F1RMGP 2014: may the Fourth Season be with us!

Post by **tommykl** » 02 Apr 2012, 18:19

AJ 37 wrote:Here's the "infos" from one of our most famous pundits, if not totally reliable (understatement of the century), John-Luis Moncet, translated from French.

Although John Lewis Mounds would be a better translation...

wmetcalf68 · Post by **wmetcalf68** » 03 Apr 2012, 01:51

dinizintheoven, where do you get these car templates? Please tell me, because I would like to use them for other things (like different virtual racing series')

flyerguy · Post by **flyerguy** » 04 Apr 2012, 03:58

dinizintheoven wrote:
Shizuka wrote:That was a brilliant season!

If only more people would say so as the season is going along, as has been the case before...

One more coming from the shadows of the guest line, after lurking for a couple of seasons, just to say: great season.
Well, better late than never...

And a some more speculations right from some Brazil motorsport cable tv shows:

Linha de Chegada wrote:Pedro Diniz may be evaluating his retirement from motorsport to focus on the family business in the aftermath of a major restructuring in the Diniz family holdings, following the sale of its main company to the French Groupe Casino a few years ago, and the imminent retirement of his father, .
His share of the Forti is speculated to be bought by Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista, who is said to be trying to found a Brazilian motor company for some years now. Batista evaluates that the old saying "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" is still true, and having a winning racing team is the perfect way to introduce a new automobile brand. The new team would still be called "Forti Corse ... DO BRASIL", but few of the team would remain the same.
Is speculated that in the case of the buyout being completed, Batista is going after Wilson Fittipaldi to run the team. Is also speculated that the Brazillian is unhappy with both pilots, as he thinks that Badoer underperformed on most races last year and Montermini simply does not have the quality to race a top team. Name like Ingo Hoffman, Chico Serra and Enrique Bernoldi are speculated to compete for a seat on the team.
Another point worth discussing is the engine supplier. Batista wants to Forti's engine to be branded the same as the new car company, FBX. If Ford does not agree to rebrand its engine, he may search for another supplier, or even take a bold move and rework the company's electric road engine into a racing configuration

Limite wrote:In the wake of the speculations of Diniz selling his share on Forti and the introduction of new French teams, a new rumor surfaced. After Carrefour was extensively mocked after the disappointing SPAM season, Groupe Casino sees as a great move to sponsor a new French team, whose main motivation would be to beat SPAM. Because of the Casino and Diniz relation, the fastest way to have results would be to absorb the Diniz experience in the category. Pedro Diniz would, then, retire from Forti to become a consultant on the new French team. Is speculated that some of the personnel from Forti would migrate to the new team.

And as a first message, sorry if my English is not so good...

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 04 Apr 2012, 14:30

FMecha wrote:
dinizintheoven wrote:One thing the editors of J.O.U.R.N.A.L. could provide us with is what the U stands for in the acronym. "Journal Of Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues" would be J.O.R.N.A.L. for short. Maybe the other motorsport publications can speculate wildly on where the U went to?

U in J.O.U.R.N.A.L means Underdogs' - sorry I forget that So that's Journal Of Underdogs' Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues.

I thought it would have been Journal Of Utterly Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues...

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 04 Apr 2012, 17:13

dr-baker wrote:
FMecha wrote:
dinizintheoven wrote:One thing the editors of J.O.U.R.N.A.L. could provide us with is what the U stands for in the acronym. "Journal Of Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues" would be J.O.R.N.A.L. for short. Maybe the other motorsport publications can speculate wildly on where the U went to?

U in J.O.U.R.N.A.L means Underdogs' - sorry I forget that So that's Journal Of Underdogs' Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues.

I thought it would have been Journal Of Utterly Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues...

That do make more sense, but I forget to think that :oops:

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 04 Apr 2012, 17:21

dr-baker wrote:I thought it would have been Journal Of Utterly Rejectful Named Autoracing Leagues...

That's what I'd have said as well...

wmetcalf68 wrote:dinizintheoven, where do you get these car templates? Please tell me, because I would like to use them for other things (like different virtual racing series')

The Dallara GP2/08 (for the 2012 season) was kicking around on this forum in the "design your own reject livery" thread, now buried somewhere in the mists of time, and was used in the short-lived Formula Nations - seeing as I'd designed three cars using that template, I modified it slightly and reused it here. The Lotus T127 (2013) was one I looked for on the internet, just in a general search of "Formula 1 livery template" or similar, and again, I modified it. The Virgin VR-01 (2014) came from Row-Man Gross-Gene's colouring book, which I screencapped at a huge zoom level, modified, coloured in, scaled down and then added the decals.

I've been email Row-Man to see if he'll be adding any more of those - it seems his VR-01 template was derived from an actual photo, and I've found an excellent side-on view of the Marussia MR01 that would also make a superb template. That said, I reckon we need at least one HRT template to get the full 2010s-era reject set. The only one available that I haven't used is andyblackmoredesign.com's Brawn BGP 001 template, but it seems Andy Blackmore is protective of what happens with his templates to the point of being paranoid, and will probably slam the hammer down on this entire forum if he ever discovers our existence... so I've deliberately avoided using that. At least Row-Man says he's interested to see what we're doing with his colouring pages - and I know the VR-01 template has also been used for the Lotus Racing League.

I notice there's been a huge level of interest from some "long time lurkers, first time posters" - rest assured Marktin Brundell will be combing through all of those reports that I'm incredibly grateful to see... but not for a while yet! And there's a good reason why I have to leave it... which will all become clear very soon.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 10 Apr 2012, 11:39

I want to write another 'wild mass guessing' article now, but I can't think anything now...

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 10 Apr 2012, 11:42

FMecha wrote:I want to write another 'wild mass guessing' article now, but I can't think anything now...

Is that a fellow TV Tropian I see? :lol:

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 10 Apr 2012, 11:46

Wizzie wrote:
FMecha wrote:I want to write another 'wild mass guessing' article now, but I can't think anything now...

Is that a fellow TV Tropian I see?

No - I merely read them :lol:

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 18 Apr 2012, 14:38

It's guessing time!

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Silly season time!

Well, it's another time to see what happened in the F1RMGP silly season. While a 24-hour endurance race in the Bathurst is being prepared, let's see some rumours from main F1RMGP series:

Marussia to supply engine for Simtek?
Earlier, the Management jossed the rumors that Marussia will join F1RMGP, citing Simtek as their representation. With this, there are rumors that Marussia will supply engines for Simtek. The engine will be adapted from their B2 sports car. Let's wait for a word from Simtek.

Lindasay interested to take over Andrea-Coloni?
Anglo-Italian motorsport entrepreneur Alasdair Lindasay, owner of Il Barone Rampante (a group company for operation of his racing teams, Scuderia Alitalia and Parma Corse) is reportedly interested to take over Scuderia Andrea-Coloni. If the deal succed, the team would be known as Scuderia Alitalia-Andrea-Coloni next year. Lindasay said he was interested to buy the team because he has controlled their representation in the 24-hour endurance race. Neither Enzo Coloni nor Andrea Sassetti were available for comment.

Micro Mouse Mappy interested in AGS
French racing team Micro Mouse Mappy has said is intentions to take over AGS. Team principal Sophie Cavalier said "We choose AGS because they did better than S.P.A.M, and they...[cut long publicocrap about MMM and AGS]". The management at AGS have yet to respond on this.

Trabant, Cosworth consider (re)entering F1RMGP
Cosworth have left F1RMGP at the end of 2012, although it's (former) associate Ford is still in the series (albeit the Brazilian one, for Forti). There are some rumours that they may return in their own right, with potential customers being David Price. "They need our power", said Cosworth spokesman.

