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McLaren and Virgin Racing Partnership

Editor — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:31:53 +0000

Marussia Motors, a Russian sports car manufacturer, bought interests in the Virgin Racing team last year. Virgin Racing made the move to buy out Nick Wirth’s Formula 1 division of Wirth Research Technologies, but after experiencing a very disappointing start to their Formula 1 season, for a second time, Virgin Racing decided to move away from Wirth. Wirth was instrumental in designing and developing the team’s car, as well being leaders in the formulation of computational fluid dynamics, but the team believes they have a greater chance of success with McLaren.

McLaren and Virgin Racing have agreed to a technical partnership that will be a great advantage for Virgin Racing, as they will have access to various McLaren facilities, such as their test rigs, wind tunnel and even their driver simulator. Production staff and the McLaren management team will be working closely with Virgin Racing, assisting them in every technology related issue.

Andy Webb, chief executive of Virgin Racing, is confident that the technical agreement between them and McLaren will allow his team the opportunity to make the necessary changes to their car to improve their performances. This will also hopefully permit Virgin Racing to move forward in the sport. Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren’s team boss, has no doubt that Virgin Racing will only benefit from their agreement.

Another component to Virgin’s bid to improve and gain knowledge is Pat Symonds, who will be acting as a consultant, assisting them with technical advice, bringing them closer to their ambitions. Symonds was engineering director for Renault until his suspension in 2008.

Whitmarsh also went on to say that McLaren recognizes that the Virgin Racing Team is extremely serious about racing and developing their team to the point where they are able to be formidable Formula 1 competitors. Even though Virgin Racing will be learning from the technical advances of McLaren, they have confirmed that they will not be replacing the Cosworth engines that are presently in their cars.

Sprint Cup Changes

Editor — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:18:22 +0000

On Friday night, teams prepared their cars for the practice sessions that evening, as well as the Budweiser Shootout that was held at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. NASCAR officials were monitoring the progress and speed of the cars closely. With some cars reaching speeds of over two hundred miles per hour, it was decided to implement a new change to the vehicles, of which the teams have been informed. It is hoped that the changes will benefit the cars, teams and their drivers.

The Sprint Cup Series is a prestigious championship on the NASCAR calendar, with teams preparing and making changes to their cars in anticipation of the start of the new season. Teams will have to begin making the changes to their cars after the Daytona 500, which has been confirmed by Ryan Pemberton, the Vice President of Competition for NASCAR. The changes will involve the cooling systems of the cars, with new front grill specifications being twenty inches in width and two and a half inches in height. Not only will the grills have to be altered, but teams will be expected to lower their water systems to produce thirty-three pounds per square inch, which will be achieved by altering the pressure relief valve that is located on the water system of the car. Some teams will have to adjust their radiators for the pressure relief valve, which will cause the water to flow out if the radiator beings to overheat rather than being contained within the high pressure radiator systems that most cars are fitted with. NASCAR found that the temperatures on most vehicles were running between approximately two hundred and ninety to three hundred degrees, and with the new regulations it is expected to drop to an average of two hundred and fifty.

Pemberton commented on the changes by saying that: “Right now, I think it’s more important to get some things out there. Teams have to go home and prepare (for the cooling system alteration), so it will take several hours for them to get ready for this change. The bulletin was about enabling those guys to spend the time to get prepared and come back on Wednesday.”

F1: Team Orders in the Spotlight

Editor — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:39:16 +0000

It seems that Fernando Alonso’s victory at Hockenheim in Germany has sparked much debate, even after the FIA made their decision to drop the charges laid against the Ferrari team. Formula 1 has always been viewed as a team sport, and yet when team decisions were made, Ferrari found themselves in trouble with the World Motor Sport Council. And while the teams might be in a battle against each other when they are on the track, rival teams stood behind Ferrari and gave them their full support while the decisions were being made about the fate of Ferrari.

The International Automobile Federation will still uphold the $100 000 fine given to Ferrari, while not taking any further steps against the team for a lack of evidence. According the federation, team orders are banned and it was felt that Felipe Massa was getting faster lap times than Fernando Alonso prior to Alonso overtaking Massa for the victory. The federation believes that after Ferrari had ordered their drivers to reduce engine speed, the order to increase engine speed again was only given to Alonso and the battle between the team drivers was ended through team orders. The FIA went on to say that it was their understanding that if team orders were not handed out, Massa would more than likely have been the winner of the race.

Ferrari denied these allegations in their defense, pointing out that based on their information Alonso was indeed gaining on Massa, and that no order was given to Massa to allow Alonso to pass him. They went on to state that giving team orders was very different to working out a strategy and tactics that would benefit the team as a whole, and that clarity on this topic needs to be made. There is no denying that other teams also make decisions on what is best for them, and devise strategies to work towards a victory. However, it is clear that the argument over team orders and team strategy is far from over, as everyone looks towards the FIA to confirm and clarify the distinction between the two.

