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who’s that behind me? mirrors on #F1 cars

Posted on June 18, 2011 by truckertoggle

Given all of the technology that goes with a modern F1 car why are we still using rear view mirrors that have not advanced much since the early days of city to city grand prix races? The mirrors on a modern F1 car are probably inferior to the one Ray Harroun had to fit to his 1911 Indy Marmon Wasp.

These days a number of family cars have a rear facing CCTV camera for reversing, as to many commercial vehicles so, if we can have high quality TV transmission views from rear facing cameras, why can’t the driver?To distracting? Nonsense, they could lose a few buttons off the steering wheel if that is genuinely the case. After all the pit wall term could switch them to “engine map green” or whatever just as easily as telling the driver to do that over the radio.

Sure there would be problems with the rain; many of us can remember a certain Brazilian driver catching Brundle in the rain i Australia a few years back. We saw him literally as he hit, and Button would have had a similar problem with the spray obscuring any view from a camera in Canada last week, but what about all the GPS tracking on the cars to run the timing systems? Surely they could adapt that to provide a proximity warning?

The technical solutions to these problems are already available and, to one way or another, in use so why don’t the FIA and the teams sort out a standard and make it happen?

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Marshalling Musings – Part One, Snetterton

Posted on June 15, 2011 by thatconsultantbloke

In light of some of the stupid media remarks about the poor guy who slipped at the Canadian GP and found himself face to face with Kobayashi and then Petrov, I thought that I’d share some of my experiences. I started marshalling in the UK back in about 1973, and this one is from my very first event.

It was a Snetterton clubbie with the usual mix of special saloons, mod sports, Formula Ford etc. There was some serious stuff at this level even if it was one of the lower rungs of the motorsport ladder; Mick Hill had his 5 litre V8 Capri for example, and that was a fearsome device.

We’d met up on the Southend Arterial, probably at the Halfway House transport cafe, at some pre dawn hour to drive up to Norfolk and enjoy one of the legendary breakfasts in the paddock eatery before briefing and allocation of jobs and posts.

It was a foul day; drizzle at best with showers coming through all day. The sky was a steely grey in all directions for as far as you could see, and in the Norfolk flat lands that was some distance. This was a day for stoic indifference as far as weather was concerned.

As a newbie, albeit vouched for by the regulars who have convinced me to join them, I was quizzed on what I could do. I passed the fire extinguisher test easily (we stocked and sold them at work) and was allocated a post out near the Bomb Hole where I stood on the bank with just my pair of extinguishers for company part way between two flag marshal stations.

I had a programme, so knew the sequence of practice sessions. I would acknowledge the Course Car each time it came round, but that was about it for my dank morning and I was happy to head back in to the paddock for lunch and some human contact.

Fed and watered, Thermos flask refilled and some Mars bars stashed around various pockets it was back out to my Bomb Hole post for the races. I stood on the earth bank that surrounded the outside of the corner with a barrier that consisted of a scaffolding pole supported on uprights on top of it. This did not appear too secure so I had refrained from leaning on it, but my bank was about 4 feet high, so I felt pretty safe. Besides, at 21 you don’t worry about such things.

At some point the programme the up to 1300cc saloons race started. A plethora of Minis plus the odd Anglia and Imp swarmed round on the warm up lap (we were using the old full circuit I think) and around they came, this time racing and the 10 lapper was on.

Part way through the race one of the midfield Minis got into a bit of a tank slapper and speared off towards me. I would like to think that anyone watching would have admired my sang froid as I stood impassively at my post directly above where the car was headed, the sodden grass giving no bite to brakes or steering, but blind funk may well have played a part.

The Mini struck the bank immediately below where I was standing with a thump that I felt come up through my legs. It turned through ninety degrees as it bounced off in a cloud of mud and stopped, steaming, a few feet from me, still pointing at me. I could see the driver flicking off switches and fumbling for his seat belt release as I lifted my two extinguishers and moved to duck under the scaffold pole, but scaffold took on a different meaning as the impact had excavated the ground beneath me and left me standing on a ledge that, at that moment, collapsed like a hangman’s trapdoor.

