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Official Motorsports Thread of 2012 (F1, MotoGP, WRC, Le Mans, Nascar, IRL, etc)

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mclaren777

mclaren777

Member
Given that it's now 2012, I felt it was time for a new motorsports thread.

ipSRmAcbcsmLM.jpg
 
mclaren777

mclaren777

Member
As the condor flies, almost 5,000 kilometres separate Mar del Plata from Lima. In 2012, the Dakar will be staging a pan-American adventure of more than 9,000 kilometres in total. Unlike previous year's loops, the route will transport the rally from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to those of the Pacific, enabling its competitors to discover new lands and another aspect of South America. The scale of this challenge has also led to a change in the race's format, which will include 14 days of racing in 2012. Constantly guided by the Andes Mountain range, the drivers and riders will be crossing the Atacama, and will experience in particular the diversity of the dunes as they head into Peru.

Total number of vehicles entered: 465
Cars: 171
Motorcycles: 185
Quad bikes: 33
Trucks: 76

ip7Aaxyklk1Qa.jpg
 
L

Leunam

Member
Is there some kind of DVD or Blu-Ray for the rally released every year? I can't watch the highlights when they come on so something like that would be fantastic.
 
C

Cousteau

Member
http://espn.go.com/racing/story/_/i...rtinez-boero-dies-following-dakar-rally-crash

SANTA ROSA, Argentina -- The death of Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero on Sunday on the first day of the Dakar Rally focused attention on the hazards of one of motor sports' most dangerous events.

Organizers said the 38-year-old died from head and chest injuries during a crash on the first stage.


Details surrounding Martinez Boero's death were not clear, but reports said he may have fallen after running off the course and striking an open sewer line.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Cousteau said:
http://espn.go.com/racing/story/_/i...rtinez-boero-dies-following-dakar-rally-crash

SANTA ROSA, Argentina -- The death of Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero on Sunday on the first day of the Dakar Rally focused attention on the hazards of one of motor sports' most dangerous events.

Organizers said the 38-year-old died from head and chest injuries during a crash on the first stage.


Details surrounding Martinez Boero's death were not clear, but reports said he may have fallen after running off the course and striking an open sewer line.
Click to expand...
RIP Jorge.

It's always tragic when someone from the motorsports community loses their life.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
ANDY_098 said:
Get Honda, BMW, Nissan, and Corvette to step up to LMP1 and it would be near perfect IMO.
Click to expand...
Ferrari need to return to the big stage in endurance racing, it's been too long since the Ferrari 312PB. The third most successful manufacturer in Le Mans history should be competing at the highest level.
 
A

ANDY_098

Member
Edmond Dantès;33910983 said:
Ferrari need to return to the big stage in endurance racing, it's been too long since the Ferrari 312PB. The third most successful manufacturer in Le Mans history should be competing at the highest level.
Click to expand...

I thought about listing them but I really don't see it happening, besides they are having enough trouble with F1 at the moment.

A British team needs to make the step up to LMP1 as well, Aston had a crack at it last year but failed spectacularly.
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
ANDY_098 said:
I thought about listing them but I really don't see it happening, besides they are having enough trouble with F1 at the moment.

A British team needs to make the step up to LMP1 as well, Aston had a crack at it last year but failed spectacularly.
Click to expand...
There was speculation about Jaguar (still regard them as British regardless of Tata's ownership) recently, but they ruled themselves out for the foreseeable future.
 
C

ClassyPenguin

Banned
Cousteau said:
http://espn.go.com/racing/story/_/i...rtinez-boero-dies-following-dakar-rally-crash

SANTA ROSA, Argentina -- The death of Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero on Sunday on the first day of the Dakar Rally focused attention on the hazards of one of motor sports' most dangerous events.

Organizers said the 38-year-old died from head and chest injuries during a crash on the first stage.


Details surrounding Martinez Boero's death were not clear, but reports said he may have fallen after running off the course and striking an open sewer line.
Click to expand...
oh crap.
pun not intended.
RIP.

I want to do the Dakar, it's in my bucket-list
of things that I probably won't get to do.
 
A

ANDY_098

Member
doitlive said:
oh crap.
pun not intended.
RIP.

I want to do the Dakar, it's in my bucket-list
of things that I probably won't get to do.
Click to expand...

Charley Boorman did a decent series which follows him on the 2006 Dakar. It's called Race to Dakar, I recommend watching it if you haven't already. It gives a really good insight from a racers perspective.
 
T

TylerD

Member
It is a shame that there isn't any more dirt/gravel on the Pikes Peak hill climb course but the interest from so many more drivers has the committee contemplating expanding the race to 2 days in the coming years and they will probably hold qualifying this year to narrow the field.

