Motorsport

I'd thought I'd make a massive improvement over the last 'Mark Webber' thread and include discussion of interesting motor sports as well.

Plenty of aussies doing big things around the world at the moment...

Casey Stoner has all but wrapped up the MotoGP title. Vermulum and West are doing alright. Ticket sales for Phillip Island are through the roof.

Chris Atkinson had an excellent fourth in Rally New Zealand last weekend. Subaru have extended his contract until 2009 as he has clearly outperformed his team mate Petter Solberg on most surfaces. Chris has been winning plenty of stages and his first WRC win should be right around the corner.

Marcus Ambrose is 7th in the standings in the NASCAR Busch series and 2nd Rookie. He got woefully robbed of his first race win at the Montreal F1 track where he dominated the race and was turned around on a restart 2 laps from the finish by a car that had been black flagged.

Will Power became the first ever aussie to win an Indy Car event this season, winning in Les Vegas and Toronto in the Champ Car World Series. It wasn't shown on TV because channel 7 have the rights through their Gold Cost Indy deal. Its a pity Champ Car doesn't get the coverage it deserves as they're turbo-charged open wheelers and the push-to-pass button does create some great racing.

anyone see who won the f1 last night ?

Rally FTW!!!!

I'll be going to Rally Australia when it makes the move to Qld. Anyone else on here thinking of going?

Casey Stoner has all but wrapped up the MotoGP title. Vermulum and West are doing alright. Ticket sales for Phillip Island are through the roof.

West's acheivements have been overshadowed considerably by his fellow Aussies this year. It's easy to overlook the fact that in less than half a season, he has accumulated 17 less points than his teammate, Randy De Puniet who has raced virtually all the season so far. Kawasaki seem to agree, considering they've signed him for next year to partner John Hopkins. Big things for a team which should be more competitive next year, on a bike which has showed glimpses of untapped development potential, especially in comparison to the other Japanese teams.

Vermeluen was always gonna be good if given a good (ie: factory) ride in MotoGP imo. Having a good knowledge of how to ride big 4-strokes fast, racing alongside guys like Stauffer and West in Australia (Dirt-Track back in the day) and riding on Bridgestones (which are by a long shot best tyres this year) has seen him climb up the ranks, which he deserved to do so last year. (The bike didn't do him justice last year imo)'

Stoner? Nothing more to be said really. Except bout time somebody proved that it's not just Rossi in recent times who deserves to be champion. (Imo, Hayden isn't really champ material, he basically rode around last year and didn't beat many of his main rivals head to head)

anyone see who won the f1 last night ?

McLaren one two. Pretty boring race. But it is F1...

West's acheivements have been overshadowed considerably by his fellow Aussies this year. It's easy to overlook the fact that in less than half a season, he has accumulated 17 less points than his teammate, Randy De Puniet who has raced virtually all the season so far. Kawasaki seem to agree, considering they've signed him for next year to partner John Hopkins. Big things for a team which should be more competitive next year, on a bike which has showed glimpses of untapped development potential, especially in comparison to the other Japanese teams.

Vermeluen was always gonna be good if given a good (ie: factory) ride in MotoGP imo. Having a good knowledge of how to ride big 4-strokes fast, racing alongside guys like Stauffer and West in Australia (Dirt-Track back in the day) and riding on Bridgestones (which are by a long shot best tyres this year) has seen him climb up the ranks, which he deserved to do so last year. (The bike didn't do him justice last year imo)'

Stoner? Nothing more to be said really. Except bout time somebody proved that it's not just Rossi in recent times who deserves to be champion. (Imo, Hayden isn't really champ material, he basically rode around last year and didn't beat many of his main rivals head to head)

McLaren one two. Pretty boring race. But it is F1...

ITALIAN GP RESULT 
 
Italian Grand Prix result, Monza, 53 laps


1.  ALONSO        Mclaren      1h18m37.806s

2.  HAMILTON      McLaren      +6.0s

3.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari      +27.3s

4.  HEIDFELD      BMW          +56.5s

5.  KUBICA        BMW          +1m00.5s

6.  ROSBERG       Williams     +1m05.8s

7.  KOVALAINEN    Renault      +1m06.7s

8.  BUTTON        Honda        +1m12.1s

9.  WEBBER        Red Bull     +1m15.9s

10. BARRICHELLO   Honda        +1m16.9s

11. TRULLI        Toyota       +1m17.7s

12. FISICHELLA    Renault      +1 lap
13. WURZ          Williams     +1 lap
14. DAVIDSON      Super Aguri  +1 lap

15. R SCHUMACHER  Toyota       +1 lap
16. SATO          Super Aguri  +1 lap
17. LIUZZI        Toro Rosso   +1 lap

18. VETTEL        Toro Rosso   +1 lap

19. SUTIL         Spyker       +1 lap

20. YAMAMOTO      Spyker       +1 lap

R.  MASSA         Ferrari      +43 laps

R.  COULTHARD     Red Bull     +52 laps
 

does tis mean alonso is leading the championship again ? or is hamilton still just infront ?
love the rivalry at mclaren atm... takes me back to the senna & prost days..

DRIVERS  CONSTRUCTORS
 Name  Team  Points
Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 92
Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 89
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 74
Felipe Massa Ferrari 69
Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber  52
Robert Kubica BMW Sauber  33
Heikki Kovalainen Renault 21
Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 17
Alexander Wurz Williams 13
Nico Rosberg Williams 12
David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 8
Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 8
Jarno Trulli Toyota 7
Ralf Schumacher Toyota 5
Takuma Sato Super Aguri F1 4
Jenson Button Honda Racing 2
Sebastian Vettel BMW Sauber & Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
   

Team  Points
McLaren-Mercedes 166
Ferrari 143
BMW Sauber  86
Renault 38
Williams 25
Red Bull Racing 16
Toyota 12
Super Aguri F1 4
Honda Racing 2
 
http://www.itv-f1.com/Championship.aspx

McLaren loses all constructors' points
Thursday, 13, September, 2007, 18:38 
 
 
The FIA World Motor Sport Council has disqualified McLaren from the 2007 constructors' championship and imposed the largest fine in motorsport history – but Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso can continue to vie for the drivers' crown.


After nine hours of deliberations at the hearing in Paris, the 26-member World Council panel decided to punish the Woking-based team for breaking the sporting regulations through possessing confidential Ferrari data.


But while the decision to exclude McLaren from the constructors' contest hands that title to Ferrari, McLaren's drivers have escaped a penalty.


Hamilton and Alonso's battle for the world championship will therefore continue unaffected in the remaining four rounds.


The fine of $100m (£49.2 million) will be offset against the television income the team would have earned had it been eligible for constructors' points, but is nevertheless unprecedented in its scale.


“The WMSC has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructor points in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season," the FIA said in a statement.


“Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to $100m, less the FOM income lost as a result of the points deduction.


“However, due to the exceptional circumstances in which the FIA gave the team’s drivers an immunity in return for providing evidence, there is no penalty in regard to drivers’ points."


McLaren will also have to present its 2008 car for examination by the FIA before the start of next season.


“The WMSC will receive a full technical report on the 2008 McLaren car and will take a decision at its December 2007 meeting as to what sanction, if any, will be imposed on the team for the 2008 season,” read the statement.


The FIA added that no McLaren representatives will be allowed on the podium should one of its drivers win any of the season's remaining races.


And it said the full reasons for the verdict will be issued tomorrow (Friday).

 http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=40651

haha no shit! dumbasses!

Not good news for Ron Dennis and the boys, I suspect things will change as I'm sure there will be court cases, appeals etc... Although as mentioned it dosnt make any difference to the drivers championship, which is good news. Ferrari have the FIA (Governing Body) in their pockets and wernt gonna drop it until they got the result they were looking for. It all seems like a load of crap anyway because the McLarens appear to have a better package (at most tracks) than the fezza... Good to see Webber finish a few races, he clearly has the pace over Coultard, seems that the rate of development of the car has slowed to try and get some reliablility into it, and their pace has suffered relative to the other cars

Motogp has been great this year, not just cos Stoner is winning, its just great to see somebody beating Rossi... Clearly the Duke is the weapon of choice this year, but as mentioned, its great to see the Kawasaki on the improve, and I agree West has done well on it. I think its about time the poor bugger got a break, he's been racing in lower categories for sometime over in Europe and def done the hard yards.


Great to see a motorsport thread, I'm a club level racer and into most forms of motorsport!

I'm a club level racer and into most forms of motorsport!

What ya racing ?

I'm running an LH Toran Sedan in a class called Improved Production, we do 4 races a year (this year) at Mallala, but I'm heading off to Phillip Island in November for a big meeting out there. Should be wicked, my car will love it out there, plenty of HP and a tall diff, should crack 260kph down the front straight 

Here's a pic of the old girl


image not archived: ToranaLHNo_11MallalaAug200787web.jpg

How ya going stoping the thing @ mallala 

I killed a set of bendix ultimates in a 1000Kg VL in about 30 laps   

How ya going stoping the thing @ mallala 

I killed a set of bendix ultimates in a 1000Kg VL in about 30 laps   

Yeah its a struggle, esp as alot of the guys I race against have smaller lighter cars.. I've got a decent brake setup on it, proper AP 4 spot calipers, with floating hubs etc, and a similar 4 sp setup on the rear. The key is decent pads, i use a ferodo race spec (about $320 as set) and high end brake fluid. Brake ducting off the front spoiler helps as well. The problem is the faster you go, the hotter everything gets.. I'm only 2tenths away from 1:19's around there now so its gets harder to keep the pace up for 10 laps.

So whats the deal with your car?

What ya racing ?

Yeah its a struggle, esp as alot of the guys I race against have smaller lighter cars.. I've got a decent brake setup on it, proper AP 4 spot calipers, with floating hubs etc, and a similar 4 sp setup on the rear. The key is decent pads, i use a ferodo race spec (about $320 as set) and high end brake fluid. Brake ducting off the front spoiler helps as well. The problem is the faster you go, the hotter everything gets.. I'm only 2tenths away from 1:19's around there now so its gets harder to keep the pace up for 10 laps.

So whats the deal with your car?

R.I.P XBRED     few years back it got set on fire in the drive way lost about 10K & quit cars for good



Ill get another real car one day but ill only club race it ill never do another street car i hate to say it but the pigs have won

Bummer man that sucks, I agree, I've given up with the road cars, cant afford to lose my license (again) plus as soon as you do anything to your car, the cops are all over it.

