OT: Racing 2010 (Spoiler Alert)

[Jimmydeicide]

Whats wrong with being scared hes going 150 and hes not in control . I gave up that type of excitement ages ago.

Give me a couch a beer a Race\footy\hockey game and im looking like Massa.

[GB_Simo]

You've ran enough rFactor to know that with us lot, 150 mph when we are in control is a terrifying journey into the unknown, or the turn 2 barriers at Toban, whichever gets here first...

[GB_Simo]

Sunday November 14th: "If Barrichello and Hulkenberg are retained at Williams next season - and I have it on very good authority that they will be..." - Jonathan Legard

Monday November 15th: Barrichello stays. You can probably guess what's happened to Nico.

The word for a good while now has been that Pastor Maldonado is getting the other Williams seat and that budgetary considerations are something of a factor. Maldonado brings $10 million with him, Hulkenberg doesn't.

[Jimmydeicide]

I doubt the crap we raced at Toban got over 99 miles an hour, i always knew i was at the limit because the door handles where rattling not because the tires squealed.

[Dave]

Sunday November 14th: "If Barrichello and Hulkenberg are retained at Williams next season - and I have it on very good authority that they will be..." - Jonathan Legard

Monday November 15th: Barrichello stays. You can probably guess what's happened to Nico.

The word for a good while now has been that Pastor Maldonado is getting the other Williams seat and that budgetary considerations are something of a factor. Maldonado brings $10 million with him, Hulkenberg doesn't.

Is there any story here besides $$$? Such a shame to see Hulkenberg out of the Williams, and possibly out of a ride altogether.

[GB_Simo]

Is there any story here besides $$$? Such a shame to see Hulkenberg out of the Williams, and possibly out of a ride altogether.

None that I know of. Williams have some big sponsorship deals coming to an end now, including their deals with Royal Bank of Scotland and Philips (I think the AT&T deal might be up too, in fact, and if that's the case they're without a title sponsor too). I'm fairly sure Hulkenberg doesn't bring any major sponsorship and Maldonado has the backing of a state-owned Venezuelan oil company. Perhaps they see more talent in Maldonado and I'm doing him a disservice, but given that he and Hulkenberg were teammates in GP2 last season - Nico as a rookie, Pastor in his 3rd season - and Nico drove circles around him, that's probably not it.

That Autosport link reckons Williams wanted to place Nico at HRT, presumably in connection with the deal that sees HRT running a Williams rear end next year, which is a move I don't really blame him for turning down. Not too sure where he'll end up, though; Petrov's sponsorship might be worth too much to Renault for them to give him the elbow, while Force India have Sutil's Medion money and seem very keen on Paul di Resta, so unless there's a drive somewhere like Virgin up for grabs it might be a reserve driver role he's looking at.

[Gurantsu]

I don't know if any of you guys who get Discovery HD theater are watching this, but this Sundays episode of "The Edge" is going to feature my favorite race team, Micheal Shank Racing, and how they came back after their #6 car did a fine impersonation of a hibachi at Watkins Glen.

The Edge is a really well produced mini series about the Grand Am series. The first 3 episodes were really good.

[pk500]

I don't know if any of you guys who get Discovery HD theater are watching this, but this Sundays episode of "The Edge" is going to feature my favorite race team, Micheal Shank Racing, and how they came back after their #6 car did a fine impersonation of a hibachi at Watkins Glen.

The Edge is a really well produced mini series about the Grand Am series. The first 3 episodes were really good.

Hell's bells, Grant: I had no idea this series existed. Setting my DVR now!

Thanks for the head's up.

[Rodster]

While I no longer follow Nascar, I read that Jimmy Johnson won his 5th Title in a row.

edit: Nascar Season is ridiculous Feb-Nov..ouch

[Gurantsu]

Hell's bells, Grant: I had no idea this series existed. Setting my DVR now!

Thanks for the head's up.

You'll particularly like the scene where Ricky and Jordan Taylor are playing iRacing...

[Dave]

The inaugural "HAVE AT IT BOYS!!!" season has ended and I find myself more disillusioned than ever with NASCAR.

