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[Shinobi]

I've been meaning to make this thread for some time, but it's either kept slipping my mind or I was just too goddamn lazy to bother. Anyway, I figure we can use this thread to discuss any and all auto racing subjects for 2007. I reckon F1 will get the lions share of the discussion, but posts about any other form of motorstport will be more than welcome.

Tomorrow sees the Daytona 500 taking place (starts just after 3pm EST), and for the first time I've actually got a driver to really root for. Juan Pablo Montoya has done pretty well in his post-F1 life, scoring a win at the Rolex Daytona 24 hours and leading the second Daytona bud shootout race Thursday for 18 laps before succumbing to mechanical woes...a problem that also took him out of the Busch race Saturday after just 25 laps. He starts 36th on the grid. The other big story is Toyota's debut as NASCAR's first foreign mark. There's also been some scandal with five teams getting officials suspended and points docked for rule infractions.

 

[Tarazet]

Toyota is just now entering? There've been rumors for years.

This is the first I've heard of Montoya taking on NASCAR. Why would someone like him do that?

 

[Vicious]

Toyota has been in the nascar craftsman truck series for a while, but I'm glad they're finally in the main series. I'll also be cheering for Montoya since it will hopefully lead to more diversity in nascar overall.

Another thing to watch for in nascar this year is the new car they're debuting next month, "the car of tomorrow". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_of_tomorrow
It'll be interesting to see how the sport adjusts to it.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

This thread will end up with me and a handful of F1 fans getting into constant argument with Nascar fans. :lol

 

[Vicious]

I'm not even sure how many nascar fans are on this board. Can't be that many. I've been a fan for over 20 years, but I like all kinds of racing. Just something I grew up with.

 

[h1nch]

I heard that NASCAR suits Montoya's aggressive driving style better than F1, but I don't follow F1 (or NASCAR all that much for that matter) so I can't say for sure. He's definitely good for the sport though.

 

[Arcticfox]

I guess there are not many rally fans on this board as the first three events of the 2007 WRC season are already over. So far it looks like Ford are the fastest on loose surfaces and Citroen are the fastest on tarmac, though Subaru will have a new car for the next event so hopefully they can start fighting for wins again.

As for the Daytona 500, I am very interested to see how Toyota does. I don't think their Cup program is anywhere near as good as their Truck program at the moment so I doubt they will be contending for the win, but I think they will be able to hold their own.

I hope Montoya doesn't have any more mechanical difficulties. Based on how well he drove in the few Busch events he raced in last year, I think he will have a chance to win several races this season as long as the car stays in one piece. If he was racing for a better team he could have even had a chance at the championship.

I'll be rooting for Carl Edwards, Boris Said, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya.

 

[McFly]

This season I'll root for:

Moto GP: Valentino Rossi (as always)
250ccm: Thomas Lüthi (from my country)
Champ Car: Neil Jani (from my country, too)
WRC: Marcus Grönholm (but I like Loeb as well)
WTCC: Alex Zanardi

F1? I could'nt care less.

Fredi

 

[Shinobi]

This thread will end up with me and a handful of F1 fans getting into constant argument with Nascar fans. :lol

:lol I hope it doesn't get too serious, but I don't think a little light-hearted trash talking would hurt anyone. I'm sure Montoya's constant downplaying of all things F1 will provide plenty of talking points throughout the year. :lol

I used to make WRC threads on this forum, but since it hasn't been on US TV in the last year and a bit I didn't see the point. I still download the races though...or hit up streaming TV (the best invention ever). WRC has ****ed themselves though...seems the coverage has become lax across the board due to their own ridiculous rates. Chances are they're also to blame for Sony no longer making WRC games. Dummies.

 

[Blablurn]

As a German i used to be quite interested into Formula One. But since Schumi left the sport i don't give a **** anymore xD. Although i'm going to watch the upcoming season it never won't be like it was before.

Schumi, we'll miss you ._.

 

[Vicious]

Well Montoya isn't doing that great in the Daytona 500 at the moment. Had fallen all the way back to 42nd and was a full second off the pace. Hopefully they can get that car running better.

