SRC International

Grand Legacy movie

2013-05-20T16:13:00.001+02:00

So here the movie that I've worked on in the past weeks in my free time. Not much polished, got some errors and flaws in there, but I hope you enjoy it.

The beginning of Grand Prix racing and IndyCar:

Mille Miglia 2013 - (a clumsy version of following it) LIVE #millemiglia

2013-05-16T11:53:00.001+02:00

Twitter live feed and webcams to follow below, just to see what beautiful landscapes Mille Miglia runs through:

Tweets about "#millemiglia"

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1234952591.jpg - Brescia

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1203068695.jpg - Desenzano

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1279037042.jpg - Verona

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1170929599.jpg - Verona

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1273333604.jpg - Verona

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1277211199.jpg - Cento

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1286183348.jpg - Bologna

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1241351353.jpg - Bologna

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1203536908.jpg - Bologna

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1288521798.jpg - Faenza

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1230042375.jpg - Gambettola

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1240574712.jpg - Verucchio

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1202476328.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201873844.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201873842.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1241097580.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1217859097.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1202476427.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201873991.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201873863.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201873889.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201873819.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1171012510.jpg - San Marino

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1284656542.jpg - Cittá di Castello

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1262809316.jpg - Rieti

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1252916094.jpg - Settebagni GRA Roma

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1244041256.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1267635323.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1267635675.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1202493540.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1278494738.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1284449903.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1262442918.jpg - Rome

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1202495520.jpg - Viterbo

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1287056955.jpg - Bolsena

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1288344164.jpg - Bolsena

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1248686805.jpg - Siena

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1201433090.jpg - Firenze

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1244188410.jpg - Firenze

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1250533458.jpg - Firenze

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1292676296.jpg - Firenze

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1202490967.jpg - Firenze

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1285520021.jpg - Passo della Raticosa

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1200001584.jpg - Bologna

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1199820939.jpg - Bologna

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1283351657.jpg - Bologna

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1275069727.jpg - Bologna Porgo Panigale

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1200001755.jpg - Castelfranco Emilia

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1231069681.jpg - Modena

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1203536743.jpg - Modena

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1203536713.jpg - Reggio Emilia

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1203536559.jpg - Parma

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1252914913.jpg - A1 Parma

http://images.webcams.travel/webcam/1221922384.jpg - Brescia

When The Saints Go Merging In

2012-11-30T01:35:00.000+01:00

2012 saw some extraordinary changes in motorsports. Some series thought it was time to put the racing slicks up on the shelf, while others thought it was a good idea to occupy the neighbour's backyard with eventually moving in under a common roof. Whether it's good or bad, it is happening now with some very intriguing results. Let's see what the year of the London Olympics had up its sleeves for the motor racing fan not associated with.

Whoever thought the credit crunch was all bad was either an estate agent, a CEO of a major company, some millions of average citizens, or an F1 fan. It all started with the IRL/ChampCar merge back in 2008. While the unification had nothing to do with the credit crunch, as it happened almost a year before that, it set the template for the year of thin calves to come, and outlined some of the DOs and DON'Ts to be considered, which were thrown out of the window in this example. Rewinding the clock, IndyCar split to CART and the Indy Racing League back in the mid-'90s with CART having all the teams, all the media coverage, all the know-how and sponsorship, leaving the IRL with some souped-up go-karts, a calendar with about four dates among which, though, one was the Indianapolis 500. I am sure all of you played those car card games where you have a single car that is unbeatable by almost any parameter (older packs: usually a Ferrari of some sort, newer ones: a Veyron) and you can turn around the game and win from only having three cards left with this Joker in hand. Well, the Indy 500 is something very similar. CART (later ChampCar) was very impressive, fast and exciting, but it lacked the heart the clumsy IRL had. This, combined with the lack of interest caused by the split with fans wandering off to NASCAR, ChampCar had to bow out as neither the teams, the manufacturers or the sponsors slowly realised it was a series of lost values and drifted to the one that still had some. Thus, ChampCar went out of business, and all of the assets were acquired by IRL with the promise to appeal to the fans of both series.

Unfortunately they got it all wrong. The first time at least.

They took the worst of two worlds and boiled it down in a tub to make a mash no one was particularly in favour of. The one-make cars that were designed to go fast around ovals while being raced mostly on street circuits was not something that went through without major question marks, but - cutting to the chase - the now unified IndyCar heard those criticisms and added some more ovals eventually, encouraged manufacturers to take part, new chassis developed with parts to be self-developed later on. It all seems to be recalling the glory days of Indy racing. But it is too late, the damage was done, after almost 20 years. NASCAR is king in the US.

So out of all this, what the ALMS and GrandAm have to learn? Before I would get into that, let's sum up another similar, although potentially lot more successful story.

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge was conceived by EuroSport as a made-for-TV alternative to the WRC. It all seemed to be working, however, there were a few problems. Apart from the fact that it wasn't really intercontinental. Nor it came with a too prestigious title at the end of the year. Still, the exposure it granted was enough to attract teams and make a spectacle. However, as an old, forgotten brother in the closet, there hang the FIA European Rally Championship, challenged for the same spot. So the question was rather obvious: why shouldn't the privileges of media pass on to the series that had the history, making a unified European challenge. And this is exactly what happened. Or at least what should be happening from 2013.

Cutting back to American sportscar racing - there is a bad example and a rater positive example to follow here: how to incorporate the best of both worlds without all the setbacks.

Givens are: one series that baldly embraces its European ancestry, and another one - sanctioned by the country's largest body, owning the biggest motoring spectacle, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - creating something of their own and recalling some of the atmosphere of the Carrera Panamericana ,where European sportscars were put alongside American stock cars for an epic challenge through Northern Mexico, all these manifested in the Daytona Prototype cars running at the Daytona road course.
This time the situation is a lot more complicated: how to keep those values at a balance? What to throw out and what to keep?

Especially that NASCAR is going to be the sanctioning body, it's easy to assume with a told-you-so attitude that it would go down as the longer, slower and uncut version of NASCAR, however this seems not to be the case. They are even crowd sourcing a name for the new series.

Push comes to shove, some things have to be eliminated. Tracks, teams, even categories. The single biggest question is that whether DPs (top GrandAm category) or LMP2s (same for ALMS) should go. It has already been decided that the GT class would come from ALMS, which would strongly suggest that DPs take the top step, ditching P2s. Or maybe not. Just think about it: the link missing between full-blown prototypes (as P1s) and GTs are the cars with production-DNA. Which are the P2s and DPs (with production-derived engine blocks). In that order. Why not have P2s AND DPs, with DPs renamed "P3"s, or P2s as "SP"s as in "Sebring Prototype". Of course FIA and ACO would have a say or two about this, but it would be the logical step to do as their power output, technology and rice would suggest. Or taking the matter even one step further, DPs have a slight stock car DNA with their attempted mimicry of actual production cars, even they are very subtle touches as the headlight-decals or some vague attempt to resemble the basic silhouette of the "donor" car.

There is something primarily engaging with racing cars that - at least in part - look like production models. That is partly why NASCAR is successful ("everyday" cars running around 200mph, "I have one of those"), that is why the V8 Supercars, DTM or the SuperGT evokes some sort of instinctively tribal phenomenon.
Funnily enough, DTM and SuperGT announced the unification of their specifications, which creates an almost WWII-grandeur alliance in motorsports, the "Axis of Silhouette". Did I mention that Daytona Prototypes are welcome in the GT300 category in SuperGT? Did someone just say there's an intercontinental thread of stock cars, sport prototypes and silhouette touring cars, making perhaps one, worldwide-spread, unified series somewhere down the line? If this is not destined for epic greatness or miserable failure, I don't know what could touch this anyway. Talking about credit crunch and necessity: creativity cannot be bought.

There are marriages in times of need where romance is left outside the building with surviving being the keyword. These never go down without bitterness (as no marriage does), but that doesn't mean there can't be really extraordinary children out of them.

Motorsports vs. The #Olympics

2012-08-02T21:12:00.005+02:00

There has been an ongoing debate since the establishment of the modern Olympics whether motor racing should be included (as the two institutions started at the same time). Pro-arguers claim that race drivers are true athletes, nay-sayers will tell you that there is a reduced human element in motor racing and the overall performance of the combination of man and machine can be 50-50% the best, with the machine balancing constantly on the heavier side. Both of them are seemingly right, but let's look at the issue in detail.