The ol commo is not a bad car for a bit of club level action, not that heavy (for a full sized car) and they handle well too, just remember that once you get started, its so addictive and can get a bit expensivo. But you forget about the money when your sitting in it on the start line and there are cars all around you and your about to blast off into turn one! 

Ive been thinkin for a while of getting a old sigma or something and putting some springs in it for hill climbs thats a pretty cheap form of the sport.

Not keen on drag racing ( not that you can atm )

Motocana (sp?) is interesting and cheap might give that ago one day

Motocana (sp?) is interesting and cheap might give that ago one day

Motorkhana

was going to turn my mark one cortina into a racer but decided to sell it to a mate so he could finish his project...will get another one one day....love em.

How ya going stoping the thing @ mallala  :E

I killed a set of bendix ultimates in a 1000Kg VL in about 30 laps   :lol:

its great to see the Kawasaki on the improve, and I agree West has done well on it. I think its about time the poor bugger got a break, he's been racing in lower categories for sometime over in Europe and def done the hard yards.

Agreed. Also, when he did a brief stint in 500's (remember those bikes!) he was consistently the top performing V-Twin rider. (Not that it mattered, cos the disparity between V4 and V-Twin was sooo big)

Yeah its a struggle, esp as alot of the guys I race against have smaller lighter cars.. I've got a decent brake setup on it, proper AP 4 spot calipers, with floating hubs etc, and a similar 4 sp setup on the rear. The key is decent pads, i use a ferodo race spec (about $320 as set) and high end brake fluid. Brake ducting off the front spoiler helps as well. The problem is the faster you go, the hotter everything gets.. I'm only 2tenths away from 1:19's around there now so its gets harder to keep the pace up for 10 laps.

So whats the deal with your car?

R.I.P XBRED   :fire:  few years back it got set on fire in the drive way lost about 10K & quit cars for good

(http://a922.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/61/l_0733e556c2f5f185a04b83da73c85639.jpg)

Ill get another real car one day but ill only club race it ill never do another street car i hate to say it but the pigs have won

Motorkhana

Hillclimbs are definately the cheaper option, the only one I know of in Adelaide is at Collingrove and is organised by the Sporting Car Club (there is an event there tomorrow). The requirements are fairly basic, as long as the car is sound and you have a fire extinguisher and a helmet. Just had a look around for info on Motorkhana's and found this website - http://www.motorkhana-sa.com/Calendar/calendar.htm might be of interest.

I race against a guy with a MK1 Cortina, it has a mazda BP 1800 turbo engine in it, very fast.. Once he gets it a bit more stable at speed, he do some decent times in it.

Agreed. Also, when he did a brief stint in 500's (remember those bikes!) he was consistently the top performing V-Twin rider. (Not that it mattered, cos the disparity between V4 and V-Twin was sooo big)

I was going to hillclimb my beetle a while ago (just had to get the twin webbers tuned a bit better) but then some cunt smashed into me.

Im just looking at the website now http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au

Would like to give it a shot ever $$$$$ ever permit

BREAKING: Colin McRae dies with son in helicopter crash
Posted Sep 15th 2007 5:11PM by Damon Lavrinc
Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

The Times is reporting that former World Rally Champion Colin McRae has died after the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the ground near his home in Strathclyde. Also on board was his five year-old son, an unnamed adult male and child. According to reports, there were no survivors.

People close to McRae assert that he was as adept at piloting a helicopter as he was behind the wheel.

More is available from the Times Online here. We'll update this post as more information is available.

Thanks to all who tipped in.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/15/breaking-colin-mcrae-dies-with-son-in-helicopter-crash/

Webber celebrates landmark 100th Grand Prix with points
17 September 2007 | 4:41am



For immediate release                                                         September 16, 2007

WEBBER CELEBRATES LANDMARK 100th GRAND PRIX WITH POINTS

Mark Webber celebrated his 100th Grand Prix start with a points-scoring finish in today’s 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix at the spectacular Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Webber was able to convert his seventh place grid position into two vital world championship points by maintaining seventh position throughout the race. This brings the Australian’s points tally into double figures with 10 points and means he is now 11th in the Drivers Championship with three races remaining in Japan, China and Brazil. Webber was also the highest-placed Renault driver today.

While last week’s off-track politics may have captured the world’s headlines for all the wrong reasons, the focus rightly switched to the return of Formula One to the magnificent Spa circuit after a year’s absence, and bathed in glorious autumn sunshine for the entire three days, the Ardennes track didn’t disappoint. Although the race was far from a classic, it did nevertheless provide a glimpse into the sport’s past with some rare and daring overtakingmanoeuvres, including one by Webber on Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen in the early stages of the race, which set the Red Bull Racing driver on the road for his eventual seventh place finish.

The start produced the usual scrabble as the field jockeyed for position into the La Source hairpin. Webber, who started from the inside, moved to the middle in the track but in the process lost a position to Kovalainen. However,  he regained it after BMW’s Nick Heidfeld was shuffled back down the order from fifth. A lap later and Webber pulled off a stunning move on the heavier-fuelled Kovalainen on the run up to Les Combes to move into sixth position.

Webber moved to within two seconds of Williams-Toyota driver Nico Rosberg while behind Kovalainen was coming under increasing pressure from the recovering Heidfeld. The gap between Rosberg and Webber hovered between the 2-3 second mark during the first stint before the pair pitted together on lap 14. Once the first round of pit stops had been completed, Webber re-emerged in eighth behind Kovalainen who was on a one-stop strategy. However, Webber regained seventh place on lap 22 when the Renault driver made his stop.

With Rosberg managing to pull away from Webber during the second stint, attention switched to the battle some 16s behind Webber, between his RBR team-mate David Coulthard (another to opt for one-stop strategy) and Robert Kubica who was on a charge after an engine change penalty had left him 14th on the grid. Although clearly quicker, Kubica was unable to find a way past Coulthard and this ultimately helped Webber’s cause as the Pole lost valuable time and was forced to spend the remainder of his race chasing Kovalainen for the final point.

Webber went a lap longer than Rosberg before making his second pit stop on lap 31 but the gap between the two remained there or thereabouts, leaving Webber in an unchallenged seventh place at the chequered flag while Kovalainen who closed to within 8-seconds of Webber, just held off Kubica for eighth position.

Said Webber afterwards, “As usual the first corner was pretty hectic and I had a good battle with Heidfeld and Kovalainen, with Heikki getting both of us. I knew that he was on a different strategy to us and that his car was a lot heavier than ours at that stage of the race. Therefore, it was important to pass him as soon as possible as every lap spent behind him was hurting me. I managed to pass him on lap three and after the first 10 laps, it looked pretty clear that it was going to be a fight between Heikki, Nico and myself for the last points; wth Nico and I two-stopping and Heikki one-stopping.

“Unfortunately I didn’t quite have the pace to match the Williams of Nico to try and jump them in the stops, so it was a case of ensuring we had Heikki covered which we confirmed on lap 31 after we made our last stop. It’s a fantastically well-deserved two points for the whole team as points are extremely difficult to come by and our strategy, pit stops and car reliability were all there today to get the job done.”


http://www.markwebber.com/news/details.cfm?objectID=2012

BELGIAN GP RESULT 
 

Belgian Grand Prix result, Spa, 44 laps


1.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari      1hr20:39.066s

2.  MASSA         Ferrari      +4.6s

3.  ALONSO        McLaren      +14.3s

4.  HAMILTON      McLaren      +23.6s

5.  HEIDFELD      BMW          +51.8s

6.  ROSBERG       Williams     +76.8s

7.  WEBBER        Red Bull     +80.6s

8.  KOVALAINEN    Renault      +85.1s

9.  KUBICA        BMW          +85.6s

10. SCHUMACHER    Toyota       +88.5s

11. TRULLI        Toyota       +1 lap

12. LIUZZI        Toro Rosso   +1 lap
13. BARRICHELLO   Honda        +1 lap
14. SUTIL         Spyker       +1 lap

15. SATO          Super Aguri  +1 lap
16. DAVIDSON      Super Aguri  +1 lap
17. YAMAMOTO      Spyker       +1 lap

R.  BUTTON        Honda        +8 laps

R.  WURZ          Williams     +10 laps

R.  COULTHARD     Red Bull     +15 laps

R.  VETTEL        Toro Rosso   +36 laps

R.  FISICHELLA    Renault      +43 laps

 
http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=40711

Name  Team  Points
Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 97
Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 95
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 84
Felipe Massa Ferrari 77
Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber  56
Robert Kubica BMW Sauber  33
Heikki Kovalainen Renault 22
Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 17
Nico Rosberg Williams 15
Alexander Wurz Williams 13
Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 10
David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 8
Jarno Trulli Toyota 7
Ralf Schumacher Toyota 5
Takuma Sato Super Aguri F1 4
Jenson Button Honda Racing 2
Sebastian Vettel BMW Sauber & Scuderia Toro Rosso 1

http://www.itv-f1.com/Championship.aspx

Not the most exciting race to watch, but was good to see Webber have a good run, make a nice pass and get some points. I'd forgotton what an awesome track Spa is, unreal.. must be a wicked track to race on  I can imagine my Torrie would be an oversteering bitch through eau rouge but fuck it would be fun!

I was going to hillclimb my beetle a while ago (just had to get the twin webbers tuned a bit better) but then some cunt smashed into me.

Yeah its a shame there are so many cunts on the road these days.... Volksies are wicked hillclimb machines too, you'll have to get another one and give it a go!

Volksies are wicked hillclimb machines too, you'll have to get another one and give it a go!

Yes yes, very fast (without having to spend too much), very light, and lots of weight on the back wheels.

Im sure I'll build another one one of these days.

Yes yes, very fast (without having to spend too much), very light, and lots of weight on the back wheels. :)

Im sure I'll build another one one of these days.

Stoner just won the MotoGP World Championship for 2007

He's the 2nd ever youngest title winner too and 1st Ducati premier class title win for 30 years.

What a gun!

Stoner just won the MotoGP World Championship for 2007

He's the 2nd ever youngest title winner too and 1st Ducati premier class title win for 30 years.

What a gun!

Was a cracker day for Ducati all round, a podium finish and a championship.. not bad

Was a cracker day for Ducati all round, a podium finish and a championship.. not bad

Was a cracker day for Ducati all round, a podium finish and a championship.. not bad

probably not the way he wanted to win it but he was a very happy man during that interview definetly deserves it hes done the hard work

probably not the way he wanted to win it but he was a very happy man during that interview definetly deserves it hes done the hard work

Was a cracker day for Ducati all round, a podium finish and a championship.. not bad

On Honda's home turf to boot!

PI will be fooly sik mate!

