Present Day Fabrications

I can't remember the last time I watched Formula 1. Well, I think I've said enough about it and really despite the title and its applicability to that circus, this post isn't about that. I'll touch on automobiles in this post. Specifically, BMWs.

For those who have read my previous postings, you'd know that I view most BMWs as nothing more than accessories for mistresses and wannabes. Most but not all of them. Recently, I had the chance to drive an old E46 BMW M3. And what a gem that was. Being rear wheel drive, the steering and handling of that thing was a complete revelation. The balance of the chassis, the responsiveness and agility are stuff of legend. And that straight six - essentially half a McLaren F1 road car engine, sometimes reminds me of old Jaguars in terms of sonic quality at least. The performance - whilst not exactly fast by comparison to cars in the present day - is more than adequate for me. In fact, I love it.

Also recently, I've had the chance to ride in the very latest BMW M5. Now of course, that is a brutally fast car. Forget next level, its several levels above the M3. 4.4 litres, twin turbo V8 with 560 bhp with attendant torque. There's a sense of the inexorable with this car.

But here's the thing. The 5 series BMWs share the same platforms as the 6 and 7 series and get this, the Rolls Royce Ghost. OK I'm outdated. You knew this already. But Rolls Royce Ghost?? No wonder I keep mistaking 5 series BMWs for 7 series. Its seriously huge and portly. Near 2000 kgs for an Motorsport division road car. Gone are the days of the lightweight sports saloon that built BMWs reputation. This car is seriously like a big barge.

Except that it isn't. Or at least it pretends not to be. And herein lies my biggest bugbear. The engine note. BMW pipes in engine noise into the cabin by playing tracks on the speakers! Yes, I knew this for some time. But it didn't hit me hard until after I drove the E46 M3. That car is honest - though there are loads of probably superfluous features on it. Well, its honest enough. But playing the sound of a V10 in the cabin through the speakers? That takes the cake for fake.

What does it say about us a consumers and buyers? I mean BMW I'm sure knows its market extremely well - otherwise you'd never get absolutely stupid cars like the X3, X5 and... oh god, the X6 and its ilk. And knowing its market so well that it knows that buyers would tolerate or dare I say demand such fabrications as engine noise through the speakers. Forget about electric steering and the dead fake feel from the steering wheel. Whatever happened to the purity of the driving experience? BMW to me has stooped to a new low point.

This is from the same company that made such legends as the BMW 2002, M1, E30 M3, the first M5, the E60 V10 M5 and of course the E46 M3. I really don't know what else to say.

BMW Withdrawal

After a some frenzied media reports last night it was confirmed today that BMW Sauber will withdraw from Formula 1 as of next season. At the moment, I have no great feelings of loss about this. Perhaps it will come in time.

But of course the FIA has sprung into action immediately following BMW's announcement citing the on-going need for cost reductions, we told you so blah blah blah. But understand a couple of things.

Firstly, BMW Sauber left not because of costs but because after 10 years they have nothing to show for it. Well there was that time in 2003 when they came close with both Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya mounted a very stern challenge to both Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen. However, whose fault was it that they didn't end up winning? Why, it was the FIA at the instigation of Ferrari in regards the legality of the Michelin tyres. Quite how a tyre constructed in exactly the same way for two and half seasons and deemed legal was suddenly judged to infringe on some rule regarding its width the moment said tyre started winning races, is beyond me.

Second, costs may have something to do with BMWs departure. Sure its expensive. But in reality, manufacturers want to win more than anything. As long as they are winning, they'll stay. But eventually they will leave as well once they have extracted enough marketing or technological research benefits from racing. Witness Honda in the late 80s and early 90s. They spent a fortune on their engines. And while they were winning they were quite happy to do so. However, after 7 seasons of being the engine to have, Renault came along and rained on their parade. After 7 seasons of good publicity Honda immediately decided it was quite enough and their reputation had already been established. My point is expensive or not, when a manufacturer has had enough, they will leave whether the FIA or Bernie Ecclestone likes it or not.