Meanwhile, Trabant, having confirmed running a car for the endurance, is also trying to enter their own engine for the series. "F1RMGP needs Trabant badly", said a spokesman for Trabant. The company said it targeted F1RM as their customer, but they have yet to respond on this.

F1RM to dump PURE engines, considering building their own engines?
F1RM's 2014 has been largely bad as they slipped into a fourth place, tying with Forti. As we said numerous times, the car reportedly being tampered with a mysterious device, although the team also blamed the engine as down on power. The team is reportedly considering to build their own engine from scratch, possibly gluing parts of (reject) engines approach, like Pacchia used with their Coswojuddhartlambo engine in F1RWRS.

Trueba to take over F1RMGP Minardi team?
After having his RWRS teams sold to Alasdair Lindasay, and with Giovanni Roda bringing back the Trueba name in the Trackmania Rejects Rally Championship, another speculation comes that Trueba may go to the F1RMGP and buying Minardi. However, at this time, the current information on this issue is still insufficent.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 18 Apr 2012, 23:56

It is rumoured that Johnny Claes will get a drive next year.

Post by **tommykl** » 19 Apr 2012, 13:32

eurobrun wrote:It is rumoured that Johnny Claes will get a drive next year.

Ah, using the hologram program again I see.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 20 Apr 2012, 16:47

Marktin Brundell's Very Brief Newsround

Hails to all, your favourite reporter with a bald spot and a near-hernia from having to suppress the urge to write "done" in every sentence here. With the Bathurst Enduro in full swing, much of the Silly Season News that needs to be combed through will have to wait until after the Enduro is finished, but there are a couple of choice cuts here to further feed the rumour mills at Autosport, the Generic Times, Some Publication and J.O.U.R.N.A.L...

It's that Row-Man again...?

A man with very big hair, like Sideshow Bob, and aviator sunglasses, has been noticed snooping around one of the offices of an unnamed F1RMGP team. Remember how Virgin Racing had the blueprints swiped for the VR-01 by a man with big hair who they thought was Rrrrrmmmnn Grrrrjjjjnnn offering his services as a test driver, only for it to turn out to be the proficient reject fan with a sketchpad, Row-Man Gross-Jean? It seems another team has fallen for the trick. The team in question already know this and are too embarrassed to admit it.

Boys call you Hell On High Heels...

...and with good reason. Also seen flouncing her way round the F1RMGP paddock in Adelaide was the notorious "business" woman, Tallulah Shekelslike, eldest daughter of F1RMGP's ringmaster and who thinks that the bigger the shoulder pads in her business suit and the more expensive and pointy her shoes, the better at business she is, when in reality "Yes Sir Alan" would have her fired before the cameras had even started rolling for the first episode of a new series of The Apprentice. Her business tactics this times, it seems, was to point at one of the cars and scream "DADDY! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!" - and, lo and behold, she's been given what she wants. (I should remind you all she is 38 years old.) But, it also seems she did not learn her lesson from running Milk & Doughnuts Racing in the Women's European Cup - I say "running", in actual reality she spent most of the time tanning herself in the Bahamas and left the team to run themselves, meaning they were about as disorganised as it was possible to be, they once lost a spanner and found it in Rahel Frey's hair, and the less said about asking Milka Duno to choose her own car set up the better... but I digress. Tallulah's biggest blunder this time round was to pick the hapless David Price team for a buyout from daddy's many millions of shekels.

And so has been born the equally hapless Shekel Racing - not only the first team to run under the Israeli flag, but they've wasted no time in getting a home-grown driver, who - of course - is 51-year-old Chanoch Nissany. And the plot thickens, as for the second seat, the team has recruited Adrian Shankar. Never mind that Shankar fabricated a story of a successful cricket career in order to sign for Worcestershire, and his success in football and tennis also came out of thin air, the ever-gullible Ms Shekelslike has decided to believe the ripping yarn of how he blitzed everyone in Formula Ford, signed a deal with a top GP2 team that he had to turn down due to his cricketing commitments, and spent a summer at Rudskogen Motorsenter amongst all the Norwegian youngsters hoping one day to get a drive with Viking Racing, beating them all and even giving Þorvaldur Einarsson a good pasting on the track. Oh, and there's a few rallies he's won as well, and the Andros Ice Racing trophy (which didn't really go to Alain Prost, you know), and the Dakar, and a couple of Touring Car championships you've never heard of.

Today's Sesame Street has been brought to you by the letters D, N, P and Q, and the number 16.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 20 Apr 2012, 17:18

Random Trash Tabloid wrote:Alitalia want to buy SAC...but only if they get Badoer for free

Rumours began circling last week that Il Barone Rampante's involvement with running the Scuderia Andrea Coloni team's Bathurst effort would be a precursor to acquiring the team for the 2015 F1RMGP season, and it seems they are indeed evaluating the idea of taking over the team.

However, sources suggest they are only interested in acquiring the team if they can be guaranteed that Luca Badoer will put pen to paper with the team in 2015. Giuseppe Cipriani has also become involved in takeover talks, and is hellbent on reuniting with the driver that won his former team the F3000 title back in 1992. With Alasdair Lindsay, Andrea Sassetti, Enzo Coloni and Giuseppe Cipriani all now in the mix in terms of senior staff at SAC, Flavio Briatore also took an interest, but the wrong kind, with Silvio Berlusconi beside him and followed by a long trail of young women, having mistaken this oddly large group of staff for an orgy. However, Lindsay took an Inter Milan shirt from his suitcase, which caused BungaBungaMan to wither and die on the spot.

Lindsay was not available for comment, as he was too busy in the Costiera Amalfitana working on a major goods exchange with the Camorra.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 20 Apr 2012, 19:22

There really is a lot to get through right now, isn't there? First of all, I've given F1RMGP's central Wiki page a bit more meat, with some more personalities and a section on The Media.

Now for the Alitalia situation, where the plot is thicker than a McDonald's milkshake that doesn't have any milk in it, just a lot of pig fat and ice. I call it:

Alitaliagate

This is what we know. Neither Team Principal of Scuderia Andrea Coloni was the first to contact Scuderia Alitalia about an alliance between the two teams, it was in fact...

Paul Stoddart, in an email to Scuderia Alitalia's management, wrote:G'day, Bruce, Paul Stoddart here.
About this "Scuderia Alitalia is Lancia's official works team in all F1 Rejects competitions"... see, I'm trying to get myself a fair dinkum engine for F1RMGP 2015, this Motori Moderni unit's more crook than a dingo with rabies. Look what it's done to our results! And, you know, this was once an Italian team, so I thought a Lancia engine might be what we need to get us back to the bonza end of the grid.
How about a tie-up? I'll even shove an Alitalia logo on next year's Minardi.

What is also known is that Scuderia Andrea Coloni were also looking for a competitive engine, to replace the ancient Judd which, despite Pedro Chaves' haul of podiums in the 2014 season, is getting rather ancient. Their need for an upgrade is rather less desperate than Minardi's, but even if they had to struggle on with the Judd for diminishing returns in 2015, they'd need to find a new powerplant at the end of the year...

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:F1RM to dump PURE engines, considering building their own engines?
F1RM's 2014 has been largely bad as they slipped into a fourth place, tying with Forti. As we said numerous times, the car reportedly being tampered with a mysterious device, although the team also blamed the engine as down on power. The team is reportedly considering to build their own engine from scratch, possibly gluing parts of (reject) engines approach, like Pacchia used with their Coswojuddhartlambo engine in F1RWRS.

