Did anyone watch the race Sunday?

My coworker taped it, but I haven't seen the tape.

You miss soo much when you're there.

I'll post a few pics sometime soon.

I was kinda pissed about the incident at the start.

Just finished watching this event-filled race; the safety car came out 4 times [thanks to some huge crashes from Liuzzi (of STR) and from both Ferrari drivers], 10 drivers ended up on the DNF list and some pretty disappointing moments for Webber (the Aussie the leading the Aussie GP until gearbox woes hit him) as well as for Button.
You gotta feel bad for Button; it was just a downhill slide for him (at the start of the race), culminating in his engine blowup within sight the finish line
At any rate though, if this carnage keeps up, Ferrari is going to have to start making extra cars; Massa destroyed two cars in as many days and M. Schumacher finished his off today

... haven't had a chance to catch a single race of this fledging series yet. Has anyone watched/followed it this season (so far)? Your thoughts on it?

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Driver Paul Dana died after a two-car crash Sunday during the warmup for the season-opening IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The other driver, Ed Carpenter, was awake and alert at a Miami hospital, IRL officials said.

Dana, 30, a former motorsports journalist with a degree from Northwestern, was a rookie who competed in three IRL races for Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing last year with a best finish of 10th in the race at Homestead.

The Toyota Indy 300 race was expected to be run as scheduled. Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing for which Dana was to race this season, said the team's other two cars -- driven by Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice -- will be pulled out of the race.

Dana's wife, Tonya, was in Indianapolis, where the couple lived, and was notified of her husband's death while attending a church service.

``Obviously, this is a very black day for us,'' Rahal said. ``This is a great tragedy.''

Carpenter spun and hit the wall moments after the practice began at 10 a.m. EST. As Carpenter's battered car slid to a stop, Dana slammed into it at almost full speed -- about 200 mph.

Dana's car nearly split in half. The chassis flew about 6 feet off the ground and pieces were strewn down the track. It nearly turned over, but landed on its wheels before sliding to a halt.

Buddy Lazier said Dana passed him and Scott Sharp after both slowed because of the accident.

``He carried way too much speed in and wasn't aware of what was going on around him,'' Lazier said.

Asked about Dana, Tony George, who founded the IRL in 1995 and is Carpenter's stepfather, said, ``I really don't know at this point what happened or who was at fault. It's just a real shame. I don't know that it was inexperience. I don't want to say anything about that.''

There was no immediate explanation for Dana's failure to slow down several seconds after the yellow lights came on around the track because of Carpenter's crash.

``That's just the first time of the weekend that we got all 20 cars on the track at the same time,'' said IRL president Brian Barnhart. ``Ed had his problem in turn two initially. The yellow lights were called immediately and all systems functioned properly. It's just a busy time out there, with a lot of cars and a lot of traffic.''

Rahal said the team knew of no problem with communications.

``The spotter made clear the incident,'' Rahal said. ``From what I could see, there was a car on the outside. Paul was just passing or had just passed, but I think it would be conjecture and probably very irresponsible for me to try to dissect as to why what happened, happened. But there was no problem with communication.''

It took track safety workers about 15 minutes to get both drivers out of their cars. The practice session did not resume.

A moment of silence was observed before the start of the 300-mile race. Otherwise, the prerace ceremonies, including the introduction of the remaining 17 drivers, went according to schedule.

Rahal, who co-owns the team with television talk show host David Letterman, said the plan was to field cars for Patrick and Rice at next Sunday's race in St. Petersburg, Fla. He said any future plans for the No. 17 entry, the car driven by Dana, ``are unclear at this time.''

Dana and Carpenter, the stepson of IRL founder Tony George, both were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. IRL officials said Dana died shortly before noon.

George, who owns the Vision Racing team that fields cars for Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter, returned from the hospital about one hour before the start of the race. He did not disclose his stepson's injuries, but said Carpenter was still awaiting a CAT scan, adding ``He's the lowest priority, so it looks like he will be fine.''