And frankly speaking, what the hell is wrong with someone leaving. Its not the end of the world. Someone else will come along eventually. Whats more important in grand prix racing is rule stability. This doesn't prevent teams from spending money but whatever gains they get is marginal and can be overcome as teams get used to the technology and is able to catch up to the big boys. Its been proven before in the past and if the FIA get their head out of cloud cuckoo land it will prove so again.

As I keep repeating, if Formula 1 as we know it dies because every single manufacturer opted to leave, you can be assured that others will come to take their place. The less manufacturers there are in fact, the less costly this will become. Unlike other series like touring cars or even sportscars, Formula 1 is the pinnacle and surely teams would want to race in this pinnacle. If there wasn't a Formula 1, someone would invent it because its needed. Instead of the constant fiddling of the rules, the FIA should just leave it alone and things would be absolutely fine. Other teams have left in the past, teams far more illustrious than BMW. Think Lotus or Brabham. And it will survive this departure.

Observations

We are one race short of the halfway mark of the 2008 Formula 1 season. And at this point, some surprises have emerged. BMW are second in the constructor's championship and leading driver Robert Kubica is also in second of the driver's race. Surprising to say the least and I would not have expected these guys to have kept their season opening momentum to go on for so long. Hopefully the guys in Hinwil and Munich keep pushing on to the end.

Toyota and Red Bull are neck and neck in the middle order. Toyota especially is a big surprise. The cars certainly are quick and they've even managed a podium spot in last weekend's French Grand Prix. Had they not shot themselves in the foot in 2006 with that last minute switch to Bridgestone tyres and then sacking the technical director for the marketing men's own mistakes I reckon they'd be at least on BMW level by now. As it is, this lumbering giant is making slow progress. But progress nevertheless and they are outperforming their customers at Williams. Deadly rivals Honda are absolutely nowhere this season as they were last year and Toyota's results must be hurting them a lot in Tokyo.

Red Bull on the other hand is a customer team that is completely whipping the works Renaults. Some say the Renault engine has huge flaws. That may be so but the Red Bulls are at this stage making better use of their motor and despite the presence of Fernando Alonso, the works cars can do nothing about it. Its good to see a "private" entry murdering the big manufacturer. Although in this case its a well financed privateer.

Lewis Hamilton didnt deserve to have the 10 spot penalty for France. Not at all. He deserved to have his superlicense sanctioned and placed under probation for his act of pure incompetence in Montreal. Its one thing for you to crash into another car whilst your brake balance is out of whack at 180 mph but to completely miss two stationary cars right in front of you whilst travelling at the leisurely speed of 80 km/h is a sign of pure stupidity. And the twit doesn't even want to admit his mistake. "If" he says, he has ruined Kimi's race then he is sorry. Its not an "if" moron. You bloody well chucked it out the window. And once again, in France he completely denies his any wrongdoing when it was clear that he gained an advantage by straightlining the chicane.

And apologising to the team for not doing his best. Oh come on. That was pure pretense designed solely for the benefit of the media. Ron has trained this one well. But of course, the British media are now quickly turning on him as is their habit. I suppose having enjoyed the adoring attention in the past, he likes it not one bit. But being the big mouth that he is, he's now taking them on with all sorts of trashy talk.

And just who was the idiot who suggested that he be suspended on wires and lowered on to a stage play in London? I really do not understand just what good he or the Porsche crashing train driver (son gets a little money and buy some nice toys for yourself eh?) thought that would do. Is he supposed to be a racing driver or a clown? That is just pure humiliation but it really befits him.

Without sympathising with Hamilton it brings me to the point on what Formula 1 drivers have to go through these days. Its no wonder Kimi is so fed up and there is talk of his retirement. All the stupid media responsibilities, meeting up with stupid corporate sponsors, annoying fans, I mean, who the hell needs that? Isn't his own display of skill and speed on the track enough? Thats what he gets paid to do. Drive the car like the devil himself. And while he doesn't put on a fake smile at least he is honest unlike these young PR washed robo-drivers like Hamilton.

