RIAM Joins New Era Circuit Of The Americas F1 Viewing Faithful

November 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

Riverside International Automotive Museum hosted an opportunity to hear the thoughts and experiences of Tony Settember (center) and Don Nichols (right) as interviewed by RIAM Public Relations director, Thomas Stahler (Left). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

RIAM Joins New Era Circuit Of The Americas F1 Viewing Faithful

This last weekend, the United States saw the return of Formula One international open wheel racing to the series’ world hopping schedule. The race held at the new purpose built Circuit of the Americas (COTA), 3.427-mile (5.515 km) motor racing circuit south of Austin, Texas, marked the return of F1 racing to the United States after a four-season hiatus.

Recognizing the pent-up demand for viewing and sharing time with like-minded individuals of this inaugural event, the Riverside International Automotive Museum (RIAM) in Riverside, California … located not too far from the site of the famed Riverside International Raceway purpose built road circuit and was set up, in part, to archive and honor the history of this great track … opened its doors and hosted a viewing party.

View Slideshow: RIAM joins new era Circuit of the Americas F1 viewing faithful

During the broadcast of the COTA USGP from Austin, Texas, SPEED Channel’s Bob Varsha mentioned that there were many viewing parties being held throughout the United States and that one of note was the gathering being hosted by the Riverside International Automotive Museum which featured Tony Settember and Don Nichols and had on view many great historic open wheel racing cars created from the Dan Gurney Eagle operation.

On the podium at the Circuit of the Americas, four past champions celebrate the running of the first Formula One race held in the United States in four years – pictured from left to right: Sebastian Vettel, Mario Andretti, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks via projection TV from SPEED Channel (2012)

This excerpted and edited from the Bleacher Report –

Formula One: Hamilton Wins USGP, but Circuit of the Americas Is the Real Star
By Craig Christopher (Featured Columnist) on November 19, 2012

Formula One racing has made a triumphant return to the United States after a four-season hiatus, only to find that some things just haven’t changed.

Lewis Hamilton was the last F1 driver to stand atop the podium at a U.S. Grand Prix when he claimed victory at the final Indianapolis race in 2007.He stood atop the podium again in Austin as he held Sebastian Vettel at bay to claim a hard-fought race win.

While the race winner may not have changed, everything else has.

The fans were treated to a great race, with lots of overtaking, some outstanding wheel-to-wheel action, breathtaking pitstops and Ferrari even delivered a little bit of the intrigue and shenanigans that F1 is famous for.

And it all happened on a track deep in the heart of Texas.
—-
With F1 finding difficulty securing a permanent home since the 20-year tenure at Watkins Glenn, all hope turned to the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas.

It didn’t disappoint.

The circuit is a custom F1 track, designed—as are nearly all new tracks—by German racetrack architect Hermann Tilke. At first glance, it has all of the hallmarks of every other Tilke track—the big runoff areas, the flowing combination of corners, long straights followed by a hairpin—but it worked.
—-
It was a race that F1 had to get right.

With the 2005 Indianapolis debacle still lingering in the American fans’ memory and with no American teams and no American drivers, the product had to deliver on its own terms. It had to bury the perception that F1 is boring and lacking in excitement.

Any lingering doubts were put to rest, despite the dominance of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, with action from one end of the field to the other.

Hamilton took the most of a momentary distraction for Vettel, as he got tangled behind a back-marker, making the pivotal pass that Vettel was unable to recover from.

While Hamilton claimed the victory, it was the Circuit of the Americas that was the superstar of the weekend, aided and abetted by a massive crowd of 117,429 fans (via CircuitoftheAmericas.com).

The drivers loved it [all three - Hamilton, Vittle, and Alonzo respectively], and probably would have said so without prompting, even if Mario Andretti didn’t pleadingly fish for praise in yet another pointless podium interview by an ex-driver [and champion].

Hamilton told F1.com:

There are a couple of Grands Prix that are somehow out on their own: there’s Monaco, Silverstone, Montreal, Spa and Monza. Now you can this circuit to that list – it’s already one of the best racetracks in the world, maybe even right up there in the top three.