Did anyone notice Casey Stoner's girlfriend in the pits. 

Poor guy must be 24/7 in the saddle.

On Honda's home turf to boot!

PI will be fooly sik mate!

Did anyone notice Casey Stoner's girlfriend in the pits.  :drool:

Poor guy must be 24/7 in the saddle.

Did anyone notice Casey Stoner's girlfriend in the pits. 

Poor guy must be 24/7 in the saddle.

that's his wife tony.

:edit: doogie has already said that.

I am heading to the Philip Island Moto GP in a couple of weeks.   Never been before. 
Should be fucking rad with the Aussies eating it up at the moment.   

@ DaTBird187  Thats his wife!

that's his wife tony. :)

:edit: doogie has already said that.

that's his wife tony.

:edit: doogie has already said that.

Yeah I investigated further and found that out. Sorry I am not up to speed on Moto GP rider relations.

He met her when she was 14 then waited till she was 16 to start a relationship then married her at 18. Stoner you diabolical, I raise my glass to you.

Yeah I investigated further and found that out. Sorry I am not up to speed on Moto GP rider relations. :E

He met her when she was 14 then waited till she was 16 to start a relationship then married her at 18. Stoner you diabolical, I raise my glass to you.

I am heading to the Philip Island Moto GP in a couple of weeks.   Never been before. 
Should be fucking rad with the Aussies eating it up at the moment.   

@ DaTBird187  Thats his wife!

I went in 98, back in the 2 stroke and Micky D days, it's a fantastic weekend, you'll love it!
I wish I was going this year, the atmosphere will be electric. The 800's can rev too.

If you're riding down there, stay away from the GOR, it's a fucking nightmare.

Oh and Cowes is always interesting on the Saturday night.

I went in 98, back in the 2 stroke and Micky D days, it's a fantastic weekend, you'll love it!
I wish I was going this year, the atmosphere will be electric. The 800's can rev too.

If you're riding down there, stay away from the GOR, it's a fucking nightmare.

Oh and Cowes is always interesting on the Saturday night.

I was out at Phillip Island for a historic meeting in march this year, was my first visit and was blown away by the layout, the facilities and even just the setting overlooking the ocean. Those blokes must have VERY large kahoona's to ride those bikes on the limit around there...  I can imagine the sound of Stoner's Duke flat out heading into turn one would be something to behold!

Just counting down the days now till I get to have a run out there in my car

OK now gAyFL is over we can focus on Bathurst and F1 ....Ten airing F1 2pm sunday 

JAPANESE GP GRID 
 


1.  HAMILTON        McLaren

2.  ALONSO          McLaren

3.  RAIKKONEN       Ferrari

4.  MASSA           Ferrari

5.  HEIDFELD        BMW

6.  BUTTON          Honda

7.  WEBBER          Red Bull

8.  VETTEL          Toro Rosso

9.  KUBICA          BMW

10. FISICHELLA      Renault

11. KOVALAINEN      Renault
12. COULTHARD       Red Bull
13. TRULLI          Toyota
14. LIUZZI          Toro Rosso
15. SCHUMACHER      Toyota
16. ROSBERG         Williams*
17. BARRICHELLO     Honda
18. WURZ            Williams
19. DAVIDSON        Super Aguri
20. SUTIL           Spyker
21. SATO            Super Aguri
22. YAMAMOTO        Spyker

 

WEBBER GUTTED AFTER VITTEL ENDS THE AUSSIE'S SUPERB PERFORMANCE
30 September 2007 | 8:06pm


Mark Webber's heroic efforts in today's rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji ended in bitter, bitter disappointment on lap 46 out of 67 when the Red Bull Racing driver was wiped out of second place by Torro Rosso's rookie driver, Sebastian Vettel, while the race was under the control of the Safety Car.  Up until that point, Webber had done a brilliant job, overcoming a nasty dose of sickness, thought to be either food poisoning or a bug, which had almost forced him to retire from the race in the early stages. Nevertheless, he recovered sufficiently to be able to continue and managed the tricky track conditions superbly to work his way up into second place behind McLaren driver and world championship leader, Lewis Hamilton.

After torrential rain all morning which continued as the race approached, race organisersannounced that the Grand Prix would commence under the Safety Car.  Webber, who had qualified seventh, slotted into fifth place when the Ferrari pairing of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen pitted for tyresearly under the Safety Car behind Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Nick Heidfeld and Jenson Button.  However, a collision between Button and Heidfeld seconds into the race proper on lap 19, forced Webber to stop in avoidance and this allowed Vettel through into third spot behind the two McLaren drivers.  Webber was lapping quicker than Vettel as track conditions improved marginally and by the time Alonso and Hamilton had made their one and only pit stop of the race, Webber was up into second place, less than three seconds behind Vettel. The young Torro Rosso driver pitted on lap 31 and Webber upped his pace as he took over the lead of the race, some 25 seconds ahead of second placed Heikki Kovalainen.

Webber pitted on lap 36 and such was his earlier pace he re-emerged in fifth place having jumped Vettel in the stops and was almost five seconds down the road from the German.  Once Kovalainen, Giancarlo Fisichella and Webber's team-mate, David Coulthard had all pitted, Hamilton led from Webber and Vettel. However, there was to be yet another twist in the race when Alonso crashed heavily on lap 43, necessitating another Safety Car period. As is the norm, the cars held station behind the official pace car but inexplicably Vettel careered into the back of Webber, putting the Australian out of the race on the spot.

"That was a completely disastrous finish," said a crest-fallen and angry Webber afterwards, "We were in very, very good shape to challenge Lewis for first today. We were strong and I didn't make any mistakes despite the tricky conditions; cars were aquaplaning and the visibility was very poor.  Fernando's crash caused the second Safety Car stint which bunched everyone back up again. That wasn't great; I would have liked to have continued to race to the end.  Vettel was a bit wild behind me during the first safety car period and then did a very good job of hitting me very hard under the second safety car. I think today he will have learnt a very valuable lesson but it came at my expense. Today could have been so good for both of us and our teams.  With David also getting points, Red Bull could have come away from today's race in fourth place in the championship..."

The F1 circus moves onto Shanghai, China next weekend for the penultimate round of the championship.

- ends -

http://www.markwebber.com/news/details.cfm?objectID=2019

REVISED JAPANESE GP RESULT 
 

Japanese Grand Prix, Fuji Speedway - 67 laps

1.  HAMILTON     McLaren       2h00m34.579s
2.  KOVALAINEN   Renault       +8.4s
3.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       +9.5s
4.  COULTHARD    Red Bull      +20.3s
5.  FISICHELLA   Renault       +38.9s
6.  MASSA        Ferrari       +49.0s
7.  KUBICA       BMW           +49.3s
8.  SUTIL        Spyker        +1m00.1s*
9.  LIUZZI       Toro Rosso    +1m20.6s*
10. BARRICHELLO  Honda         +1m28.3s
11. BUTTON       Honda         +1 lap
12. YAMAMOTO     Spyker        +1 lap
13. TRULLI       Toyota        +1 lap
14. HEIDFELD     BMW           +2 laps
15. SATO         Super Aguri   +2 laps
R.  SCHUMACHER   Toyota        +12 laps
R.  DAVIDSON     Super Aguri   +13 laps
R.  ROSBERG      Williams      +18 laps
R.  VETTEL       Toro Rosso    +21 laps
R.  WEBBER       Red Bull      +22 laps
R.  ALONSO       McLaren       +26 laps
R.  WURZ         Williams      +48 laps

Fastest lap: HAMILTON  1m28.193s (lap 27)

* Liuzzi given 25s penalty, promoting Sutil to 8th

 http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=40864

Well, I cant stand the V8 supercars but I love Bathurst so bring on the race this weekend.

Mind you, it was 10 times the event when they allowed all manufacturers and all kinds of cars in the race. But the outdated Aussie muscle cars dont want to be embarrassed by the Japanese again do they.

Mind you, it was 10 times the event when they allowed all manufacturers and all kinds of cars in the race. But the outdated Aussie muscle cars dont want to be embarrassed by the Japanese again do they.

I do believe it was just GTS 1,2,& 3

I do believe it was just GTS 1,2,& 3

WEBBER GUTTED AFTER VITTEL ENDS THE AUSSIE'S SUPERB PERFORMANCE
30 September 2007 | 8:06pm


Mark Webber's heroic efforts in today's rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji ended in bitter, bitter disappointment on lap 46 out of 67 when the Red Bull Racing driver was wiped out of second place by Torro Rosso's rookie driver, Sebastian Vettel, while the race was under the control of the Safety Car.  Up until that point, Webber had done a brilliant job, overcoming a nasty dose of sickness, thought to be either food poisoning or a bug, which had almost forced him to retire from the race in the early stages. Nevertheless, he recovered sufficiently to be able to continue and managed the tricky track conditions superbly to work his way up into second place behind McLaren driver and world championship leader, Lewis Hamilton.

We were watchin it over here and swear the commentator said that he was sick in his helmet.  Now it all makes sense, por dude.

We were watchin it over here and swear the commentator said that he was sick in his helmet.  Now it all makes sense, por dude.

Well, I cant stand the V8 supercars but I love Bathurst so bring on the race this weekend.

Mind you, it was 10 times the event when they allowed all manufacturers and all kinds of cars in the race. But the outdated Aussie muscle cars dont want to be embarrassed by the Japanese again do they.

Big Ups Bathurst for coming through with the goods today.

Big ups chan 10 the F1 has been run & won but we dont get it till 1am!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: How nuts was bathurst this year ( well every year ) but fuck i love that race

Big Ups Bathurst for coming through with the goods today.

bathurst was cool!

btw, Hamilton is under investigation now for possibly causing the Webber crash, by coming to a virtual standstill behind the safety car. google it for details (and the mobile phone camera footage that opened the investigation - Hamilton appears to be a cunt!).

bathurst was cool!

btw, Hamilton is under investigation now for possibly causing the Webber crash, by coming to a virtual standstill behind the safety car. google it for details (and the mobile phone camera footage that opened the investigation - Hamilton appears to be a cunt!).

Nah thats all cleared now because Hamilton is a pom and they need a pommy to win to stop F1 from dieing a slow & painfull death

Why do you think Mclaren didnt lose their drivers points


NO POINTS FOR WEBBER IN SHANGHAI

7 October 2007 | 11:26pm


Hopes of a major points haul in today's Chinese Grand Prix after both Mark Webber and David Coulthard had qualified their Red Bull RB3s inside the top 10, were sorely dashed after rain forced a number of unscheduled pit-stops and caused another topsy-turvy result at the end of the 56 lap race.

