Formula 1 & Other Motor Racing

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Chris Amon still takes an interest, albeit from a distance, doesn't he? D'ya know if he's well OoO?

 

He's very well indeed, MPFC. All those years on the farm have kept him fit too - he should be on this planet for aeons yet.

[Tuber Mirum 125]

Chris Amon still takes an interest, albeit from a distance, doesn't he? D'ya know if he's well OoO?

 

He's very well indeed, MPFC. All those years on the farm have kept him fit too - he should be on this planet for aeons yet.

You could say the same for James Doohan.

[Banshees Scream 110]

You could say the same for James Doohan.

 

Not in his 'will' but we don't always get what we want in death, now do we?

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Jacques Villeneuve is apparently not too impressed with Lewis Hamilton's early F1 success

 

Le pot calling Lewis.......

 

Let's see: a young driver, who spent his childhood immersed in the sport, joins a good team in his first season of F1 and scores loads of early season success. He ruffles a few feathers with the old guard, yet still defers to his more experienced team mate, whilst bringing some excitement back to a sport that desperately needs it.

 

Yeah, I can see why Villeneuve would be critical of that. And I've been to his nightclub in Montreal. It sucks.

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

If our man Lewis stays true to Villenueve form, then, he'll push Alonso all the way this year, losing out at the last race, before winning his own world title next year.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,684]

Anyway, it'll all be two-wheel related deaths over the next week or so, in that strange lemming-fest they call the Isle of Man TT races. Take care, Handrejka!

 

I'm surprised it took so long

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

Isle of Man TT organisers said an investigation had been launched into the circumstances of the incident.

 

Just a hunch, like. D'ya think it might be related to running powerful bikes over winding public roads and allowing amateurs into the event?

 

Is it right that next year they're holding a 'hot hatch' event for joy riding chavs that'll end in a mass torching of the cars?

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

I doubt any of you would ever of heard of him, but I have been greatly saddened to hear the death of my friend and journalistic colleague, Earl Ma, today, who died of cancer at just 35 years of age. I think the best tribute so far comes from his good friend and racing driver, Memo Gidley, which can be found here.

 

I mourn his early loss, a double blow after recently losing one of those men who got me interested in motor racing in the first place with his tales of seeing Fangio & Moss as a young man at Silverstone, Geoff Andrews.

 

Neither were household names, but greatly respected & I will miss Earl's inputs & advice. Forgive the personal tribute, but I feel he deserves as much a mention as 3rd rate actors from the Far East etc.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,684]

Bad-looking crash for Kubica in the Canadian GP, hope the bloke's OK.

[M.Lawrenson 11]

Bad-looking crash for Kubica in the Canadian GP, hope the bloke's OK.

 

You could have at least have waited until the race had finished. Still, Kubica's manager has just been interviewed on TV, and said he's conscious/talking and just been transferred to hospital. Terrible looking accident, though.

[M.Lawrenson 11]

Bad-looking crash for Kubica in the Canadian GP, hope the bloke's OK.

 

You could have at least have waited until the race had finished. Still, Kubica's manager has just been interviewed on TV, and said he's conscious/talking and just been transferred to hospital. Terrible looking accident, though.

 

Word is that Kubica has escaped with only a broken leg. Lucky man, and seeing how his head was thrashing around in the crash, looks as though the HANS device has been a big help.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

I must admit I thought he was in serious trouble. That head was moving around too much. But the monocoque stayed together, the HANS device stayed intact - had either failed, he'd be dead now. It just shows that as safe as Formula 1 can be, it's still a dangerous sport if the luck should run out or the situation veer slightly.

 

Shame he's been ruled out for some while - a damn good driver. It'll be interesting to see who BMW bring in. Vettel? Glock? Or someone else like de la Rosa as it's a top drive available?

 

To MPFC - now THAT was a good old-fashioned GP. Incident everywhere, black flags, yellow flags galore, plenty of passing etc & a new winner, who I must admit drove brilliantly. Wurz on the podium!!! And my new highlight of the season... no make that decade.... Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri passing Fernando Alonso in the McLaren for 6th.

 

Wonderful stuff and that's the reason I stay in the mix - every so often there's a GP like this that rekindles the old flame. Let's hope it stays like that.

[themaninblack 2,112]

I must admit I thought he was in serious trouble. That head was moving around too much. But the monocoque stayed together, the HANS device stayed intact - had either failed, he'd be dead now. It just shows that as safe as Formula 1 can be, it's still a dangerous sport if the luck should run out or the situation veer slightly.

