2008 Formula One Thread

Heidfeld




Kubica

Friday's press release

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Belgian Grand Prix - Free Practice
09-05-2008 Press Release
Weather: cloudy, some rain in the afternoon, 15-17??C Air, 15-17??C Track


Spa-Francorchamps (BE). The Friday practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix were in typical Ardennes weather conditions. For the afternoon session the dark grey sky produced the first rain. Inconsistent track conditions made comparisons and proper analysis for the set-up work difficult.


Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 11th, 1:49.139 min / 2nd Practice: 11th, 1:49.875 min
ÔÇ£The conditions today were variable, especially in the afternoon session. Therefore today it was not only the testing that was difficult, but also evaluating the results of our programme. At the end of the day the conditions were the same for everybody. We shall now analyse the data and prepare for Saturday. When I was doing a practice start at the end of the session the engine stalled.ÔÇØ


Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: 12th, 1:49.185 min / 2nd Practice: 10th, 1:49.725 min
ÔÇ£Generally speaking my first day of practice here was okay. The trackÔÇÖs level of grip was, as expected, low and this meant it wasnÔÇÖt too easy to drive the car. We have made some small changes during the course of the day, but, due to the inconsistent weather conditions, it was extremely difficult to make judgements. Because of the weather we couldnÔÇÖt do our usual tyre comparisons either, as we could not run the harder and softer compounds under the same conditions. This makes the analyses tricky but thatÔÇÖs the same for everybody.ÔÇØ


Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
ÔÇ£Because of the changing track conditions, it's very difficult to draw the right conclusions from the set-up changes we made during the two sessions today. We were not able to complete our programme as planned, and this was specially the case for the tyre comparisons. The set-up decisions for tomorrow will now be based on data analysis and simulation. According to the latest weather forecast it should be dry tomorrow morning, which would give us the chance to complete our work in the third free practice.ÔÇØ

Heidfeld is running for his F1 life! -

formula1.com: Heidfeld tops Saturday pre qualifying practice

Belgium Qualifying



Qualifying at Belgium was fun. The track stayed dry and their were a bunch of surprises as the sessions rolled out.

Heidfeld continued to be the hotshoe for BMW. As high as fourth during the various sessions he will start the 5th.

Kubica is not a happy camper as he takes over what has been HeidfeldÔÇÖs P8 on the grid. The PolÔÇÖs problems began on Friday when his mechanics sent him out to practice on the wrong setup. It took the majority of practice to get the proper setup on the car. Today he seemed to remain behind the curve, able to bump as high as fifth during a session only to see his times bettered quickly.

Bourdais, another driver under the gun, surprised everyone at the end of Q1. His times had been marginal through the session and he looked to be in the knockout zone when he rocketed to P1 on the last flying lap of the session.

The Toyota team was not able to get either driver out of Q2. This team has had troubles at Spa in the past but in the last few races seemed to be coming on big time and dueling with Renault for fourth in the Constructors Championship.

Renault had mixed results. Alonso motored his way to P6 on the starting grid while his teammate Piquet was not able to get out of Q2. Alonso seemed to have troubles with tires in all the qualifying sessions never quite getting the grip that he needed.

The rest of the teams sorted themselves out predictably. Honda has to be going nuts. If it were not for Force India they would have the cellar well in hand. For all the resources you would think they have at hand and the quality of their drivers Honda has nothing to show for their efforts.


The race should be a good one to watch. Spa is a wonderful track. Rain may be an issue. It did not play a part in qualifying but remains on the table for the race. If it does rain the outcome will change drastically.

Ferrari has to be concerned with RaikkonenÔÇÖs engine. While he did well in the qualifying sessions he did crash the car yesterday and dumped coolant. Will the engine hold up for race distance? Massa can be as fast as Hamilton but I believe this is the second race on this engine.

For BMW Sauber fans the cars are in predictable performance form; it is the drivers that are in question. Can Heidfeld keep up the strong past or will this be a dream he wakes up from race morning? Kubica has to get over his Friday problems and continue to catch up on the driver performance curve.

