Posted on 08/05/2009 7:57:45 PM PDT by Chode
This will be a general purpose thread for F1 news and pings that really don't require a thread of their own.
What’s happening with that energy storage device they were using?
go figure
Kimi was one second off per kiliometer of the top runners at the WRC rally in Finland. Pretty incredible considering it is his first rally also in the Fiat Punto which is not nearly as good as Loeb’s Pug/Cit.
I sure wish Kimi was in a Brawn (or Newey) car because Ferrari slipped when Brawn left - same thing after he left Bennton.
“Senate reaches deal to save ‘clunkers’ program” http://www.breitbart.com/article.phpid=D99T33IG2&show_article=1
As I understand it, this is not even coming out of the stimulus package it is new spending.
thanks
Cry me a river Ferrari.
Is F1 heading back to North America?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/f1mole/2009/08/is-f1-heading-back-to-north-am.html
Formula 1 looks to be heading back to North America, possibly as soon as next season, after commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the Canadian Grand Prix could be reinstated in 2010.
The teams have called for a return to North America as quickly as possible, even if that means staging a non-profitable race to ensure that F1 cements a place in the competitive landscape of sport across the pond.
Ultimately, they want a race in Canada and one on both the East and West coasts of the United States
I’d be shocked if there was no F1 race in America in 2010, especially with the addition of USF1...the question is whwew will the race be???
Indy is a great atmosphere but horrible F1 track....
Laguna Seca or GO HOME, F1.
I think it might be too small/short of a track. Even for MotoGP, they never really get up to speed anyplace.
We really have no good racetracks in this country for F1 as they stand now. Lots of great road courses, esp for sports car (ALMS/Rolex), and of course all the banked ovals for stock cars.
With massive improvements, I could see someplace like Sears Point or Watkins Glen hosting a race. Road America might be great, but I don’t know that their facilities can handle that kind of race in terms of lodging (for example).
F1 said there was nothing wrong with the track itself in 89 when they chose the Phoenix street circuit for the USGP because they believed that an F1 crowd would be too large for Laguna Seca and that it was ‘too remote’.
As wikipedia says about the Phoenix choice:
“The United States Grand Prix lasted in Phoenix for three years, but was ultimately dropped due to poor fan turnout.”
“The death blow for the organizers came when word arose that a local ostrich festival had drawn more people than the Grand Prix.”
So, basically, the only objections that F1 had turned out to not be real - first, LS has proven that it can take the crowds that F1 will attract (in fact, LS handles larger crowds on the Monterey Historic weekend) and it’s not at all ‘remote’.
As for the track itself - F1 still races at Monaco, and the Monaco street circuit is 3.34 km/2.075 miles long. Laguna Seca is *2.238* miles (3.602 km) long - so if it’s ‘too short’, so is Monaco. And nobody is complaining about Monaco being too short.
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