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Issue No 139

MONDAY OCTOBER 24, 2011

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ISSUE 139
EDITOR: ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS adam@hay-nicholls.com Assistant Editors Naoise Holohan, Kate Walker MotoGP Editor: Michael Scott michael@gpweek.com Rally Editor: Martin Holmes martin@gpweek.com Production Artist (Australia): Cedric Dufour, Asstistant: Callum Branagan Photography Sutton Motorsport Images www.sutton-images.com Keith Sutton keith@gpweek.com Publisher Chris Lambden publisher@gpweek.com
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October 24 , 2011

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MotoGP stars pay tribute to a fallen comrade

WHILE some riders left the Sepang track too shocked to speak publicly Valentino Rossi the most significant others were able to pay tribute to their lost competitor, Marco Simoncelli, following Sundays tragic crash. In this paddock, at the end of the day were all brothers, everybody feels it for him, for his team and everybody, said Nicky Hayden. He really was a star. Its a cruel game sometimes, he continued. Some days it can be the best of things. But sport is like that, life is like that. It can be really cruel sometimes and you dont know why. Casey Stoner and his team-mates spoke through an official statement. Im so shocked and saddened, he said. When things like this happen it reminds you how precious life is, it makes me feel sick inside. Our thoughts and wishes are with his family at this time, he said. Andrea Dovizioso, a deadly racing rival since childhood, said: Marco was a strong rider and he always pushed hard. We raced together since we were kids, I saw him always pushing to the maximum, he crashed many times, but without major injuries. He seemed invincible. What happened today seems impossible. Dani Pedrosa expressed condolences to his family and all the people who love him. Ive been with his father and all we could do was to hug, nothing else matters. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be. Old 250 rival Hector Barbera said: We lost a great friend and me a great rival today. Absent adversary Jorge Lorenzo expressed his sadness on Twitter. Such a day ... just know your are missed. Rest in peace Marco. Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta, who took a prompt decision to cancel the race and informed the riders personally of the reason why, said: In the beginning we could see that the accident was very bad. Yesterday I was talking with him, and it was a pleasure. Today he is not with us. This is a big loss for all of us. HRC vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto, who recently oversaw the signing of an extension to Simoncellis contract for next year with a full factory bike, added his personal memories. Marco was a very nice guy and a very talented rider. Sometimes I was a little harsh with him, for example after his first MotoGP podium in Brno when I told him: Lucky podium! and he was so angry... but I wanted to motivate him as I knew he was able to do even more. I was thinking that when he won his first race we would have been able to celebrate together.

More on MotoGPs tragic day in our coverage, from page 26.

>> Moto GP news

VALE: Marco Simoncelli

A glittering career cut short
SON of an ice-cream manufacturer on the Rimini coast, Marco Simoncelli was blossoming into a potential giant of MotoGP figuratively as well as literally, for he was by far the biggest rider on the grid. He achieved his first real prominence when he won an ebullient 250cc championship in 2008. With his big Jimi Hendrix hairstyle and a big personality to match, he was clearly star material. But it had taken years of hard racing to get there. Born in Cattolica on January 20, 1987, Simoncelli first race a minimotos at the age of nine, in the very active pre-teen races on the coastal go-kart tracks the same place Rossi started. He finished second in the championship, and won it in 1999 and 2000. Over the next two years he won the Italian 125 title and then European title before making his GP debut in 2002. The first of two 125 wins came in 2004; he would win 14 more in the 250 class, and one championship. His move to MotoGP in 2010 saw a difficult start though he finished eighth overall. In his second year Simoncelli joined the front runners. He led at Jerez, but crashed in the wet; and took a first pole position at Assen. Then he claimed the first of two podiums with third at Brno this year, and his second with second place in Australia a week before his death. Michael Scott

2008 World Champions left to right, di Meglio (125cc), Rossi (MotoGP) amd Simoncelli (250cc)
9

HIGH SIDES
n Spanish MotoGP rider Hector Barbera will switch from his current Aspar team to Pramac next year, so he can stay on a factory machine. Aspar announced a week ago that he would be switching to CRT entries. Pramac meantime are cutting their entry from two riders to one. n Colin Edwardss hopes of sticking with Yamaha in his new CRT venture have come to nothing, and the new Forward Racing team will compete with a Suter BMW next year. We dont expect to be competitive at the start of the year, and maybe not even the end of the year. But somebody has to start it, he said. n The Texans move has left him shell-shocked at the amount of work involved. Im accustomed to joining a team, signing the paper and then riding the bike. This is a big adventure, sorting everything out, hiring mechanics. Im a big part of getting everything together. n After yet another crash in practice on Saturday morning, the treacherous front end tucking under again, Valentino Rossi was more open in his criticism of the lack of progress with the Ducati and revealed how the pit has a special term for that moment just before the front lets go. Speaking in Italian, he said: We call it the f*cking vibration, because its at the last moment before the black hole. Its a problem that I had from the first time I tested this bike. Unfortunately, we havent been able to resolve it. n The CRT (Claiming Rule Team) tag might change in the future, Dorna boss Ezpeleta revealed, in his As interview. It was just a convenient name as the rules were being formulated. One favoured alternative is Constructor Teams.