Webber, starting from seventh on the grid, held his position after the start, passing Ralf Schumacher but losing a spot to Nick Heidfeld. Webber then had to concede further positions to Robert Kubica in the second of the BMWs and Vitantonio Liuzzi as he struggled with understeer in turn 12.

Webber made a total of three pit-stops as he changed from intermediates to dry weather tyresand back again, to try and keep one step ahead of the game.

The call to bring the Australian in for dry tyreson lap 22 almost worked a treat as he began lapping quicker than anyone else. However, when rain began to fall again a few laps later, he pitted for intermediates. Afterwards he said, "in hindsight I should have stayed out on drys but the weather forecast said heavy rain which came but not for as long as expected and that cost me a good result today. It’s a shame because we could have made a lot of ground on Williams this weekend and in the end, we've only reduced the deficit by one point."

Nevertheless, Webber's short spell on drys did mean that he was able to close the gap to team-mate Coulthard. However despite lapping quicker than the Scotsman in the final stages of the race he was denied the opportunity of being unleashed to catch Nick Heidfeld and Vitantonio Liuzzi who were lapping even slower in their battle for sixth and seventh. With Webber unable to pass Coulthard, this only served to allow Heikki Kovalainen to join in the scrap behind the Scotsman. With Webber being stacked up into Kovalainen, the Finn was able to take advantage and passed Webber with 10 laps remaining. There was no further change in order with Coulthard taking the final point up for grabs in 8th followed by Kovalainen and then Webber.

- ends -
http://www.markwebber.com/news/details.cfm?objectID=2022

Chinese Grand Prix result  - 56 laps

1.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari   
2.  ALONSO        McLaren     +9.8s

3.  MASSA         Ferrari     +12.8s

4.  VETTEL        Toro Rosso  +53.5s

5.  BUTTON        Honda       +1m08.6s

6.  LIUZZI        Toro Rosso  +1m13.6s

7.  HEIDFELD      BMW         +1m14.2s

8.  COULTHARD     Red Bull    +1m20.7s

9.  KOVALAINEN    Renault     +1m21.1s

10. WEBBER        Red Bull    +1m24.6s

11. FISICHELLA    Renault     +1m26.6s

12. WURZ          Williams    +1 lap

13. TRULLI        Toyota      +1 lap

14. SATO          Super Aguri +1 lap

15. BARRICHELLO   Honda       +1 lap

16. ROSBERG       Williams    +2 laps

17. YAMAMOTO      Spyker      +3 laps

R.  KUBICA        BMW         +23 laps

R.  HAMILTON      McLaren     +26 laps

R.  SCHUMACHER    Toyota      +31 laps

R.  SUTIL         Spyker      +32 laps

R.  DAVIDSON      Super Aguri +45 laps

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=40997

Nah thats all cleared now because Hamilton is a pom and they need a pommy to win to stop F1 from dieing a slow & painfull death :lurk:

Why do you think Mclaren didnt lose their drivers points


NO POINTS FOR WEBBER IN SHANGHAI

7 October 2007 | 11:26pm


Hopes of a major points haul in today's Chinese Grand Prix after both Mark Webber and David Coulthard had qualified their Red Bull RB3s inside the top 10, were sorely dashed after rain forced a number of unscheduled pit-stops and caused another topsy-turvy result at the end of the 56 lap race.

Webber, starting from seventh on the grid, held his position after the start, passing Ralf Schumacher but losing a spot to Nick Heidfeld. Webber then had to concede further positions to Robert Kubica in the second of the BMWs and Vitantonio Liuzzi as he struggled with understeer in turn 12.

Webber made a total of three pit-stops as he changed from intermediates to dry weather tyresand back again, to try and keep one step ahead of the game.

The call to bring the Australian in for dry tyreson lap 22 almost worked a treat as he began lapping quicker than anyone else. However, when rain began to fall again a few laps later, he pitted for intermediates. Afterwards he said, "in hindsight I should have stayed out on drys but the weather forecast said heavy rain which came but not for as long as expected and that cost me a good result today. It’s a shame because we could have made a lot of ground on Williams this weekend and in the end, we've only reduced the deficit by one point."

Nevertheless, Webber's short spell on drys did mean that he was able to close the gap to team-mate Coulthard. However despite lapping quicker than the Scotsman in the final stages of the race he was denied the opportunity of being unleashed to catch Nick Heidfeld and Vitantonio Liuzzi who were lapping even slower in their battle for sixth and seventh. With Webber unable to pass Coulthard, this only served to allow Heikki Kovalainen to join in the scrap behind the Scotsman. With Webber being stacked up into Kovalainen, the Finn was able to take advantage and passed Webber with 10 laps remaining. There was no further change in order with Coulthard taking the final point up for grabs in 8th followed by Kovalainen and then Webber.

- ends -
http://www.markwebber.com/news/details.cfm?objectID=2022

Chinese Grand Prix result  - 56 laps

1.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari   
2.  ALONSO        McLaren     +9.8s

3.  MASSA         Ferrari     +12.8s

4.  VETTEL        Toro Rosso  +53.5s

5.  BUTTON        Honda       +1m08.6s

6.  LIUZZI        Toro Rosso  +1m13.6s

7.  HEIDFELD      BMW         +1m14.2s

8.  COULTHARD     Red Bull    +1m20.7s

9.  KOVALAINEN    Renault     +1m21.1s

10. WEBBER        Red Bull    +1m24.6s

11. FISICHELLA    Renault     +1m26.6s

12. WURZ          Williams    +1 lap

13. TRULLI        Toyota      +1 lap

14. SATO          Super Aguri +1 lap

15. BARRICHELLO   Honda       +1 lap

16. ROSBERG       Williams    +2 laps

17. YAMAMOTO      Spyker      +3 laps

R.  KUBICA        BMW         +23 laps

R.  HAMILTON      McLaren     +26 laps

R.  SCHUMACHER    Toyota      +31 laps

R.  SUTIL         Spyker      +32 laps

R.  DAVIDSON      Super Aguri +45 laps

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=40997

Wicked year for Stoner, winning the 2007 MotoGP with total domination.

Hopefully next year the Japanese bikes will have stepped up their game and take it to Ducati.

Lorenzo & Toseland will be interesting additions next year, as will Hopkins to Kawasaki.

Amped to see stoner cruise home 1st sunday, good race

it seems Rossi didn't like the step down to 800s this year - still performed well obviously, but i'm keen 2 see how he goes next year, otherwise maybe he's past his prime?

Lorenzo will be very interesting next year... 20second win in the 250cc... jebus.

awesome day of racing - next year.. heading to the Island 4 sure, got a couple people keen for the trek god i love motogp!!!

Amped to see stoner cruise home 1st sunday, good race :D

it seems Rossi didn't like the step down to 800s this year - still performed well obviously, but i'm keen 2 see how he goes next year, otherwise maybe he's past his prime?

Lorenzo will be very interesting next year... 20second win in the 250cc... jebus.

awesome day of racing - next year.. heading to the Island 4 sure, got a couple people keen for the trek :dance: god i love motogp!!!

Well, I cant stand the V8 supercars but I love Bathurst so bring on the race this weekend.

Mind you, it was 10 times the event when they allowed all manufacturers and all kinds of cars in the race. But the outdated Aussie muscle cars dont want to be embarrassed by the Japanese again do they.

The reason I can't stand the V8s too.

Do they show Super GT or DTM on Foxtel?

The reason I can't stand the V8s too.

Do they show Super GT or DTM on Foxtel?

The reason I can't stand the V8s too.

Do they show Super GT or DTM on Foxtel?

The FIA GT Championship was on the other day although it was terrible coverage, just a half hour overview of the round. American Le Mans Series gets a showing though, Ryan Briscoe doing a good job in LMP2 for the Penske Porsche

The FIA GT Championship was on the other day although it was terrible coverage, just a half hour overview of the round. American Le Mans Series gets a showing though, Ryan Briscoe doing a good job in LMP2 for the Penske Porsche

I've only seen a little of the FIA GT, but the American Le Mans is pretty dencent.

I just love watching the Japanese Super GT and German DTM stuff because they're so completely over the top. A typical DTM car is basically the engine from the Millenium Falcon bolted down inside a composite shell that bears a slight resemblance to something that may have been a production car, and the Super GT/JGTC cars are what would happen if the people who designed the mech suits from Gundam and giant robots got positions at Nissan and Mazda.

fuck oath its a tough class, def not enough coverage.

and the Super GT/JGTC cars are what would happen if the people who designed the mech suits from Gundam and giant robots got positions at Nissan and Mazda.

...only 8 days until the all new Nissan GTR is revealed to the world at the Tokyo Motor Show

http://www.gtrnissan.com/

I've only seen a little of the FIA GT, but the American Le Mans is pretty dencent.

I just love watching the Japanese Super GT and German DTM stuff because they're so completely over the top. A typical DTM car is basically the engine from the Millenium Falcon bolted down inside a composite shell that bears a slight resemblance to something that may have been a production car, and the Super GT/JGTC cars are what would happen if the people who designed the mech suits from Gundam and giant robots got positions at Nissan and Mazda.

...only 8 days until the all new Nissan GTR is revealed to the world at the Tokyo Motor Show

http://www.gtrnissan.com/ (http://www.gtrnissan.com/)

Got back from the Moto GP yesterday and fuck it was great.  We had seats in the Siberian stand which was probably one of the best positions although the track is laid out so well from a spectators point of view even with GA tickets there is so much to wander around and see.  It is definitely a bike lovers heaven - shit loads of bikes on display although there was a couple 2008 omissions.  The weather on the island is pretty dicey and was cold, grey, windy and wet Friday and Saturday but we couldn't have asked for any better on Sunday.   

The drive off the island was pretty crazy with a few Ghost Riders around - I recommend either staying on after the race and missing the rush or piss bolting to your dodgily parked car as close as possible to the bridge to get off asap.

...only 8 days until the all new Nissan GTR is revealed to the world at the Tokyo Motor Show

http://www.gtrnissan.com/

There are rumours that Nissan will be making a successor to the old S platform too! I can't remember the details, and I can't be fucked Googling it, but the head of Nissan said something along the lines of the market being ready for another cheap, RWD, turbo sports coupe and that fans of the old S platform should keep their eyes and ears open around the time of the new GTR launch! So it won't be an S16 (unfortunately) but if Nissan do come with some kind of next-gen equivelant it's going to be pretty exciting.

