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[Pimpwerx]

Will the BBC have an online feed? If ITV did anything right, it was their awesome stream. They locked out non-UK viewers, so I only got it when someone ran a proxy server. I'd love to have an online BBC stream as a backup for those days Comcast is messing up on my end. PEACE.

 

[subzero9285]

Will the BBC have an online feed? If ITV did anything right, it was their awesome stream. They locked out non-UK viewers, so I only got it when someone ran a proxy server. I'd love to have an online BBC stream as a backup for those days Comcast is messing up on my end. PEACE.

Yeah, the BBC will have an online stream. However they'll be far more stringent in keeping it for UK viewers only, but I'm sure someone will find a way around the security measures so people outside of the UK can view their coverage.

 

[gutterboy44]

If Jensen can't get a drive, I think he should start a reality show where he goes through a season of NASCAR. If it was directed and produced by a British company it could be pretty good imo.

 

[navanman]

Yeah, the BBC will have an online stream. However they'll be far more stringent in keeping it for UK viewers only, but I'm sure someone will find a way around the security measures so people outside of the UK can view their coverage.

This is what you are looking for then:
http://www.showmethetelly.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2

 

[subzero9285]

This is what you are looking for then:
http://www.showmethetelly.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2

I live in the UK, I'm just looking out for people overseas.

 

[Burai]

If Jensen can't get a drive, I think he should start a reality show where he goes through a season of NASCAR. If it was directed and produced by a British company it could be pretty good imo.

How the hell would he get a ride in NASCAR?

His name isn't worth anything in the States and he has no connection to anyone who can get him into a seat.

Jacques Villeneuve couldn't get enough funding to do NASCAR and he's a former F1 and IndyCar champ and Indy 500 winner. Button has more chance of winning the F1 world championship next season than he does of even getting a NASCAR test.

 

[gutterboy44]

How the hell would he get a ride in NASCAR?

His name isn't worth anything in the States and he has no connection to anyone who can get him into a seat.

Jacques Villeneuve couldn't get enough funding to do NASCAR and he's a former F1 and IndyCar champ and Indy 500 winner. Button has more chance of winning the F1 world championship next season than he does of even getting a NASCAR test.

Money talks at the end of the day and if he had enough, or a big sponsor, he would get a drive no problem. That is what is hilarious about NASCAR, hardly anyone is eliminated from the series based on their competitive edge. It is all money and publicity.

 

[subzero9285]

Silverstone MotoGP layout revealed

Silverstone has unveiled plans for a new track layout ready for the arrival of the British MotoGP round from 2010.

The circuit - which is losing the Formula One British Grand Prix to Donington Park from next year - announced last month that it had won the right to host motorcycle racing's premier championship instead, taking the MotoGP event from Donington.

As part of a £5 million revamp package, the Silverstone MotoGP track will leave the F1 layout at the Abbey chicane and travel up the International circuit towards Becketts, where it will join the National circuit via a tight left-hander to be known as the Arrowhead. New spectator areas will also be constructed around the section, which will be clearly visible from the Becketts grandstands.

There will also be changes to other spectator banks and grandstands to bring them closer to the circuit, while the chicane at Woodcote normally used by motorcycle events will be removed as part of alterations to the run-off at this point.

New pieces of track are also being created at Chapel and Club for MotoGP use.

The circuit's managing director Richard Phillips believes the changes will address any concerns that MotoGP had about the move to Silverstone.

"The new Arrowhead on the inside of Becketts will be a major new feature of the circuit," he said. "The fast approach and sharp left should provide plenty of opportunities to overtake, making it a real focal point for spectators.

"The views will be fantastic, especially from the new spectator banking areas and grandstands we will be building around the Arrowhead.

"The viewing experience for fans is hugely important and we now have an opportunity to make sure it is absolutely right, all around the circuit. The new layout will also enable fans to circulate around the venue more easily, to watch all the action from different vantage points.

"We are making a significant investment but it is absolutely worth it. Early feedback from both riders and drivers has been very positive. The chicane at Woodcote is going and changes to other sections of the circuit should result in increased overtaking opportunities."

The current F1 GP track will not be affected by the changes, so will remain available for other events.

Source


MotoGP cost-cutting proposals ratified

Practice time has been slashed and some electronic devices limited from the 2009 MotoGP season after the Grand Prix Commission ratified cost-cutting proposals today.

Friday morning practice has been cancelled for all three grand prix classes, and the remaining two MotoGP practice sessions plus qualifying have been shortened from one hour to 45 minutes. The 125cc and 250cc series will now have a sole qualifying session on a Saturday afternoon, with the former Friday qualifying sessions becoming practice.

Testing has been reduced too, with the regular post-race test days slimmed down to just two - at Catalunya and Brno. Only test riders will be allowed to run at these events.

Some technical changes have also been made, with electronic and hydraulic launch control systems, ceramic composite brakes, and electronic suspension systems all banned with immediate effect, and restrictions on engine use implemented for the latter part of the season.

For the eight rounds commencing with the Czech Grand Prix at Brno in August, each rider will be allowed to use no more than five engines in total.

The plans were submitted to motorcycle racing's governing body, the FIM, after being suggested by the MotoGP manufacturers during meetings in recent months.

Many in the sport have called for more radical cost-cutting measures to be taken from 2010, following the lead set by Formula One.

MotoGP costs have been in the spotlight since Kawasaki announced it was pulling its works team out of the championship. Efforts to keep the team in MotoGP as a private entry - and therefore maintain a 19-bike field - are ongoing.

Source


Casey Stoner in doubt over 2009 season

CASEY STONER has admitted his MotoGP season is in serious doubt due to continual pain in his wrist.

The 2007 world champion says that unless the wrist improves over the next fortnight his ability to contest the series will be under a cloud.

Stoner underwent an operation in November to repair an old injury to the wrist but says its movement is still hampered.

Remarkably, he set the fastest lap times in the first official test series, at Sepang in Malaysia earlier this month.

Last year's surgery was supposed to have resolved an ongoing scaphoid problem.

Stoner is pessimistic that his condition will improve before testing resumes on March 1.

"Three months have gone by and my wrist has little mobility and hurts badly," Stoner told MotoSprint magazine. "I don't like the way this story is going at all. I'll try not to think about it until the test in Qatar, then we'll see. If the situation in Qatar hasn't improved radically, then it means there will be plenty to worry about …

"I say that I shouldn't be in this situation, because the bone has healed, yet it hurts me badly. That's what I can't explain. It's been really disappointing finding out that after three months the wrist is a lot worse than I expected."

Stoner was unable to complete long runs at Sepang and was limited in his movement through some corners.

"I try to adapt, to change the way I sit on the bike," he said.

"I make some movements to make up for the fact that the wrist barely moves and most of all it hurts me a lot under braking. It feels almost unreal to me that I manage to be so quick."

Meanwhile, Australian World Superbike star Troy Corser is confident his debutant BMW will be competitive from day one when the season opens at Phillip Island on Sunday week.

Corser said the German marque's inauguration into world superbikes at the island circuit would be "momentous".

To ensure the machine is on the pace, the former Suzuki campaigner will put it through a rigorous test during official trials from this week.

New manufacturers, even powerful factory teams, rarely make an impact in their first year of competition, but Corser is convinced that BMW will be a contender in the March 1 race.

He has backed up his belief with a series of pre-season tests, including one in Portugal recently which clocked him at less than a second off the pace-setting privateer Ducati of Briton Shane Byrne.

Corser is a master racer at Phillip Island - he has won there seven times since 1996 and holds the official lap record of 1 minute 31.826 seconds.

BMW will be working hard to maximise its top speed on Phillip Island's long straight.

"I am particularly impressed with the power my BMW produces, which you certainly need at a fast and flowing circuit like Phillip Island, which has one of the highest average speeds of any race track in the world," Corser said yesterday.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Testing at Bahrain

Timo Glock moved to the head of the times for Toyota on the third day of this week's Sakhir test, as both Ferrari and BMW hit problems.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld both stopped on track during the day, but Glock's Toyota completed 132 laps without incident, setting a best time of 1:32.492.

"That was another good day for us," said Glock. "We didn't have any major problems and we again made it through a lot of work. We concentrated on set-up and went through our programme smoothly.

"It has been a bit tricky to drive today because there was a lot of wind, which was also blowing from a different direction to yesterday when Jarno (Trulli) was driving. But in the end I'm happy that we did so much work and it's positive that we found some useful directions to work with."

Having taken over Ferrari duties from Kimi Raikkonen, Massa only managed four laps this morning before a gearbox problem struck. He was able to resume running later on, and although he stopped on track near the end of the day with an electrical glitch, he eventually managed 105 laps, half a second off Glock's pace.

Heidfeld had an uneventful morning session, but was twice stranded on track after mechanical failures following lunch. He was 0.076 seconds slower than Massa in third place.

"Obviously that cost us some track time," said Heidfeld. "But despite this I managed to run for 444 kilometres and we made good progress with the development of the car.

"We are still learning the car and have already identified a few areas where we can make improvements."

Source


Testing times

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Glock Toyota (B) 1:32.492 132
2. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:32.917 105
3. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:32.993 82


FOTA to detail vision of the future

Formula One teams are to go public with their vision for the future of the sport in a press conference that has been scheduled for the start of next month.

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has been working away behind closed doors to come up with concepts and regulations that it would like to see grand prix racing adopt in the future.

With consensus about new directions for the sport having been reached, FOTA has decided to call a media event in Geneva on March 5 to unveil what the body calls its "plans for the future of Formula One."

The press event will be hosted by FOTA chairman and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who will speak about the teams' plans.

An official invitation sent by FOTA on Wednesday added: "These plans are the result of a series of meetings held over the past few weeks and months, all of them with a common goal: to make Formula One commercially sustainable, environmentally friendly and compellingly attractive for spectators, TV viewers and Internet consumers alike for years to come."

All F1 team principals are due to attend the event, which will be the first public showing by FOTA since its formation last year.

FOTA has commissioned a worldwide market research document to gauge what fans want to see come from F1 in the future, and it is likely the results of this have determined what the teams will unveil.

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis said earlier this year that none of FOTA's members were afraid to introduce radical changes, as long as new ideas were to improve the sport.

"We are not particularly against anything that makes F1 better," said Dennis during a special appearance on the central stage at the Autosport International Show. "But we really believe that it should be driven by knowledge as opposed to intuition and gut feel.

"The teams have financed research and it has been conducted over two months globally, and we will bring into that research the possibility of introducing a new points system, whether it is with medals or whether pole position should carry points to incentivize people to try harder in qualifying, or whether we should adopt monstrously radical things like reversing the grid after awarding points for qualifying.

"That is, for me to say, unheard of. I am a pure motor racer. I am a guy who likes to qualify hard, be the fastest car in front, lead from the front and win by whatever it takes. I am pure. But it can be pretty boring, not to me, but it can be pretty boring for you guys if the race is a procession.

"So we have to be mindful of the fact that those people who are captured by F1, their interest is maintained...we are very, very concerned about playing with the DNA of Formula One and screwing some magic that crosses that audience.

"Our attitude is let's take a scientific approach within the limitations of market research, try and understand what people like about Formula One and play to our strengths, then try to handle our weaknesses."

Source


Senna ready for F1 challenge

Bruno Senna says he would have no qualms about making his debut with Honda Racing should the team survive, even though he would potentially arrive at the Australian Grand Prix with no testing in the new car.

The Brazilian was being evaluated by Honda before the manufacturer pulled out of Formula One and put its team up for sale, and has been strongly linked to a drive alongside Jenson Button if a management buy-out succeeds.

Although the team have yet to secure a deal to either guarantee their future or sign Senna, the former GP2 front-runner is now pinning all his hopes on Honda.

He said he was under no illusions about the scale of the task he would face if he joined them.

"It would certainly be a big challenge: I think no driver in the last few years has had his F1 debut with so little testing mileage," Senna told Autosprint. "However, it's always better to be in F1, even under difficult conditions, than to be out of it. To race in GP2 for another season would have been useless for me.

"It would be a difficult debut, I know, but initially there won't be big pressure or expectations, because at the moment no-one considers the ex-Honda squad a top team.

"So the pressure would be less and I'll eventually adapt in a quicker and easier way. At least I can say I know the (Melbourne) track, having already raced and won there in Australian F3."

Senna is adamant that he cannot afford to miss out on any F1 opportunities - even if the car was not competitive.

"To race in F1 you need to grab all chances with both hands, even when they look very difficult, because you may get no more of them after that," he said.

He admitted that he would be unlikely to get much - if any - testing before Melbourne if he joined Honda, but is confident that the team will be well-prepared.

"Let's just say that, if before the Australian GP I managed to run for at least three, four days, doing about 1,200 kms, then that'd be a dream," said Senna.

"Since Honda announced its retirement, the team have carried on working. Maybe not as intensively as they would have had Honda kept going, but the technicians have nevertheless carried on with the project of the new car according to schedule."

Senna added that he no longer had any links to Toro Rosso, who had previously been considered a likely team for the Brazilian due to his close ties with former co-owner Gerhard Berger.

"During the winter, when talks were ongoing, I got the impression that Toro Rosso were more interested in surviving rather than building something important for the future," he said.

"I was disappointed with their way of dealing: they were only interested in the budget, while before committing I wanted to test in order to get to know and evaluate the car and the team, to see if there was chemistry between us.

"Talks progressively died out after Berger left the team. At that point, without him, my interest in racing for that team went down to zero completely."

Source


As mentioned earlier by Wax Free Vanilla,

Virgin in Honda F1 link

The Virgin Group is the latest company to be linked to the Honda Racing team as speculation over the squad's future continues.

Earlier this week there had been suggestions that a 'well known brand' was set to make a bid for the team, and now the Reuters news agency has reported that Richard Branson's Virgin empire is the company in question.

"They have made a bid to purchase the team," Reuters quoted a Honda source as saying.