Let's use simple logic here. Parallels are being thrown around from sleighing through sailing to equestrian sports that use some sort of tool (or animal) to compete. At the end of the day it always comes down to the difference between the sports(wo)men, and their ability to be superior over their opponents, which includes the sense for choosing the right tool to be successful. Of course, the "right tool" is not necessarily the "better tool", but more like the "suitable one" (let's suppose everyone uses pro-tools, not going against sticks broken off a hedge). Thus one kind of bow for example is not better over another one, it may just be more suitable for the person using it. On the other hand, there are more complicated tools, such as a bobsleigh or a sailing boat, which could easily make much difference, thus the IOC took a simple move: standardize them. No unfair advantage over other competitors.

In the same way, there should be standard, equal motor vehicles used at an Olympic challenge if considered, which makes the debate on the ratio between man and machine irrelevant due to everyone sharing the same percentage, thus making the competition mano a mano.

Now this all seems fine, but I can already hear you complaining that motor vehicles are WAY too complicated "tools", so a failure of one component could be the judge between winning or losing. Quite right, I shall add, but what about horses? When an equestrian hits the field in the pentathlon for example, there is an unpredictable percentage of performance credited to the horse. For one reason, there are no two identical horses (until they decide to clone them) and for another one, a horse can have a bad day too, so to speak. So if a horse does not feel like hurdling in the finals and stops in front of the first gate, that is indeed a problem cannot be solved. In the same way, a failure of a component in a motor vehicle is one of those unpredictable factors cannot be foreseen, making the horsepowers no less eligible at the Olympics than horses.

By following simple logic there seems to be no way why motorsports could not qualify as Olympic sports, the problem is rather different.

The real question is, what sort of motorsport should head to the Olympics? Because the world of motorsports is about as varied as the universe of sports in general, motor-powered competitions could in fact have their own Olympics (and they actually have). But let's stick to the topic and suppose one could delegate one motorsport to the Olympics, what would it be.

Many would instantly say "Well, of course F1 should be the part of the Olympics, because it's the king of motorsports, blah-blah-blah...". It would almost seem reasonable, but there are multiple problems here: 1. "King of motorsports" is decided upon personal preference, it does not have anything to do with the amount of money involved or viewers' figures; 2. See problem above on equal cars, but an A1GP-sort of event would still seem reasonable; 3. Why open-wheel single seaters? 4. Why circuit racing, why not (insert any sort of motoring competition here)?; but most importantly 5. Why four wheels, why not two (three, etc.)?

Let's start with one of the most obvious problems: the sort of racing. Keeping in mind that the vehicle is just a tool, the competition could be bent and likened to any other Olympic sports. Cutting to the chase, I believe a time trial would be most appropriate over head-to-head racing, because it is the purest form of competition: who is fastest? The question is whether you look at motor racing as the 100-meter sprint or wrestling. As a matter of fact, head-to-head racing cannot be looked at as pure wrestling, because all the wrestling would happen during running. Yes, it includes a more complex driving technique but if someone is put into a gravel trap by someone else, there is no repeat, no second try, that position is lost forever - due to the fault of someone else. A time trial on the other hand eliminates all these problems and concentrates on pure speed. While wrestling cannot be conducted by any other means, motorsports can be. Whether it is conducted on a circuit or a point-to-point stage, it is almost irrelevant, but a circuit in a stadium is of course more comfortable for attendance and a lot more easier to broadcast.

The vehicles. Heavy compromise. Universally motorcycle and car racing are the two most popular and most practiced motorsports, at least at the beginning these two could be delegated. The vehicles themselves could be easily picked, just take a look at the "Race of Champions" - which is by the way a de facto Olympics of car competition. 3-4 types of vehicles used through the whole event, so drivers from different backgrounds ave a mixed experience, somewhat equalizing the chances. There is only one problem with this one, and the whole issue in general: Environment. The spirit of the Olympics (uniting people, peace, unity over differences, etc.) includes protecting our environment, thus rubber- and petrol-burning cars going sideways are definitely not the right message the IOC would want to get through. It should showcase new technology, sending the right message, so what else than some electric cars and motorcycles? Moreover, something designed specifically for the Olympics, not based on any other existing models, further emphasizing the challenge between drivers.

It all seems reasonable in my mind: a RoC-type of event where drivers are representing nations, with vehicles sending out the desired message correlating the spirit of challenge and the future.

If this is too much at once, the idea could be scaled down a lot: because if equestrian challenge is part of pentathlon, sure, driving could be part of it, too (which would make it... *gulp* sexathlon?). A short circuit/special stage/hill climb as part of this already complicated challenge could be a starting point for sure.

But this is all just speculation and playing mind-games. Why not just go for the obvious? How about an Athens to Other City Hosting The Olympics endurance rally? Like the legendary Peking to Paris, London to Mexico, London to Sydney, Liége-Sofia-Liége, Paris-Dakar rallies. Virtually following the route of the Olympic flame, instead of a sprint session, it would be the marathon for cars, trucks and motorcycles. A road rally with special stages here and there. A rally where all sorts of drivers from all sorts of backgrounds could jump in and be competitive immediately.

Can you imagine that? Athens to London? Athens to Rio de Janeiro? Winning an Olympic gold medal at the end? I think everyone can...

The Tempest - How #F1 May Have Less European Races But More Countries Involved

2012-07-27T14:04:00.002+02:00

Black clouds are forming over the European F1 map. Voices of lack of finance are echoing from all corners of the continent. Some even fear that the circus leaves the 'old world' for good and sets foot in the Middle- and Far-East where (seemingly) unlimited money is. Is it so and if yes, what can be done about it?

Weather is the ultimate scriptwriter of motorsports. Just think the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix and you'll get the picture. But there are more subtle appearances of its influence. Think the British Grand Prix this year. No, not the parking lot Odyssey, but Murray Walker during Qualifying. While the torrential rain was in a sense very much British, it was also very much British to let Murray Walker speak. And of course, what else he could talk about but "F1 coming home". Fortunately he never forgot to mention that the actual home of Grand Prix racing is France, which is sadly not on the F1 calendar anymore. Take that and the news that the Nürburgring in Germany might close for good with Hockenheim being unable to host F1 from year-to-year alone.

This could mean that F1 could miss a consistent German GP. Lack of consistency means here that the event could be converted into bi-annual event.

In further not-so-news the Belgian GP could be off the calendar as well, as it has been hung on the verge of vanishing. I am not taking the time and the will to collect all the reasons why these events are wavering towards the exit (nevertheless they are deeply rooted in financing, what else), but what is almost certain that we can expect less European F1 races in the future. So for now let us be progressive and see where this could lead us.

Currently there are eight European rounds out of the twenty: Spain, Monaco, Europe, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium and Italy. Quite a lot considering it is a World Championship, even when the proportions showed further European dominance in the past. Obviously Bernie Ecclestone likes consistency, little resistance and profitable events, thus it would all seem reasonable to move away from Europe to Asia, where there is less control over advertising, politics has less influence on the events, and there is money. Lots of it. But of course F1 would and could not break away from its European roots that radically, so how could you cut races in Europe while maintaining consistency and keep all the countries interested in hosting F1 races?

The recipe may be embedded in what the Germans invented a few years back. With neither the Hockenheimring or the Nürburgring was being able have an F1 race every year, they collectively decided to be the host of the German Grand Prix alternatively, making it a consistent round on the calendar, but with the duty shared.

This is something that may be applied to the whole continent in the near future. The already-saturated 20-race calendar will unlikely to be able to pick up further (European) events, but countries could come to an agreement to team up and rotate the calendar by matching up events.

The French Grand Prix is said to make a comeback. Clearly they could only do so by dodging some other round out of the calendar. Most likely the Belgian GP, which is one fan-favourite but dying on its own anyway. So why not just have a French GP one year and a Belgian the next? Same for the Russian GP. Concerning the geography and the market, the Hungarian GP is an equivalent, which is a firm competitor, being backed by the government, but not the pinnacle of F1 racing. Thus see example above.
If we are thinking this through, we could easily find European events to match up, e.g.:

Belgium - France/Germany
Hungary - Russia/Bulgaria
Spain - Portugal/Italy
Great Britain - France/Germany (ha ha!)
Monaco

The possibilities are of course much greater than that, but all of them seem to be a reasonable choice. By 'reasonable' of course I mean after I dodged all the rotten tomatoes and death threats from Italian, Spanish, Hungarian and British fans. Of course, there are are tracks that can afford F1 every year and willing to do so (they could bid for the European GP when being "off-season"), but may have to sacrifice their permanent status to a relay run.