Crutchlow takes over 1000cc test for injury-hit factory team

JORGE Lorenzo may miss the last race of the season, and is doubtful also for the important tests of the 2012 1000cc machines two days after the Valencia race on November 6. The 2010 champion suffered a grisly injury to the tip of the third finger of his left hand in morning warm-up from Australia. Corrective plastic surgery in Melbourne was successful, and he flew home to Spain to recuperate. He was certainly out of the Malaysian GP ... now there is some doubt whether he will be fit enough to race at the final round at Valencia: his fourth GP on home territory in Spain. A statement from Yamaha said: A decision on Jorge Lorenzos participation in the final race of the season at the Grand Prix of

Lorenzo doubtful for Valencia

Valencia will be made within the next two weeks. With Lorenzo replaced at Sepang by factory tester Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the factory team then suffered a second blow when Ben Spies pulled out of the race after a crash on Saturday aggravated injuries sustained in a heavy crash a week before in Australia, which put him out of that race too. The loss of its top riders comes at a crucial time for the factory, with only the second test of the new 1000cc 2012 machine scheduled for the day after the Malaysian race. Nakasuga was already there to take Lorenzos place in the test. When Spies became unavailable Monster Tech 3 rider Cal Crutchlow was drafted in as last-minute replacement.

Hopkins has another nightmare return

AMERICAN former GP star John Hopkins got a cruel reminder of the difference between riding a production-based Superbike and a full carbon-braked MotoGP bike at Sepang when his second wild card ride of the season went wrong. Ironically, it was the legacy of problems from his first wild card on the Rizla Suzuki at Brno (he had earlier ridden at Jerez, replacing injured Bautista). He suffered broken fingers that required pinning and plating in a practice accident that ruled him out of the race. Since then he came within a few feet of winning the British Superbike championship, but back on a MotoGP machine the sheer physical forces caused the metalwork to fail. Hopkins awoke on Saturday morning with his finger severely swollen and painful, and later learned that screws and plates had come loose and were moving around. Further

damage in the circumstances could result in amputation, and I dont want that, he said. The injury had been somewhat troublesome during his BSB campaign scuppered by an electrical failure in the second of the threerace showdown at Brands Hatch. He hadnt gone a week without riding since the initial surgery, he added.

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>> Moto GP news

Everything on hold for Suzuki faithful

THE maybe yes/maybe no Suzuki MotoGP decision dragged on through the Sepang weekend, but may be edging closer to a positive solution, according to team manager Paul Denning. Commenting in the wake of rumours of a full tworider factory entry next year, Denning told Britains Motorcycle News: The position after Motegi is definitely more positive than it was before, but the process has not reached a conclusion yet. Further top-level factory meetings during the Australian GP weekend had not resulted in a firm decision. The matter is becoming increasingly urgent, with the decision the key to remaining unsettled seats in the rider market ... and all the more so with the loss of Simoncelli, who had been allocated the only off-team factory-spec Honda next year. Incumbent Rizla Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista is deferring his response to an offer from LCR Honda. John Hopkins is also affected. He also has a standing offer from LCR as well as another in World Superbikes when his Crescent Suzuki BSB team moves up next year; but he too is pinning his hopes on Suzuki in MotoGP. Everyones on hold waiting for Suzukis decision, as am I, and Honda, he said.
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11