 

Shame he's been ruled out for some while - a damn good driver. It'll be interesting to see who BMW bring in. Vettel? Glock? Or someone else like de la Rosa as it's a top drive available?

 

To MPFC - now THAT was a good old-fashioned GP. Incident everywhere, black flags, yellow flags galore, plenty of passing etc & a new winner, who I must admit drove brilliantly. Wurz on the podium!!! And my new highlight of the season... no make that decade.... Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri passing Fernando Alonso in the McLaren for 6th.

 

Wonderful stuff and that's the reason I stay in the mix - every so often there's a GP like this that rekindles the old flame. Let's hope it stays like that.

 

Best GP I've seen since.....oh I don't remember! But Hamilton, talk about beginner's luck! Crash, Bang, Wallop everywhere and he glides serenely through.....Alonso's got his work cut out, that's for sure!

 

Here's a tidbit, on Saturday Cook's it was mentioned that 1979 champion Jody Schecktor has a range of sausages on the market. Fancy that!

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Highlights of the race suggest Alonso should be on a lawnmower next time out. Which when added to their lack of success at Wimbledon and international football indicates that Spaniards are rubbish on grass.

[Guest Guest]

I must admit I thought he was in serious trouble. That head was moving around too much. But the monocoque stayed together, the HANS device stayed intact - had either failed, he'd be dead now. It just shows that as safe as Formula 1 can be, it's still a dangerous sport if the luck should run out or the situation veer slightly.

 

Shame he's been ruled out for some while - a damn good driver. It'll be interesting to see who BMW bring in. Vettel? Glock? Or someone else like de la Rosa as it's a top drive available?

 

To MPFC - now THAT was a good old-fashioned GP. Incident everywhere, black flags, yellow flags galore, plenty of passing etc & a new winner, who I must admit drove brilliantly. Wurz on the podium!!! And my new highlight of the season... no make that decade.... Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri passing Fernando Alonso in the McLaren for 6th.

 

Wonderful stuff and that's the reason I stay in the mix - every so often there's a GP like this that rekindles the old flame. Let's hope it stays like that.

 

Best GP I've seen since.....oh I don't remember! But Hamilton, talk about beginner's luck! Crash, Bang, Wallop everywhere and he glides serenely through.....Alonso's got his work cut out, that's for sure!

 

Here's a tidbit, on Saturday Cook's it was mentioned that 1979 champion Jody Schecktor has a range of sausages on the market. Fancy that!

Riveting. I was on the edge of my seat hoping the plucky little safety car could hold on for victory after such a long time sharing the lead with that British guy, but sadly it wasn't to be.

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

To MPFC - now THAT was a good old-fashioned GP. Incident everywhere, black flags, yellow flags galore, plenty of passing etc & a new winner, who I must admit drove brilliantly. Wurz on the podium!!! And my new highlight of the season... no make that decade.... Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri passing Fernando Alonso in the McLaren for 6th.

 

 

Indeed OoO, sounds a good 'un, I'll confess to missing all but the first corner, which I heard on radio, me and the Voice of Young Maryport having opted to gan to a gig. Will take in the highlights on video later today.

See our man Kubica is already a star of You Tube.

 

 

A decision regarding Kubica's participation in next weekend's United States Grand Prix will be taken at Indianapolis on Thursday.

[To die for 3]

Wow, that was the best race I've seen for four or five seasons The BBC are reporting Kubica has nothing more serious than a sprained ankle and concussion. It's usually Spa that produces that sort of action, last year's season was even more dull without it. Lets hope Indianapolis is as good.

The MotoGP was also pretty exciting, it looked for a while like Rossi and Stoner would take one another off.

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

Wow, that was the best race I've seen for four or five seasons The BBC are reporting Kubica has nothing more serious than a sprained ankle and concussion. It's usually Spa that produces that sort of action, last year's season was even more dull without it. Lets hope Indianapolis is as good.

The MotoGP was also pretty exciting, it looked for a while like Rossi and Stoner would take one another off.

 

 

Re Indianapolis being as good, are you talking overtaking and uncertainty or high speed accidents with the potential for sudden death?

[To die for 3]

Wow, that was the best race I've seen for four or five seasons The BBC are reporting Kubica has nothing more serious than a sprained ankle and concussion. It's usually Spa that produces that sort of action, last year's season was even more dull without it. Lets hope Indianapolis is as good.

