January 31st, 2009 at 04:56am Under Motorbikes
Custom paint schemes on motorcycles are generally thought to devalue them, but we want to know if you have a custom paint scheme. If you have a custom paint scheme we’d like to know why and also which company painted…
By admin Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:56am Under Motorbikes
Don’t forget to vote for your favourite MCN Babe of the Year hopeful as time is running out before the final at the MCN London Motorcycle Show on Sunday. Each girl at the show is wearing a T-shirt with their…
By admin Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Motorbikes
Triple British Superbike champion Niall Mackenzie will have a busy year ahead of him as both his sons will be racing in 2009. Niall’s eldest son Taylor, 15, is about to begin his second season in the British 125 championship…
By admin Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Motorbikes
 |
Here’s what I found in the internet this week with regards to motorcycle related stories. Not much… must be the economic downturn….
- To Dismantle an Engine or Not…
- 10 safety tips for motorcycle riders
- Aligning Motorcycle Wheels
…
By admin Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Motorbikes
 |
KTM announced that they have to fire 300 employees, and possibly start part-time work.
They will further reduce production by 25%. ’tis not good!
…
By admin Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Motorbikes
 |
 |
Royal Enfield, a former British motorcycle manufacturer, but now an Indian, has had a record sales year.
In a moment of gloom, with companies closing down, it’s really nice to hear one company selling 30% (yes THIRTY) more motorcycles last year!
And that for a motorcycle that has not changed its design since 50 years.
…
By admin Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Racing
Toyota has issued some video of the first test of its 2009 F1 car, the TF109, at Algarve Motor Park. There is a high quality playback option on the video above. Annoyingly, they seem to have added audio over certain portions of the video…
2009 F1 testing
By Mikel Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Racing
The FIA thought it worth mentioning that Ecclestone used to own Brabham
Bernie Ecclestone’s plan to replace the F1 points system with the awarding of ‘medals’ for winners has been widely received as a bad idea.
Today the FIA waded into the argument by publishing some research. Their effort shows much the same lack of care and consideration that Ecclestone put his idea forward with.
Titled “The ‘F1 medals’ proposal – a historical perspective”, it appears to be the product of about five minutes’ work, is founded on an utterly spurious premise, and provides no little worthwhile contribution to the medals debate at all.
In a ten-page document the results of every F1 championship are laid out, and compared to what might have happened had Ecclestone’s scheme been in place (drivers are ranked in the championship in accordance with who has won the most races, then who has the most second places, and so on).
These are the report’s findings:
Only 22 of the 59 World Championships to date would have the same top 3. The other 37 World Championships would be different. The World Champion would be altered on 13 occasions. The medal system would create three “new” World Champions who did not win the title using the various points systems.
What does this tell us? Nothing.
The report is based on the assumption that the championship system has no bearing at all on how a driver approaches each race. This is clearly nonsense. Think of how often we hear drivers who have finished second or third in a race contenting themselves with thought that they’ve ‘scored good points for the championship’?
Ecclestone’s point is that drivers change their approach to championships depending on how the title is won. If they need to accumulate points, then they settle for safe second and third places. If they need wins, they take more risks. The FIA has missed the point by miles with this research.
There is something odd about the FIA choosing to respond to Ecclestone’s idea in such an inadequate fashion. And this quote suggests there is a degree of baiting going on:
Brabham under the ownership of Bernie Ecclestone would have won no Drivers’ Championships.
The FIA’s notes make extensive references to the number of titles won or lost by different drivers. This is plainly designed to incite opposition to the idea among fans who will object to, say, Nelson Piquet being notionally stripped of his three world championships. Ecclestone’s idea means nothing of the sort, and intelligent F1 fans are quite capable of seeing that for themselves.
I know well enough from reading the comments on the site that a lot of people aren’t convinced by the ‘medals’ system. Nonetheless I think that had it been thought out properly and presented to fans more clearly it would have been received better.
A championship scoring system that rewards drivers who get the most of the best results is, to me, the fair and correct one.
Ecclestone has made this concept terribly confused by only talking about ranking the top three finishers (when there is no need to exclude drivers who finish fourth or lower in this system), Olympic-style medals, and keeping the old points system for constructors. This is all needless complication.
But the core idea - ranking drivers in accordance with who has got the best results – is utterly sound and much simpler than any arbitrary points system that promotes conservatism over the pursuit of victory. I argued for it on several occasions before the ‘medals’ argument blew up:
I still haven’t heard a convincing argument against ranking drivers in order of their best finishes to decide the championship. This laughably spurious statement from the FIA certainly isn’t it.
You can find “The ‘F1 medals’ proposal – a historical perspective” on the F1Fanatic drop.io.
By Mikel Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Racing
A tougher time for brakes in 2009?
One aspect of the 2009 rules I’m trying to get my ahead is how the return to slick tyres and the introduction of KERS might affect brakes.
If my shaky grasp if F1 technology is right, I reckon brakes will have a seriously hard time in 2009. Check my working below.
Grooves are gone and tyres are staying the same size. That means each F1 car will have a significant percentage more rubber on the ground, which will allow them to grip better and corner faster.
This suggests to me that when a driver hits the brake pedal he’ll be able to generate greater braking force than he could in 2008. Therefore, the brakes will be under greater stress. And with the technical regulations not allowing for an increase in brake size, drivers will have to take greater care of their discs.
But here’s the bit I’m not sure about: will the accompanying reduction in downforce this year reduce the demand on the brakes by the same amount? I need someone with a technical mind to put me straight on that one.
According to BMW, this is how the circuits rank for brake wear - and the ones at the top of the list could pose the biggest problems for drivers:
Singapore - very high
Monte-Carlo - high
Nürburgring - high
Albert Park Melbourne - high
Bahrain International Circuit - high
Hungaroring - high
Monza - high
Suzuka - high
Shanghai International Circuit - medium
Circuito Urbano Valencia - medium
Silverstone - low
Sepang International Circuit - low
Circuit de Catalunya - low
Istanbul - low
Spa-Francorchamps - low
Interlagos - low
An added complication from the point of view of braking is how KERS could affect it.
F1’s Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems are designed to work by extracting energy from braking effort - but will it have any effect on braking performance? How is the energy transmitted from the brakes to the KERS?
Share your thoughts on brakes below…
By Mikel Add comment
January 31st, 2009 at 04:55am Under Racing
Michael Schumacher has conceded that F1’s newly-imposed in-season testing ban will probably mean less or no running for him in 2009.
The seven time world champion remains an advisor to the Ferrari team and also an occasional test driver, appearing in the F2008 on a number of occasions last year.
But not only will the in-season moratorium see him sidelined, the 40-year-old German said the race drivers will want to be on duty for the remaining tests of the current winter period.
“These next weeks and tests are now for preparation of the entire season,” he told Germany’s Express.
Schumacher, despite his vast experience with slick tyres, said he assumed the test drivers, including himself, Luca Badoer and Marc Gene, will have to defer to racers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
“At the moment we are just discussing whether Ferrari sees it the same way,” he explained.
Schumacher, however, said he will not be bored in 2009, revealing he will contest the German superbike championship because two-wheeled racing is his “new passion”.
This is a news story from the GMM agency. Looking to trim down your F1 Fanatic feed so you don’t receive news? There’s now a feed that does just that - get the link here.
Read more: Ferrari F60 launched at Mugello - pictures & video
By Mikel Add comment