Otherwise, the FIA must do something about countries left without F1, don't they?

Well, step in Formula Two. The series that have been recently revived by the FIA, seemingly unnecessarily due to the existence of GP2, GP3 (which are support events to F1 races in Europe) and other, strong single-seater series, such as the World Series by Renault (in multiple categories), Auto GP, various national and international F3 series, etc. Thus it would be a great opportunity for the FIA to promote their very own junior single-seater championship in these countries during "off-F1 season", accompanied by further, European series. This would not generate an empty spot on the calendar of the venues (not that they would not be able to fill it on their own, but at least they would be granted a fixture by the FIA), cut costs, improve variety, and the audience could further get to know more young drivers, who might be seen in F1 the next year.
This is of course just from the mind of a European who wants to see more European F1 races, but aware of the cost and the reality of it. In my mind we could have more countries involved with less races on the calendar, while reinforcing that junior series are worth watching, not just when they come in a package.

What do you think?

The Struggle Within - FIA World Championships On The Verge Of Collapse

2012-06-24T04:08:00.000+02:00

In medias res: FIA is fighting (or rather witnessing) a war with its own 'children'. F1 and WRC. One is forced to make decisions for its own benefit, but it might come with a price it cannot afford and gears up for war instead, while the other one just wants to be seen and not overlooked in favor of its step-sibling, not wanting to be stabbed in the back or vanish altogether. Whatever happens, it might change the future of motorsports for decades.

Perhaps needless to say that the root of the problems in both cases is finance, although from very different perspectives.

V6 turbo engines in F1 should be effective from 2014. To cut a long story short, teams don't like the idea because engines would cost more to buy (initially at least), thus they want the current engines to be in charge for as long as possible, because they are cheap and got to the point where they are bulletproof due to their perfected multi-year designs. Let's admit: there hasn't been too many engine failures in recent years. But the world of motorsports stepped to a way new level in the meantime with the added 'green' factor. And while F1 has jumped on the bandwagon with the KERS system, it just draws more attention to the elephant in the room: the engines have been the same for a long time.

When a couple of years ago engine development was frozen, it was the right thing to do for cost-effective reasons and with the added rev-limiting reliability was strengthened that enabled multi-race usage, too - another cost-cutting feature. It all seemed to be going well when the recession hit big time leaving F1 in 2009 with works teams leaving or about to leave and classic races threatened with dropout. To give a nudge and a twist to the knife in the open wound, FIA announced even more restrictions in budget and an equalizing two-tier concept between the 'big' and the 'small' teams in their new Concorde Agreement proposal. This of course enraged the Formula One Team Association enough to quickly announce a breakaway rival series to F1, where works team were free to throw around and burn money according to their good will, getting rid of all the 'green' stuff, in front of audiences that were witnesses of decades Grand Prix tradition but deprived of F1 in recent years or with no GP tradition at all, but simply being new markets. Ultimately a compromised settlement between FIA and FOTA was made until 2012.

On a personal note, in retrospective, I would have liked to see the Grand Prix World Championship happening. Although it all seemed a disaster at the time, it would have correlated with the tradition of pre-war Grand Prix racing more - the Golden Age of its kind - with all the national works teams and the classic events.

Well, we arrived to 2012, the time for the new Concorde Agreement - mostly centered around the aforementioned V6 turbo engines. And surprise-surprise: the fulminated Flavio Briatore is rumored to be working on a GP1 series taking effect in the near future. Powered by the current, normally aspirated V8s.

This time it seems more of a reality because, frankly, all the tools are given, and this time it wouldn't do a favor to the biggest teams, but the smaller ones who would not be able to afford the new V6 engines. Delaying or postponing the new engines in F1 wouldn't be a wise choice as the manufacturers already spent a budget of the GDP of a small, third-world country each, thus giving the plan the red card would make them leave for good surely.

So what could the FIA do to save the cabbage and feed the goat at the same time?

A 'slow' introduction of V6 turbo engines would be an acceptable alternative á la Toro Rosso in 2006, where the newfound team was left without the then-new V8 powerplant on the ruins of Minardi and was forced to use V10s from the previous year, although with serious restrictions on revs. A similar transition could be achieved in a year or two in the current situation, but those who shall choose the V8 should not be part of the Constructors' Championship - if FIA really wants to push the new engines.

Whatever the solution might be, a two-tier system seems inevitable or face two separate series.

As far as WRC is concerned, the situation is quite the opposite. Or very much similar - depending on which side you take on the looking glass. WRC has to face extinction. In the 80s it was competing with F1 in popularity and was the only World Championship sanctioned by the FIA beside the open-wheel series during most of the 90s. Now it has two works team with Ford about to leave allegedly and initially no rallies signing up for the 2013 calendar due to an extra 80,000 GBP to be paid by each event's organizers.

In the meantime, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge is lavishing in works teams and televised, classic rallies despite its almost exclusively European range of territory. During its short history it saw events as the Tour de Corse, the Sanremo Rally, the Targa Florio, the Safari Rally, the Circuit of Ireland and at one point even the Monte Carlo Rally! This and works teams as Honda, Peugeot, M-Sport (de facto Ford), Renault, Skoda and Subaru makes one wonder why isn't this series called the World Rally Championship.

Where did it go all wrong and how IRC become such a massive success in such a short time? Parts of the answer has already been detailed as above, but the presence of works teams had to be settled first. What have IRC had that WRC doesn't?

The answer might lie in two crucial errors made by the FIA on behalf of WRC: granting media (i.e. TV) exposure and introducing the rotating calendar. In other words: it had a convincing live appearance all around the world, but on the downside one could never expect if one's favorite event would return the next year. Combine this with the relatively hard access to it by the masses. Put it simply: a WRC run completely new to the calendar capable of giving the jizz almost exclusively to the locals only due to hard to find it on TV. As opposed to IRC that simply picked up events familiar even to non-motorsports enthusiasts and were left out of the WRC calendar, with having granted first-class coverage on EuroSport. The different approaches resulted in the strange phenomenon in 2009 and 2010 where WRC was left without the Monte Carlo Rally while IRC had the Col de Turini televised live on EuroSport.

And maybe there's a third reason: FIA being at IRC as a sanctioning body only, not peeking over their shoulders all the time. Nevertheless, this sandbox war happens in its own backyard. Such as the alleged F1 vs. GP1 battle.

What is the FIA doing? Perhaps five world championships is just too much, never mind that F1 - the most popular motorsport and one of the most viewed sports in general all around the world - is one of them? And where could all this lead in the future?

(Un)fortunately, motorsports have been there already. IndyCar is one prime example. When the Indy Racing League dissected from IndyCar, it took the Indy 500 with it and nothing more. It promised low-cost, but competitive racing, truer to American traditions and having one race from the "Triple Crown of Motor Sports". The other half, CART/ChampCar seemed altogether strong and somewhat unbeatable: engines and chassis from different manufacturers, not one-make series as the rival one. But something happened down the line. People started watching NASCAR and even in the decreasing TV figures IRL started slowly coming up and finally beating ChampCar. Also, Team Penske and Ganassi Racing decided to do their own take and go to the Indy 500 anyway later with more and more teams leaving ChampCar in favor of IRL, manufacturers leaving the dying series altogether. The double bankruptcy of the series' owner didn't help either and led to the merge of the two series creating once again a unified IndyCar Series.

What were the crucial downfalls of the ChampCar series that are relevant to our current case with F1 and WRC beside finance?

Briefly: disrespecting traditions.

ChampCar couldn't be further from the American tradition. It virtually had no input from the USA as far as the cars were concerned. One could order chassis from British manufacturers and engines from Toyota, Honda, Mercedes or Cosworth. that sounds more like an F1 assembly rather than an all-American showdown. And then the races. The US developed an open-wheel racing tradition on oval tracks and ChampCar managed to put out a calendar with zero oval races on it in its final year. And for the same reason, European and South-American drivers dominated the championship for over a decade, which didn't help to build the American image either - turning more viewers to NASCAR.

