Grand Prix Rejects

Sammy Jones wrote:What a superb result for Chris, the team are over the moon with his win, at our home race, it really does mean so much to us.

On the other hand, I find it sickening that both McAllister and Mori have the guts to accuse me of deliberately trying to take Mori out of the race. I got a good start, but in the run down to the first corner missed my braking point slightly and as a result the corner was compromised for me. Mori being the arrogant rookie that he is just drove into the back of me. And this wasn't a situation like Belgium where Mori was just parked in the road, here I'd only lost a bit of speed and was in the process of recovering my line. My nose by the way is fine thanks. The talk of race bans is pure horseshit as well. I just find it hard to believe that I, as a driver and part team owner, could be accused of stooping so low. I mean jesus it was our home race! If we were farting around on some unknown backwater German track then fair enough, but this race meant a great deal to me and the foolish actions, and subsequent exchanges of words have hurt me greatly. The only consolation as I mentioned at the start was Chris taking his superb win.

Autosport wrote:Tex Pearson Wants Out

Tex Pearson, part team owner of the F1RWRS team, RubberTex-Jones Racing, has announced that the prejudice and threatened lawsuit from rival team SAFTP over what he quoted were 'unfounded accusations' has he says given him no option but to withdraw his support for the team at the end of the current season.

Pearson currently holds a 50% stake in the RTJ Racing team, the other 50% is held by team principal and first driver Sammy Jones.

"I'm afraid that the action from SAFTP has forced me out. My company cannot get embroiled in such bad publicity, and as a result I deeply regret having to pull the plug on the project which has so far been run so well by Sammy".

The team's technical support from Renault is believed to be unaffected. When asked what the future was for his team, Sammy exclusively told Autosport that,

"We're planning to go it alone. I must say I have to thank Tex and his support for our fledgling outfit. Having come from West Cliff after the first season, and starting up a new team, it's been a massive undertaking, and without Tex being there, we certainly wouldn't be where we are now. For the upcoming season, we'll be restructuring the team, but we're already in the process of identifying new sources of funding, so that shouldn't be an issue. We'll also still be running two cars, and Chris has first refusal on his seat next year. A pay driver is completely out of the question. It's just a shame that some people like to blow things out of the water like SAFTP have done. Myself and Mori had a little spat, and suddenly now my team is going to be done for attempted murder. I mean really? It's quite pathetic, and wild accusations like that are what tarnish the reputation of an otherwise superb racing series. For now though our chances of being on the grid next year are probably about 75%".

Jari Kekkonen wrote:A piece of crud that the Aguri Suzuki cup died!!! It was one thing we were actually doing something in! It didn't gather a lot of attention anyways. Hopefully the team will improve and we will do better in the next race.

F1RWRS Racing Association wrote:It is the decision of the FRA that, in light of recent events, punishments must be handed out.

First, Sammy Jones is charged with unsportsmanlike conduct, as well as being charged with erratic driving resulting in danger to other drivers, and has been banned from competing in the next two races, at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

Second, Rhys Davies is charged with erratic driving resulting in danger to other drivers, and has been banned from competing at the next two F1RWRS races at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

Third, Barii Mori is charged with unsportsmanlike conduct off the track, and has been handed a suspended one race ban and a 50,000 pound fine.

Fourth, Phoenix McAllister is charged with unsportsmanlike conduct, and as this resulted in the harming of another driver, has been banned from the next three F1RWRS races at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Adelaide. He has also been fined 100,000 pounds, and should a repeat of this incident occur, he will have his superlicence revoked for one year. Super Aguri Footwork Team Phoenix Honda has also been fined 50,000 pounds.

All teams affected by bannings are entitled to put a replacement driver in the affected cars, be they test drivers or from other teams.

NAB-Holden Racing Team Press Release wrote:In light of the recent suspension of NAB-HRT driver Rhys Davies, NAB-HRT will be holding a test drive at Eastern Creek Raceway in coming days to find a replacement driver. The fastest driver on the day shall replace Davies at Brands Hatch, while the second fastest, if he is a close to the time of the fastest driver, will drive for the team at Snetterton.