Belgium GP Qualifying

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying
09-06-2008 Press Release
Weather: overcast but dry, 15-17??C Air, 16-18??C Track

Spa-Francorchamps (BE). Nick Heidfeld qualified fifth for the Belgian Grand Prix while his team-mate in the BMW Sauber F1 Team, Robert Kubica, was eighth fastest at Spa-Francorchamps. The entire session was in dry conditions.


Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 5th, 1:48.315 min (3rd Practice: 1st, 1:47.876 min)
ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm happy with the qualifying result, and for me the weekend has gone well so far. It wasnÔÇÖt bad on Friday, this morning I was quickest and fifth was the best possible result in qualifying. For me it is very important to know the work we have done has paid off. A couple of weeks ago we found solutions to some problems, and for me this meant an improvement, but then came the race in Valencia which was surprisingly bad. Then at last weekÔÇÖs Monza test we were able to learn something more. I have the feeling we are a little closer to McLaren and Ferrari here. However, I think in the race it will be very difficult for us to keep up with their pace. Tomorrow the weather conditions will be an important factor and a good start for me will be crucial. I will start from the clean side of the track.ÔÇØ

Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Qualifying 8th, 1:48.763 min (3rd Practice: 13th, 1:49.250 min)
ÔÇ£Qualifying was difficult for me although the conditions were the best so far over the course of the weekend. The track was completely dry, but I have had problems with the balance of the car all weekend and I am lacking overall grip. This makes driving quite difficult, especially here in Spa where you have a lot of long corners.ÔÇØ

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
ÔÇ£I'm satisfied with todayÔÇÖs performance. We obviously didn't have the right basic set-up yesterday, and, with the changing weather conditions, it was not easy to get it right. However, we saw this morning we were able to make a significant step forward. Nick confirmed this in qualifying with both low and high fuel loads. He is now in a strong position for the race. For Robert things were just not right this weekend, and in qualifying he wasnÔÇÖt able to put in a perfect lap.ÔÇØ

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
ÔÇ£Although we struggled yesterday to find the right set-up, today we managed to get both cars safely into Q3. Nick in particular has made a big step forward since yesterday and he was very strong in qualifying. Robert struggled with the carÔÇÖs set-up in all the practice sessions, and sector 2 was particularly difficult for him. I think we are well prepared for the race. Now we have to see what the other teamsÔÇÖ strategies are.ÔÇØ

Check out Formula1.com for their news articles. I will post some thoughts this evening. Here are the provisional results.

If you did not watch the Belgium GP at Spa-Francorchamps try to see it on a rebroadcast. It will be billed as a single race, most F-1 races are actually two races but this year’s Belgium GP is actually three races in one.

The first race in any Formula 1 GP is the race to turn one. In this case a shot down a short straight from the starting grid into a greater than 90 degree turn one. This is the form of open wheel racing that I like the least.



I will admit that while playing F-1 computer simulations I took advantage of the race to turn one. In on GP simulated season I did all the work to set up my car for each race and then intentionally qualified last. I sat at the very back of the starting grid and would blast past cars picking up positions by the handful along the way. In several cases I was able to go from last on the grid to race leader during the first lap. It should also be noted that in several races I crashed out before even reaching turn one. It was fun on a computer simulation but for a race fan it is frustrating in real life.

Spa-Frank is was the host to one of the most disastrous races to turn one ever. This year everyone made it through turn one but not without major realignments in the field. Heidfeld had three excellent rounds of qualifying on Saturday only to loose six positions in the sprint to turn one. His team mate Kubica did not suffer as much dropping only two and began the second race ahead of Heidfeld.

The second race of my F-1 race day begins with a flying start at the beginning of lap 2. Qualifying sets the field, lap 1 gets the butterflies out and with the start of lap 2 the real race begins. Today the table was set for a good deal of racing to come that would sort itself out into two sets of dueling teams and a knight errant.

The primary race duel, as expected, was between Ferrari and McLaren. Kovalienen, the number two McLaren driver, was taken out of the team competition by a drive through penalty incurred in a passing bump with Vettel. Predominantly, the second race was lead by a Ferrari – McClaren – Ferrari sandwich.



