The Formula One Thread

[mahler10th]

Well, is it unusual that a Classical Music maniac is JUST as fanatical about F1?  Sacred Cantatas can't be heard when you're thundering down the Hangar Straight @ 200mph or high speed wheel jostling uphill into a completely blind Eau Rouge corner with a Ferrari less than a foot in front of you and an erratic rookie six inches off collision beside you.   
Formula One is fabulous racing.
For a while there, certainly before the last two or three seasons, it had become frumpy and predictable, it lost its drama and became like watching a procession of cars doing the same thing every two or three weeks.  Sad to say that for over a decade it became boring.     At the beginning of the milleneum I thought the introduction of Juan Pablo Montoya would spice things up, but it didn't.  F1 was spending stupid money trying to make things better, but F1 became pretty stupid itself.  The only saving grace over the last 15 years was Michael Schumaker forging himself the status of legend. 
Then something changed (again), and it wasn't just Lewis Hamiltons arrival.
New, exciting circuits like Valencia and a night-time race in Singapore.  New drivers who were hungry, Vettel, Albers (why was he dropped?), Hamilton, Kubica (watch out for him, he is FAST) and the rest...Nowadays, sometimes even a no hope car can win. 
Driver development is interesting too.  Massa, turning from a podgy young off-a-lot with Sauber in 2002 to a polished and focused professional with Ferarri in 2008.  Polands first ever F1 driver in Robert Kubica, putting to shame more experienced drivers who were expected to beat him....
2009 intrioduces a season with rule changes which will wipe the historical board.  Gone are the stupid groove tyres (which were introduced 12 years ago to slow the cars down!), and back come the slicks, making for faster need-to-control racing.  Slicks are back to make the cars faster  because the new aerodynamic rules slow the car down - but the aerodynamic changes mean less downforce, significantly increasing the chances of car overtaking.  Also introduced is an energy conservation system which will allow the cars to use a 'boost' button when they think it strategically necessary.  A similar feature can be found in Johnathan Palmers racing series, but bringing it to F1 really spices things up.
16 Days to go before the new season starts.  Can't wait.
What Classical Music would fit the character of F1?  Beethovens 5th at high tempo?  George Crumbs 'Black Angels'?  Last three minuites of Furtwanglers Beethoven 9?  Well, it has always troubled me, and I've not found something to fit yet.  Any suggestions would be terrific.


PS:  If no-one is interested in F1, too bad, for the coming Summer this post will be regular at least by me.

[Opus106]

You've got company, buddy!

[Bogey]

I would love to strt following F1 again, John.  When I was a youngster in 1977 1979 I had the chance of going to Watkins Glenn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watkins_Glen_International and see a race.  My uncle got us some decent passes and I was able to walk through where they were working on cars.  I have a couple bolts that one of the teams gave me.  However, the highlight was peeking through some windows of a building before the big race and seeing all the drivers in a meeting.  The only driver I recognized was Mario Andretti.  Just as I turned to leave the drivers came walking out.  I walked beside one of them (was clueless to who) and he took my program and signed it.  After getting back to the motor home, I found the picture of the driver.  Turns out it was Emerson Fittipaldi.  My dad said it was not a bad one to have.   Needless to say, I could have cared less about the race after this.  I will try to dig out the old program. 

Here is what the POSTER it looked like (from the web)




I know I still have it somewhere.  I would like to score a poster from the event.  Maybe my father still has his.  I remeber he had it hanging in the garage for years.

Back to racing:

What got me curious about your post was that every car has a chance now.  That would rekindle my interest.  I do not watch any other racing, and do not care to, but the F1 has been something that has me curious because I am fascinated with the technology that they put into the cars.  Guess it is time to pick a team to follow.  Any recs?

[Opus106]

Guess it is time to pick a team to follow.  Any recs?

You're not out of the CD-buying mode, are you?


Thanks for sharing your experience from the race with us.

[mahler10th]

F1antastic opus!
I'll be riding with the BMW team this year (again).  During the season, this thread will be vying for pole position!  I have an engine that can see the whole season out and Kubica winning it.  Unlike the F1 teams, whose engines must last for three races (instead of two last year).
By all the downforces, thank God someone else in here is a fan!

Er...while I was writing there, Bogey just made his post. 
That really is a fabulous experience you had.  Fittipaldi!  How superbly impressive for a little boy - even if you didn't know who Fittipaldi was at the time.  And getting to see the drivers meeting before the race!  Andretti.  Lauda.  Jones.  Sheckter.  Jochen Mass, et al...wow, you lucky so and so! 
James Hunt won that race in a Ford powered McLaren.  Fittipaldi didn't figure, he was a lap or two behind by the end of the race, but as you probably know he was World Champion in 72 and '74.  I wonder (and envy) at which team bolts you were given - and how lucky you were to have a Dad that took you to such an event!  Also, it rained at Watkins Glen that day - rain always makes for exciting racing. 
A team to follow this season?  Well, it's too hard to call.  The near defunct Honda team, now owned by ex-Ferarri Technical Director Ross Brawn and re-christened Brawn GP, have been the surprise of late testing.  They're running with a new Mercedes engine too, and I expect they'll be at least in the top four teams at the end of the season.  Safe bets are always Ferarri and McLaren, but this season so much has changed that the field is much more open.  I personally go with BMW because their driver Kubica is fearsomely fast.  And he's from Poland, the last place you'd expect to find a good F1 driver!  The other driver is Nick Heidfeld, now something of an F1 journeyman, but still quick.  Their man in charge, Mario Theissen, has done wonders with that team since taking it over - it used to be called Sauber.
Anyway, well done Bogey, thanks for such a fabulous post.  A pleasure that you shared it with us.  If you find the poster, let us know.  And whatever you do, hold on to them bolts!

