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Issue No 099 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

FERRARI DOUBLE
The Scuderia wins at
the FIA ... and Monza! + Seb 2 snatches
Rally Japan

 >> GPWEEK OPENING Shot

The gamble which almost paid off. High down-force and the F-duct saw Jenson Button able to
hold Alonso at bay, just, until the pit-stops, when the Ferrari snuck past, just ...


 

SEEING IS BELIEVING


 FULLY GREEN
Informing motorsport
fans world-wide
– and not a
single tree
destroyed
to do
it!

ISSUE 099 SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

EDITOR: ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS

adam@gpweek.com

Editorial Assistants
Naoise Holohan, James
Frankland

MotoGP Editor: Michael Scott

michael@gpweek.com

Rally Editor: Martin Holmes

martin@gpweek.com

Production Artists (Australia):

Cedric Dufour, Kieryn Hyde

Photography
Sutton Motorsport Images
www.sutton-images.com
Keith Sutton keith@gpweek.com

Publisher
Chris Lambden
publisher@gpweek.com

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FERRARI ESCAPES
FURTHER PUNISHMENT
FIA to review team orders ban following German GP scandal
FERRARI’s epic win on Sunday points to a
change of fortunes for the Italian team, which
looked to have its back to the wall as its senior
management headed to Paris on Wednesday to
defend its Hockenheim antics – but they needn’t
have worried.
Formula One’s ban on team orders is to be
reviewed after the season following the FIA’s
decision not to further punish Ferrari for breaching
the regulations at the German Grand Prix, though
the steward’s initial fine of $100,000 was upheld
after the Scuderia declined to protest.
In addition, Ferrari has been asked to pay the FIA’s
legal costs (which are likely to be over $100,000).
The FIA has referred the team orders clarification
to the Sporting Working Group.
Ferrari, unsurprisingly, welcomed the decision.
Sir Frank Williams and Peter Sauber have also
come out in support of the verdict and plans to

review the rules, citing them as being currently
unworkable and unpoliceable.
However, Red Bull Racing team principal
Christian Horner says it sets a worrying precedent
that the title contenders now have effective carte
blanche to use team orders over the remainder of
the season as long as they’re able to stomach the
$100,000 fine:
"I think the key to come out [of the Paris court]
was that the regulation needs to be dealt with," he
said.
"You either have to get rid of team orders or
have them – and very transparently have them –
because you cannot be half pregnant. You have to
be one way or the other.
"I don't think the regulation is particularly well
worded and that is what has been the stumbling
block – that the regulation needs to be better
worded or removed."

Todt claims not
enough proof of
team orders …
… but FIA’s own investigator
convinced Ferrari broke the
rules
FIA president Jean Todt came in for
some stick this week for claiming there
was insufficient evidence in the case of
team orders.
Ferrari continue to claim that the
decision to hand the lead of the German
Grand Prix to Fernando Alonso was
Felipe Massa’s alone.
Todt has long-standing links with
Ferrari and, under his predecessor Max
Mosley, the FIA was often perceived as
favouring the Italian team.
When asked to respond to
suggestions that, despite Ferrari's
denials, many people believed the outfit
had used team orders, Todt said:
"I tend to agree as well."
The FIA’s investigator Lars Osterlind
wrote in his report that:
>> F1 NEWS
“The fierce battle between the two
team drivers a few laps prior to the
contentious overtaking, corroborated
by the content of the communications
between the drivers and the race
engineers, as well as the use of the term
'sorry', are revealing of the fact that Mr.
Felipe Massa allowed Mr. Fernando
Alonso to overtake him following a team
order.
“This team order interfered with
the race result, as the positions of
the two team drivers were modified
consequently... It is undeniable that the
race result would have been different
had the contentious instruction not
been issued to Mr. Felipe Massa.”
The original $100,000 fine stands
because Ferrari didn’t appeal it. Not,
they say, out of any admission of guilt
but because the Court of Appeal
and WMSC procedures would have
overlapped.
Alonso turned up revs
before overtaking
Massa
THE World Motor Sport Council
papers reveal that both Ferrari
drivers had been instructed to
turn their engine revs down
in the race, having built a
significant gap over Red Bull’s
Sebastian Vettel, but that
Fernando Alonso turned his
back up again.
Felipe Massa was not informed
of this.
The reality of “Felipe, Fernando.
Is. Faster. Than. You” is therefore
explained – Alonso had a
massive performance advantage.

 2011 calendar
expands: FIA rejects 13th
20 races, 11
‘Flyaways’
NEXT year’s F1 calendar, which
team proposals
Grid to stay at maximum of 24 cars
sees the inclusion of India
between Korea and Abu Dhabi in FORMULA One will continue with a that, given the deadlines and requirements,
late October, has been described maximum of 12 teams in 2011 after the FIA would almost be impossible to be ready for
as “a marriage breaker” by decided against awarding the 13th team 2011,” said Villadelprat.
several members of the traveling slot during the week. Joan admitted that he had not put the
circus. The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) necessary financial package together to
Now two weeks longer, thus met in Paris on Wednesday morning and was fund an F1 team:
cutting into development time for told that none of the applicants had met the “We knew it would be very difficult for us
the following year’s car, it starts in required standards to secure the spot. to be chosen since we still don't have the
Bahrain on March 13 and ends in “It was considered that none of the economic package granted,” he continued.
Brazil on the November 27. candidates met the requirements to be “Without this capital it would be unfeasible
granted an entry into the Championship,” to carry out the F1 project that we want.”
13/03 Bahrain read an FIA statement. Another candidate for the 13th team slot,
27/03 Australia “Consequently, the allocation of the 13th the Durango/Jacques Villeneuve partnership,
10/04 Malaysia team will not be granted.” is still looking to break into Formula One
17/04 China Joan Villadelprat, boss of Epsilon Euskadi next year however:
08/05 Turkey which was favourite to take the honours, said “Now we turn to our Plan B, which is
22/05 Spain he respected the FIA’s decision and even to take over one of the existing teams,”
29/05 Monaco suggested that it was best for the governing Villeneuve told Rue Frontenac.
12/06 Canada body to have taken the decision they did: “It is probably going to be a bit more
26/06 Europe “As a personal opinion, I think that it is best expensive and we must ensure we have a
10/07 Great Britain to leave it vacant rather than having a team free hand.”
24/07 Germany
31/07 Hungary
28/08 Belgium
11/09 Italy
25/09 Singapore
09/10 Japan
16/10 Korea
30/10 India*
13/11 Abu Dhabi
27/11 Brazil

* Subject to the homologation of

the circuit.

One fan of the calendar, though,

is Rubens Barrichello who said the
races were better spaced apart
than this year and that more races
is good news:
“If we have 20 races it’s going
to be much better for you to go
and have two weekends racing in
Asia than to fly to Brazil and then
go back to Abu Dhabi, so I think
this is much more clear to us. I’ve
always said that I wish to have
30 races and no testing because
I think that would be more
cost-effective.”


Hispania went high downforce for Monza
Ran Monaco-spec car in Italy
HISPANIA Racing became the first team in decades to run a
conventional aerodynamic set-up at the Italian Grand Prix,
having not had the budget to develop a low-drag package.
Hispania’s rear wing has remained entirely unchanged
throughout this season, with the wing profile and set-up having
been identical at all races.
The team is therefore in the unique situation of having raced
an identical rear wing at the Monaco and Italian Grands Prix,
despite the vastly differing track characteristics. That’s because
the rear wing setting was fixed at the beginning of the season
and, without load testing, the team has been unable to modify
it.
In fact, Hispania’s F110 has gone almost entirely unchanged
since the start of the year, other than a minor fuel system change.
Bruno Senna acknowledged the uniqueness of Hispania’s situation:
For your daily dose
of Formula 1 news ...
>> F1 NEWS
“It is a bit abnormal to come here with a normal wing that
you use everywhere else in the championship, but it was not
prepared before so there was no point doing something crazy
like chopping a piece of the wing and seeing what was going
to happen because it would just be dangerous for us and I'm in
favour of doing things safely.
“It's not like we're fighting for pole position so we don't need
to experiement that badly.
“You need to modify the endplates [to be able to change the
wing angle] and without load testing it's very dangerous to do
so. So it was a bit of a rush and unfortunately didn't get done.
In the planning they didn't get to do it, so without the proper
testing it's not safe to do so.”
It was therefore a huge endorsement of Senna’s talent that
he was able to lap within nine-tenths of a second of Virgin’s
Lucas Di Grassi in qualifying, despite the Virgin having been
developed throughout the season.

 Short

GP2 unveils third-gene

Straights
n Red Bull Racing has laughed off
suggestions that by running a show car at
the Korean F1 circuit the weekend before last
they have gained an advantage over other
teams. Karun Chandhok drove a 2005 car at the
promotional event in Yeongam. "It was close to
a six year-old car with a V10 engine – especially
derived for running show car projects – with a
very basic telemetry system, on a track that was
missing its final surface and kerbs, with a driver
that isn't our regular driver," said team principal
Christian Horner. “The car has absolutely zero
relevance to what we are running here. It
would have been the same if we had run a GP2
car."
n Lewis Hamilton dodged questions about
Sebastian Vettel’s racing maturity in Monza, but
conceded the German is “still so young and he
still has much to learn”. Asked whether he could
empathise with what many have described as
'growing pains', the McLaren driver admitted
that his sometimes troubled 2007 campaign
was beginning to fade from memory. "I cannot
remember how I felt in 2007, [but] I can just say
that I expected to make mistakes.”
n Jenson Button has waded into the team
orders debate, saying he would rather quit than
accept being a number two driver: “While you
are still fighting for the world championship
it is very strange to me that a driver is told to
move over. I don't understand that at all and
I don't understand anyone in the sport who
would want to race in those circumstances. You
are not racing to win are you? What is the point
of finishing second?" The world champion
added that he has never been asked to move
over for a team-mate or vice versa.