Why do these people think they own him? I completely sympathise as this just reeks of rampant American style NASCAR commercialism that fools like Joe Saward of Grandprix.com keeps on preaching about. Hey this is racing. Its not supposed to wrestling sport entertainment. If thats what you want, then bloody well go watch stupid NASCAR where the good old boys will happily smile like idiots for "the show."

And note to Joe Saward, if you love NASCAR so much then bloody well write about NASCAR. I am really am so sick of reading about stupid theme parks, hamburgers and silly romance novels that you think are such fantastic ideas for grand prix racing. There is a cultural gulf between America and the rest of the world and guess what? We don't always care about, want or need American ideas. And what annoys me most is the increased American inspired commerical exploitation that is inevitably changing grand prix racing for the worse.

Saturday Morning At Sakhir

How about that Super Aguri? Kimi Raikkonen may have topped the charts on Friday and today its Hamilton's turn but the surprise of free practise this Saturday must be Ant who managed 5th fastest time of 1m 32.900s. This was still some 0.357s behind Hamilton but still ahead of Filipe Massa who managed sixth fastest.

By contrast the two underachieving Hondas of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello managed 16th and 18th respectively, split by Ant's teammate Takuma Sato. Jenson Button was a little more than a second away from Ant and about 1.2 seconds quicker than Sato.

And this was the man who was considered surplus to the works team? For sure, this is merely the practise session and it doesn't count but come on. The big boys in the paddock must surely open their eyes and notice this!

Of the rest, championship leader Fernando has been slower than Hamilton all weekend long and the same thing has happened before when they tested here in the winter. God I hope he's not going to keep doing this in qualy and the race. I'm quite sick of the British press and their Hamilton suckfest.

But happily, Filipe Massa has been outpaced by Raikkonen in all the sessions so far and that is something new this year. Personally I hope this trend continues on.

The Beemers have looked threatening all weekend and are always in the top 5. The times are quite close in this last practise session. Just a shade over 1 second covers the top ten in this free practise. It should be quite a good qualy coming up in about an hour and halfs time.

The customer teams are once again doing very well thank you very much against their respective works teams.

Mark Webber's Red Bull Renault is once again ahead of the works Renaults. Oh, I can imagine the pain Flav is going through right now. A little pain wouldn't hurt the man after his cockiness in the past two (Alonso) years. His cars are back in ninth and tenth. Now if only Webber can do this in the race.

Both Nico and Wurz are in the Williams Toyotas have been outpacing the works Toyotas for most of the weekend except for first practise yesterday. I just hope all these customer teams convert their practise performances into factory beating exploits.

One thing's for sure the Hondas are going nowhere and I would imagine there is a good chance that both the Super Aguris will be heading the works cars to the chequered flag.

More Thoughts On The WTCC

I watched last Sunday's WTCC race from Curtibia once again today. The current situation in the WTCC seems quite dire and I just wanted a reminder of the issues at hand. Especially now since SEAT is threatening to leave the series. That would would be disastrous as far as this championship is concerned.

The fact of the matter is the WTCC does tend to pull in the crowds on race weekends. But unlike Formula 1 which not only enjoys better promotion but enjoys better visibility as well in the mainstream media the world over. Whereas the WTCC depends on the championship being close and hard fought. It simply would not do to have a single make of car dominating the championship even though teams running that make of car are battling it out amongst themselves.

In other words, it would be commercial suicide for the KSO or the FIA not to intefere to equalise the performance of the cars in order to ensure close racing. In this day and age where other sports are competing for viewers and all professional sports rely on sponsorship, the entertainment value must be high even though this leads to a dilution of the sport's purity.

In motor racing this means that measures must be taken to ensure the competitiveness of the entire field and to ensure the spectators are fed with entertainment packed races. To me, racing should be free of such "match fixing" but I realise the pressure the folks like KSO are under.