Factory team prices are "crazy

Dorna chief Ezpeleta slams factories, but stops short of declaring war
DORNA chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta, machines instead. the man who runs MotoGP, has hit out at The price of rental bikes was becoming crazy factories who have priced racing too high, and it was not only Aspar. It out of reasonable reach, in an explosive is ridiculous that a rider like (Stefan) interview in his native Spain. Bradl has two-and-a-half million Euros in Speaking to the influential Spanish Viessmann sponsorship, but cannot go to sports daily As, Ezpeleta pledged Dornas MotoGP because it takes five million, he support (traditionally available under the said. counter to struggling teams) only to those He would not, as governments had in the lower-cost CRT category. He would done, just shrug, he said. I will take no longer back teams to lease over-priced measures now. factory machines. This is basically entertainment, not a To me, I do not like anything about technology race, he added. MotoGP bikes now, he said. We have a If the factories wanted to continue category in which Honda are crazy. with just six top-level bikes, said Ezpeleta, In the current economic climate, the perfect. They are the world champions. model of factory-bike leasing was not And I will focus on the other 16 that will worth it. He singled out spending 650,000 complete the grid. Euros on a gearbox (Hondas seamlessAsked what the factories had said to his shift model). declaration of war, he replied: I do not Moreover, as there will be no money to care what they say, but I do not declare rent those bikes next year, in the end there war. The factories themselves would be will be only two of those Hondas in 2013. feeling the pinch, he thought. It is an One trigger to the outburst had been exercise of responsibility. A CRT bike Team Aspars decision to abandon the would cost one million Euros to run for a now unaffordable lease of a satellite season against the three million to lease Ducati next year, planning to run two CRT a factory bike, and at the end of the year the team would not have to give the bike back, he said. Dornas battle with the factories has been brewing for a few years, after they failed to respond to requests to lease engines at a lower cost, but this is the first time Ezpeleta has been so openly hostile.

Control Honda engines to stay in Moto2

HOPES that Moto2 might drop the control engine and open the 600cc production-based class to other manufacturers went on hold at Sepang, after a top-level meeting decided to prolong the arrangement for at least two more years, until 2014. The current agreement, with raceprepared CB600 engines supplied by Swiss-based Geo Engineering, expires at the end of 2012. The meeting between all interested parties including next years teams agreed to continue until at least 2014. It is possible that a different supplier might be sought, but the units will remain the same. According to IRTA president and Tech 3 team owner Herv Poncharal, the decision had the blessing of Dorna, IRTA and all the teams. Asked if they wanted to go multibrand, to a different manufacturer or to remain with Honda, the vote to stay had been unanimous. For 2013-14 we will keep exactly as we are, Honda CBR600 engine, and that was the main decision. The rest is now being discussed, said Poncharal. The only other thing decided yesterday was (minimum) weight. Now it is 125 kg, next year it goes up to 140, he said. This will be a small relief to heavier riders, who had been canvassing for a combined bike/ rider minimum weight limit, although that has been ruled out IRTA president and Tech 3 team owner Herv Poncharal says separately by Dornas Ezpeleta. the decision had the blessing of Dorna, IRTA and all the teams

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>> Moto GP news

Marshalling blunder creates Moto2 havoc

THE Moto2 grid was robbed of two of its leading riders and the championship battle turned on its head even before riders had completed a single lap of the Sepang circuit, after a costly marshalling blunder failed to warn the riders of a totally unexpectedly drenched section on an otherwise dry track. An isolated mini-cloudburst had fallen on Turn 10, the exit of the esses as the track runs back beyond the final hairpin, and riders came upon it with no hint of what to expect. The first to go was Jules Cluzel; shortly afterwards Marquez had a looping high-side that left him with a left shoulder so badly injured he wouldnt ride again until essaying three laps in qualifying, to be sure of a place on the grid. Although somehow permitted to ride on Saturday, when he also had vision problems with one eye, medical supervision finally kicked in on race day, and he was refused permission to start watching the race instead with one eye covered. There were still no flags as Smith arrived on the scene. He slid off, to a heavy impact with Marquezs bike. The Briton, who had been battling for fifth overall, broke his collar-bone, and was also out of the race. Yonny Hernandez was a fourth to fall at the same spot, unhurt. The session was red flagged, and later the organiser was fined 15,000 Euros.

Marquez: one more year in Moto2

MARC Marquez, the rider tipped as motorcycle GP racings next mega-star, will put off his move to MotoGP until 2012, after circumstances forced him and his team to accept another season in Moto2. The rider announced his decision on the eve of the Sepang GP, saying I am happy with my decision. I am still learning something new in Moto2 in every race. My level is better than we expected at the beginning of the season. He added that it also took the heat off him in this years title battle with Bradl. I feel less pressure, because next year I have another chance, he said. This was before he was ruled out of the race after his injury in free practice: circumstances that drastically reduced his chances of deposing Bradl to win the Moto2 title at his first attempt. So far, Marquez has won seven races to Bradls four, but lagged by just three points before the Malaysian debacle, where Bradls second spot opened the difference up to 24 points. Bradl confirmed recently that he will stay in the class next year, and Australian GP winner Alex de Angelis likewise. With a chance that 2010 champion Toni Elias could also return, the season to come holds interesting prospects.

