The "F1 and other Motor Racing" stuff type-thread

[gelert]

It has transpired that The Butterfly Man & myself are F1 fans...

...even worse, we're both McLaren Fans... 

So rather than bung-up the "Now Reading" Thread with gratuitous Motor Racing stuff...here's a new thread!

[gelert]

Ahhhh, another F1-fan? 

Cheers, Tom

'Fraid so...Mac...

Also BTCC, GP2, Porsche Supercup, DTM, and at a pinch A1GP.
Fair play to ITV for giving me full coverage of the BTCC weekends! Go, Matt Jackson....!

Great man! Same here. Been a McLaren fan since '96.

Have you been to any GP-weekends yourself?

Tom

Years ago, I went to Hockenheim....but it wasn't fantastic - we only saw the cars at the start, and then 27 times after that!

These days I'm more than happy to watch it from the comfort of my sofa - armed of course with a Foam Brick!
I also subscribe to a couple of F1 forums, and have a team in the F1 Manager League.

Quite a few "Classic Rock" fans on one of the Forums - The Moderator is a die-hard Saga fan from the good old days of Silent Knight etc....I've tried to edumacate them about Arena / Bendragon etc...but it's a bit like trying to get a Ferrari fan to appreciate Kimi before he drives for the Scuderia! LOL!

[PH]

It has transpired that The Butterfly Man & myself are F1 fans...

...even worse, we're both McLaren Fans... 

So rather than bung-up the "Now Reading" Thread with gratuitous Motor Racing stuff...here's a new thread!

Very good!
You've just shown how to keep a topic clear of offtopic posting.
You see, Nicky?

(And I have just shown how to get offtopic again...)

[The Butterfly Man]

Great to have our own thread Gelert!

As I said, I'm a fan since '96, when I was only 10 years old. I simply liked McLaren's livery, with the bright red and white from main sponsor Marlboro. Now, 12 years later McLaren is still my favourite team. What began as simply 'liking the colors' turned out to be a big passion of mine. I went to my first 'real-life' GP in 1999 in Belgium. Through the years I've been to races in Belgium (1999,2000,2001,2002,2004), France (2003, 2007), Germany (2005), Spain (2006) and Hungary (also 2006). This coming September I will go to the Italian Grand Prix.

But first the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. Hope McLaren can beat Ferrari again. It's been a while...

Tom

[gelert]

Nice one, BFM... 

Watch those Beemers tho'...! Bobby is a right good racer, and one of the few that LH is afraid of!

Interesting new nose design of Ferrari's - and now reported to be over 30 years old - first mooted by Colin Chapman Lotus c. 1987 / 8....er, allegedly!

Yeah - I hope that Mac can pull their socks-up this meeting - Bahrain was a disaster for LH. But Sepang was fraught with Qually penalties that have distorted Mac's progress so far...

Glad that Super Aguri are at least able to turn-up for Barca - even if it's only to fill the garage, and not actually to race. I always support the TRUE underdog!

GP2 is on ITV now, rather than on Euro-Sport - hope that you can watch it? Grosjean's Star is in the Ascendancy! Next stop for him HAS to be F1!

Where is coverage of the Porsche Supercup though? Jerone Bleekermollen (spelling?) is a great driver!

[PH]

Tom, you posted the 30000th post on the forum.
And you wasted it on a F1 and other Motor Racing stuff type-thread...

[Nicky007]

Hey Paco, you shouldnt say such things 

I didnt 

Nicky.

[PH]

Ok, I see that I pushed this thread over the edge into "off-topic" again.
I'll leave you two alone with your Hot Wheels.

Come Nicky, we don't belong here.
*pats Nicky on back and both walk off*

[bluepony]

Not sure I'm allowed to post here (since I'm just a girl), but I used to be a big F1 fan, and I drive a sports car, that must count for something!

Moreover, I live (presently) less than 1 hour away from the Hockenheimring racing track and when I lived in Spain it was in close vicinity to the Circuit de Catalunya - this cannot be a coincidence!  

[The Butterfly Man]

Nice one, BFM... 

Watch those Beemers tho'...! Bobby is a right good racer, and one of the few that LH is afraid of!

Indeed, I think it's fairly safe to say that BMW will win a Grand Prix this year. But I believe that Lewis Hamilton has to be more afraid of his teammate. Although Lewis won the season opener Heikki looks stronger and far more consistant since then!

Interesting new nose design of Ferrari's - and now reported to be over 30 years old - first mooted by Colin Chapman Lotus c. 1987 / 8....er, allegedly!

I just think both Ferrari drivers have smelly feet...

Yeah - I hope that Mac can pull their socks-up this meeting - Bahrain was a disaster for LH. But Sepang was fraught with Qually penalties that have distorted Mac's progress so far...

