Motorsport Off Topic Thread

Hmmm, this DailySportsCar write-up* puts a much more positive light on the merger than I had, and it's a credible source for the Daytona/WEC rumours.

They also suggest that the ALMS will be used as a base for regulatory framework. I'll believe that when I see it, but if it's true that guarantees compatibility with FIA 2014 regulations.

*Free to read presumably because this is big news in sportscar racing.
 
FIA GT3 is by far the biggest category for customer cars at least (they manage to run 2 world champs using it) so not choosing a base that allows a category of them would be a mistake.
 
I assume that's where the current GAGT class would figure. This year's Daytona 24 had a couple of R8 LMS GT3s converted to GAGT spec - they were horribly slow, but the conversion was a rush job. GT3 would be much more welcome than ALMS GTC at least.

EDIT - BoP would be a *major* issue though. I don't think factory teams (mainly Corvette/Viper) would stick around if GT3s could get anywhere near their pace, and the prospect of manufacturer money would have played a big part in deciding to merge.
 
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Skeeter said:
BoP?
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Balance of Performance. Things like restrictor size, wing span, weight, boost pressure, fuel flow, etc. can be changed after any race during a season at the behest of the sanctioning body, to slow down/speed up cars that are too far from their competitors.

It happens in most GT racing series (GTE has its fair share), but GT3 is quite literally built around it. It's supposed to keep costs down by discouraging development and make sure that on-track action is plentiful. But for these same reasons GT3 cars will never race at Le Mans, so teams like Corvette Racing who spend a lot on their cars wouldn't be too pleased if much cheaper customer GT3s can keep up.
 
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So a press conference has been called 10am tomorrow US time, but with streaming via NASCAR/Grand-Am websites. As well as officially announcing the merger, they should give an idea as to which classes will survive. I'd expect the following:

1) Drop P1 (to be expected); P2 combines with DP (P2 cars will need a lot of weight added though)
2) Keep GTE (to keep Corvette/BMW RLL/Viper/etc. from jumping to the WEC and taking their manufacturer money with them)
3) GTC combines with GAGT in a new GT3-like class, albeit never fast enough to trouble the GTE cars
 
Italian ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi, who lost both legs following a crash in 2001, has won Paralympic gold.

Competing in the H4 handcycling time trial, the 45-year-old beat Germany's Nobert Mosandl by more than 27 seconds at Brands Hatch.

Zanardi had both legs amputated following a near-fatal Champ Car accident at Germany's Lausitzring.

Since then he has won world time trial silver in 2011, after finishing fourth in the 2007 New York marathon.

nXHXj.jpg
 
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,766954,00.html

Not an easy read.

This is from his Wiki for anyone who doesn't know just how much he had done after nearly dying.

Zanardi was fitted with two prosthetic limbs and began an ambitious rehabilitation program. Dissatisfied with the limitations of legs available commercially, Zanardi designed and built his own bespoke legs, to allow him to compare the weight and stiffness of various feet in order to find the most suitable for racing. In 2002, CART honoured Zanardi by giving him the privilege of waving the checkered flag in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2003, Zanardi was not only back behind the wheel, he was also racing again, with the aid of hand-operated brake and accelerator controls. He completed the final thirteen laps at the race track which had nearly killed him in 2001, and did so at highly competitive speeds approaching 310 km/h (193 mph). In fact, had he been qualifying for the race that weekend, he would have been fifth. It was a fitting testament to his recovery and persuaded him that a race return was something to pursue.


Zanardi competed at Monza, Italy, in his first race since the accident in a touring car modified to allow the use of his prosthetic feet, finishing the race quite impressively in seventh. In 2004, Zanardi returned to racing full-time, driving for Roberto Ravaglia's BMW Team Italy-Spain in the FIA European Touring Car Championship. The season did not see him score many points, but for 2005 matters were much improved, in a series which became the World Touring Car Championship by adding two non-European races. On August 24, 2005, Zanardi won his first world series race since his accident at Lausitzring. He had taken advantage of the championship's reverse grid system, in which by finishing the weekend's first race in 8th, a driver starts the second on pole. Still, Zanardi had held off attacks from several drivers, and duly celebrated his win with a series of trademark "donuts". He then finished the season strongly. He took further wins at Istanbul in 2006 and Brno in 2008 and 2009. At the end of the 2009 season he announced his retirement from the WTCC.[12]

Zanardi returned to a Formula One car in late November 2006 at a testing session for BMW Sauber in Valencia, Spain. The car had been specially adapted to have hand controls fitted on the steering wheel. After the drive Zanardi told the main problem he was having was using only his right hand to steer through corners, as his left operated the throttle.[13] Zanardi was quoted as saying, "Of course, I know that I won't get a contract with the Formula One team, however having the chance to drive an F1 racer again is just incredible."[14][15]

Since 2004, he has had his own range of kart chassis, called the Zanardi, which has been raced in the European KF1 Championship and World Championship as well as in many other racing events worldwide. Dutch driver Nyck de Vries has won the CIK-FIA Karting World Championship in 2010 and 2011 with Zanardi karts.

In 2007 he achieved 4th place in the New York City Marathon in the handcycle division,[16] after only four weeks of training. He has since taken up handcycling in earnest, and competed at the Para-Cycling Road World Championships in 2009. He stated that he was targeting a place in the Italian team for the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[17] In 2009 he won the Venice Marathon in the category for the disabled, riding his wheelchair in one hour, thirteen minutes, 56 seconds, and won the Rome City Marathon in 2010, in a time of one hour, fifteen minutes, 53 seconds.[18] In 2011, at his fourth attempt, Zanardi won the New York City Marathon in his handcycling class.[19]

On September 5, 2012, Zanardi won a gold medal in the men's road time trial H4 at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London,[20][21] finishing 27.14 seconds ahead of Nobert Mosandi.[22] Afterwards he stated he would be interested in returning to auto racing for the 2013 Indianapolis 500.[23]
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:eek:
 
You're talking about a list where Lewis Hamilton is being ranked as a better driver than Graham Hill, Jack Brabham and Emmo Fittipaldi. I don't think the rankings are anything close to being sane.

Hill - two-time champion, Indy 500 winner, Le Mans 24hrs winner, five-time winner of Monaco GP.
Brabham - three-time champion, won a title in a car bearing his own name, still able to win races in his final year 15 years after he'd started out.
Fittpaldi - two-time champion, gave McLaren their first drivers and constructors titles, two-time Indy 500 winner and '89 CART champion.

Hamilton - one-time champion, petulant berk :D

I shall leave the floor open for rebuttals, derision, and outright trolling.
 
These things are always subject to personal opinion and how recent people's memories are, but i agree with the general consensus that the list is wrong. Some all time greats being put behind current top drivers.

I assume number 1 is Schumacher (first career)? I'd agree with that.
 
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