F1 on ‘best behaviour’ fro

n Karun Chandhok, who was filling in for
Anthony Davidson commentating on BBC
Radio 5 Live this weekend, had a Saturday
night he’d rather forget. You might say he’s
been robbed once by Sakon Yamamoto this
THE FIA is seeking to introduce directly or indirectly with the entrant in
year. Well, thieves struck again as Karun had
‘Ccompetitors’ Staff Licences” for all connection with their participation in an
dinner in a restaurant. His car, parked outside,
teams in F1, WRC, FIA GT1 and WTCC in event."
was broken into and his briefcase, containing
a bid to better deal with conduct issues In addition, drivers have been told
his laptop, was pinched: “Amazingly they
such as Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds’ that they may lose their Super Licences
threw my credit cards, passport and F1 pass
involvement in the 2008 Singapore Grand should they be caught misbehaving on
back in the car!” Bruno Senna’s manager Chris
Prix race fixing scandal. public roads. FIA president Jean Todt first
Goodwin, with whom Karun was sharing a
"A new mechanism will be introduced raised this ruling after Lewis Hamilton was
car, was less fortunate and unsure how he was
to control access to areas under the booked for ‘hooning’ in Melbourne, when
going to get on a plane after the race.
jurisdiction of the FIA and no pass of he spun his rear tyres leaving the circuit in
n With Williams’ performance improving in any kind will be issued to any person or his Mercedes road car.
the latter half of this year, several of the team’s body who is not in good standing for the And if a driver commits a "serious road
mechanics are refusing to shave until Rubens purposes of the FIA International Sporting traffic offence", the FIA "may issue a
Barrichello scores a podium. If the Brazilian Code," said an FIA statement. warning or refer the matter" to the World
doesn’t get one soon they’ll look like the old "Entrants will also become responsible for Motor Sport Council, says the governing
men of the sea in Bahrain! their staff, meaning any person connected body.
10
 >> F1 NEWS

eration car
THE GP2 Series organizers took the
wraps off their latest third-generation
car, the GP2/11, in Monza on Thursday.
It takes several obvious aerodynamic
cues from current F1 machinery, such as
a raked nose, wider front wing, narrow
rear wing, and an anvil engine cover. But
technical director Didier Perrin says the
biggest change is the enlarged diffuser,
which will have a significant impact on
set-up:
"As the diffuser works across a much
wider ride-height range, there will be the
possibility to play with much softer rear
suspension to improve the traction," said
the Frenchman.
“We wanted was to be as close as
possible to F1 in terms of behaviour so
we decided to use the same type of rear
wing – narrower, and a bit forward. We EBCLOJRI>CLO
>DOB>QTBBHBKA
have lost a lot of downforce from the
rear of the car, and to recover that we
had to do a lot of work on the diffuser.
And to get more room to play with the
diffuser, we moved the exhaust on top Our exclusive partnership with
of the gearbox. So that gives you the
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
configuration of the rear of the car.
“And to balance this big downforce that means you can stay in the
we obtained from the diffuser we had to centre of the F1 action when
go with a large, F1-style wing.” you book a Grand Prix weekend
The car will next be tested in Jerez with
package. For more information
2008 champion Giorgio Pantano at the
helm. or to book, please visit
hiltonracing.com

rom now on
Hamilton himself, while supporting road
safety plans, says he’s staunchly against
such a move:
"What we do in our private life is our
private life. I'm sure Jean Todt has had
a speeding ticket," said the 2008 world
champion.
"We're all making mistakes and learning.
I don't feel that everything I've worked
for should be taken away from me for
something that could be small," he added. Click here to book your
But McLaren team-mate Jenson Button FIQLK>@FKD
disagrees: M>@H>DB
"I think a serious offence is correct for it to
cause an issue for your racing career," said
the 30-year-old.
11
Kobayashi
keeps Sauber
seat for 2011
Perez tipped as team-mate
JAPAN’s Kamui Kobayashi has retained his seat at the
Swiss-based Sauber team for 2011, meaning he will
stay on in the sport for a second full season next year.
Kobayashi joined Sauber in December 2009
following the sudden withdrawal of Toyota from
Formula One, and has proven his worth this year with a
string of strong performances in the C29.
“We had a very difficult start to the season, but
we've worked together to pull ourselves out of that
situation,” began Kamui.
“I feel very much at home in Peter Sauber's team and
am very pleased we'll be working together again in
2011. However, for now I'm focusing one-hundred per
cent on this year. There are still six grand prix weekends
to go in 2010, and we'll be hoping to make up more
ground.”
Team principal and owner Peter Sauber said there
was never any doubt about Kamui retaining his seat for
2011:
“We enjoy having our rookie as part of the team –
both as a driver and a person,” says Sauber.
“We never had any doubts about working with him
again in 2011.
“Kamui has definitely fulfilled our expectations in
terms of his speed and fighting spirit. Plus, his work
with the engineers and his technical understanding
has also developed very well. The experience he has
built up over his first full season in Formula One will
certainly stand him in good stead for 2011. And our
aim is to give him a fast and reliable car from the outset
next season.”
The team is yet to announce the identity of Kamui’s
team-mate, but all rumours point in the direction
of Mexico’s Sergio Perez, likely to be this year’s GP2
runner-up. He will bring significant sponsor backing
with him from Telmex and has more than proven his
worth as a competitive driver.

12

F1 in Schools – a case study
With the World Final of the unique F1 in Schools competition looming up, GPWEEK looks at a past winner –
Steve Walker
STEVE Walker is now a Graduate
Engineer working for Mercedes-Benz
HighPerformanceEngines, but eight
years ago he took his first step to
achieving his childhood dream of
working in Formula One by entering the
F1 in Schools competition.
Initially he found out about the F1 in
Schools competition through a poster on
the wall at school and together with a few
friends started a two year journey which
would end with the team attaining the title
of National Post 16 Age Group Champions.
Initially, the team had little experience
of CAD/CAM engineering processes, but
as design engineer Steve grasped the
opportunity to develop his technical skills
in a role he thoroughly enjoyed.
During their first season of competition
the team won the ‘Best Team Marketing
and Sponsorship’ award at the Midlands
regional heats, but failed to progress to
the national finals.
“At the time, I felt a huge amount of
disappointment with the result, but
this inspired me to work even harder
to achieve national success,” explained
Steve. Following months of development,
the team returned to F1 in Schools
with an improved car and increased
professionalism to sweep three regional
awards and progress to the national finals.
It would be at the 2004 finals where the
target laid out two years earlier would be
achieved.
Taking the confidence gained
through the F1 in schools process, Steve
successfully applied to Loughborough
University to study Automotive
Engineering, where he became a member
of their Formula Student Team. Steve
felt Formula Student was the national
progression from F1 in Schools, offering
him the opportunity to further develop
his skills whilst competing against
students from around the world with
similar ambitions.
“When I first started Formula Student
I felt along way out of my depth, but I
persevered knowing that the experience
could only benefit me,” recalls Steve.
Following three years of competition
Steve became chief designer for the 2008
car and although he stepped back to
concentrate on his studies in his final year
of university he still played a large role in
the design of the 09 challenger.
During 2006/07, Steve completed
>> F1 NEWS
a year’s work experience at Nissan
Technical Centre Europe. This gave him
the opportunity to take all of the skills
developed during his studies and apply
them to mass market vehicle design.
During this time he worked with suppliers
throughout Europe and Japan, offering
the opportunity to work with people
from many different cultures. Steve
firmly believes that all his extra-curricular
activities aided his academic studies,
seeing a significant rise in module grades
following his work placement year.
All this work culminated in the award
of a first class degree at the end of Steve’s
studies. After successfully passing through
two stages of assessment centres at
Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines,
Steve was able to embark on the career
he had been dreaming about since
childhood. Today, Steve wants to act as
inspiration by proving that dreams can be
achieved if you are willing to work hard
for them. As for the future, he wants to
help Mercedes-Benz HPE to continue to
build on its reputation as the best engine
marque in F1 and be an important part of
World Championship winning teams in
years to come.
13
 >> F1 NEWS

Technical Update: Italian GP

Monza is normally very simple – low, low downforce. But the F-duct has
complicated things. GPWEEK Technical Editor Paolo Filisetti explains
Monza is a very unique circuit in the F1 calendar,
featuring very long straights connected by
tight chicanes and only few high speed corners,
notably at Lesmo, and Parabolica.
This unique layout impose a completely
different set up from the aero point of view, with
all teams normally adopting low downforce
configuration.
This year, however, the situation was changed
by the adoption of the F- duct. This device allowed
most of the cars to run a higher level of downforce,
useful on the fast corners, wheile generating
reduced drag thanks to the F-duct itself.
This was particularly interesting, especially as it
allowed us to make direct comparison in terms of
performance between the cars that adopted the
F-duct, although modified, and Lewis Hamilton,
who decided to not run this device. We can say
that, simply, the usual low downforce set up, seen
in the past in Monza is no longer necessary, or at
least less extreme than in the past.
Let’s have a look to the solutions on show in
Monza:

Ferrari
After a long back-to-back comparison, during
Friday and Saturday practices, of the rear wing
configuration in Monza, the Italian team ran the
same low-downforce package on both F10s.
The rear wing worked together with a modified
revised F-duct, featuring a much smaller pipe
inside the engine cover. Also, the wing itself
was modified, featuring a smaller flap with a
completely flat profile. The main wing profile was
also completely flat.

Renault
In Monza, Renault ran a new front wing, based on
the previous version, but simplified with no upper
flaps and a multiple endplate section, as seen in
previous events. The ‘V’ cut in the main flap has
the function of vortex generator which energises
the airflow under the car’s central section.

