Mclaren to the back of pit lane, Mosley S&M video released...Coincidence?

April Fool's or total coincidence that this article and alleged video of the FIA president's extra curricular activities find their way to that beacon of British journalistic integrity, the News of the World the same day Mclaren is told by the FIA to take its place at the back of pit lane?    Feel free to comment,  this ought to be good comedy!.

The UK press does love their Nazi sympathizers though, GrandPrix.com ran Jean Marie Balestre's obituary with as the only picture one of the Frenchman in a German uniform...only later adding a second picture that is not over 60 years old.

Anyway,  this bodes well for the 2008 season of "How the F1 World Turns"...

(Thanks to Ben Cooper for the tip!)

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Schumacher is shopping.

"Grandpa" Michael is listening to Jean Todt and Jean Alesi's advice about as much as little brother Ralf listened to him about not racing in DTM.  Today and tomorrow herr Schumi will be taking part in another semi-pro motorcycle race on the Misano circuit.   This time he's riding a KTM SuperDuke as part of the Trofeo KTM, that manufacturer's racing league.   Recently Schumacher had raced in Hungary on a Honda and in Spain on a Triumph.  Perhaps he is shopping for a new bike and this is how seven time world champions do test rides? 

Schumacher, who landed yesterday in rainy Rimini with a private jet and drove to the circuit in style in a Maserati simply said:  "I'm here to have fun,  I today I will learn the track and the lines.  Tomorow hopefully the weather will improve and we can have even more fun."

Misano circuit promoters will undoubtedly be happy as this is likely to be the best attended amateur race ever!

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Drinking games.

"...Also my water supply did not work properly so I was very, very thirsty and that meant I didn't feel great." Lewis Hamilton.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who looks more skeptically at the UK based motoring press these days...

Just after the Malaysian Grand Prix, Negative Camber posted a couple of rants up over at Formula 1 Blog about the excuses that the British media were making for Lewis Hamilton after his mediocre showing.

First of all, the media have used the fact that Hamilton was unable to drink water as a convenient explanation of his poor form. It has to be said, the nadir is this headline in The Daily Excess Express: Thirsty work but Lewis shows bottle.

What all of these stories fail to mention is the fact that Robert Kubica was also unable to drink his water because it was too hot. He joked that he might as well put tea in the bottle instead. Additionally, Kubica had been ill all week. All of this didn’t stop him from finishing second in the race.

Not only this, but Fernando Alonso also had a problem with his drink! On the Renault podcast this week they made the same joke about tea. Admittedly, Alonso’s performance was not so stellar either. But it goes to show that this water problem does not make Hamilton as much of a hero as the British press is attempting to make out.

Vee8Blog

 Golf clap....

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Three Wide

This was one of my favorite moments from the last GP in Malaysia. Clip starts onboard Alonso's Renault in a sandwich between Couthard and Nick Heidfeld. Alonso trying all he can to get past the Scottish Chicane, finally suckers him into taking a too defensive line and gets the jump off the corner. But when Coulthard moves over to try and block him, Heidfeld in the BMW makes the right guess and burns them both. Great bit of racing in a formula where there is not supposed to be any passing...

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To Please a Sponsor.

Corporate office's door a little tight? No problem. Here is how they squeezed a Renault R28 inside a Mutua Madrileña lobby. Probably not so easy with a NASCAR!

(photos ANSA, Reuters)
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Tire Warm-up 101

Jarno Trulli is on his warm up lap, putting heat in the tires. I was struck by the relative violence of it all, no pussyfooting about there from the Toyota driver.

One could use this video to illustrate friction circle theory quite graphically to performance driving students: There are times when Trulli, in a corner, whips in more steering and you can see this has almost zero effect on his trajectory.

It is also an illustration of how stiff and under steering Formula 1 cars are set up to be. At low speeds, with low aerodynamic loads, a gentle touch is needed to maintain adhesion.