Phoenix Park Motor Races 2010

Editor — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:53:45 +0000

Due to the great success of the Phoenix Park Motor Races that were held in 2009, the latest edition of this event will be taking place from the 14th to the 15th of August 2010. Cars participating in this fast paced event will be bringing the Oldtown Circuit back to life, and changes have been made to the famed Mountjoy Corner. Additional facilities have been made available in the Paddock, for racing teams’ convenience, and it is gearing up to be a memorable occasion.

For more information, visit the Phoenix Park Raceway website at http://www.phoenixparkmotorraces.eu.

Date: 14 – 15 August 2010
Venue: Phoenix Park
City: Dublin
Country: Ireland

Richard Petty Motorsports

Editor — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:41:12 +0000

Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) is a popular NASCAR team owned by Richard Petty and George Gillett Jr. The team was previously known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports, but was merged with Petty Enterprises in January 2009 to form Richard Petty Motorsports.

The team’s #9 Ford Fusion is driven by Kasey Kahne, who has done very well for the team, taking 10th position in the 2009 Sprint Cup standings. AJ Allmendinger is behind the wheel of the #43 Ford Fusion Best Buy Ford. Driving the #19 Ford is Elliott Sadler, a great addition to RPM. Taking to the driver’s seat in the #98 Ford Fusion is Paul Menard, a talented NASCAR driver.

Richard Petty, or “The King”, is an extremely accomplished NASCAR racing driver. During his career he racked up 200 career victories, along with seven Nextel Cup championships. His winning streak didn’t end when he stopped racing, as a car owner he has gone on to enjoy many triumphs, the first being in 1996 with driver Bobby Hamilton. Petty has certainly played a vital role in the sport of NASCAR and has always been active in giving back to his fans and the community. Currently he serves as the Chairman of the North Carolina Motorsports Association. Richard Petty has also been recognized by induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, North Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Now co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, you can be sure he will continue to exert his influence on the world of NASCAR for many more years.

A successful business owner, George Gillett Jr. is an integral part of Richard Petty Motorsports. He is also the owner of Liverpool Football Club and the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. He is sure to bring his outside the box perspective to the team, which will likely see it gaining many victories. After forming Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007, it has been Gillett’s goal to form a championship team. And that is what he has been doing, with 3 wins, 6 top-tens and 3 poles scored by his team during the 2008 season.

Be sure to keep your eye on Richard Petty Motorsports in the years to come!

Stewart Haas Racing

Editor — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:30:01 +0000

Owned by Gene Haas and Tony Stewart, and based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart Haas Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup race team, running the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet Impala, driven by Tony Stewart, as well as the #39 United States Army Chevrolet Impala, driven by Ryan Newman. Technical support is supplied to the team by Hendrick Motorsports – also a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor. As the name would suggest, the primary sponsor for the #14 car is Office Depot, with additional sponsorship provided by Old Spice and Burger King. The #39 car is sponsored by the US Army, Tornados and Haas Automation.

Gene Haas is the founder and sole owner of Haas Automation, the largest machine tool manufacturer in the US. He was also the founder of the NASCAR race team, Haas CNC Racing, back in 2002. Working as a single car team, Haas CNC Racing entered the Nextel Cup (the predecessor of the Sprint Cup), with the team’s first race taking place on September 30, 2002. The team’s driver at the time was Jack Sprague, and he finished 35th after being involved in a crash during the race. After racing sporadically in the following years, the team moved to Kannapolis in 2006 and started fielding a second car, making its presence known on the NASCAR scene.

In late 2008 it was announced that Haas CNC Racing would join forces with Tony Stewart to form Stewart-Haas Racing, and this took place in January 2009. Tony Stewart notched up the first win for the new team in May 2009, when he took first place in the All-Star race. With an impressive list of achievements, Tony Stewart has been referred to as “one of the finest racers of his generation” in an article appearing in the New York Times in 2008. By March 2010, Stewart had competed in 40 races, with four wins, 15 top-fives, 25 top-tens and one DNF.

The second driver in the team, Ryan Newman, is certainly not short on talent having achieved 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins in his racing career, as well as having 7 Nationwide Series wins and one Camping World Truck Series win. With a degree in vehicle structure engineering, and his hobbies including driving and working on vintage cars, Newman is certainly dedicated to the exciting world of auto racing. Fans will no doubt be watching with keen interest as Stewart-Haas Racing tackles the 2010 season, their second as a team.

Hispania Racing F1 Team

Editor — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:06:42 +0000

The Hispania Racing F1 Team is making its Formula One debut in the 2010 Formula One season, having the distinction of being the first Spanish team to race in this exciting sport. Formed by Adrián Campos and previously known as Campos Meta 1, Hispania Racing F1 Team had both a change of name and change of ownership as it entered the F1 scene, being named as one of the three new teams to break into F1 racing in 2010. The team is now wholly owned by Spanish businessman José Ramón Carabante.