But it's all back now, with a completely new car, various engine manufacturers and a growing demand to more oval tracks, as they are providing immense amount of spectacle.

Same way with WRC and IRC: a merger of the two series seems inevitable if FIA doesn't want to lose WRC's credibility and time is running out: the more they hesitate, the more races will sign up for IRC - the current torch-carrier of traditional events and teams. WRC will lose to IRC at some point, the question is when.

As far as F1 and GP1 is concerned: it is a lot harder mountain to climb, but Bernie burned enough bridges to worth revisiting many of the events that were rejected by F1 long ago or discovering new places to race (not necessarily with the most up-to-date venues). This and a well-known, easily accessible format to racing and regulations could make even the big teams think and would be essentially a no-brainer for the rest of the field to switch. The question is whether Briatore would be able to convince such heavy weapon machinery akin to Ferrari to "join the dark side".

For the final word in the matter is: where Ferrari goes, de facto Formula 1 will there be.

FIA, it is now your turn: WEC has just been reborn. WTCC is overshadowed by one works team. GT1WC is dying. WRC is about to lose out to a rival series. F1 is seduced by easy money.

You were looking so much forward to reinvent everything at the same time that you were fooled by simplicity and old wisdom.

Pick up the fight, go!

Project "Grand Legacy" - a film on the birth of #F1

2012-04-20T22:03:00.001+02:00

"Grand Legacy" is my little project. Aimed to tell the story of Renault and Ferenc Szisz and their fabulous win at the first French Grand Prix in 1906 - the grandfather of all contemporary F1 races.

Also, it would give an insight to the races preceding the event: the 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup and the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup.

All this presented with contemporary F1, IndyCar and other images from various racing series.

Two work-in-progress videos from the middle of the film, showing the Vanderbilt Cup of 1905 with the images of the 1996 US 500 - where the Vanderbilt Cup was revived for the first time.

Please leave comments, and keep in mind that this is all work-in-progress, like I said, so creative advises are very much welcome.

How McLaren Is Killing The Supercar

2012-03-02T07:43:00.000+01:00

While not long ago I put the McLaren F1 as the best supercar ever made, their latest venture, the MP4-12C - named after their 1997 F1 car, is somewhat of a letdown. Moreover, I dare to say, McLaren is down the road to kill the content behind the term 'supercar'.

I have never owned a supercar. I have never driven one. I barely see one on the roads. And that is exactly I am entitled to make a judgement here.

The reason behind the McLaren roadcar-bashing is mainly the materials used in the car. Supercars are not made of steel, aluminium, carbon-fibre, magnesium, different alloys - contrary to the popular belief - but dreams. Cloudy, candy floss images where cars are war horses and roads are deadly dungeons. And within these dreams the McLaren MP4-12C fits in as well as a minister of equal opportunities in a street riot.

Yes, the McLaren is fast, faster than almost everything else put out lately, it is equipped with a grand mixture of technological advancements with groundbreaking "green" figures. And as Chris Harris pointed out, the car is easy to live with, it can behave as an ordinary car in ordinary, everyday situations.

And that exactly my problem is.

Because yes, it works properly in all situations and it is quick indeed, it is a perfect street, road and track car, where every engineered part is subordinated to performance and usability, ditching styling as something old-school, but that compromise comes with a price.

There is no other way of putting the problem but with the words of Hungarian motoring journalist Gabor Bazso (aka Nino Karotta) who - in his pursuit of designing and building his own Datsun 260Z trackday car - contemplated over the design of the car's new, flared wheelarches:

"I am unable to envision the curve of the rear wheelarches upon aerodynamic basis. This is not the sort of motorsport where every single air-molecule is forced to take a different route around the body. This should be left to Adrian Newey. Only in good looks I am interested in. ... I don't care whether those air-molecules fly by slowly or quickly, I just want them to have an erection while doing so."

In other words, the McLaren is just not inspiring enough. Or at all. I can't imagine the person who's dreaming about the McLaren, although he should be the sort of person who's browsing and comparing torque figures in his spare time, rather than Playboy centerfolds.

The other thing is the handling, and this is the most crucial part. There is nothing wrong with a well-designed chassis and great balance. It's the abundance of electronics. In fact, McLaren decided to put Michael Schumacher's brain in the car. It is like if Schuey himself was sitting in the passanger seat with extra pedals for him as in driving instructors' cars. He greets you with a big smile and says: "Today, we are going to go fast." So you're putting your foot on the pedal, hitting an A-road, while Schuey not saying anything. He will however dance his way through on his own pedals, breaking when needed, accelerating when needed. And out of every corner he is putting a big smile on his face with a "Well done!" look in his eyes, thinking "Mein Gott!" in the meantime.

Honestly, are you still dreaming of a car your mother can drive, too?

And what is it that it slices through city traffic easily? Who ever wanted a practical supercar? I know, it's the Honda NSX that started the whole trend, but the whole sexepil of that car at the time was going against the trends and putting handling before power, while retaining a reasonably sized boot. The MP4-12C does that too. And some more. And again, more, until the point it overkills it. In fact, killing it. Not just committing suicide, but endangering the species of supercars. Because if it's a practical supercar you want, why not start your search at the other end of the scale and look for high-performance saloons? No, a BMW M5 won't go as fast around the corner as the McLaren, but it has four seats, a big boot, tremendous amount of power, and a huge smile-factor.

So what does McLaren do?

McLaren is making speed accessible. It's making it commonplace. It's just putting more numbers at the bottom right corner of the speedometer. It's making the supercar friendly.

McLaren is now turning James Hunt into Lewis Hamilton.

It is your choice to decide whether you'd have a beer with James or talking of suspensions with Lewis.

My Crush On FWD Four-Door Saloons

2012-02-18T13:56:00.000+01:00

"So what is this thing with you and front wheel-drive four-door saloons?" asked Tiff Needell almost pinning me against the wall at this party at a Goodwood lounge. I had a waverly look at him as my goatie hairs gently pulsed under his cider-flavoured breath and threw an arm towards Chris Harris to help me out. "Well..." I started with a croaking voice and an uncomfortable look in my eyes, trying to kill time until Chris was willing to come over. "The thing is with these cars is that they are not BMWs... or Astons...or Mercs, *ahem* but something that... you know... you can buy... for real." That didn't seem to convince Tiff and I was ready to threw new arguments into our Pythonesque conversation, but just as I opened my mouth, he indulged himself into a monologue concerning the new BMW M5, rear-wheel drive, chassis setup, and all those sorts of things while spilling cider on his shoes and the floor. Luckily enough, Harris finally came around with a pint of Löwenbrau in his hand, listened to Tiff's tech-talk and just as the grey-haired presenter stopped for a minute, he dropped the final words to end the conversation. "The sandwiches are really good, you should try them." and with that, he passed his beer over to me and made his way over the loo.

Of yourse, you wouldn't read any of this if I didn't try to come up with a point to start this post, attempting to put words into famous road-testers' mouth upon why I love front-wheel drive saloons. Because there is no real argument in this topic, there are no pros or cons, just personal affection, my personal crush on these cars without a single logical piece of objective explanation.

Or is there one? Let's find out.

Personally, I never owned a four-door saloon, but I really feel I should. And to get to the point, four-door saloons are one of the most impractical practical cars as of 2012, yet one of the most sold ones around the world.

With the massive spread of hatchbacks, saloons got stuck as something obsolete between the hatchback and the estate category. Because, first of all, why would you want a saloon?

You would say it's the big boot space, for example. But no, it is not that much bigger as the car itself is compared an ordinary hatchback, but it is the same length as its estate counterpart that has virtually endless amount of boot space. You then could say there's enough room for your family to sit in the car, with comfortable legroom at the back seats, but again, it loses the point contrary to the estate, which has the same amount of legroom, plus the afore-mentioned boot space. Then you could mention the price that is slightly lower than of an estate, but when it comes to fitting the dog or the childrens' small bicycles in the car, your regular interior cleaning bill comes quickly into even terms with the price difference between the two.

So again, why would you buy a saloon?

