Off The Wall Racing News

There are two kinds of Indy car drivers: those who have hit the wall

and those who will hit the wall." -- Eddie Cheever.

Formula One

Controversy ought to be Formula One’s middle name. We’re one race into the 2011 season and already several contentious scenarios have unfolded…

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Red Bull – Coming out of Red Bull’s strong showing in Melbourne Australia, with last season’s champion Sebastian Vettel coming in first and Australia’s own Mark Webber placing fifth in Red Bull’s 2011 edition cars, there are a lot of questions concerning a supposedly illegal front wing/nose cone assembly. Last season the same accusations were made and F1A responded by putting the front wing through extensive testing but nothing came of it. These more stringent tests haven’t put a damper on the suspicions. The flex works to create more downforce on the front tires at high speed. It’s claimed that this in turn allows the Red Bull cars to make quicker turns resulting in seconds being cut off each circuit around the track. Here’s video evidence of the flexing nose wing:

Pay close attention to the nose camera position at top speed and after braking for the first corner. I’m not sure about this and maybe our resident engineer can shed a little light on the subject, but I doubt F1’s stringent rules include the type of materials used to manufacture the various body parts on these cars. It makes me wonder if the composite materials used by Red Bull’s engineers have some hidden qualities the other teams’ haven’t figured out.

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Sauber – Both of Sauber’s cars were disqualified for technical infringements after the post Australian Grand Prix inspections. The cars were in breach of technical rules 3.10.1 and 3.10.2 that deal with the rear wing. The disqualification took away Sergio Perez’ and Kamui Kibayashi’s seventh and eighth place finishes. The infringements concern the measured distances across the wings and the placement of the wing.

James Key, Sauber’s technical director stated, “This is a very surprising and disappointing result. It appears that there is a question over the top surface of the uppermost rear wing element, this area is not the working surface of the component and therefore relatively unimportant to its function. "Certainly this has not led to any performance advantage. We are checking the design of the parts now to better understand the situation and we intend to appeal the decision made by the stewards." _______________________________________________

By the way, the Lotus naming rights controversy continues to boil between Team Lotus and Lotus Renault with a court hearing now scheduled for after the 2011 racing season.

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F1 Makes Several Rules Changes…

The KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) has once again been allowed in 2011. First allowed in 2009, the KERS system was discarded with the thought that it actually slowed the cars down. Red Bull will run their version in Malaysia this Sunday.

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The 107% Rule (drivers must be within this much of the pole time to qualify) has also been resurrected in 2011 due to three different teams being deemed uncompetitive in 2010.

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2011 will also see the approved use of moveable rear wings that the driver can use at any time during practice and qualifying but only under certain conditions during the actual racing. Then the wing can only be moved when a driver is one second behind another car. In another controversial move, the ban on team orders has been lifted.

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F1A removed the ban on team driving saying the ban was near impossible to enforce as it stood. So 2011 will once again see team rather than individual racing… ____________________________________________________ 2011 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX

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IndyCar

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Guess who’s going to drive the pace car at the 100th anniversary of auto racing at Indianapolis… None other than “The Donald”… No not the duck, the Trump!

“It’s a great honor to be selected as the Pace Car driver for such an American institution as the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500,” Trump said. “The Indianapolis 500 has been the gold standard of motorsports for a century, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Camaro and bring the famous field of 33 drivers to the green flag.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Donald Trump as the driver of the Pace Car for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500,” said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer. “He is an iconic American success story, a business leader without peer who is a fitting choice to bring the field for ‘The Most Important Race in History’ to the green flag.”