 

[Shinobi]

Big crash with frontrunners Kurt Bush and Tony Stewart...opens the race up a bit.

 

[Boogie]

Big crash with frontrunners Kurt Bush and Tony Stewart...opens the race up a bit.

Five minutes before the crash, I say to my dad "Well, it looks like we know who the two most likely to win the race are"

I jinxed them. :-/

 

[medrew]

WRC died a little for me when Peugeot pulled out and put their team to work on Le Mans. I've yet to see the C4 in action, however, so maybe that will rope me back in. Or Suzuki's introduction next year. Simply put: I need more than two backed manufacturers teams to be present.

207, Peugeot, come on. Do it.

 

[Shinobi]

Apparantely Suzuki's WRC car is at the Toronto Auto Show. I'm planning to go on Saturday, so I'll take some shots if I see it along with the new Lancer Evo concept (sadly the '08 Impreza won't make it's debut over here until April at the New York show).

But yeah, WRC competition is defintely leaner in terms of car makes, where for a brief period it looked like there was gonna be as many as ten top manufacturers competing. WRC has really ****ed things up.

Five minutes before the crash, I say to my dad "Well, it looks like we know who the two most likely to win the race are"

I jinxed them. :-/

Worse then that...you Kobex'd them.

 

[Shinobi]

:lol Craziest Daytona finish in years...the Jack Daniels car slide over the line on it's roof. :lol Mark Martin once again gets pipped at the finish. Kevin Harvick spoiled the party by the narrowest of margins.

 

[Guileless]

Great finish. Feel bad for Martin, but it would have been weird to see him win in a Chevy.

It boggles my mind that WRC would charge so much that Speed won't even buy a 30 minute highlight show. All I want is 30 damn minutes! They should pay Speed to run it and write it off as p.r. to build up the sport here.

For anyone interested in why Montoya went to NASCAR, there's a good profile of him in this week's SI. Basically he was bored and had probably peaked in F1 and wanted to try something new.

 

[royale]

Holy crap, Schumacher to NASCAR?!

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/070218100454.shtml

As if F1 wasn't dead enough.

 

[Tarazet]

Holy crap, Schumacher to NASCAR?!

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/070218100454.shtml

As if F1 wasn't dead enough.

I didn't even realize he retired. Did he go out in style, like Lance Armstrong? Or was he weak at the end, like Eddy Merckx?

 

[Gek54]

Woot! for Mikko for his win and Henning for his podium in Norway!

 

[Shinobi]

Michael isn't going to NASCAR...he's just been given an open tryout to test a car. The only other driving I could see Michael doing is at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and even then it'd have to be in a Ferrari.

I didn't even realize he retired. Did he go out in style, like Lance Armstrong? Or was he weak at the end, like Eddy Merckx?

He went out in fine style. Alonso had amassed a huge lead in the first half of last season, but Schumacher reeled off a bunch of wins to close the points gap to (I think) as little as 4 with a few races to go. Alonso eventually won the title (and Renault the constructors title), but Schumacher pushed Alonso and that car every step of the way. The final race in Brazil last year was incredible...Michael started sixth on the grid, then suffered car damage and limped all the way around to the pits. He was almost a minute behind his teamate and eventual race winner Massa, yet wound up taking his car and made it all the way up to fourth, including a ridiculous pass on the man who replaced him at Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen. The first link shows just over ten minutes from the race, and the second link shows the five lap duel between Michael and Kimi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ofdXDykqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyfRPqPEqA

 

[hadareud]

Rumours suggest that Ross Brawn is going to replace Ron Dennis at Mclaren from next season. I highly doubt it, but Dennis is going to be 60 this year so he may be looking at retiring at some point. Personally I actually liked him, so it would be a bit of a shame to see him gone from F1. Also, Brawn is such a boring fart.

On the upside it seems that my boi Wurz or more specifically his Williams is doing quite well in testing. Maybe they can challenge for points or even podiums this season. I'd be very happy if the old nerdboy makes a good impact at his comeback.

 

[travisbickle]

As a German i used to be quite interested into Formula One. But since Schumi left the sport i don't give a **** anymore xD. Although i'm going to watch the upcoming season it never won't be like it was before.