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Marko's Mini. Watkins Glen, September 2007 by AC --> READ MORE

Lime Rock Evolves.

We were sent this map of the proposed changes to Lime Rock Park. I'm not sure what will be the accessibility those not members of the newly founded track club but the changes are certainly both welcomed and interesting.

While some will inevitably lament the lack of open corners and the elimination of that quaint proximity to the tire walls, I (and the other axis track-tards) look at it as a fresh challenge on a track that, frankly, was a bit long in the tooth and past it's prime.

The way this Alan Wilson proposal goes, I see some left right turns which if taken the proper way, will not be boring chicanes but entertaining challenges that will penalize bad lines.

Presuming many sections of the track will also get the repaving they need (downhill and turn one braking zone) this will make LRP relevant again.

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Massa, Massa, Massa....

What are the chances Felipe will see the full length of his three year contract at Ferrari?

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Speedcar

I'm trying to figure out if this is some kind of old formula 1 driver's purgatory or just an amusing sideshow. Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, a number of DTM drivers slug it out on NASCAR like machines, take a look.

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It's my track and I'll drive where I want to...

I agree they did not do it "intentionally"  but they weren't paying much attention either, especially Mr. Hamilton who perhaps figured qualifying ends when he's done?   Everyone else seemed to find a way off the racing line.

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Shaky Bargeboards

Considering the amount of painstaking detail that goes into the aerodynamics of the cars I am very surprised there would be so much flapping around allowed in the Ferrari barge boards.   Perhaps it's an optical illusion?  they seem pretty steady on the Mclaren.

In that second clip,  Hamilton is driving a very twitchy setup.  If his race car drives like that on Sunday I don't see his tires lasting long.

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Michael Schumacher, March 20, 2008 Pannonia-Ring, Hungary --> READ MORE

Voodoo Suspension

Coulthard better stop messing with Massa.

Looks like Brazilian fans of the little guy put some serious macumba voodoo on square jaw kilt boy's front suspension making it shatter like glass just as the scot was practicing his moving chicane technique! (ok, ok, officially he went off track when a track rod failed... mysteriously)

That left David kicking tree colors of sh*! out of his rear tires rather than the little ferrarista.

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Postcard from Malaysia

We know we have global community of tracktards and racing fans who check in so we are happy to give you driver interviews in at least four languages. English, Spanish Finnish and Polish (we know we have some Polish readers).

Seems the paddock was chuckling at Dave Coulthard threatening unspeakable things at little Felipe. Robert Kubica certainly was, looking surprised and amused discussing (in fluent Italian) the "kick three colors of s*i^..." quote with his friend.

Alonso looks to have regained his sense of humor and at the same time is very realistic about Renault's speed. Hamilton is acting coy but predicting total domination. Nick Heidfeld looks like he got lost on the way to South Beach. A Malaysian Policeman gives the "shocker" sign.

Enjoy this postcard from the Malaysian paddock.

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"Baby" Ferrari not so baby after all.

Remember the spy shots we had for you in early February? In a cruel blow to wanna be Ferrari owners worldwide, Maranello is confirming the F149, a front engined V8 GT will in fact be priced above the F430, slotting below the 612 Scaglietti both in size and price. Still on track for the Paris auto show and for sale in 2009.

(the red car in the picture is just a placeholder photoshop of course...)

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Baby M vs Baby Snapper

Tiff Needell and Jason Plato are back in top form for this segment of Fifth Gear pitting a BMW 135i vs a Cayman. Lots of screwing around and having fun, the final in car segment with the two of them sniping at each other is fantastic. Imagine getting paid to do that? Someone should tell Tiff the 135 does not really have a limited slip differential though.

The 135 looked a little hard to slide and I'm surprised, it sure was easy to swing when we drove it last year.

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We hear that...

Mclaren will change their pit lane speed limiter button.... --> READ MORE

Nuttiest hypercar you never heard of...