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In a sidelight, Chevrolet wants everyone to know the new Camaro SS convertible pace car can handle the duty unmodified from the factory…

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So we’ve got an American built muscle car that flies in the face of the liberal green crew and it will be driven by a leader of American business, institutions under extreme pressure from the left. In addition, Donald Trump has been reported just this week to be running for the Republican nomination for President and is leading the New Hampshire polls…

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St. Pete Revisited…

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has expressed elation at the television ratings the Honda Grand Prix received and the large crowd that attended the event. The fact that the event was shown on network television (ABC) meant a 100% increase in viewership over last season’s final race for the IndyCar title in Homestead Florida that was shown on cable TV (1.4 rating at St. Pete verses a .7 rating). "I'm very encouraged by the ratings for several reasons. First of all, it was a standalone. It wasn't in the late time slot, during which there typically is more household viewership. Second, it's our highest-rated non-Indianapolis show since 2007, but even that show [Mid-Ohio] had a great lead-in with the British Open...," shared Bernard.

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In organized racing for nearly 10 years now, Simona de Silvestro apparently is the real deal and IndyCar is more than happy to have her. All eyes will be on the young driver after her fourth place finish in St. Petersburg.

Will Gene’s proclamation that Ms. de Silvestro is the best woman driver in IndyCar continue to be backed up?

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Driver News…

Bryan Herta Autosport, in a move announced just before the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, signed Dan Wheldon to drive the team’s 2011 Indianapolis 500 entry. Co-owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey are thrilled to have a driver of Dan’s caliber behind the wheel of their car…

Canadian James Hinchcliffe will make his IndyCar debut Saturday in Alabama driving for Newman/Haas Racing in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama next weekend. Newman/Hass will expand to two entries to accommodate young Mr. Hinchcliffe.

A.J. Foyt Racing announced the signing of Brazilian Bruno Junqueira to drive in the Indy 500 this year.

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The 100th Year of racing at Indianapolis…

The celebration is ramping up for the May 29th Indianapolis 500. I was surprised to run across this…

Painted by Thomas Kincaid, known as “The Painter of Light”, I was surprised since I’ve never seen him paint a scene such as that before…

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Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

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Enjoy the racing this weekend!

Off The Wall Racing News

Your 2011 Open Wheel Primer...

Indy Car

IndyCar: Interest shown in $5M gambit

Remember the $5,000,000 IndyCar is prepared to hand to any non-IndyCar driver who might win their season finale race in Las Vegas? Well, according to IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard, the offer has spawned a lot of inquiries from the other circuits' drivers. Without divulging any names, Bernard stated, "Some of the names are fantastic. I think people will be surprised on who wants to drive it."

Included in the overtures were drivers from NASCAR, Formula 1, Supercross and Rally.

"The bottom line is us trying to gain credibility, to say that our drivers are the best drivers in the world," Bernard said. "They're the fastest, most versatile drivers in the world. That's really what this is all about, is putting that out there to say, 'If you don't believe it, come take a look.' "

Last year’s IndyCar finale from Homestead was broadcast on Versus while this year’s Las Vegas finale will be on ABC with Bernard pointing out, "Our whole key to this is last year we did a .3 rating on our championship race. In my opinion, that's the best-kept secret in motorsports. If we can't do a 1.5 or 2 rating on network television, I would consider it a failure."

"Our drivers have not been able to create the credibility they need," he said. "It's not because they don't have the talent; it's because there's been no emotional attachment to our fan base. What we have to do is bring that back."
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IndyCar 2010 Final Point Standings – Top 10 –


1 Dario Franchitti - 602
2 Will Power - 597
3 Scott Dixon - 547
4 Helio Castroneves - 531
5 Ryan Briscoe - 482
6 Tony Kanaan - 453
7 Ryan Hunter-Reay - 445
8 Marco Andretti - 392
9 Dan Wheldon - 388
10 Danica Patrick – 367

To the victor go the spoils... Dario and wife Ashley Judd.
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Here’s a list of the 2011 IndyCar Teams and Drivers

