Monday, June 20, 2005

The Death of F1

Sunday’s disgrace at Indianapolis marked the end of F1 as we know it. The Max and Bernie show will last another year or two before the lights go out for good but rest assured the end is inevitable now. In its place will rise Grand Prix Racing (formerly known as GPWC).

Toyota, Renault, BMW, Mercedes and others will take their multi-hundred million dollar budgets and build their own sandbox. Bernie and Max will then have a new F1, likely renamed for their sole remaining team, Ferrari.

It serves them right. Other bloggers have asked if F1 is a sport or a spectacle. I answer that sport is spherical. What of Monaco - sport or spectacle? We saw one good pass the entire race (Heidfeld not Webber), the safety conditions are atrocious, yet it is the most popular GP of all.

If F1 were a only sport, the rules would be clear to all and the application of those rules uniform. Witness the rule about tire wear as but one example. Instead we have a loose set of guidelines that leave lots of room for creative interpretation – which is then capriciously rules on by Charlie Whiting. Witness BAR’s brake distribution system last season as an example of that. Instead we have something that is somewhere between Figure Skating and Pro Wrestling.

That Ferrari declined to join each and every other team in supporting running with a chicane – even with all Michelin teams willingly forfeiting all championship points is a shame. That the FOM/FIA bozos would not let them run is tragedy.

Welcome to the world of the Grand Prix Racing.

Oh yeah, like the IMSA/SCCA and ChampCar/IRL splits the biggest losers will be the fans.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Mitsubishi Evo 8

At the SVTOA event last weekend, I drove a student's Mitsubishi Evolution 8. Wow, what a car! I must admit I am totally smitten by this car. With just a few modifications this little thing was producing over 370Hp. the steering and shifting was incredible, and the thing simply wouldn't understeer. The Recaro seats were very good - not as nice as the Recaro SPGs I had in my last race car - but far more durable. It's a bit heavy at 3260 lbs but the aftermarket has lots of carbon to help in that area.

This is the first car t me think about replacing the 5er.

The recipe for a super-fast track Evo8 is:

  1. Turbo Back Exhaust
  2. Uprated Fuel Pump
  3. Boost Controller
  4. High-flow Intake
  5. Larger Rear anti-roll bar
This should generate 350 RWHP and go all day long.

Where do I sign up?

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

SVTOA OpenTrack Event

Now that summer has broken here in Colorado the open-track season is in full bloom. My first event of the year was instructing for the SVT Owners Association last weekend at Pike’s Peak International Raceway. The SVOTA guys put on a pretty good event. Not quite as good as a BMWCCA event – which are run better than many commercial driving schools I have been to – but pretty good.

I had two assigned students and worked with 3-4 others. In Group 2 I had a E36 M3 and in Group 3 a Porsche 996 driver. Both were good, solid students with a firm grasp of the basics.

In contrast I did two sessions with a Mustang driver that didn’t grasp any of the basics and seemed determined not to.

Now a high-performance driving instructor may sound like a cool job, and most of the time it is. However, when things go bad, you are really just a hostage, strapped helplessly into the passenger’s seat with some ham-fisted, club-footed oaf at the controls of a 120+ MPH 2 ton brick.

My Mustang pilot is a prime example of the helpless hostage phenomenon. He claims to have done a half-day driving event and was convinced that he was the next Dale Earnhardt – thoughtfully indicated by the number 3 proudly displayed in the rear window. Sitting at pre-grid I asked what specific areas of driving technique he was looking to focus on during this session. He looked at me like he had never heard the English language before. I knew this was going to be bad.

My first session with a new student, I typically just watch quietly during the first couple of laps, allowing them to focus on driving without interruption. In this case I was providing feedback by turn 2. By then I had seen shuffle-steering, driving with one hand on the shifter, a long lurid power-slide, zero throttle modulation, zero brake modulation, and waaaay too much speed for a f-ing warm-up lap.

After two laps we had yet to see a turn-in or apex point and had a train of faster cars rapidly building behind us. I advised him to point them by, he looked in the mirror (for the very first time) and observed that the 427 Cobra immediately behind us was driven by his brother. Recognizing the situation for what it is I screamed “Point him by right now!” Nothing like brotherly rivalry to get this instructor killed.

After a constant stream of guidance and little improvment for 4 laps I decided that this discussion would be better conducted parked safely in the pits. After a review of the basics of car control – steering, braking, throttle control, turn-in, apex, etc. - we tried the track again. Things were better but I was still hoping for this to be over - quickly.

To reset the karmic balance I was given the privilege of driving a co-worker’s Ferrari F355. Not just with the owner in the right-hand seat but also with my wife there as well. We had a blast, after a couple of laps to get used to the steering and gated shifter we were blasting down the front straight at 100+ MPH and 8500 RPM. They say it’s just a V8 but the sound is indescribable. I have driven a number of Ferrari’s in the past, but had forgotten what a joy they are on the track. The ride was over all too soon. Thanks again Mark, that was the high point of the entire weekend.

The low point was actually during the first Group 4 session on Saturday. After a couple of warm up laps I was just starting to get comfortable when exiting onto the straight I noticed something was missing. Something like 100HP. The boost gauge said ”0” so I knew where my horsepower went. I pulled in to the garage and found that the supercharger’s internal belt had broken (again).

Since the unit was rebuilt with new seals and bearings in February I think I will replace the belt myself. It should take about a day and require only a new belt and a small gear puller.

The SVTOA guys put on a good event, lots of track time, stayed on schedule, good instructors, and no bent cars. Everything this car guy needs.

Restart

After my hiatus to focus on work I will attempt to post a little more regularly.