...tied in with this, F1RM have said that they are absolutely, definitely sticking with P.U.R.E. for another year, so determined are they to make the partnership work - it wasn't a total disaster in 2014, was it? Chris Dagnall won two races. However, a second disappointing year with P.U.R.E. may well force F1RM to reconsider, and if SAC are looking for a new engine at the end of the season... well, who knows, maybe they'll find themselves lumbered with an engine that a top team couldn't make work over two years?

The next thing we know, barely two weeks after the end of the season at the Bathurst Enduro...

kostas22 wrote:Garage H3
Scuderia Alitalia Andrea Coloni
Car #27 // Holden Commodore (P60/R50)

DRIVERS
Scuderia Alitalia Andrea Coloni have surprised many by leaving their regular drivers at home and resorting to stealing Italians from other teams! I get the feeling the new management for this weekend are well versed in underhanded tactics. This comes after Enzo Coloni mysteriously went missing, and Andrea Sassetti drafted in Scuderia Alitalia CEO Alasdair Lindsay to take his place. There are unconfirmed reports that the AGS and EuroBrun team principals have been taken out by Camorra hitmen...
The third driver was a mistake by new co-boss Lindsay - Tony D'Alberto was hired by the team on the assumption he was another one of the many Camorra cronies involved in Lindsay's racing business, however it turns out he's some Aussie pay-driver who is hopeless at racing.

It seems Scuderia Andrea Coloni went behind Paul Stoddart's back, knowing full well that he was in talks with Scuderia Alitalia, and jumped in on a deal themselves! The Aussie, as you can guess, was far from happy...

Paul Stoddart wrote:You flamin' gollahs! Bathplug this! Here I am trying to get myself a bonza powerplant, and these mafioso team up with each other and I'm going to be stuck with that Motori Moderni again... what the bathplug am I supposed to do now? I was going to try and sell the team to José Ramon Carabante, then Hispania made their own entry anyway bankrolled by those Krauts in Wolfsburg, now I'm looking down the barrel of pulling out altogether...

There is, though, a faint glimmer of hope for the Aussie-Italian squad...

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Trueba to take over F1RMGP Minardi team?
After having his RWRS teams sold to Alasdair Lindasay, and with Giovanni Roda bringing back the Trueba name in the Trackmania Rejects Rally Championship, another speculation comes that Trueba may go to the F1RMGP and buying Minardi. However, at this time, the current information on this issue is still insufficent.

Trueba has, of course, been associated with Scuderia Alitalia. So, were the above rumour to be confirmed as true, maybe, just maybe, Minardi could survive - maybe with the team named as "Trueba Minardi" or similar - with those lovely Lancia engines that one of the various motorsport publications will no doubt hype beyond their wildest dreams. Except we know it won't be Autosport, because there's no Japanese involvement.

Don't go thinking everything's all sweetness and light down at Scuderia Andrea Coloni, though. With the gestält entity that is Scuderia Alitalia Andrea Coloni running at Bathurst, neither of SAC's regular drivers are competing with that team. So, having done absolutely nothing wrong - certainly not in a Grouillard or a Sarrazin or a Naspetti sense - both Pedro Chaves and Perry McCarthy could find themselves out of a drive for next season. With the SAAC alliance looking like a particularly strong candidate at Bathurst, a fine result might well have seen both Gabriele Tarquini and Enrico Bertaggia, both former Coloni drivers, parachuted into their race seats.

And then...

Random Trash Tabloid wrote:Alitalia want to buy SAC...but only if they get Badoer for free
Rumours began circling last week that Il Barone Rampante's involvement with running the Scuderia Andrea Coloni team's Bathurst effort would be a precursor to acquiring the team for the 2015 F1RMGP season, and it seems they are indeed evaluating the idea of taking over the team.
However, sources suggest they are only interested in acquiring the team if they can be guaranteed that Luca Badoer will put pen to paper with the team in 2015. Giuseppe Cipriani has also become involved in takeover talks, and is hellbent on reuniting with the driver that won his former team the F3000 title back in 1992. With Alasdair Lindsay, Andrea Sassetti, Enzo Coloni and Giuseppe Cipriani all now in the mix in terms of senior staff at SAC, Flavio Briatore also took an interest, but the wrong kind, with Silvio Berlusconi beside him and followed by a long trail of young women, having mistaken this oddly large group of staff for an orgy. However, Lindsay took an Inter Milan shirt from his suitcase, which caused BungaBungaMan to wither and die on the spot.
Lindsay was not available for comment, as he was too busy in the Costiera Amalfitana working on a major goods exchange with the Camorra.

...it's in a Random Trash Tabloid, so this story can most likely be taken with not just a pinch of salt, more like the entire salt mines underneath Runcorn. Even so, dragging Luca Badoer into the maelstrom spells very bad news for one of either Tarquini or Bertaggia - if this is to be true, might the Bathurst Enduro be a way of pitting the two drivers against each other to see who gets the one available seat? Will Luca Badoer want to leave Forti in the first place - or might there be an even better offer on the table? Might the whole SAC/Alitalia deal fall through after the Enduro, leaving Tarquini at AGS, Bertaggia at EuroBrun, and Chaves and McCarthy still at SAC with the ever diminishing returns of an aging engine...

...and also, spare a thought for the Minardi drivers. If the team doesn't get a decent engine for 2015, they will most likely decamp - or maybe they won't have to, if the rug is pulled out from under them. Alex Yoong has at least secured a half-decent drive in the Enduro, leading to what I don't know, but we all know that the slightest hint of turmoil at Fondmetal Team Malaysia and he was off. Esteban Tuero isn't in the Enduro, but Hispania have got one eye on him, and he might end up driving in F1RMGP next year when Yoong doesn't. Finally, Vanina Ickx was tipped to graduate to the Main Series after she blitzed the field in the Women's European Cup - but what would be the point in her "upgrading", if that's the right word, to a team that was hopelessly rooted in the DNQ zone for most of the past season, with their only hope of extrication lying in an engine that they may very well not be able to get, and if they don't, that could be the end for the whole team?

The answers to all these questions may very well lie in what happens at Bathurst.

This is Marktin Brundell drawing a line under Alitaliagate until that race is over.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 21 Apr 2012, 09:07

Diniz, why you haven't updated the wiki pages for the teams?

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 21 Apr 2012, 21:28

I've had a chunky monkey shedload of other things to do recently. But it'll certainly get done - and I'll try and formulate a way to not take up as much space on the page as usual.

SPAM's should be easy enough, but the Vikings and SAC will inevitably take longer.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 30 Apr 2012, 15:37

Again, here's the J.O.U.R.N.A.L's round-up...

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Naturally-aspirated teams continue turbo ban struggle
Naturally aspirated teams in the AFFTRNAE (Association For F1RMGP Teams Running Normally Aspirated Engines) has continued their struggle to get turbo and supercharged engine to be banned next year. A spokesman for the organization said "The management was silent the first time we demanded it, but we are still wanting naturally aspirated the only allowed engines", said AFFTRNAE spokesman. The struggle is continuing...

Toyota to quit Stefan?
We got some information suggesting that Toyota is considering to withdrew their engines from Stefan GP team. "They rarely qualify; they fails to show the power of the engine", said Toyota spokesman. Toyota said they are considering to withdrew the engines, as said, because they deemed the engine [sorry, we meant the team] to be 'slow' and 'failing to show the engine power and potential'. No-one from the team is available to comment.

Trulli to join GTM?
Retired F1 driver Jarno Trulli has expressed his wish to compete in F1RMGP for Genii Team Malaysia. The driver famous for his 'Trulli trains' said that 'F1RMGP is real racing'. GTM is unavailable for comment, but they at a seperate issue, they wants to rename themselves 'Caterham Team Malaysia' while Acuri Autosport has reportedly expressed its intentions to acquire GTM.

