I’m sitting here, feeling a bit squashed that the webcasted radio is
useless with jerks, gaps and stops, trying to listen to the Mid-Ohio
ALMS race.

During a caution period, with a pace car on track, I heard some team
manager vent his anger against closed pits.

In F1 when the safety car comes out, almost always people dive into the
pits to fill up the tanks, but in ALMS they can’t do that, and they have
to line up behind the pace car with the leader up front.

So, I wonder how would it affect F1 and the annoying tendency to
overtake in the pits, if you couldn’t use the pits during a Safety Car
period? I guess there are some reason for IMSA to have written the rules
for ALMS different than FIA has for F1.

Any ideas?

/Andreas

–
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?

Any pointers on where to get ?

I can only say one thins about Michael’s behaviour today. What a bloody
louse!

He had such perfect timing to have a "problem" that just managed to not
hurt the car. Ralf said it best when big brother did his last foul
maneuver at Monaco. "He’s not right in the head".

Only two drivers would ever do such a disgraceful thing, Senna and
Schumi! Up there with the greatest…

In my world, Alonso is on the moral pole tomorrow.

/andreas (disgusted)

–
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?

For those who, like me, had problems listening to the Mid-Ohio sportscar
race (Hi Pete!), there are now mp3 files on the ALMS website if you care
to listen in to the race afterwards.

/Andreas

–
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?

I was a child when I got a copy of "All But My Life"
and immediately became a fan of F1 despite the dearth
of coverage in America at the time–the late 60s/early
70s.  I had to buy a shortwave receiver to hear what
had happened with the races (thank you again, BBC!)
but those were glorious days in which to be a new fan
of Formula One.

Then I lost touch with F1 for many years–until a couple
of years ago, when I happened to see part of a race on
our new cable TV system, and was immediately hooked again.
The technology was stunning!  The racing was brilliant!

And now tonight I feel simply sick at heart.  I’ve always
considered myself a fan of Schumacher–oh, I’ve heard the
criticism, but he was capable of SUCH heroic efforts, he
seemed a true successor to the glories of the great ones–
until tonight.

I’ve watched the tape a number of times during the day;
I AM a Schumacher fan–or was–and I still can not believe
that incident in qualifying today was an accident.

Perhaps it’s a Germanic character trait–the need to win.
Little American boys of my generation were relentlessly
taught, in school, in Scouts, in church, in the mass media,
that it was better to lose with honor, it was more heroic
to be a good sport, that playing the game honestly and with
respect for the other side, was more important than winning.

I think that was part of our English heritage–and for the
record, it’s somewhat out-of-date in the Bush era.  But
those of us who grew up with those lessons still cherish
those teachings: we still applaud the golfer who notes his
own penalty for grounding his club head in a sand trap,
when nobody else saw it–he’s playing the game honestly
and honorably.

And I see Michael lock a wheel a tiny bit and pretend to
slide to the wall–carefully avoiding any damage to his own
car but impeding Fernando’s chance for pole–and I simply
feel sick at heart.  I don’t believe I’ll ever take joy in
seeing Schumi do well, ever again.  Last year I was assuring
the other F1 fans I knew, "Ferrari will be back as soon as
the punitive tire rules are changed–you’ll see!"  Now I just
hope Schumacher leaves the sport soon.  He–rather like our
current American president–is a disgrace to the values we
were taught.  I used to consider myself one of his truest
fans; now I am disgusted.

 _______________________________________________
 Ken Kuzenski   AC4RD   ken . kuzenski at duke .edu
 _______________________________________________
All disclaimers apply, see?  www.duke.edu/~kuzen001

A black day for Formula One

27/05/2006

It was David Coulthard who famously said that opinions are like assholes –
everyone’s got one.

Since just before 15.00 (Monaco time) today, everyone, but everyone, has had
an opinion on one particular subject. Namely, did Michael Schumacher
deliberately stop his Ferrari on track at the final corner (Rascasse),
thereby preventing his rivals from beating his time.

It was to be expected that internet message boards and forums would play
host to some of the fiercest debates, since the German driver seems to
polarise fans. However, it is the backlash from within the paddock that has
really sent out shockwaves, as drivers and team principals make no effort to
conceal what they think. namely, that the German cheated.