So really, KSO and the FIA must consider very hard the measures to take next. On one hand, there's BMW who over have been very industrious over the winter particularly in the aero department. All that hard work is now paying off and the cars are simply unbeatable. Should they not fully enjoy the benefits of all that effort?

On the other hand, there's SEAT. I completely missed one fact in my previous post. And that is the FIA gave the 15kg advantage to BMW in return for the new rolling start regulations this year. The rolling start is meant to negate the advantages of rear wheel drive cars i.e. BMW during the start of the race. As you know rear wheel drive cars enjoy better traction off a standing start whereas the front drivers are scrabbling for grip.

BMW deftly negotiated with the FIA to hand them an advantage whilst taking away another. But in a championship such as this, where the regulations are formulated to give an equal chance to all types of machinery whether front or rear driven, did the FIA agree to such a thing? It bloody well makes no sense at all. The fact of the matter is front wheel drive will always be at a disadvantage on the circuit. The regulations are meant to equalise this.

And yet the FIA agreed to give BMW the weight advantage. This is complete bullshit. Of course BMW would agree to it. A 15 kg weight advantage is always advantageous to them. For one, a rolling start only equalises performance between the different types of cars. Whereas a weight advantage penalises the front drivers. Plus, the weight advantage is one that lasts throughout the entire race whereas a rolling start is only useful when the lights turn green.

Looking at BMW of course they would find any excuse the get a weight reduction. Thats the reason why they chose to stick with a standard H 5 speed gearbox rather than choose a 6 speed sequential tranny. The 50 kg reduction in weight by choosing the standard H is far more valuable than the time or convenience gained from a sequential box. Otherwise, you can bet that BMW would choose the sequential shifter.

Didn't the FIA see this at all? I'm sure when they offered BMW the deal, Mario Thiessen was simply licking his lips with glee.

As I said in my previous post, now we shall see if it all comes good when the success ballast rules kick in for the next round of the championship. But then again, the SEATs of Yvan Muller and Garbriele Tarquini will also be hit by ballast. I should think the BMWs will still have an advantage and potentially a big one still.

I should think they ought to keep the rolling start and take back those 15kg to make it fair. Anymore than that would be penalising BMW's hard winter work which would then make it unfair to them.

SEAT on the other hand should accept that BMW have worked hard and they should enjoy whatever success they get.

The KSO on the other hand is in between a rock and a hard place. Yes, they can allow the BMW to romp through 2007 to the title. Even though they give back the 15 kg to BMW, I should think there's nothing to stop the Priaulx, Farfus and Muller trio. But can KSO afford the BMWs to run away?

NASCARs success has always rested on the fact that all cars have been made equal and the championship itself marketed as entertainment to the "casual fan." Its disgusting to me and it reeks of "wrestling." But this is a matter of principle. I like my racing pure. On the other hand though, the entertainment value of NASCAR is undeniable particularly to NASCAR fans.

The KSO might dislike Volkswagen Audi Group, of which SEAT is a member, because of all the money they like to spend. But the hard reality is, where else shall the competition come from if not from SEAT. The Alfas have all but packed up. N Technology is the only team remaining but they are competing with a car introduced way back in 2001 and is very long in tooth now. If SEAT leaves (which I really doubt) the series would lack the variety needed. And the entertainment value will also diminish. (The BMW teams are unlikely to engage in argy bargy and high risk overtaking maneuvers no matter how hard they battle)

I don't know if Alan Gow and the BTCC will adopt the rolling start / 15 kilo adjustment in the British Championship. After all, they are running to Super 2000 rules this year. But in the case of the BTCC, the SEATs and Vauxhalls, both running front wheel drive racing cars, are the only works teams. Those running BMWs and Toyota Altezzas (both rear wheel drive) in this series are all privateers. Perhaps Alan will consider giving the 15 kilos to help the privateers along the way.

But I shall stick to my theory which I posted last time. The FIA and KSO are wary of VAG. Perhaps they sought to negate their advantages and spending. But I think it may have backfired in a big way. We await the next round of the WTCC to see how it all works out.