Monster Tajima's 2011 record is going to be topped for sure. I'm glad I could make it to the race while there still was some gravel last year.

http://www.gazette.com/sports/peak-130491-pikes-day.html

Happy New Year to Motorsport GAF and welcome to the 2012 thread.
 
A

ANDY_098

Member
7 of the 30 quads (including the favourites) in the Dakar were dq'd after scrutineering for having too many modifications making them prototypes. They are currently racing on appeal.
 
A

ashk

Member
ANDY_098 said:
I thought about listing them but I really don't see it happening, besides they are having enough trouble with F1 at the moment.

A British team needs to make the step up to LMP1 as well, Aston had a crack at it last year but failed spectacularly.
Click to expand...

You might as well cross BMW off that list as well. As much as I would like for them to tackle Le Mans in LMP1 machinery, they seem to have forsaken all of the numerous categories they have competed in for the sake of their DTM return. In the past few years they have pulled out of F1, WTCC, ILMC (WEC from next year) is dropped from next season, Formula BMW support has dropped, and also their support of the Mini WRC effort is pretty low. It's a shame really because I'm a big fan of theirs.
 
C

ClassyPenguin

Banned
ANDY_098 said:
Charley Boorman did a decent series which follows him on the 2006 Dakar. It's called Race to Dakar, I recommend watching it if you haven't already. It gives a really good insight from a racers perspective.
Click to expand...
I have and it's very good. I know those series get a lot of criticism from the ADVrider forum but Charley did ride with a broken hand for miles, so he gets a pass from me.
 
C

Chris R

Member
For anyone in the USA who wants to view some Dakar coverage Versus/NBC Sports has a half hour show every night it seems. On right now (for me at least)
 
S

Shaneus

Member
Almost always seems like there's a death every year in the Paris-Dakar... but as a non-follower of it, I guess that's all I'd hear. As tragic as it is for anyone to die during the rally, I hope that no-one I'm a fan of gets killed, particularly ex-WRC drivers like Sainz.

Are there other competitors from other "mainstream" sports who traditionally enter or is it mostly just WRC drivers?
 
D

dalin80

Banned
Has there been a GT3 timetable released as of yet? iam eager to see what the new mclarens can do after a couple of development races last year.
 
M

modulaire

Member
Shaneus said:
Almost always seems like there's a death every year in the Paris-Dakar... but as a non-follower of it, I guess that's all I'd hear. As tragic as it is for anyone to die during the rally, I hope that no-one I'm a fan of gets killed, particularly ex-WRC drivers like Sainz.
Click to expand...

Unless you are a motorcyclist you will probably not die. If you look at the fatalities in past years, they are almost all bike riders or bystanders. Cars are relatively safe.
 
A

ashk

Member
dalin80 said:
Has there been a GT3 timetable released as of yet? iam eager to see what the new mclarens can do after a couple of development races last year.
Click to expand...

The McLaren will be competing in GT1 this season as well, as the GT1 championship will be held under GT3 regulations (as strange as it sounds) because of a lack of interest in running actual GT1 machinery. A tentative schedule has already been released for both, you can find it here.
 
D

Dilly

Banned
Is there already more information about that Championship where LeMans 24h now is a part of? Looks interesting.
 
D

Dead Man

Member
Edmond Dantès;33928097 said:
As the WRC wanes and teeters on the edge of oblivion; Le Mans goes from strength to strength.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Why can't there be a strong rally series, strong prototype series, strong formula series, and a strong sportscar series, all at the same time?
 
M

modulaire

Member
The future of the Le Mans Series looks very bright with these great new teams..

I'm sure Bernie Ecclestone hates this strong competition. :))
 
E

Edmond Dantès

Dantès the White
Dead Man said:
Indeed. Why can't there be a strong rally series, strong prototype series, strong formula series, and a strong sportscar series, all at the same time?
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It was like that once, with Group B, Group C, F1 and DTM all pulling in the crowds and doing well on TV as well. But then the FIA started to exert more of their influence on proceedings and now we're left in our current state.
 
D

dalin80

Banned
Dilly said:
It really is sad to see how Rally is doing these days.
Click to expand...

Got to feel a bit sorry for loeb as well, guy is putting all the hard work in to win championships and no-one gives a toss as he is the only guy in it.

I cant see how WRC will ever to return to the point where that mcrae et all were household names.
 
D

Dead Man

Member
Edmond Dantès;33928180 said:
It was like that once, with Group B, Group C, F1 and DTM all pulling in the crowds and doing well on TV as well. But then the FIA started to exert more of their influence on proceedings and now we're left in our current state.
Click to expand...

Yep.
 
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