We would also like to announce that Frank Zimmer, who has breached contract by signing up to test for MRT, will no longer be driving for the team past this season, and pending the performances of the replacement drivers, may be removed from the seat after the race at Snetterton.

the Masked Lapwing wrote:

F1RWRS Racing Association wrote:It is the decision of the FRA that, in light of recent events, punishments must be handed out.

First, Sammy Jones is charged with unsportsmanlike conduct, as well as being charged with erratic driving resulting in danger to other drivers, and has been banned from competing in the next two races, at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

Second, Rhys Davies is charged with erratic driving resulting in danger to other drivers, and has been banned from competing at the next two F1RWRS races at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

Third, Barii Mori is charged with unsportsmanlike conduct off the track, and has been handed a suspended one race ban and a 50,000 pound fine.

Fourth, Phoenix McAllister is charged with unsportsmanlike conduct, and as this resulted in the harming of another driver, has been banned from the next three F1RWRS races at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Adelaide. He has also been fined 100,000 pounds, and should a repeat of this incident occur, he will have his superlicence revoked for one year. Super Aguri Footwork Team Phoenix Honda has also been fined 50,000 pounds.

All teams affected by bannings are entitled to put a replacement driver in the affected cars, be they test drivers or from other teams.

Shizuka wrote:Well, accidents happen... I was unlucky here. At least Douglas scored a podium!

Douglas Mann wrote:Congratulations on avoiding all the backstabbing that everybody else seems to be getting involved with at the moment - it has saved a potential ban! And I am estatic on getting a podium at what is essentially a home race (despite officially being a Manx team). Better luck to Pippa Mann for the next few British rounds - I am sure that Hagane and your teammate at AMR will help me to help you regain the championship lead and give Dagnall a still-well-deserved runner-up position in this year's title hunt.

Pippa Mann wrote:Thanks for your support Douglas. I think that I may need all the help I can get to win this championship, and it's great that I have my teammate and my brother's team all behind my bid for glory this year!

Phoenix McAllister wrote:We're of course rather annoyed by all this. I'm not in the mood for keeping a war with Sammy Jones' team or with Rhys Davies. Heck, I'm even sorry for losing my temper, but I just think that it all was deliberate. What I can't understand is why Barii Mori has been sanctioned. He did nothing at all. He was the victim of it all, including my silly actions. I'd like to appeal the sentence against him, but I fully understand and accept that against me. For now, we're trying to arrange a replacement for me for the next three races. Maybe a certain guy that is doing very well in Spanish F3 and goes by the name of Miguel Zapatero would be a suitable replacement for me.
To finish, I want to say that should anything like that happen in the future, I'll go have a talk with the officials instead of taking justice by my own hand. I apologise to Jones for his broken nose, but for me, both him and Davies have lost all respect I had towards them.

JeremyMcClean wrote:Okay, enough fake press releases, what is the limit of drivers one user can enter?

Autosport wrote:Mori to buy into RubberTex-Jones racing?

Sources are saying that Barii Mori and his manager Martin Brundle are heading a consortium which includes Nissan, NTT, Nomura Holdings, NEC, Tomy Takara, Tamiya and Takeda Pharmaceuticals to buy the 50% of RTJ racing that Tex Pearson wants to sell. It is understood that Nissan want to expand their young driver program and the Renault engined team would be ideal (as Renault hold 40% of Nissan and Nissan hold 10% of Renault) and Barii Mori has family connection with Nissan and is one of the reasons he is heading the consortium, although he will not be driving for the team. Mori has stated he will stay with SAFTPH until the end of the season and Footworks funding is a personal sponsorship deal and SA have signed a deal which will see Footwork sponsoring the team until 2014 at least.

It is likely that Nissan would want either rising Formula Nippon star Nobou Takahashi or Japanese F3 starlet Shinobu Katayama to drive for the team if the deal goes through. Nissan are alleged to be offering $10m for Tex Pearsons stake and $6m for an additional 20% of the company.