Indeed, let's hope for the best! Remember the good old days when McLaren was always miles ahead of the pack in Barcelona (1998/1999/2000)?

Glad that Super Aguri are at least able to turn-up for Barca - even if it's only to fill the garage, and not actually to race. I always support the TRUE underdog!

Yeah I truly hope they can race in Spain (and the rest of the season of course!) 'cause I really like that team! But on the other hand, if you're not capable of putting 2 of your OWN cars (so not last year's Honda!) on the grid, what's the point in wanting to be in F1? Or, as Ron Dennis likes to say: 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the bloody kitchen!'

GP2 is on ITV now, rather than on Euro-Sport - hope that you can watch it? Grosjean's Star is in the Ascendancy! Next stop for him HAS to be F1!

Where is coverage of the Porsche Supercup though? Jerone Bleekermollen (spelling?) is a great driver!

Yeah I can watch the GP2-races on the Dutch Eurosport here, so that's cool! But Grosjean is a great driver, you're right about that!!

I don't know where to watch the Porche Supercup though! Oh and it's 'Jeroen Bleekemolen'!

Cheers, Tom

[The Butterfly Man]

Not sure I'm allowed to post here (since I'm just a girl), but I used to be a big F1 fan, and I drive a sports car, that must count for something!

Sure you're allowed to post here Bluey! What sports car do you drive???

Moreover, I live (presently) less than 1 hour away from the Hockenheimring racing track and when I lived in Spain it was in close vicinity to the Circuit de Catalunya - this cannot be a coincidence!  

That's very good to know! So when I decide to go to the German GP again (when it's being held at Hockenheim) I don't have to worry about where to stay! Great! 

Tom

[Nicky007]

Now we need an extension of the doggy joke 

(This is a great place for off-color comments) 

Nicky.

[bluepony]

Sure you're allowed to post here Bluey!

Well, you never know - some men are a bit 'difficult' when it comes to women being interested in fast cars and soccer...

What sports car do you drive???

No Porsche or Ferrari I'm afraid - just a nice little Audi TT. 230 km/h top speed (confirmed). I love it!!! (And I think Ian does too now.)

That's very good to know! So when I decide to go to the German GP again (when it's being held at Hockenheim) I don't have to worry about where to stay! Great! 

Sure - just let me know a bit in advance so I can get a ticket too!

[gelert]

Crikey...Audi Fan (BP) and Mercedes' Fan (BFM) conversing! The DTM wars will never be the same again! 

BP - girl's are WAY allowed to support Motor-racing - Mrs. G & myself watch F1 - together - religiously! And I've also turned her onto the BTCC - and slowly onto GP2 (cue obvious joke, Nicky-styleé).

Super Aguri have until the start of First Practice tomorrow 25/04/2008 @ 0900hrs to secure a sponsor / money. Otherwise, that's it! Honda have had enough of supporting them. It'll be a shame to lose them, but I agree BFM - they've got to stand on their own feet, especially from 2009 when "Customer Car Concessions" definitely end!

I'm going to try to watch Free Practice One @ 0900hrs tomorrow on ITV.com (you might be lucky in the Netherlands - try to log on? http://www.itv-f1.com/home.aspx). If there are any "Smelly Ferrari Feet" issues to report, I'll post them...! LMAO @ that BFM...

Laters.

[gelert]

Macs are fucked...!

Heikki had a gearbox oil-pump failure in FP1, which was swapped-out between sessions - but then his throttle went all Pete Tong in FP2 about 50 minutes in, and he didn't do any more running.

Lewis failed to get heat into his rear brakes, and had massive oversteer across both sessions, culminating in a spin early on in FP2. No damage fortunately - just sheer embarrassment!

Mac have a lot of work ahead of them tomorrow morning, if they're gonna do anything in qually, let alone the race. 


Super Aguri are running at this meeting, but after that they need to get sponsorship - big time! Nobody knows if they've even managed to come-up with the €2 million for THIS race alone! Possibly Bernie Politics? But they're over a second off the pace!

"Cheesy-Feet" head the timings sadly! Kimi up on Massa hugely, and Massa spun in FP1.

Beemers looking solid - as are Toybota / Toy-Boater!

Nando showboating for the crowd during FPs - don't expect much from Renault tho' - Q3 would be a bonus for them.

Honda's are pants, even with the new nose-mounted gull-wings.

Laters.

[maddox]

Can we somehow make a poll out of this? 

[gelert]

Poll aside.... 

Nando is running on fumes - expect him to pit for fuel on lap #2...unless the Safety Car comes out - then it'll be lap #1 - LOL.

Massa fucked-up - but this time he actually held his hand up to it, rather than blame someone else - he's learning!