J.O.U.R.N.A.L Plus - premium content from J.O.U.R.N.A.L
Some snippets from the Plus section - subscribe today for more:

Meat-pie-gate revisited: Jossed from beginning?
We revisits the alleged meat-pie-gate that suffers Super Aguri in 2013. Was it jossed from beginning - that is, was it completely fabricated by a rival team?

Einarsson: A rising star
From a ice racer to a Formula champion: Einarsson saga told exclusively.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 01 May 2012, 00:15

No need to bump the thread! All the news will be sifted through when the Bathurst Enduro's done and dusted.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 18 May 2012, 17:54

And now for something completely differenct...

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Trabant fire caused by oil leak in second engine: report

Following the fire that Cillit Bang Trabant suffered in yesterday's endurance race, an investigation has been launched. Current investigations reveal that an oil has leaked into the fuel. Additionally, it was reported that the second engine malfunction was allegedy caused because the second engine stopped to drive the rear wheel properly (the Trabant is front-wheel drive, meaning that the primary engine drove the front wheels) by it's final moment, causing instabillity. The investigation is continuing.

In a related case, a fire has also broke in Gillet Ecurie Nationale Belge minutes after the podium ceremony of the yesterday's endurance race. Again this is under investigation.

Supercricket League in F1RMGP? Pune Warriors to sponsor Spyker

Indian Premier Cricket League rejects Pune Warriors has announced a sponsorship deal with Spyker. A spokesman said that Spyker will also have to run an Indian driver as a consequence; the team has nominated Karun Chandok to drive. Currently, there is insufficient information on this.

English Autosport correspondant hospitalized

An unnamed correspondant for the English Autosport was hospitalized earlier today after he was beaten up by a not-so-unknown person. The correspondant said that he was beaten up by a Japanese Autosport journalist. When both were engaged into a dispute regarding the name, the Japanese journalist beat the English up until the English one was injured. It led to massive number of other journalists chasing the Japanese journalist until he was caught by the security. The case has been investigated by the security and police.

(Diniz: when reviewing this news bit, review also the previous newsbit

)

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 18 May 2012, 18:56

the oil leak was in fact frying oil that belonged to ENB's friterie... that's also why their frites tasted awful, they used a can of cillit bang!

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 18 May 2012, 22:56

Marktin Brundell's Mega-Newsround, part 1

There appears to be a ton to get through, especially on the driver merry-go-round, which is going to be a particularly rough ride in this Silly Season. And now is the time to do this on a 2014 team-by-team basis, followed by the newboys. What you see here is (mostly) what is official for the 2015 season, and if it's in bold, it's set in stone.

Viking Racing: number one (on the car)

Despite the outcome of the Bathurst Enduro, the Vikings wasted no time in securing Þorvaldur Einarsson's services for a fourth successive season, and with that, finally, a Viking car will display the number 1 next year. The supply of supercharged Koenigsegg engines is also undisturbed.

AJ 37 wrote:If there are departures in the future, the team (F1RM) will have to recruit and the first idea is the new champion Þorvaldur Einarsson. It seems that the relation between the two Viking drivers are icy at best and many thinks that it would be best to separate the two drivers.

While the champ is not going anywhere, and it would be stretching the truth to say that relations between him and Jan Magnussen are "icy", there's little doubt that the Dane isn't as happy as he had been before. Losing the championship three times in a row, the last to your team-mate, can have that effect. His disappearing act after crashing at the Bathurst Enduro, and the fact that he hasn't signed up for another season with Viking yet, suggests that all may not be well...

AGS join the oily revolution

The PSA Group were none too happy about a second VAG diesel hitting the track next season and have decided to hit back. Hence, AGS have secured a deal for PSA group Le Mans-spec diesel engines for 2015, displacing the ever diminishing returns of the MGN W12, and in a repeat of what VAG have done badging Hispania's Audi diesel as a SEAT, the engine supplied to AGS will be badged as a Citroën. However, their driver line-up is in turmoil. Pierre-Henri Raphanel has been sacked for his rejectful performances in 2014, and though the team are desperate to hang on to Gabriele Tarquini, his future lies in the hands of whether the Scuderia Andrea Coloni tie-up with Scuderia Alitalia continues as it was. Olivier Beretta and Philippe Alliot are being investigated for the drive.

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Micro Mouse Mappy interested in AGS
French racing team Micro Mouse Mappy has said is intentions to take over AGS. Team principal Sophie Cavalier said "We choose AGS because they did better than S.P.A.M, and they...[cut long publicocrap about MMM and AGS]". The management at AGS have yet to respond on this.

Team Julien has since laughed at such a suggestion, and remains in control of AGS.

Toleman are in trouble

From multiple race-winners in 2012 to barely scraping the points in 2014, Toleman have slid so far down the grid that their participation is in doubt.

AJ 37 wrote:We know that we 'll have a good amount of new teams next year, with the instauration of the dreaded pre-qualifications sessions, the list of new hopefuls is already long enough and two more are considering (see below), but some actual teams are considering their engagement for the next year.
...
But there are other teams who thinks about deserting the championship, the first is Toleman, who have been really bad this year. They don't think they can compete with the top teams now, and because they're not technically rejects, staying here without any chances to win isn't good enough for them.

And AJ 37 scored another hit with this one. If Toleman participate in 2014, they may slide even further down the order, and they'll have to prequalify come what may. The future of Allan McNish and Ralph Firman in F1RMGP is almost certainly dependent on their survival. Absolutely nothing is certain here.

Super Aguri: sprouting extra cylinders

Very few changes are made at the Japanese squad: they'll have the same drivers, despite Shinji Nakano's problems at Bathurst, but they've upgraded to a new 3.6-litre Honda V12 engine. Do they know something we don't?

More trouble at t'mill for t'F1RM

AJ 37 wrote:We can't deny that this year have been very difficult for the Firm (F1RM). All eyes are turned toward the PURE engine, too innovative and not reliable enough to face the Vikings. There are no words for any change in this matter, but it's not the same concerning drivers.
The drivers line-up could be vastly different next year. First, there are words that Chris Dagnall could quit the team and the competition to focus on his soccer career but it's a bit of a longshot here. A more reliable source told us about JDD's future in the team, and the future is not good for him. During the last two seasons, Deletraz was a good contender for deadbeat teammate of the Year, but in 2014, he didn't have a end-rush of victories and podiums to save him. His case is very discussed by the bosses, if we understood right which is not really easy with them.

All eyes may be turned on the PURE engine, but F1RM are sticking with it for another year, as I've said before, and Chris Dagnall is not going anywhere. That was official a while back. However...

Jean-Denis Délétraz has been fired!

The team finally lost patience with trying to work out what he was doing, and Bathurst sealed it - a careless error when he was pushing too hard lost the race for F1RM, and the mountain was too steep for even the mighty Daggers to climb. No idea where he will go...

AJ 37 wrote:If there are departures in the future, the team will have to recruit and the first idea is the new champion Þorvaldur Einarsson. It seems that the relation between the two Viking drivers are icy at best and many thinks that it would be best to separate the two drivers. another possible future driver is Marko Asmer, the Estonian have been a nice surprise this season, with a tremendous win in Hungary driving a Simtek, synonymous of IIDOTY, and no DNQ ( besides the Grand Reversal, who don't really count) when many betted he would be a perennial DNQ this year. Talks for a trade between Deletraz and Barbazza, too, have been discussed before Big-Haired Barb signed for Leyton House. We will have more news on the subject later.