Although we understand that Tex Pearson is happy to sell, Sammy Jones with his spat with Barii Mori is unwilling to accept the offer, with a source quoting "When Sammy Jones heard the consortium bid he threw mugs of tea around the office and said 'I rather pay Yuji Ide a million quid to drive a Sinclair C5 around'". One of the rumoured conditions of the offer is that Sammy Jones retires as a driver at the end of the season and sells between 1% to 100% of his shares so that the consortium have a controlling interest, although the seat for Chris Dagnall is safe. Neither Barii Mori nor Martin Brundle were available to comment.

Wizzie wrote:

JeremyMcClean wrote:Okay, enough fake press releases, what is the limit of drivers one user can enter?

I'm pretty sure the limit is two.

the Masked Lapwing wrote:

Wizzie wrote:

JeremyMcClean wrote:Okay, enough fake press releases, what is the limit of drivers one user can enter?

I'm pretty sure the limit is two.

I might allow up to 3 at once. Especially since we need at least three more before I do Brands Hatch.

thehemogoblin wrote:The limit really should be one, because it's getting really hard to follow (and qualify, for that matter).

NAB-Holden Racing Team Press Release wrote:In light of the recent suspension of NAB-HRT driver Rhys Davies, NAB-HRT will be holding a test drive at Eastern Creek Raceway in coming days to find a replacement driver. The fastest driver on the day shall replace Davies at Brands Hatch, while the second fastest, if he is a close to the time of the fastest driver, will drive for the team at Snetterton.

We would also like to announce that Frank Zimmer, who has breached contract by signing up to test for MRT, will no longer be driving for the team past this season, and pending the performances of the replacement drivers, may be removed from the seat after the race at Snetterton.

Sammy Jones wrote:In light of the recent events, and my banning from the next two races, the RubberTex-Jones Racing Team will run just a single car entry at both Brands Hatch and Snetterton. Chris will continue in the car and has the full backing from myself, and the rest of the team, for those two weekends.

In addition to this, the future of the team is close to being secured. Barii Mori can take his yen and stuff it in soft toys for all I care. I've spoken to Renault, and whilst they are attracted to having Nissan as a brand in the series, they remain fully committed to my team as both an engine and technical supplier. The team name has been finalised, though an official announcement will come in due course, once we've sorted out a few more details. This is likely to be immediately after the final race, which is some time away, so I suggest everyone concentrates on their own seasons till then. Sammy Jones will be here next year!

Autosport wrote:Nissan to increase offer to Tex Pearson.
After Sammy Jones's announcement, Nissan have increased their offer to Tex Pearson to $20m in the hope to secure the team for their young driver program. It still seems unlikely that a deal will go through, but the money on offer is likely to make Tex Pearson think long and hard, however a source close to RubberTex-Jones racing has said "It is clearly a way for [Barii] Mori to wind up Sammy [Jones], as Tex [Pearson] knows that he is unlikely to get a better offer for his share and that Sammy [Jones] is not going to agree to the sale so Tex [Pearson] might have ill feeling towards Sammy Jones for taking money away from him".

Martin Brundle commented "If this deal does not go trhough then we are looking at buying into another team, a healthy sponsorship and works Renault engines may turn a few team principals heads out way, we may even consider even buying out the remains of West Cliff Racing.".

Phoenix McAllister wrote:Well, I was completely unaware that Barii wanted to leave my team and buy a team instead. That's fair enough, I guess. Maybe that replacement driver for those three races for me will be a permanent replacement after all. So far, I've considered two candidates in Miguel Zapatero and ex-F1 and WRC driver Alex Katajamäki, but I'd be glad to have Richie White with my team since it seems Lotus Group can't give him a worthy car and he's pretty dissatisfied with his team. Likewise, I'm expecting Honda and Footwork to withdraw from the team as well, but I think I have new sponsors and even an engine supply deal (a works one) lined. I'll keep informing...

Barii Mori wrote:My team mate and the Super Aguri Footwork Team Phoenix Honda seem to have the wrong end of the stick about me buying a team. So to recap...