And people tell me Germans aren't funny.

F1 will hopefully be interesting this season, I haven't really looked at the changes made to teams, I'm not that obssessed just pick up a paper the week before check out what's been going on, as longs as there are no farce races due to tyres this season I'll be happy.


Also NASCAR SUCKS!!

 

[hadareud]

I think (or rather hope) that this season will be wide open between Ferrari, Mclaren and Renault. Schumacher gone could be a very positive thing for Formula 1. It is for me anyway because I hate the guy.

Latest testing times btw:

Barcelona 14.2.
1. Coulthard R·B·R 1:21,855
2. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:21,958
3. Massa Ferrari 1:21,964
4. Alonso McLaren 1:22,103
5. Rosberg Williams 1:22,280
6. Hamilton McLaren 1:22,292
7. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:22,369
8. Montagny Toyota 1:22,446
9. Fisichella Renault 1:22,758
10. Kovalainen Renault 1:22,783
11. Webber R·B·R 1:22,834
12. Button Honda 1:23,061
13. Barrichello Honda 1:23,257
14. Wurz Williams 1:23,275
15. Vettel BMW Sauber 1:23,569
16. Schumacher Toyota 1:23,789
17. Albers Spyker 1:23,947
18. Sato Super Aguri 1:24,568
19. Liuzzi Toro Rosso 1:26,822

Valencia, 20.2
1. Wurz Williams 1.11,614
2. Rosberg Williams 1.11,893
3. Albers Spyker 1.13,504
4. Sutil Spyker 1.13,678
5. Fauzy Spyker 1.14,499

 

[op_ivy]

hey shinobi (or anyone for that matter) where is a good place to download wrc races or even highlights?

 

[Tarazet]

He went out in fine style. Alonso had amassed a huge lead in the first half of last season, but Schumacher reeled off a bunch of wins to close the points gap to (I think) as little as 4 with a few races to go. Alonso eventually won the title (and Renault the constructors title), but Schumacher pushed Alonso and that car every step of the way. The final race in Brazil last year was incredible...Michael started sixth on the grid, then suffered car damage and limped all the way around to the pits. He was almost a minute behind his teamate and eventual race winner Massa, yet wound up taking his car and made it all the way up to fourth, including a ridiculous pass on the man who replaced him at Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen. The first link shows just over ten minutes from the race, and the second link shows the five lap duel between Michael and Kimi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ofdXDykqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyfRPqPEqA

Holy hell. That was unbelievable.. and it was his last F1 race??

 

[Gek54]

WRC Mexico 2007 is going on right now. Solberg and Atkinson are kicking some ass in their brand new 07 WRX's woot! Travis Pastrami is also down there competing. Is he the first American in a WRC event???

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Motogp Fans, don't forget the season opener this Sunday wit hthe 250cc class at 5pm EST on Speed and premier class at 6pm.

 

[tracky_dacks]

Woohoo go Casey Stoner -- first win in MotoGP! First ever winner of an 800cc race.

Now that he's on board a factory team, mark my words, he'll win a title in the next 2-3 years -- hell, maybe even this year, he's off to the best possible start!

 

[Arcticfox]

The first F1 race of the season is this weekend. You can watch the live timing of the first practice session right now at Formula1.com.

 

[Shinobi]

:lol Thanks for the bump up. Speed Channel shows live practice coverage from 11pm EST to 12:30am EST. I'll post the rest of the TV sched later.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Thanks for the bump^2. You told me you were gonna make this thread, Shinobi, but I totally missed it the first time. I was looking for it too. I think I was on vacation at the time, though.

My boy Alonso will bring newfound reliability to the Silver Arrows. Everyone's gonna be like, "How did McLaren finish 16 of 17 races?" or something like that. The Ferrari is gonna suddenly become a one-lap wonder, grenading every other race. Shinobi will drown in a seas of scarlet tears, and I'll be laughing my ass off. :lol

IT'S F1, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! Love it or hate it, there's nothing else like it. I've been watching some NASCAR b/c of Montoya (though Jeff Gordon is still my boy), but F1 is what I've waited all winter for. I've been really lazy about following winter tests and new car unveilings, but my DVR is set and I'm looking forward to another exciting season. Last year was the best season I'd seen since the 97-00 run. Some likes 2003, but the cocked-up rules changes really sullied that one for me. If this season is anywhere near as good as last season, then we're in for another treat.