Dana is the first IRL driver killed since Tony Renna died in a crash during testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2003. The last NASCAR driver killed was Dale Earnhardt in February 2001, and the last driver to die in Formula One was Ayrton Senna in May 1994.

It is the third racing death at the Homestead track -- John Nemechek was killed in a NASCAR truck race in February 1997 and Jeff Clinton died in a Grand Am sports car event at the track in March 2002.

The IRL also had a tragedy in May 1999 when a wheel from a car sailed into the grandstand at what was then Charlotte Motor Speedway, killing three spectators and injuring eight others.

Well, where to begin with this year's inaugural race? A Ferrari 1-2 at the starting grid and a few new teams and faces and Raikonnen dead last. It was quite a race though; looks like passing is back in fashion in F1 with the multitude of battles that were happening as the race progressed (M. Schumacher v Alonso.. Klein v. Rosberg... Rosberg v. Coulthard... Montoya v Button) Nice to see Williams with a strong showing (with Webber and Rosberg) finishing in the points with their new engine partner Cosworth.
Of course, business as usual for the mediocrity that is Jacques Villeneuve who DNF when his car caught on fire .. the best of course was Raikonnen going from dead last to finish 3rd (with just a one stop strategy); this guy is simply amazing! I hope McLaren isn't stupid enough to let him go... Speaking of which, is this Alonso's last year at Renault?

UPDATE Nov 18th: New video links at the end of this post.

To me, this is the most spectacular kind of auto racing although it's not popular in the U.S. yet. It's been a long time since I brought it up, so I thought I'd bring it up again for the newer board members. Basically, it's car racing except instead of doing it on a track or closed course, it's on public roads and streets that are closed off for the race, and the drivers race one by one for the fastest time through the course. They drive all over the world on different surfaces and all weather conditions, just like real people! Even their cars look like real-people's cars.

One of my favorite things is how close to stock the cars are, or at least start. Regulations keep the car chasis and engine block stock, and based on relatively common cars (Focus, Impreza, Lancer, Accent, Peugeot 307, Citroen Xsara, Skodas...). The cars must at times drive (not race) on open public roads and therefore must be street legal. That includes all required lights, mirrors, and yes, catalytic converters. Of course besides the air intake size, engine block (and original 2.0L displacement) and chasis, everything else is basically open to modification and there is no spending limit. There is a minimum weight which is a hefty 2700lbs. This means there is no point in just trying to save weight with carbon fiber, or in removing the power windows or doors. On the other hand, it frees teams to add weight to the car when necessary, in $10,000 shock absorbers, 300hp turbocharged 2.0L engines and sophisticated computer-controlled all-wheel-drive transmissions with paddle-shifters, stability control, ABS and every other thing that could possibly help.

Like I said, they race in all weather conditions and on all kinds of roads. In Sweden they race in snow, on fast gravel roads in Australia and New Zealand, on slow, hot, twisty dirt roads in Cyprus and Greece. Faster dirt roads in Mexico and Argentina. Germany and Spain have some very fast asphalt racing, rain or shine. Finland has tree-lined gravel roads with jumps so fast and high that several people blacked out on the landing. The Turkey race was so twisty and hot some teams opted to re-install the air conditioning in their cars. And Montecarlo's terrain is so varied that teams are often on slicks in the snow in parts of the race.

It's funny watching them race with slicks on the snow. They have stupid-looking slow-moving accidents like you see every winter. Besides that, their driving is little short of Amazing to watch. They fly by inches away from fences, curbs, trees, buildings, guardrails, rocks, cliffs and wildlife sometimes at 100mph. Some roads are so bumpy it looks like they're only touching the road half the time. Others are so muddy or snowy the cars slide completely sideways around the bends. Many of the hairpins are tighter than the car's turning radius and they have to do a 180 with the parking brake.