McLaren
McLaren ran two different aero set-ups for the
Monza race. While Button used the F-duct and
the same rear wing adopted in Belgium, Hamilton
adopted a very low-downforce rear wing.
This one is a sort of mix, adopting last year’s end
plates. The F- duct was removed also utilising a
shorter engine cover.
14
IN SUPPORT OF SPORTS PROMOTION

15
16
17
 HIGH
SIDES

n Riders are looking forward to

Aragon’s one-race return to a four-
session practice schedule, giving
them work to do on Friday morning
once again. They get four 45-minute
sessions against the usual three of
one hour, as when practice was first
cut back in 2008. Back then, the
switch to three sessions was also in
response to rider complaints.
n There will be a minute’s silence
on the grid for the late Shoya
Tomizawa at Aragon, but it has not
yet been decided if it would be
before the Moto2 race, or the main
MotoGP event. Another tribute is
scheduled for what would have been
his home GP at Motegi: Japanese
F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi wore
an black armband in his honour at
Monza.
Red flag controversy
“Doctors decided the issue” – Race Director
RACE director Paul Butler defended the
decision not to red-flag last Sunday’s
Misano Moto2 race after the crash that
took down three bikes and claimed
Tomizawa’s life.
Many people felt at the time and
afterwards that the race should have
been stopped (see “Opinion” – page 24).
In practical terms, the track was clear
of debris and riders and track staff
behind the barriers. But if doctors and
paramedics on the spot had deemed it
wise not to move any of the riders, or
if race control had not received clear
information from doctors on the spot,
then the race would have been stopped
at once, he said.
Tomizawa’s quick removal was fully
justified by his condition, but Butler
was unwilling to pass judgement on the
quick removal also of Redding from the
track:
“You have to go with the decisions of
the medical people on the spot,” he said.
“The protocol was and is that if a rider
has sustained life-threatening injuries,
he should not be moved without the
instruction of a doctor.”
If there was no doctor or paramedic
at the scene, or if radio communication
with race control had failed, then the
red flag would be immediately deployed.
This has happened several times this
season, especially at the Sachsenring.
At that circuit, Butler continued, limited
lines of sight and a short lap also made
it more likely that a race would be
stopped.

n Italian fans are notoriously

light-fingered – and a canny thief
preserved the reputation at Misano.
In the confusion surround hero
Rossi after the race, the recently
introduced high-tech level-horizon
gyroscopic camera was stolen from
his bike.

n Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi is a

doubtful starter for next weekend’s
Aragon GP, after his right-hand little
finger was rebuilt after his turn-
two collision with Nicky Hayden at
Misano. Surgery on the small but
complex injury took 90 minutes, with
the tendon having to be re-attached.

n With Randy de Puniet in talks

with the factory Suzuki team for
2011, runaway Moto2 championship
leader Toni Elias may get his longed-
for chance at a MotoGP return with
the LCR Honda team.

n British teenager Scott Redding,

unwittingly involved in the Moto2
crash at Misano, is determined to
return to racing as soon as possible.
The 17-year-old, who was deeply
shocked by the crash, was scheduled
to test at Valencia today (Monday) to
see if he will be fit to ride at Aragon.
Redding sustained a gash in his back
in the crash.
18

Riders questioned in
fatal crash aftermath
Tomizawa’s body flown home
ALEX de Angelis and Scott Redding,
the two riders unable to avoid the
fallen Japanese racer Shoya Tomizawa,
have both been questioned by the
Rimini prosecutor’s office, in the legal
investigation into the fatal accident in
the Moto2 race at Misano two weeks
ago.
But although the investigation, in
accordance with local law, is into
“culpable homicide by persons unknown”,
no charges were expected to be
brought, as the investigation drew to
a close at the end of last week. Those
exonerated include not only MotoGP
and circuit officials, but also the marshal
carrying the stretcher who stumbled in
the gravel, dropping the victim in the
process.
>> Moto GP news
The investigation released details of
the autopsy, which determined that the
principle cause of death was massive
crushing injuries to his chest, which
damaged his heart and lungs irreparably.
It also raised questions as to the time of
death: determining that it had actually
taken place in the ambulance taking
him to hospital in Riccione rather than at
the hospital, although further attempts
at resuscitation were made.
Tomizawa’s heart-broken parents
flew to Italy from Japan, and visited the
scene of the accident before returning
home in advance of the rider’s remains,
which were flown to Japan in Friday. A
funeral was to be scheduled this week.
The Technomag-CIP team and
Tomizawa’s family released a moving
joint statement, saying: “We have not
only lost a talented rider, we have lost
a friend and a son who radiated the joy
of life and transmitted a good feeling
to all those around him. This will always
remain in our memories.”
The statement concluded:
“Without Shoya, nothing will be as it
was before, but thanks to its passion for
the sport and the encouragement of
his family the Technomag-CIP team will
continue its adventure and challenges
in Moto2. His parents want us to keep
his smile and mischievous look in our
memory, and remember that he passed
away doing what he loved.”
Tomizawa had signed a new contract
to stay with the team in Moto2 earlier in
the weekend.
19
Safety Commission will hone in on Tomizawa crash
THE trackside Astroturf, blamed by
some for flicking Shoya Tomizawa’s bike
sideways and back on to the racing line,
will be top of the agenda at next Friday’s
Safety Commission meeting at the
Aragon Motorland circuit, when riders
meet with racing management for the
Moto2 grids likely to remain 40-strong
“Safety not an issue” – IRTA
TEAMS’ association IRTA is expecting a flood
of entries for next year’s Moto2 grid and,
with two weeks to go before the closing
date on October 1, at least one new high-
profile team is set to swell numbers and
keep the grids at the current crowded levels.
This is in spite of all efforts to reduce the
field to a more manageable 36. This was the
original target for the first year of the class,
exceeded because there were so many ex-
250 teams applying for the class, as well as
new interest from outside and MotoGP teams
looking to add another layer.
IRTA hoped to reduce numbers for next
year, but general secretary Mike Trimby is
ADVERTISE in GPWEEK
to access a huge
global audience
20
first time after the Misano tragedy.
Jorge Lorenzo is one critic of the material,
while Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden have
spoken out against paved run-off areas,
which encourage over-confidence. But
there is much disagreement among riders:
“We will probably argue about the kerbs
once again expecting to be faced with too
many candidates.
But according to Trimby, in spite of Moto2’s
first-corner pile-ups, “safety is not an issue.”
The reduction is required for practical
reasons. Paddock space is already at a
premium, and with more MotoGP entries
expected when the 1000cc rules kick in for
2012, as well as a rash of new Moto3 entries,
Moto2 needs to be trimmed.
It will not happen next year. Although a
couple of current teams were in trouble, and
one had gone ‘toes-up’ (the defunct RSM
Team Scot), “there are some very high-quality
new teams applying.”
and whether to have grass or gravel on
the other side – but it is something we
have discussed at great length,” said race
director Paul Butler.
Current delegates are Rossi, Capirossi,
Stoner and Pedrosa, though the Friday
evening meetings are open to all riders,
and the Aragon meeting is likely to be
well-attended. Officials on the commission
include the FIM’s Claude Danis and safety
chief Franco Uncini as well as Dorna
representatives.
Analysis of video of the crash shows the
rider sliding off the track and onto the kerb
before touching the Astroturf. As Rossi said
at Misano, it is more usual in a high-speed
crash for the rider to slide away from the
track. Was it the Astroturf?
Hayden said the artificial grass was
grippier than real grass, to the extent that
the 125s could even ride on it.
Butler said: “You need a maintainable
surface beyond the kerb that discourages
riders from using it. We believe Astroturf
is a better solution than gravel or grass,
which in any case tends to get damaged
when cars use a circuit. But the debate
continues.”
Trimby declined to give names, but said
that there were “current famous riders (in
the plural) who want to be involved in team
management, and it will be very difficult to
turn them down.”
There are also 125 teams wanting to move
riders up to the middle class, “though some
will be disappointed”.
FOOTNOTE: In a blow to traditional
paddock life, junior-class motor-homes will
be banned from the paddock from 2012, in
the battle for space. “We have informed all
the teams no new homes will be allowed in,”
said Trimby.
 >> Moto GP news
Ducati: no more bikes
A rumour that yet another new Ducati team
will join MotoGP next year with German
Superbike rider Max Neukirchner has been
firmly squashed by the Italian factory:
“We can supply no more than seven bikes,” said
team manager Vittoriano Guareschi, questioned
about a report of the new team, reportedly
backed by a big-money German company.
The rumours started in Italy, but were later
also denied by the rider. But it again raised the
question of whether Ducati could go one step
further, to outnumber Hondas on the grid.
HRC has said it does not expect to increase the
current tally of six. Ducati next year will also have
six: the two factory bikes for Rossi and Hayden,
two Pramac machines for Espargaro and (almost
certainly) Capirossi, and one each for the satellite
riders Hector Barbera and newcomer Karel
Abraham.

India, Abu Dhabi aim for MotoGP in 2012

WITH next year’s calendar expected
to be a virtual carbon copy of this,
big changes are expected for the
new 1000cc MotoGP era of 2012,
with new circuits in India and Abu
Dhabi hoping to join the calendar.
The Indian circuit is already
provisionally on the F1 calendar for
2011, and wants to run a MotoGP
event as early as the following year.
The Greater Noida circuit, on the
outskirts of New Delhi, is part of a
vast sports complex, Jaypee Sports
City, also including a cricket stadium,
a golf course, and other amenities.
The fast 5.5 km track has been
designed by Herman Tilke.
The Yas Marina circuit in Abu
Dhabi, already used by F1, is another
Tilke exercise of similar length. Earlier
this year, Casey Stoner and Loris
Capirossi visited the circuit to discuss
its suitability for MotoGP.