One last thing before I go. Why the hell did the two works SEATs make it so simple for Priaulx and Muller to go past them? They hardly defended their line at all at the end of the main straight in Brazil. For a proper defence, one should look at the way Tom Coronel defended against both the works BMW. The GRAsia car mounted a very stern defence of his position now that they are considered by the regulations to be a manufacturer squad. (They aren't really... no in actuality) And there was just one of him whereas the BMWs were up against two works SEATs. Pathetic!

BTCC 2007

More than any other tin top championship, I'm really looking forward to this year's British Touring Car Championship. The entry list has been confirmed and just look at the variety on offer.

Whereas last weekend's Aussie V8 at the good old Adelaide circuit was a pretty decent affair, it really is a battle between two makes. And likewise in the WTCC, you have basically 4 makes of cars battling it out. And really it boils down to the Beemers vs the SEATs.

The BTCC is boasting a grid of 27 cars comprised of 21 Super 2000 spec cars and just 6 of the outgoing BTC machines. You've got Hondas, BMWs, SEATs, Vauxhalls, Alfas, Toyotas (or as they insist on calling it, Lexus) and MGs, some running different models of the same make. Sounds like a Super Touring series of yesteryears doesn't it? Some bemoan the lack of proper works entries. Only the SEATs and Vauxhalls are run by the factory. But I don't think this is a bad thing. And as Team Dynamics proved last year, its possible to beat the works teams.

However, Matt Neal's going to have a hard year ahead I think. His new Civic Type R is a new car thats never before run on Super 2000 in any other championship. Despite what some folks think, its mainly a private entry. Run by his dad of all people. If he does win some races this year, I would be surprised. As it is they have missed the first testing session of the season which leads many to believe that the car will not be fully prepared come the first race in April. BMW fans will be happy for it buys them a year of bragging rights. Next year should be far different.

I'm always going to have my eye on the Japan only Toyota Altezza, having once owned one. They call it a Lexus IS200 but no Lexus ever ran with the 2 litre Yamaha developed 3SGE engine. The interesting thing of course is that the Toyotas (oh alright, Lexus if you insist) is, like the BMW, a rear drive machine which means that they too will enjoy the latest weight advantages. Unless Alan Gow takes that away. I just hope they develop that car properly and I wish that it was Team Dynamics who're running them. Forget bloody Lexus giving any hand. They're too busy trying to sell luxury.

Fabrizio Giovanardi was fastest in the first official test in the Vauxhall. But if they thought they'd seen the last of the Honda Integras, they are sadly mistaken for Mike Jordan was close to them in testing taking second fastest time. Thankfully for the Vauxhalls, the BTCC spec car will not be competing for main honours this year. Only the Super 2000s will be eligible to take the overall title.

Since the Honda Civics are unlikely to be competitive, I'd back the BMWs for honours. For I simply cannot abide the bloody Vauxhalls and barely can stand the SEATs. Here's to a great year.

The Bully Boys

The FIA WTCC kicked of at Curtibia last weekend and saw the Schnitzer run Team BMW Deutschland taking two out of two races in the hands of (ugh) Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus. In both races, reigning champion Andy Priaulx came in second.

The way the Beemers were going there was bound to be protest from the other teams, particularly SEAT. Jorg Muller pretty much sealed the argument for SEAT when he himself confessed to being surprised at just how fast his 320Si was in the straights.

We all know the reason of course. Rear wheel drive confers an advantage on the circuit. And now that the FIA, via its hateful World Motorsport Council, have decided to take away 15kilos out of the rear wheel drive weight limit, the advantage is pressed even further.

Its quite inexplicable why this should be so. However, I shall offer a wildly speculative theory. SEAT you see, falls under the great umbrella of the Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG). And in this group you will also find that other great competitor, Audi. The VAG isn't at all shy about spending money on racing if this brings about their utter domination. Need we mention the Audi R8 and R10. Or howabout one off Le Mans special like the Bentley Speed 8 of a few years ago.