Chip Ganassi Racing – Car #9 – Scott Dixon – Sponsored by Target, #10 – Dario Franchitti – Target, #38 – Graham Rahal - Service Central and #83 Charlie Kimball (R) – Novo Nordisk
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Team Penske - #3 – Helio Castroneves – Shell/AAA, #6 – Ryan Briscoe – IZOD/PPG and #12 – Will Power – Verizon Wireless
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Andretti Autosport - #7 – Danica Patrick – GoDaddy.com, #26 – Marco Andretti – Venom Energy Drink, #27 – Mike Conway – GoDaddy.com, #28 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – DHL/Sun Drop and #43 – John Andretti – Window World
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Panther Racing - #4 – J.R. Hildebrand (R) – U.S. National Guard
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Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - #22 – Justin Wilson – Z-Line Designs/Dad’s Root Beer, #23 – Paul Tracy – Wix Filters and #24 – Ana Beatriz (R) – Petroleo Ipiranga/Lubrizol
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A.J. Foyt Enterprises - #14 – Vitor Meira – ABC Supply Company and #41 TBA – ABC Supply Company
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Sam Schmidt Motorsports - #77 – Alex Tagliani – Bowers & Wilkins, #88 – Jay Howard – Service Central, #99 – Townsend Bell – Herbalife and TBA – Wade Cunningham (R) – Creatherm
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HVM Racing - #78 – Simona de Silvestro – Entergy
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KV Racing Technology – Lotus - #5 – Takuma Sato – Lotus Cars/Panasonic, #8 – E.J. Viso – Lotus Cars/PDVSA and #82 – Tony Kanaan – Lotus Cars/ GEICO/Cerveja Itaipava
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Dale Coyne Racing - #18 – TBA – TBA and #36 – TBA – Boy Scouts of America
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Newman/Hass Racing - #2 – Oriol Servia – TBA and #6 – TBA – TBA
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Conquest Racing - #34 - Sebastian Saavedra (R) – TBA and #36 – TBA – TBA
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AFS Racing - #17 – Raphael Matos – Automatic Fire Sprinklers
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Sarah Fisher Racing - #67 – Ed Carpenter – Dollar General
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Team REDLINE Xtreme – #TBA – TBA – REDLINE Xtreme Energy Drink
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Bryan Herta Autosport - #TBA – TBA – TAB
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So we’ve got 36 potential cars with 29 signed drivers and 30 cars with sponsors…
Where’s IndyCar’s 2003 Rookie of the Year and 2005 Indianapolis 500 Champion Dan Wheldon? He was replaced at Panther Racing by rookie J.R. Hildebrand!
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The 2011 IndyCar season kicks off this weekend in St. Petersburg Florida with the running of the Honda Grand Prix.



ABC TV's coverage: Live Sunday, March 27th @ 12:30pm-3:00pm ET

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And for all you fellow head-scratchers out there when it comes to picking a winner...

From the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book here are the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg odds:

http://robertsnascarnotes.blogspot.com/p/las-vegas-hilton-super-book-auto-racing.html

Will Power 2/1, Dario Franchitti 5/1, Helio Castroneves 5/1, Scott Dixon 6/1, Ryan Briscoe 7/1, Ryan Hunter-Reay 12/1, Justin Wilson 12/1, Graham Rahal 15/1, Sebastien Bourdais 15/1, Marco Andretti 25/1, Alex Tagliani 50/1
Mike Conway 50/1, Tony Kanaan 50/1, Takuma Sato 100/1, Raphael Matos 100/1, Danica Patrick 100/1 and Vitor Meira 100/1

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Formula 1

Bernie Not Going to Melbourne

The President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration, Bernie Ecclestone won't be on hand for the Formula One season opener in Melbourne Australia this weekend so he can meet with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to discuss plans to put in a Formula One race circuit on New York City's Staten Island. The move (snub) has added fuel to a growing fire that this season will be the last for the Australian Grand Prix. Only time will tell...
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Robert Kubica To Have More Surgery

Since his accident in a rally on February 6th Robert Kubica has gone through three operations (seven hours to save his right hand, one on his shoulder and another on his leg) and now he will have a final procedure on his elbow. The good news is that he has feeling in his hand and can move the fingers. How long his recovery will take is only speculation at this time but I’d be willing to bet he’s anxious to get his Lotus Renault ride back from Nick Heidfeld.
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The 2010 Formula One Final Standings – Top 10