The world of MoTorsporT

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 5 Minutes with ...
RAMON FORCADA
(Chief Mechanic to Jorge Lorenzo)
Behind every good rider is the chief mechanic who got him there. For champion-
elect Jorge Lorenzo, it is the experienced fellow-Spaniard Ramon Forcada. On
the brink of his first premier-class World Championship, he spoke about how he
got there, and why. By Michael Scott
GPWEEK: How did you start in GP racing?
RAMON FORCADA: I rode motocross, then I
prepared bikes for the Spanish championship,
and I met with (two-stroke guru) Eduardo
Giro and asked him for some information.
Then we got good results.
In GP, I started working on the test bench
in 1989 for JJ Cobas, the Alex Criville bike,
and then in 1990 I came to the circuit as chief
mechanic for Aspar on the Cobas 250.
What sort of qualifications do you need for
your job?
I studied at university, but I did not get the
title. University knowledge is good, but
experience is the most important. Working on
bikes has been my hobby, all my life. Now it is
my job, but it is still my hobby. I still prepare
bikes at home, for Supermotard and Enduro.
What riders have you worked with?
After Aspar, then Criville again in 250, then
Carlos Giro on a factory bike in 125. After that
I was with Showa when they built up the
service – working for many riders , and in 1995
I started with Checa in the Pons 250 team. In
500s I was with Puig, Kocinski, Borja, Barros,
then Ukawa, then Casey Stoner, then Checa
again ... and then I came to Yamaha with Jorge.
Jorge apart, who was the most interesting
rider?
Probably Casey. He has very high talent. At a
new circuit, the first rider to be really fast is
Casey. But that year we had a lot of problem
with the Michelin front tyre. With his style it
was difficult for him to feel the limit, so we
had a lot of crashes.
He needs a good group around to build
confidence, but he has a very good base. He
is able to understand things that are difficult
... he can feel very small things.
Jorge is more ... methodical than Casey. He
is working a lot at the track and away from
the track.
Some think Jorge has taken the benefit
of Rossi’s development skill. What about
Jorge’s ability?
22
The bike is developed by the engineers. The
rider has to be clear about what he needs to
be fast. Different riders need different things.
The engineer’s job is to create the base of
the bike, and it is our job to adjust the bike in
every circuit and every condition. The base
has to be wide enough for the right setting at
every circuit.
If the bike is really radical then maybe
at one circuit it will work very well, but at a
different circuit you are out of the range. The
Yamaha is well-balanced. It has enough range
to adapt for every circuit.
The rider needs to understand what he
needs to be fast. If we solve one problem and
go half a second faster, then you find another
problem. The important thing is to be fast. To
be comfortable and smooth doesn’t matter.
The rider can say he is struggling with grip,
braking and turning, but ... go for the braking,
because if we brake well we can get a better
lap time.
Jorge understands this. But he is not a
technician/rider. He never asks the details of
what we do. Sometimes a rider wants to be
more technical, and this can be worse. Maybe
the technician has a different idea, and there
is a fight. Jorge will say – we need to improve
the traction: but if we do it by suspension, by
power, or by the colour of the bike, he doesn’t
care.
How does the wall down the Yamaha pit
affect you?
This is a very good solution, just to keep the
concentration of the mechanics and the
riders. It is there for a different reason, because
Valentino wants to stop the exchange of
information ... this is another story.
But to keep the working areas separate,
for me is very good. You just work on your
own bike and your own problems. In the end
every rider needs a different setting. Even on
the same bike.
What about Valentino refusing to share data
this year?
No problem. We know from the partial times
in which point of the circuit we might be
losing. It is easy to analyse if it is braking or
handling.
In any case, Yamaha are not stupid. Yamaha
has the data from all the riders, and if one has
a problem Yamaha will use all that data to try
to help. We can’t see the data on the pit-box
server, but if we have a problem Yamaha will
not leave us because of the private data. They
will try to help us.
What is your relationship like with Lorenzo?
Professional. Now it is more usual for a rider
to move with his crew ... like Valentino, and
also Casey, and I think this is correct because
of the understanding you build up.
We train sometimes together in Barcelona,
at a motocross track, but we don’t have a
really close relationship because we are
different ages. He is 23 and I am 53. It is
normal. I don’t imagine I will go to the
discotheque with him.
Is he the best rider you’ve ever worked with?
It is difficult to say who is the best rider. He is
the one with the best results.
He has one very good point ... he is always
pushing himself to be better. Not just in
racing, but in everything. This is the pressure
he creates around himself and the people
working with him. It is good: nobody can relax.
For me his mentality is one of the best
things. He has been enough strong to not
suffer the pressure from the other side.
Valentino tries in interviews and different
strategies, but Jorge says: okay. I do it my way.
Finally, with your years of experience, do
you prefer two-stroke or four-stroke.
For racing? Two-strokes. You use your hands
... working, grinding. I worked a lot on the test
bench with two-strokes. Many times you lose
power, you lose more power ... but in the end
you find something.
The four-stroke is much more difficult ... a
job that only the factory can do. With the
two-strokes, even with the best factory
bikes, you could modify something. You have
something to play with, but now almost
nothing.
>> ‘PRE’-F1 CHAT

23
 Email us
Something to say?
Email us at
mail@gpweek.com
opinion
Ferrari verdict unpopular ...
No further penalty for Ferrari. Well I did not
see that coming. Much!
Just a good job they were not silver and
red with ‘Vodafone’ on the sides.
So the FIA hammers one more nail into
the coffin of Formula 1 credibility.
Any logical person would think if a rock
concert is required to attract crowds to a
Grand Prix meeting, why isn't it they come
to see the racing?
Thank God for NASCAR!
Gordon Dicksen (Australia)
Gordon@dqh.com.au
So after the verdict of 8th of September it's
allowed to buy yourself some team orders
for $100.000.
Maybe in the next race Red Bull should
drive the whole race on soft tyres without
making a pit-stop for the mandatory tyre
change.
Costs: $200,000 ?
Now you can break the rules without fear
of getting a few race bans or something ...
Oops, sorry, only Ferrari is allowed to do
these kind of things....
Alex Bernadina (Germany)
alexbernadina@gmail.com
What makes a great race?
Apart from everything else, what was so
good about Monza was Button's radically
different set-up, which created a sizeable
difference in performance between his car
and that of Alonso at different parts of the
track.
That's what created such a rivetting
contest – even though there was no
on-track passing between the two.
Performance differences around the track.
Hmmmm. how couild we do more of that?
I know. Remember when tyre companies
raced each other in F1? That created
performance difference everywhere. Worth
a thought?
PS: hats off to Webber. Championship
at stake, he was the only one in the top 10
to put it all on the line and pull off three
superb passes around the outside, into the
chicane. Uncompromising.
I'd like to see Vettel try that ...
Matthew Pinkerton
Camberwell (UK)
24
When do team or ADAM
HAY-
NICHOLLS
GPWeek Editor
Some commentators have been
up in arms since Wednesday,
convinced Ferrari should have
been guillotined at Place de la
Concorde and criticizing Jean
Todt and the FIA for missing
an opportunity to smash the
perception that they’re glove
puppets for the prancing horse.
Personally, I think doing nothing
was the best option. Ferrari has
been found guilty, and has been
modestly punished. Sure, $100k is
nothing to a team like Ferrari, but
that was the most the stewards
could demand at the scene and
for the World Motor Sport Council
to have increased the penalty, the
damaging story would have been
headline news again. Best sweep it
under the carpet.
It was important to investigate
it though. The FIA will now review
Article 39.1, which was poorly
written. Most team bosses agree it
was vague and unpoliceable. The
question is, when do team orders
Life after Death
opinion
Michael
Scott
MotoGP Editor
The loss of one of the grand prix
brethren is deeply felt. Years ago
the risk of sudden death was
blatant. Massive strides in safety
haven’t removed the implicit threat,
but it is so distant as to be severely
shocking when it arises.
Culprits are sought; blame needs
become acceptable?
There are several precedents in
the last two years alone of teams
ordering a driver to yield to his
team-mate further down the field
(McLaren – Germany 2008), or to
demand the pursuing driver holds
position (McLaren – Hungary
2010). But in my view, both
are different. Neither example
explicitly changed the winning
result. Fans don’t want fake results.
This isn’t wrestling.
However, we do become more
accepting of these things if one
team-mate is in the championship
hunt, and the other isn’t. Germany
was Round 11 of a 19 race season
that’s all to play for, and Felipe was
still very much in with a shout. To
me, therefore, Ferrari’s team order
was very poor show and they were
right to be found guilty of Article
151, of bringing the sport into
disrepute.
But with the points difference
now, five races before the end,
were Massa asked to yield for
Alonso, we would accept that.
So either they need to ditch
the ban on team orders – which
I wouldn’t particularly like to
see, as I believe it’s in the spirit of
to be attached.
In the sad case of Shoya Tomizawa,
there are many questions: mainly –
why was the race not red-flagged,
and why was the victim so rapidly
and roughly removed? Was this
unseemly haste in any way to blame?
The explanations showed the
actions made no difference to his
chances. And that while nothing
could have been done to save poor
Shoya, everything was done all the
same.
The race continued simply because
 >> GPWEEK OPINION

rders become acceptable?

racing that it’s every man
for himself – or they re-
write it with explicit clauses
saying when and how it is
permissible, and when it
isn’t.
Another decision to come
out of the WMSC’s get-
together is this move to take
drivers’ racing licences away
if they’re caught driving
dangerously on the road.
You can see why the FIA
wants this. They use F1
drivers to promote their
very worthwhile road safety
campaigns. BUT there is
a total gulf between the
methodology of race driving
and road driving. It’s like
night and day. There’s
no reason to believe a
professional racing driver
should automatically be a
safe road driver. Or that they
are in any way sensible. In
my experience – and I’ve
grabbed enough lifts with
F1 drivers to know this – the
complete opposite is true.
If the FIA want to use
racing drivers to promote
road safety, it’s their gamble!

the track had been cleared before the
pack arrived the next time. Assumptions
of enslavement to TV schedules are not
valid: there was still a lunch break to
come and time in hand.
The haste was because Tomizawa
was not breathing, and there was a
potentially life-saving respirator in the
nearby ambulance.
It’s less easy to explain why Scott
Redding was likewise so hastily bundled
off on a stretcher after looping 50
metres through the air and landing very
heavily. If there had been spinal injuries,
rough handling could have made them
much worse. Surely the 17-year-old
should have been cared for where he
was?
As it turned out, there were no
complications. Redding by a great
mercy, needed stitches in his back, but
nothing was broken. Whew!
But it looks like something needs to
be done to standardise the medical
protocol: the race was stopped instantly
in Germany after de Puniet had been
run over (broken leg). All of us would
like to see fallen riders treated with
the same conspicuous caution, always.
Take note, Motegi track staff. This rough
treatment should not be seen again.
There is one culprit rather more
nebulous. It lurks within ourselves, and
everywhere else in the sport. Indeed, it
is the sport.
Consider the dilemma presented by
this horrible crash.
For many, it crystallised the thought
that Moto2, with 40 bikes with identical
engines, is just too dangerous. There
have been several multiple crashes
already this year: by pure luck with no
serious injuries until now.
But this same thought needs to find
a way to exist alongside another: that
MotoGP is in serious doldrums, because
it has become so processional. There’s
barely any overtaking at the front.
Politely spaced out, it’s follow-my-leader.
Literally.
We want closer racing.
At the same time, we also don’t want
it to be too close.
Just close enough.
I hope, in sad and respectful memory
of Tomizawa-San, that this nirvana is
attainable.