Then again, he won the race—he would say that.
[Reference Here]

The museum moved many of its 200 mph cars it has on display, set up a 9′X 12′projection screen and tables on the floor, prepared an Italian salad and sandwich lunch, invited a car constructor and some drivers of F1 and sport car racing note for post race interviews and schmoozing … thus turning the museum into a social rumpus-room of F1 joy.

On hand were F1 winning chassis constructor Don Nichols, who created the Shadow cars that raced in F1 – and would spawn the Arrows F1 Team, Formula 5000, and Can-Am in the 1970′s and 1980′s (Alan Jones recorded his first win at the Austrian Grand Prix, a result which also provided a welcome boost to the lesser-funded teams as it was Shadow’s first victory), Shadow Cars team crewman Gene Lentz, F1 driver Tony Settember (1962-1963), with legendary road racers John Morton and Davey Jordan.

Discover how this “five stripe” helmet adornment came about through the stories related by Don Nichols and the Shadow Cars effort to become a part of F1 history – Listen to Audio File linked below. Image Credit: “F1 Biography: Still in the shadows”

Interviewed in the post race festivities by RIAM PR Director, Thomas Stahler were Tony Settember and Don Nichols with a presentation to RIAM by Gene Lentz a donation of memorabilia from Shadow Cars to museum President, Doug Magnon. AUDIO FILE HERE (43 min.)

There’s a saying in Texas. “I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could.” This is the first proper U.S. race since Watkins Glen and, at last, COTA represents a worthy home for the USGP event.

That could also be said of this Southern California RIAM viewing party event. Here’s hoping the COTA F1 USGP viewing party becomes an annual Southern California tradition. A Grand Prix time was had by all.

… notes from The EDJE

** Article first published as RIAM Joins New Era Circuit Of The Americas F1 Viewing Faithful on Technorati **

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Formula One 2012: The Best Racing In The World

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Fernando Alonso scored an emotional victory in his home country of Spain to the delight of the crowd.

One can argue that Formula One has been predictable in the last 15 years, but that has most certainly not been the case in the 2012 season. The reasons are myriad but include a limited amount of track time due to rain during the allotted winter testing, the exclusion of blown diffusers and perhaps the most influential of all, the Pirelli tires.

In a season that has run eight races with only one repeat winner, that being Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, the team principles have conceded that they have no idea how to predict a winner at any given race. Good. The manufacturers want to sell cars and showcase their technology, but the fans around the world are what give Formula One such nationalistic popularity.

If such a scale existed, barring Fantasy Racing, predictability could arguably be placed on a scale and measured in degrees. The 2012 season is no different. The very same players are at the top of the heap and the new kids on the block, Lotus, Force India and Sauber have simply added to the mix of potential winners.

Alonso said prior to the European Grand Prix that Formula One seemed like a ‘lottery’-depending on the track anyone could emerge from nowhere to take a win. So far, that really hasn’t been the case. Red Bull sits squarely atop the constructers points followed by McLaren, Lotus, Ferrari and Mercedes. So consistency is beginning to emerge and become the one thing the drivers can cling to in hopes of winning a drivers championship.

Pirelli’s tires have proven to be the one major factor in how these cars react to any given track and that has become the big unknown. Each car has a different appetite at each track to the assigned tires from Pirelli. What’s wrong with that? In a world that’s reeling from economic uncertainty, the entertainment provided by this unknown is worth millions of dollars in viewership across the globe.

Grosjean tried valiantly but mechanical problems left him wondering what might have been.

In America predictability equates to boring. When Schumacher was dominating the headlines and the track, the U.S. audience tuned out in droves. When Sebastian Vettel had his season of total dominance, the U.S. audiences didn’t bother to watch after the first few races, it was far too predictable. Vettel to P1, Vettel disappears at the start like the Road Runner from Wile. E. Coyote. That was it. The 2012 season has caught them all by surprise.