...well, at least I never heard of the Tramontana. It does qualify for insane though and not just because of the looks. Something like an Ariel Atom pushed by a 720bhp twin turbo V12. Except it's not at all like an Ariel, it has a full carbon fiber chassis (and "bodywork" naturally) and given the 2700lbs weight, I'm guessing that's a Mercedes V12.

Engine 12 cylinder in V 60º biturbo with intercooler
Power Selector 550 Hp - 404 kW at 5.000 rpm
720 Hp - 529 kW at 5.750 rpm

Max. Torque 900Nm at 3.500 rpm
920Nm at 4.000 rpm
Weight / power 1,7 kg / Hp
Diameter of cylinder ∅82 mm
Displacement 5.513 cm3
Compression 9:1
Turbo pressure 1.3 bar
Lubrication system Dry sump
Fuel Unleaded 98 Octane

Tyres
Rear: 335/30R20” (Y)
Front: 245/35R20” (Y)

Brakes.
4 carbon-ceramic ventilated discs.
Front: 380x34 mm 6 piston calipers
Rear: 380x34 mm 6 piston calipers
Full specs in .pdf here


And for your consideration, the following from a.d.Tramontana:

"Chassis Number: Each unit of the Tramontana will be differentiated with an engraved
verse in the chassis of a poem written by Carme Pagès, Catalan poet, that refers to the wind tramontana."
That must make the service appointment call amusing: "thank you sir, and may I have your serial number please..."

Anyway, we love to promote irrational insanity so, enjoy the very bombastically over produced clips and pictures.
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Tiff does NASCAR Part 2

Tiff "Needle" testing the limits of credibility...

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6 month internship with ING-Renault F1 team. Time crucial.

I just got this email and I see from the web site that the time to apply is ....well NOW, the deadline is May 15 and that's not exactly much time to come up with something to impress a Formula 1 team!

Sounds like a fantastic opportunity.

Dear Axis of oversteer,

I’m contacting you today because your website is among the first ones related to car industry and Formula One.
Here below is a piece of information that may interest you and the readers of your site.

In partnership with ING Renault F1 Team, Altran just launched the 5th issue of the Altran Engineering Academy.

Like the four young champions who came before, the future winner of the Altran Engineering Academy will join the R&D department of the ING Renault F1 Team in September 2008 for a six-month internship. Before that happens, the winner will go through a rigorous selection process, from submitting an application (deadline: May 15tht) to the Final Presentation on June 30th in Enstone, UK.
Applicants must submit a case study in the realm of Formula 1, then explain how they will conduct their project over the six months.

Candidates can enter from March 3rd till May 15th on the official website at www.altran-academy.com.
Applicants must be last-year students or recent graduates of a university or prestigious school specialising in science or technology. To enter the competition, candidates must submit a project, describing in 500 words a technological innovation in one of the following eight Formula 1 disciplines: aerodynamics, power-train, race and test engineering, design and analysis, vehicle dynamics, control systems and electronics, R&D of materials, transducers and test technology.
The winner will be selected from a field of nine finalists from around the world who will present their projects this summer to a jury of experts chaired by Robin Tuluie, the ING Renault F1 Team’s R&D manager, at the team’s Enstone facilities.


For more information (and a whole media kit including press releases, pictures ...), visit www.altran-academy.com

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Buttongate will not go away.

I thought we had put to rest the theory Hamilton tripped himself in Brazil last season, pushing "the wrong button" and causing his gearbox to go into "blue screen of death" mode but the story will just not go away that easily.

Even someone who perhaps should know better (or read Axis more often) like Marc Gene is still putting that theory out there. On his blog at ElMundo.es referring to the Heikki Kovalainen pit limiter incident he believes it " ...amazing that Mclaren has done nothing to correct a problem which cost Hamilton so much in Brazil".

Before you dismiss this as partisan however, consider his next point which is that "on the Ferrari, the pit speed limiter will only engage in low gears and never when the car is at full throttle". Kovalainen was well past the last turn apex and presumably at full throttle when he, as the official story goes, pressed the speed limiter.