The other race duel had BMW Sauber contending with Toro Rossi. After the four drivers for the two teams dealt with the rest of the field they spent most of with four seconds separating them front to rear.

While there were interesting passes and pit work involved in this you have to step back and wonder what BMW Sauber is doing in this duel. Toro Rossi is the junior varsity Red Bull sponsored team. It uses restricted V-10 supplier engines from Ferrari. BMW Sauber is supposedly on the cusp of being a top tear constructor of engines and cars. They should be sucking up and spitting out this JV team yet for the second race they were stuck in a duel where Toro Rossi drivers seemed to get the better of the fight. Bourdais led the group through the second race while Vettel weaved in and out between Kubica and Heidfeld.

Was this an example the football adage “on any Sunday” coming to roost on an F-1 track or a statement of where the BMW Sauber team is in its development? Frankly if we are honest it is far more the latter. The Roundel Team has bought all the components. Money is such a big part of racing, but it has not found the combination of parts and people to elevate itself to the elite level currently occupied by Ferrari and McLaren. Not yet at any rate.



The knight errant in race two was Alonso in his Renault. He scored first with the first fast lap on lap two. I am not a big fan of Alonso but I have to tip my lance to the effort he made personally this race weekend to put his Renault the hunt.

The third race of the day was fascinating. The Belgium skies had threatened rain all day. The track radar and weatherman expected it around the time teams would be making there second pit stop. Speculation was hot and heavy at one point when Raikkonen and Hamilton had pitted, Massa was still on the track and the skies darkened. The commentator wisdom was Massa was in position to run away with the race from P3 if the ran would start before his pit stop. It did not, not until there were 4-5 laps left in the race Belgium Grand Prix and the third race within that race began.

The leads stayed out. To pit and take rain tires would eliminate their chance for a victory. They started a hilarious slower motion race that demonstrated how F-1 cars have no grip in the wet. The podium order looked to be P1 Raikkonen, P2 Hamilton and P3 Massa to this point. For lap after lap we had been subjected to historical filler and best wishes/birthday prattle from commentators. Suddenly the sprinkles transformed the leader race from a being held on a slot car track to an ice race. Raikkonen and Hamilton traded the lead several times as a result of the leader inability to keep their car pointed in a forward direction. Finally Raikkonen slipped sideways caught traction and drove himself into the wall.



While this was going on in the front the back markers were all heading into the pits and putting on wets. This included the BMW Sauber drivers. I am not certain of the order, everything was happening so fast. My last not had Heidfeld in P7 on lap 38. I believe he was the first BMW Sauber driver on rains and suddenly he was charging up in the standings. This was no easy task. While he had grip with the rain tires he had to pass people still on dries and survive the process. When the checkered flag fell he was in P3 and closing in on the leaders. One more lap and he well could have been the one standing on the top of the podium.

On to Monza. A Tufosi at heart this is always a big race to watch. How will Ferrari do against McLaren? As for the BMW thread, will BMW Sauber figure out part of the next step in being a big time F1 team or be content to play with the JV teams.



1 Ferrari 131
2 McLaren-Mercedes 119
3 BMW Sauber 107
4 Toyota 41
5 Renault 36
6 Red Bull-Renault 25
7 Williams-Toyota 17
8 STR-Ferrari 17
9 Honda 14
10 Force India-Ferrari 0
11 Super Aguri-Honda 0


Pos Driver Nationality Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton British McLaren-Mercedes 76
2 Felipe MassaBrazilian Ferrari 74
3 Robert Kubica Polish BMW Sauber 58
4 Kimi R?ñikk?Ânen Finnish Ferrari 57
5 Nick Heidfeld German BMW Sauber 49
6 Heikki Kovalainen Finnish McLaren-Mercedes 43
7 Jarno Trulli Italian Toyota 26
8 Fernando Alonso Spanish Renault 23
9 Mark Webber Australian Red Bull-Renault 19
10 Timo Glock German Toyota 15
11 Nelsinho Piquet Brazilian Renault 13
12 Sebastian Vettel German STR-Ferrari 13
13 Rubens Barrichello Brazilian Honda 11
14 Nico Rosberg German Williams-Toyota 9
15 Kazuki Nakajima Japanese Williams-Toyota 8
16 David Coulthard British Red Bull-Renault 6
17 Sebastien Bourdais French STR-Ferrari 4
18 Jenson Button British Honda 3
19 Giancarlo Fisichella Italian Force India-Ferrari 0
20 Adrian Sutil German Force India-Ferrari 0
21 Takuma Sato Japanese Super Aguri-Honda 0
22 Anthony Davidson British Super Aguri-Honda 0