25
ALONSO’S ITALIA

26
 >> F1 MONZA

AN RENAISSANCE

Fernando Alonso said, going into the weekend, that

victory at Monza was pretty critical in order to stay in
the championship hunt. With Hamilton failing to score,
he and Jenson Button are very much back in the game.
Adam Hay-Nicholls was there…

27
28

Fernando Alonso was hailed as a king as he stood
arms aloft on Monza’s podium, elevated above the
Autodromo’s start/finish straight, packed with fans
waving Ferrari flags and climbing over the railings.
It had been a superb win, taken from rivals McLaren thanks
to a super quick 3.4 second pit-stop.
Starting from Ferrari’s first pole since Brazil 2008, Alonso lost
out to P2 man Jenson Button and the pair touched as they
squeezed through the first chicane:
“I thought something had broken so I was cautious for the
next two laps,” explained Alonso, who also traded paint with
team-mate Felipe Massa. Despite running a higher downforce
aero configuration, Button couldn’t lose the Ferraris through the
corners. On the straights, with a top speed 10km/h slower than
Alonso, he was open to attack and it was “mentally draining” for
the Briton to nail the final corner, the Parabolica, perfectly every
time so as to maintain the necessary gap. Nevertheless, he made
no mistakes.
Lewis Hamilton lost his lead in the championship when he
made an error on Lap 1, clouted Massa’s car at the second
chicane, and went shooting off the track with a broken front-
right wishbone. He was furious with himself, stomping back to
the pits with his helmet on, in no mood to talk to reporters.
Button pitted on Lap 36, one lap earlier than Alonso, which he
later admitted was “the wrong call”. Said Alonso:
“When we saw Jenson coming in, there was one lap to push
and rely on the mechanics. I think the lap was more or less
okay, nothing special, but the pitstop was superb”. Not only was
Jenson’s stop 0.8 seconds slower than Fernando’s, he struggled
>> F1 MONZA
on fresh tyres on his outlap, just as the Spaniard was setting
purple sectors.
“I looked in my mirror as I exited the pitlane and saw Jenson
was a long way back,” said Alonso. “I thought good, the position
is ours, but I forgot he was coming at me at 340km/h. We were
side-by-side at the first corner. When I pressed the throttle at the
exit I nearly lost it.”
Button said his runner-up result was still “great”, given the
boost its given to his championship standing, but added
“obviously I’m disappointed not to be on the top step,” and as
he said that, you could hear the lump in his throat. He really
thought he had this one in the bag.
Sixth place was enough to promote Mark Webber to the title
lead, though the big gains have, of course, been made by Alonso
and Button. With victory worth 25 points, third-placed Alonso is
now 21 off the lead, and Button a single point behind him.
But Massa warns that Ferrari and McLaren will have their work
cut out if they’re to beat Red Bull Racing at the next two races.:
“If you compare Monza to the tracks that are coming up, it’s
completely different. Singapore is like Monaco, and Suzuka is
like Silverstone. Red Bull loves these kinds of circuits.”
Alonso’s hat-trick of pole, win and fastest lap makes Monza
the first perfect weekend for a driver since Sebatian Vettel’s
performance last year at Silverstone. As for winning for Ferrari
first time out in Italy, Alonso was glowin:
“It's something I can only compare with winning my home
grand prix at Barcelona in 2006,” Alonso said. "”t was a very
special moment, and this one is a very special moment as well.
It's a fantastic feeling.”
29
Lewis: Only myself to blame
Championship blown wide open by Hamilton DNF
“IT was clearly a mistake by myself, one of those things that happens
when you're racing and you're pushing hard. I was trying to position
the car in a certain way and I was too close to Massa and he clipped my
wheel and damaged the car. Nothing I could do.”
Holding his hands up for the error that pitched him out of the race on
the opening lap, Lewis demonstrated that while mistakes can still happen
to the best drivers in the world, its how you deal with them that counts.
He’ll know that, had he just eased off a fraction going into the second
chicane, fourth place at worst was his for the taking and that would have
maintained his championship lead.
His right-front wishbone fractured by the contact with Massa,
Hamilton’s wheel snapped askew as he turned in for the first Lesmo and
kept going, grinding across the gravel. Locked away with his engineer for
30 minutes before speaking to the media, he needed time to calm down
and evaluate.
In Belgium Alonso, Button and Vettel all failed to score, whereas here
Hamilton’s DNF and Webber’s sixth place served to allow to the title race
to close up once again. There are now just 24 points - less than a race win
– between the top five.
“It's not over, but it's days like this, and mistakes like I made today, that
lose you world championships,” he said.
“I only have myself to blame.”

Hispania fined $20,000 for pitsto

Radio technician not seriously hurt
HISPANIA Racing was fined $20,000 for the unsafe release of Sakon
Yamamoto from his pitstop on lap 22 of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Yamamoto was given the all-clear to leave his pitbox by the
lollipop man, but his radio technician was tending to his cockpit at
the time, and was hit violently by the car as Sakon pulled away. He
was reportedly out of sight of Yamamoto and he pulled away not
knowing he was there.
The technician never lost conciousness during or after the accident
and was taken to the circuit’s medical centre. He was then transferred
to hospital where he spent Sunday night as a precaution.
Although the incident was not caught on the international television
feed, pitlane CCTV cameras filmed the nasty scene, with stewards
subsequently fining the team $20,000 for the misdemeanour.
Yamamoto said after the race that he was concerned for the
Hispania member:
“I was very worried about the incident in the pit-lane,” said Sakon. “I
asked if he was okay and I was told that he was not badly injured.”
A Hispania spokesperson refused to reveal the identity of the
technician to GPWEEK “for his protection”. Perhaps dressing him in
some form of bear suit would best deal with his needs for protection
whenever he returns to the paddock.
30
 >> F1 MONZA

FORMULA 1 Round 14 MONZA

Pos # Driver Team Laps Time Grid

1 8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 53 1:16:24.572 1

2 1 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 53 +2.9 secs 2

top incident
3 7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 53 +4.2 secs 3
4 5 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 53 +28.1 secs 6
5 4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP 53 +29.9 secs 7
6 6 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 53 +31.2 secs 4
7 10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 53 +32.8 secs 8
8 11 Robert Kubica Renault 53 +34.0 secs 9
9 3 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 53 +44.9 secs 12
10 9 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 53 +64.2 secs 10
11 16 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 53 +65.0 secs 14
12 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 53 +66.1 secs 19
13 12 Vitaly Petrov Renault 53 +78.9 secs 20
14 22 Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 52 +1 Lap 16
15 17 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 52 +1 Lap 15
16 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 52 +1 Lap 11
17 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 24
18 19 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 18
19 20 Sakon Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 51 +2 Laps 23
20 25 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 50 +3 Laps 21
Ret 18 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 46 Gearbox 17
Ret 21 Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 11 Hydraulics 22
Ret 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 0 Accident 5
Ret 23 Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 0 Gearbox 13

Points – Drivers: Webber 187, Hamilton 182, Alonso 166, Button 165,
Vettel 163, Massa 124, Rosberg 112, Kubica 108, Schumacher 46, Sutil 45,
Barrichello 31, Kobayashi 21, Petrov 19, Hulkenberg 16, Liuzzi 13, etc
Manufacturers: Red Bull 350, McLaren 347, Ferrari 290, Mercedes GP 158,
Renault 127, Force India 58, Williams 47, Sauber 27, Toro Rosso 10.

31
Webber frustrated by
Hulkenberg’s chicane-hopping
Stewarts take no action on rookie
MARK Webber was left frustrated and
annoyed after finishing just sixth, despite
retaking the championship lead from
Hamilton.
The source of Mark’s frustration was
Williams rookie Nico Hulkenberg, who
defended his position from Webber in the
last 20 laps by jumping the chicane no less
than three times, before the Australian
finally got by with five laps remaining.
Although Webber urged his team to get
the stewards involved via the radio, race
director Charlie Whiting took no action.
Williams is reported to have argued that
Webber was never close enough to have
taken the position from Hulkenberg when
he jumped the chicane. The spat meant
Webber was unable to close on Rosberg
in time and he had to settle for sixth in the
end.
“I lost a lot of time behind Hulkenburg
– he seemed to spend every second
lap going through the chicane, but
the stewards left him alone which was
frustrating,” said Webber after the race.
“I got him in the end, but I lost a lot of
time.”
Hulkenberg said he had been struggling
with the brake pedal at the time, adding to
his woes:
“I seemed to be fighting one or other
of the Red Bulls for the whole afternoon,
and there wasn’t a moment when there
was any let up in the pressure,” recalled
Hulkenberg.
“It was made all the more difficult as I
was struggling with the brake pedal, but it
was an exciting afternoon of attacking and
defending.”

Brake bind the cause of

Vettel’s troubles
RED Bull Racing says that ‘brake binding’ was to blame for
Sebastian Vettel slowing on lap 20 of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix,
and was not related to the engine despite Vettel believing it was
losing power at the time.
During the race, Red Bull believed the problem had been caused
by binding brakes or a visor tear-off in the airbox, but post-race
investigations found that one or more of his brakes had remained
partially locked after the Ascari chicane, giving him the sensation of
an underpowered engine.
Team-mate Webber made his way by amid his problems, but the
brakes then returned to normal after braking for the Parabolica
corner.
Thankfully the problem didn’t cost him anything in the end, and a
cunning strategy to run until the final lap of the race on the soft tyre
meant he was able to jump to fourth, ahead of team-mate Webber
and Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg.
“Around lap 20 something happened to the car, I don’t know what
it was, maybe there was some friction in the car, but fortunately the
problem solved itself,” Vettel said after the race.
“In the meantime though, I lost connection to the group ahead and
the tow, so around three to four seconds. I had to come back from
there and it was a tough fight.”

32
 >> F1 MONZA

It was Nico Hulkenberg’s best GP

to date, but he pushed the limits of
‘off-track’ usage ...

33
GP2: No points and three crashes
secure title for Maldonado
Nightmare weekend for title challengers
GP2 veteran Pastor Maldonado secured the 2010 GP2 Series championship
in Monza on Sunday, despite failing to score a point all weekend after chief
title rival Sergio Perez suffered a similarly unrewarding pair of races.
Maldonado went into this weekend’s action with six consecutive feature
race wins under his belt, but blotted his copybook with three crashes,
bringing his qualifying, feature race and sprint race to premature finishes.
After qualifying on pole on Friday evening, ART’s Jules Bianchi lost the lead
on the opening lap, as team-mate Sam Bird shot through at the start, before
cruising clear at the front of the field to win at a canter by 8.5 seconds. Chaos
reigned in the midfield behind the ART duo, and Sergio Perez’s title hopes
looked all but over when he was punted out of the race on lap 6.
However, Maldonado’s crash at the first chicane on lap 8, where he had
crashed during qualifying, meant the title fight stayed alive until Sunday
morning, but the Mexican’s hopes remained monumentally slim.
And sure enough, after slipping back to 22nd and last on the first lap
having run wide at the Parabolica, he was never going to be able to recover
the positions to take the win and fastest lap he needed. Maldonado was left
celebrating in the pits with his team after definitively securing the 2010 crown,
having followed Perez into the gravel at the Parabolica on the first lap, but had
been unable to avoid the barrier and retired on the spot.
Athe front of the field, a blistering start by Chris Vietoris saw him catapulted
from fifth to first after threading the eye of a needle through his rivals on
lights-out. The series concludes in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, but where all
eyes will be on the teams’ championship fight between Rapax and Addax.