Although Branson has attended Formula One races in the past, Virgin has never previously had a major role in the sport, bar minor sponsorship deals involving brands within the group.

The Honda Racing team are understood to be pressing ahead with preparations for the 2009 season, amid growing confidence that a potential management buy-out will succeed. A Mercedes engine deal is in the pipeline, and Jenson Button and Bruno Senna are a likely driver line-up should the current team bosses stay on.

The team have been up for sale since Honda decided to end its involvement in F1 in early December 2008.

Source
Source 2
Source 3

 

[Fonds]

Money talks at the end of the day and if he had enough, or a big sponsor, he would get a drive no problem. That is what is hilarious about NASCAR, hardly anyone is eliminated from the series based on their competitive edge. It is all money and publicity.

It's all money in Formula 1 as well. Sure drivers have to bring some skills to the track as well, but in the end it's all about the sponsors the driver brings in for the team.

 

[subzero9285]

Superbike Testing


Biaggi fastest at Phillip Island test

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi has ended the first round of testing at Phillip Island with the fastest time.

Riding the Aprilia RSV4, Biaggi survived a day two fall at Honda Hairpin to get his pre season testing back on track after struggling last month in Portugal.

He now heads into round one of the championship on 27th Feb to 1st March with renewed confidence but, believes there are still important changes to be made.

Biaggi’s lap time of 1m 32.59s is match for the fastest lap of in the 2008 race of 1m 32.52 set by Troy Bayliss.

Biaggi said: “I am happy to be the fastest and to have got down to this time. Between myself and Shinya (Nakano) we have tested everything and understand what we have available.

"We still need to make adjustments but now this can not happen until after the race.”

Regis Laconi secured second spot onboard the DFXtreme Ducati 1098 with a time of 1m 32.60s.

The former factory Ducati rider and 2004 series runner-up has had no problem reacquainting himself to v-twin power after three fruitless years onboard the PSG-1 Kawasaki.

Aprilia’s Shinya Nakano was also on the pace to set the third fastest time and like his Italian team-mate has clearly improved the performance of the RSV4..

Factory Kawasaki man, Broc Parkes performed well at his home circuit to take fourth with a time of 1m 32.90s.

Showing his credentials as a Superbike rider the Australian outpaced his team-mate Makoto Tamada and confirmed the impressive development of the ZX-10R by the British based team.

Leon Haslam continued his progression to finish the test satisfied and ready to race. The 25 year old Brit told MCN he’d logged a 1m 32.0s lap but the unofficial timings credited him with a 1m32.2s best.

Tommy Hill continued to make the most of his track time onboard the Altea Honda to end his two day test sixth fastest just 0.7 seconds off Biaggi’s impressive pace.

The next round of testing takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Phillip Island with Xerox Ducat, Ten Kate Honda, Alstare Suzuki, Yamaha Superbike and BMW will be on track.

Source


Testing times


Superbike

1. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'32"59
2. Regis Laconi (Ducati) 1'32"60
3. Shinya Nakano (Aprilia) 1'32"72
4. Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) 1'32"90
5. Leon Haslam (Honda) 1'33"20
6. Tommy Hill (Honda) 1'33"30
7. Roberto Rolfo (Honda) 1'33"50
8. Makoto Tamada (Kawasaki) 1'33"90

Supersport

1. Anthony West (Honda) 1'35"90;
2. Mathieu Lagrive (Honda) 1'36"00;
3. Mark Aitchison (Honda) 1'36"00;
4. Gianluca Vizziello (Honda) 1'36"70.


==========================================================

For fans of British Eurosports MotoGP coverage

British Eurosport has denied clinching a deal to continue showing coverage of the MotoGP world championship in 2009.

But MCN understands that a deal is close to being reached with MotoGP rights owners Dorna for coverage to continue on British Eurosport in 2009.

However, the deal is not expected to include live coverage of the MotoGP race. With the BBC having exclusive rights to show MotoGP in the UK, MCN understands as a result of that exclusivity, British Eurosport will show the MotoGP race delayed and not live.

Live coverage of the 125 and 250 races is expected to remain, as is British Eurosport’s heavy output of practice and qualifying from all three classes.

It is all part of a new deal struck by British Eurosport bosses and follows similar negotiations conducted by French Eurosport with Dorna.

But a British Eurosport spokeswoman told MCN: “At the moment there is nothing to add regarding MotoGP."

Dorna announced last June that it would end its long-standing collaboration with Eurosport.

The decision was part of Dorna’s new strategy of working with national network broadcasters around Europe, always focusing first and foremost on free-to-air coverage to bring MotoGP to wider audiences.

That deal effectively ended Eurosport’s international coverage, but in October Dorna cut a deal to continue coverage with the French arm of Eurosport.

Dorna’s decision to ditch MotoGP provoked a flood of complaints from fans in the UK, upset at the loss of favourite commentary team made up of Julian Ryder, Toby Moody and Randy Mamola.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Bahrain wrap-up


Massa fastest in in Sakhir test

The Bahrain test came to an end on Thursday, with Felipe Massa topping the times for his Ferrari team.

The Brazilian posted a best time of 1:32.162 after 113 laps, as he worked on various set-up options for his F60, also concentrating on testing several aerodynamic solutions as well as carrying out reliability work.

Nick Heidfeld was second quickest for BMW Sauber, although the German's day was hindered by two mechanical problems. Despite that, Heidfeld completed 122 laps, the most on the day.

"Although we lost some time due to a sandstorm last week, the long test in Bahrain was very productive," said BMW Sauber's technical director Willy Rampf. "We could work with the cars in temperatures we would not have encountered in Europe at this time of the year, making it good preparation for the first races of the upcoming season.

"We worked mainly on the general set-up of the BMW Sauber F1.09, trying numerous solutions on the mechanical and aero side of the car as well as gaining experience with the three available tyre compounds.

"We also made good progress with KERS. Overall we reached our target of collecting as much data as possible about the car's reactions to changes in the set-up."

Timo Glock's work today was also disrupted by a hydraulics problem in his Toyota, the German managing just 65 laps on his way to the slowest time of the day.

"It was a pity that our last day of work here was disrupted but this has still been a very successful test for us," said Glock. "Today we missed much of the day's action due to a hydraulics problem so it was a shame to lose running time. But the mechanics did a good job and when we made it onto the track we put in some useful work.

"Overall we have put a lot of miles on the TF109 this week. We've made good progress with set-up and I'm confident that this can continue."

Source


Final testing times

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:32.162 113
2. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:32.225 122
3. Glock Toyota (B) 1:32.445 65


In depth with Ferrari

Sakhir, 19th February - After eight days and more than 3,500 kilometres the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's test sessions, held at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, have come to an end. Felipe Massa was the driver who started and ended the sessions at the Persian Gulf. Today the Brazilian went on the track for an in-depth analysis of the several set up options for the F60, experimenting with some aerodynamic solutions and continuing with the engine and gearbox reliability work.

Apart from some minor hiccups - the worst in the morning when the single-seater had an electrical problem and Felipe had to stop next to the track - the planned work was brought to an end. Today the Brazilian drove 113 laps, the fastest in a time of 1.32.162, the best time of the day, ahead of Nick Heidfeld (1.32.225, 122 laps) and Timo Glock (1.32.445, 65 laps).

"Today was a good day, apart from some minor problems, which held us up a bit. We have to work on that to avoid that they come back. And the strong wind bothered us a bit," Felipe said at the end of the tests. "We drove many kilometres to improve the car and I think that we're heading in the right direction. We've seen during these days that there's a great balance, not just between the three team on this track, but also with the others. We're at the start of the season and now we have to wait and see who will take the biggest step until the first race starts. We'll know much more at Melbourne. It was a pity that we lost almost two entire days her last week because of the sandstorm. But I think that all in all we were able to make up the lost time. I'm convinced that the decision to come to Bahrain for this long test session was very good."

Meanwhile the Sakhir circuit seems to have become the preferred spot for the straying dogs of Bahrain. In the afternoon a couple of dogs went out on the track and it might have been the one from yesterday. Today the stewards didn't get out the red flags, but warned the drivers with the yellow flags to pay attention so the session was not interrupted.

During these tests the Ferrari F60 drove 3,580 kilometres, while each of the two official Ferrari drivers was responsible for half of it: Kimi drove 1,784 and Felipe 1,796. The fastest man from Ferrari was the Finn last Tuesday with a lap time of 1.32.102. The other six drivers couldn't do it any faster (apart from Felipe there were also Trulli and Glock for Toyota, Heidfeld, Kubica and Klien for BMW). With today's lap time Felipe comes very close to his teammate: The Brazilian was a mere 60 tenths of a second slower than the Finn. A race simulation was carried out with each of the two drivers. The engine underwent an endurance test at Sakhir, while also the one by the Scuderia Toro Rosso in Jerez has to be added. Numerous data has been collected here in Bahrain: now the technicians have to analyse them to understand how to improve performance and reliability with the last tests coming up - which will be held at Jerez de la Frontera and Barcelona in early March. This will be the last opportunity to test the single-seater before the start of the 2009 Championships.

Images

Other News


Virgin Honda links grow

British businessman Richard Branson is keen on taking over the Honda Formula One team, according to the sport's commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone.

After intense speculation about Branson's involvement in a late bid to buy the Brackley-based outfit, Ecclestone confirmed on Thursday night that he has contacted Branson's Virgin Group directly to discuss the deal.

Ecclestone said that as far as he was aware, Branson was pushing to try and get a takeover sorted - ahead of meetings in Japan this week to discuss the future of the team.

Speaking to international news agency Reuters, Ecclestone said: "I've spoken to Richard's people about it. He would love to do it.

"I'd like it very much. It would be super. We're working to try to make it happen."

It now appears that the Virgin Group bid is the only viable alternative to a management buyout being put together by team chiefs Nick Fry and Ross Brawn. Autosport.com understands that other potential bidders have been told the team do not wish to go ahead with their deals.

However, a final decision about the future of the team would rest on what parent company Honda decides to do - with the Japanese car manufacturer warning this morning that disbanding the outfit was still a possibility.

Ecclestone said it was now up to Honda to decide which path to follow, with a final decision expected early next week.

"I have no idea which way it will go. I wouldn't bet on it either way," said Ecclestone.

Branson's only previous involvement in F1 was through a minor sponsorship deal with Jordan back in 2002, using his Virgin Mobile company. Virgin Atlantic Japan have also been personal backers of Takuma Sato in recent years.

Source


Honda: Shutting down an option

The Honda car company has not ruled out the possibility of its Formula One team being disbanded, with still no confirmation about a possible new buyer for the outfit just five weeks before the start of the season.

The Japanese car manufacturer announced in December that it was pulling out of F1 with immediate effect, and moves were made to find new owners that could take the team forward.

Despite intense speculation about the identity of several potential purchasers, with the latest being Richard Branson's Virgin Group, there has not yet been any official word about a deal being close to getting the sign-off.

And while it is understood that Honda chiefs in Japan are this week studying in detail the proposals that are on the table, a spokesman has conceded that shutting the team down completely remains a viable option.

Honda spokesman Hiroyuki Murase told The Associated Press: "It's true that we are pursuing several potential buyers. But the team may still have to be disbanded if the negotiations fail."

Despite the Virgin rumours this week, it is believed the plan still favoured by team chiefs Nick Fry and Ross Brawn is for a management buyout - using extra money from Honda, television rights income from Bernie Ecclestone and extra sponsorship that could come from Bruno Senna's backers.

Ecclestone said he would welcome the Virgin Group in F1.

"We would welcome them with open arms," Ecclestone told The Mirror. "He's exactly the type of person we would want in the sport.

"Sir Richard Branson is a wonderful guy. I met him at Monza last year and we got on very well."

There are suggestions that a decision about the team's future will need to be taken in the next few days, however, with engine supplier Mercedes-Benz requiring a guarantee that the team have the funds to secure a deal from them for the season.

Honda Racing have maintained silence about the ongoing situation, with a team spokesperson merely saying that they are 'optimistic' about the outfit being at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Source


Australian GP schedule confirmed

Australian Grand Prix organisers have confirmed that their schedule for practice and qualifying has been shifted back to later in the day for this year.

With the season-opening race due to start at 5pm, to ensure it will capture more of a television audience in Europe, organisers have also moved back the start time of events in the build-up to the big day.

As well as qualifying now running from 5pm, practice sessions will also start later than has been normal.

Drew Ward, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, said he hoped the new timetable would help attract spectators who would not normally be able to attend practice days.

"The changes to the Formula One session times means that each day finishes on a high note and, for Thursday and Friday, the most anticipated action will happen after school and after work" he said.

"On race-day Sunday the atmosphere and anticipation builds in the lead up to the race which will decide the first Formula One winner of the year. We want to create that kind of build up on the other days also - to save the best action until last and finish each day with a bang."

He added: "In the past, the Australian Grand Prix has been a "morning to afternoon" event - from 2009 it will be a "lunchtime through to sunset" event. This change in timing, together with the scheduling of the best entertainment at the end of the day, should suit everyone – families, workers and those of us who want to get out and about over one of Melbourne's biggest weekends."

Source


2009 Australian GP timetable:

Practice session 1 Friday 1230 - 1400
Practice session 2 Friday 1630 – 1800
Practice session 3 Saturday 1400 – 1500
Qualifying Saturday 1700 – 1800
Race Sunday 1700 – 1835 approx


Danica flattered with F1 link

Danica Patrick says she has been flattered to be linked to the USF1 project, but the IndyCar racer admitted she hasn't heard from the team.

The team's technical director Ken Anderson said earlier this week that they would be interested in testing Patrick, the first female winner in the IndyCar series.

The 26-year-old said in Toronto on Wednesday, however, that she hadn't had any contacts with the team.

"There weren't any quotes from me because they haven't spoken to me," Patrick was quoted as saying by the Globe and Mail newspaper.

"It's very flattering. I think that any time you are in the same sentence as Formula One, it's a flattering thing."