Some smoke there...

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Why the Nissan GT-R will fail.

Check out this brilliant analysis of the GT-R in the context of the US market.
A must read, here is an excerpt.

"...What’s the Nissan GT-R’s market base? Well, it’s primarily made up of people who play Gran Turismo and its descendants, plus a smattering of kids who thought the car with the Impala-esque taillights in 2Fast 2Furious was pretty cool. Most of these people live in the basements of their parents’ homes. Do you see the problem with the idea of marketing a $70,000 car to people who still live with their parents and who spend all night on XBOX Live? If you don’t, allow me to point it out for you: These kids don’t have any money. They may be tremendously knowledgeable car enthusiasts and very nice people, but when I was seventeen years old, I was a knowledgeable car enthusiast too, and I don’t remember buying any $70,000 cars with my minimum-wage earnings from working the parts counter at David Hobbs BMW..."

SpeedSportLife via RightFootDown

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Porsche 996 GT3 RS by B-Artworks

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The Fog of Oz

Hamilton was perfect, that's all there is to say. Total domination but as Schumacher proved many times, perfection can be dull from the outside. If Lewis and Mclaren showed all how it should be done, what happened behind? With only seven cars crossing the finish line ( eight if you count the disqualified Barrichello) let's score this demolition derby.




Stars of the race:

Hamilton: Mclaren finally learn the advantages of having a designated #1 driver and give Lewis the winning fuel strategy this week end. Hamilton takes full advantage, drives a perfect race and dominates with ease.

Mclaren: Very simple, the team was almost perfect this week end. Almost because what looked like an oddly relaxed last pit stop for Kovaleinen cost him the podium.

Alonso: Fernando showed double world champion form fighting to the end in what was visibly  a very bad car. His opportunistic pass of not one, but two Finns at once was brilliant.

Rosberg and Heidfeld: Neither very visible but turns out that was a good thing in Melbourne. Fantastic to see a Williams on the podium again.

Bourdais: He did keep Fernando Heikki and Kimi behind him and considering his qualifying disaster, a great race. Toro Rosso's move to do just one lap the soft tires during the safety car and then switch back to the preferred rubber was brilliant.

One half of Raikkonen: Kimi was fantastic on the first lap, everyone always complains about no overtaking in F1 and Kimi passes eight cars in one lap. The first safety car made it all for nothing as his soft tire gamble was neutralized when he is stuck behind a much slower Barichello.

Dunces of the race:

The other half of Raikkonen: Kimi gets high marks for trying hard and I cannot really fault him for going at Kovaleinen . Getting ahead of Hamilton's blocker was really his only chance of getting onto the podium, he went for it but with no rubber on his front left, he lost. His second spin however was absurd, especially as he had done precisely the same thing, on the same corner, in Friday practice. Jokes about his hangover sure to follow.

Massa: On the first corner Massa showed why nobody takes him seriously, period.

Ferrari: First time both cars fail to finish since 1997, period. Oh wait it gets worse, all their customer engines failed to finish too.

Coulthard: He should retire. You'd think after all this time the head of the F1 driver's association would have figured out Formula 1 cars have no fenders and when you are passed you cannot bump your way back. He did it twice, on the first lap when Kimi passed him and of course with Massa. Perhaps he should go be the second Scotsman in NASCAR.

BMW: If they had a strategy for Kubica, I missed it.

Formula 1 drivers and restarts: What part of "you need to get as close to the leader as possible" is not getting through? Infuriating.

The Speed TV team: First race and Peter Windsor's Ham-worship and constant Alonso and Ferrari bashing is getting old already. Amusing to hear them praise Kovaleinen's blocking abilities and willingness to be a clear #2 driver.

The Albert Park Circuit: Forget installing lights for a night race, how about filling in the potholes?

Luckiest unlucky guy of the week end: Timo Glock, hits a berm and flies but JUST misses a barrier that would have made a spectacular accident a very serious one.