BMW Sauber F1 Team - Belgian Grand Prix – Race
09-07-2008 Press Release
Weather: Overcast, rain at the end of the race. Air: 15??C, Track: 17??C

Spa-Francorchamps (BE). Due to a perfect decision in the final stages of the Belgian GP, Nick Heidfeld claimed the ninth podium of the season for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. After 42 of the 44 laps Nick changed to wet weather tyres, and moved up from seventh to third. It was his fourth podium of the season. His team-mate, Robert Kubica, had been ahead of him until he was delayed refuelling at his second pit stop. The pole had started from eighth and finished the action packed grand prix sixth. The BMW Sauber F1 Team has now scored 105 championship points. With five races to go in 2008, the team has so far four more points than in the entire 2007 season.

Nick Heidfeld: 3rd
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:49.067 min on lap 36 (7th fastest overall)
“I had a fantastic race weekend and I am very happy today. At the start I got off better than the guys in front of me. Then I decided to go for the outside line, but unfortunately Heikki Kovalainen crashed into my car. This can happen, and I was lucky my car wasn’t damaged. Of course I lost a lot of places. Later on in the race I was able to get some back, but then I got stuck in traffic. When the drizzle set in I was convinced it would be heavier on the next lap and decided to change to wet weather tyres. The team asked me if I meant what I said. When I left the pit lane after the stop I asked on the radio how many laps to go, and my engineer said this one and another one. As I couldn’t see any cars on the track I thought, oh this was probably the wrong decision, but then it paid off. It was a Hero or Zero decision.”




Robert Kubica: 6th
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Fastest Lap: 1:48.965 min on lap 36 (5th fastest overall)
“I am not happy with the result, as today I had the chance to finish on the podium. We had a problem during the second pit stop. I lost two or three positions and returned to the track behind Nick. When it started raining he went into the pits to change tyres. I could not do the same as it would have cost too much time because I was directly behind Nick, so it would have meant us coming into the pits together. Also I had no information about the weather as I had problems with my radio. We gave away points today. However, that’s racing.”



Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
“It was a turbulent race – both immediately after the start and during the final laps. Nick was involved in a collision in turn 1 after the turmoil at the start and, like Robert, lost some positions. As a result, both cars dropped out of the points’ positions. After that the pit crew had problems connecting the nozzle during Robert’s second pit stop. Finally we recovered from these problems. Nick, his race engineer and our strategists took the right decision two laps before the end of the race by changing to wet weather tyres. The team’s ninth podium and Robert’s sixth place scored us nine points. With five races to go the team has 105 points, four more than in the entire 2007 season.”

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
“This was the most amazing race I have ever experienced. Up until two laps from the end everything was quite normal, but then things changed dramatically when it started raining. Nick radioed to the pits that he wanted to change tyres. He was the first driver to take this decision. The pit crew reacted quickly, and from then on he was the fastest man on the track and made up many places. He finally finished third. For Robert things, unfortunately, went wrong during the second pit stop when we had a problem when refuelling, which cost him several positions. However, overall it was a very good result for our team. We scored another podium finish and a total of nine points today.”

Hopefully there won't be any issues with the final drive.

PC

Not a problem - Transaxle and the half shafts are strong...not a shaft drive.

Sounds like someone has a chip on their sholder. Is that a chipped FD?

Post Race: Stewards declare MASA winner after Hamilton give 25 second penalty

FerrariÔÇÖs Felipe Massa has been declared the winner of SundayÔÇÖs Belgian Grand Prix after McLarenÔÇÖ Lewis Hamilton was handed a 25-second time penalty following the race. Hamilton drops to third place as a result, with BMW SauberÔÇÖs Nick Heidfeld moving up to second. McLaren plan to appeal the decision.