Adrian Newey, designer of the RB8 Red Bull, has conceded that even as fast as Vettel was at Valencia, before succumbing to a bad Renault alternator, it’s a race-by-race season so far. Martin Whitmarsh of McLaren said, “It is very, very difficult,” he explained. “Everyone has given up predicting this season, so we have to accept that you have to turn up at each event and do the best job you can. That is what we will seek to do at Silverstone.”

That is where the excitement has come from this year. Every team would love to come straight out of the transporter and be a contender but the data they have hasn’t translated well to the Pirelli tires. They degrade at different rates depending on the driver, the set-up and the track conditions. It’s almost like rain, the great equalizer, where a driver’s skill, along with the engineers, have to make quick decisions on set-up.

All of the Cray computers, the wind tunnel information and simulations haven’t been able to transfer accurately to the actual track. Lotus was tipped to take Valencia and but for an alternator, might have taken the win, but even if Romain Grosjean’s car hadn’t shut down, he would have still have to have gotten by Fernando Alonso-easier said than done. The human element has been harder for the engineers to weave into their equations than they may have once thought.

Is this a bit of chicanery for the show’s sake? If it is, it’s working. If not, it is nonetheless taxing to the manufacturers, engineers and the drivers. They simply aren’t used to not knowing what to expect in anything less than predictable conditions. And, predictable conditions are never realistic. Temperatures change, track surfaces are different, humidity affects the engine performance as well as some of the colder climate drivers.

Whatever the outcome of the season, the racing has everyone looking towards the next race, Silverstone, rather than who’ll take the championship.

It’s exactly as it should be.

 

 

 

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Schumacher’s 20 Years Formula One:Spa-Francorchamp

August 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Michael Schumacher has put 20 years into active driving in Formula One…that has to be a modern era record. This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix takes place on one of the world’s classic tracks. The corner Eau Rouge is one of the most famous in racing.

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Formula One “Cruises” to Spa-Francorchamps

August 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

While the Hollywood elite are overwhelmed by the topic de jour, Tom Cruise driving the Red Bull Formula One car earlier this month, Formula One’s thoughts are turned to this weekend’s Grand Prix in Spa, Belgium.

Formula One will race on one of the most naturally beautiful and incredibly challenging racing tracks on planet Earth: Spa-Francorchamps.

This is truly one of those tracks every driver wants to win on. The corner Eau Rouge is simply breathtaking. Taken flat out, if you’re really set-up, it’s uphill and blind all the while going over 180 MPH.

More than a few incidents have taken place there, but safety improvements after the brilliant Stefan Bellof lost his life have made it safer but no less intimidating. Jacques Villeneuve said recently about his crash there, “It was the best crash I ever had”. You have to love it.

Eight Grand Prix’s, including Spa are left on the 2011 calendar and Sebastian Vettel has an 89-point lead in the points. The break is over, everything they weren’t supposed to do during the last few weeks of vacation is done. It’s time to look at what might happen during the remainder of the calendar.

Red Bull racing has placed itself at the very top of the Formula One heap after being re-born more times than Marjoe Gortner. That is, after all, what Formula One is about, evolution of technology and the chance for another McLaren to emerge. Red Bull has to defend those points and, as is in any competitive endeavor, the ‘best defense is a good offense’. Don’t expect that Red Bull doesn’t have a cadre’ of updates that it will use. Vettel has to essentially beat himself.

It could happen, though not likely, that Vettel does have a pressure chink in his armor and if he does, it will look like an African Savanna during a Lion kill, McLaren and Ferrari being those Lions.

In the case of McLaren, they will push harder, probably harder than Red Bull, to get to Vettel and the only way to do it is aggressively pursue the updates. Of course, no mission survives the first shot and McLaren can’t afford any mistakes while Red Bull has to make every mistake, meaning Vettel suffers several DNF’s. McLaren, like Ferrari, is hard at work on next year’s car with the pressure of still trying to get to Red Bull. It may be too much for McLaren and could affect its 2012 efforts.