Obviously, we know Þorvaldur Einarsson is not going to be filling the seat, and neither is Fabrizio Barbazza - his deal with Leyton House was signed and sealed before this report broke. Don't bank on the team signing Marko Asmer as his replacement, though... every team up the front will have their eye on him after that win in Hungary.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 18 May 2012, 23:11

Marktin Brundell's Mega-Newsround, part 2

Now dealing with the next five teams...

The epic saga of Scuderia (Alitalia?) Andrea Coloni

I don't think I need to say any more after Alitaliagate. Nothing is certain here. If the SAC/Alitalia tie-in remains, the rebranded SAAC will run Lancia engines, and team co-principal Alasdair Lindsay may choose to keep one or both of Gabriele Tarquini and Enrico Bertaggia for the upcoming season (because, let's face it, it would be a really, really rejectful decision to give Tony D'Alberto the drive). Should it fall through, who knows what will happen; the team will have to get an emergency last-minute engine supply, maybe taking the discarded MGN W12 from AGS, maybe rolling the dice with PURE, maybe they'll go cap in hand to Ford do Brasil for their in-line four... Pedro Chaves will most likely be asked to lead the team, and who knows if Perry McCarthy will stay or not? Even if there is still a seat for him at SAC, might Chaves decide the free space at the head of the grid is a job he could do well?

Leyton House: all set in stone

As you were from the last news update for Leyton House. The temporary partnership with Dome for Bathurst has come to its natural end, so it's Suzuki engines, and Hideki Noda and Fabrizio Barbazza in the driving seats.

Monteverdi: Grouillard secures Reject Of The Year... and sinks the team's ship!

It was a unanimous decision amongst the Series Management - Olivier Grouillard was, by a very long way, voted Reject Of The Year. When it all boils down to expectations, that's what secures the award. Nobody expected anything from the extremely rejectful David Price Racing and its woeful drivers, and it could be said that Plamen Kralev qualifying for one race was a positive. Genii Team Malaysia were equally doomed from the start with the turmoil surrounding the warring team bosses locked in a cage, and the clueless Fairuz Fauzy at the wheel - but even he managed to drag that hateful car onto the grid three times, and Ricardo Teixeira managed it once. In fact, Fauzy started as many races as Grouillard did. Grouillard, though, was driving for Monteverdi, a team of no mugs, and DNQed 13 times out of 16 when his team-mate, Fabrizio Barbazza, never once failed to qualify. The car wasn't great, but Barb scored five times in it, while the best Grouillard could manage was one 13th and two retirements.

Grouillard has effectively been banished from F1RMGP because no team, even the very rejectful new boys who are Shekel Racing, would touch him with a barge pole. And, with Barb off to drive a front-running Leyton House, the whole Monteverdi team has been sunk. We'll not be seeing them amongst the 2015 teams, unless their 2014 car - which was hardly earth-shatteringly brilliant - is selected for the Women's European Cup. The team have promised to send a skeleton crew to attend to the car if it does make it into the WEC, but who in their right mind would drink from this poisoned chalice?

EuroBrun: tumultuous times

EuroBrun are another team on sorely shaky ground. Effectively, they're waiting for Alitaliagate to pan out so that they know if they'll still have the services of Enrico Bertaggia for 2015, or whether they'll have to go looking for a replacement. The future of Claudio Langes is in severe doubt as well, having not exactly covered himself in glory in 2014. Who knows... maybe the team will pack up and go home, and leave the entire supply of Neotech engines for Spyker?

ATS Rial: ve do not have vays of making zem talk

It's all quiet in the ATS Rial camp, which, for Günther Schmidt, is highly unusual. It's not as if he had to be switched off for Bathurst. Maybe he's just silently fuming that he has to share his engine supply with some Spanish upstarts. Even his drivers have responded with a stony German silence...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 18 May 2012, 23:54

Scuderia Andrea Coloni production moving to Parma?

The mystery intensifies; is the baron of Fermo about to move to Parma? It is rumoured Andrea Sassetti is on the verge of agreeing a deal with Scuderia Andrea Coloni team-partner Enzo Coloni and Il Barone Rampante CEO Alasdair Lindsay to move all production for the team's F1RMGP effort to Il Barone Parco Tecnica in Parma. This name will be familiar as the HQ of Scuderia Alitalia F1RWRS & F2RWRS teams, the home of Parma Corse F3RWRS & RoLFS teams, and also across the road is Lancia Comptetizione Powertrain.

Such a move would almost confirm Il Barone Rampante making their involvement with SAC permanent after a one-off co-operation for the season ending Bathurst 24 Hours, where regular drivers Pedro Chaves and Perry McCarthy were dumped in favour of Gabriele Tarquini and Enrico Bertaggia. They retired from the race because of a crash by Australian driver Tony D'Alberto, but Tarquini and Bertaggia looked quick otherwise and were in contention for victory just before the incident.

But, while Sassetti and Lindsay are said to have an informal agreement in place - hardly a surprise given they are already colleagues at Il Barone Rampante - there is no official paperwork in place to confirm a deal. But, this is expected to merely be a formality, and SAC will have a new lease of life with Alitalia financing and new Lancia engines.

Oddly, Alasdair Lindsay was seen going in the exact opposite direction, heading from base in Parma to Abruzzo, just down the coastline from Fermo. In Italian motorsport, it is not usually a place to do business. So what would he being doing out here? Well, it is known to be the home of Gabriele Tarquini, driver for AGS in F1RMGP. It seems he is already being courted for a drive with the anticipated Scuderia Alitalia Andrea Coloni team. As for the other driver? Badoer is the top of the list based on previous rumours, and while McCarthy has been frozen out completely, it would not be as surprising as you may think if Chaves remains at the team. This is unless F1RM look to Chaves as their new #2, in which case Bertaggia and Apicella are also said to be on their shortlist.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 18 May 2012, 23:58

Marktin Brundell's Mega-Newsround, part 3

Onwards, into the twenties...

Minardi and Hispania: sort-of-linked

Hispania Racing and their F1 successors (sort of), HRT, are seen as F1's modern answer to Minardi - that team that's always at the back, never has any hope of progress, but keeps going anyway and gives some younger drivers their big break. Hispania in F1RMGP, though, are gunning for more than that, with their SEAT diesel engine (a rebadged Audi as used by ATS Rial), but they haven't signed any drivers yet. They hope to be competing against the team that they're the spiritual reincarnation of...

...but, as we all know by now, all is not well at Minardi. After two dreadful seasons, the writing is on the wall. They can't continue with the geriatric Motori Moderni V6 turbo, or in 2015 they'll sink to dead last. Nobody wants that. Logically, the team wanted a supply of Italian engines. I refer you again to Alitaliagate. Paul Stoddart asked first about the supply of Lancia engines, seeking a tie-up with Scuderia Alitalia. It would have worked. Only thing is, Alitalia went ahead and did a deal with SAC for Bathurst behind his back, when they were known to be the second in line for the deal. Team Principal Alasdair Lindsay did offer the "second string" team, though, in the Trueba Corse entry - which, as has already been stated, could be Minardi's saviour. Should a new "Minardi Trueba Corse" squadron be formed, and can secure a supply of those Lancia engines, it should be all upwards for them, and may also spell a viable method by which Vanina Ickx could compete in the F1RMGP Main Series, even though she was rather shown up at Bathurst.

The alternative is too hideous to contemplate, particularly for Hispania, who might be seen as having gazumped Minardi's F1RMGP entry if Minardi were to pull out.

SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, lovely SPAM, wonderful SPAM!