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Epic cliché missed by a tenth!

Motoring journalists the world over rued the missed opportunity for an inevitable "Pole on pole" headline  when Robert Kubica put all four wheels of his oddly nosed BMW in the grass.

Kubica showed where his "ballast" is and never lifted but, obviously, the lap was compromised.   I noticed this did not stop some (presumably with a straight face) from proclaiming that driving in the dirt did not really slow him down much...  OK.  Define "much",  I'm guessing well over 1/10th...

o.155 sec is all that eventually separated Kubica from Hamilton  who drove a great lap in a Mclaren which was clearly better set up than the rest of the field,   both Kovaleinen and Hamilton onboards  showed them fighting the car much less than the competition.  Mclaren nailed it this week end.   It did not look like Ferrari quite had the goods in qualifying mechanical issues aside .  BMW have tended to qualify on light fuel so we'll have to wait for the race to see if the pace is really there, but imagine Kubica in a Mclaren or a Ferrari?

Renault looked awful but how about Toyota and even Honda showing a pulse? Sebastian Bourdais and Piquet Jr. ....ouch.

There was a lot of sliding from just about everyone and it will be interesting to see what effect this will all have on tire wear  during the race.  Get your popcorn ready!

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Axis can reveal...

...the identity of "Anonymous".

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There will be Oversteer!

Qualifying will be Friday on SpeedTV at 11:00 pm est in the US.


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No, he did NOT press the button

There is a clip I've been meaning to post since the end of last season. Last year saw some real whoppers published by the "legitimate media" and the back and forth between the UK press and the Spanish media was very amusing. On the UK side you had some real beauties like Peter Windsor's brilliant quote about how it was really unfair Raikkonen, despite having a better overall record, won the championship.

Another fabulous whopper is the following from some dude at Autosport about how it was all really Ferrari's fault for letting Mclaren spy on them.


But the Spanish side had some classics as well, perhaps best of all, Button-gate....no, not as in Jenson but as in Hamilton turned off his own car in Brazil by mistake. It was all much fun at the time and the evidence, on the surface convincing, was posted all over the net. Of course a review of the actual in car footage, the complete footage, makes it clear nothing of the sort ever happened.
OK, hint for the Mclaren boys (and other teams too), rather than blame the internet for your troubles next time just send an anonymous tip to our mailbox...we certainly won't get it as wrong as Autosport or Marca did!

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Separated at birth?

I mean, I know F1 drivers have not been known for their sartorial splendor in recent years but Lewis, dude.....what's up with that look? (I kid, I kid, but what's next dress shoes with no socks?)

(for the non-latin readership....Ramazzotti was/is an über-popular Italian pop singer of the 80's and 90's...) --> READ MORE

Formula 1 1950-2007

Three days to go and it's time to remember how we got here and why we get up at stupid hours to watch races we know might often disappoint us...

a great compilation by Antti_K  from Finland,  enjoy.

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Tiff does NASCAR

Tiff's NASCAR love? Well, maybe it has to do with UK's channel Five carrying the races on Tuesday nights, but the Fifth Gear crew certainly looks amused, at least by Montoya's now standard answer as to why he left Formula 1 ("...you pass more cars in one race than in a whole F1 career..."  right, more passing and more burgers,  gotcha Juan!).      

In the end though, this is the best piece on NASCAR I have ever seen,  it almost makes you want to watch.  It certainly points out precisely what NASCAR has and Formula 1 seems to be trying it's best to completely lose: contact with the public.   

Say what you will about the Viagra pushing left turners but they don't apologize and they most certainly have no guilt feelings, no biofuel hybrid requirements there.... and for all their lardy low tech race barges they have high tech services for fans,  on demand internet feeds,  rental close circuit multichannel personal screens at the track...  huge access.   

F1 could certainly learn a thing or two there don't you think?