1 Sebastian Vettel - German - RBR-Renault - 256
2 Fernando Alonso - Spanish - Ferrari - 252
3 Mark Webber - Australian - RBR-Renault - 242
4 Lewis Hamilton - British - McLaren-Mercedes - 240
5 Jenson Button - British - McLaren-Mercedes - 214
6 Felipe Massa - Brazilian - Ferrari - 144
7 Nico Rosberg - German - Mercedes GP - 142
8 Robert Kubica - Polish - Renault - 136
9 Michael Schumacher - German - Mercedes GP - 72
10 Rubens Barrichello - Brazilian - Williams-Cosworth - 47
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Here are the 2011 Formula One Teams and Drivers
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Red Bull Racing – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button
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Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro – Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
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Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team – Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg
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Lotus Renault GP – Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov
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AT&T Williams – Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado
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Force India F1 Team – Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta
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Sauber F1 Team – Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez
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Scuderia Toro Rosso – Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari
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Team Lotus – Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen
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Hispania Racing F1 Team (HRT) – Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi
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Marussia Virgin Racing – Timo Glock and Jerome d’Ambrosio
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The Australian Grand Prix!

SPEED TV’s coverage -

Live 03/27 @ 1:30am ET… Replay 03/28 @ 12:00pm ET

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From The Spread.com

http://www.thespread.com/sports-betting-articles/032311-formula-1-odds-2011-australian-grand-prix-vettel-favored

Here are the Australian Grand Prix winner’s odds:

Sebastian Vettel 11/10, Fernando Alonso 13/10, Mark Webber 7/2, Lewis Hamilton 15/4, Nico Rosberg 6/1, Michael Schumacher 6/1, Jenson Button 7/1, Felipe Massa 10/1, Nick Heidfeld 20/1, Rubens Barrichello 40/1, Kamui Kobayashi 100/1, Adrian Sutil 100/1, Vitaly Petrov 100/1, Paul di Resta 120/1, Pastor Maldonado 200/1, Sebastien Buemi 200/1, Jarno Trulli 250/1, Sergio Perez 250/1, Heikki Kovalainen 250/1, Vitantonio Liuzzi 750/1, Timo Glock 750/1, Narain Karthikeyan 1000/1, Jerome DAmbrosio 1000/1 and Jaime Alguersuari 1500/1
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The Quantas Airlines Australian Grand Prix Grid Girls...

Bernie, if you're not going to miss Australia I know a lot of guys that will!

Off The Wall Racing News

NASCAR

Some quotes about the significance of the Daytona 500 from an article by Fox Sports’ Bob Margolis entitled Daytona 500 keeps fans on edge…

“It’s amazing to be in this position to win this race and how big this is for my career.” —2006 winner Jimmie Johnson

“It’s hard to explain the magnitude of the Daytona 500. It was something I really didn’t understand until I won the race, just knowing the difference between the Daytona 500 and winning any other race.” — 2007 winner Kevin Harvick

“It’s really hard to win it. Some of our greatest competitors come in and out of this sport without taking this trophy home.” – 2004 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose late father scored his only win in the event on his 20th career start in 1998.

“This is holy ground when it comes to NASCAR racing. A win in the Daytona 500 is something that nothing else will ever top.” – 2002 winner Ward Burton

“It’s the ultimate race. There’s just no better place to win than Daytona. If you can pick one, this is the one you want to win.” — three time winner (1997, ’99 and 2005) Jeff Gordon.
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Fan Development

Kelley Earnhardt and her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a big splash a couple of seasons ago when they brought in one of the most recognized faces in American auto racing to drive a JR Motorsports' entry in the Nationwide Series and although Danica Patrick and her Go Daddy Chevrolet haven’t made it into victory lane, she’s brought much needed exposure to NASCAR.

Next we heard that Michael Waltrip Racing had cut a deal with X-Games champion and daredevil Travis Pastrana to work into an MWR ride in the Nationwide Series.
These are examples of how NASCAR is working to attract a younger audience.