My prediction?

WDC - 1. Alonso 2. Kimi 3. Massa
WCC - 1. Ferrari 2. McLaren 3. Renault
Wins - Alonso
Poles - Kimi
Fastest Laps - Kimi
Honorable Mention - Heikki Kovalainen finishes a strong 4th in the WDC.
Suprise Performers - BMW steals a win or two (under Vettel, not Heidfeld)
Disappointment - Honda is nowhere in the final classifications

Roll on Melbourne. The pinnacle of motorsports is back. PEACE.

 

[Wes]

Reading the news story about the friday first practice session

There were plenty of minor incidents; Rubens Barrichello, Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen, Button and Alonso all had minor off-track adventures, and one of the BMWs decimated a pigeon that unwisely stayed on the line a moment too long.

Need .gif of this stat!

 

[Pimpwerx]

Holy hell. That was unbelievable.. and it was his last F1 race??

Indeed. He had endured alot of "he's lost it and past his sell by date" shit over the previous two seasons. IMO, it was just the universe balancing itself, b/c he had an extremely long run of good fortune prior to that. Last season he started off poorly, and made some real bonehead moves. But he caught fire midseason and Alonso also fell on hard times. He's always been able to manhandle the car at will, but that performance at Interlagos was one of his best, and just the best punctuation he could put on his career short of taking the win and the WDC. He took it down to the wire fighting tooth and nail against the future stars of the sport.

The beauty of it is that people are going to remember the way he ended his career and it will help diminish some of the controversial moments in his career. Not like the sourpuss Brits will ever let go of Adelaide 94, but they can sit and spin. I am such a Schuey whore. WTF am I going to do when the lights go out Sunday and I finally realize my boy isn't going to chop the guy next to him and shove it hard into Turn1 anymore? PEACE

 

[slidewinder]

Woohoo go Casey Stoner -- first win in MotoGP! First ever winner of an 800cc race.

The way his bike was pulling away on the front straight there was just nuts. Great riding on his part, too.

Less than an hour to F1 practice session 2. Sebring this weekend, as well.

 

[tracky_dacks]

Today's Practice Session:

1. Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1min 27.353sec
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:27.750
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.829
4. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:27.941
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW 1:27.970
6. Alexander Wurz (Aut) Williams-Toyota 1:27.981
7. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.040
8. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 1:28.055
9. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW 1:28.281
10. David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault 1:28.495
11. Anthony Davidson (GB) Super Aguri-Honda 1:28.727
12. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:28.921
13. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:29.009
14. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:29.066
15. Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Honda 1:29.542
16. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:29.574
17. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 1:29.801
18. Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Renault 1:30.097
19. Scott Speed (US) STR-Ferrari 1:30.383
20. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Spyker-Ferrari 1:31.108
21. Christijan Albers (Ned) Spyker-Ferrari 1:31.175
22. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) STR-Ferrari 1:31.693


Many had tipped Massa to be the man to beat this weekend, and after today's practice session, I'm going to have to agree. My boy and Massa's teammate, Kimi looked good, but the surprise packet of the day was definately Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren. Jenson who? BMW could be a team to watch out for on race day.

Unfortunately for my other boy Webber, he had problems with his Red Bull car and thus was down the order, and he's already gone on record earlier saying that the team doesn't have the speed to pose much a threat to the leaders this weekend. Coulthard did just crack the Top 10, so here's hoping he could match his speed and hopefully score some points.


PS: I met Alan Jones last night hanging about in St. Kilda (in Melbourne)! Nice bloke.

 

[fart]

gogo suparuguri #1!!!!!!

 

[hadareud]

I'm getting quite excited about tonight's qualifying. It really seems like Ferrari will call the shots early season, I hope Raikkonen will finally live up to his promise and at least beat Massa (I can't stand the guy). McLaren look strong too, should be a very interesting start to the season.