"I haven't really expressed a lot of excitement and interest in world travel. We'll see what they'll say though. Maybe they'll call."

USF1 are scheduled to unveil their plans next Tuesday in a special television show on SpeedTV.

Source


Williams: Standard spec car is a step too far

Formula One must not abandon its core technical challenge in the move to reduce costs over the next few years, reckons Frank Williams.

With the teams and the FIA looking at ways to bring budgets under control to help see the sport through the worldwide economic crisis, Williams has expressed his belief that any rule changes should not rob the sport of the factors that have made it so popular.

In particular, he believes the idea of a standard specification car would be going too far - because it could lead to the unintended consequence of driving the best brains away from F1.

"We still want the very best drivers in the world racing the fastest single-seater cars in an F1 world championship," Williams said in an exclusive interview with this week's Autosport.

"If it's to be spec cars, why not just go and buy some IndyCars? Then I think you'd find all the talent and interest would pretty quickly drift away.

"There has to be a greater challenge than that, but nothing like as expensive as it has been. Max (Mosley) was absolutely right in bringing us down from 10 engines a race weekend, to two to one – totally right.

"And everything done on this new drive the teams are all with him. We're all very mindful of having our businesses stay in business. There is some disagreement over the precise menu of changes in some areas, total agreement in others. But please, not spec cars."

He added: "F1 attracts all these extraordinary people because of what it is. It features all these brilliant brains. People such as Ron Dennis, Max himself, Mario Theissen. In this building (the Williams factory) there are some very clever people, in all the F1 buildings. It's a fantastic collection of individuals that makes the world go around. I'd hate for that to be shattered.

"Because if the racing, financial and technical challenges aren't there such people will find something else more challenging. At the same time, the last people who want to drive themselves out of business are the team principals, so I'm sure it can all be achieved."

Williams has said he supports the initiatives being put in place by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) and the FIA to help reduce costs.

And although he concedes life in F1 at the moment is a 'challenge' for his team, he is optimistic about the future of his outfit.

He says there are no doubts that sponsors currently committed to his team, including the under-fire banking group RBS, will fulfil their commitments.

"A contract is a contract," he explained. "Our existing contracts are okay, as with us and RBS. We have a major new contract (Philips) with one of our existing partners that you will see on the car soon.

"In the summer we had a very good run and I thought 'Crickey this is going well' and a lot of it goes forwards for the next few years. But now the market's pretty much moribund. It's very hard."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

IRL: 22 cars expected on the grid in 2009

The Indy Racing League remains confident that at least 22 cars will be on the grid for the 2009 IndyCar Series season - and is optimistic that last year's regular 26-car entry can be maintained despite the economic downturn.

There are currently 17 confirmed entries, with four cars from Andretti Green Racing, two apiece from Penske and Ganassi, and the Vision, Foyt, Dreyer & Reinbold, Panther, Newman/Haas/Lanigan, HVM, KV, Luczo Dragon and 3G teams all announcing one car each so far.

Several of the latter group are working on fielding additional cars, while Conquest, Dale Coyne, Pacific Coast and Rahal Letterman have yet to reveal their plans.

IRL commercial boss Terry Angstadt is confident that at least five more deals will be completed by the St Petersburg season-opener on April 5.

"I think we're looking at, I would say a low of 22 cars - and it could be 24 or 26," he said.

"We've got to have a couple things happen certainly to hit the high number. I think the low number is relatively secure. So we feel real good about that during this particular time.

"In a pretty tough time, I could not be more proud - of the drivers, of the teams, of the organisation - going forward."

But he added that the IRL would not provide any additional financial assistance to teams struggling to put programmes together, and confirmed that several of the incentive packages offered to ex-Champ Car teams last year had been withdrawn as planned, despite the changing economic situation.

"We have our own challenges in terms of making our series financially viable," said Angstadt. "As we know last year, to assist, we had the engine-based lease and chassis. This year it is just the chassis. It really is up to the talent of those teams to close the lease of the engine value gap.

"This is not news to anyone, certainly that we're in close touch with. We're not in a position to subsidise teams.

"We are working real hard to help secure sponsorship for teams with a dedicated sales team, doing presentations, doing research, trying to do all the things to assist. But writing cheques we just can't do."

Angstadt expects at least 18 cars to participate in next week's pre-season test at Homestead.

Source


Conquest to rotate drivers amidst funding fear

Conquest Racing are still optimistic that they can field two cars in this year's IndyCar Series, but admit that they might have to rotate their driver line-up to secure enough funding.

Team members agreed to accept a pay cut during the winter as Conquest battled to find sponsorship to continue in the series.

Jaime Camara will be Conquest's only representative at next week's Homestead test, but team boss Eric Bachelart said they are doing their utmost to run two cars in the championship.

"We were a two-car team last year and it's our ambition to stay a two-car team," he said.

"We have to be realistic. It's very possible that we might have to share the car between two drivers for the season."

He believes teams will have to accept that it will be tough to secure major season-long sponsorship in the current financial environment.

"Altogether I think we have to change our approach to sponsorship," Bachelart said. "In today's economy, I think that people are looking for a short-term impact on their business. If we can provide a solution just on short-term impact to the business, then I think we can find sponsorship."

Conquest started the 2008 season with Enrique Bernoldi and Franck Perera, but had to drop the latter when lead sponsor Opes Prime hit problems.

Bernoldi's Brazilian backers put his countryman Camara in the second car for the rest of 2008, while Bernoldi himself was replaced for the final two rounds by Alex Tagliani after an injury and disappointing results. Tagliani then ended Conquest's tough year on a high with a very competitive fourth place at Surfers Paradise.

Source

 

[Burai]

Money talks at the end of the day and if he had enough, or a big sponsor, he would get a drive no problem. That is what is hilarious about NASCAR, hardly anyone is eliminated from the series based on their competitive edge. It is all money and publicity.

But that's my point entirely. Who is going to want to sponsor an unknown British driver with no stock car experience and one F1 win to his name?

Sponsorship deals are really hard to come by right now in NASCAR which is why so many teams merged over the winter. Jenson doesn't have anything that these sponsors are looking for. He's not a known name, he is completely unproven in stock cars and there are a whole stack of more qualified and marketable people waiting in the wings.

 

[Dave Long]

If Jenson has some money, it'd be far more likely he would drive in the IRL.

 

[thefro]

If Jenson has some money, it'd be far more likely he would drive in the IRL.

Well, the Honda connection there is huge... remember they're the only engine supplier for that series right now.

Doornbos in at Newman/Haas/Lanigan

http://www.indycar.com/news/?story_id=13185

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing announced that Robert Doornbos, 27, will join the team for the 2009 IndyCar Series season.

Doornbos spent four seasons in various ladder series in Europe before he became the 2004 Rookie of the Year in the FIA International Formula 3000 series and finished third in series standings. That success led to becoming a test driver for two Formula One programs and he eventually made 11 Formula One starts during the 2005 and 2006 seasons for Minardi and Red Bull Racing, respectively, before he moved to the Champ Car World Series in 2007.

While competing against NHLR in the Champ Car World Series in 2007 as a rookie, Doornbos finished on the podium five of the first six races, including a victory at Mont Tremblant, Quebec. He went on to finish third in standings and received the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award.

Most recently, Doornbos competed in the China and New Zealand rounds of the 2008/2009 A1GP series, recording podium finishes twice in four races (sprint and feature race per round).

He will participate in the IndyCar Series Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 24-25, and will receive additional track time Feb. 23 (designated for first-year drivers). Doornbos will be a teammate of Graham Rahal, who won the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in his IndyCar Series debut last April.

"I'm very happy and proud to get this chance to race with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing," said Doornbos, of Rotterdam, Holland. "Racing in the IndyCar Series has been my biggest dream and especially to do it with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. The history of the team and the big success they have had in the past really attracted me and it makes me proud to become part of this winning team. Racing on the ovals should be very exciting. It will be tough, but I'm training as much as possible and am in good condition and ready to achieve results.

Should be an amazing battle for rookie of the year between him and the phenom Raphael Matos,. Matos has won 4 formula championships in the US in the last 6 years, including Atlantics in 2007 and Indy Lights in 2008. Both are with top-notch teams, Bobby D with N/H/L and Matos with Luczo-Dragon, owned by Roger Penske's son.

 

[Chris R]

So I just found out about this USF1 stuff while watching the Nascar race on atm (decent race so far...)

Going to be interesting to see what happens come Tuesday.

 

[navanman]

Details of BBC package for 09 season

The BBC has announced that it will broadcast all Formula One sessions - including free practice – both on television and online this year.

Confirming details of its plans for 2009, the return of F1 to the BBC is being used as an opportunity for the corporation to step up coverage of the sport.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the BBC said that the races and all qualifying sessions other than Brazil will be broadcast on BBC One. For Interlagos, BBC Two will show the fight for grid positions on the Saturday.

Practice sessions will be available via the 'red button' interactive service, or can be watched through the BBC's website.

The BBC has also promised to allow fans to customize their viewing experience – with the choice of three different video streams. There will also be options for split-screen action; a live leaderboard; in-car cameras and a choice of commentary.

 

[Diablohead]

Full use of the red button then, sounds great.

 

[subzero9285]

Marcus Gronholm to return to rallying

Two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm will make a sensational return to the championship after entering Rally Portugal with a Subaru.

The Finnish driver retired from competition at the end of the 2007 season, but will return to action on 5 April to take part in the Portuguese event.

Gronholm will drive a Subaru Impreza WRC 2008 rally car run by Prodrive.

The former champion said, however, his return is just a one-off, but admitted he will consider his options after the rally.

"Prodrive approached and offered me a chance to compete in WRC Portugal with Subaru Impreza WRC 2008 rally car. After having a test in Norway I decided to take the challenge," said Gronholm.

"When one and a half years ago I made a decision to retire from WRC I didn't say I'd never come back.

"However, WRC Portugal is just a single event and nothing more. After the rally I have to analyze my feelings and to see what happens next."

Gronholm will have Timo Rautiainen as his co-driver for the event.

Source

 

[hadareud]

great news about the BBC coverage.

No commercials, coverage of the practice, more feeds, we still got Brundle and we don't have to put up with bloody Blundell and Steve Rider any longer. And I should mention again that there's no shitty commercial breaks.

Excellent news all around.

 

[subzero9285]

USF1 Round-up


US team has the backing of F1 chiefs

The men behind plans for a United States Formula One team insist their effort is totally serious, and say it already has the endorsement of Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley.

Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor officially launched their USF1 outfit in a press conference live on SpeedTV on Tuesday, and say their plans to be up and running by 2010 are far more than a dream.

Windsor, who will be USF1's sporting director, said that his team planned to break the mould for how outfits approached grand prix racing.

"If you look at the way it has gone in the recent past, it has been find an incredibly rich trillionaire and have him dominate the team - and you are lucky enough to get a job when you've put the team together," said Windsor.

"Or you are lucky enough to be invited by a large car company to set up an F1 team for them. Ken and I are lucky enough to have been around long enough not to want to do either of those things - and we always wanted to do our own team our way.

"It sounds very arrogant perhaps, but we have some history and we have some things that we want to bring into the sport that we think we can do well."

Windsor revealed that the pair had already secured a small equity partner to help funding, as they seek sponsorship backing for the outfit.

"The key...was not selling anything more than a very small stake in the team, so we set some unbelievably steep hills to climb, in the recession," he said. "We wanted to sell off a small part of the team and, as we sit here now, we have done that.

"We are two guys who can say we want to do an F1 team because we have the capital to do it, and to some extent the recession has helped us a little bit. For those out there who say where is the money? Where is the huge facility? Where is the money pouring out of the sky? Well, that isn't going to happen with USF1. We have always had a very different approach, and that approach will become visible as time goes on and this year unfolds."

Windsor added that both Formula One Management and the FIA had been informed of USF1's plans.

"I first told Bernie Ecclestone about this in Brazil 2006, and he was his usual specific self. He just said, 'great get it done'. So I said okay lets go and do it.

"He has kept in touch ever since and has always been supportive. Anything that we need he has tried to help us with. A good example is the DVD of the lovely edit he did of the 2008 Formula One season, which we have been using as part of our presentation to investors here in the United States.

"It's not for commercial use, but that is a typical example of the sort of help he has been giving us, and that is quite a big thing from FOM.

"The FIA equally have known about this in detail now for about five to six months, and instantly grasped the programme and instantly accepted the way we wanted to do it as, dare I say it, the poster child for how a Formula One team should be going into the next generation."

Anderson said he believed that the decision to base the team in Charlotte would not be a hindrance against F1 rivals' traditional home in Europe.

"Most of the technology from F1 comes from the US to begin with, and on the logistics side, next year less than half the races take place on the (European) continent so there is less reason for being there," he said. "The cost of doing business in the US is significantly cheaper than Europe and there are a lot of good people here."

Source


USF1 open minded about engine supplier

The new USF1 team intend to approach every car manufacturer in Formula One about an engine supply deal for 2010.

After officially unveiling their plans on Tuesday, team principal Ken Anderson and sporting director Peter Windsor say that they have already settled on a timetable to begin firming up their new outfit.

And Anderson said that they were totally open about linking up with a car manufacturer and were well aware of how big a market America is for the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.

"We are going to send a proposal to all the manufacturers currently in Formula One, to let them know we are here and to entertain them," said Anderson.

"Every manufacturer in Formula One now, their biggest market is the US. The only exception to that is Renault, but they have an alliance with Nissan, so it could still make commercial sense for them."

Before finalising the plans for engines, however, the team say their priority is to settle their driver line-up - with Marco Andretti already having been strongly linked with the outfit.

Speaking about the timeframe for decisions, Windsor said: "We have come up with a timeline for the year by which time decisions have to be made. But as I say they are all things that race teams do anyway, they are not things that are going to be massively difficult to achieve now we are where we are.

"We are a team, we have a budget and we are going to be spending that in the correct way achieving those goals when they need to be achieved.