Actually, maybe that's not the case. SPAM will have to prequalify in 2015, and would be likely to fail every time, if only they hadn't ditched the weak link in their line-up. Stéphane Sarrazin has been fired, and the team has apologised profusely to Vincenzo Sospiri for not considering him for the 2014 season. Philippe Alliot is their number one asset, but AGS have got him firmly in their sights, to boost their chances in the inter-PSA rivalry, and it is likely he will leave. This team is, as they say, dans un grand bain de dommage.

One interesting point was raised by AJ 37, though...

AJ 37 wrote:The long list of new possible teams will possibly see the add of two new teams.
The first is Venturi, who have raced for a season with Larousse, but this time they planned about having a complete team ( engines and chassis). They will have to find drivers, because the two drivers they had during their F1 year are not rejects and one of them is a team principal of a rival team.

Unknown to absolutely everyone except me, Venturi were in line for joining the 2014 grid - in that, if the SPAM name was considered too silly to run on the cars, they'd have been branded as Venturis instead, with the team involved int he chassis development. Who knows, maybe they'll get in on their own merit someday...

Mezzo-Forti

The Brazilian-run squad are up in the air a bit. For a start, Andrea Montermini has become another casualty of Deadbeat Team Mate disease, and has been released for the 2015 season. Not that this secures anything, because, as seen as part of Alitaliagate, Luca Badoer is also wanted at Scuderia Andrea Coloni - if, and only if, the Alitalia deal is sealed! Who'd have thought one team could hold so many of the aces on the driver merry-go-round. Either way, if Badoer doesn't decamp to SA(A)C, there's still the tempting prospect of the second F1RM seat that Jean-Denis Délétraz has vacated, which he'll have to fight Marko Asmer, Pedro Chaves and about a hundred others for...

Even so, the team is looking forwards, and have improved their engine. The in-line four is now supercharged, just like Koenigsegg's V8. And it's a bathplugging massive supercharger that wails like a banshee, as reported by Pedro Diniz when he tested it in a 2014-spec FG07B. DIniz, though, will not be returning as a driver.

Simtek: beware the poachers...

One thing is at least consistent at Nick Wirth's squad: Paul Belmondo is staying. That's good news for them, because Marko Asmer almost certainly won't be. They'll have to put him in a cage to stop the jackdaws at the top teams circling to prise him away. And, with the Isuzu V12 having now proven itself as a race winner (if in very fluky circumstances), those teams that might be left without an engine deal could, at least, want some of those for themselves. Neotech supplied two teams last year, and overstretched themselves to the point of damaging EuroBrun's season...

With Hispania Racing now involved in F1RMGP, speculation is rife that Simtek will look for some kind of tie-in with Marussia. It will, most likely, amount to a sponsorship deal, if anything...

J.O.U.R.N.A.L. wrote:Marussia to supply engine for Simtek?
Earlier, the Management jossed the rumors that Marussia will join F1RMGP, citing Simtek as their representation. With this, there are rumors that Marussia will supply engines for Simtek. The engine will be adapted from their B2 sports car. Let's wait for a word from Simtek.

It will only be an engine deal if Isuzu up sticks and leave for pastures new, which isn't totally beyond the realms of possibility - but only if, say, Scuderia Alitalia completely withdraw and SAC and Minardi both need engines. Even so, the 2.8l turbo V6 from the B2 looks like it might be vaguely promising... even if it is made by former F1RMGP supplier, Cosworth.

Stefan: it's a grand clearout

Stefan were one of the teams speculated to be given the axe at the end of the season. However, Zoran Stefanovic remains steadfast in his belief that in 2015, the entire team will be turned around.

AJ 37 wrote:Of course, you'll think about the three stooges, Stefan, GTM and David Price. And it's true, the utter lack of performance of those teams make them reconsider a new year of races when they'll be trashed like always if it's not the DNPQ mark who will obviously appear in their performance cards.
...
The two other teams will probably run next year, but with some driver changes. Jacques Villeneuve told us that he wants to quit, not wanting his name to be tarnished by mockery more than it is already.

However, JV didn't get a chance to quit - he was fired, as was Kazuki Nakajima, and Toyota are on their bike as well.

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Toyota to quit Stefan?
We got some information suggesting that Toyota is considering to withdrew their engines from Stefan GP team. "They rarely qualify; they fails to show the power of the engine", said Toyota spokesman. Toyota said they are considering to withdrew the engines, as said, because they deemed the engine [sorry, we meant the team] to be 'slow' and 'failing to show the engine power and potential'. No-one from the team is available to comment.

J.O.U.R.N.A.L. got it right: Toyota were the only ones who left voluntarily. So, Stefanovic has to fine a new engine supply, and who knows what that might be - probably an engine that has been discarded by another team (though, he hopes, not a Motori Moderni or an MGN!), or maybe PURE will help out, and if Stefan were to be propelled forwards, that'll be more proof that they've got it right than F1RM backpedalling last year was. Drivers will probably also come from the discard pile, so there's absolutely no telling who it'll be.

Of course, if it can't all be put into place, they'll be sent off in disgrace.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 19 May 2012, 00:24

Scaffardi: Two teams in F1RMGP? It is possible

Lancia Competizione Powertrain COO Previati Scaffardi has fuelled rumours of Lancia taking the F1RMGP by force, stating that Lancia has "the capacity to supply multiple F1RMGP teams if necessary."

"With this brand new purpose-built new facility at Parma, we have the capacity to build 60 specialist motorsport engines a week, across all different series. Keeping in mind we spend most of pre-season running to about 90% of full capacity, it means we have a good stockpile in place already. So, yes, we can expand further our engine programme, no problems."

Above: Il Barone Rampante & Lancia have spent millions on their new motorsport technology park

Lancia have been linked to two F1RMGP teams recently, firstly as part of a works Il Barone Rampate squad buying into the existing Scuderia Andrea Coloni, and also supplying customer units to Minardi, possibly involving the legacy Trueba name which is also owned and run under license by IBR. Rumours are very strong that the SAC deal is in an advanced stage, however Minardi and Lancia are doing an awkward dance after the Italians seemingly turned down Stoddart earlier in the year.

There was also optimistic reporting in the Serbian press that Lancia had entered into negotiations with Stefan GP about supplying motors for next season, but Tuttosport has not uncovered any evidence suggesting this to be the case, only hopeful and baseless rumours from Stefan's homeland.

But, one thing looks certain, the Il Barone Rampante-Lancia partnership shows no sign of slowing down its expansion plans soon.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 19 May 2012, 00:32

Maktin Brundell's Mega-Newsround, part 4

And this should complete the set!

Spyker: shtill shmoking

Spyker have renewed their engine deal with Neotech, and might even become the Austrian manufacturer's favoured team, with EuroBrun floundering as they are. Even so, they're not free of the driver merry-go-round rumours...

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Supercricket League in F1RMGP? Pune Warriors to sponsor Spyker
Indian Premier Cricket League rejects Pune Warriors has announced a sponsorship deal with Spyker. A spokesman said that Spyker will also have to run an Indian driver as a consequence; the team has nominated Karun Chandok to drive. Currently, there is insufficient information on this.

Karun "opedia" Chandhok would be an excellent choice if, as is expected, Olivier Beretta leaves to spearhead one of the French diesel teams. His experience in the painfully slow Hispania F110 might also come in useful. However, with Hispania joining F1RMGP, they may want his services even more than Spyker do...

Dome: one in, one out

As is the case right up and down the grid, the weak link in several teams is being removed. And so it is at Dome. Emanuele Naspetti is on the way out, his comeback having failed to fire for most of the season where he DNQed on a frighteningly regular basis, and ended up thoroughly thrashed by Marco Apicella...

kostas22 wrote:... It seems he is already being courted for a drive with the anticipated Scuderia Alitalia Andrea Coloni team. As for the other driver? Badoer is the top of the list based on previous rumours, and while McCarthy has been frozen out completely, it would not be as surprising as you may think if Chaves remains at the team. This is unless F1RM look to Chaves as their new #2, in which case Bertaggia and Apicella are also said to be on their shortlist.

