with an hour to fill and a fondness for downloading TV shows might want to seek this out somewhere - Hammond Meets Moss:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sfptv

The video on that link will be UK-only unless you're fond of proxy servers and all that business, but it'll be available somewhere if you're resourceful, I'm sure. I watched it tonight, not really expecting all that much from it, and came away impressed by a very enjoyable, interesting and at times touching discussion between a racing legend and the short bloke off Top Gear, who have rather more in common than that sentence might suggest.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:24 pm

Anyone catch the MotoGP race from England? Besides Hayden and Rossi, I couldn't have named one more rider but I still enjoyed it. Sounds like this Spies guy is an up and coming American. Weird to see an American doing well in a non Nascar/IRL series.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 10:42 am

fletcher21 wrote:Anyone catch the MotoGP race from England? Besides Hayden and Rossi, I couldn't have named one more rider but I still enjoyed it. Sounds like this Spies guy is an up and coming American. Weird to see an American doing well in a non Nascar/IRL series.

Rossi is injured and didn't race in England.

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 11:19 am

fletcher21 wrote:....Weird to see an American doing well in a non Nascar/IRL series.

Actually, it would be weird to see an American doing well in the Indycar Series. There has not been much American success in Indycars since Sam Hornish Jr. left the series. Dating back to 2005 there have been 90 Indycar races, 14 of which were won by Americans. In fact, there were no American winners in 2009, and one so far in the 2010 season.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 1:20 pm

fletcher21 wrote:Anyone catch the MotoGP race from England? Besides Hayden and Rossi, I couldn't have named one more rider but I still enjoyed it. Sounds like this Spies guy is an up and coming American. Weird to see an American doing well in a non Nascar/IRL series.

I've watched every MotoGP race since 2005.

As Toon said, Rossi didn't compete at Silverstone due to a broken leg he suffered in a vicious high side in practice earlier this month at Mugello.

Insane battle for second through sixth Sunday, showing the cut-and-thrust brilliance of MotoGP. There really is no better racing on this planet than Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Spies is a freak. Lorenzo already said yesterday that it's only a matter of time until Spies is a regular visitor to the podium. Spies' ride yesterday may have been THE ride of the season by anyone in the series considering the Tech 3 Yamaha is the slowest bike on the grid. That satellite bike has pretty lousy grunt, yet Ben still raced it to the podium. Phenomenal.

As for American success in MotoGP, it's far from uncommon. More Americans have won the World Championship since 1978 than riders from any other nation. The last American World Champ was Nicky Hayden in 2006, but there has been at least one Yank in the top five of the final standings seven of the last 10 years.

There are also three Americans in MotoGP this season: Hayden, Spies and Colin Edwards. Only Spain and Italy have more riders on the grid.

Glad you're digging MotoGP. The next race is the TT Assen in The Netherlands. It's live at 9:30 a.m. (ET) Saturday on SPEED. That's right: Assen is a Saturday race.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:35 pm

Speaking of which, Nicky sung Ben Spies praises. I always thought Lorenzo would be the heir apparent to Rossi but i'm not so sure anymore. Ben Spies came to MotoGP with a ton of hype and yesterday he served notice..."Watch Out !

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 4:42 pm

toonarmy wrote:
fletcher21 wrote:Anyone catch the MotoGP race from England? Besides Hayden and Rossi, I couldn't have named one more rider but I still enjoyed it. Sounds like this Spies guy is an up and coming American. Weird to see an American doing well in a non Nascar/IRL series.
Rossi is injured and didn't race in England.

I realized that. I still remember him from playing the MotoGP game on Xbox. He dominated in that game!

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 7:08 pm

It's probably odd for someone from the land of Hailwood, Sheene and Fogarty, but the man who really caught my attention and made me watch bike racing when I was a young 'un was Kevin Schwantz, another marvellous American rider.

pk500 wrote:Insane battle for second through sixth Sunday, showing the cut-and-thrust brilliance of MotoGP. There really is no better racing on this planet than Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Spies is a freak. Lorenzo already said yesterday that it's only a matter of time until Spies is a regular visitor to the podium. Spies' ride yesterday may have been THE ride of the season by anyone in the series considering the Tech 3 Yamaha is the slowest bike on the grid. That satellite bike has pretty lousy grunt, yet Ben still raced it to the podium. Phenomenal.

What surprised me about the Tech 3 bike, given that the power issues have been well documented for at least the last 18 months, was how well it seemed to pull off the corners. Clearly it lacks at the top end, though even down Hangar Straight they weren't exactly demolishing Spies, but in terms of torque and grunt coming onto the straights there seemed to be a lot less wrong with it than I was expecting.