"In no particular order they are going to be drivers, engines, European location, the building here, sponsors. All those things are things to be doing now. That's what we are going to be doing from 2009 onwards.

"Drivers are going to be the fun thing aren't they? We've already mentioned Marco, we didn't mention Graham Rahal. Another driver out there who is the son of a great American star. There are so many great things to be doing I just can't wait to get down to the local Starbucks and have more meetings.

"We are going to be that sort of team. Because we are not one individual dominating the team, we are going to do it the way racing people do it. And there are all these great people to meet and talk about."

Source


Recession not a problem

USF1's hopes of making it onto the grid in 2010 have been boosted, rather than hindered, by the global recession.

That is the view of the two key men behind the project, who claim that their plans for a tight-knit efficient F1 outfit are more amenable now than they would have been during the boom time of just a few years ago.

The team's sporting director Peter Windsor said: "There is one aspect to the recession, which is ironic, and that is that if we were in a boom period right now and money was falling out of the sky and there was a line of teams wanting to do Formula One, and lots of trillionaires out there all being enticed by the glamour, then it would be very difficult for guys like us to put up our hands and say we can do a team efficiently, (with a) lean, mean skunkworks approach.

"We can do it in America; we can do it differently from everybody else. [Back then] We would just have got laughed off the ballpark because it is not the way you do a Formula One team, but because of the fact that we are in the recession, and don't forget we started this team long before the recession was even heard of, means that people actually listen to us now and take us seriously.

"What we are saying actually adds up. And if you combine that with the way the FIA has approached the recession, the way they have changed the way a new team can get into F1, the cost of starting up a new team is now dramatically different to the old US$48m bond days.

"Forget those days, forget the US$100m budgets, forget the US$30m retainers for drivers. Over the next three to four years it is going to change dramatically, and that is our period."

Team principal Ken Anderson believes that as well as people being more receptive to a team like USF1, there were other tangible benefits caused by the recession.

"There is a trickle-down to the economy," he said. "A year ago there was a big shortage of carbon fibre because airplane manufacture was sucking it up. But now that people have cancelled their airplane orders there is a glut of carbon fibre, which is cheaper than ever. That's just one example."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

RBS to pull out in 2010

The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced that it is to pull out of Formula One, but only when its current deal with Williams finishes at the end of 2010.

The finance company, which has made huge losses in the credit crunch has decided to end its involvement with grand prix racing as part of a wider strategic view about its sponsorship in sport.

The company first backed Williams in 2005 and signed for a second three-year term in 2007. The deal will conclude at the end of 2010.

Williams chief Frank Williams said: "RBS has been a great partner for this team and we are pleased to have made our contribution over the past four years to developing the RBS brand internationally. Thanks to the support of RBS and our many other loyal partners, we are in a strong position to ride out the inevitable challenges of the next two years.

"RBS is showing great responsibility to the role that we play in the British economy,
supporting over 500 highly skilled technology jobs in a sector in which Britain leads the world. In the last three years, Williams has spent over £100 million with 2700 UK suppliers and it is of course important that this business endures."

Andrew McLaughlin, RBS group director, Communications, added: "We recognise that we are now operating in a very different economic environment and have been reviewing all of our activities since October. It is imperative that we respond to the reality of the situation we face and that we do so in an orderly way that respects the commercial agreements we have in place and the implications for our partners and the jobs they support.

"Throughout our relationship, Williams have shown great understanding and innovation in driving the programme forwards. They have been very supportive in finding ways to reduce costs over the remainder of our contract. This early announcement allows Sir Frank Williams and his team to plan ahead financially."

RBS's announcement comes just a few weeks after Dutch finance company ING announced it was to pull out of F1 at the end of this year because of the financial
difficulties worldwide.

Source


Williams: Future is bright

Adam Parr, the CEO of Williams, says he can only see a 'positive' future for his team, despite Wednesday's announcement that major sponsor, the Royal Bank of Scotland, is to quit the sport.

As an independent outfit, Williams have faced a struggle in recent years to match the budgets of the big-money manufacturers - and the loss of a backer like RBS is not ideal.

But Parr remains upbeat that moves to reduce costs in F1 allied to Williams's already strong portfolio of sponsors means there is no reason to feel downbeat about the current situation.

When asked by autosport.com whether he felt that rule changes to reduce costs meant that Williams had a bright future in F1 despite RBS's plans, Parr said: "I do, although I know it is very difficult to paint a positive picture at the moment.

"What you have to think about is this - when I came into the sport a few years ago, I was sitting across from people (in team principals' meetings) who said money does not matter to us. Now, we don't have discussions like that any more.

"In order for Williams to be competitive and be in the frame for the past two or three years, we have had to spend beyond our means. For the next two years we will not do that, and we will be paying off a significant chunk of debt. We are (now) seeing a scenario where our means are not dissimilar to the rest of F1."

RBS has confirmed to the team that despite its pull-out plans, it will stick to its commitment to be a team sponsor until the end of 2010 - even though some of the costs of their sponsorship marketing will be reduced. The bank intends to cut its spending on hospitality by 90% this year and have cancelled trackside advertising for 2010.

The RBS deal is believed to account for 10 percent of Williams's total budget, and Parr said that against the backdrop of the bank's financial problems it was not a total surprise that they were choosing not to remain in F1.

"Obviously it isn't good news for the sport that someone like RBS is withdrawing," explained Parr. "From our point of view we have suspected for some time there was only a slim chance of them continuing beyond their current sponsorship term, and that is the end of 2010.

"The important thing for us is that the board confirmed to us yesterday and confirmed publicly today that they will honour the contract until 2010."

The announcement of RBS is not the only bad news that Williams have suffered recently on the sponsor front – with the team having lost backing from the Baugur Group, Lenovo and Petrobras over the winter.

However, Parr said that with other team sponsors having increased their budgets for this season – the main one being Philips – there were no worries about the short term finances for the team.

"We had 10 of our partners renew with us," said Parr. "Four of those partners that renewed or extended with us were major upgrades, and they at least doubled their investment 2009 compared to 2008.

"So, from a sponsorship revenue side, we came out pretty well year-on-year. The FOM revenues (television rights money) are stronger this year compared to last year, and we have significant cost savings coming through as a result of limited testing and a reduction in engine costs. As an example we are planning on using 20 engines compared to 55 last year.

"Overall we've got a very solid budget for this year. I don't want to claim to you it is everything we would like, but we are in advanced negotiations to bring new partners to the team for this season."

Parr said he also felt bullish that there were companies out there able to step into RBS's shoes and become major backers of Williams in the future.

"We have a budget for this season and it is reasonable budget. For 2010 the position is similar and 90 percent of the budget for this year is contracted for that year. And there will be further cost savings...I am confident that in time for 2011 we will have a very strong portfolio of sponsors in place. We have a broad range of partners and no individual partner is make or break for this team."

He also blasted recent reports in the media criticising RBS's involvement in F1 against the backdrop of the bank's funding from the taxpayer.

Source


Force India test new car in private

Force India shook down its new Mercedes-powered VJM02 in a behind-closed-doors test at Silverstone today, four days ahead of its scheduled launch.

The team will publicly reveal its 2009 challenger prior to the start of the car's first full test at Jerez on Sunday, but used its local track to complete a brief shakedown before heading to Spain.

Giancarlo Fisichella is scheduled to run on the first two days of the Jerez test, with team-mate Adrian Sutil taking over for the final two.

Force India shook down its new Mercedes-powered VJM02 in a behind-closed-doors test at Silverstone today, four days ahead of its scheduled launch.

The team will publicly reveal its 2009 challenger prior to the start of the car's first full test at Jerez on Sunday, but used its local track to complete a brief shakedown before heading to Spain.

Giancarlo Fisichella is scheduled to run on the first two days of the Jerez test, with team-mate Adrian Sutil taking over for the final two.

Source


Honda test 2009 car

Honda Racing are gearing up to begin pre-season testing ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, autosport.com can reveal.

Despite no confirmation that a buyer has been found to secure the future of the Brackley-based outfit, autosport.com has learned that with the 2009 car now ready, team personnel have been instructed to get ready to go testing.

It is not clear whether the preparations are advanced enough for the outfit to be in a position to run at next week's group test at Jerez, but at the latest the team should be able to join the final major get-together at Barcelona later next month.

There is also the possibility that the team could conduct a shakedown in the United Kingdom prior to any testing on the continent.

There has been no official confirmation from Honda on plans to test, nor has there been any further official news on the future of the outfit since Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said earlier this week that he could see no 'serious buyer' for the outfit.

As autosport.com reported earlier this week, it still appears that the most likely outcome is a management buy-out led by team principal Ross Brawn.

Sources suggest that the only other potential bidder for the team was informed in the last 24 hours that they had been unsuccessful.

A Brawn buyout would be funded by finance from the Honda Motor Company, television rights money from Bernie Ecclestone, plus sponsorship income that could come from signing Bruno Senna.

The involvement of Honda's CEO Nick Fry in the buyout remains unclear - with widespread conjecture suggesting that he will not be involved in the takeover.

Source


USF1: Car will be ready this autumn

USF1 team principal Ken Anderson expects to have their first Formula One car built by this autumn and ready to take to the track for the first time when next season's winter testing ban is lifted in January.

The former Ligier and Onyx technical director says the timescale of the team's entry to F1 will become more clear in the next month, but is confident that a January debut would be early enough for them to prepare for the beginning of the 2010 season.

"We'll have a car on the ground in September/October to start doing static rig testing," he said. "There are still some things up in the air right now as far as who our engine supplier is and when that contract would start.

"We're in a state of flux and all these things will come out in the next four to six weeks. But the rule as it is right now is that you're not supposed to run a car between the last race and January 1st, so I would say we're not planning to actually run the car until January next year - but then you have almost three months to the first race anyway."

The team's sporting director Peter Windsor says they will keep their targets conservative for the first two seasons.

"A truly successful 2010 would be first of all proving that a Formula One car can be designed and built in the United States, outside of Europe, breaking the mould and doing that efficiently and cleanly. By that I mean we produce two good cars that are reliable, we finish races and maybe get a decent result in year one.

"In year two I'd like to think we could be scoring some points, which means top 10/top eight finishing. Then the sky is the limit after that. I am being quite conservative because this is a new team and we need to walk before we can run."

Windsor also confirmed that USF1 will have a second base in Europem but says the rumoured deal with Epsilon-Euskadi in Spain has not been finalised.

"We're going to have a European base which is mainly for the trucks, the motorhome, the pit equipment and for operating when we're testing. It's a logistics operation, not large, and it could therefore be anywhere.

"First of all we want it to be a nice part of the world that people are going to want to visit, particularly our investors and partners. Spain would be nice, southern France, northern Italy, somewhere where the wives of sponsors would want to go. Becuase it's a logistics base we can be quite liberal in the way we make that decision.

"Spain is pretty high on the list because Epsilon's Joan (Villadelprat) and Sergio (Rinland) have that very nice operation, it looks nice, it's a plug-in operation in terms of us just using it for what we need. But it's not a done deal and we're not going to make that decision until later on in the year."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

DTM News


TME squad to remain with Christian Bakkerud driving

Former Force India Formula One team boss Colin Kolles has confirmed that his TME squad will remain in the DTM this year, with Christian Bakkerud as one of their drivers.

The team have run a pair of two-year-old Audis in the series for the past three years, and their outfit will be led by ex GP2 racer Bakkerud, who will also race for their sportscar team.

Kolles, who has also entered the Formula 3 Euro Series alongside his DTM and Le Mans Series efforts for 2009, hopes that Bakkerud will be able to earn himself a drive in a newer car with Audi in the future, in the same way that Markus Winkelhock and Katherine Legge have moved up the ranks in the past two years.

"Markus and Katherine are the perfect proof of the fact that contesting the DTM with an older car definitely pays off," said Kolles.

"You can use this learning year as a stepping stone to securing a seat at the wheel of a newer car, and we would be delighted should Christian succeed in following the footsteps of his predecessors."

While the team's DTM entry for this year had been in doubt over the winter, they have tested several drivers - including Bakkerud – since the end of last season.

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Scott Dixon tops first test session

Scott Dixon led the way in the IndyCar Series' first test session of the 2009 season at Homestead on Tuesday night, ahead of Ryan Briscoe and Dario Franchitti, while Mario Moraes, Will Power and Robert Doornbos impressed with strong performances in their wake.

Defending champion Dixon (Ganassi) had the fastest lap of the six-hour session, a 25.2919-second (211.372 mph) effort, ahead of his likely title rival Briscoe (Penske) and his Ganassi teammate Franchitti, the 2007 champion who has returned from NASCAR for 2009.

But it was Moraes, a 20-year-old who moved from Dale Coyne Racing to KV Racing Technology during the off-season, who raised eyebrows with his lap of 210.151 mph in fourth place.

"It wasn't about speed but to try to get a good set-up for races," Moraes said. "It think it went well, and I felt comfortable with the car. We will come back tomorrow and try out other set-ups and try to learn more about the car."

Power, who raced for KVRT last year but landed with Team Penske as a temporary or possible long-term substitute for Helio Castroneves, had the fifth-fastest lap of the session.

"The day went well," Power said. "I was just getting back into the groove. I haven't been on an oval in a while, so we went through a number of things and we were able to get the car better.

"I'm really just trying to learn the car and the team as quickly as I can. We're not trying to set the world on fire in practice, we just want to learn and get better."

Castroneves, who did not attend Tuesday's events, is scheduled to face a lengthy trial on tax evasion charges beginning on March 2 in Miami.

Meanwhile, Doorbos, the former Champ Car and Formula One racer, followed Andretti Green's Marco Andretti with the seventh-fastest lap among the 20-car field in his first effort for Newman/Haas/Lanigan.

Briscoe got acquainted with Eric Cowdin, Tony Kanaan's long-time engineer who joined Penske late last season, by first running a set-up lap for Power in the No.3 car that stood as the eighth-fastest lap of the day, then recording the second-best lap in the No.6 car.