GP3: Gutierrez takes inaugural

title with champion’s drive
Runner-up Wickens hits back with copybook
Sunday performance
MEXICO’S Esteban Gutierrez produced the
drive of a champion to secure the inaugural
GP3 series crown after beating title rival
Robert Wickens in a fascinating duel.
Pole position on Saturday morning meant
Gutierrez had put the title beyond the
reach of the Canadian, but it didn’t stop him
driving out of his skin in that evening’s race.
Although he kept the lead on the first lap,
he struggled to keep the place and by lap
five he had dropped back to fifth. He soon
got to grips with he slipstreaming effect on
Monza’s long straights though and six laps
34
later was right on the tail of leader Wickens
who had fought his way up from fifth on the
grid, before taking the lead with a daring
overtaking manoeuvre into the first chicane
at the start of lap 13.
Although Wickens was able to keep him
within a second over the remaining laps, he
was never close enough to challenge and the
pair crossed the line in championship order.
The tables turned on Sunday morning
though and, from a reverse grid seventh,
Wickens took the lead before the second
chicane, after forcing his way passed Merhi
out the first chicane. He was never headed
thereafter and looked completely in control
before taking the chequered flag 1.6 seconds
clear. Gutierrez was unable to make a repeat
performance after spinning to a stop on the
opening lap while trying to avoid contact,
a relatively minor blip in an otherwise
impressive weekend and season overall.
Gutierrez therefore takes the 2010 crown
with 88 points, five wins and nine podium
finishes to Wickens’ 71 points, three wins and
seven podium finishes. Nico Müller takes
third on 53 points.

Esteban Gutierrez –
inaugural GP3 Champion
EXCLUSIVE
GPWEEK: How does it feel to be the inaugural GP3 Series
champion?
ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ: It was a great season, the team was very
special to grab the results we had this weekend. We were able to
close in a very strong position, with a very good performance.
Yes, we’ve been very hapy, very satisfied, because we were
not just able to win the championship but also we were able to
acomplish a lot of things that we put as a goal at the beginning,
and one of the main things was to be consistent the whole year,
try to avoid making mistakes as much as possible. In the end we
were really consistent at a really high level. This is something that
we feel very satisfied with.
Is it disappointing that you had a dip in the last two races,
scoring points just once in four starts?
We have to look at the positive. In Spa it was difficult with the
penalties, the situation with the track, the weather was really
variable.
In the end it is about racing – we have had a very good season
throughout the whole year. Of course there is always ups and
downs in a season, there is always the worst moment and there
is always the best moment. This weekend has been very positive
although we didn’t finish the race today.
>> F1 MONZA
Yesterday we wasted a lot of energy, it was completely the
maximum that we could do. Doing the pole lap and also winning
the race, starting on pole, going back to fifth and recovering all
the positions. It was a very intense day and today I made a small
mistake. Merhi made a mistake in front of me, I was coming from
behind and had to avoid contact, I didn’t want to end someone
else’s race because of my mistake. He might have been fighting
for a position in the championship. I tried my best to avoid
contact and in the end I lost the car and I couldn’t continue, the
car didn’t keep running. I didn’t crash into the wall, the car just
didn’t work.
What’s the aim for next year?
We have to take it step-by-step, GP2 is a good option. For me
it’s either Formula One, GP2 or GP3. I am already doing what I like.
I have to live the moment in the present, I just have to try to enjoy
the best, take the most of each experience, learn as much as
possible and arrive in Formula One in the best possible way, not
only to arrive but to arrive strongly.
Is it an option to jump into an F1 seat at Sauber next year?
My main focus is to do GP2. Whatever [else] comes will be
something extra, but our plan is to do GP2.
35
Team-By-Team: Italian Grand
McLaren arrived in Monza as the hot
favourites for the victory and it was therefore
no surprise that there was a somewhat
downbeat tone in their motorhome post-race.
Despite leading the first stint, Button had
to settle for second at the end having lost a
place during the pitstops, although the team
believes it was still the right call to pit when
Mercedes GP scored another double points
finish, with Rosberg and Schumacher finishing
fifth and ninth respectively, an outcome
team principal Ross Brawn called “respectable”
having started 7th and 12th on the grid.
Rosberg was happy to have got back ahead
of Kubica in the championship, but was
disappointed to have dropped a place to
Coming away from their weakest track on
the calendar with the lead in the drivers’
championship retaken and their constructors’
championship lead extended by two points
was a pleasing result for Red Bull.
Webber was highly frustrated by Nico
Hulkenberg’s defensive tactics and although
he got by eventually he was unable to close in
Fernando Alonso could scarcely have hoped
for a better weekend to get his championship
hopes back on track, after taking pole position,
victory and fastest lap and having seen chief
title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber fail
to score significant points.
Other than a poor start, Alonso was utterly
flawless and took full advantage of Button
Williams continued to close in on Force India in
the constructors’ championship with its third
double points finish of the year, albeit only
seventh and tenth.
Hulkenberg called his race “tough but
rewarding” after fighting all day long with
one or the other Red Bull, eventually ceding
to Webber in the final few laps. Barrichello
A fantastic start from ninth on the grid
catapulted Kubica into fifth place by the end of
the first lap, but unfortunately he was unable
to keep the place until the finish after losing
three spots during the pitstop phase.
He could have finished sixth but was caught
out by Webber and Hulkenberg when the latter
emerged from the pitlane on lap 37 and was
36
they did.
Title leader Hamilton didn’t even make it as
far as the first pitstop after damaging his car
in contact with Felipe Massa at the second
chicane.
Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps.
Schumacher had a superb start to thank for
his points-scoring afternoon.
He jumped to eighth, but was soon
passed by Webber where he stayed until the
chequered flag.
on Rosberg in time for fifth.
After working through a bizarre brake
problem that he thoughgt were engine dramas,
(see separate story) Vettel had a long first stint
to thank for taking fourth.
He pitted on the second-last lap for tyres and
stayed ahead of Rosberg to close in on Webber
in the title fight.
pitting before him to pass him on lap 37, before
taking the win three seconds clear.
Team-mate Massa was his rear-gunner
throughout, but was unable to pass Button to
make it a Ferrari 1-2.
finished where he began in tenth and had a
quick pitstop to thank for jumping Buemi to
get the final point.
With five races remaining, Williams lie just 11
points behind Force India in the fight for sixth
in the constructors’ championship.
unable to mount a challenge thereafter.
Team-mate Petrov finished outside the
points in 13th after a poor qualifying. Under
the circumstances, he did well to climb from
20th.

d Prix, Monza
Force India failed to score a point in the
third race of the last four in Monza, after a
disappointing and luckless Italian GP weekend.
Sutil was hoping for points starting 11th, but
was pushed into the gravel at the first corner
before pitting to drop to last place.
He recovered to 16th at the finish, one lap
down.
Sebastien Buemi was pleased with his race
performance despite missing out on points for
the fifth consecutive race.
He lamented traffic and coming in early for
his pitstop as reasons for dropping behind
Barrichello, and despite intensely pressurising
the Brazilian for the final stint he was unable to
push his way through.
Yet another gearbox-related problem cost
Lotus the chance to win the new team battle
in Monza on Sunday, after Jarno Trulli retired
from a comfortable position at the head of the
new teams.
He had led the battle from the first lap
but began to slow on lap 36 before retiring
altogether on lap 46.
Despite running Monaco-spec wings this
weekend, Hispania Racing was surprisingly
competitive on Monza’s long straights, and
looked to be a match to Virgin in Sunday’s race.
It was marred by a violent accident for
their radio technician however, after he was
knocked down by Sakon Yamamoto during
the pitstops, through no fault of the Japanese
Gaining four places on the first lap was as good
as it got for Pedro de la Rosa and BMW Sauber
in Sunday’s race, after a difficult weekend for
the Swiss-based team.
De la Rosa was in 12th at the end of the first
lap, but had fallen to 13th by lap 10 and lost a
further place when he pitted on lap 17.
Team-mate Kobayashi didn’t even complete
It was a bitter-sweet Sunday in Monza for
Virgin Racing, as it got just one car to the
finish and finally got back on top in the battle
of the new teams, albeit because of a Lotus
retirement.
After starting last on the grid, Glock
jumped to 17th on the first lap, and despite
intense pressure from behind, he kept Heikki
>> F1 MONZA
Team-mate Liuzzi started 19th after engine
problems in qualifying and had risen to 12th
by lap 10, but failed to progress any further
and took the flag just two seconds outside the
points.
Team-mate Alguersuari was baffled as to
why he was handed a drive-through penalty,
having been deemed to have gained an
advantage by cutting the first chicane.
Nevertheless, he was pleased with his
performance and his laptimes.
Team-mate Kovalainen spent the entire race
looking at the gearbox of Virgin’s Timo Glock
and despite being obviously quicker he was
unable to get by.
Despite losing the race of the new teams,
they remain tenth in the championship.
driver.
He went on to finish the race while team-
mate Bruno Senna did not after suffering a
hydraulic failure 11 laps into the race.
the first lap after gearbox problems meant he
had to retire just a few hundred metres into
the race.
The problems struck on his installation lap,
but couldn’t be repaired in time.
Kovalainen at bay for 52 difficult laps.
Di Grassi was disappointed not to make the
finish after retiring on the final lap.
He is already looking forward to Singapore.
37
 The Stereophonics

Greetings from Italy

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

Hugh Grant

38
 >> F1 MONZA

Sleeping
Beauty:
The Italian
summer
heat
proved
to be too
relaxing for
some.