Tiff does NASCAR from Axis of Oversteer * on Vimeo. --> READ MORE

Ballistic Boot

Ducati Superbike rider sets works record in this start collision.
Check it out,  that black thing taking off for a low earth orbit is indeed Michel Fabrizio's right boot.   To complete the  first lap's Superbike carnage, two riders crash as the red flag is displayed.  I think there were more riders in the hospital than in the garages by the end of the week end!

Ballistic Boot from Axis of Oversteer * on Vimeo. --> READ MORE

Formula 1 2008 preview.

Just a couple of days away now, as good a time as any to go over rule changes for the 2008 season, there are quite a few.

First and most visible will be the "Axis of Oversteer" rule, no traction control, no computer controlled engine braking. With no help going into the corners and no help coming out (well....we know F1 engineers are more clever than F1 officials), the gap between the good and the great will be more evident. Who knows, maybe we'll get another Senna at Monaco with a Toleman moment.





The other major change in terms of racing will come from the modified qualifying rules. Teams will not be allowed to fuel between the end of final qualifying session and the start of the race.
With the final session shortened to only ten minutes, on many tracks that will be just a couple of laps. In terms of strategy, with no more pointless fuel burn off lapping and limited chances of getting a hot lap, teams will tend to send out "light" cars for grid position and that will mean short stints at the beginning of the race.

Other rule changes include:
A token amount of fuel components that would allow the FIA to wear "bio-green" underwear.

Coulthard-proof cockpit sides, longer and higher side head protection to prevent contact with any eventual flying Scotsmen.

Gearboxes have to last four week ends, a failed transmission will result in a five grid spot penalty. Engine failure is ten spots but all teams get one "get out of jail free" card for the season and more components will be able to be replaced with identical items.

A number of "exotic" materials have been banned as a cost saving measure.

Always in the name of "cost savings" teams are limited to two cars per race week end which in FIA think would stop the big boys from bringing four chassis to each race..... not really sure how that one is supposed to work.

Testing miles have been further cut but with an interesting out clause for teams: testing miles will not count for drivers who have not raced in Formula 1 for the previous twenty four months and who have not, in that same period driven an F1 car for more than four days.
This is FIA speak for giving young drivers a chance but it can also be a good employment opportunity for retired F1 talent, that's two free Schumacher tests a year for example!

Finally I can think of no good reason not to repost the awesome FIA 2007 season highlight reel....



F1 2007 from AxisOfOversteer.com on Vimeo.

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Progress at New Jersey Motorsport Park.

I know all of us in the North East are anxious for news, our friends at NJMP sent us a progress report and some fresh aerial reconnaissance .

Despite weather related delays, the Lightning course is almost all paved. Kart tracks are graded and ready for asphalt.

We are all waiting for the big track, Thunderbolt. It looks to be somewhat further behind however they are confident it will all get paved in time for summer. Very nice! --> READ MORE

Stoner sparks, Rossi and Pedrosa....ooops

I can just imagine the colorful epithets Dani Pedrosa must have had for Valentino guilty of being where Perdrosa felt entitled to go I guess....

Meanwhile the fight up front is between Casey Stoner's Ducati and Rossi's Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Qualifying later today, First night race tomorrow.

FP2 results, Stoner's top speed: 327.8km/h 203.6mph!!!!!
thanks F1-Michi



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After NASCAR I suppose this was inevitable...

Comment on the YouTube page:

"neurofedor:  Definitivamente Montoya es un Red Neck"

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New Mercedes SL63 Lightweight F1 pace car

One week ahead of the first 2008 season GP, Mercedes boasts its latest pace car offering is a full 485lbs lighter than the series car it's derived from. The 585hp SL63 AMG has plastic engine hood, wings, doors and trunk, the motors for the roof are gone as is much sound deadening.

The result, according to MB "...is a weight reduction of 220 kilograms, with the Safety Car weighing in at just 1750 kilograms/3858lbs (with a full tank and without occupants)".