"We had a lot of time to test several things, and the session also gave me the perfect opportunity to work with my new race engineer," Briscoe said. "Today was a lot about learning to understand each other. All in all I'm happy with how the day went, and I think we were able to make a lot of gains."

Kanaan (Andretti Green) and Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan) rounded out the top 10.

Source

Justin Wilson is confident that he would be able to achieve good results with IndyCar underdogs Dale Coyne Racing if he completes a deal to join the team for this season.

Having lost his Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing drive due to the team's need for sponsorship, the IndyCar and Champ Car race-winner is testing with Dale Coyne's small squad at Homestead this week.

"Obviously, we're looking forward to joining Dale Coyne Racing for this test and hopefully for the season," he said. "We're still working on finalising things."

The 30-year-old Briton insisted he was not concerned by Coyne's relative lack of resources and thinks the team will be boosted by the arrival of ex-Ganassi engineer Bill Pappas.

"I'm excited to be working with a great engineer in Bill Pappas," Wilson said. "We feel that we can do a lot with a little provided everything goes ahead."

Wilson was only 19th fastest on the first evening of testing, but said he had been concentrating on acclimatising to the Coyne team rather than chasing lap times.

"The main thing is take it easy, one step at a time," he said. "There are no prizes for the test. We'll build up to speed, work on our car and take it from there. It's more getting to know each other than proving ourselves right now."

Source


Milka expects progress

Milka Duno says her potential move to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will help her to make huge progress - although she admits that joining a race-winning squad will put her under great pressure to perform.

The Venezuelan former sportscar racer has yet to finish above 11th during two part-seasons of IndyCar with SAMAX and Dreyer & Reinbold, but is testing with eight-time Champ Car champions NHLR at Homestead this week.

"It's a good opportunity for me to test with this championship team," Duno said. "It's always a driver's dream to be with a good team. The plan is to do the whole championship."

She accepted that she would have to raise her game to live up to Newman/Haas/Lanigan's illustrious reputation, but is confident that she will benefit from being at a top team.

"It's now up to me to do a good job," said Duno. "They know how to win a race. When you work hard and have the right conditions, good things will come."

Fellow team newcomer Robert Doornbos was Newman/Haas/Lanigan's best representative on the first day of the test, taking seventh place. The former grand prix driver reckons the team have closed the gap to the front-runners since the end of the 2008 season.

"I was following my mate Ryan (Briscoe) in the Penske car and I couldn't believe that I was doing the same laps times because they have a lot experience with the cars," said Doornbos. "So I give full credit to the engineers that worked hard over the winter."

Source


Testing times


Pos Driver Team Speed
1. Scott Dixon Ganassi 211.372
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske 210.793
3. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 210.603
4. Mario Moraes KV 210.151
5. Will Power Penske 210.138
6. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 209.696
7. Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan 209.584
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 209.067
9. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 208.802
10. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 208.720
11. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon 208.694
12. Ed Carpenter Vision 208.672
13. EJ Viso HVM 208.637
14. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 208.568
15. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 208.029
16. Milka Duno Newman/Haas/Lanigan 207.403
17. Jaime Camara Conquest 207.378
18. Vitor Meira Foyt 207.184
19. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne 206.843
20. Stanton Barrett 3G 205.834

 

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BBC to use The Chain music

The BBC has confirmed that it will use the iconic Fleetwood Mac song The Chain as the theme for its Formula One coverage this year.

Since the BBC announced last March that the sport would be returning to its schedule for this year, fans have been calling for the song, recorded in 1976, to make a return. At yesterday's media launch of the corporation's F1 coverage, the BBC revealed that it had opted to revive the iconic theme.

"There has been one enormous issue on all the message boards and that was the question of what music we are going to use," said a BBC spokesman. "Whether it's a surprise or not, we'll leave for you to decide."

The revealing of The Chain drew applause from legendary commentator Murray Walker, who was attending the launch and will play a part in the BBC's coverage.

Source


The Chain Intro

Chain intro

 

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Melandri to decide whether to ride at Qatar test

Marco Melandri is expected to test a Kawasaki ZX-RR in Qatar next week, but the Italian is not yet convinced he will start the 2009 season.

In a further confusing twist to the on-going Kawasaki saga, MCN understands Melandri will decide whether he will be part of a one-rider Kawasaki team based on the competitiveness of the bike at next week’s three night test session under floodlights at the Losail International Circuit.

Melandri has spoken of his intention to be part of the new squad, but even he is now sceptical whether a project thrown together at the last minute has any chance of success.

With reports from two Australia tests conducted by Olivier Jacque suggesting the 2009 prototype ZX-RR is no better than last year’s disastrous model, Melandri wants to form his own judgement in Qatar before he commits to a deal for the season.

A source close to the Italian told MCN: “ The mission is to test in Qatar and then decide if it is worth carrying on. This is logical, because if Marco is in Qatar and three seconds off the pace, then it is better to stop. We are not positive.

"Marco has accepted to race but only if everything is proper. If it is just to put a bike on the grid for the sake of it, it is a waste of time.”

As the farcical Kawasaki story drags on, further confusion emerged last week.

A new team, which will not use Kawasaki’s name, will be run by Technical Director Ichiro Yoda, who has managed to recruit some of the team’s former mechanics return, even though their contracts for 2009 were all paid up for 2009.

What is certain is that former team boss Michael Bartholemy is not part of any new plan to race in 2009, though he has still to make any public comment since Kawasaki announced it would quit MotoGP on January 9 because of the global economic crisis.

Source

 

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Conway happy with debut

Mike Conway felt he learned a great deal during his first oval test, having emerged from the IndyCar Series' open test at Homestead this week as the fastest rookie.

The former GP2 driver, who has joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for 2009, was eighth quickest last night, and said he already felt he was getting to grips with the IndyCar Dallara-Honda.

"It's all about learning each time I go out - learning about running with traffic, how the tyres come in, just things with set-up like aero changes, mechanical changes," Conway said.

"They all feel quite different. I've really got a feel as to what the car is doing and how it's reacting to each change. I've been learning how to run in different lines and how to react in traffic.

"Each day was another positive step. I have to thank the Dreyer & Reinbold guys for the hard work and great job they've done in getting me acclimatised to everything. I can't wait to get back on the track again."

Newman/Haas/Lanigan's Robert Doornbos had been the top rookie on Tuesday, but slumped to 17th yesterday evening after an errant set-up change.

"We made a change overnight that was quite radical," he said. "The boys needed a couple of hours to do it and already from the third lap onwards we felt it was not the right direction as the car was a lot faster last night.

"You can't go back on it because you lose today completely so we did what we could in practice and started running in traffic and with high fuel loads and made lots and lots of changes on the car.

"I think at one stage we had to calm ourselves down because we were trying too much. It looks like we have a lot of work to do as a team."

Of the four newcomers in the current field, reigning Indy Lights champion Raphael Matos has the most experience of single-seater oval racing, but was only 11th on day one and 18th last night for Luczo Dragon Racing.

"It was a tough day, but we learned a lot," said the Brazilian. "We sat down last night and made changes to the car but the changes didn't work.

"The good thing is we know what we need in the car and we know what we need to do to make it faster. We just need to regroup.

"This is the most competitive place with all the top drivers. We didn't expect to come in and beat everyone in the first test. We're a young team, and I'm a rookie. I think we worked really well together and we are all committed to improving."

Source

 

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Melandri gets 2009 ride

Kawasaki have announced that they will remain in MotoGP with a single bike for Marco Melandri.

The Japanese manufacturer had previously declared that it would end its MotoGP programme due to the global economic crisis, but has now partially reversed its decision.

"Kawasaki announces that after constructive talks between Kawasaki, Dorna and other involved parties, a new one-rider team will participate in the 2009 MotoGP Championship season," said a Kawasaki statement.

"This decision was made after negotiations that followed Kawasaki's January 2009 announcement to suspend its factory supported MotoGP activities due to the economic crisis.

"The team will be equipped with Kawasaki motorcycles and supporting materials. That Kawasaki has come to this new team approach is the result of on the one hand the need for a strong reduction of MotoGP racing investments and on the other hand the necessity to come to constructive solutions for all related parties."

MotoGP organiser Dorna had been determined to find a way of keeping a Kawasaki presence in the championship, and had looked into placing the ex-factory bikes with a private team. Leading 250cc squad Aspar were initially tipped for the project, as was a new team to be formed from the former works Kawasaki squad.

Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta had also hinted that he would take legal action if Kawasaki did not remain in the sport, as all the MotoGP manufacturers had signed up to an agreement to race in the championship through 2011.

The 2009 Kawasaki has already run in Australia with test rider Olivier Jacque.

John Hopkins had been set to stay on for a second season with Kawasaki alongside Melandri, but the announcement of a one-bike team leaves the American's future unclear.

Source


Bulgaria set to host a race in 2012

The Bulgarian Motorcycling Federation says it has reached an agreement to bring MotoGP to the nation from the 2012 season.

BMF head Bodgan Nikolov said a five-year deal had been secured with MotoGP rights-holder Dorna.

"We signed the agreement with Carmelo Ezpeleta and we're very pleased because no country from our region has hosted a motorcycle grand prix," Nikolov told Reuters.

"It's still not clear which track will host the races as we're still thinking over two options."

The news agency reports that a new circuit set to be constructed near the northern town of Dolna Mitropoliya is the most likely location for the event.

Source


British Eurosport retain MotoGP coverage

British Eurosport will continue to broadcast MotoGP coverage in 2009 alongside the BBC, the sport's rights-holder Dorna has announced.

It had been thought that Eurosport's long relationship with MotoGP would end this season as Dorna pushed to ensure that live race coverage was on free to air television whenever possible.

This saw the BBC awarded exclusive UK broadcast rights for the MotoGP races, but British Eurosport has now completed a deal to show all Friday and Saturday practice sessions, and the 125cc and 250cc races, live plus slightly delayed coverage of all the MotoGP races. These will be broadcast just after the BBC's live race coverage has finished.

Autosport.com's MotoGP correspondent Toby Moody will remain part of the British Eurosport commentary team.

The BBC has also announced full details of its plans for MotoGP coverage in 2009. It will continue to show all 18 MotoGP races live on its television channels, while the qualifying sessions for all three world championship classes, and the 125cc and 250cc races, will be shown via its Red Button digital service.

Its MotoGP Extra analysis programme will also run on the Red Button channels immediately after the live coverage of each MotoGP race.

"We are delighted to be offering more than ever of the world's leading motorcycle series," said Philip Bernie, the BBC's head of TV Sport Editorial.

"Our coverage of MotoGP, the 250s and 125s means that BBC viewers will be able to get the most comprehensive view of this spectacular sport. Combined with our new F1 contract, this means the BBC is now showcasing fully the best motor sport on both two wheels and four wheels."

The BBC and British Eurosport will both make their MotoGP coverage available on their respective iPlayer and Eurosport Player online catch-up systems.

Source

 

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Pescarolo to run Peugeot 908 alongside their own car

Pescarolo Sport will enter a privateer Peugeot 908 in this year's Le Mans 24 Hours alongside one of their own cars.

In addition to the respective works Audi and Peugeot teams, the customer 908 and the two Kolles-run R10s mean there will be five Audis and four Peugeots in the LMP1 class this year, as well as potentially three examples of Aston Martin's new prototype.

Pescarolo finished third behind one Audi and one Peugeot at Le Mans in 2007, but their highest car was only seventh last year behind Audi and Peugeot's three cars each.

The arrival of the first customer Peugeot LMP1 car is the biggest news of the 2009 Le Mans entry list, which was released by race organiser the ACO this morning.

The list also features three Porsche RS Spyders in the LMP2 class, with the already-announced Team Essex car joined by entries from FIA GT champions Vitaphone Racing - in their prototype debut - and former Audi LMP squad Team Goh, who took overall victory in 2004.

Source


2009 entry list


LMP1

No Team Car
1 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15
3 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15
2 Audi Sport North America Audi R15
14 Kolles Audi R10
15 Kolles Audi R10
7 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908
8 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908
9 Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908
17 Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908
16 Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo Judd
007 Aston Martin Racing Lola Aston Martin
009 Aston Martin Racing Lola Aston Martin
008 AMR Eastern Europe Lola Aston Martin
13 Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Aston Martin
10 Team ORECA Matmut AIM Courage-ORECA AIM
11 Team ORECA Matmut AIM Courage-ORECA AIM
6 Team LNT Ginetta Zytek
23 Strakka Racing Ginetta Zytek
12 Signature Plus Courage Judd
20 Epsilon Euskadi Epsilon Euskadi Judd
4 Creation Autosportif Creation Judd

LMP2

No Team Car
5 Navi Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder
31 Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder
49 Vitaphone Racing Team Porsche Rs Spyder
25 RML Lola Mazda Coupe
44 KSM Lola Mazda Coupe
30 Racing Box Lola Judd Coupe
33 Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Judd Coupe
24 Oak Racing Pescarolo Mazda
35 Oak Racing Pescarolo Mazda
40 Quifel-ASM Team Ginetta Zytek 09S
41 Gac Racing Team Zytek 07S
26 Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical AER

GT1

No Team Car
63 Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R
64 Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R
72 Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R
73 Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R
60 Gigawave Motorsport Ltd Aston Martin DBR9
66 Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin DBR9
55 IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini Murcielago
68 JLOC Isao Noritake Lamborghini Murcielago

GT2

No Team Car
76 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997)
77 Team Felbermayer-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997)
80 Flying Lizard Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997)
78 AF Corse Srl Ferrari F430 GT
82 Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT
83 Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT
84 Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT
89 Hankook - Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GT
92 JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT
96 Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT
97 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari F430 GT
99 JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT
87 Drayson Racing Aston Martin V8
85 Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette

Reserves

No Cl Team Car
R1 GT2 Team Seattle Advanced Eng Ferrari F430 GT
R2 GT2 Endurance China Team Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997)
R3 GT2 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997)
R4 LMP2 Barazi Epsilon Zytek 07S
R5 LMP2 Gerard Welter Zytek
R6 LMP1 Epsilon Euskadi Epsilon Euskadi Judd
R7 GT2 Team Felbermayer-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997)
R8 GT2 Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette
R9 GT1 Team Larbre Competition Saleen S7R
R10 LMP2 Racing Box SRL Lola Judd Coupe

 

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Tyre compounds to be differentiated by green markings

Bridgestone has confirmed that it will use green coloured bands around its tyres' sidewalls to differentiate between the two compounds used at each race this year.