Another favorite part of rallying is the failures. Lots of people like to watch the inevitable spectacular crashes; I like the near-misses more. But I like interesting failures. Shreded tires, broken wheels, clogged air filters, broken driveshafts and differentials. Even missing spoilers can make a big difference. Hoods that pop open mid-race. Loose steering wheels, power steering failures, brake failures, brake fires, coolant leaks, etc, etc. In most racing any of these things basically mean the race is lost, but not in rallying. Because they race each race in short segments with down-time in between, the drivers have time to change a tire and do minor roadside repairs between race segments. Plus they have several 20-minute pit stops where mechanics can do major repairs during the race without losing race time. This lets someone roll his car off a cliff, destroy half his suspension, a door, hood, windshield and steering rack, crawl the rest of the way to the 'pit,' be on his way in 20 minutes and finish third overall. It's much more fun to watch the carnage if drivers still have an incentive to keep trying. In no other motorsport have I seen people keep racing with open hoods, collapsed suspensions, bent steering, missing wheels and open doors (and be competitive).

Onto the videos. I have 1.7Gb of videos, some better than others. Some are hosted on websites, others are not and I've found them in various places. I can only keep one online at a time and certainly not any of the 100Mb ones. Here is one of the first and most popular of these rally music-videos. Enjoy!

2001 WRC Video (Old Link)
2002 WRC Finland (Right Click Save As...)
2002 WRC Season Recap (Right Click Save As...)

Don't these guys have brakes?

what a pile up!

I think these links deserve their own topic. Two videos of Group-B rallying in the early-mid 1980s. They kind of remind me of those videos of the Sonatas drifting in Saudi Arabia or wherever that was. Forget counting the people standing on the outside of each turn. Try counting the ones that STEP OUT OF THE WAY of the car moments before it goes by. Insane.

Group B Video From Rally4U.net 25Mb.

Shorter Video with many Group-B cars. 11Mb.

Just curious if anyone else watched the japanese grand prix this past weekend? IMO this was one of the best F1 races in a long time. So many things to talk about but I think the most important is the fact that Raikkonen started dead last and won with a pass on the final lap. Alonso may be world champion but he is not the best driver out there . After watching this race, I truly believe that Kimi Raikkonen is the best driver in F1 at this moment . to bad he just didn't have the "equipment" to back him up this year .

Believe it or not,

Williams - one of F1's most successful ever grand prix teams - is reportedly in buyout talks with a Korean consortium.

Former BAR principal David Richards, and Korean multinationals Hyundai and Samsung, are thought involved.

Richards, also Prodrive boss and world rally impresario, told F1 Racing magazine: "I haven't spoken to Frank (Williams) or Patrick (Head), but I'm keeping a close watch."

And what about Hyundai? "Possibly -- I've no idea."

... two consecutive engine failures during practices on the past two races from Raikonnen. Oddly enough, he still ends up on the podium after dropping ten spots at the start. Think this'll be the same story for the upcoming German Grand Prix on the 24th?

I'd like to hear some opinions and thoughts on this past US GP. I've seen and heard alot of stupid shit from the FIA but this is just rediculous. first of all i think the regs this season suck. how can you be competitive with just one set of tires at a race? If you get a bad set and you can't change then your not able to compete anymore. This past incident at indy topped all though. Your telling me that some sort of agreement couldn't be met. there was the idea of putting a chicane in turn 13. The FIA said that if they did that then it wouldn't be a sanctioned race and wouldn't count for points. the FIA said to just lift off the throttle when going through that section. Ya thats a safe move when a car suddenly slows in front of a car going top speed. In my opinion they should have let the Michelin runners change tires and then move them all to the back of the grid. the top teams are definitley fast enough to move through the field.