:eekslay:

There are rumours that Nissan will be making a successor to the old S platform too! I can't remember the details, and I can't be fucked Googling it, but the head of Nissan said something along the lines of the market being ready for another cheap, RWD, turbo sports coupe and that fans of the old S platform should keep their eyes and ears open around the time of the new GTR launch! So it won't be an S16 (unfortunately) but if Nissan do come with some kind of next-gen equivelant it's going to be pretty exciting.

Webber 5th on grid tonight , fucking late start even by tens standard about 1 30 but should be live

Season decider as well 

Should be a good race.

At least the drivers championship is close. Fuck knows its been years since an actual race went down to the wire.

What happened in the F1 in the end. I caught the first 15 minutes after work, and there were already some fair mad crashes.

MARK WEBBER, (Finish Position DNF, Start Position: 5th)
"I had a good start and our pace was not too bad - I hoped to get some good points, but then something failed on the car. It's pretty unbelievable really. The guys saw a disconnect between the engine and the gearbox, which is another new issue by the looks of it, but it's early days and we need to investigate it further to see exactly what
happened. We were on for some good points, so it's a real shame."


http://www.markwebber.com/news/details.cfm?objectID=2027

.  RAIKKONEN    Ferrari       1h28m15.270s
2.  MASSA        Ferrari       +1.5s
3.  ALONSO       McLaren       +57.0s
4.  ROSBERG      Williams      +62.8s
5.  KUBICA       BMW           +71.0s
6.  HEIDFELD     BMW           +71.3s
7.  HAMILTON     McLaren       +1 lap
8.  TRULLI       Toyota        +1 lap
9.  COULTHARD    Red Bull      +1 lap
10. NAKAJIMA     Williams      +1 lap
11. SCHUMACHER   Toyota        +1 lap
12. SATO         Super Aguri   +2 laps
13. LIUZZI       Toro Rosso    +2 laps
14. DAVIDSON     Super Aguri   +3 laps
R.  SUTIL        Spyker        +28 laps
R.  BARRICHELLO  Honda         +31 laps
R.  KOVALAINEN   Renault       +36 laps
R.  VETTEL       Toro Rosso    +37 laps
R.  BUTTON       Honda         +51 laps
R.  WEBBER       Red Bull      +57 laps
R.  YAMAMOTO     Spyker        +69 laps
R.  FISICHELLA   Renault       +69 laps


Fastest lap: RAIKKONEN  1m12.445s (lap 66)

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=General&PO_ID=41138

1 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish Ferrari 110
2 Lewis Hamilton British McLaren-Mercedes 109
3 Fernando Alonso Spanish McLaren-Mercedes 109
4 Felipe Massa Brazilian Ferrari 94
5 Nick Heidfeld German BMW 61
6 Robert Kubica Polish BMW 39
7 Heikki Kovalainen Finnish Renault 30
8 Giancarlo Fisichella Italian Renault 21
9 Nico Rosberg German Williams-Toyota 20
10 David Coulthard British Red Bull-Renault 14
11 Alexander Wurz Austrian Williams-Toyota 13
12 Mark Webber Australian Red Bull-Renault 10
13 Jarno Trulli Italian Toyota 8
14 Sebastian Vettel German STR-Ferrari 6
15 Jenson Button British Honda 6
16 Ralf Schumacher German Toyota 5
17 Takuma Sato Japanese  Super Aguri-Honda 4
18 Vitantonio Liuzzi Italian STR-Ferrari 3
19 Adrian Sutil German Spyker-Ferrari 1
20 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Honda 0
21 Scott Speed USA STR-Ferrari 0
22 Kazuki Nakajima Japanese Williams-Toyota 0
23 Anthony Davidson British Super Aguri-Honda 0
24 Sakon Yamamoto Japanese Spyker-Ferrari 0
25 Christijan Albers Dutch Spyker-Ferrari 0
26 Markus Winkelhock German Spyker-Ferrari
http://www.formula1.com/results/driver/2007/

Pos Team Points
1 Ferrari 204
2 BMW 101
3 Renault 51
4 Williams-Toyota 33
5 Red Bull-Renault 24
6 Toyota 13
7 STR-Ferrari 8
8 Honda 6
9 Super Aguri-Honda 4
10 Spyker-Ferrari 1
- McLaren-Mercedes 0
http://www.formula1.com/results/team/2007/

So Kimi Raikkonen won the world title... didn't really expect that.

BMW Sauber and Williams are apparently under investigation for illegal fuel or something... will Bernie be a right cunt and disqualify them, giving the world title to their golden boy Lewis Hamilton.

BMW Sauber and Williams are apparently under investigation for illegal fuel or something... will Bernie be a right cunt and disqualify them, giving the world title to their golden boy Lewis Hamilton.

Kimi Raikkonen has been confirmed as the 2007 Formula 1 world champion after Brazilian Grand Prix stewards upheld the original race result.

After lengthy deliberations at Interlagos on Sunday evening, the stewards decided not to penalise Williams and BMW Sauber for minor technical irregularities.

FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer said fuel samples taken from the two teams’ cars during their pit stops in Sunday’s race revealed temperatures outside the permitted range.

But in a statement issued more than six hours after the end of the race, the stewards said there was sufficient doubt about the fuel temperatures “as to render it inappropriate to impose a penalty”.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41154

Kimi Raikkonen has been confirmed as the 2007 Formula 1 world champion after Brazilian Grand Prix stewards upheld the original race result.

After lengthy deliberations at Interlagos on Sunday evening, the stewards decided not to penalise Williams and BMW Sauber for minor technical irregularities.

FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer said fuel samples taken from the two teams’ cars during their pit stops in Sunday’s race revealed temperatures outside the permitted range.

But in a statement issued more than six hours after the end of the race, the stewards said there was sufficient doubt about the fuel temperatures “as to render it inappropriate to impose a penalty”.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41154

I was happy to see Raikkonen win, the poor bugger's been close a few times now and has definatley done the hard yards.....

Got impatient and found a live stream on the internet (SPEED) was pretty funny listening to the yanks comentating, as annoying as they were, I'm sure it was preferable to listening to f!!king James Allen on ITV carrying on about Hamilton all race long...

Poor Webber, what can you say... I think the guy must have run over a black cat, or broken some mirrors or some shit.....

This is a good read some knob tard politician trying to cover his arse for the fact he can't seem to get on you phone to TEN & work out some decent coverage of F1 in Australia. Melbourne don’t need to bid for the F1 the FIA don’t want the give it to them any way   

VICTORIAN Premier John Brumby has opened the door to Victoria abandoning the Australian Grand Prix because of soaring costs.


As a new report revealed this year's Formula One event at Albert Park had lost $34.6 million, the Premier ignited debate about the future of the race, saying it needed to provide value for money.

A decision on whether Victoria will bid to host the event after its contract ends in 2010 is due in the next few months.

Mr Brumby praised the race, but said it needed to pay its way.

"The Grand Prix's still a great event for Victoria," Mr Brumby said outside Parliament yesterday.

"It's had a lot more competition in recent years, and that's a good thing, I guess," he said.

"Two years ago we had the Commonwealth Games; this year, the World Swimming Championships.

"I think the two tests post-2010 (are) firstly, does it remain a good event for the state, and secondly, can we secure good value for money?"

He said these would be key points at future negotiations.

His comments marked a shift from the outright support offered by previous premier Steve Bracks.

And it shows how seriously the Government is considering walking away from the event if its costs become too high.

In May, Mr Bracks, indicating that the State Government supported the GP beyond 2010, said: "We think the economic benefits are robust and strong."

However, the Government's contribution has grown from $1.7 million for the inaugural event in 1996 to the $34.6 million hit on the taxpayer this year.

The Victorian Government refuses to disclose the licence fee it pays for the event, but it is known that the cost grows significantly each year.

Dubai last year paid $63 million for its winning Grand Prix bid, and Malaysia paid $44 million in licensing fees earlier this year.

With F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone likely to exploit fierce international competition by raising fees by millions of dollars, there's a real chance Victoria could lose out in a bidding war to countries such as Russia and Poland.

Senior GP officials were in the dark on the Government's plans, but said the decision would have to be made soon, as formal negotiations would have to start in March if Victoria wanted to continue with the event beyond 2010.

Corporation chairman Ron Walker was flying to London yesterday to visit the Grand Prix Commission, which was to ratify the plans for the 2008 event, including a shift to a 3.30pm start to make the race more palatable to early-morning TV viewers in Europe.

However rising costs are dampening the Government's enthusiasm, with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation's annual report, tabled in State Parliament, revealing this year's race broke even only because the Government tipped in the $34.6 million taxpayer-funded bailout.

The loss follows earlier deficits of $21.2 million and $13.6 million in 2006 and 2005 respectively, each offset by taxpayers' money.

Last financial year, the Grand Prix generated $43.4 million in revenue but cost $78 million to run, resulting in a heavy loss before the Government stepped in.

The Grand Prix Corporation's annual report says the event generates $174.8 million in economic benefits for the state -- a figure disputed by the Auditor-General, who has questioned the methodology behind the figures.

Anti-Grand Prix lobby group Save Albert Park said losses were not sustainable.

President Peter Goad said the corporation should pay the licence fees for the remainder of the contract and buy out of the agreement.

The group commissioned economic studies that showed the GP would continue to lose money, reaching a $50 million loss by 2010, according to Mr Goad.

"It's a bad event," he said.

"The event is forecast to lose $40 million in 2008 partly due to the escalation of the licensing fee."

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22684049-5006301,00.html

Was wondering if anybody else was thinking of going to Rally Australia next year from 12-14 September in Brisbane.

I cant wait. Already have my accommodation sorted and should be doing the whole thing with a 3 day bender with DJ Thief up there who is also a rally nut.
Cant fucking wait!

Was wondering if anybody else was thinking of going to Rally Australia next year from 12-14 September in Brisbane.

I cant wait. Already have my accommodation sorted and should be doing the whole thing with a 3 day bender with DJ Thief up there who is also a rally nut.
Cant fucking wait!

Sorry to bring the bad news but it looks like the organiser's didn't get their shit together in time, no Rally Australia next year either. I was keen to go, I never made it to Rally Australia in Perth.