The different tyres were previously denoted by a white line in the rubber's grooves, but the return of slicks for 2009 makes this impossible, so the green markings will be used instead.

The Japanese company has also revealed that there will be a more distinct difference between the two compounds used at each race this year.

Until now the two types of tyre were consecutive in Bridgestone's range - for instance super soft and soft - whereas this season at most races the two tyre compounds will be further apart in performance and characteristics. For example in Melbourne all drivers must run both super softs and medium Bridgestones during the race, while at Sepang both soft and hard tyres will be mandated.

Bridgestone's director of motorsport tyre development Hirohide Hamashima believes the changes will make the racing more exciting.

"From our perspective we have changed our allocation strategy so that we can bring non-consecutive allocations to races," he said.

"The compounds will not only vary in terms of compound hardness, but also working range. We have tried to have one tyre which has a quick warm-up and delivers a fast lap time immediately, and the other tyre which has a higher working range, so will not deliver immediate fast times, but gives very consistent and durable performance when it is at its operating temperature.

"Of course, we are subject to many variables such as different cars and drivers, not to mention the weather, which was such a big factor in 2008.

"We hope that the change in allocations gives competitors a good challenge and the fans entertaining racing."

Source


Williams: Diffuser to be copied

Williams technical director Sam Michael will be surprised if at least half the grid has not copied the high diffuser concept pioneered by his team and Toyota by the time the seasons starts in Australia.

The designs on the Williams FW31 and Toyota TF109 caused a stir after their launch earlier this year, with rival teams questioning whether the higher central section was a breach of the maximum height limit of 175 mm.

The FIA duly confirmed that the layout on the Williams and Toyota cars were wholly legal, and Michael revealed on Thursday that he never expected the situation to have become such a talking point in the first place.

"To be honest we were surprised that it even turned into an issue because for us it was very clearly inside the regulations," said Michael during a pre-season media event at the Williams factory.

"It was something that in various forms teams have been doing for two years, so it wasn't really a big issue for us or the FIA. So it was something that we clarified with the FIA well over a year ago.

"There wasn't really any confusion from our side, although there appeared to be some confusion from the other teams, but I don't know on what basis that was."

Michael thought it inevitable now that other teams would follow the lead set by Williams and Toyota and run with the diffuser concept from the start of the season.

"I am sure they will copy us," he explained. "Toyota have (already) got something, although their diffuser is not the same as ours even though it is a similar interpretation.

"I would be amazed if at least half the grid in Melbourne doesn't have it. And out of the cars I've seen, there are two teams who don't have it but have components on the car perfectly positioned to have it on their cars for Melbourne. They obviously took a different decision to us and thought we don't want to reveal this until Melbourne.

"If we don't have 50 percent of the grid there in Melbourne with the same concept I would be staggered."

Michael said that if his team had known before running the design that it would catch out rival outfits, they may have waited until bringing it onto the car.

"During the development, to be quite honest, we thought everyone would do it," he explained. "It wasn't something that we really thought was trick. It was a previous interpretation of the new regulations.

"If (we knew beforehand) there would be all this fuss and some teams who had not thought about it, instead of putting their hands up and saying, 'we didn't think of it because we weren't looking at the rules hard enough', instead of doing that they said, 'we'll try and get it banned'. If we thought that might happen, then we might have delayed."

Source


Unhappy drivers to pay superlicense fee

Formula One drivers have all decided to pay their superlicence fees in a bid to prevent their dispute with the FIA overshadowing the start of the season.

However, the drivers remain deeply unhappy about the huge hike in fees that was introduced at the start of 2008 and have requested face-to-face talks with FIA president Max Mosley prior to the Australian Grand Prix to discuss the matter.

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) had been urging its members to hold back on paying for their mandatory licences as it tried to find a way of restructuring how the fees were calculated.

It felt that a rise from 1690 Euros in 2007 to 10,000 Euros in 2008, with the points fees rising from 447 Euros per point in 2007 to 2000 Euros in 2008 was 'inherently unfair'. A further increase for inflation had been added for this year.

Mosley remained defiant on the matter, however, and wrote to the drivers to say that he felt the fees were 'reasonable' and that drivers were free to race elsewhere if they were not happy.

With no easy resolution to the matter there were mounting fears in some quarters that the row could result in a drivers' strike in Melbourne - although such a scenario had been ruled out by several leading stars.

But with just four weeks to go before that first race, and teams putting drivers under pressure to process the superlicence paperwork, high level sources have confirmed to autosport.com that all drivers have now agreed to pay the fees. It is understood that over the next week those drivers who have not yet submitted their superlicences to the FIA will do so, to join the six that have already been lodged by their teams.

Despite the decision to press ahead with paying the licences, a GPDA source said there was no question of the drivers backing down in their bid to change the fee structure - and they still believe the fees should revert to an inflation-adjusted version of the 2007 figure.

The source told autosport.com that the drivers have only agreed to pay for the licences because they did not want to force some racers into a confrontation with their teams, or to cause trouble in Australia - which would be unfair to fans.

It is understood that the GPDA has written to the FIA to express its feelings on the matter, and to request a face-to-face meeting with Mosley to discuss the situation as soon as possible.

"The drivers are all unanimous on this," said a source. "We must meet Max before the Australian Grand Prix."

Although not confirming the drivers' stance on Thursday, Williams driver Nico Rosberg said during a pre-season media event for his team that there was a common feeling amongst drivers about the matter.

"Don't underestimate the strength of us drivers all sticking together," he said. "The sport needs us. All of us. Don't underestimate us."

The Williams team revealed on Thursday that they were the first team to lodge the superlicences for their three drivers.

CEO Adam Parr said: "We just pay the fees, full stop. They're paid."

When asked if he had any sympathy for the drivers' plight, Frank Williams said: "I don't worry about it myself. I don't need to. It's best between them and the FIA."

It is understood that one other team has also lodged the licence paperwork with the FIA for their three drivers.

Source


Stoddart sceptical of USF1

Former F1 team boss Paul Stoddart believes the new USF1 team would be better off operating in Britain, and the Australian reckons they will have a hard time raising sufficient money to race in Formula One next year, especially with no grand prix in the United States.

"I personally can't see how they are going to pull a major sponsor or investor out of the U.S. when there's no race (there)," Stoddart told Reuters in an interview.

"Very few Americans care terribly much about Formula One... and I certainly found it harder to get money over here than in Europe. Indeed, impossible.

"Towards the end of Champ Car you could have counted the sponsors in the series that weren't related to somebody (in the series) on one hand. In fact, you wouldn't even need all your fingers."

USF1, who said they will enter F1 next year, plan to have their main headquarters in North Carolina and a second base in Spain, France or Italy.

Former Minardi owner Stoddart, who left grand prix racing at the end of the 2005 season, said the timing is not right yet to enter the sport, as he thinks there is still work to do to reduce the costs of competing in F1.

He also claims any F1 team should be operating from the UK, where most teams are from.

"I believe we are a year or two away from getting the costs completely under control and I don't believe that new teams will come from the US, I think they will come from within Europe," he added.

"I would have said that if you are going to operate successfully, first of all start thinking about a base in the UK.

"Unless you have massive budgets like Ferrari or Toyota, then you kind of need to be in the UK. Most of the people come out of the UK, they don't really want to live in other countries," added Stoddart, who also ran a Champ Car team.

The Australian entrepreneur said he felt, with the current financial crisis, it was more likely to lose teams than to see new ones joining the field.

"I think we are going to see a bit more pain before there is any upside," he said. "We've currently got 10 teams, just, and are we going to be able to say that at the end of 2009?

"Let's see what happens to Honda, see what happens to perhaps one or two others out there that maybe are having second thoughts.

"I am more concerned that we keep 10 teams than get too worried about (the arrival) of 11 and 12."

Source

 

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First round: Phillip Island

Phillip Island Circuit

Country: Australia
Name: Phillip Island
Circuit length: 4.445 km
Pole position: Left
Corners left: 7
Corners right: 5
Corner radius: Min.23 m. - Max.207 m.
Maximum slope: 57 m.


News

Smrz surprises by taking provisional pole

Jacob Smrz stole the limelight on the opening day of round one of the World Superbike championship to take provisional pole position.

In scorching 33 degree ambient temperatures and 51 degree track temperature the Guandolini Ducati rider set an impressive 1m 32.312 in the very last lap of the hour long session.

His time dislodged factory Ducati man Noriyuki Haga from the top of the timesheets with Britain’s Leon Haslam in third.

Haslam held provisional pole with less than two minutes of the session remaining and proved the pace of his new Stiggy Honda CBR1000RR and the potential of his team.

He said: “When I crossed the line I was P1 and thought ‘that’ll do’, but ended up third, which isn’t too bad.

"We’re still trying a lot with the bike, but it’s working well. The only problem I’m having is that I’m pushing the front a bit especially when we fit a new rear tyre because it has extra grip.

"The track temperature is playing a big part so I think for a real fast time we need to come out the box straight away when it’s cooler and go for a lap time.”

Alstare Suzuki men Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama were once again impressive ending the day in fourth and fifth position.

Tom Sykes was the next Brit in ninth, one place and 3/100ths behind team-mate Ben Spies.

Shane Byrne survived a slow speed crash at Honda corner to finish in 15th place just 1.005s of pole.

He said: “I just tucked the front at the hairpin, it was nothing serious. If I look at my position of 15th it’s shit but when I look at the lap time and the fact that I’m only a second off I can’t be that unhappy.

"Having not tested here I’m definitely behind. I’m trying to get it all set-up in two hours where everyone else has already had two days. I’d like to get into the top ten in qualifying tomorrow and then see what we can do in Superpole.”

Jonathan Rea finished in 17th spot but was satisfied with his days working having completed a full 22 lap race simulation.

Tommy Hill finished in 21st place, 1.8s off pole.

Source


Corser looking ahead

Troy Corser is looking beyond a provisional 16th position on the grid following his first official qualifying outing as a BMW rider, the Aussie pointing out that he is just a second off the leaders around Phillip Island.

A day of continual development for the local favourite, Corser divided his workload between sampling new parts and setting a respectable pace, rather than chasing quick lap times.

Even so, while the tightness of the field meant he was consigned to a mid-pack slot 16th position on the provisional grid, Corser remains just a second off provisional pole sitter Jakub Smrz,

Indeed, Corser, who holds the race lap record around Phillip Island, is not concerned about positions at the moment as he bids to get the BMW dialled in ahead of its long-awaited race debut later this weekend.

“Since the test last weekend we received some new parts to try out and so we spent today trying out various stuff instead of trying to set any quick lap times,” he said. “I cruised around working with the new stuff (to do with the engine and clutch) and gave the boys back in the garage lots of info to work on.

“It was all productive and, at the end of the day, there was plenty for the engineers to think about and get ready for tomorrow. This afternoon I had a very slow speed crash when I lost the front end at Honda corner, but it was so slow that I didn't hurt myself at all.

Hailing the progress the team has made in a few short months, Corser was also positive about the potential of the S1000RR.

“We are a brand new team, with a brand new bike, in probably the toughest motorsport race series in the world, so to get to this stage with the bike is very impressive I think.

“Now we have to continue the hard work and make as much progress as possible in the shortest possible time.”

Source




First qualifying

1 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'32.312
2 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'32.569
3 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.623
4 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'32.673
5 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'32.704
6 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1'32.928
7 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'32.932
8 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'32.939
9 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'32.971
10 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.991
11 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1'32.995
12 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098 RS 09 1'33.202
13 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'33.206
14 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'33.224
15 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'33.317
16 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'33.377
17 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'33.418
18 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'33.709
19 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'33.911
20 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'34.080
21 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'34.123
22 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.487
23 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1'35.123
24 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'35.716
25 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'35.759
26 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'36.103
27 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'36.514
28 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'37.127


Images

 

[subzero9285]

Williams unveil final livery for 2009 season

Williams have unveiled the livery for their new FW31 ahead of a season that they hope will see the outfit return to fully competitive form.

The car has run so far in winter testing in a plain blue livery, but the team used a media day at their factory on Thursday to show off the definitive blue-and-white colour scheme in which the car will contest the forthcoming season.

The team sacrificed much of last year so they could focus on their 2009 design, and team boss Frank Williams is hopeful that the efforts will pay off.

Although he admits it would be a dream to win a race, Williams thinks becoming a thorn in the side of the established top three this year would be reason enough to feel happy with their performance.

"We'd love to be a winner or in the top three all the time," said Williams. "But to be very close to the top three would be a big step for year one. It's by no means impossible, but it depends how good we've been this winter. We might get lucky with the car."

The livery unveiling of the FW31 coincided with the car featuring cockpit sails, labelled 'skate fins' by the team, for the first time. They are designed to channel air over the car and onto the rear wing.

The team believe that a big shake up of regulations this year could help them rediscover the form that has left them unable to win since Juan Pablo Montoya's victory in the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg said: "The rule changes are a fantastic thing for us, definitely. A really good thing for us. There's no copying to do, nothing. It's just your own ideas.

"You start from zero, from scratch, like every other team. You have this set of rules and you need to make the best possible car for it."

Source

 

[speedpop]

Month or so till F1 starts up again. It's going to be glorious.