Eight hours after the incident which will get Formula One back in the
headlines for all the wrong reasons, the stewards finally reached a
conclusion. They decided that the seven-time world Champion had deliberately
stopped on track in an effort to thwart his rivals. He was subsequently
stripped of his times and demoted to the back of the grid, where he will
start alongside his teammate, Felipe Massa, who crashed at the beginning of
the session having failed to post a time.

However, while the stewards were deliberating, the rest of Monaco was doing
what it does best, partying. In the hotels, clubs and bars, on the yachts in
the harbour, the rich and the beautiful, the powerful and the vain, carried
on blissfully ignorant that Formula One was about to be dealt another
vicious body blow.

A day or so after Flavio Briatore called on Formula One to respect its
customers, the sport turned around and issued another vicious bite to the
(public) hand that feeds it.

What we now need to know is how the stewards have reached their decision,
how they know that Michael Schumacher deliberately parked his car on track.
Ferrari is one of only two teams that encrypts its team radio, however the
FIA has full access. Therefore, were the stewards privy to orders from the
Ferrari garage, or was the clue to the German’s guilt to be found in the
Ferrari’s telemetry?

The statement issued by the stewards reads: "The stewards can find no
justifiable reason for the driver to have braked with such undue, excessive
and unusual pressure at this part of the circuit."

Which certainly points to the fact that their finding is based on telemetry
readings. If this is so, what took them so long?

At the same time, having been accused of cheating, which is basically what
is being said, will Ferrari and Schumacher appeal, surely if they are
innocent they must.

No doubt the matter will be hushed up for now, in order that the sport’s
‘jewel in the crown’ is not tarnished. However, the reality of what has
happened here today is that Formula One has suffered another massive blow to
its credibility and the customers don’t know who to blame.

If nothing else, today’s decision by the race stewards, together with the
backlash from within the paddock, not to mention the fact that he has been
accused and found guilty of cheating, is sure to cause Michael Schumacher to
think long and hard about whether he really wants to continue. Tonight’s
decision might have driven him into retirement.

Cheers,

BC.

http://www.getbroadband.ie

Been seeing a lot of posts about MS drive yesterday and how many places
he made up during the race and I started wondering if anyone else had
move so far forward at Monaco. This is the result:

Places Driver             R SP Race             St Rt Dq
18     Éric Bernard       6 24 1990 –  4 –  MON 26 19  1
18     Andrea de Adamich  7 25 1973 –  6 –  MON 25 16

17     Michael Schumacher 5 22 2006 –  7 –  MON 22  6
17     David Coulthard    5 22 2001 –  7 –  MON 22 12
17     Alex Caffi         5 22 1990 –  4 –  MON 26 19  1

16     Bertrand Gachot    8 24 1991 –  4 –  MON 26 14
16     Patrick Depailler  9 25 1974 –  6 –  MON 25 16

Notes:
R  = Result
SP = Start place
St = Number of starters
Rt = Total number of retirees
Dq = Total number of disqualified drivers

I do not know when the retirees were, they may have been in front of the
driver or they may have been behind.

Cheers

Geoff

–
Unofficial Formula One [tm](r)(c) Statistics Database is available at:
http://glibs.ssmmdd.co.uk/

Scott Speed needs a new hat.  The raggedy one he’s wearing just
doesn’t work in F1.  Maybe in karting or some of the lower formulae,
but not F1 (or Champ Car, for that matter).

Hell, I’ll buy you a new one.  Although I suspect you can head back to
the stock room and grab one off the shelf.
—
dillon

I didn’t climb to the top of the
food chain to become a vegetartian.