Brian France is an idiot, the Chase sucks, and ESPN doesn't know how to produce a race to save its life.

[Rodster]

Dave I used to watch Nascar back in the late 80's early 90's. I thought it was a cool fringe motorsport. Today's Nascar has no resemblance of what made Nascar cool. Nascar ruined it's own sport by chasing the giant money bag.

I have no interest in The Chase nor the COT which all came about after they shook hands with the devil aka TV Networks. They and not Nascar now dictate what looks cool on TV and what might work for a Prime Time audience. Nascar no longer calls it's own shots it's what the TV Networks want. The sport is over saturated IMO. They have way too many series doing the same thing that are part of the Nascar group. It's only a matter of time before viewers tire of Nascar.

[DChaps]

I actually enjoyed the Nascar, Indycar, and F1 seasons this year. More than I have in a long time (and I have been following racing for a long time). All three had the championship coming down to the final race with multiple players in the mix. You can't hope for much more than that in a racing series. You can't blame a professional sport for following the money., especially in the current economy. Professional sports are a business. As much as we like to think back to the "glory days" of the Nascar dirt trackin' bootlegger, Indy 500 farm town hero, or F1 amateur purist, the bottom line is motor sport needs marketing, TV, agents, corporations, etc., otherwise the sport ceases to exist as a professional enterprise. I will try to dig it up, but I am fairly certain I have an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution back in 1985 when Bill Elliot won the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, and the Southern 500 earning him the Winston Million. If I remember correctly, the article was talking about how the money was hurting the "purity" of the sport.

PS - I can watch more racing now than I ever could back in the 70's or 80's. TV, corporations, advertising, and marketing are the reasons for that, so I can take the good with the bad if it gives me more options.

[fletcher21]

Do any of you guys know what the deal is with all the colorful "drawings" or whatever they are on the Nurburgring? I always notice them in games like GT5 and Forza3, but you can't make out what they are or what they say. They're obviously painted on since they don't come off. What's the deal with them? Just another quirk that makes the Ring the best non-oval track in the world if you ask me.

[GB_Simo]

Do any of you guys know what the deal is with all the colorful "drawings" or whatever they are on the Nurburgring? I always notice them in games like GT5 and Forza3, but you can't make out what they are or what they say. They're obviously painted on since they don't come off. What's the deal with them? Just another quirk that makes the Ring the best non-oval track in the world if you ask me.

Graffiti left by the locals or by the visiting tourist drivers, usually. Some of it is the standard Forza Ferrari! business, some of it is to promote a website or motoring product and some of it is meant as a lasting tribute to friends who have died there - as you'll doubtless be aware, the Nordschleife still claims a number of victims every year.

[fletcher21]

PK: What is the current track record @ Indy? I ran a lap of 40.277 at it today in GT5. I was driving my 1020hp Toyota Minolta. I was topping out around 227mph. Didn't the old Indy cars run in the 222mph area? I was able to drive the whole lap at full throttle. I don't know if an Indy car has to lift or not? It must take balls the size of grape fruits to take a real car around Indy at that speed!

PK: What's the fastest you've ever been around Indy? Ever been in one of those 2 seat race cars or anything?

[GB_Simo]

PK: What is the current track record @ Indy? I ran a lap of 40.277 at it today in GT5. I was driving my 1020hp Toyota Minolta. I was topping out around 227mph. Didn't the old Indy cars run in the 222mph area? I was able to drive the whole lap at full throttle. I don't know if an Indy car has to lift or not? It must take balls the size of grape fruits to take a real car around Indy at that speed!

Fletch, Arie Luyendyk has ran qualifying laps with a 4-lap average speed up around 237 or thereabouts in the mid 90s. I get scared enough running 230 averages on IndyCar Series 2005...

[pk500]

PK: What is the current track record @ Indy? I ran a lap of 40.277 at it today in GT5. I was driving my 1020hp Toyota Minolta. I was topping out around 227mph. Didn't the old Indy cars run in the 222mph area? I was able to drive the whole lap at full throttle. I don't know if an Indy car has to lift or not? It must take balls the size of grape fruits to take a real car around Indy at that speed!