Now comes speculation that another X-Games icon (and an Olympic Gold Medal Champion to boot!) has expressed interest in auto racing, but this time we’re talking about the second most powerful American sports personality in 2010 as ranked in a list released last month by Bloomberg Business Week. The list was created by an Atlanta-based sports marketing firm, CSE, using math-based analytics that combine on-field performance as well as nationwide surveys.


Shaun White (also known as the "Flying Tomato" for his long red hair in the breeze) is a 10-time Gold Medal winner in the X-Games having won in both Snowboarding
and Skateboarding plus he’s won two Olympic Gold Medals in Snow Boarding. Last week it was announced that Shaun placed second out of the 100 most powerful sports personalities.

"We were honestly quite surprised" (that White landed in second), said David Newman VP of analytics at CSE. "Until we hit the enter button, we don't know what the list is going to look like."
"Power is a unique term," Newman added, "but it's really just the completeness of an athlete. It's their ability to perform on the field and serve as a role model off it. Overall, it relates to their total endorsement potential."

Did you catch that last part of Newman’s statement? Endorsement… That’s NASCAR’s middle name! And this guy is expressing interest in auto racing? Who’ll be the first in line to sign this personable 24 year old up?

Here’s an out take from Shaun’s new B.F. Goodrich commercial shoot…

Concerning the current state of NASCAR’s affairs it makes sense that fan development takes precedence over driver development. Let Travis and Shaun get some training and some seasoning then turn ‘em lose in the Camping World Truck or Nationwide Series and watch the television ratings take off!
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Paul Menard earned an exemption for the first 5 races of the 2011 Sprint Cup season while racing for Richard Petty Motorsports last season (he ranked 23rd) and yet stood to lose the exemption due to switching to Richard Childress Racing. Now comes word that through an “equity partnership” between Richard Childress and Thomas Pumpelly who was a partner in TRG Motorsports last season, Menard will get his exemption after all. As part of a divestment with TRG Pumpelly retained the 35th place points of TRG’s number 71 car. These points will be used to qualify the RCR car Menard will drive. Pumpelly will be listed as the owner of RCR's number 27 Chevrolet. Menard will now be rightfully guaranteed a starting position for the first five races.

Smile Paul!

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Joe Gibbs’ Racing Engines Are So Hot…

Last Friday a fire broke out in JGR’s engine shop where dynamometer testing was being performed. How hot are those engines???

Luckily there was only minor damage and nobody was hurt with everyone back at work within an hour.
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With work continuing toward a new Sprint Cup car to be introduced in 2013 word is circulating that the new pony cars to be raced in the Nationwide Series this season my end up in the Sprint Cup series. Now in my opinion that would be a step in the wrong direction. Using the Mustang and Challenger in NASCAR’s Nationwide series is a good marketing tool to separate the two series and I thought that was the idea (like having the drivers commit to points driving in only one of the three major NASCAR series for the championship). You’ve started a good thing here, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by making these two series go backwards toward being homogenous again. Develop Sprint Cup cars as you traditionally have and leave the pony cars for Nationwide…
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Roger Penske announced he will race a limited Nationwide schedule with Sam Hornish Jr. behind the wheel of the number 12 Challenger in 2011. Kristen will be pleased to see him at Daytona February 19th…

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Formula One

Robert Kubica likely out for 2011

Lotus Renault's lead driver Robert Kubica sustained serious injuries following a crash in which he was driving at an Italian rally event Sunday morning. Robert, who almost lost his right hand while suffering several broken bones in the accident, was most concerned with the condition of his co-driver Jakub Gerber who luckily was unhurt.

On Monday it was announced the Polish driver was able to move the fingers on his damaged hand but it appears Robert will be forced to sit out the 2011 season while he works to restore his surgically repaired hand.

This news immediately fueled speculation concerning who might replace him with Group Lotus. The speculation was then further fueled as Lotus Renault principle Eric Boullier let it be known the team has started looking for a “name” driver even though their back-up driver Bruno Senna is ready and willing.