...they'll have to take one name off that shortlist, because Marco Apicella is staying put at Dome. He's the team's number one asset, especially in their inter-Japan battle with Leyton House (friendly) and Super Aguri (not so friendly).

However, Dome have not secured the supply of Honda V12s, and will stick with the 3.0-litre Mugen V10s they used in 2014. Still, they've got a proven engine... and now, Super Aguri haven't.

Show us the shekels...

We already know that David Price Racing met their long-expected extinction, and were replaced by Tallulah Shekelslike's Shekel Racing, with one-Minardi-test-wonder Chanoch Nissany and professional faker Adrian Shankar due to drive. No doubt speculation will be that they won't make it to the first race. Though everyone hopes they do, because it'll be hilarious.

GTM: Oi! Bahar! Fernandes! NO!

The saga has been mentioned before, when it was suggested that Dany Bahar and Tony Fernandes should split up: remind yourselves, they can't. Genii Team Malaysia is the entity in which they are locked together, and was so utterly rejectful - arguably, even more so than David Price - that this team should continue to be their punishment. The only way that they could escape is if the release document - banishing them both from F1RMGP forever - is signed by both Keith Wiggins and Colin Chapman. One of those signatures is easy to get, the other... not so much.

Which reminds me... why has Günther Schmidt been so quiet lately?

The state of the new teams...

So far, we have Hispania Racing and Shekel Racing joining the series, with David Price leaving. Minardi, Toleman, Stefan and EuroBrun are all in various states of circling the drain... only if the plug can be put back in the bath for each of these will there be, as it stands, 20 teams on the grid. However, don't discount that there are 24 available garages, with the new prequalifying system in place, and so more teams may attempt to join the circus. Whether or not these teams can convince Sir Bernard Shekelslike they're up to the job is a different matter; Shekel Racing, of course, didn't have to go through that rigorous process.

No doubt the rumour mill will try and link Prince Malik with a team again...

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 19 May 2012, 15:02

More news bits!

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Ben Fleet for F1RM?
Ben Fleet, "the ulitimate pay-driver" in F1RWRS, has been rumored by a unintendified source, to replace the sacked Jean-Denis Deletraz. Unfortunately, while we understand that Fleet would commit to F1RWRS by 2015, there is not much available information on this.

Leyton House could face exit from series without engine and drivers
With Suzuki leaving the Leyton House team and the sport, as well as Hideki Noda and Fabrizio Barbazza, the Leyton House team could be in danger for next year. Without drivers or engine, the team could face being forced to leave the sport. Some potential teams, such as Arrows, has seen this as an entry oppurtinity.

Will there be a F2RMGP?: A Short Opinion
Will we see a feeder series to the F1RMGP? We highly doubt it, although thanks to the F1RMWEC's success, there may be one in the future.

The exit and potential exit of many ailing F1RMGP teams this year can be a sign of a possible F2RMGP (akin to F2RWRS). If possible, there would a relegation system where worst of the F1RMGP league got degradated to F2RMGP and the best of F2RMGP will be promoted to the F1RMGP (akin to the association football system).

Only time will tell this, so stay tuned...

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 19 May 2012, 18:05

J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Ben Fleet for F1RM?
Ben Fleet, "the ulitimate pay-driver" in F1RWRS, has been rumored by a unintendified source, to replace the sacked Jean-Denis Deletraz. Unfortunately, while we understand that Fleet would commit to F1RWRS by 2015, there is not much available information on this.

Unlikely to the point of impossible, for one very good reason, and I'm sure you know what it is.

Leyton House could face exit from series without engine and drivers
With Suzuki leaving the Leyton House team and the sport, as well as Hideki Noda and Fabrizio Barbazza, the Leyton House team could be in danger for next year. Without drivers or engine, the team could face being forced to leave the sport. Some potential teams, such as Arrows, has seen this as an entry oppurtinity.

...lost in translation much? Suzuki, Noda and Barb aren't going anywhere. Well, Barb is, but he's going to Leyton House and not away from them...

Will there be a F2RMGP?: A Short Opinion
Will we see a feeder series to the F1RMGP? We highly doubt it, although thanks to the F1RMWEC's success, there may be one in the future.
The exit and potential exit of many ailing F1RMGP teams this year can be a sign of a possible F2RMGP (akin to F2RWRS). If possible, there would a relegation system where worst of the F1RMGP league got degradated to F2RMGP and the best of F2RMGP will be promoted to the F1RMGP (akin to the association football system).
Only time will tell this, so stay tuned...

There's enough to do just running one series, let alone two!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 19 May 2012, 19:26

dinizintheoven wrote:
J.O.U.R.N.A.L wrote:Ben Fleet for F1RM?
Ben Fleet, "the ulitimate pay-driver" in F1RWRS, has been rumored by a unintendified source, to replace the sacked Jean-Denis Deletraz. Unfortunately, while we understand that Fleet would commit to F1RWRS by 2015, there is not much available information on this.

Unlikely to the point of impossible, for one very good reason, and I'm sure you know what it is.

Is it anything to do with Pippa Mann not being around by any chance?

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 19 May 2012, 21:53

Sensationalist Motorsport Blog wrote:Well. Never thought I'd be doing this again.

To put things bluntly, things in the US have gone belly-up. Very much so. So I figure it's high time I return to my roots, and report on any rumours in the F1RMGP paddock. And do I have a doozy to kick things off with.

James Davies to F1RM!?
Yes, you read that right. James Davies (the 1995 edition, to be specific), has reportedly been seen hanging around the F1RM garage. Could it be that they are considering the Welshman as a shock replacement for the outgoing Deletraz!? It's hard to say at this point, but Davies' heroics in the Bathurst 24 hours surely put him on any team manager's list, leading the race in the early running before transmission trouble sent his team 21 laps down, only for him to rally back 8 of those laps to finish a respectable 12th place. I have been unable to contact F1RM's management and get a response I understood, so I can only assume they are making no comment on this rumour. However, bumping into the youngest of the 3 James Davies' at Bathurst, he snuck a sly grin before saying, "No comment," suggesting that there may be more to this than meets the eye. So, do not be surprised if James Davies joins the Scunny Scouser Chris Dagnall, in an all British-McLaren-drivers-from-the-90s-who-also-wound-up-playing-football-professionally-at-some-point-or-another lineup.

-Sen

Some Publication wrote:Silly Season round up - part 1
By Moderate D. Journalist

With the 2015 season quickly approaching, we at Some Publication feel it is time to give a quick round-up on how things in the F1RMGP paddock are shaking out. First up: the defending Drivers and Constructors' World Champions, a combination unseen since the heady days when HWNSNBM himself drove for F1 Rejects, we have Þorvaldur Einarsson remaining safely at Viking Racing. There are some questions, however, over whether Magnussen will or will not return. The smart money says he will say, but there are undeniable tensions between him and his teammate, especially after Einarsson took his first title in style, while Magnussen had to settle for runner-up for the 3rd year in a row. While some may suspect Marko Asmer to be the answer here, it is unlikely - despite losing the dominance he had in the team, he must know his best shot at taking top honours is to remain in Viking Racing, grit his teeth, and just hope things swing back his way.