Footwork (my personal sponsor) have signed a deal with Super Aguri which will keep them as principal sponsor until 2014
Honda have also signed a long term deal with Super Aguri which will keep them as works engine supplier until 2015
I have a contract until the end of the season and if things pick up thenI will re-sign.
Although I am part of a consortium to buy into a team, it is mainly to showcase Japanese F1 talent on behalf of Nissan (and maybe French talent on behalf of Renault).

I hope this clears things up and I look forward to beating my team mate.

Autosport wrote:WATKINSON STICKS HIS NOSE IN, INTERESTED IN TEMPORARY DRIVES
Former 2 time F1RWRS race winner (as he likes to remind us all from time to time) Ashley Watkinson has waltzed into the driver debate by offering himself as a "proper driver" to the teams who have driver's banned for future races. The 21 year old hothead said, "To be fair, the likes of Mori, McAllister, Jones, Bori, and Lon, make a mockery of this sport. Sure, they have talent (well, not Lon), but they've got to learn that this is open wheel racing, not demolition derby. And everyone knows that if you want to sort something out man-to-man, you don't do it in front of the cameras. What you do is get some hired goons to go to their plush Monte Carlo residence, ransack the place, and stand ready with a nightstick in hand waiting for the guy to return home. Not that I would know.

He went on to say, "Rubber-Tex, NAB, and Phoenix Team all know who to call if they want an experienced driver that doesn't deal in all this bull****. I'd love to drive for any of them. Hemogoblin Autowerks have treated me well this season, but the car hasn't been up to scratch. It's a pleasure to drive for the team, but I'd like to remind the world what I'm all about, and that's racing not DNPQing.

Phoenix McAllister wrote:Oh, now I see what good ol' Barii wanted to do. Not even myself thought about buying out RubberTex-Jones Racing and putting Sammy Jones out of his misery, hehehe. I'm happy that the future of the team is safe after all. As for Ashley Watkinson's offer, I can give him a go in my very car, but I won't hire him after those three races, I should warn him. I'm still thinking about a capable replacement for Barii for the next race, though.

Mark Skaife wrote:Watkinson wants a better drive, huh? Well, if he wants to drive for HRT at Brands Hatch, he might be given a drive for next year. Rusty Gannit can drive at Snetterton. Unless there are any other offers...

Lame Ass Magazine wrote:In a quite bizarre story today, ArrowTech A.R.T. Driver Jari Kekkonen told everyone in the paddock today to "shut up" and to not "be such arrogant boneheads" while giving interviews. Nicolas Steele, now with Team Calinetic and formerly Kekkonen's teammate, retailated by saying that "interviews are quite good, they give the team more money" before the cops showed up and found out that Kekkonen was slightly drunk. Kekkonen will still be able to participate in the race, but has been fined the equivalent of 100,000 pounds, while ArrowTech has been fined 20,000 pounds for letting Kekkonen go into the Media Building while under the influence of Alcohol. Some Steele fans are quoting that it's "in the Finnish nature to drink Vodka 24/7 and it's only natural to be drunk," and the now sober Kekkonen attempted to retailate with a frying pan, after hearing the joke for "the Billionth time," but he was quickly taken away from the Media Building. Team Owner Jeremy McClean was briefly interviewed after the incident, quoting "Well, that's coming out of his pay cheque."

the Generic Times wrote:Minardi leaving F1RWRS at end of season
The OzJet Minardi team has announced that they will be leaving the F1RWRS at the end of this season, citing financial difficulties as their reason for leaving. BMW were rumored to give the team official support if the their driver Dave Simpson finished in the points at Silverstone, however he did not qualify. The team were struggling with a new chassis reportedly purchased from USF1 for the price of $500 (which meant if you could find free running gear from a dump, you could enter it in the 24 Hours of Lemons). "It is disappointing that the team is leaving the sport at the end of the season, although it was looking inevitable that the team would leave if there wasn't any improvement. I know a lot of people are going to miss having a coffee at our team's pits on the morning of the race." stated Dave Simpson in an interview. Rumours suggest that Simpson will be testing for the MRT and Precision Motorsports teams. Failing that he will most likely take a year off or even retire.