The MotoGP was also pretty exciting, it looked for a while like Rossi and Stoner would take one another off.

 

 

Re Indianapolis being as good, are you talking overtaking and uncertainty or high speed accidents with the potential for sudden death?

All of the above. Of course there's nothing like a large concrete wall on the exit of a high speed corner for a potential high speed accident (I'm sure both Ralph Schumacher and Alonso will remember that), but watching Kubica bounce off several walls it looks like they would have to do something even more extreme for it to be fatal (or just be very unlucky), I'm thinking a couple of races back Wurz had a car come very close to landing on his head and no amount of strength in the car will mitigate against freak accidents.

 

I've never been one to hope for an accident (unless Michael Schumacher was involved, and even then I wouldn't have wished him injured, just to crash out and it to be his fault) but it does make the race exciting

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Wow, that was the best race I've seen for four or five seasons The BBC

 

Re Indianapolis being as good, are you talking overtaking and uncertainty or high speed accidents with the potential for sudden death?

but watching Kubica bounce off several walls it looks like they would have to do something even more extreme for it to be fatal (or just be very unlucky),

 

Perhaps one of our resident F1 boffins could advise whether, had the car had come down upside down, the hump thingy behind Kubica would have kept his head from smashing onto the track. There's loads to choose from on Youtube, but this clip with a short montage build-up, complete with getting the name of the racetrack wrong, is quite good. http://youtube.com/watch?v=9nKDtWVHOic

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

I'll leave that advice to Lawro and OoO but if you want a more chilling thought look at the angle of the car as it flies and the brief shot you get showing the collection of stuff behind the concrete wall. Another scenario, the car flying nose down, might have seen it clip the wall and come down upside down, tipping him onto some of the collected items in that 'safe' area, where piercing and impact injuries would have been more likely.

 

As Nick Ross would say; 'don't have nightmares.'

[To die for 3]

I'll leave that advice to Lawro and OoO but if you want a more chilling thought look at the angle of the car as it flies and the brief shot you get showing the collection of stuff behind the concrete wall. Another scenario, the car flying nose down, might have seen it clip the wall and come down upside down, tipping him onto some of the collected items in that 'safe' area, where piercing and impact injuries would have been more likely.

 

As Nick Ross would say; 'don't have nightmares.'

The clip showing the crash from Liuzzi's car looks pretty scary too, lots of bits of flying suspension and carbon fibre shrapnel, he did very well to thread the car past most of it, and was also lucky not to be collected by what was left of Kubica's car.

[themaninblack 2,112]

I'll leave that advice to Lawro and OoO but if you want a more chilling thought look at the angle of the car as it flies and the brief shot you get showing the collection of stuff behind the concrete wall. Another scenario, the car flying nose down, might have seen it clip the wall and come down upside down, tipping him onto some of the collected items in that 'safe' area, where piercing and impact injuries would have been more likely.

 

As Nick Ross would say; 'don't have nightmares.'

 

For me it was the wheel, if that had hit anyone....

It was a wheel that done for Ayrton Senna back in 1994. Just goes to show how much safer cars are these days, I thought Kubica was a goner...

[Captain Oates 21]

The videos mentioned above have now been taken off YouTube for copyright reasons

 

Of course, I'm sure that none of us would have a copy...

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Perhaps one of our resident F1 boffins could advise whether, had the car had come down upside down, the hump thingy behind Kubica would have kept his head from smashing onto the track.

 

Essentially, yes. Pedro Diniz had the same kind of accident about 5years ago & survived without a single scratch.

 

What saved Kubica was the HANS device first. This is the head & neck support. Secondly, the monocoque stayed rigid & virtually undamaged. Thirdly, the main head support in the car was intact. Fourthly, he had a bit of luck (as did others) that he didn't (1) hit the wall straight on (2) carbon fibre didn't hit him in a particular area (3) that he didn't collide into another car as his car disitengrated (4) that he didn't go over the armco in the monocoque. Any of those incidents would've either killed him or left his injuries to be far more serious than they actually are.

 

 

The impact that crash had in terms of g-force was similiar to Martin Donnelly's in 1990. But in those days there was no head support, no monocoque (in fact it disintegrated). That's the reason Donnelly now walks with a permanent limp and Kubica, bar a little gingerly steps today, is fine.