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>> F1 NEWS

new lewis in 2012

ACCORDING to Anthony Hamilton, father and former manager of McLaren driver Lewis, fans of the Briton will see an all new man in 2012. While the 2008 world champion is one of the grids top talents, his 2011 season has left a lot to be desired, with more accidents, penalties, and retirements than befit a champion behind the wheel of a competitive car. But 2011s errors will have no place in the 2012 season, Hamiltons father said. Hes turned a corner in everything hes done, his lifestyle and his love of motorsport, Anthony told BBC Sport. Youve not seen

Anthony hAmilton sAys

Lewis Hamilton yet, youve seen a young Lewis Hamilton. Now a new Lewis Hamilton is coming. Speaking to the BBC about his son, Hamilton Sr. acknowledged that the seemingly endless onslaught of criticism from the tabloid media had begun to make its presence felt in the cockpit, affecting his sons performances on track. Theres only so much [negative criticism] that one person can take, added Hamiltons father. Lewis is an extremely talented individual and I tell you what, most of us would not have been able to come back from what he has had to face this year. I think in Korea, he showed just how much of a champion he is, not just as a racing driver but as an individual, Hamilton Sr. added. Lets face it, hes had a tough year, hes faced a lot of criticism and yet still he comes back fighting and can produce [the] results that he did last week. Hes an incredible man and an inspiration to so many people.

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Short Straights
n Tamara Ecclestone, socialite and former F1 pitlane interviewer, has stripped off in a racy photoshoot to promote her reality TV show, Tamara Ecclestone: Billion $$ Girl. I did this picture to show Ive got nothing to hide and I hope that my new reality show exposes the real Tamara, Bernies eldest daughter told The Sun. I know my friends and family didnt want me to do this but my argument is there are so many misconceptions about me, so many stories that arent true. At least I finally get to give people the naked truth about my life. Pictures from the shoot hit the British tabloids this week, and show Miss Ecclestone rolling around on a bed covered with 1 million she is said to have supplied from her home safe. n Organisers of the US Grand Prix at Austin have announced a competition to promote home-grown racing talent in the run-up to the 2012 race. The hunt for Americas next F1 driver will see three US finalists aged between 14 and 20 given what race organiser Tavo Hellmund calls an Ultimate Pit Pass, but is better defined as a series of meetings with F1 insiders including fellow drivers, team bosses, engineers, and media personnel. This is an opportunity that can serve as a tremendous benefit and career booster for a potential future Formula 1 driver, Hellmund said. Most young drivers only dream of having firsthand access to experience what the worlds top teams and drivers go through during a typical grand prix weekend. Until now, this kind of opportunity has only been available to young drivers who have either already worked their way up the racing ladder or are in a team/driver development program. n JThe F1 rumour mill is heating up with the news that Nico Hulkenberg has been signed to replace Adrian Sutil at Force India from 2012 onwards. The German test driver impressed during his year driving for Williams in 2010, when the rookie claimed pole at Interlagos with a qualifying lap that will go down in F1 history. But despite his impressive performance in Brazil, Hulkenberg was dropped by the Grove outfit at the end of the season. Force India signed the young German as their test driver for 2011, and news that Hulkenberg is due to step up to a full-time drive with the team would explain the oft-denied sightings of Sutil at the Williams factory earlier this season.

F1 to take on Jersey shore

WHILE Bernie Ecclestones desire for a race along the Manhattan skyline is no secret, rumours of a grand prix in the New York area are often reported with little basis in fact. But when the F1 rumour mill began to churn on Friday evening, it was with increasingly credible stories of an east coast race to come. Serious talk of a proposed race in New Jersey first surfaced over the summer break, when it was reported that the mayors of the towns of Weehawken and West New York had created a joint proposal to host a Formula One Grand Prix on the banks of the Hudson River. While many similar bids have floundered on the drawing board, the strength of the mayors proposal could be found in the fact that the majority of the land needed for the nominated site was owned by a single businessman: Arthur Imperatore, an elderly trucking magnate and sports fan. The bid has been put together without recourse to public funds, as there a number of private and corporate investors willing to give an east coast race their full support. Financing for the bid has been put together by Leo Hindery Jr., a US media mogul with a background in global telecommunications. A press conference has been scheduled at Weehawkens Port Imperial for tomorrow, which is expected to confirm reports of a New Jersey race. GPWEEK will be there to bring you all the details in our next issue. US media mogul Leo Hindery Jr. has put together a bid for the New Jersey Race

