This is a test chat. We are testing the system for the 2010 season. Posters will be moderated. That means that I must "push the permission button." If the pace is fast and furious, I may not be able to keep up. Plus, there are a limited number (20) of those who will be enabled and will not be moderated.
Please be patient, we are all in a learnig phase.
I chose the hour to try to balance the difference between the time zones. I am in the US -6 GMT. Sportsman is + 2 GMT. Paul and KM-TV are +- 0 GMT.
During the season the chats will start 30 minutes before the race, actual time.
Thanks guys.
February 07, 2010
USF1 to Use Concorde Agreement to Miss 3 Races? By Flood1
Rumors have been swirling around the USF1 team since they signed the Concorde agreement in August of 2009. They have been nonstop and have focused on every possible scenario: from sponsors, to drivers, to partners, to every conceivable angle. Much of this stems from a basic skepticism amongst F1 fans about anything new or different, as well as an unhealthy skepticism about the involvement of an American team. The history of American teams and drivers in F1 has been spotty, at best, with only Phil Hill and Mario Andretti reaching championship status.
One of rumors that has been mentioned is that the Team would miss the first three races of the season. Peter Windsor has categorically denied this possibility, but it has become clear today that they are allowed to do so as a provision of the recently signed Concorde agreement. The news came directly from F1 supremo Bernie Eccelstone in an interview with Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid in the Sunday Express.
Bernie said that any team on the grid could choose to miss any three races and that he thought Campos and USF1 would take advantage of that provision. My first impression is that this is a very strange component to include in the Concorde agreement. Did Bernie allow this with particular concern toward the new teams, or did he think that the provision may introduce a new element in the cost savings derby?
Even though he has an obligation to the promoters of F1 events, he is only required to present 16 cars, as far as I know. But, if you bought a ticket to Montreal and found that several teams decided to stay home, get some rest, and save some money, would you be happy with your ticket purchase? I would be furious!
Regarding USF1, I have become increasingly concerned with their inapparent progress, and this uncertainty has been exacerbated by Windsor's admission that there were sponsor problems and cash flow issues. They have done a pretty good job of building a team from nothing, but the drop-dead deadline is approaching.
With the number of hurdles ahead of them getting closer and closer together, they may have to play the wildcard. If so, I wish Windsor would just play it straight and announce their decision in a press conference with the world motorsports media. He should include their production and testing schedule, their sponsors, their complete driver lineup, and be done with it.
If this comes to pass, it will raise many questions about the team's long-term viability, and it will also raise many questions about Bernie's business plan via-a-vis his relationship with F1 promoters.
February 06, 2010
February 05, 2010
Michael Schumacher's Moto Injuries
This story is pretty old, it dates back to August, 2009, but I had never heard these details. Schu crashed during testing in Cartegena, Spain in february 2009 while preparing for Superbike competition on a Honda 1000 CBR-Fireblade. The crash was at approximately 140 mph.
"I was driving down start-finish and when breaking into the first corner I hit some bumps which made me fall," Schumacher said on his website. "The checks in the hospital showed nothing and I am fine, therefore I went back home at the evening."
However, his Doctor, Johannes Peil said a few months later in August, "He had a serious injury to the seventh vertebra of the neck, a fracture of the first left rib and a fracture at the base of the skull, roughly the size of a thumbnail but in a place supporting the whole weight of the skull. There was also a hairline fracture on the left side of the skull." He also said that one of the two main arteries to Schumacher's brain was also damaged.
"I am fine," Schu said after his release from hospital on the fateful day. Really? No.
I now understand much better why the summer 2009 replacement drive for Massa was not possible. I suspect that he has now recovered fully and will not be threatened by further complications. And, I think that he is much safer in the cockpit of an F1 car than he is on a bike.
Adrian Valles - USF1 Rumors? From the Original Source
http://www.marca.com/2010/02/03/motor/formula1/1265186365.html
Spanish
Adrían Vallés será el cuarto piloto español en la Fórmula 1. Según publica este miércoles el diario MARCA, el alicantino correrá para el equipo estadounidense con base española US F1. Vallés, que fue probador de Spyker en 2007, cerrará el acuerdo en las próximas horas. De esta forma, el español acompañará en la parrilla a Fernando Alonso, Pedro de la Rosa y Jaime Alguersuari.
Las negociaciones están muy avanzadas y sólo falta ultimar los detalles de un contrato que apunta a un año de duración. De esta forma, se puede decir que España ya tiene cuatro pilotos en la parrilla, con lo que se convierte en la segunda potencia en la Fórmula 1 tras Alemania, con seis representantes. Brasil, también con cuatro, iguala a la española.
Vallés, con sólo 23 años, ha sido en 2009 el brillante vencedor de la SuperLeague Fórmula con el monoplaza del Liverpool, un triunfo que ha provocado que la escudería dirigida por Peter Windsor se fije en sus cualidades.