I'm sure he's going to do terrible damage to himself one day, but I love seeing Randy de Puniet race. Upwards of 20 laps of Silverstone yesterday and I don't think I once saw him occupy the same piece of road for two consecutive laps. I've never quite worked out whether it's necessary for him to ride the satellite Honda that hard to extract the maximum from it or whether he's an incurable, out of control featherhead (I suspect the latter), but it's great fun to watch.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:27 am

fletcher21 wrote:
toonarmy wrote:
fletcher21 wrote:Anyone catch the MotoGP race from England? Besides Hayden and Rossi, I couldn't have named one more rider but I still enjoyed it. Sounds like this Spies guy is an up and coming American. Weird to see an American doing well in a non Nascar/IRL series.
Rossi is injured and didn't race in England.
I realized that. I still remember him from playing the MotoGP game on Xbox. He dominated in that game!

The game mirrors reality!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:32 am

GB_Simo wrote:I'm sure he's going to do terrible damage to himself one day, but I love seeing Randy de Puniet race. Upwards of 20 laps of Silverstone yesterday and I don't think I once saw him occupy the same piece of road for two consecutive laps. I've never quite worked out whether it's necessary for him to ride the satellite Honda that hard to extract the maximum from it or whether he's an incurable, out of control featherhead (I suspect the latter), but it's great fun to watch.

There were at least three times during the race Sunday where my son and I were left with mouths agape after seeing De Puniet's Honda literally shimmying at 185 mph. The front forks on his Honda looked like wet linguine at times. Really scary stuff, but Randy rode the sh*t out of that bike.

Regarding the Tech 3's cornering, Spies was braking so late on the final few laps that his rear wheel was lifting off the ground in nearly every corner. Ben's rear wheel lifted probably a foot off the ground on the final lap entering a corner as he was trying to hold off Hayden. He literally was setting up for the corner solely by pointing the front wheel as his rear wheel was hopping off the ground. Silly, silly bike control.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:35 pm

There's word circulating that Kubica has been offered a 3 year deal in Valencia by Mercedes to replace Michael next year.

http://uk.autoblog.com/2010/06/25/merce ... -valencia/

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article. ... 4596&FS=F1

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:50 pm

Word circulating in the Italian media? About the same Robert Kubica who has a one year deal with Renault, must have a few friends in Italian motorsport journalism from his junior career in that country, recently saw his Ferrari drive go up in smoke for another couple of years and might fancy bumping up that retainer for another Renault deal?

Not buying it. Not yet.

Edited to add: Why now, anyway? This story would not have appeared after Monaco or Turkey, both races in which you'll recall he did a more than decent job, and the utterly nonsensical pasting Michael's taken for events in Canada (though I'll let you have the criticism of that business with Massa, it seems everyone's magically forgotten his long run pace on Friday, and that he was just about in touch with the lead group before the Kubica battle) pissed me off to such an extent that I was moved to remember I keep a blog about these things. Quite apart from all of that, I'm not at all sure the Renault's any worse than the Merc at the minute...

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:14 pm

The biggest transfer story in racing right now is Rossi mulling an offer from Ducati starting in 2011 worth 15 million euros per season.

Vale makes about that much right now from Yamaha, but he was doing to agree to stay with Yamaha for the rest of his career for a trimmed pay packet of around 9 million euros per season after Yamaha told him it needed to cut costs.

But then Vale discovered cost savings from his contract supposedly were going to be used to double Lorenzo's salary for next season, and he squelched Yamaha's offer.

A bit frosty in the Fiat Yamaha camp right now, one would suspect.

Apparently Dorna is pushing for the dream match of Italian supernova Rossi with the most evocative motorcycle brand in the world, Ducati, which inspires Ferrari-like devotion around the globe and, oh, just happens to be Italian, too.

It's pretty much a done deal that Stoner will move to Repsol Honda in 2011. Not sure if Pedrosa or Dovizioso will make way for him.

The Silly Season is insane this summer in MotoGP because the top four riders in the class -- the "aliens" Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa -- all are out of contract after this season. That's a rare perfect storm that will shake the lineup in ways unseen for quite some time.

It also wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Ben Spies on a Fiat Yamaha next season as Lorenzo's teammate if he continues to progress at such a rapid rate in his rookie season. The Tech 3 Yamaha satellite bike is the slowest machine on the grid, and Spies is performing miracles on it.

Colin Edwards was pretty blown away by how well Ben is riding when I talked with him this week, and Colin doesn't pass out compliments like free condoms at the clinic, even about buddies like Ben:

http://blog.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/