Well, the simple answer is because they look great. Of course I'm not talking about saloons that were converted from hatchbacks, but proper, ground-up saloons - limousines if you like. They just have this sinister look on the street, especially in dark colours, preferably dark blue, grey or black. With some chrome trimming here and there, they really look like something of class compared to the rest of the usual cars on the roads.

Now the real petrolhead could say "Yes, you got a point there, but why front-wheel drive? It is the worst thing ever happened to the car, closely followed by large cupholders and automatic transmission."

First things first, cupholders are great when you are stuck in a traffic jam, and automatic transmission is just wonderful when... you are stuck in a traffic jam. But they really don't have much to do with actual driving, so let's get back to our original point. Front-wheel drive does have practical advantages over RWD, especially with saloons and estates - meaning of course the prop-shaft and the rear axle occupying valuable room from the backseats and the boot in an FR-layout car - but let's not cite this fact here when I just proved superiority of saloons over everything else by means of single affection, but the other, most important practical argument is FWD's price. Because, as you may noticed, we live in a world where RWD is now the toy of higher-class manufacturers, meaning of course BMW and Mercedes in the first place being the cheapest of these. Looking back, perhaps the Ford Sierra and the Opel Omega/Vauxhall Carlton were the last affordable FR-layout cars and that piece of the market is simply missing now.

Yes, RWD is more fun, yes, enjoyable to drive, but even when you have the money to buy and maintain a BMW or a Mercedes, you cannot avoid the terms "hoon" and "posh" tagged onto you, respectively.

Also, this doesn't mean FWD four-door saloons should be boring. Let's just take motorsports pedigree. Touring car racing loves FWD saloons. Maybe not as much as hatchbacks, but still, they still can be good use in a contact-motorsport like BTCC. And if you just look at the podium at the end of each WTCC race, you'll notice that it is covered with one factory team with four-door saloons from race to race. Germany of course is the European heaven of RWD, so if you look at DTM, two out of three saloons represented are RWD with Audi still being 4WD or FWD, with the actual, purpose-built racecars all being RWD of course. Or just have a look at NASCAR. The most widely viewed motorsport right after F1. Its top series, the Sprint Cup features four four-door saloons, out of which three are front-wheel drive in real life with the Dodge Charger basically being a plain muscle car with two further doors attached, rather than a high-performance saloon. Of course, none of these make the actual cars more exciting, but their sheer layout and balance make them capable to perform probably the most spectacular motoring guilty pleasure on Earth, the "arab drift".

But this is not the purpose of a FWD four-door saloon. The point of the whole car should be to give you a sort of down-to-earth class - or rather dignity - for good money, without the negative preconceptions attached to the luxurious RWD counterparts. It should tell other people, you are an ordinary person with a sinister life. You have a proper house you worked for, a proper car you earned and you just simply have the right to drive a slightly big car that is not a 100% workhorse as an estate would be.

In other words, a front-wheel drive four-door saloon makes you feel and look like a capital-letter CITIZEN, as all of us want to be. And for a strange reason, that is my crush.

Well, Tiff seems to have fallen asleep, I should give him a ride home in this Peugeot 605.

N/A N/A - The Death of Non-Turbo Engines

2012-02-05T12:19:00.000+01:00

While less than a year ago I was melting in awe of the mightiness of the classic turbocharged engine, opinions took an opposie lock during the time elapsed and bounced off the Wall of Champions. But it's not the turbo's fault. Let me explain.

I'm still in love with the epic turbo-lag caused by a small engine - gigantic turbocharger combination. Only turbo has become too much commonplace in the sense that its original purpose has been confiscated and replaced by a green toe-thumb tag. In fact, I was the first one to jump from the armchair and throw hands in the air when it was announced officially that turbocharged V6 engines would replace the current naturally aspirated V8s in Formula 1 from 2014 while questioning the rationality behind the year - why not 2013?

FIA has tried everything to simplify the super-complicated aerodynamics of recent F1 cars, with a brief initial success only. Ultimately they figured out - shock! - that when a whole field of cars were and have been running with engines developed years ago - forbidding any further improvement on them - while restricting the revs they would operate at, then teams would find every other possible ways to get to the top of the grid, which ultimately resulted e.g. in tricky engine mappings, but most of the time exploiting aerodynamic loopholes with additional, flexible wings slowly reappearing on the cars with mysterious air ducts tunnelling through the body, making a few extra kph advantage on the straights. FIA ultimately threw in the towel and voted for a new engine formula resembling one from the 80s, so everyone would start tinkering with the powerplants, building the aerodynamics from the ground up.

They said it was going with the times. Turbocharging was now not only the means to keep power up but also a way to lower emission rates in F1.

I'm sorry. In F1?

As a matter of fact, since when turbocharging has been considered to be a greener way to move around?

While I do know and accept the math behind it, I still find myself in a bit of controversy, a twisted cognitive dissonance. This was the point where I pulled a hipster act to proclaim the now commonplace turbocharged engine 'uncool'.

The whole issue just hit me when I started thinking about diesel engines and I found myself unable to come up with one single, non-turbocharged engine that still is in production and is put into cars. I managed to get aid from Twitter, creating some minor buzz someone even dedicating the hashtag #lastnonturbodiesel to the matter. The final solution came down to one single model, the VW Caddy - not a frequent sight on the roads, by the way. But when we move the topic to petrol-powered cars, things do not get so much different.

In the past years, attention to environment avareness in the whole motoring industry pulled a high gear and turned everything upside down. MPG became the new MPH and devotion spent on CO2 emission rates in catalogues even surpassed luggage space size info.

As far as turbocharging is considered, it is now the temporary savior of the petrol engine while not yet trespassing the 'hybrid' territory. Ford managed to reinvent hot water naming their latest powerplant family 'EcoBoost', which basically represents engines of various layouts losing two cylinders and an added turbo.

Yes, downsized turbo engines perform better as far as economical and environmental factors concerned. But from a petrolhead's point of view turbo is becoming more and more out of place.

I have to give it to Clarkson this time, who just raised the issue in Top Gear driving the Lamborghini Aventador, showing favouritism to be the naturally aspirated V12 over his co-presenters turbocharged engines. Marginal, but intriguing case: why supercars need turbocharged engines? I mean, does any supercar owner care about economy and MPG figures over overall performance? If someone does, I imagine the person taking the bus or the bicycle to work, or some sort of hybrid car to show off awareness. I cannot imagine a heated argument between owners over CO2 emission rates and frequency of filling up, but rather crispiness of acceleration and reaction times, as Tiff Needell pointed out in Fifth Gear.

Unfortunately the problem does not stop here. Manufacturers of normal, everyday cars are being forced (see what I did there?) to go for turbocharging for economical reason. while it sounds appealing, as a side effect, even the smallest hatchbacks are becoming mechanically over-complicated.

Does one need a car for everyday quick running up and down in the town with something relatively so fragile?

Just a few grams of CO2 per kilometre gained making something reliable... not so reliable, from a tool to an e-device with a booting ceremony.

In my mind it's all wrong from a practical point of view and from a petrolhead's perspective as well. My brother, who happens to own a Lancia Delta HF Turbo, said he had been dreaming of getting a turbocharged car for long years while it was inaccessible in everyday rides. Now he has one, times have moved on in the meantime and became just an old hatchback to some extent, regardless of its mighty pedigree.

As a conclusion we may add that the high-performance naturally aspirated engine is the new cool, the 2010s answer to the 1980s turbo-invasion.

The spirit of Enzo Ferrari once again rules.

On An Island - The Ultimate Motorsports Legend Fights Its Way Back To Worldwide Establishment

2011-12-04T03:12:00.001+01:00

A blowhorn from the past. A travel through ages, sanctioning bodies and generations. The nostalgic and cathartic remembrance of heroic figures in the midnight hour illuminated by fireworks of celebration.

In brief, the Targa Florio is back as a world championship event... in ~~WRC~~ IRC.

Yes, it's not really THAT Targa Florio what you might think of when searching for images on Google for potential wallpapers, but in spirit it still is. Somewhat adjusted to present ages. Evolution for survival. For an explanation, let's turn back the clock several decades and sit back letting the arid breeze of history curl through our minds.