2008 FIA World Rally Championship Calendar

24 - 27 January - 76th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
8 - 10 February - Uddeholm Swedish Rally
28 Feb - 2 - March Rally Mexico
27 - 30 March - Rally Argentina
24 - 27 April - Jordan Rally WRC
16 - 18 May - Rallye d'Italia-Sardegna
29 May - 1 June - BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally
13 - 15 June - Rally of Turkey
31 July - 3 August - Neste Oil Rally Finland
15 - 17 August - ADAC Rallye Deutschland
28 - 31 August - Rally New Zealand
2 - 5 October - Rallye de España
10 - 12 October - Rallye de France - Tour de Corse
24 - 26 October - Rally Japan
28 - 30 November - Wales Rally GB

I have been on the road all day today there are SOOOOOO many tuff cars here for classic adelaide , Saw a GT3RS!!! also spoke to a dude driving a 25th anniversary Lambo that had to have been the best looking car I have seen in years,

Im guna have to make a attempt to see some of that race this year

Big ups to Chris Atkinson coming second in Rally Mexico over the weekend. I believe that's the best result of any Australian in the WRC... ever.

Belgium Grand Prix was fucking amazing.

One of the craziest final laps I reckon I've seen.

yeah was fucking insane

just heard hamilton had the race taken off of him 2

Yeah that was nuts.

McLaren reckon Hamilton gave the spot back so he doesn't deserve the penalty. Appeals never seem to work in F1 but if that's true then that's all he needed to do to avoid a penalty...

Belgium Grand Prix was fucking amazing.

One of the craziest final laps I reckon I've seen.

After the last few races that even i will admit were boring as bat shit i thought fuck it im going to bed....only to read this morning how good last nights race was.......

I don't think Hamilton should have had the race taken off him if that has happened. He definitely gave the pot back after cutting the corner so he did what he was meant to.

I went to the Toyota Rally SA at Mt Crawford Forest event mid last year to take photos because I heard about it on another forum. I missed this years event because I didn't know it was on.

Will be watching this thread for any local events that look worth checking out for photo opportunities...

MotoGP Qualifying on Channel Ten today, Phillip Island always produces a good race, tommorow should be interesting!

MotoGP Qualifying on Channel Ten today, Phillip Island always produces a good race, tommorow should be interesting!

yeah schwatta and another mate are over there now, means i'm home alone and bored as fuck can't wait for the footy tomorrow

MotoGP Qualifying on Channel Ten today, Phillip Island always produces a good race, tommorow should be interesting!

Was just watching the 125 quallies. I hate 125's but there were some nice crashes at the start.

Was just watching the 125 quallies. I hate 125's but there were some nice crashes at the start.

Why do you hate them? I like them cos the class has developed most of the current crop of GP stars and above all the racing is usually hard, fast and close.

Fuck me Mark Webber must be the unluckiest guy out still has a chance but the f1 guru's are making him earn his first win thats for sure

Moto gp has been decent so far this year 2 really hope Lorenzo takes it to Valentino and Casey gets this mystery illness under control

Big ups Mark Webber!

Have sacrificed a lot of sleep over the years watching him race so glad to see he finally got a win.

Been an awesome F1 season so far.

That's so awesome!

Take that Chris, you said he was shit.

That's so awesome!

Take that Chris, you said he was shit.

When someone like Flavio Briatore says you are the most technically gifted driver since Michael Schumacher, it's pretty safe to say you're not shit. So yeah, FU Chris . So good to see him finally get a race win. Have never heard anybody half as excited as he was over the team radio. Nobody has done it harder in F1 than Mark Webber and it's awesome to see him make full use of the opportunity of finally driving a pace setting car.

He may just have a shot at the title if he keeps up his pace and the brawns don't pick up again real soon

Should have had 2nd last night but Red Bull fucked up his first pit stop and Raikkonen got past him.

Yeah unlucky as always

I could see the engine somehow falling out of his car as he drives down the road 50 meters before winning the championship

This would make things seriously interesting. Especially considering Ferrari is back in the pack in terms of their car at present.

Will Schumacher step in to replace Massa?

Speculation grows amid fears for Felipe Massa's Formula One future due to eye injury

The Ferrari driver Felipe Massa is out of danger but surgeons at the hospital in Budapest where he was taken after his accident in last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix fear he may never regain full vision in his left eye.

Whether he will be able to race ever again is questionable, but it is certain he will not be able to take part in the second half of the F1 season.

As result, there are reports today that Ferrari could ask their former champion driver Michael Schumacher to come out of retirement.

The team has three reserve drivers on its books to back up Massa and his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. They are Luca Badoer, Marc Gené and Schumacher, the seven-times world champion. According to a report in the Independent, neither Badoer nor Gene are thought likely to be given the seat - hence the speculation that Schumacher might make a comeback

This was initially ruled out by his manager, but Ferrari sources say all options are open.

Reports from the AEK military hospital in Budapest last night said Massa was groggy but breathing unassisted and moving his limbs. He suffered his injuries when a metal suspension spring fell off the car ahead of him - the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello - and flew through the air and hit him on the helmet. Such was the force that it punctured his helmet and fractured his skull as well as damaging his eye.

Ferrari's president, Luca Di Montezemolo, flew to Budapest to visit Massa. He said his main concern was the driver's recovery and that the team would consider his replacement later. By chance, the accident happened on the final race before the Formula One four-week summer break. But he will have to make his mind soon if Ferrari are to race two cars at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23.

Fuck I hope it happens!

Especially with Mclaren looking like they're starting to get their shit together.

Would be awesome to see 5 or 6 teams all around the mark. Could make for some really interesting and close races for the final few rounds.

Looks like it's been confirmed that Schumacher will take Massa's seat until he is fit again, which I'm guessing is the rest of the season. Good news on Massa, he is out of intensive care and can now see out of his left eye.

BMW quit the sport yesterday... I wonder if someone will buy Sauber out like Brawn did with Honda.

great news, i cant wait. it will help webber as well in his championship race. i am placing a small bet on him winning the championship this year!


In terms of Scuey, i predict he will win a race, there are 2 of his favourite tracks coming up in Spa at Belgium and Monza where he will be treated like a KING

It would be AWESOME to see him on the TOP STEP of the podium again one more time!!!

Anybody else going to Rally SA this weekend.

I'll be checking out the special stage at Angaston Oval tonight & tomorrow night which is always good fun. They've built a jump on the circuit this year which should be interesting.

Will also head up to Mt Crawford for the forest stage tomorrow.

I might head up to the oval tomorrow night, it is a great place to watch rally cars.

Since all the manufacturers have left the ARC, this event has virtually no promotion at all. Far cry from that year they had the big TV screen at the Mt Crawford spectator point.

I was planning too, but due to the fact that I'm still on crutches, I've decided it's probably best to avoid things like mud.

There is no mud up at Angaston Oval.

Although it may be a little cold for your vagina.

Finally sorted my Phillip Island Tickets...

Now I just have to endure the wait till October. 

1 month and counting till Monza.

 

God how gay was that?!?!?!  Webber didn't even get one lap in before he was outta the race.  Oh well, at least he didn't have to go through the whole thing and then blow it on the last lap like Hamilton,    Felt good spitting that back at the english cunts sitting next to us hahaha.

Don't know if anyone else follows the WRC but it seems none of the drivers will race at the Gold Coast if the rally returns there after the Nimbin hippies ruined the event this year.

Fingers crossed this paves the way for Adelaide to make a bid and get the event.

Yeah i heard about this what did the hippies actually do?

Would be fucking awesome to get the wrc here would do huge things for the economy and for promotion of SA in general

Then all we need is the Grand Prix back from those victorian snakes

Because a lot of the Rally was being held near Nimbin there were a lot of protests about how the race would disrupt the native animals (although most people believe the locals didn't want crowds of people & helicopters going through the bush land where a lot of them grow their crops).

The protests involved throwing rocks at rally cars, blocking the track with boulders and using slow cars/buses to hold up the convoys of cars between stages.

My old man went and he said they basically fucked the event.

Stoner's back in 17 days at Portugal...

Let's hope he has dealt with his health issues properly...

Then on to the Island... 

Let's hope the WRC returns to it's former glory at some stage as well. Sorry, but Ford 1 and Ford 2 vs Citroen isn't all that interesting. I'd still go though.

Fucking hippies, they give stoners everywhere a bad name.

Rumour has it Mitsubishi will be returning in the not too distant future which probably means Suburu will follow suit.

Can only hope.

That would be awesome. Would love a return to the year when I believe Richard Burns (RIP), Colin Mcrae (RIP), Carlos Sainz and Tommi Makinen (legend), were all fighting it out for the championship in the last round of the season.

I believe the year after next the championship is moving to S2000 competition to cut costs and WRC cars will be no more... They compete in the same class as Group N production rally cars, but are non-turbo 2L with standardised sequential gearboxes and 4wd systems. Pity, but it will open the door for a lot more teams to be competitive (esp. if Seb Loeb retires or moves on) and a lot more manufacturers. Subaru and Mitsubishi are already the standard for Group N.

Dunno, bring back Group B!!!

Back to rally Australia, I saw that SS7 was cancelled and saw comments by the top drivers, but I didn't realise they had such an impact on the whole event. The organisers needed to recruit some Gold Coast Indy bogans... free can of bundy for every rock throwing hippie taken down.

Turkey Preview - who can beat red bull

This is an important weekend for Ferrari, not just because of the tough fight for the world championship with Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes but because the Turkish race marks the Scuderia’s milestone 800th Grand Prix.

Ferrari are the only team to have competed in every season at the highest level of the sport and hold all the records: 15 drivers’ world championships; 16 constructors’, 211 victories; 223 second places; 198 thirds; 203 pole positions; and 220 fastest laps.

And on a circuit where, until 2009, Felipe Massa had never been beaten in one of the red cars, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali gave the Brazilian some pre-race encouragement by confirming that he is highly likely to stay with the team in 2011 after recent speculation that he could be replaced.

"Yes, I think so," he said when asked is Massa would stay on. When asked if he was sure of that, he added: "Yes."

Domenicali also insisted the team has been very happy with the performances of Alonso, despite a jump start in China and his accident in practice in Monaco.

"I don't want to speak about mistakes," Domenicali said. "We are a group and the team do the best with the car and the drivers do the best with the performance. I'm very pleased with him. He came into team in a fantastic way and I think that he gave input to the team and I say let's wait until the end of the season. He will be very strong - I have no doubt about that."

Mark Webber, the winner of the last two Grands Prix, confirmed yesterday that Red Bull will use their F-duct for the first time here, which could make the favourites even more formidable.

“Yes, we'll give it a go tomorrow, we’re going to give it a chance,” he said, before suggesting that it might be “very, very hard” to repeat the domination from Barcelona, another track where aerodynamic excellence counts for so much. “As we saw in Monaco, we know it’s a very, very different circuit completely but things tightened up there a lot, so venue to venue, things can move around and even within the race, we saw in Barcelona that things were a little bit different.