Finally, my boi Wurz did well, too early to tell if the car is really quick enough though. Tonight could be a different story entirely.

All in all, the time gaps are to close to really say anything anyway, everything could change tonight.

 

[skybaby]

So, Super Aguri, who only introduced their cars 2 days ago, and their drivers only tried then yesterday, ended up ahead of Honda? What a joke :lol
BTW

 

[Tim the Wiz]

Predictions (Melbourne):

1. Massa
2. Hamilton
3. Alonso
4. Kimi

It'll be interesting to see how this first GP rolls, and sets the tone for the season. [At this stage] I think Alonso should be favourite to take it out, Massa the main rival, Hamilton the dark horse, and perhaps Kimi the disappointment; however, I'm probably totally incorrect on all fronts. I just want to see some racing come Sunday.

 

[Shinobi]

My boy Alonso will bring newfound reliability to the Silver Arrows. Everyone's gonna be like, "How did McLaren finish 16 of 17 races?" or something like that. The Ferrari is gonna suddenly become a one-lap wonder, grenading every other race. Shinobi will drown in a seas of scarlet tears, and I'll be laughing my ass off. :lol

:lol Let the shit talking begin. It's kinda funny how we traded colours eh? Even though Kimi will forever be my boy, I'm gonna be rooting hard for Lewis Hamilton...and so far he looks like the real deal. Can't wait to see him in race action.

BTW

:lol

 

[Wes]

WTF?! They want to put stability control in F1 cars?!

DO NOT WANT.jpg

 

[hadareud]

they're talking about removing all driving aids to introduce stability control?

Sounds like Formula 1, expect it in a race or two.

 

[skybaby]

:lol Let the shit talking begin. It's kinda funny how we traded colours eh? Even though Kimi will forever be my boy, I'm gonna be rooting hard for Lewis Hamilton...and so far he looks like the real deal. Can't wait to see him in race action.

I call for crash or mechanical

 

[Wes]

I call for crash or mechanical

I really hope not. I'm thinking of placing an outside bet on Hamilton getting a podium! I'm going to be rooting for him this year, in place of Button. I just like his attitude and his backstory, and it's always more fun to root for a rookie!

The fact that when he was about 9 he just strolled up to Ron Dennis and said I'm going to be racing for you one day, been on the McLaren books ever since, and is now racing for them...why, that's like a film script right there

 

[DarkJediKnight]

I think Hamilton will start strong but fade as the race goes on.

Massa for pole and win. Alonso second and Kimi 3rd.

 

[Shinobi]

I think Hamilton will start strong but fade as the race goes on.

Massa for pole and win. Alonso second and Kimi 3rd.

That'd be my guess.

Speed Channel is going to be a lot of fun for the next 30 hours or so...in addition to F1 qualifying and race coverage, they'll also be showing the American Le Mans season opener, the 12 hours of Sebring. The physical nature of the course makes it by far the toughest sports car endurance race in the world...yep, even tougher than Le Mans.

(all times EST)

Tonight

11:30 pm Formula One Qualifying Australia (SDD)



Saturday

9:30 am American Le Mans Series 12 Hours of Sebring (LIVE)

10:30 pm Formula One Australian Grand Prix (LIVE)

Speed Channel will cut away from the Sebring race from 11:30am for coverage of NASCAR qualifying at Atlanta (the fastest oval in the series...also the oval found in Sega's F355!), then resume coverage at 2:30pm, staying all the way through till the end.

Oh BTW, late congrats to Montoya for his first Busch win in Mexico a couple weeks ago. Hopefully he can replicate the feat in the Nextel Cup before too long.

 

[Animal]

Kimi is about to lay it down like its nobody's business...then hes gonna go get shit-faced.:lol
I think he drives better on a hangover.

 

[Shinobi]

I forgot to mention that Speed Channel's qualifying coverage is going to be a half hour behind. If you live in Canada it'll be live (in like, five minutes).

 

[Shinobi]

Er...when I say live in Canada, I mean it's on TSN.

Beautiful looking weather in Melbourne...I just love this course, it's one of my favourites to blast through in GP Challenge or GP3.