English
Adrian Vallés will be the fourth Spanish driver in Formula 1, according to a report published Wednesday in sports daily Marca, the Alicante will race for the U.S. team who has bases in the US and Spain. Valles, who was a Spyker test driver in 2007, will close the deal in the coming hours. Thus, the Spanish join Fernando Alonso, Pedro de la Rosa and Jaime Alguersuari on the F1 grid.
Negotiations are well advanced and they just need to finalize the details of a one year contract. Thus, one can say that
Vallés, 23, was the brilliant winner of the 2009 Superleague Formula car with
.
February 04, 2010
Windsor Speaks About The Team
Peter Windsor has recently spoken about the team's preparations and he addresses some rumors, particularly regarding the scuttlebut about sponsors. The most damaging rumor was that the team had not received their engines because of money problems. He did not refer to the engines in his comments, but he did say there were cash flow problems due a sponsor not paying up. Here are his comments:
"We're still in exactly the same mode - flat out," he explained. "Bahrain is the goal - and we are not thinking of anything else. It is just amazing to see the hours and time that everyone is putting in. We had a slight bump in the road with a sponsor who was late on payment, but that is typical of what can happen to any new team. We've moved on from that and found a replacement."
"The car is quite late because we put a massive amount of development time into it," he explained. "We are taking our time and as a team we are confident we are on the right track. As soon as we are through the crash tests, we will be doing a shakedown and going to Bahrain. We will be in Bahrain. We may not be pretty, but we will be there. And from there we will grow. This is all about belief, passion and people being committed to a very good cause."
He also denied rumors that US F1 had asked for special dispensation to miss the first three races.
I find it interesting that they aparently lost a sponsor but managed to replace that sponsor with another.
February 03, 2010
Electronic Marshalling System - by Flood1
The electronic marshalling system has been used since the first night race at Singapore in 2008. But few of us have seen pics of the hardware involved. The system, controlled by the lead flag marshal at each turn, does not replace the flags, but augments them. The local lights are controlled by the station marshals, not the FIA race command. This is how it should be.
The award winning system (Professional MotorSport World Expo Awards), designed and built by EM Motorsports, improves flagging by providing on-track lights that display the same info as the flag marshals. The advantage is that the lights are positioned in such a way that a driver cannot claim ignorance of the track status due to "problems" seeing the manual flags.
The manual flags are still displayed, just as they always have, but the lights provide another source of flagging information. The Marshal's hand-held display also shows the flagging status at the turns before and after the flag Marshal's station. Other course-wide info, controlled by central command, is displayed on the Marshal's controller as well. This includes data such as safety car deployment, full course yellows, and red flag conditions.
The console also includes radio communications with central race command.
Some Marshals that I know do not like the system as it represents the trend toward electronic control of marshalling duties. I understand their concerns. But as long as the responsibility of pushing the buttons and initiating a flagged response is left in the control of a lead station Marshal, I am okay with the technology.
What do you think?
February 01, 2010
Renault Rear Wing - The "W" Wing Rumored in Feb 2008?
Way back at this time in 2008 during initial testing there was a rumor that Renault were developing a "W" wing. When looked at from either end the wing would be in the shape of a "W". Nothing was ever seen of or heard of regarding that rumor, but today's testing pics brought me back to that 2 year old concept.
Take a look at the two pics below. One is from today at Valencia, and the other pic is one we ran on the old forum 2 years ago. I thought the comparison may prove that this year's rear wing design was a conceptual fact two years ago, and is now a component in the initial testing of the 2010 Renault F1 car.
The new one is upside down compared to the 2008 concept, and of course the current design is not nearly as radical as the one suggested two years ago, but the 2008 concept is present on the current wing.
The original 2 year old discussion can be found at http://wheelnuts.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=854
Maybe we can find other examples of the proposed 2008 rear wing or the 2010 rear wing elsewhere on the net. If so, send me an email at usf1formula1@live.com and I will post them. Or, join the USF1forum and we can communicate via PM. Remember, validation will take a while, so please be patient.
Thanks everyone!
January 31, 2010
Multi-Car Comparison - Update!!
The McLaren is apparently the longest car, the bmw Sauber/Ferrari is very close, the Ferrari is next in the "stretch" car sweepstakes, and the Renault is pretty short. I wonder if this Renault is the car we will see in Bahrain or just a "dressed up" 2009. I do not honestly know, but the entire car launch process has been fascinating, and will continue to be so as testing starts tomorrow.
Thes pics were shared by
marq4porsche @
http://my.speedtv.com/go/thread/view/55846/22328033/2010_Car_Comparison?pg=2
and many were originally published by www.Gurneyflap.com
Note: Composite Pic By Large Eddie http://www.twitpic.com/11k3jc/full
Sauber 2010 - Another Stretch Ride
The new Sauber follows the trend we saw with the Ferrari and the McLaren. Only the Renault doesn't seem to have grown a great bit. Perhaps they had a huge tank in last year's car. Alonso started the Bahrain reace with more than 105kg of fuel on board, one of the heaviest fuel loads all season.
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