Motorsports Thread

[Reynard]

Top Gear? Really? Oh @Reynard I though you were better than that. 😔

I only watched it because of the trialling segment tbh, as a mate competes in trials, albeit not in the VSCC ones. I haven't watched Top Gear properly for years...

Although I found this little gem last night - from the 1988 autumn series. It popped up randomly on a youtube menu out of the blue, and I'm like aaaaargh, I've only been looking for this since like forever...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf0JDzyTw2A


Those eyes... About 15 seconds into the clip...

 

[Roadrat77]

Motorsport is dangerous, it says so on every ticket.

Yes it do - people forget that it's still very risky and only the massive strides in safety reduced the carnage down to the level it's at today.

 

[icowden]

At least they didn't start showing replays until they knew Zhou was alright.

True although I thought it was a little odd that they didn't give any info to the presenting teams who were left floundering. It wouldn't have been so terrible for them to be able to report that

"there was a serious crash during the start of the GP involving x,y and z - cars are being recovered and emergency services are in attendance - we'll update you with more detail once we know that Zhou is OK. We are told that the incident seems to be a racing incident where Gasly got squeezed between Zhou and Russell causing Zhou's car to flip and go into the barriers - meanwhile a second incident with albon seems to be the result of Albon slowing for the first incident and vettel going into the back of him."

All of that could have been shared without the need to show the footage immediately rather than "well, we don't know why the race is red flagged - hoping to get more detail soon".

 

[matticus]

4 laps to go, the best GP ive seen for a long long time. Perez, nowhere all race, now headed for 2nd

Great stuff - at least in last night's 1h highlights prog form. That Ferrari pass round the outside of Hamilton - you don't see that every week!!!

 

[classic33]

True although I thought it was a little odd that they didn't give any info to the presenting teams who were left floundering. It wouldn't have been so terrible for them to be able to report that

"there was a serious crash during the start of the GP involving x,y and z - cars are being recovered and emergency services are in attendance - we'll update you with more detail once we know that Zhou is OK. We are told that the incident seems to be a racing incident where Gasly got squeezed between Zhou and Russell causing Zhou's car to flip and go into the barriers - meanwhile a second incident with albon seems to be the result of Albon slowing for the first incident and vettel going into the back of him."

All of that could have been shared without the need to show the footage immediately rather than "well, we don't know why the race is red flagged - hoping to get more detail soon".

They knew who'd been involved, but didn't have any information on Zhou, other than he was trapped and where.

The teams were also well aware of why it had been red flagged. The car going over the tyre barrier wasn't shown until they knew he was out of the car, and safe.

Contrast that with Haas in 2020, also on the first corner, where replays where shown straight away. They still didn't have instant information on the condition of Grosjean. But continued to show the incident while waiting for that information.

 

[figbat]

It was obvious from the live footage why there was a red flag - I saw the car on its roof in the background and thought the worst, no surprise about the red flag. One small crumb of comfort is that it peed on the protesters' bonfire and we never really knew it had happened until much later, with all focus on the crash.

 

[Jody]

Didn't trust the source that was reporting this last night but it now seems to be on all the major outlets.

FIA clamping down on flexi floors allegedly used by the lead 2 teams. Be interesting to see how this one pans out.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mercedes-shocked-fia-flexi-floor-hint/

 

[Reynard]

Didn't trust the source that was reporting this last night but it now seems to be on all the major outlets.

FIA clamping down on flexi floors allegedly used by the lead 2 teams. Be interesting to see how this one pans out.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mercedes-shocked-fia-flexi-floor-hint/

This is serious deja vu for those of us who got interested in F1 40 years ago. Hey ho.

Back then it was all about ride heights and flexible side skirts and suspension that automatically lowered the faster a car went.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Didn't trust the source that was reporting this last night but it now seems to be on all the major outlets.

FIA clamping down on flexi floors allegedly used by the lead 2 teams. Be interesting to see how this one pans out.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mercedes-shocked-fia-flexi-floor-hint/

The subject came up on my facebook page a few days ago, I can't believe Toto was surprised by this, its normal practice for F1 teams to be playing fast and loose with the rules, I'm sure most of the teams employ people just to study the rule book.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

This is serious deja vu for those of us who got interested in F1 40 years ago. Hey ho.

Back then it was all about ride heights and flexible side skirts and suspension that automatically lowered the faster a car went.

Wasn't there a team that had a switch on the car that let them lower the car for the race and raise it afterwards so it would pass post race scrutineering?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Contrast that with Haas in 2020, also on the first corner, where replays where shown straight away. They still didn't have instant information on the condition of Grosjean. But continued to show the incident while waiting for that information.

Are you sure about that? As I remember it, it was seeing the ball of fire in the background & thinking OH F**! they then didn't go back to it until he was out of the car, like Zhou? That was Sky live at the time.

 

[Reynard]

Wasn't there a team that had a switch on the car that let them lower the car for the race and raise it afterwards so it would pass post race scrutineering?

More than one, I think... I've got it in my head that it was Brabham who started the trend, mainly because Gordon Murray was very inventive in that sort of way. Fan car and all that...

Lotus went down a different route with the double-chassis 88 - but that got banned before it even had a chance to run competitively.

 

[classic33]

Are you sure about that? As I remember it, it was seeing the ball of fire in the background & thinking OH F**! they then didn't go back to it until he was out of the car, like Zhou? That was Sky live at the time.

The drivers were in the pit lane, watching replays of the Grosjean incident. They even showed the medical car pulling up and the driver and doctor going to help.

This time no instant replays available.

 

[classic33]

Albon's been released. Shaken but fine.

Released shortly after 8pm.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-...sh/?dicbo=v2-1e6dca7c963ecfe98e626c64fafad8a8

No cast on either arm in that picture, but he is looking forward to Austria.

 

[icowden]

It was obvious from the live footage why there was a red flag - I saw the car on its roof in the background and thought the worst, no surprise about the red flag. One small crumb of comfort is that it peed on the protesters' bonfire and we never really knew it had happened until much later, with all focus on the crash.

Was it? Did you call the Sky presenters? They seemed baffled as to why the race was red flagged and could only tell us that there must have been an incident.