39
THE R EIG N OF
40
MAIN LY
Under
IN
statement: MotoGP is extraordinarily st
 >> FEATURE

SPAIN ST AYS
THE FRA ME TT looks at the reasons why …
HAEL SCO
trong in Spain. MIC
41
N
EXT weekend’s trip to the new
middle-of-nowhere Aragon
Motorland circuit is the third
trip to Spain this year. A fourth is
coming, Valencia to round out the season.
Not to mention another just over the
border in Portugal.
The circus arrives at the new venue with
all Spanish flags waving. For the past five
GPS in a row, every race in every class has
triggered the Spanish national anthem.
Class by class, MotoGP has had ten in a row,
between Lorenzo and Pedrosa; while the last
time any other national won a 125 race was
at Catalunya last year. It was Italian Iannone,
and that was only because race leader Julian
Simon had celebrated one lap too early. That
makes 21 Spanish 125 wins in a row.
It is not a trend that seems likely to run
out of steam.
Nor is it something that has happened by
accident.
We are seeing the fruits of a long-term
development plan pushed forward with
the help of Dorna and generous financial
backing, from among others Telefónica
MoviStar and then Red Bull. The riders at the
42
top today are either direct graduates of that
junior programme or a by-product.
Spain’s passion for motorcycle racing has
never been in doubt. The national resources,
however, meant the industry and by
extension the racing efforts were rooted in
the smaller classes; and things didn’t really
get going until the late 1960s. Angel Nieto
won his first title in 1969, the same year that
the heroic Santiago Herrero won his first 250
races on the all-Spanish Ossa, finishing third
overall. The next year he was killed in a crash
at the Isle of Man TT, an event that meant
the Spanish federation forbade its licence
holders to race there every again, and
contributed to the end of the TT as a World
Championship round. It also persuaded
Ossa to turn from road racing to trials
competition.
Nieto was also riding an all-Spanish
machine, the little jewel-like Derbi, and
it was in the smallest 50/80cc class (see
opening pic, previous page!) that Spanish
riders achieved the greatest success,
topping the results by some margin. By
comparison, Spain lies behind Italy in the
125 class, 153 wins to 220; and third in the
Angel Nieto
250 class, with 85 wins to 90 for Great Britain
and a whopping 200 for Italy.
The class was in existence from 1962 until
1989. Thanks mainly to Nieto and later Jorge
‘Aspar’ Martinez, the nation amassed 69 race
wins. Next best was Germany, with 31. It was
even more emphatic when you count the
championships, all scored by the above pair:
eight, to Germany’s four.
Derbi is still a familiar name: Ossa is
lost in the mists of time. Founded by the
Giro family, the monocoque racer was
the independent brainchild of two-stroke
genius Eduardo Giro. There were other
Spanish racing machines, from other
forgotten Hispanic manufacturers, Bultaco

Santiago
Herrero
and Montesa. Derbis race on, in name only:
the company is now Italian-owned by
Piaggio, which also owns Aprilia. That’s why
the current bikes are clones of the Italians.
Derbi was still making its own little hand-
wrought two-stroke jewels up to the 1990s;
and Manuel Herreros won the marque’s
last title as an independent manufacturer
in 1989.
But the torch was kept alive for a few
more years by engineers like Antonio
Cobas, whose JJ Kobas 125s and 250s
sometimes used engines of their own
design, and took Alex Criville to the World
125 Title in 1989. That year marked both a
high point and a turning point in Spanish
racing fortunes. As in 1988, all three smaller
classes were won by Spanish riders (Pons
Alberto Puig
250 and Martinez 125 and 80 in the earlier
year). But after that, national success in
GP racing waned somewhat until the new
generation of cadet racers turned up. The
one high point was when Criville took
Spain’s first and until now only premier-
class World Championship on a Honda in
1999.
The legacy of those days remains
throughout the paddock. Ramon Forcada,
Lorenzo’s crew chief, is just one of many in
the pits rooted in that era. Forcada cut his
technical teeth working with Eduardo Giro
at Ossa, and with Cobas after that.
But it is a whole new generation
that has risen to take over racing now.
Success feeds on success, and Spanish
riders do more than dominate the wins
and rostrums. There are more and more
coming behind: out of 23 125-class
regulars at Indy, for instance, well over one
in three spoke Spanish – a total of nine.
The ratio is a little less intense in Moto2:
ten out of 40; and in MotoGP stood equal
with Italy, at five apiece.
This is the continuation of a quite
deliberate trend, initiated and still
powered by Alberto Puig, whose own
racing career was cut short by injury after
he had been one of the few riders ever
to defeat Mick Doohan in a straight fight
>> FEATURE
Alex Criville
during the Australian’s reign.
The first dawning was a three-year
programme that began in 1999: Puig
secured big-bucks backing from Telefónica
and whittled down 600 applications to 25,
for a one-make 125 series in Spain. From
these he handpicked four riders.
Two were Raul Jara and Joan Olive, the
latter a mid- to front-runner today in
Moto2 after an up-and down 125 career.
The other two were Dani Pedrosa and
Toni Elias. Of whose prowess we need no
reminding.
Out of this grew a more formal structure
for riders that is still in place: the Spanish
national 125 championship is a fertile
breeding ground.
With the involvement of Dorna and the
creation of the Dorna Academy, the net
was spread wider than only Spain. Bradley
Smith, the “Ginger Gringo” in the Aspar 125
team, is just one of a long list of graduates
now in GPs.
But the Spanish impetus was not diluted.
It continues to bulldoze all before it.
Spain is on a roll in bike GP racing. This
year we expect to see only the second
Spanish champion in the premier class.
The difference from when Criville (and
Checa and Gibernau) were winning races
is that Jorge Lorenzo is not alone.
43
Seb 2strikes
again

44
 >> WRC JAPAN
Seb won in Japan but, for the second
time this year, it was Ogier, not Loeb.
The world champion-elect finished
only fifth …Martin Holmes reports
Sebastien won again, but for the second time this
year the winner was Ogier rather than Loeb. No world
titles were sealed this time, although the champion
driver is still likely to be the Loeb version.
Leader for half the event, and finally only defeated
by a tactical ploy by Ogier and then a shock absorber
failure, was the Norwegian privateer Petter Solberg at
the wheel of another Citroen.
Ford drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala
fought hard but were frustrated by mechanical
problems – and Latvala was only able to gain a
podium finish position when Dani Sordo had handling
problems late on in the event.
And the big question … where was Loeb in all
this? Remarkably, he finished only fifth overall, being
unusually uncompetitive for no apparent reason.
The ‘world’ can hardly have gone out of the World
Rally Championship on a more exciting level. This final
appearance outside Europe of the current WRC cars,
before they are replaced next year by converted Super
2000 cars, provided excitement and mystery galore.
Often the lead changed unexpectedly, like when
Petter Solberg was given a jump-start penalty in mid-
rally; when Latvala had a drive-shaft break; and then
when Ogier passed Solberg after a tactical manouevre
which gave the Frenchman a better running position
on the final day.
But this year’s Rally Japan will be best remembered
for an incredible performance by Petter Solberg in his
privately run Citroen C4 WRC. He suffered a fever all
rally but nothing could stop his attempt at winning the
event outright, which he very nearly did.
The late summer warmth of northern Japan was
quite unlike the experiences of previous rallies in
Hokkaido but the conditions of the stages worried
competitors.
Damage to the roads suffered when the rally was
last on these stages two years ago had been repaired
by adding more gravel, but clearly there was going to
be further degradation as the rally progressed. It was
a mystery what the conditions would be like. Would
running first car on the road be good or bad?
This was not the only mystery. Number two was the
surprising lack of pace of the world champion-elect
Sebastien Loeb, on an event which he stated was not to
his liking, but on which he tried hard even if without his
usual success.
While Loeb was fazed by running first car on the
road on Day 1, how was it that the Day 2 leader Petter
Solberg could defy the terror of running first car on
the road on stages which were very similar? Then,

45
what about the times at the end of Day 2 for
Ogier, who dropped back and gave himself
better running order for the final day? Tactic or
coincidence?
Petter’s penalty misfortune made a close
event even closer – only 5.7 seconds separated
the top four drivers mid-rally.
Run for the second time in the Sapporo
region, in the west of the Hokkaido island
prefecture, using stages which were largely
similar to 2008, one novelty was the decision to
use some new stages to the north of Sapporo
on the final day.
Another novelty was running the stadium
stages at the Sapporo Dome, no fewer than
eight times – plus, for the registered drivers, the
mandatory four times at shakedown as well!
This section held on slippery concrete in the
Dome was far removed from the loose gravel
surfaces of the orthodox stages, but crews still
had to use the same gravel tyres as everywhere
else on the event. With the total stage time
spent at this venue being over ten minutes, this
was a stage venue worth taking inordinately
seriously.
O gier started off determined to avenge the
memory of his last stage disaster on the
last long-haul WRC event, New Zealand, making
fastest times on the opening two superspecial
46
stages – but then big news on the first real
26km stage was the lack of performance of
front running Loeb.
Loeb was around a second per kilometre
slower for no apparent reason, with road-
cleaning not an apparent problem at that stage,
but this did become a problem on the next
stage where fourth-running Petter pulled ahead
into a lead he held for the next 24 hours.
After a series of misfortunes in recent times,
Mikko Hirvonen was flying and moved up to
second place, passing Ogier on the way, while
Latvala was pressing hard in fourth place.
On Stage 11 Petter, now running first car,
found road cleaning was not significant
and extended his lead to 21.5 seconds, but
subsequent stages worked against him. After
Stage 13 his lead was back down to 5.9 seconds.
Hirvonen had a spin and dropped back so
Latvala was up to second.
Then came the news of a 10 second jump
start penalty for Solberg which, true to his
character, simply intensified Petter’s challenge.
As a result the results showed Latvala inherited
the lead after Stage 13.
Ogier was pressing hard, but then Latvala had
his driveshaft problem, giving Ogier a chance to
go ahead. But the Frenchman decided to play
tactics, with an eye on Day 3 running order and
slowed down, so instead Solberg found himself
back in the lead again!
On stage 19, the first stage of Day 3, Kimi
Raikkonen went off for good. Ogier made the
most of his running order chances and retook
the lead after the second stage where the
running order was especially significant, on the
twisty stage.
By then, Solberg had problems with a broken
shock absorber which made the steering very
imprecise. Hirvonen was slipping back with
gearshift and differential problems while Sordo
was quite unhappy, unable to make his car
work the way he wanted so after Stage 22, Loeb
was able to make progress – up to fifth place –
and Latvala got past Sordo into third.
Finally this was Ogier’s event, his second
World rally win.
C itroen Total now leads BP Ford by 95 points
in the Makes championship, with Citroen
Junior now dropping out of contention.
In the Drivers’ series Loeb now leads Ogier by
43 points, with Latvala in third, and still in the
title race, though a further 26 points behind.
Citroen is now treading water, waiting for its
next batch of world titles – these now wait to
be won at the next event, the Rallye de France,
run this year in the Strasbourg region, an event
which is being held as a form of homage to
Alsace’ incredible rally champion.
 >>>>WRC
WRCBULGARIA
JAPAN
Flodin, Ketomaa, Nutahara
take the supports
PATRIK Flodin walked away
in the PCWRC category after
local driver Toshi Arai went
off the road at the beginning
of the rally, though New
Zealander Pirelli Star Driver
Hayden Paddon, this time
at the wheel of his private
Mitsubishi came second and
gentlemen drivers filled the
other positions, headed by
Italian Gianluca Linari.
In the championship
standings Flodin took the
lead from the non-competing
Araujo by seven points with
Paddon 14 points adrift. Arai is
now out of the championship
and although mathematically
Linari could still be champion,
the fight is between the current
top three drivers.\par
AFTER the non-arrival of an
entry for a Toyota driver from
Czech Republic, there were
only three entries in the SWRC
category, all with Ford Fiesta
cars, headed by Jari Ketomaa.
\The Finn soon established
a minute’s lead over Martin
Prokop, which he kept to the
end. Third driver Bernardo
Sousa retired after suffering
electrical troubles.
Prokop has now drawn level
with Pons in the lead of the
SWRC series ahead of Ketomaa
in third although he has won
the category on more events
than Pons and Prokop. With
the Rufa Team’s exclusion,
following their non-appearance
in Japan, Andersson has lost
all the points scored under its
entry but retains the 25 points
from his win as a Guest driver
in Sweden.
In the teams WRC Cup the
top three positions remain
unchanged with Pons’ Nupel
team ahead of Red Bull.
Ketomaa’s win in the category
brings the Shanghai FCACA its
third win in the category and
they now lie fourth. Team Ford/
Quinta do Lorde and Barwa
WRT are now both out of the
title race in this category.\par
THIS event was strongly
supported by two-wheel-drive
cars which dominated their
own classes.
Most impressive was the
performance of Fiestas which,
including the result of Group
N winner Ketomaa, won no
fewer than three classes.
Veteran Mitsubishi driver Fumio
Nutahara finished the top
placed two-wheel-driver in his
Fiesta R2, taking advantage of
the regulatory chance to run
on Yokohama tyres while Show
Aikawa won N3 in a Fiesta ST.
Other class winners were types
of Toyota (aYaris and a Run-X),
a Suzuki Ignis and Daihatsu
Sirion.
47
Firstly the IRC,
then the WRC!
This year’s Ypres Rally had a stage which
crossed a frontier, starting in Belgium and
ending in France.
Now, encouraged by the FIA’s interest in
having cross-border world championship
events, the 2011 Swedish Rally organisers are
contemplating a stage which starts in Sweden,
crosses the border into Norway, and finishes
back in Sweden!