Ferrari is openly stating that the barbeque pit is running all night preparing next years car while racing for wins in order to translate the information over to next season. The cars wii really be an extension of the 2011 season without the Blown Diffusers. Ferrari has a car that hasn’t shown the balance of the Red Bull, but has attacked as hard as it can. Translated that means Fernando Alonso can drive the hell out of a car.

Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari’s team principle, has stated they are pursuing the 2012 car with intent to come out of their corner swinging.

The long term for Ferrari looks good. They have a stable driver line-up, they have what is arguably the best driver in the World at the moment who has easily assimilated into the Ferrari culture. Moreover, he’s simply taken his place as the leader and that’s a long-term strategy that has legs.

McLaren has the resources and the forethought to be a contender for wins this year, but there’s a shut-off point for improving heavily on this year’s car and bearing down hard on the 2012 car. They will close the gap, but aren’t likely to catch the Bulls, at least not unless Red Bull has an apocalyptic second half of the season.

It’s Formula One though, and that means anything can happen. Even on the last corner of the last lap.

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Grand Prix of Hungary-An Amazing Display of True Grand Prix Masters

August 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

To those on the outside looking in at the beautiful and sometimes mysterious world of Formula One Grand Prix racing, it sometimes takes a ‘Battle Royale’ for the casual fan of Motorsports to actually appreciate what is happening.

The Grand Prix of Hungary brought out the UFC fighters of the auto-racing world. Those said fighters operate at speeds and reaction times that we as mere mortals can never replicate. That’s why we watch such displays as we saw yesterday in Hungary with a sense of awe. Jenson Button, the winner for McLaren, was brilliant.

By far this race showed just how close the top teams are in performance to one another. McLaren, Red Bull and the iconic Scuderia Ferrari showed that they all are brilliant, all are fearless and all very human. All four top finishers are World Champions.

Mistakes were made in the tires selections during pit-stops as the team engineers did their utmost to play weathermen with rain showers and unforeseen mechanical issues. What’s the big story here? Sebastian Vettel, with Red Bull, will win the World Championship, but he is clearly rattled. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain made passes on this young genius that no one thought were possible. Hamilton freely admits that he takes the car beyond what the engineers say it can do. Chalk one up for humans and take a star away from artificial intelligence.

In Grand Prix racing the cars start the race from a dead stop, all in a double row with acceleration that is almost incomprehensible to the normal driver. When the starting lights go out these cars go from a dead stop to 62 MPH in 1.9 seconds.

When the Hugarian race began, Lewis Hamilton, a master of the standing start, arrived at the first turn with Sebastian Vettel along side. What ensued was nothing short of two F-22 Raptors fighting for the same air space. Vettel ultimately slid off the track just long enough for Hamilton to rocket off in what appeared to be the drive of his life. Things change quickly in a Formula One race and change they did.

On lap 47 rain showers hit causing the teams to scramble for an answer. Would the rain blow over or would they need to come in for intermediate rain tires? Several teams chose the latter which was their undoing – the rain quit as quickly as it came. Those who were on the intermediate tires had to come back in and change to either the super soft or the prime tires, an extra pit stop, which was proved to be costly to Hamilton. Hamilton spun in the chicane but re-entered the track directly across the bow of Paul di Resta, of Scotland, triggering a penalty against the British World Champion.

While this battle raged on Jenson Button, in his 200th Grand Prix, took the lead ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Button is widely known for being incredibly smooth in his driving style and therefore easier on his tires than most. Once Button had the lead Vettel tried his utmost to get to him but to no avail. Jenson Button won one the most exciting Formula One races in recent memory. Coming second was Sebastian Vettel of Germany and then the fearless Spaniard, Fernando Alonso, in his Ferrari.

Formula One is one of those sports that to Americans is still perplexing to some degree, however, in 2012 the United States Grand Prix will return to Austin, Texas-a seemingly unlikely city -but the start of a trend that the manufacturers who own the teams or supply the technology desperately want to have on their International schedule. In fact, they want two. Maybe the United States is important after all.