And they say Germans have no sense of humor... --> READ MORE

Axis thumbs up GPNY

This has all the making of an unfortunate addiction for us! The facility while not quite finished is very impressive, loved the cars parked in the lobby, the tracks are nice, karts are gas not electric. The timing and scoring software works very well, you can even check your lap times online.

But most of all the racing is well organized and smooth. We also liked the "safety briefing" film which featured someone driving a kart on NYC streets....we just love that kind of humor!
Grand Prix New York

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MotoGP starts this week end

Don't miss the ever first night race at the Losail circuit in Quatar. It certainly will be a photographer's delight!
In the US, SpeedTV has it scheduled for 6PM est, in HD as well if you are lucky enough to have SpeedHD from your provider. That should look spectacular.



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Bring on the night.

Night races, a buzz word in F1 but MotoGP will do it first. Let's check out this raw feed of night testing in Quatar. The relative darkness makes the sparks coming off of Stoner's knee pads that much cooler!

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A Nissan GT-R compendium

Now fully fascinated by the GT-R and especially people's reaction to it, I'll jot down a few points from EVO's first review. I just found the Italian edition of the March issue in my local news shop, I'll translate and paraphrase a few passages:

There is a sidebar about the factory with a description of the break-in procedure each GT-R is put through:

"...as the cars come off the assembly line they are transported to the local track for testing.

Test driver Kazuo Shishikura, resplendent in his red race boots and matching Nismo gloves, tells us this mile long circuit is very "easy" but goes on to say the test is anything but. The first two laps are completed at 100km/h (62mph) with the accelerator pedal floored and the left foot on the brakes: this brutal treatment is to bed in the brakes. Then four standing starts to test the transmission and work in the clutch plates and a couple of trips over a rough section of track ("like an English country road") will check the suspension. Finally, after these tests, the new GT-R will be ready to be drives, and probably brutalized by its new owner..."

From the main article:

"...Nissan was able to negotiate out of the JDM "gentleman's agreement" to limit cars to 280hp by promising that the GT-R will be much more difficult to tune and chip thanks to an ECU ready to alert factory techs (axis note: yeah right that will do it!) . They have even eliminated ceramic turbos in favour of steel ones, faster but also more heat sensitive. The idea being making Japanese roads safer by making it harder for tuners to have 800hp cars with stock brakes...."

" ...despite it's blocky shape it has a cD of 0.27..."

"...the cylinders are "plasma coated" for cooling..."

"...when you select auto mode for the transmission, fuel consumption is acceptable as sixth gear can be selected evn as slow as 50km/h..."

"...even on the "comfort" setting, the suspension is stiff and jarring..."

"...the interior leather finish is first rate..."

Moving to the test track:

"I floor it in second gear...the last time I was surprised like that had been two days earlier when I was blindsided by a high pressure water jet when sitting on a Japanese toilet..."

"...as the tires warm up, the balance of the car shifts to understeer, the front end tends to wash out under the 250kg of twin turbo V6 in the nose..."

" the 2/10th shift time feels slow compared to the 0.06 of a Scuderia , but one does not feel the need for a faster shift..."

"...by the end of the session it becomes clear that the GT-R is a car that likes to be driven at the limit, but not much beyond. you need to be progressive on corner exit or the front end will wash out. Only once the steering angle is reduced you can floor it..." (axis note: normal 4wd behavior)

"..under braking, tramlining is disconcerting but once all the 1740kg are back on the road the car sorts it all out..."

"...fuel consumption on boost is epic..."

" ...the soundtrack is not very exciting but to be honest, you will be so busy with the speed and scenery moving by that bypassing all "non-essential" sensations to concentrate on steering and braking correctly will be essential..."

"...the GT-R won me over. It's a banzai experience and the car deserves to be called a supercar..."

The article is by Henry Catchpole, EVO's publisher I think, and you should go out and buy it for the full review.

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And now EVO, the GT-R vs GT3 test.