Hamilton was penalised after stewards decided he had gained an advantage by cutting the final chicane in his late-race battle with FerrariÔÇÖs Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen crashed out shortly after the incident, having the led the bulk of the race up to that point.

"I have often said that the race is not over until the official results are published and that was the case today," said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. "As usual, Ferrari will not comment on the stewards' decision. After the race, we were called to the stewards and we explained our position.

"We are very disappointed for Kimi, who had driven a great race and deserved the win, especially at this rather difficult time. This result is obviously very important for our championship hopes: now we must maintain maximum concentration and prepare as well as possible for the forthcoming races."

McLaren insisted they had little choice but to appeal the stewards' decision, given that Hamilton had immediately surrendered the lead back to Raikkonen on the start-finish straight, before then passing the Finn going into the La Source hairpin.

"We looked at all our data and also made it available to the FIA stewards," said the team. "It showed that, having lifted, Lewis was 6km/h slower than Kimi as they crossed the start-finish line. Having passed the lead back to Kimi, Lewis repositioned his car, moving across and behind Kimi to the right-hand line and then out-braked him into the hairpin. Based on this data, we have no option other than to register our intention to appeal."

The revised result means that rather than extending his championship lead over Massa, Hamilton now sees it cut, with the Briton heading the Brazilian by just two points, 76 to 74, with five races remaining.

Assuming their right to appeal is accepted, McLaren's case against Hamilton's penalty will be heard by the FIA's International Court of Appeal at a date to be determined.

It was in incredible finish, as the rain drenched the track and the leaders were caught out on dry tires. I cannot understand how they can penalize Hamilton, when cars were flying everywhere. Several people had to use the escape lanes when they lost traction. I hate to see a race decided by the stewards, and not on the track........thought Hamilton did a stellar job to hold it together at the end. An ugly decision by the FIA, IMHO.

I donÔÇÖt think it will hold up under appeal, but then this is Formula 1 we are talking about here. Hamilton cut the chicane and gained a momentary advantage. However; it was clear that he had no choice but to do so and he gave back the lead to Raikkonen before legitimately overtaking him again on the track.

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Italian GP - Preview

09-08-2008 Press Release
12th ÔÇô 14th September 2008
14th of 18 World Championship races

Munich/Hinwil, 8th September 2008. The FIA Formula One World ChampionshipÔÇÖs European season is heading flat out onto the home straight. On the agenda for the next weekend of 12th to 14th September is the high-speed track in MonzaÔÇÖs Royal Park. Nowhere else do the F1 cars reach speeds in excess of 350 km/h. That is thanks to a special aerodynamic package with minimal drag and correspondingly low downforce. Engine power is also high on the wish list for the Italian Grand Prix, and both man and material are subjected to extreme loads during braking. To prepare for the event, the teams put in three days of testing in Monza at the end of August. For the BMW Sauber F1 Team, Nick Heidfeld took on testing duties for two days and Robert Kubica for one.

At last yearÔÇÖs Italian GP the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers finished fourth (Heidfeld) and fifth (Kubica). Kubica clocked the highest speed of all at 351.7 km/h. In 2006, the maiden year for both team and driver, the Pole was third in only his third grand prix to claim his first podium.


Nick Heidfeld:
ÔÇ£High speed will be the number-one issue in Monza. Currently thereÔÇÖs no other Formula One track where we break the 350 km/h mark. Another extreme factor is how hard we ride the kerbs in the chicanes. Speed and tradition are the hallmarks of this circuit. In other respects it is unfortunately a bit dated. The Italian fans always ensure thereÔÇÖs a special atmosphere at this Grand Prix.