Driving their Cosworth CA2010 powered Hispania F110 cars, Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna failed to make the grade in the first race of the season, the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. Both drivers qualified at the back of the grid, with Chandhok crashing on the second lap of the race, reportedly due to hitting a bump on the track. Senna was forced to retire from the race on the 18th lap as his car’s engine overheated. While the season may have started out on a disappointing note for Hispania Racing, there is every reason to believe that things will improve as the season progresses and no doubt both the team and F1 racing fans are looking forward to seeing great things from this new team – Hispania Racing.

Force India F1 Team

Editor — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:05:18 +0000

Formed in October 2007 by a consortium of Indian businessmen, Force India F1 Team has evolved from the Jordan Grand Prix team established by Eddie Jordan in 1991. At that time the team enjoyed a measure of success, but financial woes led to the sale of team to the Midland group in 2005 resulting in it being renamed Midland F1 Racing. The ink had barely dried on the contract, when the team was sold to Spyker Cars near the end of the 2006 season, less than a year after being acquired. Ownership changed again at the end of the 2007 F1 season, with the name changing to Force India Formula One Team.

Following all the upheaval of the previous years, the 2008 F1 season got underway with Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil as drivers, and Vitantonio Liuzzi, Roldan Rodriguez and Giedo van der Garde as test drivers for Force India. The team looked set to score its first point at Monaco with Adrian Sutil in fourth place, but he collided with Kimi Räikkönen near the end of the race. Sutil was found to be at fault.

The same drivers were retained by Force India for the 2009 F1 season. The 2009 Chinese Grand Prix almost presented Sutil with the team’s first points, when Sutil’s car aquaplaned in the wet weather and crashed with just six laps to go. Later that same year, at the Belgian GP, Fisichella finished the race less than a second behind winner Kimi Räikkönen, thereby earning Force India’s first podium finish and first F1 championship points. Test driver Liuzzi stepped in as team driver in September 2009 when Fisichella moved over to Scuderia Ferrari for the rest of the season. Liuzzi qualified seventh for the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, with Sutil qualifying second. Sutil passed the finish line fourth on race day, with Liuzzi forced to retire due to gear box failure on his car. The team finished the season in ninth place.

On February 9 Force India unveiled its new car for the 2010 season – the VJM03. Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi will be the team’s drivers, with Paul di Resta as the team’s test driver. The first race of the season in Bahrain saw Liuzzi finishing in ninth position and scoring 2 points, while Sutil came in twelfth, after recovering from an incident in the first lap. Fans are no doubt interested to see the progress of Force India in the 2010 F1 Championship season.

Mercedes GP F1 Team

Editor — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:58:54 +0000

The Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team made its re-launch debut at the 2010 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, with both of its drivers scoring points for the fledgling team. Nico Rosberg finished the race in fifth place, scoring 10 points, with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher hot on his heels in sixth place, scoring 8 points.

Having competed in Grand Prix motor racing in the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz first entered the F1 racing scene back in 1954. The team enjoyed a measure of success that season, as well as the following season, after which it withdrew from the sport, although Mercedes continued with part ownerships and supplied engines through the 1990s and into the new century.

The team is based in Brackley, Northamptonshire, UK. The CEO of the team is Nick Fry, with Ross Brawn (of former Brawn GP – winner of the 2009 Constructors championship) and Norbert Haug as team principals. The legendary Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are the team’s drivers, with Nick Heidfeld as test driver. Interestingly, all three drivers are German.

Certainly, with the wealth of talent in the team, and the excellence of the Mercedes product, there is plenty of excitement ahead for the Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team as the Formula One Championships progress.

Virgin Racing

Editor — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:56:54 +0000

Virgin Racing made its F1 debut as one of the four new teams granted entry to the 2010 Formula One Championships. Originally granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, the team changed its name to reflect its title sponsor – Richard Branson’s Virgin Group – with the FIA releasing a revised entry list with the team’s new name on 30 November 2009.

Virgin Racing is based in Dinnington, South Yorkshire, England, with John Booth as the team principal and Nick Wirth as the technical director. The team’s drivers are Timo Glock of Germany, and Lucas di Grassi of Brazil, with test drivers being Luiz Razia (Brazil) and Andy Soucek (Spain). The team boasts cars designed entirely using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Its chassis is the VR-01 with Cosworth CA2010 engine and sporting Bridgestone tires. While the team is based in Dinnington, the development and production of the cars is handled by Wirth Research, based in Bicester. Virgin owns eighty percent of the team, with other sponsors being Lloyds Banking Group, Bridgestone, UST Global, Carbon Green, and CSC.

Both drivers were forced to retire from their debut race at the 2010 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. Nonetheless, the entire team has displayed a positive attitude noting that while they have some teething problems to overcome, the season is still young and there is plenty of opportunity to show that Virgin Racing has what it takes to compete in this demanding, and exciting, sport.