 #  Driver        Team                 Time    Lps  Gap   %Gap   Km/hr    mph
==============================================================================
 5  M Schumacher  Ferrari             1’24.751  4  0.000 0.000 209.541 130.203
35  A Wurz        Williams-Cosworth   1’25.132 19  0.381 0.450 208.603 129.620
38  R Kubica      BMW-Sauber          1’25.942 24  1.191 1.405 206.637 128.398
36  A Davidson    Honda               1’26.012 27  1.261 1.488 206.469 128.294
 8  J Trulli      Toyota              1’26.417  7  1.666 1.966 205.501 127.693
37  R Doornbos    Red Bull-Ferrari    1’26.498 18  1.747 2.061 205.309 127.573
 6  F Massa       Ferrari             1’26.596  4  1.845 2.177 205.076 127.429
14  D Coulthard   Red Bull-Ferrari    1’26.678  7  1.927 2.274 204.882 127.308
 3  K Räikkönen   McLaren-Mercedes    1’26.938  5  2.187 2.581 204.270 126.927
19  C Albers      Midland-Toyota      1’28.048 13  3.297 3.890 201.695 125.327
21  S Speed       Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1’28.498  6  3.747 4.421 200.669 124.690
39  G Mondini     Midland-Toyota      1’28.969 20  4.218 4.977 199.607 124.030
15  C Klien       Red Bull-Ferrari    1’29.106  6  4.355 5.139 199.300 123.839
40  N Jani        Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1’29.695 13  4.944 5.834 197.991 123.026
20  V Liuzzi      Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1’30.348 13  5.597 6.604 196.560 122.137
18  T Monteiro    Midland-Toyota      1’31.146  6  6.395 7.546 194.839 121.067
22  T Sato        Super Aguri-Honda   1’31.217 17  6.466 7.629 194.687 120.973
23  Y Ide         Super Aguri-Honda   1’31.482 17  6.731 7.942 194.123 120.623
 1  F Alonso      Renault             No time   3
 2  G Fisichella  Renault             No time   2
 4  J Villeneuve  BMW-Sauber          No time   1
 7  N Heidfeld    BMW-Sauber          No time   1
11  R Barrichello Honda               No time   1
16  R Schumacher  Toyota              No time   1
17  JP Montoya    McLaren-Mercedes    No time   1
 9  M Webber      Williams-Cosworth   No time
10  N Rosberg     Williams-Cosworth   No time
12  J Button      Honda               No time

Weather: Air 24, Track 29, Humidity 38%, Dry

–

Brian Lawrence
Brian_W_Lawre…@msn.com
Wantage, Oxfordshire, UK

Average Starting Position 2006 – after Imola, Qualifying #4
===========================================================

                                                                | Pre-2003
         2006                        2005      2004      2003   | F1 Career
Pos.      ASP                      Pos. ASP  Pos. ASP  Pos. ASP | Pos. ASP
===========================================================================
 1.      2.00         J Button       4  5.94  3  5.50  13 11.33  | 93 13.02
 2. (3)  4.75 (+0.08) F Alonso       1  3.95  7  7.56   8  7.88  |166 19.47
 3. (4)  5.50 (+0.50) JP Montoya     7  7.53  4  5.61   2  4.19  |  7  4.18
 4. (2)  5.75 (+1.75) G Fisichella   3  5.74 17 12.33  19 13.88  | 64 10.98
 5. (6)  6.50 (-1.83) M Schumacher  10  8.21  1  3.94   3  4.25  |  2  2.95
 6. (5)  7.00 (+1.00) M Webber       8  8.00 13  9.72  11  9.88  |168 19.59
 7(=10) 10.00 (-0.67) K Räikkönen    2  5.68  9  8.22   6  6.81  | 31  7.71
 8(=10) 10.25 (-0.42) J Trulli       5  6.11  6  6.71   7  7.31  | 58 10.28
 9.(=7) 10.50 (+0.83) N Rosberg      -  -     –  -      -  -     |  -  -
   (12) 10.50 (-2.17) F Massa       17 11.89 18 13.50   –  -     | 77 11.88
11.(=7) 11.00 (-1.33) N Heidfeld    12  9.57 21 16.00  15 12.31  | 81 12.28
12.(15) 11.25 (-2.75) R Barrichello 13 10.53  2  4.56   1  3.63  | 38  8.42
13.(=7) 11.50 (+1.83) C Klien       15 10.93 19 13.67   –  -     |  -  -
14.(17) 12.75 (-2.25) R Schumacher  11  8.61  5  6.00   5  5.93  | 21  7.04
15(=13) 13.00 (-0.33) J Villeneuve  18 12.00 14 11.33  14 11.67  | 33  7.77
16(=13) 14.00 (+0.67) V Liuzzi      19 13.00  -  -      -  -     |  -  -
17.(16) 14.25 (-0.08) D Coulthard   16 11.00 10  9.39   9  8.50  | 12  5.13
18.     16.00 (+0.67) S Speed        -  -     –  -      -  -     |  -  -
19.     17.50 (+0.83) C Albers     =24 17.26  -  -      -  -     |  -  -
20.     18.50 (+0.17) T Monteiro   =24 17.26  -  -      -  -     |  -  -
21.     19.75 (+0.42) T Sato        14 10.88  8  8.06  16 13.00  |118 15.29
22.     20.75 (+0.42) Y Ide          -  -     –  -      -  -     |  -  -

Averages include all demotions such as engine change penalties. The pre-2003
career reflects the change to single-lap/restricted qualifying format – I
don’t propose to update the career figures.