Citroen Juniors in trouble

THE Citroen Junior team
has been fined 6000 Euros
for breaking, for a second
time, the testing regulations
laid down in the WRC
Championship regulations.
Regulations control not only
the number of days which a
team can make tests but also the
number of sessions, the number
of days each car is testing. It was
the rule governing the number
of sessions, not the number of
days spent testing, that was
broken.
The team admitted that it
did not observe the number of
sessions, explaining that testing
had been disrupted because
Raikkonen had been suffered
back pains.
The stewards noted that the
team had already incurred a
penalty of a Reprimand for
breaking testing rules in Finland.

48

Go Hybrid?
Russian professional rally organiser Dmitry
Krivtsov is deputy Clerk of the Course of Rally
Japan and, as a foreigner, thus has a unique
opportunity to observe life in the Land of the
Rising Sun
Dmitry (nicknamed Dima) has a theory as to why
the Japanese manufacturers, none of whom entered
the event officially, are not involved.
“The main reason why the Japanese manufacturers
are absent from the world championship is that they
generally do not have suitable cars.
“My theory is that if the world championship
catered for hybrid cars, Japanese manufacturers
would come back to the championship. This is the
type of car they are interested in producing these
days. If this happens, I predict they will all be back in
the sport again.
“It would of course take time, even if the rules are
immediately changed, so I do not think the Japanese
would be back next year.”
Japan has been dropped from the WRC calendar
for 2011, but its position as a round of the FIA’s Asia
Pacific series (the Rally Hokkaido) means that it is
able to keep its organisation infrastructure intact in
the meanwhile.
>>>>WRC
WRCBULGARIA
NEWS
Trouble for PG
Rufa Sport, a competitor in the SWRC series and owned by the
Slovakian businessman Rudolf Faktor, was penalised for the
non-appearance of their nominated driver, the Czech privateer
Roman Pesek, at Rally Japan.
The circumstances were strange. Rufa Sport stated its non-
appearance was for reasons unconnected with Pesek. The team
manager of the car Miroslav Houst, proprietor of the JM Racing
team in Czech Republic which run the car for Rufa Sport , told the
event stewards it was not possible “to continue participation in
the SWRC season with the Team Rufa Sport and driver Per Gunnar
Andersson due to other commitments of the driver.”
Apart from the apparent irrelevance to the issue in hand, this
statement raises further confusion. Rufa Sport’s entry in the SWRC
was originally conceived in order for PG Andersson to capitalise on
his SWRC victory as a Guest driver on the Swedish Rally. Rufa Sport
believed that Andersson now had new commitments to the Mini
team, which would involve considerable testing work this autumn.
Andersson has for a long time said that Japan was never in
his rally programme and more recently has said that his plans
with Mini are not settled. He believed the testing work would be
carried out instead by Marcus Gronholm.
The confusions continue with reports from Norway that Mads
Ostberg has already started testing work with Mini.
Mini tests are being held this week in Portugal but Prodrive is
not saying with which driver.
49
Decision aplenty from the WMSC
WORLD Council Rallying decisions of all
sorts were issued at the extraordinary
World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) held
last week.
The most significant was confirmation
of Rally Academy. This is to be a one-
make, two-wheel drive, low cost entry
level activity and is aimed at replacing the
current JWRC and also probably providing
a sponsored project for the drivers selected
in this year’s Shootouts as the Pirelli Star
Driver scheme is not expected to continue.
Details of the handover from PSD to
Academy wait to be announced. Other
decisions made include:
2011 World Championship regulations
have been drafted and agreed in
principle, with details to be settled at a
World Rally Championship Commission
(WRCC) meeting at the end of September
and publication in early October. These
will cover issues such as first-year
championship rule concessions for new
manufacturers who wish to register for
the WRC ... The forthcoming WRCC will
also consider the proposals for the new R4
formula, especially whether this should be
restricted to four-wheel-drive cars. There
50
will be a new category within the PCWRC
for drivers of two-wheel drive cars. ...
World championship P2 drivers will be
counted as P1 if they contest more than
two consecutive events in the WRC. This is
to be for sporting equality reasons rather
than to dissuade private teams. Currently
P2 drivers enjoy freer regulations, but
their lower entry fee system is expected to
continue. ...
There is to be an end to the current rule
that top championship drivers on all WRC
events must start at two minute intervals.
Basically every car will now start every
rally at one minute intervals, in the hope
of making spectating more attractive –
but safety issues such as a dust hazard can
lead Clerks of Course to override this. ...
1.6 turbocharged engine cars (the
rule for future Super 2000 cars) will not
be eligible for the drivers’ Super 2000
WRC series in 2011. ... the WRC Cup for
teams, which originally gave its name to
the S2000 activity, will be abandoned. ...
the individual promoters of the various
regional and national championships are
free to decide whether 1.6 turbocharged
cars are admitted into the series they
manage. ...
Consent was given for further
investigation into admitting GT cars into
world championship events and the
various issues involved. ...
For the final nine events of the 13 event
2011 WRC calendar, registered world
championship teams can only use two
engines per car, which means a minimum
of five events per engine. This rule is
intended to be a half-way measure to the
implementation of a future rule that only
two engines will be allowed per registered
car entry per season. ...
And finally, every WRC event must run a
televised stage on the final day on which
crews can score additional championship
points.
It is assumed that additional points
will not be issued to manufacturers.
The Global Promoters North One Sport
proposed this rule, in the hope of creating
extra interest. Information about the tyres
to be used in the world championship in
2011 is expected this week but currently
it is expected that a tyre monopoly will
continue, though this time with Michelin
not Pirelli.

A Disaster Revived
The 3-2-1 concept revives a project that
was attempted back in 1999 when, as
an experiment, two events (Corsica
and Finland) each ran a televised final
special stage in which extra points
were available for both drivers and
manufacturers.
Corsica had a mountain stage of around
10km, Finland a flat section of about 3km,
with additional points scored on a 3-2-1
basis.
There were some serious flaws. 1999
came before the restart rules of SupeRally
for retired competitors, but for Corsica
and Finland (above) cars were allowed to
emerge from retirement. These cars could
then be elaborately lightened and rebuilt
for this one final sprint stage, gaining
championship points on an event in which
they were otherwise not classified as
finishers.
The 10km stage in Corsica was far too
long for viewers to have their interest held
and far too long for both logistical and
cost reasons for live coverage.
Things did not turn out satisfactorily.
The two leading crews in Corsica, both
Citroen drivers, had no reason to be
attracted by additional points. The team
told its drivers not to increase their speed.
Their drivers were already safe in first and
second places and, anyway, Citroen was
not registered that year for the makes’
championship.
The Finnish experiment was held over
the famous jumps of Ruuhimaki, and
as the stages was only 3km long this
was a giveaway for filming and holding
viewers’ interest, but there were other
problems.
Although the Mitsubishi of Tommi
Makinen had genuinely retired from the
event (transmission trouble), the Toyota
of Didier Auriol and the Ford of Thomas
Radstrom were deliberately withdrawn
from the competition shortly before the
finish in order to be lightened at leisure.
Because the plan was to run the stage
specifically in reverse order, these drivers
were sent off first down the stage. After
>>>>WRC
WRCBULGARIA
NEWS
opinion Martin
Holmes
WRC Editor
the first three cars had gone down the
stage there was a sudden and very heavy
storm and the surface turned to mud.
The whole system again turned into a
mockery. Auriol was fastest, Makinen was
second.
Individually the system caused no
lasting damage, but collectively it
changed the world championship that
season. Subaru, whose officials had been a
long time advocates of a scheme like that,
gained no points from this system. Toyota
drivers gained four extra points in Corsica
and three in Finland, total seven extra
points, and Toyota beat Subaru to the title
by four points and became champions.
Initial reaction in Sapporo was basically
enthusiasm for the extra television
coverage but uncertainty regarding the
wisdom of giving points.
With 25 points nowadays for a win
compared with the 10 points in 1999, the
proportional effect of the 3-2-1 points in
2011 will however be much smaller than
12 years ago
51
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 >> GPWEEK PArting Shot

Crowd involvement reaches its max at Monza – and when Ferrari wins it steps
up a notch. Check out the solitary Schumi fan in amongst it all ...

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