Clearly the VAG want to win and at all costs. Its never said in public but many an organiser fears the presence of the VAG with all their spending power. The WTCC organisers, the Kigema Sports Organisation (KSO) are just one them. **1 VAG have this nasty habit of spending beyond all recognition which forces the other manufacturers to spend more to remain competitive.

Pre season, the SEATs have been through some relentless development work and the intent of VAG is apparent in the number of stars that have been employed to pilot their cars. I would speculate that the FIA deliberately then reduced the weight limits for rear drive cars, effectively meaning BMW.

Now of course, the weight penalties will come into effect after the first round and the Beemers will be saddled with maximum penalties. Will this be enough? We'll wait and see but if previous seasons are any guide, then it ought to be. But yet, SEAT are not happy about the situation at all. After all, the regulations are meant to equalise the cars before the application of weight penalties.

Given that the WTCC rules so tightly formulated, catching up on equal terms will be nigh impossible. With the rules defined as it is, even large amounts of money, VAG amounts of money, will only buy so much improvement. This is precisely the FIA's intentions. But when competitors do not start on equal footing, the weaker party will forever be on the back foot with no way of catching up again.

You might beg the question why SEAT did not make a faster car in the first place. Well, they did given the rules but as usual in this day and age, the FIA loves to arbitrarily change them.

Still I think it could still be a good championship ahead. After all, they mught just rob BMW of their advantage mid season if they start running away with it. And you can bet the FIA will do this. After all, this isn't a "pure" championship in the sense that equalisation and fan entertainment is stated objective. And what do the casual fans care, right?

Footnote:

1. The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) are another one I would imagine. They way Audi loves to run away with championships year on year is proof of their spending abilities. The ALMS favourable nod to the LMP2 class is a way of balancing that out.

The Revolutionary Brabham BT55

The following video shows us some footage from testing at the Jacarapagua circuit in Rio de Jeneiro.



The Brabham BT55 was a very revolutionary car. Designed by Gordon Murray, it was the first ever Formula 1 car to feature a "flat-iron" design. This meant a very low profile that theoretically produced aerodynamic advantages, not least reducing drag through a lower frontal area. Up until the BT55 and later the McLaren MP4/4 of 1988 (also by Gordon Murray), cars were relatively tall, with drivers sitting upright in the seats. The Brabham was so low that drivers Riccardo Patrese and the late Elio de Angelis had to literally lie down in the cockpit. The low line design also necessitated in a lie-flat BMW turbo engine. Normally installed upright, the 4 cylinder engine had to be installed tilted to one side.

Whilst the car was revolutionary, it did have a host of problems. Transmissions being just one of them. Again, because it had such a low profile, it necessitated a new transmission design from transmission specialists Weismann. As with many technical innovations, the transmission kept breaking. Also, the car experienced cooling problems which necessitated bigger and repositioned radiators and additional vents which in turn increased drag and reduced downforce and because of the repositioning altered the weight balance. The resulting plumbing modifications also affected the turbo pipes which further reduced horsepower. All that theoretical aero advantage simply went out the window as a result.

In the end, the BT55 can be considered a failure and it was perhaps the last contribution of the once famous Brabham team to Formula 1. After that, team owner Bernie Ecclestone (yes him!) was too busy with FOCA to give a damn I suppose. But Gordon Murray would give the design concept another try at McLaren. The lessons learned from the BT55 would be applied to the all conquering McLaren MP4/4 of 1988 that took 15 out of 16 races that year. Significantly, Honda had produced a much lower RA168E turbo engine that didn't require any lying down design. But then again it was a V6 and that made things a lot easier.

After the MP4/4 everyone else would be using the low line concept and this continues till this day. For more info on the BT55, visit: http://www.geocities.com/chasey_uk/bt55history.htm and http://www.weismann.net/brabham.html

Enough about the Brabham, watching the video one notices a few amusing things. Gordon Murray being interviewed in the pits half naked for instance. And so were the rest of the Brabham boys. My god, such things would never be allowed these days. Especially if it was Bernie who owned the bloody team.