Mac's are SHOCKED... 

And MY F1-Manager League team is looking good  2 x works Renault Engines, and 1 x Toyboater Chassis! Go Tiot-Storm! 

[The Butterfly Man]

Poll aside.... 

Nando is running on fumes - expect him to pit for fuel on lap #2...unless the Safety Car comes out - then it'll be lap #1 - LOL.

Massa fucked-up - but this time he actually held his hand up to it, rather than blame someone else - he's learning!

Mac's are SHOCKED... 

And MY F1-Manager League team is looking good  2 x works Renault Engines, and 1 x Toyboater Chassis! Go Tiot-Storm! 

I seriously doubt Fernando will have to pit on lap 2. Sure, he may be on a lighter fuel load then the Ferrari's, but Renault have shown very good progress since last week's testing! And Fernando really is a hell of a driver (I wish he would never have left McLaren!) so, with a bit of luck I think he might end up on the podium tomorrow.

McLaren.....................very disappointing. Here's hoping they are on a different strategy but I honestly don't think so. But we have to bear in mind that the gaps between the drivers in front are so ridiculously small...Hamilton is only 0,283 seconds away from pole so that is not that bad.

Have a nice race tomorrow Gelert!

Tom

[bluepony]

Crikey...Audi Fan (BP) and Mercedes' Fan (BFM) conversing!

Well, I'm not really a die-hard Audi fan (although I drive one and I must say, they launched some very interesting new cars in the recent past - if only the R8 and RS6 weren't so expensive...!); I rather consider myself a fan of all fast cars. However, the redder, flatter and the more horses they have on the bonnet, the better!

The DTM wars will never be the same again! 

Could be worse though - I could be driving in the DTM!

BP - girl's are WAY allowed to support Motor-racing - Mrs. G & myself watch F1 - together - religiously!

Well, I guess it could turn into my new religion if only I had someone around who was just half as fanatic as I... since this is not the case, I contend myself with watching F1 on TV every other week.

[Appelmoes??]

Does the Gran Turismo game count?

[bluepony]

Well - is it flat?!

[Appelmoes??]

It's a disc, so yes, about 2 mm

[gelert]

However, the redder, flatter and the more horses they have on the bonnet, the better!

Crap....BFM, BP's a "Scum" fan.... 

Only jesting, BP! 

Damn, damn, damn bloody Renault engines....too much time spent by Rennie on the Mechachrome GP2 lumps, and not enough on the F1 plant! Did I mention DAMN before?

Whatever...are Mac closer to "The Scum"?

Well, apparently Ferrari's kitchen cupboards are bare, and somebody needs to go shopping!

I believe that Kimi was "doggin' it" (Crikey! http://www.swingingheaven.co.uk/dogging/), as he said that "he wasn't pushing" (Fnaar, Fnnar!).



But Massa's statement was that his team could not afford to be complacent: http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42446 "Let's keep working and imporving (WTF?), because we saw that our competitors are very close, so we need to pay attention race by race and keep working like crazy in the factory to improve the car in every area" says a lot more!



Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali's statement was: "I don't know what the English equivalent is, but you bring the food at home and maybe you will use it when you need it." (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/66997)

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because I don't generally do the Grocery Shopping - I pay for it, but I don't actually collect it from the Supermarket. Is Domenicali saying that somebody needs to go shopping? Is there a Special Offer on at Tesco's regarding F1 Technical Secrets? 

[Nicky007]

Damn, damn ... bloody BFM, BP's a bare kitchen cupboard .... 

Only too much time spent, BP! 

Jesting Mechachrome GP2 lumps and not enough Renault engines....by Rennie on the F1 plant! Did I DAMN mention before?

Whatever... is Mac closer to Threshold?

Well, apparently Ferraris are crapdoggin' "The Scum" and need to go shopping!

I believe that Kimi was like crazy in the factory as he said that "he wasn't pushing" (Fnaar, Fnnar!).

But  Domenicali's statement was that I don't generally do the attention race - I pay for our competitors, the team could not afford to : Let's keep working and imporning (WTF?), because we saw that very close, so we need to pay by race and be complacent and keep working to improve the car in every area says a lot more!

Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Massa's somebody needs to go shopping "I don't know what the English food is, but you bring the equivalent at home and maybe you will need it when you use it."

Because but I don't actually collect it from the Supermarket Domenicali is saying that there is a Special Grocery Shopping Offer on at Tesco's regarding F1 crap 

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me ....

Should we say "autoistic" ? 

Reminds me a bit of Joyce's Ulysses actually 

Nicky.

[Appelmoes??]

Well - is it flat?!

Btw, if you like flat, move to that Netherlands It's flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!