ÔÇ£What is crucial in terms of performance is a good aerodynamic package that doesnÔÇÖt generate much drag. Nowhere else does the car carry as little wing, and our team normally does a pretty good job of providing us with this special aero package. Testing in Monza was encouraging, and IÔÇÖm looking forward to the Italian Grand Prix.ÔÇØ


Robert Kubica:
ÔÇ£Monza is one of the most challenging tracks for the cars, as on the calendar it is where we drive with the lowest downforce level and the highest top speeds. The key factors in Monza are low drag, in order to reach the highest speeds possible without losing too much downforce, and good braking stability. The track is unique because of some very long straights where we easily reach more than 300 kilometres per hour. There are some really famous corners such as Parabolica, Ascari or Lesmo, and they are faster than the first chicanes. But you have to approach them braking heavily.

ÔÇ£For me personally, Monza is very special as I achieved my first podium there in 2006 in only my third Formula One race. To mark this special point in my career I will again have a slightly different helmet design in Monza. As I grew up as a driver in Italy, I know a lot of people there and quite a lot of Italian fans will be cheering for me. I also expect plenty of Polish fans to be there. I am really looking forward to the weekend.ÔÇØ


Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
ÔÇ£Monza is the classic engine circuit. Since the switchover to V8 engines, the full-throttle percentage per lap has risen to 70 percent. In 2007, Robert recorded the highest top speed of all the drivers in the Royal Park when he hit 351.7 km/h. While Nick will be racing in Italy with the same engine as in Spa, RobertÔÇÖs car is scheduled to be fitted with a new unit.

ÔÇ£So far Monza has been a rewarding venue for our team. In 2006, Robert had his first podium in what was only his third grand prix, and last year Nick and Robert took a nine-point haul to secure our second-best result of the season. For this yearÔÇÖs Italian Grand Prix too, we have set our sights just as high.

ÔÇ£The 2008 race in Italy again marks the close of the European season, which has been very successful for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. So far in 2008 we have earned a total of nine podium places and celebrated a one-two in Montreal. It means weÔÇÖve achieved our seasonÔÇÖs target and established ourselves as one of the top three teams.ÔÇØ


Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm very much looking forward to the race in Monza as it is a special event every time. Monza is pure tradition and the only high-speed track left on the calendar. Because of the four long straights, you have to develop a special low-downforce aero package which enables high speeds on account of its low drag, and is only used in this one race.

ÔÇ£The challenge for the drivers and engineers is to find a mechanical set-up that guarantees good braking stability and allows for aggressive driving over the kerbs. That is absolutely essential to achieve good lap times. We were totally satisfied with our test in Monza, and weÔÇÖll be heading for Italy in optimistic mood.ÔÇØ


History and background:
The history of the race track goes back to 1922, since when it has undergone repeated modifications with the aim of reducing its speed. 1935 saw the first chicanes set up, and in 1950 two banked curves were built, which have since crumbled. At one stage the circuit was ten kilometres long, and in this configuration hosted its last F1 event in 1961. That was the race in which Count Berghe von Trips had a fatal accident, which also killed 15 spectators. The Monza track has claimed lives on several occasions, but not for the last 30 years. That is due not only to the track modifications, but to a large degree to the high safety levels of the F1 vehicles.

Since the official launch of Formula One in 1950, this circuit inside a high-walled park has hosted more GPs than any other venue. 2008 will see the 58th F1 race to be staged here. Just one other Italian Grand Prix was held at another track, namely at Imola in 1980.

The town of Monza in Lombardy is just over half an hourÔÇÖs drive from Milan. Monza has a population of over 120,000 and since 11th June 2004 has been the official capital of the newly created province of Monza and Brianza.

Mika said:

Not a problem - Transaxle and the half shafts are strong...not a shaft drive.

Sounds like someone has a chip on their sholder. Is that a chipped FD?

Click to expand...

No chip on my shoulder. I just had to get that dig in.
The BMW F-1 car is one of the finest pieces of machinery in the world. Class, elegance and speed all rolled into one.
In regards to the FD on my 97 1100rs. Each time I get home from a long tour. I thank God for keeping Lucifer in check. I named my 1100rs Lucifer because that bike is posessed.
Years ago I was leaving a bike blessing near my home in Northeast Michigan. I was about a mile from the town where the blessing was held. The bike threw a rod with only 15k on the odometer. Yes! I was hitting the rev limiter. Old Lucifer lasted for 10 miles on one cylinder but, what a nasty racket that engine made for those 10 miles. Those demon's were getting rattled around in the mill pretty good.
No biggy, the bike was covered under warranty. It just took a while for the dealer rep to dislodge his cranium from his rectum. Those girly boy's in Jersey humor me.