Phoenix McAllister wrote:I'm still thinking about a capable replacement for Barii for the next race, though.

Barii Mori wrote:Hey! my one race ban is suspended, so I shall be racing in the next race...

Autosport wrote:Minardi ripe for Nissan deal?
Nissan are believed to be talking to Minardi to buy the team out for the grand sum of $5 (Australian). The deal is rumoured to give one of the teams drivers a seat but the other seat will be open to one of the Japanese young drivers, but it will give the team good financial support for at least 2 seasons. However, sticking points include the lose of most of the major sponsors including Ozjet and the loss of BMW engines for Renault engines rebadged as Nissans, but the Minardi name will be saved and the team would be called Minardi Nissan. Ozjet Minardi were not available to comment.

tristan1117 wrote:Trueba Releases News Report, Just to Emulate What Everyone Else is Doing!

Trueba Racing Team has released a press report saying that, unlike the rest of the grid, the team is functioning normally, and is also satisfied with their driver's performances so far. "We really have nothing to complain about!" said team principal Domiciano Ricci. "Our drivers, contrary to our counterparts, have not been in trouble with the law, nor have they been involved in fights on the racetrack. However, due to the alarming regularity of other team's press releases, we were also inclined to release some news saying that our team is fine." After Tristan Jung's spectacular performance at the first race in Germany, the team has hit a rough patch lately, culminating in an ignominious double-DNPQ at Silverstone. Despite these setbacks, the team appears to be on firm financial footing and Ricci also confirmed that the team will most definitely be on the grid next year. This press release has inspired some witty pundits to give them the new acronym: Truly Rather Unexciting Exploits, Boredom Awaits.

Ashley Watkinson wrote:I'd like to thank the HRT and Phoenix teams for both their offers. If it is possible to do so, I would like to offer my services to the HRT team for the Brands Hatch race, and the Phoenix team for the remainder of Phoenix McAllister's suspension. I have had a few battles with Frank Zimmer before and would like to work alongside him. And as for the Phoenix, I think Mori could do with an experienced head next to him. I will bring something to both teams, as my previous employers will testify. My fee is £10m per race by the way...

Phoenix McAllister wrote:If Ashley Watkinson gives his consent, it's a deal. But the salary for him will be some 200€ per race, as well as a truck full of papayas.

Frank Zimmer wrote:I look forward to racing with Ashley. And £10m? We are sponsored by a bank, I don't know why you didn't ask for more!

Phoenix wrote:

Phoenix McAllister wrote:If Ashley Watkinson gives his consent, it's a deal. But the salary for him will be some 200€ per race, as well as a truck full of papayas.

the Masked Lapwing wrote:

Frank Zimmer wrote:I look forward to racing with Ashley. And £10m? We are sponsored by a bank, I don't know why you didn't ask for more!

Ashley Watkinson wrote:Seeing as I have not heard anything from my worryingly hands off team boss, I accept both offers. Papayas are actually very valuable currency in Hungary. They hold their value even when the stock markets crash!

Wookey wrote:The cars are like 2009+ or pre-2009?

thehemogoblin wrote:With the loss of Ashley Watkinson, Hemogoblin Autowerks is going to have to close its doors.

T. Hemo Goblin is going to retire.

the Masked Lapwing wrote:

thehemogoblin wrote:With the loss of Ashley Watkinson, Hemogoblin Autowerks is going to have to close its doors.

T. Hemo Goblin is going to retire.

Effective immediately?

Wizzie wrote:Why am I in 2 heats?

Jeroen Krautmeir wrote:I think I did well, though I think a quicker pace was definitely achievable. Unfortunately, I faced a slight gearbox problem late in the session where I couldn't shift down normally, so there was a delay going down from 6th to 5th and things like that. I'm pretty confident about qualifying itself, however, and I wish Danno the best of luck.