"Lewis (Hamilton) was our closest competitor in that Grand Prix, so you can argue that if we had a Turkish Grand Prix after Barcelona, you might say that McLaren might be the guys that might be our challengers here but we’re also mindful of the fact that Ferrari - and also if Mercedes have a clean weekend - there’s lots of guys that can come towards us, so we’re definitely not taking anything for granted. We know we’re working incredibly hard to get the results we have and it’s not easy to get them.”

Meanwhile, some sources are predicting that Pirelli could be announced today as the official tyre supplier for Formula One racing from 2011 onwards, once Bridgestone withdraw at the end of this season.

What the fuck was Vettel just thinking?

Unbelievable.

what a fucking douchebag

he cant handle a team mate quicker then him! i cant wait to hear the aftermath from this. at the end of the day it works out well for webber he gains 15 points on vettel but still a win would have kept the maclarens at bay who look to be getting more dangerous with each race!

Wow what a knob.

I didn't see it but just read a recap.

So they both blame each other? Wouldn't the guy cutting in on the inside pretty much be at fault there?

Couldn't have said it any better... Greedy Fucking German.  



Edit - Mungello this weekend for MotoGP. Can't Wait..
Casey better pull his finger out tho or he might as well just hand the title to Yamaha Now..

its arguable as webber was heaps slower out of the corner but as there no team orders what can you do?..  vettel sux for sure, the team owner is fairly pissed about the incident too...

Yeah, except Red Bull are of course siding with Vettel.

Vettel was obviously quicker than Webber at that stage of the race and it could be argued that Webber was holding him up and risking him being passed by Hamilton. It is however up to Vettel to complete the passing move he started, which he did not. As leader of the race (not to mention in contention for the WDC), Webber has every right to hold his line. It's not up to him to get out of second places way. However, as second place was his team mate, Red Bull would be expecting him to give Vettel room.

Really, it was pretty poor driving from both of them though. Hamilton and Button showed everybody how it's done after that.

Helmut Marko and Christian Horner blaming Webber and his engineer http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=370595&FS=F1

The Hamiliton and Button battle was through corners 12 to 1... Vettel made the pass attempt down the back straight and on that inside line he was never going to make the corner.



  You deserve 0 points cuntface

Edit: Mark explained it perfectly to Lewis during the press conference while Jenson was talking

But Mark Webber should be thinking himself lucky, that he's even at Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing.

Expecting your team mate, who is currently tied with you for first place in the WDC standings, to move out the way to allow you first place is ridiculous. Especially when that mans future with the team is in doubt. The line Webber held meant it was never going to end well, but as race leader, he was entirely within his rights to do so.

But yeah, it's great how it worked out for Webber in the end.

Really feeling for Rossi after the weekend, even though he was in direct competition with his team mate this year he was definitely in with a chance for another championship.

Broken shin bone in final practice @ 175+km/h

[video: www.youtube.com]



This season wont be the same without him, they're saying 2-3 months!  

'Rossi managed to stand up but was gripping his right calf.It will be the first time that Rossi has not competed in his home Grand Prix, a race he has won nine times.

It also ends his record run of 230 successive MotoGP races since his debut in the 125cc class at the 1996 Malaysian Grand Prix.'

On a lighter note, it was great to see the repsol honda team back at the top with a 1st & 3rd finish. Also good to see Stoner keep the bike upright for a whole race, not looking good for him though, looks like a different rider at the moment and the love between him and his machine seems to be fading.

MotoGp Italy results

Pos.   Points   Num.       Rider         Team
1   25   26   Dani PEDROSA   Repsol Honda Team
2   20   99   Jorge LORENZO   Fiat Yamaha Team
3   16   4   Andrea DOVIZIOSORepsol Honda Team
4   13   27   Casey STONER   Ducati Marlboro Team
5   11   33   Marco MELANDRI   San Carlo Honda Gresini
6   10   14   Randy DE PUNIET   LCR Honda MotoGP
7   9   11   Ben SPIES   Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8   8   41   Aleix ESPARGARO   Pramac Racing Team
9   7   58   Marco SIMONCELLISan Carlo Honda Gresini
10   6   65   Loris CAPIROSSI   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
11   5   7   Hiroshi AOYAMA   Interwetten Honda MotoGP
12   4   40   Hector BARBERA   Paginas Amarillas Aspar
13   3   5   Colin EDWARDS   Monster Yamaha Tech 3
14   2   19   Alvaro BAUTISTA   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

totaly didn't expect rossi to come off....   

Mark Webber confirmed at red bull for 2011

Red Bull Racing announced on Monday that Mark Webber’s contract has been extended, meaning the Australian will continue to drive for the team next season. Webber, who leads the 2010 driver standings, has been with the Austrian-owned squad since 2007.

With Sebastian Vettel already contracted to Red Bull for next year, it means the team’s driver line-up will remain unchanged for the third season in a row.

“It was an easy decision to remain with Red Bull Racing,” said Webber, 33. “We began talking very early this year and were in a position to sign by the Barcelona Grand Prix. The decision to extend for a further year was a mutual one; it’s widely known that I’m not interested in hanging around in Formula One just for the sake of it and at this stage of my career, I’m happy to take one year at a time.

“I continue to feel very comfortable here - I have a fantastic relationship with the whole team and the factory at Milton Keynes feels like home. It’s been incredible to be part of the team as it’s moved forward from a mid-field competitor to one that is challenging for the championship. I hope we experience more success together in the future and achieve our ultimate goal of winning the world championship.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner added: “The decision to retain Mark was very straightforward. He is an important member of our team and is currently in the best form of his career, as the current leader of the drivers’ championship. The team is extremely happy that the driver pairing of Mark and Sebastian will remain unchanged for a third season in 2011.”

Wow, wasn't expecting that.

There is a really interesting video of the in car discussion between hamilton and team manager on the official F1 website but i cant add it to here, you have to be a member of the site to view it.

No Turkish delight for McLaren and Red Bull as in-fighting sets up fascinating weekend in Canada

Lewis Hamilton may have ended his winless streak in Turkey last weekend but, in the immediate aftermath of the incident-packed race, you wouldn’t have known it.

There were no fist pumps, no celebratory ‘whoops’ on the team-radio and few smiles – three rituals which are normally guaranteed to grace a Hamilton victory.

The 2008 world champion had won his first race since taking the chequered flag at the Marina Bay Circuit back in September but his post-race demeanour was one of a man troubled by the events in Istanbul.

And now, a week on from the Turkish Grand Prix, we know why.

In a video released by Formula One’s official website, Hamilton was told to slow to conserve fuel and with it, was promised that team-mate Jenson Button would not attempt to pass him.

Hamilton had already paid witness to the most controversial incident of this year’s F1 calendar to date, after Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel clashed, which brought an abrupt end to the German’s race and demoted race-leader Webber to third – all of which seemed to hand victory to Hamilton on a plate.

Yet, a mere eight laps later, Lewis was embroiled in a spectacular race of his own as he went toe-to-toe with Button, with the reigning world champion momentarily taking the lead before Hamilton re-passed him going into Turn One.

Asked in the post-race press conference what he thought of his sparring match with Button, a concerned Hamilton replied: ‘I wasn’t expecting it’ - hardly surprising I guess when you consider the ‘promise’ he’d been offered by McLaren just moments before.

‘We need you to save fuel. Both cars are doing the same,’ Lewis was told over the team radio.

Hamilton responded to McLaren’s request only to see Button bearing down on him in his rearview mirrors: ‘Jenson's closing in on me, you guys…If I back off, is Jenson going to pass me or not?’

To which Hamilton’s engineer replied: ‘No, Lewis. No.’

Without the access to Button’s team radio it is unclear whether Jenson was told to conserve fuel in the lead up to his duel with Hamilton, and if he was, whether he simply ignored those demands. Either way Hamilton was reportedly fuming after the race and demanded an explanation from chief principal Martin Whitmarsh behind closed doors.

The news of the apparent unrest at McLaren significantly comes on the same day as championship rivals Red Bull look to bury the hatchet in the feud between Vettel and Webber after extending the Australian’s deal with the Milton Keynes based outfit.AY44087461epa02180153 Germa

And the rush to hastily arrange a one-year contract extension for Webber is no coincidence with the team desperate to quash any rumours of conflict ahead of a pivotal weekend in the championship race in Canada. Indeed, for the first time this season, McLaren could arrive in Montreal on an even footing with the Red Bulls.

With the fallout from the Turkish Grand Prix dominated by the crash between Webber and Vettel, what was given little attention was the fact that, for the first time this season, the McLarens appeared to be able to match their championship rivals for pace.

And, at stages in Istanbul, look the racier outfit – a huge turnaround in fortunes considering a little over a month ago, in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, Webber was over one second quicker than Hamilton.

The race in Montreal usually throws up a classic and with the added spice of the incidents in Turkey still lingering in the background, this year doesn’t promise to be any different.

Just got back from the Rally SA special stage up at Angaston and there was plenty of action tonight.

Some poor bastard lost control on one of the faster parts of the circuit and wrapped his car around a tree, much to the delight of everyone there.

Anybody going up tomorrow night?

damn..... i knew i shouldve made plans for this! forgot all about it.

Had a funny moment at the Rally last night.

When Eli Evans came past in his Civic Type R which being only a front wheel drive was struggling big time to get the power down. Anyway, I turned to the Japanese bloke standing next to me and jokingly stated that I don't know why he bothered because he couldn't compete with the 4WD turbo cars out there. I probably shouldn't have been quite so critical as this quiet looking bloke in the Honda jacket was none other than the president of Honda!!!!!!

Ended up having a decent chat to him about how Honda are putting their motorsport budget into the WRC and what to expect from the car they are developing for it.

I know I was in the Honda tent but how was I to know the head of the entire company would actually be there? The people you meet on a freezing night at Angaston oval.........

 

Anyone catch the F1 or motoGP?

As much as i hate Lorenzo, it be a pretty safe bet on him winning the MotoGP #1 this year after another convincing win. Stoner looked better but couldnt get past pedrosa to chase lorenzo down, not that he probably could've anyway but, promising all the same.

As for the F1 well.... Redbull gave webber wings. Kovalinen is a wanker, did anyone hear his radio comment to his manager after the accident, clearly stats that he was trying to defend his line and not move out the way (which it looked like he was doing) for the clearly much faster redbull car. Very lucky he did cause serious injury to webber and also thanks to him the F1 committee are considering bringing in new ruling next year that there can only be a 10km/h difference between the fastest cars and the slowest cars..... 