[Bogey]

You are welcome, John and Opus.  I have some old photos from the garage area and if I find them, I can tell you right away which car it was.  Let me see if I cna find a web page with the '77 cars.  I can picture it, but just not the name.  Black and gold car, with white lettering.  Hmmmm.  How popular is Kubica in Poland?

[Opus106]

F1antastic opus!
I'll be riding with the BMW team this year (again).  During the season, this thread will be vying for pole position!  I have an engine that can see the whole season out and Kubica winning it.  Unlike the F1 teams, whose engines must last for three races (instead of two last year).
By all the downforces, thank God someone else in here is a fan!

I'll be watching out for Vettel this season and how he performs in Red Bull's "No. 1" team. But I'm a Kimi fan through and through. Not really a tifoso, though. When I started following F1 - at the end of the '98 season - I supported McLaren and their other great Finn, Hakkinen. There even was a serious rivalry (with regard to F1 only) between my classmates in school who supported Ferrari and Schumi and myself.

A pleasure that you shared it with us.  If you find the poster, let us know.  And whatever you do, hold on to them bolts!

Ditto.

[Opus106]

How popular is Kubica in Poland?

The next best thing to John Paul II and Chopin.

[mahler10th]

You are welcome, John and Opus.  I have some old photos from the garage area and if I find them, I can tell you right away which car it was.  Let me see if I cna find a web page with the '77 cars.  I can picture it, but just not the name.  Black and gold car, with white lettering.  Hmmmm.  How popular is Kubica in Poland?

If it looked like a big wasp, what you saw and have the bolts for is a Renault RS01.  It was more yellow than gold and they only fielded one car that season, driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille.  Here it is...

[Bogey]

If it looked like a big wasp, what you saw and have the bolts for is a Renault RS01.  It was more yellow than gold and they only fielded one car that season, driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille.  Here it is...

Great try, but not it.  Mostly black....I could be wrong.

[Bogey]

Possibly this Lotus car?

http://www.racingsportscars.com/f1/1977/Long_Beach-1977-04-03-005.jpg

[mahler10th]

Opus - When I started following F1 - at the end of the '98 season - I supported McLaren and their other great Finn, Hakkinen.

I too was a Hakkinen fan.  Not great in front of the camera, but brilliant in the cockpit.  He kept beating Coulthard and was rightly the McLaren No1.  I followed his career and admired him tremendously for getting back into the car after his sickening crash at Adelaide and going on after few seasons to win World Championships.  In my top 5 drivers of all time.

Bogey, was it this?  If so, it's a Lotus, Mario's car.

EDIT:  Oops, you got there first.

[Bogey]

No.  Found the picture of the car (the bolts were not in the box with them, so I fear the worse , but the program was still there.).  It was a Parmalat racing car.  I will try to scan the picture I took of it.

[Bogey]

Here is a shot of the car.  I remember taking it it with my 110 I carried around.  I only took a role or two....just a kid.  I should have taken hundreds. 



I am guessing that the garages are a little nicer for these cars these days.

[Bogey]

Two other memories: Paul Newman raced that day, or the day before.  Kind of cool.  John you are correct, it was rainy, but it only seemed that way during the race.  I did more walking around than actual watching.  Too many neat things for a kid to see.  Also, my program is signed inside by Harry Reynolds #27 Volpini (sp?).  Pretty sure he was not F1, but I am sure I enjoyed getting the signature.

[Bogey]

Check that date of mine above John and Opus.  The date was Oct. 7, 1979.  And John, it was rainy that day also.  At the very least everyone in my pics were bundled up.

I noticed I had the wrong date when looking through some of the loose black and white flier type material that lists entries for the other races such as the Vintage race.

[mahler10th]

Three time World Champion Nelson Piquet raced in that car.  Parmelat was the sponsor which the team name had to reflect, but the car was a Brabham running a Ford engine (I think).  The great Gilles Villneuve (RIP) won that race in the Ferarri, but Piquet set the fastest race lap at Watkins Glen in the car you saw - unless it was their other car, driven by...not a well known driver anyway, can't remember who that was...anyway, Piquet started second on the grid that day, but later retired with a car problem.
How wonderful.
I watched that GP with my granny!  I was 13 years old.
You've got (or had ) bolts from a Brabham car!  Maybe even Nelsons car (his son races in F1 now, for the Williams team).  What experience.  (Brabham is no longer an F1 team.)
Find them bolts!!!


Haven't a clue who Harry Reynolds is.
Paul Newman gave so much of himself to racing, most of his life in later years.  He's a racing hero.

[Bogey]

This is a channel we get with our very low level satellite programming (we do not watch much tv).   It looks as though I will be watching the Australian at 11:30 PM on the 28th (the 29th in Australia).  I will turn 44 at midnight my time during the race. 

http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/filter/date/2009-3-28

I will try to find those bolts, but will not hold my breath.  However, I will check and see if my dad took any photos.  I am a bit surprised that the passes were not in the program.  I kept all of my ticket stubs from other events as a kid.

[Bogey]

Here are the type of things that distracted me from the race:

[mahler10th]

Here are the type of things that distracted me from the race:

Great original stuff!