Average Team Starting Position 2006 – after Imola, Qualifying #4
================================================================

    2006                         2005      2004     2003      2002      2001
Pos.     ASP                    Pos. ASP  Pos. ASP  Pos. ASP  Pos. ASP  Pos. ASP
=================================================================================
 1.      5.25 (+0.92) Renault    1.  4.84  4.  7.47  3.  7.59  4.  9.50  8. 16.06 *
 2.(=2)  7.75 (-0.08) McLaren    2.  6.61  5.  8.81  4.  7.66  3.  5.62  3.  4.64
 3. (4)  6.88 (-1.12) Honda      4.  8.53  3.  6.78  6. 11.48  6. 12.71  6. 11.06 *
 4. (5)  8.50 (-2.00) Ferrari    6.  9.37  1.  4.25  1.  3.94  1.  2.35  1.  3.09
 5.(=2)  8.75 (+0.92) Williams   5.  9.32  2.  6.39  2.  5.03  2.  3.21  2.  4.41
 6. (8) 11.50 (-1.33) Toyota     3.  7.47  7. 11.81  5. 10.09  8. 14.59  -   –
 7. (6) 12.00 (+0.50) BMW-Sauber 8. 11.95  8. 12.92  8. 12.81  5. 10.97  5. 10.06 *
 8. (7) 12.88 (+0.88) Red Bull   7. 11.24  6. 11.69  7. 11.84  9. 15.79  7. 13.59 *
 9.     15.00 (+0.67) T Rosso   10. 17.50 10. 18.53 10. 18.66 11. 20.32 11. 20.65 *
10.     18.00 (+0.50) Midland    9. 16.97  9. 16.36  9. 15.53  7. 13.33  4.  8.38 *
11.     20.25 (+0.42) S Aguri    -   –     –   –     –   –     –   –     –   –

*  Red Bull = Jaguar (2001-04), Renault = Benetton (2001), Honda = BAR
   (2001-05), BMW-Sauber = Sauber (2001-05), Midland = Jordan (2001-05),
   Toro Rosso = Minardi (2001-05)

Team-mates Head-to-Head 2006 – after Imola, Qualifying #4
=========================================================

Team        Driver-1           Driver-2     Posn.
================================================
Honda       Button        4-0  Barrichello   +37
Ferrari     M Schumacher  4-0  Massa         +16
S Aguri     Sato          4-0  Ide            +4

McLaren     Montoya       3-1  Räikkönen     +18
Williams    Webber        3-1  Rosberg       +14
Toro Rosso  Liuzzi        3-1  Speed          +8
Midland     Albers        3-1  Monteiro       +4

Red Bull    Klien         2-2  Coulthard     +11
Toyota      Trulli        2-2  R Schumacher  +10
BMW-Sauber  Heidfeld      2-2  Villeneuve     +8
Renault     Fisichella    2-2  Alonso         -4

Notes: "Posn." shows the advantage in qualifying positions to date. A
positive number shows the driver on the left has the advantage and a
negative number the driver on the right.

Best Qualifying Performances (Current Drivers)
==============================================

               Best in 2006     Best in   Best in       Best before 2004
Driver         Posn.(#)  GP(s)   2005      2004     Posn. (#)  First  - Last
==============================================================================
M Schumacher   Pole (2) BRN/RSM Pole (1)  Pole (8)  Pole (55)  MON 94 – ITA 03
G Fisichella   Pole (1) MAS     Pole (1)  5th  (1)  Pole  (1)  AUT 98
J Button       Pole (1) AUS     Pole (1)  Pole (1)  3rd   (1)  BEL 00