Nothing bad ever happens at a good time, but trying to replace a top Formula One driver just a few weeks before the start of the season has got to be difficult. All the top drivers have already been snatched up. Then you realize that just four short years ago Kimi Raikkonen won the Formula One World Championship and he may be available. Then the next realization sets in, Raikkonen is committed to racing in the World Rally Championship driving for Renault’s long time competitor, Citroen… Any deal for Raikkonen to switch would require a buy-out of the Citroen contract if Raikkonen would even agree to it… I think its fair to say that’s not going to happen. Another possibility with considerably less baggage involved could be Nick Heidfeld… One way or another the options are few if an experienced driver is being sought…
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Sebastian Vettel Shows well for Red Bull in Valencia

Vettel driving Red Bull’s new RB7 picks up where he
left off in 2010, in the lead! Vettel was clocked during the first day of testing last week at one minute, 13.769 seconds for one of his 93 laps around Valencia’s 2.517-mile Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Other results at the Valencia testing were Nico Hulkenberg, the new reserve and test driver for Force India, who ran the second quickest lap at one minute, 13.938 seconds. McLaren test driver Gary Paffett was third, followed by rookie Paul di Resta, who joined Force India for the upcoming season.
Seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher turned the ninth quickest lap in Mercedes GP's new MGP WO2 car. Schumacher's teammate, Nico Rosberg, debuted Mercedes' car in the morning, but Rosberg completed only nine laps before hydraulic problems curtailed his session.
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The Question Remains…

Now that the 2011 Formula One launches have been made and several laps of testing have been booked in Valencia Spain, Ferrari fans are questioning whether their favorite constructor has been too conservation in its 2011 changes.

“Futuristic projects are not always better than more conservative ones,” Fernando Alonso insisted to La Stampa newspaper last week.

Aldo Costa, the Maranello team’s technical director agrees. “I think the fastest car will be the one with the best performance balance between aerodynamics, the mechanical side and reliability. If you attempt something extreme in one area, you might pay in another, so for a car that wins you need a balanced approach,” he added.

Costa also revealed that Ferrari’s F150 will evolve between now and the first race of the season in Bahrain. “Mechanically, the car will be almost complete at Jerez (this week),” said the Italian, “but from an aerodynamic standpoint, there are still a lot of changes coming. More than an extreme approach, we are seeking a productive approach,” he insisted, “and ultimately it will be the lap times that will make the verdict.”

I guess last week’s Off The Wall Racing News' question (Has Ferrari done enough?) will stand until we get three to four races under our belts this season…

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IndyCar

Get your tickets now or be left out of the 100th Anniversary Edition of the Indianapolis 500. It should be quite a celebration…

http://secure.brickyard.com/utm_source=Racer_2011I500_300&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=Racer_2011I500_300

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Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin' into the future... 12 more days!

Off The Wall Racing News

OPEN WHEEL EDITION

Formula One


The Sauber Racing team welcomed their newest driver, Sergio Perez, a 21 year old rookie from Mexico, to their unusual week of fitness training. Perez and teammates Kamui Kobayashi and reserve driver, fellow Mexican Esteban Gutierrez met in Switzerland near Walensee Lake and went through performance testing at the Swiss Olympic Medical Center (Sportzentrum Kerenzerberg) then went about cross country skiing and frozen waterfall climbing... Yes, I said frozen waterfall climbing…

Not my cup of tea…

Other unusual activities included bowling and pistol shooting…
"There's a lot of fun involved in days like these, but you also get to see how everyone responds to pressure, sometimes you have to overcome yourself, and you learn to rely on your teammates," said program overseer Markus Angst.
"During the ice climbing, for example, we were roped together both metaphorically and literally."

I’d like to see a few of the NASCAR drivers up on a frozen waterfall…
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The Lotus…

In Buddhist teaching the Lotus is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. A really beautiful symbol.