And eww at the colours. C'mon Williams you had the hottest looking car on the track and you change the colour scheme? Bah.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Williams livery is alright. Was it Rothman's that gave them the gold trim back in the day? Whatever it was, the last good-looking Williams was probably back in 1997. :?

I can't believe the F1 season is still so many weeks away. Without testing, the breaks between races are going to be dreadful. I understand these reductions are made for cost-cutting, but we've had other reductions in the race weekend before this.

Anyone else remember Sunday warm-ups? I know Max was hoping parc ferme would add strategy to the races, but I always thought Sunday warm-ups added that element. Some changes would happen between qualies and the race which would allow some cars to improve back in the field and move forward. The way it is now, the grid is set largely by pace.

I wish we were getting more racing and not less. But once the season starts, I doubt I'll care anymore. I hope the stewards keep their hands off the results this season. Thanks to them, Lewis still has yet to win Spa. :x PEACE.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

It doesn't look bad. Now with Phillips being the title sponsor, the blue is lighter to match Phillips' scheme.

 

[subzero9285]

Williams livery is alright. Was it Rothman's that gave them the gold trim back in the day? Whatever it was, the last good-looking Williams was probably back in 1997. :?

The Rothman clad Williams were certainly some of the most beautiful cars in F1 history.

Then we were treated to these in the following years.

:lol

 

[Dave Long]

Are those bunny ears beside the cockpit new?

 

[subzero9285]

Honda closer to buyout deal

Honda GP Limited, the company name for Honda Racing, has begun processing formal paperwork ahead of the management buyout by the team that is expected to be confirmed within the next fortnight.

Company director Nigel Kerr, who is believed to be involved in the buyout of the team led by team principal Ross Brawn, has signed a number of forms lodged with Companies House that confirm some old outstanding charges for Honda GP Limited have been settled.

The charges, some of which date back to 1998, relate to buildings on the Reynard Technology Centre where Honda Racing are based, plus fixtures and fittings, and other floating charges.

The processing of the paperwork at Companies House comes as the management buyout led by Brawn goes through its final legal processes.

No formal news on the buyout situation is expected for at least another week, and could be even longer than that, even though the team are likely to begin testing of their new Mercedes-Benz powered car at Silverstone next week.

Brawn's continuing role in F1 appears certain, however, with autosport.com understanding that Honda Racing's team principal is scheduled to make an official presentation at next week's Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) press conference in Geneva.

It is understood that Brawn will talk about his role as head of FOTA's Technical Regulations Working Group, when the body outlines its vision for the future.

The bid to save Honda received support on Thursday when Williams chiefs Frank Williams and Adam Parr said they expected the team to make the grid in Australia.

Williams said: "They're a bunch of racers who I admire very much, so yeah, they might make it."

Parr added: "I think they'll make it. The fact that they're still talking is quite instrumental. If the Honda parent company wasn't faced with any serious opportunity then I think they'd have just called it a day, wouldn't they?

"The fact that we're four weeks away from the beginning of the season and they're still making kit must mean that Honda takes the proposals that are available very seriously."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Kyle Busch wouldn't say no to F1

LAS VEGAS -- For all he's accomplished behind a steering wheel, Kyle Busch has a rather limited open-wheel resume. Dwarf cars out at old Pahrump Valley Speedway. Legends cars at the Bullring, the .375-mile facility on the grounds of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A few modified events. A handful of laps in a sprint car as a 14-year-old, as part of an exhibition to promote an event coming to town.

But that wouldn't stop him from listening should the organizers of a planned American-based Formula One team call. Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor recently announced their plans to launch an F1 organization based in Charlotte, N.C., and field seats for two American drivers beginning in 2010. Their long wish list of drivers reportedly includes current IndyCar pilots Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti, Jonathan Summerton of the European A1GP series, and Busch, who won eight times last year in NASCAR's premier division.

Busch has long been intrigued by the F1 circuit. The 23-year-old Las Vegas native was scheduled to take some laps in an F1 car at Motegi, Japan this past offseason for Toyota, the manufacturer that also backs his Joe Gibbs Racing team on the Sprint Cup tour. That trip had to be cancelled due to a conflict with the Nationwide Series banquet, much to Busch's chagrin. Although Busch said Friday he hasn't been contacted by anyone from the USF1 organization, if they want to talk, he'll listen.

"I'd toss the idea around. It's definitely something I wouldn't shoot down," said Busch, whose current contract with the Gibbs team runs through 2010. "But I don't think it's the right time yet in my career and where I'm at. I'm happy with where I'm at. Obviously the focus here is to go for Nationwide and Cup wins and championships and compete for championships, try to dismantle Jimmie [Johnson] off the top. It's something I'd love to give a shot one day. Toyota gave me the opportunity to go over there last fall and do a test at (Motegi), but we weren't able to get there. Hopefully one of these days I'll get the chance to drive one and see if I'm any good at it."

The American-based F1 team will be owned by Anderson, who worked on the circuit in the 1980s, and Windsor, a former team manager for Ferrari and Williams and now a pit reporter for U.S. television broadcasts. There hasn't been an American driver in the series since the departure of Scott Speed, who drove for a Red Bull-backed outfit from 2005-07 before jumping to NASCAR. Prior to that, the last American on the circuit was Michael Andretti in 1993.

For Busch, major open-wheel racing -- whether it's F1 or an American-based series -- has never been part of the career plan. He followed older brother Kurt into NASCAR and became an immediate success, progressing so quickly that the sanctioning body implemented an age limit. He was a winner on the Nationwide circuit at 18, a multiple winner on the Cup level at 20, and established himself as a championship contender last year. But as a driver who came up racing various types of automobiles -- and even today competes regularly in all three of NASCAR's national circuits -- he's always been curious about the other side.

"It's something I wouldn't mind trying," he said. "I wouldn't mind trying IndyCars and running the Indianapolis 500 once, or running Formula One. But like I said, it's not quite time for me to do that yet. If I can win a championship here in the next two or three years, then I wouldn't mind going over there and doing that, trying it for a few years, and coming back. I think I'd still be young enough where if I could win a championship by 25, go run Formula One for a couple of years, be back by 28, I've still got plenty of time left to run in NASCAR. That's just what I see, but a lot of things would have to work out for that to happen. You'd have to be guaranteed a spot with a team to come back with and stuff. So that's not always possible. But I don't know."

In recent years several prominent open-wheel drivers have migrated to NASCAR, only to struggle or experience only a fraction of the success they enjoyed in the IndyCar or F1 circuits. Making the transition in the other direction, Busch believes, might be less arduous.

"How much a change would be it? It's going to be a big change," he said. "I feel like it's probably easier to go that route than it is for those guys to come this route, because these cars have less downforce, less grip, more weight on the car, less technical advancements and things like that. To me it seems like it would be a lot easier to drive a car that's fully equipped. It's kind of like getting a Volkswagen Beetle verses a Ferrari. Those are kind of the differences."

Source

 

[subzero9285]

Spies takes pole on debut

Ben Spies has taken pole position on his World Superbike debut after smashing the lap record around the Phillip Island circuit.

The big headline following a Superpole session that was rife with notable stories up and down the grid, Spies showed exactly why he is being touted for the title in his maiden season by setting a stunning pace when it mattered.

Having maintained a fairly low profile for much of the day as he chose to keep his running to a minimum, the American only just made it into the shootout after posting the seventh quickest time in Q2.

Nonetheless, once there, the Yamaha R1 was straight on the pace as Spies became very nearly the first rider ever to breach the 1min 31secs marker around the Australian track.

Even so, his lap of 1min 31.069 slices four tenths off Troy Bayliss' existing marker, while a similar margin separates the Yamaha rider from his closest competition.

That competition came, somewhat surprisingly, from Max Biaggi who marked a superb return to WSBK competition for Aprilia by claiming second position on the grid. Although his cause was aided by Jonathan Rea's decision not to attempt a final fast lap, Biaggi was always in contention for a front row position throughout qualifying and was richly rewarded for his efforts.

Rea, meanwhile, looked to be heading for pole position having set the pace during Q1 and much of Q2, despite limiting his track time to just a couple of laps on each occasion. However, his Q3 lap of 1min 31.596secs was no match for Spies, Rea subsequently choosing to save himself by settling for what remains an impressive first full-time outing for the Supersport graduate.

Completing a front row of four different manufacturers, Guandalini's Jakub Smrz maintained his fine pace from provisional qualifying to fly the Ducati flag, as well as front a strong privateer presence throughout the new Superpole format.

A success in terms of spectacle, not least in the way it played havoc with team tactics, the new knockout system helped provide a number of big upsets, most notably Noriyuki Haga's failure to reach the top eight shootout.

In fact, the Japanese rider wasn't even close, his best proving only good enough for an eventual 13th on the grid.

Instead, his team-mate Michel Fabrizio spared Xerox's blushes by qualifying a solid fifth, although the team will be bemused to see Haga comprehensively out paced by both Smrz and Regis Laconi.

Laconi had provided one of the day's star turns, the DFX rider taking the opportunity to fit qualification rubber at the end of Q2 to claim a new lap record, albeit until Spies went quicker in Q3 soon afterwards. Still, had Laconi managed reach the shootout without fitting new tyres, his best lap would have been good enough for second. Instead, he will start in eighth.

He will be joined on the second row by Leon Haslam, who did a fine job on the Stiggy Honda in sixth, while seventh place Carlos Checa is also worthy of a mention as he continues to overcome a painful shoulder injury.

As well as Haga, casualties from Q2 included both the Suzukis of Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama. Kagayama paid the price for gambling to stay in the pit lane when riders behind him on the timesheets attempted one more stint, an error that leaves him 11th, while Neukirchner was barely in contention down in 14th.

Brits Tom Sykes and Shane Byrne also find themselves mired in the mid-field in 12th and 15th respectively, although both will take some heart from missing out on the top eight shootout by just over a tenth.

Before that, BMW's hopes of repeating their earlier top five form were dashed when Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus became the first high profile casualties of the new Superpole system. They will start 17th and 19th.

Source


Superpole times


1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'31.069
2 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1'31.402
3 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.596
4 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'31.600
5 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'31.837
6 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.112
7 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.537
8 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098 RS 09 1'32.649
9 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1'31.843
10 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.860
11 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'31.867
12 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'31.881
13 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'31.907
14 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'31.916
15 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'32.119
16 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.719
17 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'32.873
18 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'32.997
19 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'33.152
20 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'33.363
21 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1'33.588
22 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'33.709
23 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.174
24 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.194
25 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'34.341
26 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34.390
27 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'35.767
28 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'36.363

 

[subzero9285]

Force India are the eighth team to reveal their 2009 challenger the VJM02


Images

 

[StoOgE]

Not a horrible looking car. Don't care for the paint scheme, but it's their flag color so i guess I should blame the british.

 

[Ahriman]

Interesting body flow and aero bits next to the air intakes on the Force India.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Looks decent. At least it's not an abortion like the Renault.

 

[subzero9285]

Busch to start from back of the grid

Kyle Busch claimed pole position for Sunday's Shelby 427 Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but will start from the back of the field after his engine blew up during Friday's practice session.

The Joe Gibbs racer made the best use of his new Toyota powerplant to claim pole at his home track with a lap of 29.033 seconds at an average speed of 185.995 mph, beating his brother Kurt by 48 thousandths of a second.

But for the second week in a row, the Cup pole-sitter will go to the back due to an engine change. Last week Brian Vickers was forced to lose his grid position at California, after his team switched his Toyota motor following qualifying.

Although Kurt Busch qualified second to his brother, Kyle's penalty will actually promote Jimmie Johnson - who qualified third - to pole position. Under NASCAR rules, once Kyle Busch moves out of his original grid slot during the parade laps the inside line behind him all move up one row, rather than the whole field moving up one position.

Busch's engine change will also prevent the local fans from seeing the two Vegas-native brothers from taking the green flag leading the field.

David Reutimann was fourth fastest while Marcos Ambrose impressed with his best ever qualifying effort on an oval, taking fifth. However, both Michael Waltrip Racing drivers were among a total of five Toyota drivers who had been forced to change their engines, thus dropping to the back as well. The other two affected were both Red Bull Racing drivers.

Ryan Newman qualified sixth but will actually start Sunday's race from fourth, while his Stewart Haas teammate Tony Stewart was the best among those making the field on time with the tenth fastest lap.

On a solid day for Penske, both David Stremme and Sam Hornish Jr qualified within the top twelve, while Brad Keselowski made the field for his first race of the season, driving a fifth car for Hendrick Motorsports to the 13th fastest time of the session.

Last year's winner Carl Edwards qualified 16th while his teammate Matt Kenseth, twice a winner at the track and seeking to make history by winning the first three races of the year, was only 45th fastest, lining up 40th on the grid.

Italian Max Papis qualified for his first oval race in the Sprint Cup series, setting the 26th fastest time, while eight drivers failed to qualify for Sunday's event, including Travis Kvapil, Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs, all of whom had been able to make the field for the first two races of the year.