Afterwards one of the nearest flag marshals said I vanished like a pantomime genie, the steam rising from the Mini providing a substitute for the puff of green smoke. For me, I found myself sat on my heels at track level. I got up and went to the aid of the driver. There was no fire and we helped each other up onto the bank. There was no safety car or any of that malarkey in those days, so the yellow flags stayed out on that section to the end of the race and then the tow truck turned up to collect Mini and driver.

I spend the rest of the races standing a few feet from my original spot and a couple of feet back from the edge; lesson learned.

It was a somewhat still muddy young man who got home about 18 hours after he had set off, but one who had enjoyed himself enough to have agreed to do it again.

Another adventure to come soon. Watch this space.

Filed under: Circuits, Marshalling Musings, Retro Moments, Tin Tops | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

weekend roundup – 12 June 2011

Posted on June 13, 2011 by thatconsultantbloke

#lemans – Good action at The Sarthe with Audi holding off Peugeot by not very much after what was almost a 24 hour grand prix. Nice to know that Mac and Rocky are OK after two massive shunts. Pleanty of hard luck stories as always, but a classic race with the result uncertain right up until the flag dropped.

In my opinion Anthony Davidson wasn’t blocking the lead Audi late in the race. He was leaving the door wide open at the chicanes and gave the Audi every chance to get by, he just didn’t back off and let him through. All pretty fair in my book.

#indycar – our favourite Will Power finally got an oval win in the second of the twin races in Texas, so that’s a monkey off his back. Even if he was favoured by the lottery for grid positions, it’s his name on the record book and he can maybe win a few more now that first one is behind him. WP is now 21 points clear at the top of the table having extended his lead by 5 after the Texas Twins. As to the method of drawing the grid for the second race by lots, it may be good for the spectacle, but it is no way to operate a professional race at this sort of level.

#f1 – The Canadian GP gave usa fantastic race with Jensen Button coming from last to first despite six trips to the pit lane. Another gritty drive from Webbo saw him salvage third after a hard day at the office and Schumi doing well coming in fourth right up Webbo’s exhaust pipes.

We also got another edition of Lewis in the Wars. He just seems to be in a place where he just can’t do right at the moment. but he can turn that round.

#nascar – meanwhile over in the Poconos on that unique flat tri-oval the return to shifting gears brought transmission problems to some. Jeff Gordon beat off the Ugly Brothers to tie third on the all time winner’s list with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on 84 visits to Victory Lane. A good run for JPM saw him lead a fair bit before losing third gear and fading to seventh. Not a good day for championship front runner Edwards with a dud engine dropping him right down the order.

Filed under: Circuits, Drivers, F1, Indycar, NASCAR | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

where is Bernie’s influence when I need it? #f1 #canadiangp

Posted on June 11, 2011 by thatconsultantbloke

OK, so the diminutive one can fix it so that F1 makes a significant contribution to global warming by running the Far East races under the lights at night, wasting thousands of candlepower so that the race is delayed until midday in Europe. So instead of wasting everyone’s time trying to rescue the Bahrain GP that almost no-one wants, why isn’t he getting the Canadians out of bed and running qualifying at 0800 their time so that the rest of it can watch it at 1300 (UK time) as well?

Now I don’t want to see F1 at night. NASCAR yes, but F1 should be run in the day time, and if that means that I have to get up at 0500 to watch on TV then so what? There is a natural order to these things that should not be messed with, and that is why I will not watch a grand prix run at night.

So no, I don’t really want the Canadians running their race first thing in the morning, but I don’t want Bernie mucking about with the timings in the East either. If we must have a standard timetable, then let’s keep it standard.

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Bahrain GP 2011 off again

Posted on June 10, 2011 by thatconsultantbloke

So it took the teams to put the lid on the re-instatement of the Bahrain Grand Prix 2011. This has been a sorry mess and has done F1, and motorpsort in general, little credit.

Fines and suspensions are amongst the penalties that the FIA can impose on teams, drivers and team employees for brining the sport into disrepute; a shame that the sport cannot sanction the FIA similarly. Maybe, though, this might be another wedge in the crack that might see a breakaway series established.

Filed under: Circuits, Drivers, F1, Teams | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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