The Targa Florio endurance race has probably been the among the most important races in European motorsports history including the very first French Grand Prix in 1906 (which later spawned many other Grand Prix races throughout Europe and the world only to be concluded in the Formula 1 World Championship in 1950). As a matter of fact, the Targa Florio set off a month before the first proto-F1 race and five years before the first Monte Carlo Rally.

The circuit - appearing in different configurations of open, Sicilian public roads linked together - has been one of the most brutal challenges for driver and car endurance alike. Conceived by Vicenzo Florio, it was intended to be the Southern Italian editon of his already established, but later defunct Coppa Florio (the spiritual ancestor of the Mille Miglia).

Tight, curvy mountain passages are the Targa's key challenges that made the Monte, the Sanremo and many other rally events famous to this day. To describe the event, imagine the above mentioned French GP run at Monte with added extreme heat and you get close to the challenge the Targa had to offer.

Of course, this was largely depending on the actual layout of the course. Over the decades, the Targa has emerged in various shapes and forms. In some occasions in the late '30s it was nothing more than a sprint race for Grand Prix cars on a barely 6km-long closed circuit. On the other end of the scale, the late '40s saw a 1080km-long course stretching over the whole island. Among the many versions, probably the most well-known variant is the 72km-long "Piccolo Circuit" that had become the "classic" targa for many racefans.

While the race produced many local heroes and emerged many Italian car manufacturers to the top of the racing scene, all fame went to Bugatti and its "35" model, winning the Targa in five consecutive years in the '20s that was somewhat imitated by the just-not-yet purpose-built Grand Prix car Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza and the Maserati 6CM with three wins mutually through the '30s.

Unfortunately, as with every race in Europe, WWII put a temporary end to racing. By 1948 when racing resumed, the dividing line between racing car types had already become quite clear as opposed to the practice of earlier decades where the difference between a sportscar and a Grand Prix car would be virtually the fenders being attached or not. Now the Targa was an all-sportscar event and was heading into new heights.

In 1955 the race was incorporated to the World Sportscar Championship, being the second Italian event on calendar after the Mille Miglia and among the many others to follow in later years.

Let's make a small experiment here: close your eyes and think of the Le Mans movie with Steve McQueen. Think of the Gulf Porsche and the archrival Ferrari. Think of the rain drooling down the Mulsanne straight. Now, think of the cars screaming down the infinite stretch through curtains of water. Your guts are trembling from the sheer volume and presence. Now, open a new chapter and think of the same cars again. Think of sunshine. Think of shadows thrown on the road by flat rooftops. Think of the cars screaming through a village street with the terrifying noise bouncing back from housewalls. Think of grandparents watching the car flying by just a metre away from the doorstep they are standing on. And of course, think of the serpentine-like roads with a chasm on one side and a wall on the other. That's the Targa Florio during its most glorious days.

As sportscars took a giant leap and entered their immense power-chasing period, racetracks around the world were packed with spectators and such endurance events saw many vicious fights all over these venues. But public roads seemed narrower every year and demanded increasing focus. Inevitably, fatal accidents to competitors and spectators put an end to an era in the same manner Mille Miglia was discontinued in its traditional form 16 years earlier in 1953.

The last "real" Targa Florio was run in 1973 as a World Sportscar Championship event (or World Championship for Makes as it was called then), but was continued as a domestic event until 1977 when open road racing was dropped completely and converted into a rallying event for the Italian championship on the same roads.

Now, Wikipedia might tell you that the Targa Florio Rally is not to be confused with Targa Florio "plain", but in truth is that apart from chopping up the historic course(s) to special stages not much difference happened. On the contrary, the cars have become more appaling by the end of Group 4 and the dawn of Group B. Winners of the Targa Florio were now all Italian asphalt-grinders: Lancia Stratos, 037, Delta S4, Ferrari 308GTB, Fiat 131 Abarth. The Targa was now more exciting than ever with all these fire-breathing monsters competing on sprint segments.

Coinciding with the ban of Group B cars on FIA sanctioned events, the Targa Florio has been incorporated to the European Rally Championship and has been part of it since. Until now.

The ~~18th of October~~ 14th of June, 2012 will mark the kickoff of the first Targa Florio as a World Championship race (sort of) since 1973 after a staggering 39 years of hiatus, but at the same time it will be the 96th Targa and the 106th anniversary run. The Indianapolis 500, the Monte Carlo Rally and the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb are those truly great events that can live up to such tradition as the Targa Florio.

In an age, when auto racing is flourishing but compromised by political correctness, the sheer fact that a race with such a long history exists and survived the maladies of decades but turned up on international scene once again, evolved, is a story of an epic win.

I wish there were more events like that raising the history and tradition of automoblie racing.

I'm looking at you, Mille Miglia...

*NOTE: The author wished to bespoke on competitive events. Yet historic racing is very much present at both Targa Florio and Mille Miglia, they are friendly, but very respectable tourings rather than challenges.*

Iguazú, a fall - in memory of #DanWheldon

2011-10-17T20:49:00.002+02:00

When someone leaves the room, a void's created. Some voids are temporary, some voids are permanent. And there are some voids that are painful. This is yet another fall of a great one.

Gustavo Santaolalla - Iguazu by leila m

Fingers are pointed somewhere, trying to find someone to blame. It may be driver XY, it may be Las Vegas Speedway, it may be IndyCar or it may be consumer culture in general.

"This shouldn't happen."

It will happen again. Sooner or later.

Other people give up hoping that the inevitable shouldn't occur. Some of them sign up for a possible death, knowing or not wanting to think about the possible outcome.

That's how life goes.

Eventually, every drop of water will fall the same place. Smaller or big ones alike.

Rest in Peace, Dan! You were a vitalizing drop of water..

Working Class Hero

2011-09-24T21:00:00.000+02:00

So this is it... where I am now. The working class man in England. You'd might be thinking my motoring interests do not reach beyond the boundaries of cars that are good enough for commuting only and you'd be right. In fact, I'd fall for a car that's reliable, takes me from A to B, that is a workhorse, a proper car in other words - for me, the working class man.
When you're enclosed in a space along with a bunch of Polish and Brazilian people among millions of eggs and a production line, you do not think about cars. Jaguars do not drift thgough your imagination sideways, nor Veyrons run flat out close to half of the speed of sound. You only think of a pint of beer to put you to rest and the scent of fresh air as you leave the premises of the factory. You do not care about the dent on the car's door, nor the dust on the floor carpet.
You want one thing only. To get your will established, to get to the next workplace and enjoy the ride while you're at it.
Your mind picks up a different approach about the whole sensation of driving, no matter what your car is. The B-road becomes a road course, the roundabout the Karussell, the indifferent humming of the l4 engine is replaced by heavy metal music on your laughable stereo, crystallizing a grin on your face as if you were commanding a V8.
With a left-hand drive car driving on the left, the proximity of the trees combined with the mild velocity you pass them transforms reality to warp speed.
You're wearing a different licence plate of a country anyone's hardly heard of, getting looks at the red light as if you were a madman tearing up your car to pieces just to put yourself to the wrong seat, blasting into the undisturbed, civilized world with all your shabbiness and still make things work.
You used your car to get here and stay for good, only to defy the rules of commodity that is represented by proper, sub-five-year cars in the streets.
The Escort.
The one with American origin, given birth in England, tossed to Germany, shipped to Hungary and now being returned to the place where it was concieved in the first place.
The underdog.
That's me in the traffic.
That's me at the red light.
That's me in the car park by the warehouse.
That's me when not paying enough attention at one point and almost causing an accident.
That's me through A4.
That's us, me and my car - the working class and the hero.

Light Years Away

2011-08-28T20:00:00.000+02:00

What do you do when you have run out of funds, hope of a better future and patience? You set your car's nose England-bound.

It all started over two years ago when talks started between my wife and I that we sould join all those people who in wish to grab fortune's better end set themselves to Western and Northern Europe. There were initiatives taken and withdrawn when finally tensions within our broader family and lack of funds lead to concrete decisions and conclusions at the end of last year and the whole procedure of moving started taking shape.

The setting looked like so: me, my wife, two dogs and all that one could fill in a Ford Escort. Printed Google Maps directions, over three tanks of fuel and 1,200 miles to cover from Kaposvar, Hungary to Keynsham, UK.