All good things come in threes so, after Autocar and CAR magazines,  here is EVO's take on the same story.    Their GT-R is black,  maybe the same Autocar used,  makes you wonder why CAR magazine was not able to get a tester from Nissan.

Anyway, there are two things I found most impressive about the GT-R in this video, the first that it's claimed it brakes as well as the GT3, this despite weighing almost 700 lbs more.

The second is how the car stays composed despite the jerky inputs of the driver on the last two turns.  If it's the same driver using the same technique in the GT3, it is no surprise the car comes out of the last turn with at least 60 degrees of yaw angle and smoking the tires...
Makes you wonder if the GT-R comes with a "reset" button!

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Another end of an era

Rumors of Ron Dennis stepping down have been around since last year but now it seems like it's just a matter of when rather than if. 

When Dennis steps down, Formula 1 will lose one of its titans, a man who started as a mechanic and went on to create all that is the Mclaren organization. Now Sir Frank is the only one left.

read Autosport's article --> READ MORE

Negative lift

Testing at airfields, particularly this one on the island of Menorca, has become quite the rage recently and this time it's BMW-Sauber's turn.    It must be that teams are getting data that cannot be simulated in the wind tunnel or that, somehow, testing away from a sanctioned track does not count towards the testing limits.  Any theories?

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Is Puma renting 599 GTBs as billboards?

West Side Highway, New York City. By AC --> READ MORE

Toyo RA-1, still the track day king.

Our readers have spoken: the venerable Toyo RA-1 is still the track day king. Not surprising given its excellent price/performance/wear ratings. However, the king is now officially dead and it will be interesting to see how its replacement the Toyo R888 will do. The 888 has been available outside the US market for some time now so I expect no surprises, except maybe that Toyo would make a size that actually fits my car, that would be sweet.

The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup had a strong second place showing. I was surprised to see so few votes for the Hoosier and Kumho.

thanks for voting!

What tires do you use for track days?

Whatever the car came with	8 (9%)
Michelin Sport Cup	14 (17%)
Pirelli Corsa	1 (1%)
Hoosier R6	8 (9%)
Kumho V710	5 (6%)
Kumho Victoracers	1 (1%)
Kumho V700 Ecsta	1 (1%)
Toyo RA1	25 (30%)
Toyo R888	7 (8%)
Hankook	4 (4%)
Yokohama 048	5 (6%)
Avon Tech R	0 (0%)
BFGoodrich R1	2 (2%)
Full Slicks	6 (7%)
Other	18 (22%)

Votes so far: 81

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CAR sneaks a GT-R

Since we are on such a GT-R roll, here is CAR's video of their Nissan vs Porsche 997 TT shootout.

I'm not sure how their claim of having the first GT-R in the UK squares with the Autocar video released earlier in the month (I guess they had the first white one?) but I will give them marks for using telemetry, real time wireless data recorders none the less, nice! Can we see the full data?

Watching the video, I hope they edited in slides for dramatic effect because there is no way driving any car that sideways yields the best possible times.

This might also remind you of the kind of talent Tiff Needell has as a TV presenter and driver...

In this month's issue, CAR has the full article with the BMW e92 M3 and the Audi R8 compared as well. Quite interesting, for the M3, not one complaint about brakes!

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Elephant Stoppers

Thanks to "anonymous" for the tip, this fits right in with the discussions we were having among us about how do you stop a 3900lbs car with performance figures like the Nissan GT-R:

under the wheels, a little bit of Italy takes care of what must be the hardest work on that car!

Notice also true two piece floating rotors, at least on the front. Massive given those are 20 inch wheels.

While I despise the 3900lbs, at least it looks like Nissan tried to provide proper anchors for their speedy behemoth. Other companies take note, denial is not a river in Egypt but in Northern Italy!

Autoblog has some high resolution pictures of a J-spec GT-R. The engineering may be impressive, but that has to be the worse interior ever in that price range, ouch!

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