Then there’s the Lotus as it pertains to Formula One…

The use of Lotus branding has boiled down to a money-driven feud between two wealthy businessmen from the Far East. Renault (Group Lotus) owner Gerard Lopez is once again finger-pointing going after Tony Fernandes (majority owner of Team Lotus). Lopez claims Fernandes’ is only engaged in the disagreement to avoid losing prize money. Under F1 regulations, prize money earned in previous years cannot be received if a team changes its official chassis name, unless the rest of the paddock is in agreement.
"I've dealt with the press for many years, not just in Formula 1, but also in business, and I've got to call a spade a spade," Lopez said.
"I can tell when somebody's trying to twist things.
"I think it's a shame because we've never twisted things in any form or fashion.
"We've just said that we have a partnership with Lotus, Lotus is a great car company, they've decided to be quite aggressive in this involvement, they want to have a business association with Formula 1, and they want to promote their brand.
"There's only one Lotus car company.
"Anything else is a bunch of 'BS'.
"I'm aware of the negotiations that took place, and I know that money is essentially the centrepiece of this - it's not passion, it's not taking over Colin Chapman's legacy, or whatever.
"It's the fact that if 1Malaysia [the company name behind Fernandes' team] changes the name, they lose the FOM [prize] money.
"It's an issue for them, and yes it's probably one that I wouldn't take too kindly to if I was in their shoes and obviously I would be fighting.
"But just admit to reality: the fact is it's about money and nothing else."
Lopez admitted he had become annoyed by the way Fernandes was presenting his team's position in the argument.
"What I believe is quite damaging is to act as the small team that's getting beaten up – the David against Goliath," said Lopez.
"We're a private team, we do have a sponsor, but we're privately-owned and we just happen to be bigger.
"The thing about [Team Lotus] being the poor kid who gets beaten up at the back of the room, honestly that makes me laugh sometimes.
"The fact is, it's all about money, and they stand to lose money if they change their name, and they should be honest and just say that."

The disagreement has boiled down to nothing short of a knife fight between Lopez and Fernandes with a British Court hearing coming up shortly to sort it out. Then perhaps Lotus will lose its tarnish in Formula One.
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This just in! Team Lotus vs. Group Lotus: Summary Judgment application rejected

In a setback for the Group Lotus, a judge at London High Court rejects Group Lotus's application for a summary judgment. This would mean that Lotus Racing would be able to use the name of Team Lotus for the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season. A full trial date between Team Lotus and Group Lotus over the naming rights is now set for March 21.
"Team Lotus is delighted that we were successful at the Summary Judgment Application hearing today and that the Judge threw out Group Lotus' application even before hearing the arguments of the barristers on either side," read a statement released by the team.
"Although this decision was never in doubt, it means that we start the 2011 season under the Team Lotus name. Whilst we expected that the Judge would refuse this application, it is good to have the decision in black and white."
It continued: "The Judge also felt that it was in everyone's best interests to bring the hearing date for the full trial forward and that is now fixed for 21st March rather than us having to wait until Autumn 2011 or even later. We remain confident that we will succeed at the full trial and we can now focus on the challenges ahead in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship."
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New Car Launching is Underway! Here’s a look at several of the new F1 cars recently put on public display…

The Ferrari F150 features the return of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) and a new feature, the driver-adjustable rear wing…

By the way, Ferrari’s use of the F150 name is in honor of Italy’s reunification anniversary that occurred 150 years ago. The Italian tri-color flag also appears painted on the rear wing.


Ferrari is ready to launch an all-out campaign to unseat reigning champion Red Bull. Stefano Domenicali said last week: “Our strategy [for the coming season], which is a conservative approach, is to make it to the end and be ahead,” said the under-pressure team principal. “To reach this objective the mobile rear wing has to be interpreted and used best possible, together with the KERS, where we had many problems in 2009, but we hope that we could solve them due to our experience. As far as aerodynamics is concerned I think that there will be less improvement as the season goes on, so we have to start well immediately.”
Fernando Alonso took the new Ferrari F150 on its first test laps January 28th.

The question is… Has Ferrari done enough?
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Is This the new Red Bull Entry???