Light Years Away by joesatriani

The car as said abve was a 1998 Ford Escort CLX. 1,4-litre CHV petrol engine, 5-door hatchback with the highest trim level of the time including electric windows, rear spoiler, etc. It was almost new when we bought it three years ago with 45,000 kms on the odometer (no, it was REALLY that much, no cheating) and was in excellent condition. Sadly we haven't been as good owners of it as the previous ones. The rear right door suffered a scratch and a dent, and the rear bumper gained a cavity due to a close encounter with a trailer while reversing - and we didn't have time to fix those yet. There were two hubcaps missing as one was stolen and another was lost.

Despite that, mechanically it was still in a prime condition as we are talking about a 65,000-km car pre-trip.
A big check-up was necessary before the trip as I didn't want to break down in the middle of the Autobahn. This included some mending and fixing. First of all, a new cam belt was crucial to be installed. Eventhough the old one was on low mileage, it was already 13 years old and when you speak about rubber, you say aging. Along that a new water pump was installed and the oil was changed along with the oil filter and the air filter. Brakes were still fine, although they have to be changed soon. Piston sealing replacement finished off the procedure and it was done in one afternoon for less than 200 GBP-worth of Hungarian Forints.

That said, we set off on the national day of Hungary, 20th August at half past 9 at night to catch our ferry in Calais at 3:20AM on the 22nd. Most of the trip in Hungary was spent on B-roads with cautiously as I didn't want to hit any wild animals during the night. Shortly after midnight we managed to reach the border. Before entering Austria, we stopped at the last MOL petrol station to take a leak and stretch ourselves, while the dogs could get a drink. Moving on to Austria was like entering a whole different universe of roads. The main road on which we were heading to the motorway was like a motorway in Hungary altogether. It was pitch dark, and I was still maintaining an appr. 90km/h speed as I got used to it already. I was enjoying the ride as we rolled on and on and on. In Austria, it was perfectly clear which road to take to Germany from the first moment on. Passed through truck-stops and byroad night clubs the world narrowed down only to the stretch of road we were riding on. My wife was reading the itinerary but she showed the sing of tiredness already. At the last fork we had to take, I missed the exit, eventhough it was painted clearly on the ashpalt. No matter what I stepped on the brakes hard, the tyres were screaming and came to a full stop, putting it reverse and pulling back to the right direction while another car was passing us. It was ugly, it was completely breaking the law, but I don't say it was unethical.

I mean: do you want to spend the rest of your fuel tank and time spending to find the right direction when you got a route map only?

Then came the most unnerving bit: entering Germany and riding through it. There were about 100kms to cover in Austria before entering Germany and that meant an over 700km part without changing directions. We crossed the boarder South from Passau and there was an option to hand over the steering wheel to my wife. I didn't want to. Iwas thrilled to drive through Europe. I wanted to complete the marathon alone. I was wide awake even when we stopped at a service station over 100 kms after we passed the border. First time filling the car. Stretched our legs, ate something and off we went. It was a bright, sunny morning, but that didn't reveal much of Germany. I did find out though that Bavavaria really is the territory of BMWs as stated in the name. Met the most dominating Beemer owners of the Autobahn out there. I expected the road flooded with Porsches but not even one showed up even in Stuttgart area. Road up and down, narrowing here and there as construction works marked the A3 all the way through. In the meanwhile it started raining heavily but we were just eating up the miles. At Köln we changed to the route that was virtually heading straight to Calais. Passing closely to the Nürburgring we entered Belgium. I didn't really noticed where was that magical border but it was made clear by the lightposts as it was noted out that Belgian motorways are lit all the way through. I can confirm that, really, eventhough it was a bright sunny day. Passing by the Spa-Francorchamps track we were heading to the Bruxelles ring that was completely jammed, as one lane was shut due to construction works and another one was blocked by a broken down car. I was still driving, but Icould sense the fatigue. Thank God to the traffic jam, it pushed up my blood pressure as much as I could feel just about normal for the rest of the trip.

We entered the last but one leg late afternoon as we were heading to Calais, up to the seaside and riding along it. My wife missed one exit to mention intime so that put some nerve into me but we got back on track quickly.

France, finally. I was so happy about it but I was still short of the realisation what I was to go through there. Exit 47, that's what we were looking for. We still had time. There were about 8 hours until the ferry's departure. We stood in the line and I was expecting trouble already. To tell the truth, I would have been surprised if everything went well. Of course it was the British authority and our dogs. Don't want to go into details but that "nuance" cost 24 hours staying overnight and a visiting a local, Dr. House-like vet, summing up to 175 Euros. Did I say I was happy? No, because I wasn't.

After being completely desperate we finally got on our ferry at 0:20AM on the 23rd and heading for the Isles, hitting the coast at the cliffs of Dover.

I was preparing myself to driving on the left clearly, but it was a different experience to get used to mph instead to kph. By experiance and simple calculations it has always been simple to know that 30mph was 50kph, 50mph was 80 kph and 60 mph was 100kph. Fortunately we haven't met any other measures really except for 40mph, which is around 65kph as I had to calculate it first I encountered it.

So we finally arrived to Keynsham at around 8AM with a sleep included in the meantime and that was it. 1,200 miles without a problem. I have driven through a kerb in Calais I simply just didn't notice, it was out of sight - didn't manage to take a closer look, but hopefully the floorpan won't rust away soon. Despite that, there weren't any problems really. The Escort just worked fine and fulfilled the puropse it was named after.

But the best bit was still to come. A few days ago we were invited by a Hungarian couple in Melksham for a gather-up. The area I was driving through was very much like Somogy county where we are from, except the buildings and speed limits with more sense. Where the 40 mark was put out, that would have been 40 in Hungary too, only in kph. On the way back it was already dark, and Google Maps supported another route instead of what we came in. It was raining, and it was a forest road, and I was riding a Ford Escort, on the left side of the road, and with the steering wheel on the left trees were just flying by at my window. My wife was reading the route map: "500 ahead to next intersection then turn left and go another 1.7 kms..."

Was I thinking RAC Rally of Wales? Yeah, I was. Hello, United Kingdom, I'm here!

An introduction to #NASCAR

2011-08-05T07:52:00.003+02:00

@Jalopnik:"Budapest's secret Grand Prix street circuit"

2011-07-30T06:40:00.005+02:00

I'm credited in this story.

#motorspurts #topgear, 3rd edition

2011-07-17T17:14:00.003+02:00

Wild East

2011-07-15T13:13:00.004+02:00

(Originally published at http://www.nz-hotrod.com/vbulletin/printthread.php?t=4028&pp=40 on 29th May, 2009)

„So, what is it like where you live, Wilson?” I asked my old friend from Tennessee, America. It was quiet. The lake had been within the distance of throwing a stone, the field was busy with crickets and some deers were mating in the forest according to the noises we heard. Besides that, only the exhausted engine was cracking behind us, the only technological monster in this scenery. „Pretty much like this…” he answered. He stared into the distance. So did I for almost an hour. We were enjoying peace for a while. Heading back to the civilization I looked in the mirror while taking the forest route. Wilson was sleeping on the back seat… or praying, I couldn’t tell. Maybe he was just dreaming about God. I was wondering. We were seperated by thousands of miles in distance, a thousand years of culture, approximately 40 years in age but we still had something in common. If he hadn’t been a committed Christian he could have easily been a moonshine runner as well – I was thinking. Although we didn’t have booze in the trunk (for both of us had been on a mission) nor a V8 under the hood we were still riding fast deep in the forest… just like a moonrunner. Wilson just not happened to notice this. But I tell you, it was a real hot ride in the woods, somewhere in South-West of Hungary…

The county I have been living is mutually called as the ’rebel one’. Back, more than a thousand years ago it was the property of a chief called Koppany, who, according to ancient pagan laws ought to had been king the first time for the then fresh nation and planned to continue pagan rituals. He was ultimately executed and Saint Stephen became the founder of state being the first king of Hungary in 1000. Somogy county (pronounced more or less as ’shomod’) had been the birthplace of many national racing legends in Hungary.

Also, Hungary had been at the birth of automobile industry and racing. Janos Csonka, who, along with another Hungarian bloke Donat Banki, ivented the carbureator. Then a third bloke, named Jozsef Galamb happened to be one of the main designers of the Ford Model T. The very first Grand Prix ever organised (the series, which in later was turned into modern Formula 1) was again won by a Hungarian, Ferenc Szisz and many-many more. Do you think Hungary is ’hot rod’ enough?