Source


Qualifying times:


Pos Driver Car Speed Time
1. Kyle Busch Toyota 185.995 29.033 *
2. Kurt Busch Dodge 185.707 29.078 + 0.045
3. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 185.688 29.081 + 0.048
4. David Reutimann Toyota 185.624 29.091 + 0.058
5. Marcos Ambrose Toyota 185.459 29.117 + 0.084
6. Ryan Newman Chevrolet 185.395 29.127 + 0.094
7. Kasey Kahne Dodge 185.382 29.129 + 0.096
8. Mark Martin Chevrolet 185.312 29.140 + 0.107
9. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 185.281 29.145 + 0.112
10. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 185.217 29.155 + 0.122
11. David Stremme Dodge 185.077 29.177 + 0.144
12. Sam Hornish Jr Dodge 184.988 29.191 + 0.158
13. Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 184.786 29.223 + 0.190
14. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 184.565 29.258 + 0.225
15. Michael Waltrip Toyota 184.54 29.262 + 0.229
16. Carl Edwards Ford 184.495 29.269 + 0.236
17. Bobby Labonte Ford 184.432 29.279 + 0.246
18. Regan Smith Chevrolet 184.432 29.279 + 0.246
19. AJ Allmendinger Dodge 184.395 29.285 + 0.252
20. Joey Logano Toyota 184.388 29.286 + 0.253
21. Brian Vickers Toyota 184.168 29.321 + 0.288
22. Joe Nemechek Toyota 184.162 29.322 + 0.289
23. Juan Montoya Chevrolet 184.118 29.329 + 0.296
24. Greg Biffle Ford 184.005 29.347 + 0.314
25. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 183.999 29.348 + 0.315
26. Max Papis Toyota 183.974 29.352 + 0.319
27. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 183.936 29.358 + 0.325
28. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 183.798 29.380 + 0.347
29. John Andretti Chevrolet 183.786 29.382 + 0.349
30. David Gilliland Chevrolet 183.749 29.388 + 0.355
31. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 183.742 29.389 + 0.356
32. Robby Gordon Toyota 183.486 29.430 + 0.397
33. Elliott Sadler Dodge 183.461 29.434 + 0.401
34. Denny Hamlin Toyota 183.293 29.461 + 0.428
35. David Ragan Ford 183.144 29.485 + 0.452
36. Paul Menard Ford 182.921 29.521 + 0.488
37. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 182.772 29.545 + 0.512
38. Jamie McMurray Ford 182.574 29.577 + 0.544
39. Reed Sorenson Dodge 182.469 29.594 + 0.561
40. Matt Kenseth Ford 182.143 29.647 + 0.614
41. Casey Mears Chevrolet 181.928 29.682 + 0.649
42. Scott Speed Toyota 181.257 29.792 + 0.759
43. Todd Bodine Toyota 183.231 29.471 + 0.438

* Demoted due to engine problems

 

[Elfforkusu]

I have a fair amount of stored rage for Shrub, but there's no question he's talented enough to race anything he puts his mind to. And it would be hilarious to watch him piss off the entirety of F1, so...

do it!

 

[subzero9285]

Testing at Jerez

Times so far


1 14 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 00:01'19''055 32
2 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 00:01'20''664 00:00'01''609 37
3 36 Kamui Kobayashi Toyota 00:01'21''384 00:00'02''329 31
4 11 Nico Rosberg Williams 00:01'21''418 00:00'02''363 22
5 8 Nelson Piquet Jr Renault 00:01'22''266 00:00'03''211 18
6 38 Pedro De la Rosa McLaren 00:01'22''512 00:00'03''457 22
7 20 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 00:01'22''648 00:00'03''593 07
8 5 Robert Kubica BMW-Sauber 00:01'23''266 00:00'04''211 07



Ferrari with new updates to their car


Old

New

Force India on track

 

[subzero9285]

Spies and Haga take race wins

Noriyuki Haga has won a stunning first World Superbike race of the season after a late smattering of rain denied Max Neukirchner victory just two corners from the finish.

An outstanding performance by both Haga and Neukirchner, up from 13th and 14th on the grid respectively, Neukirchner snatched the lead off Haga at the start of the last lap, but drizzle around the back of the circuit caused him to have enough of a moment to allow his rival back through.

Although the German got close to re-taking the lead on the finishing straight, Haga would be classified the winner by just 0.032secs.

A race full of drama after many of the expected front runners fell by the wayside in a frantic opening lap, Haga and Neukirchner took advantage of the chaos around them to end the first revolution second and fifth.

Moving to the front by lap seven, Haga and Neukirchner shadowed one another for the remainder of the race as they broke away from the chasing pack, the pair twice swapping positions before Neukirchner appeared to have made the decisive move at the start of the final lap when he slipstreamed his way past.

However, a combination of damp conditions and evidence of rear tyre wear were taking its toll on the Suzuki, prompting a massive moment for the German at turn nine and allowing the close following Haga back through.

Not that Neukirchner was completely finished, fighting back on the exit of turn 12 and using his Suzuki's engine power to very nearly nip back ahead on the line. It wasn't enough to deny Haga though, the Ducati rider coming good on his promise to ignore his lowly starting position and enjoy a 'pressure free' race.

As expected, the closeness of the competition ensured the order at the end of lap one was very different to how it had started. Confidence among the riders wasn't helped by the decision to classify the race as wet following short shower a few minutes before the start.

Nonetheless, the front row got away evenly, with Jonathan Rea snatching the lead into turn one, ahead of Max Biaggi and pole sitter Ben Spies. However, Biaggi and Spies were about to see their races take a turn for the worse when the Italian ran too deep at turn two and was forced to sit up.

Catching Spies unawares, he was left with nowhere to go but around the outside of the drifting Aprilia, Taking a long trip across the grass, Spies rejoined the circuit at the very back of the field. Biaggi recovered better, but would never get back into the reckoning.

Yamaha's tough start was further compounded when Tom Sykes was delayed by a collision at turn three, one that saw Ruben Xaus and Ryuichi Kiyonari come together, the latter falling off his bike and into retirement.

With Spies and Biaggi allowing Rea to make a quick break at the front, the Northern Irishman held onto the top spot for three laps before Haga made his move down to the first turn. Seemingly keen to protect his tyres and attempt a late race attack, Rea found himself dropping down the order quickly, losing out to Regis Laconi, Neukirchner, Yukio Kagayama Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio at just beyond the midway stage.

His tactic worked for most part when Laconi and Haslam paid the price for an inspired start to the race, one that had them up to second and fourth briefly. However, they couldn't sustain their pace to the finish, pair getting overtaken by a recovering Rea.

Further up the road, Kagayama joined Neukirchner in proving Suzuki's race pace is substantially better than their qualifying results, battling his way up to third position and breaking away from the battle for fourth. Although he didn't have the pace to keep up with the leaders, third place does still mark Kagayama's first podium in two years.

Fourth fell to Fabrizio, the Italian fighting back from one of his trademark tardy starts to time his late race assault to perfection and move away from Rea, Haslam and Laconi in the latter stages.

It meant Rea had to be content with fifth on his full-time WSBK debut, while Haslam held off Laconi for sixth to score good points for the rookie Stiggy Honda team.

Given the hype surrounding Aprilia following qualifying, BMW will be delighted to have beaten their fellow debutants after Troy Corser finished a fine eighth, the Australian making the most of an aggressive start to the race from 17th on the grid. Furthermore, Corser made a bit of history by scoring the fastest lap of the race for the brand new team.

Front row sitter Jakub Smrz clung onto a top ten finish in ninth, ahead of Sykes, who staged an impressive recovery to tenth position after his earlier delays dropped him to as low as 18th.

Biaggi held onto 11th in what was a tougher race than expected for Aprilia, his team-mate Shinya Nakano going on to grab a point for 15th.

Between them, Carlos Checa showed signs of his shoulder injury as he fell outside the top ten as the race progressed, the Spaniard finishing 12th, just ahead of Roberto Rolfo and Tommy Hill, the British rider doing an excellent job to score points on his first WSBK outing.

Elsewhere, Shane Byrne's miserable weekend continued when he crashed out on lap seven, while Spies' recovery was only good enough for 16th.

Source

Ben Spies has taken victory in the second World Superbike race of the season at Phillip Island after resisting the attentions of a charging Noriyuki Haga.

Going a long way to making up for his disastrous opening race, victory from pole position seals an otherwise magnificent maiden weekend in World Superbikes for the three-time AMA champion.

Spies' win was notable for the way in which he soaked up pressure from Haga throughout the race, the two possible title rivals indulging in some close, but clean, racing as they swapped the lead on several occasions over the course of the race.

The initiative initially seemed to be with Haga after the Japanese rider repeated his outstanding start from 13th on the grid to end the first lap in fifth place, before disposing of three more rivals for second by lap four.

From here, Haga immediately set his sights on Spies, who had led the way from turn two after being out-dragged by Max Biaggi down to the first corner.

Haga didn't take long to resume his place at the head of the field, passing Spies on the run down to turn one at the start of lap five. However, despite his rapid ascension up the order, neither Spies nor Biaggi were allowing him to get away. Indeed, the Italian rider was putting in a fine showing on the new Aprilia RSV-4, going with the leaders as they made a break away from those directly behind.

With the Ducati and Yamaha bikes seemingly favouring different parts of the circuit, the gap between Haga and Spies swung continuously before Spies finally grabbed back the lead on lap 11. Even so, it was only good enough for two laps when a slight error at MG allowed Haga back through.

Haga even managed to break away from Spies briefly, but seemed to be feeling the affects of tyre wear in the final laps, thus allowing his rival back into contention. It meant Haga barely posed a threat when Spies attempted a move at the start of lap 18.

Having nursed his tyres better, Spies gradually broke the tow of Haga to come home in front by a comfortable margin in the end, much to the delight of his Yamaha team and his family.

Despite missing out on a double victory, a win and a second place marks a fine start to the year for Haga, not least when his lowly starting positions are taken into consideration. The results also see him lead the championship by a fair margin heading to the second round in Qatar.

Behind the leaders, the battle for third place proved to be equally engrossing as Biaggi began to fade into the clutches of Michel Fabrizio, Leon Haslam and Regis Laconi.

Fabrizio, Haslam and Laconi had all been satisfied to sit on the fringes of the fight at the front until the final few laps when Fabrizio made his move on Biaggi. Quickly taking advantage, Haslam launched his assault on the Italian too, the pair swapping positions twice before the British rider moved up into fourth.

Haslam wasn't done though, instantly latching onto the back of Fabrizio, who, like Haga, also seemed to be having tyre wear issues, as they entered the final lap. Initially overtaking at turn one, Fabrizio regained the place at turn two before Haslam finally completed the move at Honda.

Holding on to the chequered flag, third place and a podium marks a superb return to WSBK competition for Haslam, as well as suggest newcomers Stiggy could be a threat to Ten Kate's superiority over at Honda.

Laconi enjoyed a stealthy run up the order to fourth, the Frenchman posting his best WSBK results in some time on the DFX Ducati after also overtaking Fabrizio on the final lap.

Biaggi, meanwhile, saw his hopes of a good result on the Aprilia come to nothing when he ran off the circuit on the final lap. Having been swamped by Haslam, Fabrizio and Laconi at Honda, Biaggi attempted to regain his position, but instead misjudged his braking point and took a trip across the grass. Snatching the final point in 15th, Biaggi has nonetheless shown just what the RSV-4 could be capable of this season.

Having almost won the first race, Max Neukirchner was a very distant sixth, the German paying the price for his 14th place starting position as he made slow progress up the order. Nonetheless, coupled to his earlier second place, Neurkirchner has done enough to take an early second position in the overall standings.

Jakub Smrz completed his second top ten result of day in seventh, ahead of Yukio Kagayama, while front row sitter Jonathan Rea was a disappointing ninth after gradually dropping down the order. A tough race all round for Ten Kate, Rea's team-mates Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari didn't fare any better down in 13th and 23rd.

Tom Sykes was once again forced to make up ground following a poor start, but did enough to sneak into the top ten, ahead of Ruben Xaus, the Spaniard putting in his most convincing performance on the BMW for five useful points.

Shinya Nakano ran as high as sixth early on before sliding down to 12th, ahead of Checa, the impressive Tommy Hill and the recovering Biaggi.

Shane Byrne, meanwhile, comes away from Australia empty-handed after crashing for the second time today.

Source


Race 1 results


1. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R 34mins 22.631s
2. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +0.032s
3. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +5.347s
4. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R +6.587s
5. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +8.491s
6. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +8.523s
7. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +8.766s
8. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +11.589s
9. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +11.721s
10. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha Italia YZF R1 +11.761s
11. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +12.609s
12. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +19.096s
13. Roberto Rolfo ITA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +24.149s
14. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR +27.416s
15. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +28.173s

16. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Italia YZF R1 +28.235s
17. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +37.348s
18. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +37.401s
19. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +42.614s
20. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1mi 03.794s
21. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +2 laps

Not Classified

22. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 14 laps completed
23. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 8 laps completed
24. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 8 laps completed
25. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 7 laps completed
26. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 4 laps completed
27. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 0 laps completed

28. Ayrton Badovini ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R Did Not Start



Race 2 results


1. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Italia YZF R1 34mins 20.457s
2. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R +1.286s
3. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +4.213s
4. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +4.490s
5. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R +6.045s
6. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +9.947s
7. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +10.174s
8. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +12.100s
9. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +12.742s
10. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha Italia YZF R1 +20.061s
11. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +24.854s
12. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +25.192s
13. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +27.162s
14. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR +29.737s
15. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +30.036s
16. Roberto Rolfo ITA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +38.458s
17. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +44.453s
18. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R +45.486s
19. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +46.198s
20. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +57.921s
21. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 +57.989s
22. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +1min 0.093s
23. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +1min 7.820s
24. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 21.224s
25. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 21.276s

Not Classified

Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R + 11 laps
Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR + 15 laps

Ayrton Badovini ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R Did Not Start

 

[DrM]

Testing at Jerez

McLaren is using 2009 spec rear wing with old, covered difussor. They will probably use new one on their final test (15th to 18th March in Jerez), or maybe next week in Barcelona.

EDIT: interesting info from Mclaren homepage

Pedro joined the test team today to evaluate compounds and casings for Bridgestone’s 2010-spec rubber. Next year’s tyres will be different as they will no longer be pre-heated in blankets and must also sustain cars running with heavier fuel-loads due to the ban on refuelling. While the team conducted some work using blankets, the prime runs were done without pre-heating, providing Bridgestone with useful data for next season. Despite the day’s session being punctuated by several red flags, the team completed 94 laps before an oil pressure sensor brought Pedro to a premature halt out on the circuit with just 10 minutes of the session remaining. Pedro said: “Running without tyre blankets makes it harder to get heat into the tyre – but that’s the objective for next year and that’s why Bridgestone will supply the teams with different compounds. We managed a lot of laps today and the work with the tyres was very positive.”