Fletch, Arie Luyendyk has ran qualifying laps with a 4-lap average speed up around 237 or thereabouts in the mid 90s. I get scared enough running 230 averages on IndyCar Series 2005...

Official, one lap: Arie Luyendyk, 1996, 37.895, 237.498

That was during qualifying, which along with the race are the only time speeds are considered "official." Luyendyk turned a lap of 37.616, 239.260 with a tow in 1996 during Fast Friday practice the day before Pole Day.

You have a ways to go to catch The Flying Dutchman, dude.

[fletcher21]

PK: What is the current track record @ Indy? I ran a lap of 40.277 at it today in GT5. I was driving my 1020hp Toyota Minolta. I was topping out around 227mph. Didn't the old Indy cars run in the 222mph area? I was able to drive the whole lap at full throttle. I don't know if an Indy car has to lift or not? It must take balls the size of grape fruits to take a real car around Indy at that speed!

Fletch, Arie Luyendyk has ran qualifying laps with a 4-lap average speed up around 237 or thereabouts in the mid 90s. I get scared enough running 230 averages on IndyCar Series 2005...

Official, one lap: Arie Luyendyk, 1996, 37.895, 237.498

That was during qualifying, which along with the race are the only time speeds are considered "official." Luyendyk turned a lap of 37.616, 239.260 with a tow in 1996 during Fast Friday practice the day before Pole Day.

You have a ways to go to catch The Flying Dutchman, dude.

237 mph = man's game. I am not ashamed to admit I don't have the stones to even think I'd want to try that lol. Indycars must have insane downforce if you can go at those speeds on a relatively flat (compared to Talladega and Daytona) oval. I would assume that a good number of drivers were actually scared to be going that fast, huh? Obviously it was considered unsafe since they don't go that quick anymore. Kinda like the old turbo F1 cars with 1200+ HP?

[Rodster]

Gotta love the sound of the 1995 F1 cars. Weren't the Ferrari's V12's that year?

Those Ferrari's do sound a wee bit different from the rest.

[GB_Simo]

Jean Alesi's only Grand Prix win. A talent that deserved so much more, allied to a temperament that was never going to allow it.

Yup, that was the last F1 season to feature a V12 engine, with Ferrari going V10 for 1996. Sure, it was more fuel efficient and didn't grenade itself quite as frequently, but it wasn't the same. You hear a few V8s in that video too as the Sauber, Footwork, Minardi, Forti and Pacific go by.

The two of you who occasionally stopped by might like to know that the Racing 2010 thread's English contingent has set up one of them there Wordpress blogs in order to chunter on just as before. None of the old content has carried over so it's a little bare at the moment but it'll develop again soon enough, so you're welcome to stop by whenever you'd like to.

[Rodster]

Piquets win Crashgate libel case http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport ... 35989.html


Love him or hate him the guy has a sense of humor. http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/88609

Bernie's new advert for Hublot watches
"See what people will do for a Hublot."

[pk500]

Very nice new layout on the blog, Adam!

[Dave]

The two of you who occasionally stopped by might like to know that the Racing 2010 thread's English contingent has set up one of them there Wordpress blogs in order to chunter on just as before. None of the old content has carried over so it's a little bare at the moment but it'll develop again soon enough, so you're welcome to stop by whenever you'd like to.

As the other person who was a PetrolHeadBlog fan, I am very glad to see you are back at it, Simo. Consider the new site bookmarked.

My 2011 racing challenge to you and PK - give me everything I want to read in two places and two places only!

F, just typing 2011 racing makes me want to investigate another banzai trip to Daytona for the Rolex 24...

[fletcher21]

I was watching in car video my friend took of himself driving at Laguna Seca this past summer. It looks like a total thrill. He was telling me about the course, and in the discussion he mentioned that he thinks the corkscrew is one of the 10 best turns in the entire world. I mean it's a cute little turn and all, but top 10 in the world? What do you guys think? Eau Rouge is pretty much considered the best turn in all of racing, correct? I'd find it hard to argue.

Getting back to Laguna, I think it's a pretty average track, especially if you take out the corkscrew. It doesn't have s*** on VIR, Road America, Road Atlanta or Mid Ohio if you ask me.