No... But it's their very innovative prototype.
Here's the New Red Bull RB7 for 2011

Red Bull evidently will stand on their 2010 laurels as nothing about new improvements have been announced.
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Mercedes GP W02

Mercedes has tagged along with Ferrari as they also introduced a KERS system and an adjustable rear wing…
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Team Lotus

"This year's car is a much more contemporary design," Chief Technical Officer and former Toyota engineer Mike Gascoyne said ahead of Wednesday's expected test debut. "The car really will be a midfield runner. It's a modern F1 car. I'm very confident it is a big step up and it's the start of a process that takes Team Lotus back to the front of the grid.
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McLaren’s New MP4-26

Subtle aerodynamic changes to the nose, L-shaped side pods and the air box have been made.
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Sauber C30-Ferrari

The C30 features renewed stability and improved aerodynamics (raised front, slender waist, compact rear, new roll hoop and downward-sloping engine cover), capable of low-speed cornering and mechanical grip. KERS and the Ferrari 056 engine are back.
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Lotus Renault

"All the hard work over the winter has been focused on delivering a big improvement for 2011," team principal Eric Boullier told the Lotus Renault website. "The result is a car with more than 92% new parts compared to the R30. But technical innovation isn't the only key to performance.
"Since last year, we have reviewed all our internal processes and our overall efficiency has now improved by 15%. That means we should be more competitive than last year, on the track and at the factory."
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36 Days to Bahrain!

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IndyCar

Simona de Silvestro!

Last season’s IndyCar Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
Simona de Selvestro has parlayed her good work in 2010 into a second year with HVM Racing and a new sponsor, Entergy Nuclear (an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations.)
The three-year Entergy sponsorship was announced at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Baltimore, delivering publicity to the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix scheduled for Sept. 4. De Silvestro later performed burnouts and simulated pit stops at nearby Camden Yards.
An eighth-place run at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was De Silvestro's best finish in her rookie IndyCar effort, but the 22-year-old from Thun, Switzerland, was far more impressive than the results indicated.
"This is great news for HVM and for Simona," said HVM owner Keith Wiggins. "It gives Simona a long-term opportunity to develop into a top IndyCar driver while the team will have a stable platform over multiple years to support our championship effort. It is a terrific marketing opportunity with a strong partner who has an important message and role in our world's future."

Simona’s Racing Career:

Season-Series-----Team---------------Races Wins Poles FLaps Points Position
2005---Formula----Renault------------17------0----0-----0-----16-----20th
2006---Formula----BMW USA--------14------1----0-----2----113------4th
2007---Atl. Champ-Walker Racing---12------0----0-----0-----69-----19th
2008---Atl. Champ-Newman Wachs-11------1----0-----0----167------8th
2009---Atl. Champ-Stargate Worlds-11------4----4-----1----176------3rd
2010---IndyCar----HVM Racing-------17------0----0-----0----242-----19th

Ms. De Silvestro finished second out of 12 rookie drivers in the standings, 20 points behind Britain’s rookie Alex Lloyd (known as Pink Lloyd based on being a Pink Floyd fan).
Looks like the boys have a real competitor to deal with and Danica has some competition for most glamorous driver in IndyCar as well…
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Chip Ganassi has a LOT of work to do to top 2010

"If people are disappointed should we not match last year, they haven't been around racing too much," he said. "I would like our success to continue but the others (owners) want to end it. For our team, the last season is behind us and we must concentrate on 2011. You have to approach every year like it is a new season. For us, 2010 (season) is history."

Don’t look for Chip and his racing teams to slow down after one of the best racing seasons an owner could ask for.
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51 Days until the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg!

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OTHER

When you consider that the Earth is estimated to be around 5 billion years old and that man-like creatures have been walking on the Earth for around 200,000 years, you realize just how insignificant 125 years actually is.

January 29, 2011 marked the 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile. 125 years ago on that day Karl Benz filed a patent for a three wheeled vehicle driven by a gasoline fired engine in Mannheim Germany.

From this…

To this…