RACE RESULTS

The Hungarian Grand Prix

The Hungaroring, Hungary;

70 laps; 306.663km;

Weather: Mixed conditions.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time

1. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1h43:42.337

2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 3.588

3. Alonso Ferrari + 19.819

4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 48.338

5. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 49.742

6. Massa Ferrari + 1:17.176

7. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap

8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap

9. Rosberg Mercedes + 1 lap

10. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap

11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap

12. Petrov Renault + 1 lap

13. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 2 laps

14. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 2 laps

15. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 2 laps

16. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 2 laps

17. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 4 laps

18. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 4 laps

19. D’Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 5 laps

20. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 5 laps

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:23.415

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap

Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 56

Schumacher Mercedes 27

Heidfeld Renault 24

Trulli Lotus-Renault 18

World Championship standings, round 11:

Drivers: Constructors:

1. Vettel 234 1. Red Bull-Renault 383

2. Webber 149 2. McLaren-Mercedes 280

3. Hamilton 146 3. Ferrari 215

4. Alonso 145 4. Mercedes 80

5. Button 134 5. Renault 66

6. Massa 70 6. Sauber-Ferrari 35

7. Rosberg 48 7. Force India-Mercedes 26

8. Heidfeld 34 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 22

9. Schumacher 32 9. Williams-Cosworth 4

10. Petrov 32

11. Kobayashi 27

12. Sutil 18

13. Buemi 12

14. Alguersuari 10

15. Di Resta 8

16. Perez 8

17. Barrichello 4       

 

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Trepidation Over Grand Prix of Hungary Haunts Teams

July 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You would be almost within your rights as a fan or participant to think that Bernie Ecclestone and company somehow concocted the ‘on again, off again’ blown diffuser rules. It worked beautifully to both cause drama and angst among the teams and fans. Drama for the fans and nightmares for the teams.

Two races that stand out like Jimmy Durante’s nose are Silverstone’s restricted use of off-throttle diffusers and Nurburgring’s full use of the system. Not very much information could be gained from either race as the conditions were so opposite. The Hungarian Grand Prix is the first race that seems to have stable weather that can give a solid base line reading on what progress the top teams have made.

Alonso wasn’t supposed to win at Silverstone, a track that traditionally, meaning since last season, hasn’t been kind to the Scuderia. Hamilton wasn’t supposed to win the German Grand Prix, weather played a role, which only added to the massive variables in using engine mapping, tires, blown diffusers, etc., but he did.

Now in rare back-to-back Grand Prix scheduling, Germany straight to Budapest, the teams had precious little time to become granular in their analysis of what happened. The normal process for the teams is to be capable of bringing updates based on the track itself. That’s not going to happen today. The only thing that’s even close to being tangible is the computer analysis of what to implement and most of that is based on last year’s cars.

According to Sebastian Vettel, who still seems to be in a funk over his performance at Germany said: “Every race is different – the conditions can be very different, the circuits are different,” he said. “We were very competitive here last year so we will see, but the car is not last year’s car, it is a new car.

“It’s a new challenge again, so we see what we can do, but we expect Ferrari and McLaren to be very quick and to be our main rivals.

“Looking over three, four or five races, you can speak of a tendency and you can say Ferrari in particular have improved their pace and they are getting quicker and quicker. Surely they are one of the favourites going into this race.” He sounds nervous.

A very different message from Hamilton’s earlier bravado suggests that he has come down off of his victory induced high from Germany to say: “The car’s (McLaren) not changed. I’m confident in its reliability, in its performance, but we know it’s definitely not the fastest car here,” said Hamilton.

“We know the others still have a very competitive car that suits certain conditions, and the Red Bull has been quick at every single track throughout the year.

“It was quick at the last race, it still grabbed pole, whereas we don’t have a car that’s fast everywhere. It’s fast in some places, not so fast in others.”

Alonso’s public declaration that Red Bull is still the dominate car isn’t without merit, although he has called for the other teams in the fight to gang up on RBR. If the Hungaroring’s weather forecast is correct, which in layman’s terms means stable, partly cloudy to sunny with temperatures in the low 70’s –Fahrenheit for us Americans –then a benchmark can reasonably be laid down upon which to make decisions that are of the less than ‘hair on fire’ variety for the next series of races.