Leyton House is all sewn up, with Noda staying, and quite possibly the revelation of 2014, Fabrizio Barbazza, moving to replace Giacomelli, the team must be aiming at glory next year. Super Aguri remains quiet as well, the popular if somewhat enigmatic Japanese concern retaining their 2014 lineup; the only change is a move to a larger Honda engine, we hear.

But now on to what may be the key to the driver market this off-season; F1RM. 2013 champ Chris Dagnall stays, as do the PURE engines, but it's the last strike for Jean-Denis Deletraz, who finds himself out the door. All kinds of names have been banded about for the second seat, from the sensible (Marko Asmer), to the ridiculous (1995 James Davies!?). It can be assumed that Asmer is the team's first choice, but with Alitalia-gate in full-swing, that may leave Pedro Chaves out of a drive, after scoring the lion's share of the points for SAC last year. Don't be surprised if F1RM sign him up if they can't get their hands on Asmer, though unless the Vikings do drop Jan Magnussen, that seems unlikely.

At Forti, you can bet the team will want to do everything they can to hold on to Luca Badoer. However, should the Alitalia deal at SAC go through, Badoer may well decamp to the upstarts, though will he want to take that chance? Forti have been one of the stronger teams over the last few seasons, after all, and the new supercharger can only make things better. One option is, of course, a straight swap between Forti and SAC - Badoer for the impressive Pedro Chaves, but that does leave an open spot still. Then again, Jean-Denis Deletraz is out a drive now, and despite a torrid 2014 season, he is still one of the most successful drivers in the series. Could he re-ignite his career at Forti? Who knows?

Davidellias · Post by **Davidellias** » 21 May 2012, 05:14

FIRST first to be first of the new teams?

Italian based ex-F3000 and nearly F1 constructor first made waves today when they sent out a press release stating they want in to the F1RMGP league. Lamberto Leoni, who is himself an ex-F1 driver, ran the team from 1987 until 1991. Leoni has Stated he wants at least one of his old driver with him and says he may have to end up putting a pay driver in the other depending on who he gets. the Engine is still up for grabs too as he said talks with several companies have been made.

While somewhat mum on drivers, Leoni's comment about a driver familiar to the team has lead them to believe that Jean-Denis Deletraz is the leading candidate. some people close to the situation have mentioned a driver named Channoch Nissany, but those people also think the UFO's exist

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 21 May 2012, 08:24

La Gazzetta Dello Sport wrote:Il Barone Rampante: FIRST is a joke

Andrea Sassetti has launched a scathing attack on FIRST Racing's attempt to enter F1RMGP, claiming they simply aren't good enough to deserve a place on the grid.

"They were rubbish against Il Barone Rampante in F3000 all those years ago, and now they are still nobody," he said. "Il Barone Rampante on the other hand has gone from strength to strength. Starting with multiple F3000 titles in the early 90s, we are now one of the biggest racing teams in Italy, competing in F1RWRS, F2RWRS, F3RWRS, Rejects of LFS, just to name a few. We will be in F1RMGP next year and they will not, I can assure you of that."

Surprisingly Il Barone Rampante CEO Alasdair Lindsay was not available to comment, usually the first to voice a controversial opinion. He was instead rumoured to be in Appiano Gentile, enquiring about the possible purchase of F.C. Internazionale Milano.

dinizintheoven · Post by **dinizintheoven** » 21 May 2012, 11:46

Davidellias wrote:While somewhat mum on drivers, Leoni's comment about a driver familiar to the team has lead them to believe that Jean-Denis Deletraz is the leading candidate. some people close to the situation have mentioned a driver named Channoch Nissany, but those people also think the UFO's exist

Those people weren't particularly close to the situation at all, given that Israel's First F1 Driver™ signed for Shekel Racing ages ago...

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 21 May 2012, 16:23

kostas22 wrote:
La Gazzetta Dello Sport wrote:Il Barone Rampante: FIRST is a joke

Andrea Sassetti has launched a scathing attack on FIRST Racing's attempt to enter F1RMGP, claiming they simply aren't good enough to deserve a place on the grid.

"They were rubbish against Il Barone Rampante in F3000 all those years ago, and now they are still nobody," he said. "Il Barone Rampante on the other hand has gone from strength to strength. Starting with multiple F3000 titles in the early 90s, we are now one of the biggest racing teams in Italy, competing in F1RWRS, F2RWRS, F3RWRS, Rejects of LFS, just to name a few. We will be in F1RMGP next year and they will not, I can assure you of that."

Surprisingly Il Barone Rampante CEO Alasdair Lindsay was not available to comment, usually the first to voice a controversial opinion. He was instead rumoured to be in Appiano Gentile, enquiring about the possible purchase of F.C. Internazionale Milano.

I thought it was Alitalia/Peroni Parma Corse, not IBR, the team that was competing at all those championships :lol:

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 21 May 2012, 18:17

Phoenix wrote:
kostas22 wrote:
La Gazzetta Dello Sport wrote:Il Barone Rampante: FIRST is a joke

Andrea Sassetti has launched a scathing attack on FIRST Racing's attempt to enter F1RMGP, claiming they simply aren't good enough to deserve a place on the grid.

"They were rubbish against Il Barone Rampante in F3000 all those years ago, and now they are still nobody," he said. "Il Barone Rampante on the other hand has gone from strength to strength. Starting with multiple F3000 titles in the early 90s, we are now one of the biggest racing teams in Italy, competing in F1RWRS, F2RWRS, F3RWRS, Rejects of LFS, just to name a few. We will be in F1RMGP next year and they will not, I can assure you of that."

Surprisingly Il Barone Rampante CEO Alasdair Lindsay was not available to comment, usually the first to voice a controversial opinion. He was instead rumoured to be in Appiano Gentile, enquiring about the possible purchase of F.C. Internazionale Milano.

I thought it was Alitalia/Peroni Parma Corse, not IBR, the team that was competing at all those championships

Il Barone Rampante is the parent organisation that runs both of them. Try to keep up!

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 21 May 2012, 19:42

kostas22 wrote:Il Barone Rampante is the parent organisation that runs both of them. Try to keep up!

Sorry, I was off the forums for a while and this is the result :lol:

Davidellias · Post by **Davidellias** » 22 May 2012, 03:31

Leoni: We have a safe car!

When Lamberto Leoni said that he wanted to bring back FIRST to the Formula racing world, he was immediately reminded by several bystanders and a hobo who looked suspiciously like Ralf Schumacer, that the car was as fragile as a porcelain figure in a wrestling match. To counter his detractors, Leoni had the following to say

We may not have the resources to build fancy-shcmancy steel honeycomb carbon-fiber doohickeys that the bigger teams have, but we have an even stronger substance! Paper-Mache'

after the initial shock a reported decided to ask Lamberto on the driving situation.

Well, we are close to signing this guy named Schumcaer, who can give us an Engine deal. He says he's won five race in his career, we think he can do a good job getting the car setup as a test driver.

It was later revealed that the Schumcaer in question wasn't Ralf (who has six wins anyways) but 76 year old former Grand-Am Champion Larry Schumcaer who has a Porsche connections, and is rumored to be using them for this team

.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 22 May 2012, 03:40

Phoenix wrote:
kostas22 wrote:Il Barone Rampante is the parent organisation that runs both of them. Try to keep up!

Sorry, I was off the forums for a while and this is the result

At least you didn't think Il Barone Rampante was an actual person!

Shadaza · Post by **Shadaza** » 22 May 2012, 10:10

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:
Phoenix wrote:
kostas22 wrote:Il Barone Rampante is the parent organisation that runs both of them. Try to keep up!

Sorry, I was off the forums for a while and this is the result

At least you didn't think Il Barone Rampante was an actual person!

Here is an artists impression of Il Barone Rampante.