Unfortunately, history crossed all plans concerning automotive successes as well. Two World Wars, changing systems in the meanwhile from monarchy to democracy, then to communist dictatorship, then back to governed monarchy, followed by fascist dictatorship just to be replaced by communist dictatorship again for 40 years to be concluded in democracy for the past 20 years.

If you walk in Hungary, you will not see ’street rods’ as expected. Rules concerning street legality are very strict. Also, the cars made or imported in the ’30s and ’40s were mostly destroyed during the wars thus the main experiences concerning automobile customising for performance come from all those vehicles that had been produced 30-40 years ago. Of course, the whole hot rod scene (or I should say culture) is being more and more popular, but we have a slightly different definition of hot rodding. Drag racing is also getting more and more popular but this isn’t again where we come from…

…and this is the part where we turn back to my friend Wilson, who, by my belief of his poential bootlegging business. Hungary’s traditional alcohol would be vine. Up in the hills you may inevitably meet with vineyards. And if you take many gallons of vine int he car, you got to prepare it to the mission. Jut like a moonrunner. And there is a car as the perfect choice.

The one that is known internationally as the Lada Riva. The Russian muscle car. Of course it was not ’Riva’ in the domestic Russian market and first it wasn’t even named as ’Lada’. It was simply called the ’Zhiguli’ upon the mountain located near the factory. Based on the Fiat 124 (just being more stiff), it had a very simple FR layout but extremely effective. Note all today’s current Toyota AE86 freaks that the ’hachi-roku’ was being developed under the codename ’Project Zhiguli’ because the Japanese’s only intention with that car was the beat the impressive Soviet mountaineer. These cars participated in the first drift events in Eastern Europe, it is just the lack of horsepower that makes them incompetitive.

Going on with cars, let’s take the legendary Trabant. A REAL woody. I mean it was actually made of plywood. Impressive turning abilities compensated for lack of power. 2 cylinder 2 stroke engines created the legendary ’Trabant-sound’ that has being mocked by comedians today. And it also had a cool 50s retro-look making it a great base car for customizing. The Polish Polski Fiat 126P could be concerned as the communist Mini. Again, based on a Fiat, it had a rear mounted engine with less the size of the Mini. If you took it to icy roads you got the greatest driving experience ever. There were other RR layout cars as well, the now VW-subsidiary Skoda from the then Checkoslovakia, now Chez Republic. Groovy desgin and the RWD, rear engine experience made it to a racer (especially the 130 ’Rapid’ version that was a fastback, nicknamed as the ’communist Porsche’). All of these werejust everywhere if you watched!

These were just a few cars to mention, there were many more produced within the communist block, just to be tuned, hot rodded, raced in rallys, hillclimb runs. Built as sleepers or highly aggressive challengers for international competitions even up to the highest classes of motorsports if you watched closely. Today you can get virtually any car on the planet, losing the vintage feel for upgrading rides for dusty roads somewhere beyond the woods, somewhere in the middle of Europe. These scrapmetal heaps on wheels were once respected and customised by enthusiasts and many of them are still running the roads.

We have modern cars, we have a Formula 1 race held every year, but experiencing one of these vintage models tuned up to the extreme by vintage methods in a sideways motion on the dust. The spirit of racing and customising is within. There are just different concepts and possibilities.

If you liked this article, we may get into details later with cars, customising, hot rodding, and the whole scene!

#motorspurts #topgear - July 3rd

2011-07-11T08:16:00.001+02:00

Freedom of Speed

2011-07-11T07:53:00.000+02:00

#motorspurts #topgear - first edition

2011-07-01T06:15:00.003+02:00

#motorspurts #f1 #valencia

2011-06-29T18:18:00.000+02:00

Pikes Peak 2011

2011-06-28T06:55:00.000+02:00

#motorspurts

2011-06-26T20:59:00.000+02:00

LIVE guide to weekend's motor racing; June 22nd - 26th

2011-06-20T19:13:00.062+02:00

UPDATED! *WARNING!* This page contains live webcams, twitter feeds and further links. It may take a while to load. Races covered in this post: Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, NASCAR, IndyCar, Intercontinental Rally Challenge, GP3, GP2, Formula 1, Seat Leon Cup, Porche Carrera World Cup, ADAC 24 Hours Classics, ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours and Climb to the Clouds. Click at your own responsibility. ;)

Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain

June 24th: GP3 FP1: 08:45 (07:45 GMT); F1 FP1: 10:00 (09:00 GMT); GP2 Q: 12:55 (11: 55 GMT); F1 FP2: 14:00 (13:00 GMT); GP3 FP2: 16:50 (15:50 GMT) June 25th: GP3 Q: 08:45 (07:45 GMT); F1 FP3: 11:00 (10:00 GMT); *GP2 R1: 12:40 (11:40 GMT); F1 Q: 14:00 (13:00 GMT); GP3 R1: 17:20 (16:20 GMT) June 26th:* *GP2 R2: 07:35 (06:35 GMT); GP3 R2: 09:25 (08:25 GMT); F1 R*: 14:00 (13:00 GMT)

Live radio coverage - BBC 5

Nürburgring, Germany

June 23rd, 08:40 (07:40 GMT) - June 26th 16.00 (15:00 GMT): ~~SEAT Leon Cup, Porsche Carrera World Cup, ADAC 24 Hours Classic~~, ADAC 24 Hours. Download the detailed schedule HERE.

Listen to live radio HERE.

Live times and positions HERE.

Live streaming HERE.

Ypres, Belgium

June 24th: *SS1: 16:38 (15:38 GMT); SS2: 17:32 (16:32 GMT); SS3: 18:11 (17:11 GMT); SS4: 20:22 (19:22 GMT); SS5: 20:56 (19:56 GMT); SS6: 21:35 (20:35 GMT) June 25th: SS7: 11:18 (10:18 GMT); SS8: 11:40 (10:40 GMT); SS9: 12:16 (11:16 GMT); SS10: 14:03 (13:03 GMT); SS11: 15:06 (14:06 GMT); SS12: 15:38 (14:38 GMT); SS13: 16:41 (15:41 GMT); SS14: 18:27 (17:27 GMT); SS15: 18:49 (17:49 GMT); SS16: 19:28); SS17: 21:13 (20:13 GMT); SS18: 21:57 (20:57 GMT) For a detailed schedule, click HERE.*
Listen to IRC Radio LIVE.	Browse stage maps.

Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa, USA

June 24th: IndyCar FP1: 12:00 (18:00 GMT); IndyCar Q: 16.15 (22:15 GMT); IndyCar FP2: 19:30 (01:30 GMT, June 25th)
June 25th: IndyCar R: 20:00 (02:00 GMT, June 26th)
For a detailed schedule, click HERE.

For a live camera view, check the sidebar!----------------------------------

Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California, USA

June 24th: NASCAR WS FP1: 08:30 (16:30 GMT); NASCAR WS FP2: 10:00 (18:00 GMT); NASCAR FP1: 12:00 (20:00 GMT); NASCAR WS Q: 13:50 (21:50 GMT); NASCAR Q: 15:40 (23:40 GMT)
June 25th: NASCAR FP2: 09:30 (17:30 GMT); NASCAR FP3: 10:45 (18:45 GMT); NASCAR WS R: 12:45 (20:45 GMT)
June 26th: NASCAR R: 12:00 (20:00 GMT)
For a detailed schedule, click HERE.

Pikes Peak toll road, Colorado, USA

June 22nd: PPIHC FP1: 05:30 (12:30 GMT)
June 23rd: PPIHC FP2: 05:30 (12:30 GMT)
June 24th: PPIHC FP3: 05:30 (12:30 GMT)
June 26th: PPIHC R: 09:00 (17:00 GMT)
For a detailed schedule, click HERE.

Click for start and finish line webcam

Live radio coverage on KDRO from June 26th, 08:00 (15:00 GMT)

Mt. Washington Auto Road, NH, USA

June 24th: *FP1: 07:45 (12:45 GMT) June 25th: FP2: 07:45 (12:45 GMT) June 26th: R1: 09:00 (14:00 GMT); R2: 13:30 (18:30 GMT) For a detailed schedule click HERE.*