[video: www.youtube.com]

As silly as it may have been to try and defend a much quicker car, it was for position, so he had every right to.

Agree he has a right to but should've he? Commonsense would say that your way under powered lotus should give way to the mass powered & inform redbull. I'm not saying that Webber was in the right here either, what i dont understand is why, when you obviously have a lot more horsepower than the car in front of you would you bother to try and get as much out of slip stream as possible before you pass? He could've easily passed him when he first pulled out. Webber certainly hasn't looked like the same driver since vettel and him collided, his chances of finishing in the top 3 for the season are fast slipping away considering he was in the top spot 3 races ago. Shame.

As for MotoGP.... 3 races in 3 weeks! Awesome!

No, he shouldn't have really, but I suppose that's what happens when you've got a competitive driver in a shit car. But, as you said, it was also fkn ordinary driving on Webbers behalf (as was losing so many spots on lap 1... ).

true but its a long championship and this was retirement number 1 for webber for the year. currently 24pts of championship lead. 25pts for race win now too, wouldn't say that just yet.....

as for lorenzoGP.     looking forward to that also!

Eating my words. Great win to Webber, dominated from start to finish.... Wouldve been better to see him lap vettle before the lap car came out on a caution 

Loved the post race interview;

Q: Mark, you were very angry yesterday after the team switched the front wings. After the race today you said on the radio race ‘not bad for a number two driver.’ Was today all about poetic justice?

Mark Webber: Maybe...

yeah man i was watching the gap and hoping he would pass that little prick. webber's definatly funny in the interviews 

Valentino Rossi is back!

http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/07/16/valentino-rossi-is-back/

Sachsenring is a sick track too, plus with Vale back it's going to be a Good Race... 


Casey also on a Red Bull Factory Honda next year apparently.

http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/07/10/stoner-signs-with-honda-for-2011/

Great race last night, thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. Webber again! He just kept getting faster and faster, very impressive racing. Well done to ferrari too, its great to see red back on the podium.

Great race from Webber, put in fastest after fastest lap when he needed to.

Schumi tried to kill Rubens... right rear was literally millimeters from the pit wall, any further to the right and Rubens would've been straight into the wall at the pit exit at 300km/h. He's been given a 10 spot grid penalty for Spa but the cunt should be disqualified from F1 completely.

Totally agree.

He has always been a dirty cunt on the track though.

Death?

I dont think it was the safest thing i have seen in racing but hardly the worst. Remember, the battle between these two has been running deep for nearly 15 years, even as team mates they would smash each other up... good to see a little hate on the race track that doesnt involve webber and vettle.

Regardless of their history, trying to put somebody into a concrete barrier at 300km/h is just retarded.

This.

If the wall hadn't ended where it did fuck knows what would have been the end result.

Does anyone like Vettel?

Regardless of their history, trying to put somebody into a concrete barrier at 300km/h is just retarded.

Do you really think his full intention was to put Rubens (and effectively himself) into the barrier....No one is that stupid driving at 300km/h. I think he was trying to cover his line but, by the time he reacted it was way to late and got caught by surprise when rubens was clearly along side him and moving much faster than him. It was great driving though at 300km/h by Rubens to avoid an incident. Thats the way i seen it anyway.

This off the F1 website.

Schumacher: I crossed the line with Barrichello move

Michael Schumacher has admitted that his blocking of Rubens Barrichello in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix was “too hard”. Schumacher almost edged Barrichello into the pit wall as he tried in vain to stop his former team mate passing him for P10 late in the race.

In post-race interviews the Mercedes driver suggested his tactics had been harsh but fair. However, having received a 10-place grid penalty for the next round from the Budapest stewards - and having had a day to reflect - Schumacher has now conceded that he overstepped the mark.

“Yesterday right after the race I was still in the heat of the moment, but after I watched the scene with Rubens again, I must say that the stewards were right in their assessment - the manoeuvre against him was too hard,” he told his official website.

“Of course I wanted to make it difficult for him to overtake and I showed him clearly that I didn’t want to let him down the inside, but I wasn’t trying to endanger him with my manoeuvre. If he felt that way, then sorry, that was not my intention.”

Schumacher eventually finished just out of the points in 11th place, almost 20 seconds behind his former team mate.

Does anyone like Vettel?

Not that i know of.

The only thing that caused them to avoid having an accident was the barrier ending.

The only thing that caused them to avoid having an accident was the barrier ending.

Man, i'm not writing on here to stand up for Michael. I agree with his penalty of 10 rows but i dont agree with the comments of him being banned for good. There are so many variables in this incident that either people for or against could bring up relatively fair points, i'm simply trying to show that there could be (which i hope) reasons far beyond people just thinking michael is a dirty bastard. I personally liked watching michael in his prime for the fact he raced hard. On that note, i'd be very surprised if he is racing next year.

For anyone who didnt see what we are talking about.

[video: www.youtube.com]

Ah now that I've seen it's clear that if there was a collision with that wall Schumacher was going to be just as screwed, there's no way he would have avoided being caught up in it seeing as he was so close.

Somehow I don't think he would be stupid enough, it looks like he gave him just enough to try and make him back off but Barrichello went through anyway.

sadly he will be racing next year macro. he has has a shocking comeback but ross brawn will build a car around him next year and if he is no good then he will be replaced. im not a schu fan since i was sitting on the corner in '94 when he took hill out for the championship. schu has always been a dirty racer and im sure rubens knew that when he made his move.

neo  - imo vettle is a mini schu in the making. it was nice to see webber get another win and take the candy from the baby 

neo  - imo vettle is a mini schu in the making. it was nice to see webber get another win and take the candy from the baby  

+ 1

Fuck Vettle...


Moto Gp This Weekend...   
Pedrosa is in fine form too after his back to back wins. Plus the championship returns to Spain, so it's going to be an interesting one to watch. Especially between him and Lorenzo...

Moto Gp This Weekend...   
Pedrosa is in fine form too after his back to back wins. Plus the championship returns to Spain, so it's going to be an interesting one to watch. Especially between him and Lorenzo...

Race of the season so far coming up i think. Fingers crossed lorenzo crashes out and gets no points and pedrosa can take the flag. We can only hope this season goes down to the final race of the year, it'll be awesome considering it looked like lorenzo was going to walk away with it easily a month back.

Anyone been catching any of the motocross on pay tv? Fucking awesome season.

  Legend! 2 in a row for stoner. Rossi vs Lorenzo was amazing to watch for 3rd position, shame lorenzo didnt fall though a bigger shame for pedrosa fracturing his collarbone in practice. Championship is most certainly Lorenzos now.

  Legend! 2 in a row for stoner. Rossi vs Lorenzo was amazing to watch for 3rd position, shame lorenzo didnt fall though a bigger shame for pedrosa fracturing his collarbone in practice. Championship is most certainly Lorenzos now.

Yeah Big Ups CASEY...  Great Work... He's in Fine form ATM...
Really sticks it to Rossi and his 'Stoner doesn't push the Ducati hard enough' comment.

That 3rd Place fight was insane... Full on Fairing & Bar banging badness. 
Classic Vale, not handing Jorge the Championship on a Platter...

Absolute shame that Pedrosa went down. Even more upsetting to hear it was Honda bike malfunction that caused the off. What's worse tho is it ruins his Championship push... He was really giving Jorge a headache & a run for his Money..

Quality viewing incoming, Malaysia this week & Phillip Island the Week After.... Love when races are back to back... 

F1's at Suzuka incoming this weekend too.

Fkn love Suzuka.

yeah suzuka is rad, shame they are predicting a wet weekend though.

Although that sucks for Weber, it should make for exciting racing. Unless it's so bad it stops the race of course.

Phillip Island is looking like it will be an interesting race.. Predicted heavy winds & hail for Qualifying. 

Hope the weather holds out for the race tho. Scary track in the wet...

Missed last nights Moto GP Race... So I'm eager as to get home for One HD's replay at 6pm.

Even tho Nova ruined the outcome this morning on way to work. Hopefully it isn't a completely boring race.

Missed last nights Moto GP Race... So I'm eager as to get home for One HD's replay at 6pm.

Even tho Nova ruined the outcome this morning on way to work. Hopefully it isn't a completely boring race.

The battle for third is well worth watching.

The battle for third is well worth watching.

Its worth watching just for the out lap, Ben Spies would be spewing! The coverage was a little dodgy last night i thought.

Cheers...

Interesting...  Now very curious to know what happened to Spies.

A Mate will be at Valencia this weekend too... Very JEALOUS.

Really missing the racing ATM...

Especially the Moto GP... 

Rossi's & Hayden's - Desmosedici GP11

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Can't wait for this Season to Start...

Lorenzo's & Spies - Yamaha M1 for 2011.

4 weeks to season start... 

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Yamaha looks doooooooooope!

When is Stoners bike being unveiled?

Already has Mate

Going to be a very strong year for Honda IMO.

2011 RC212V

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Casey has owned the top of the time sheet yet again @ 2nd test in Sepang.



The final day in Sepang witnessed an incredible display of speed from all three Repsol Honda riders. Within 10 minutes of the track opening for the final day's testing, Casey Stoner on his first flying lap of the day recorded a time of 2'00.122 – five-hundredths faster than his quickest lap on day two. However, on his next lap, Stoner put in a sub two minute lap of 1'59.665 almost a second quicker than the circuit best lap recorded in 2009, which remained unbeaten for the rest of the session.

F1 update - Red Bull’s new RB7 looks more than capable of putting up a stern defence of the team’s world titles. Most would also agree that Ferrari and their F150th Italia seem likely to pose a bigger threat to the men from Milton Keynes than in 2010.

McLaren chose to forgo an early launch of their new car in favour of more wind-tunnel time, and their rivals will be keeping a close eye on the radical-looking MP4-26's progress, especially after the frustrating time the team had at Jerez, hampered by a component failure and delays with spares.

Formula One fans will be hoping for a much closer fight between Mercedes GP team mates Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg this season, and both men will be back in the cockpit in Barcelona. The MGP W02 has thus far underwhelmed in terms of pace and the team have admitted reliability is their prime concern at this point.

Nick Heidfeld will begin his first test as a fully-fledged Renault race driver, having secured the Robert Kubica stand-in slot on the back of his impressive Jerez outing. The team’s new R31 has garnered much attention thanks to its forward exhausts and now it is up to the experienced German to help keep its development on track.

RIP Marco Simoncelli   

RIP Marco Simoncelli   

Yeah I just watched the vid; it looked real nasty. He was basically cleaned up by two bikes going full speed right into his upper torso and head.