Oh for those of you who don't know what happened, Michelin would not indorse the tires they brought to indy after two major tire failures. they overnighted new tires to indy but the FIA wouldn't let them change over. All the teams lined up on grid and after the recon lap all Michelin teams went straight to the pit. It was a six car US GP between Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi. I will be amazed if they race at indy again next year.

i understand safety is a must but the main purpose is to race and everyone should be able to compromise a little bit. I am not mad at the teams because they did what they had to do to insure the safety of their drivers. I am not mad at Michelin because they brought in new equipment. I am mad at the FIA for being stubborn assholes who won't compromise a single bit and seem like they don't know a single thing about motor racing. A change of command is a must. Maybe the next leaders will be former drivers who actually know a thing or two about racing.

Ok i've vented. hopefully this post makes sense and i don't sound like a raving lunatic. I've recorded all 17 hours of coverage of le mans. I need to go watch some real racing now to get over this bitter disappointment.

F1 Boss calls Danica Patrick

As if the US GP fiasco wasn't enough to piss off US fans and make them reconsider watching F1 again, Bernie had to take it a notch further

This weekend and next the F1 circus comes to North America. This weekend we have the Canadian Grand Prix at the freshly resurfaced circuit Gille Villeneuve in Montreal and next weekend we are at Indy. So is anyone lucky enough to be attending one of these races? I tried to get tickets to Montreal but waited to long and they sold out.

Also american Scott Speed will appear as Red Bull's third driver this weekend and next. Let's hope that he impresses whoever he needs to impress as he moves closer to that race drive seat.

BAR Honda team banned for weight violation

I seen where they are supposed to make a comeback but is it true? It seems like it's a good place to develop engines and all for their street cars . Anybody hear any news on this???

F1 has some excellent courses. Personally I really like Monte Carlo, Suzuka, Montreal and Hockenheim. They are all good though.

I was thinking about something the other day. Why does Nascar appeal to so many here in the US and yet F1 seems to only have limited appeal? Obviously the varied courses require much more driving skill in F1. The Nascar drivers are certainly skillfull but let's face it... it's a big oval. So what is it Nascar has that F1 doesn't?

Some will say the crashes and for sure they are abundant in Nascar. Some will say the sound of all those engines roaring around the oval. But there is one aspect seen often in Nascar that is a bit rare in F1 racing.... overtaking (or passing).

F1 is really won more in the pit stops and the timing of those pit stops. To the average viewer F1 is probably more "boring".

Your thoughts?

Round three of F1 is coming up this weekend from Bahrain. Does anyone have any predictions for the race?

Can Renault make it three in a row?

Can Toyota acheive their first F1 victiory?

Ferrari is scheduled to unleash the F2005 on the rest of the field.

How will Mclaren fair without Montoya in this weekends Race?

Watch out for Sauber and Red Bull!

BAR and Williams = who knows.

Or will it come from the back of the pack by Jordan or Minardi. Hey it could happen.

Apparently american Scott Speed tested for Red Bull F1 a few days ago. The word is that he out paced Nick heidfeld and Antonio Pizzonia both of williams. I guess in theory if red bull moves 3rd driver Vitantonio Liuzzi into a driver seat to replace Klien, then Speed has a shot of being called up as a new third driver.

How awesome would that be to see an american turn some laps in practice and tests sessions and who knows maybe even races some day soon. In my opinion F1 can sure use some American attitude in it.

So any F1 fans out there? what do you think of the new technical regulations for this season like the 1 engine per 2 race weekend, less downforce and no tire changes on race day except for very specific situations. it will be an interesting season to see how the teams deal with these changes.

No doubt a race like Daytona is pure sound and spectacle and a great event to watch. In the past few years Nascar has gone from a good-ole Southern boy event to a National pasttime. But...

While I realize there is a ton of skill involved... and simply driving at those speeds for that amount of time takes nerves of steel and a lot of stamina, isn't it essentially 500 miles of going left? What I mean is, take a look at Formula One and some of the courses the drive on... Monte Carlo for instance. There are hills and curves, a tunnel and 10mph hairpin turns... doesn't that sort of racing take more skill? Or Rally Racing where you never know what surface may lie ahead?

Now, I'm not saying Nascar is not a fun and exciting event, it is. But I'd rather watch a F1 or rally race... am I the only one?