Take Care & Ride Safe
Pat Carol


Take Care & Ride Safe
Pat Carol

I have met dealer reps like that, wonder if they were related?



Safe riding!

Mika said:

I have met dealer reps like that, wonder if they were related?



Safe riding!

Click to expand...

At Motorrad HQ in Jersey, they have a laboratory in the basement. That is where they produce DEALER REPS. At first they started with the regular test tube baby technology. As the years went by, they have now switched to Ball Jars. This is due to the fact that they have to fill them with sooooo much BS to pacify the customer, the test tube would explode under all that pressure.



PC

BMW Sauber F1 takes us on a lap at Monza 2008

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Rain caused eliminated the first Friday practice. In the second session the boys of the Roundel were second and third fastest.

BMW Sauber F1 Team - Italian Grand Prix - Free Practice
09-12-2008 Press Release
Weather: extreme rain in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, 19-23??C Air, 15-29??C Track


Monza (IT). After the first free practice session was literally washed out by the rain, the second 90 minute session for the Italian Grand Prix was very busy. The BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld, had a trouble free day and were second and third fastest respectively on the highspeed circuit in the Monza Royal Park.

Robert has a special helmet design for the Monza race showing the Italian flag alongside the Polish national colours. Robert moved from Poland to Italy when he was only 13 years old to pursue a karting career.


Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: no timed lap / 2nd Practice: 2nd, 1:23.931 min
ÔÇ£We could not run our programme as planned due to the bad weather conditions ÔÇô especially in the morning. The conditions improved in the afternoon, although the drying track was still damp. With the conditions changing on every lap over the course of the session, evaluating the results is quite difficult. I hope we have better weather tomorrow.ÔÇØ


Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.08-07 / BMW P86/8
1st Practice: no timed lap / 2nd Practice: 3rd, 1:23.947 min
ÔÇ£The lap times donÔÇÖt look too bad, which was also the case when we were here for testing. But the balance of my car isnÔÇÖt as good yet as it was at the test. Certainly this has something to do with the lack of rubber on the tarmac after todayÔÇÖs heavy rain. What happens with the weather over the weekend will prove crucial.ÔÇØ


Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
ÔÇ£As we were testing here in Monza last week, most of the set-up work and the tyre evaluation has been done before the weekend. Today, our main concentration was on some fine-tuning for the carÔÇÖs set-up. I'm confident we should be quite competitive for the rest of the weekend.ÔÇØ

The aero work on the car is a high speed set up. Look at how flat the the rear wing is set.

Monza Qualifying

The wonderful thing for a fan to watch qualifying in the rain is you find out the announcers know little more than you do. The confusing thing about rain qualifying is it is difficult to make sense of the results.




Vettel is on the pole for Toro Rossi. He is now the youngest driver ever to hold a pole. We may well be seeing the development of a future champion in Vettel.

Rain set the field. It is as simple as that.

First set up is impacted by rain. The rules have the race set up fixed when the cars make their first lap in qualifying. If you went out with a fast setup for the race you had to be ready to spin and spin they did. A spin on the last lap of Q2 resulted in Kubica not making it through the session.

Power is the second thing impacted by the rain. With the exception of KovalainenÔÇÖs McLaren teams that are down on power did well in the rain. It is easier to control and so the top qualifiers in terms of team go Toro Rossi, McLaren, Red Bull, Toro Rossi, and Williams before you get to MassaÔÇÖs Ferrari.

What about the race?

The start will be important. With so many of the traditionally fast teams sitting in mid-field grid spots the start could be a big crash as hot cars and drivers dive for the first corner.

Make it through the first corner and the race should be fun to watch because there will be a great deal of passing heading to the first pit stop.

Then again rain on race day could shake things up once again.

Nothing more to say, you guess is as good as mine with this grid.

Rain wins qualifying at Monza this weekend.


Off to see what is up at Bol dÔÇÖOr and BMW Motorrad.