F Massa        2nd  (1) BRN     7th  (1)  4th  (2)  7th   (2)  AUT 02 – HUN 02
N Rosberg      3rd  (1) MAS     —       —       —
F Alonso       3rd  (1) AUS     Pole (6)  Pole (1)  Pole  (2)  MAS 03 – HUN 03
R Barrichello  3rd  (1) RSM     5th  (2)  Pole (4)  Pole  (9)  BEL 94 – JPN 03
M Webber       4th  (1) MAS     2nd  (1)  2nd  (1)  3rd   (2)  BRA 03 – HUN 03
K Räikkönen    4th  (1) AUS     Pole (5)  Pole (1)  Pole  (2)  Eur 03 – USA 03
JP Montoya     5th  (3) . . .   Pole (2)  2nd  (4)  Pole (11)  GER 01 – GER 03
R Schumacher   6th  (2) AUS/RSM Pole (1)  Pole (1)  Pole  (4)  FRA 01 – FRA 03
C Klien        8th  (2) BRN/MAS 4th  (1)  10th (1)  —
N Heidfeld     8th  (1) AUS     Pole (1)  13th (1)  4th   (1)  AUT 03
J Trulli       9th  (3) . . .   Pole (1)  Pole (2)  2nd   (4)  MON 00 – GBR 03
J Villeneuve   10th (1) MAS     4th  (1)  9th  (1)  Pole (13)  AUS 96 – Eur 97

D Coulthard    11th (1) AUS     5th  (1)  3rd  (1)  Pole (12)  ARG 95 – MON 01
S Speed        12th (1) MAS     —       —       —
V Liuzzi       12th (1) AUS     11th (1)  —       —
C Albers       15th (1) MAS     13th (1)  —       —
T Monteiro     16th (1) MAS     12th (1)  —       —
T Sato         17th (1) MAS     4th  (2)  2nd  (1)  7th   (1)  JPN 02
Y Ide          18th (1) MAS     —       —       —

All-Time Top 20 Pole Positions
==============================

 1. A Senna         65
 2. M Schumacher    50  + 14 in 2003-05 [1] + 2 in 2006 [3]
 3. A Prost         34
 4. J Clark         33
 5. N Mansell       32
 6. JM Fangio       29
 7. M Häkkinen      26
 8. N Lauda         24
    N Piquet        24
10. D Hill          20
11. M Andretti      18
12. J Stewart       17
    R Arnoux        17
14. S Moss          16
15. A Ascari        14
    R Peterson      14
    J Hunt          14
18. J Brabham       13
    G Hill          13
    J Ickx          13
    J Villeneuve    13  + 0 in 2003-04 [1] + 0 in 2005 [2]
    JP Montoya      10  + 3                + 0

1. Single lap qualifying (2003-05, except for AUS-MON ’05)
2. Two single-lap sessions aggregated (AUS-MON ’05 only)
3. Knockout, 3-period, race fuel

The Recent Record of Pole Position Holders at Imola
===================================================

Year  Time      Driver         Chassis          Rslt
====================================================
1996  1:26.890  M Schumacher   Ferrari F310     2nd  Hill         2nd
—-
1997  1:23.303  J Villeneuve   Williams FW19    DNF  Frentzen     2nd
1998  1:25.973  D Coulthard    McLaren MP4/13   1st
1999  1:26.362  M Häkkinen     McLaren MP4/14   DNF  M Schumacher 3rd
—-
2000  1:24.714  M Häkkinen     McLaren MP4/15   2nd  M Schumacher 2nd
2001  1:23.054  D Coulthard    McLaren MP4/16   2nd  R Schumacher 3rd
2002  1:21.091  M Schumacher   Ferrari F2002    1st
2003  1:22.327  M Schumacher   Ferrari F2002    1st
2004  1:19.753  J Button       BAR 006          2nd  M Schumacher 2nd
—-
2005 [2:42.880] K Räikkönen    McLaren MP4/20   DNF  Alonso       2nd
—-
2006  1:22.795  M Schumacher   Ferrari 248 F1   1st

—- Indicates changes to track length and/or layout.

Note: 2003-04 was decided on "single lap"; 2005 was two-session/aggregate;
2006 knockout/3-period

There have been 27 Grands Prix at Imola,
eight were won from pole position (previous M Schumacher in 2003),
eight have been won from second position (last M Schumacher, 2004),
five have been won from third position (last R Schumacher 2001),
three from fourth (D Hill, 1995),
and two from fifth (Piquet, 1981).

Average grid position of winners = 2.296.

–

Brian Lawrence
Brian_W_Lawre…@msn.com
Wantage, Oxfordshire, UK