What’s truly interesting about this race is that it will require more mechanical grip than either of the two preceding events. The great mystery is what updates the teams are bringing to the show. My prediction is that the DRS systems may become more relevant than the off/over run blown diffusers. First and second practice will be over by the time of this posting, however second practice today will telegraph a story. These teams aren’t in a position right now to sandbag their way through P2.

What happens next? Who the hell knows but my bet is that Red Bull ran their engineers 24 hours a day to try and get it right.

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Nurburgring: Can Ferrari or McLaren Beat Red Bull?

July 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment


The Formula One deck has been reshuffled once again. That isn’t news by now to most who follow the sport. All the teams, for the remainder of the 2011 season, can continue to pursue their blown diffuser setups with one exception: They cannot change the engine mapping from qualifying to the race. What affect will that have on the top teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren? You have to examine several factors that will impact them including the full use of the blown diffuser and its off-throttle over run.

Even though Ferrari, or more appropriately Fernando Alonso, was blindingly fast at Silverstone, the Red Bulls were still more than competitive. That’s what happens when you build a balanced car along with a backdoor plan of action in case such a ruling occurs. I’ve said before: Don’t build something you can’t defeat. In Red Bull’s case at Silverstone it was a matter of Ferrari technically catching up and Red Bull being somewhat hamstrung with the reduced off-throttle/over run rule.

In last weeks British Grand Prix at Silverstone, tires, or the degradation thereof, helped Ferrari in the pit stop strategy. In Red Bulls scenario, they threw away seconds in the pits, at least enough to put Alonso where he wanted to be. The Nurburgring, however is slightly different. Lets break it down:

The tires that Pirelli is presenting for Nurburgring may be more suited for Ferrari than McLaren or Red Bull. The corners at Nurburgring aren’t as high speed as Silverstone but more medium when carried through. Ferrari fought the hard compound tires up until Silverstone and even then they weren’t optimal. Nurburgring should be different giving Ferrari a slightly more comfortable opportunity. Pirelli will test a different soft compound tire in Friday’s practice, but it won’t be used in qualifying or the race. Advantage: Ferrari.

The reinstated off throttle blown diffuser rules will benefit the Red Bull team as the car was built around that technology. It may also benefit McLaren, whose diffuser development was making measurable progress before the Silverstone “adjustment”. Advantage: Red Bull and McLaren.

Where this gets interesting is in the engine mapping. Just how aggressive Ferrari, McLaren and several of the second tier teams choose to be might make the difference between a very fast car and an exploding hand grenade. The more aggressive the engine mapping, the less reliable the engines will be. No one knows who is going to choose what, but if you look at the lead Red Bull has, if you’re Ferrari or McLaren why not go for it or at least split the difference. Advantage: Unknown.

The weather will play a role in what happens to the tires and the degradation issue. If the race is much cooler and in racing terms, it will be, that will affect the choices of medium or soft tires and at what stage of the race they’ll be employed. Pirelli is offering the same compounds used at Valencia, but Nurburgring isn’t as difficult on tires as was the case in Spain. The engine mapping will be adjusted for the cooler temperatures. Advantage: Ferrari and McLaren. If it rains…all bets are off.

Williams are bringing new front and rear wings to Germany. That shouldn’t be news as all the teams are kitting up for each race but have had ample time to prepare for the rule reinstatement. Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari will also have new toys. Advantage: Who knows?

Finally consider the use of KERS and the DRS system. Webber had problems with his KERS again at Silverstone. Have they resolved this issue yet? Only the race will tell that story. It’s the DRS system that may play a key role in this historic race. Will it make a big difference? It entirely depends on all of the other changes that have been stated earlier. You have to be within one second of the car in front to activate it and the designated DRS zone at the Nurburgring means the back straight, which is launched onto from a high-speed corner. That may be difficult, or not.

Add all this up to who really has an advantage? Not me, I’ll go with the history of the season to date. Red Bull.

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