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>> F1 NEWS

Kubica needs a few more months of rehab

IT is now looking increasingly likely that Robert Kubica will not be back behind the wheel of an F1 car at the 2012 season-opener next March. While the Polish driver is making good progress with his rehabilitation following Februarys shocking accident in the Rally di Andora, Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli this week admitted that his patient needed a few more months of rehab before he would be able to get back behind the wheel and compete at the highest level. Our goal is to get him back in F1, Ceccarelli said on Italys Lucca television. But he will still need a few more months of rehabilitation. The cuts were so bad that many colleagues and specialists had ruled out a return to the wheel for Robert. But, clinically, little by little everything has improved and the hope to see him driving as soon as 2012 is becoming more and more concrete. Despite Ceccarellis positive words, it is possible that the lengthy rehabilitation still needed will prevent Kubica from being able to take up a full-time drive for the 2012 season. While the Polish driver is acknowledged to be one of the grids top talents, he is not yet in the position to be able to nominate a guaranteed return date, and those few teams yet to finalise their 2012 line-ups are under increasing pressure to do so. Renaults Eric Boullier admitted earlier this month that he needed to finalise his line-up by mid-November, or risk hampering the teams 2012 season before it had even begun. The paddocks other team principals are in a similar position.

For your daily dose of Formula 1 news ...

1

FiA call for 2012 engine mapping clampdown

ONE of the hallmarks of the 2011 F1 season has been the use of engine mapping to manipulate the flow of exhaust gasses. Engine maps hit the headlines over the summer when the FIA banned the use of off-throttle blown diffusers in a one-off at the British Grand Prix before allowing teams to return to their standard settings for the rest of the season. But for 2012 there will be no such willthey wont-they with engine mapping, thanks to an FIA directive sent to the teams this week that explained that there would be stricter controls on the technology next season. According to reports currently circulating, the FIA-controlled ECU software will be modified to prevent extreme engine maps at source. Despite the FIAs best efforts, however, half the fun of Formula One is the ways in which teams find loopholes worth exploiting in every regulation the sports governing body can throw at them. Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn this week admitted that he expected some of his rivals to find legal ways of circumventing the FIAs directives. In our case [the exhaust design] is still relatively conventional, but whether someone else will come up with something dramatic I would have to wait and see, Brawn said. I would not say I am confident that there will not be an innovative exhaust scheme because once we have learned something you cannot unlearn it. The strength and performance that comes from the exhaust, using exhaust energy, is substantial, and people now have a better understanding of what they can do with exhausts/engine mapping to extenuate the effect.

Ross Brawn expects his rivals to circumvent the FIAs directives

FiA to work with indyCar

on safety issues?
FOLLOWING Dan Wheldons tragic death in last weekends IndyCar season finale, the world of motorsport has turned its attention to improving safety standards across the pond. Given the FIAs strong record in improving safety standards in Formula One in the wake of Ayrton Sennas death in 1994, many commentators have called for a joint initiative that would allow IndyCar and FIA chiefs to work together to improve safety across the board. But while it was first reported that the FIA had been asked to work with IndyCar bosses to analyse the incident that led to Wheldons death and the hospitalisation of several of his racing rivals, IndyCar representatives have since denied that any such cooperation is taking place.

The safety of our drivers, their crews, IndyCar staff, racetrack staff and spectators is always our paramount concern, said a statement from the series organisers released last week. As part of our standard safety protocol, a full investigation has been launched by IndyCar, to determine the factors involved in this accident. We hope to have preliminary findings within several weeks. As part of the same statement, IndyCars organisers took pains to emphasise that the investigation into Wheldons death was being managed inhouse, and without recourse to external advisors. It was incorrect to state that either ACCUS or FIA are formally involved, the statement asserted.

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>> F1 NEWS

Di Resta defends Force indias Q3 strategy

A lot of ink has been spilled on the declining spectacle of qualifying in recent races, which have seen an increasing number of teams choose not to run in Q3 so as to preserve more rubber for Sundays race. One of the teams to have been subject to the most criticism is Force India, whose cars are fast enough to make it to the final stage of qualifying, but lack the pace to fight for a spot at the front of the grid. Paul di Resta has this week defended his teams choice of qualifying strategy, saying that Force India had exhausted all their resources in simply making it to Q3. Take the Japanese GP, for example, di Resta told Autosport. Force India I believe did 13 laps in qualifying, and Red Bull Racing did eight and were on pole. Now, the number of laps tells you what we need to do to get through. The quick teams do not need to use a set of soft tyres to get through Q1. To me, that is the advantage they have got. With the race strategies, the middle teams are always having to do a stop less because you cannot get yourself clear of all the traffic, whereas they [the frontrunners] are quick enough to clear it. They are able to do more stops, be more aggressive.

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>> F1 NEWS

mercedes experimenting with F-duct front wing for 2012

WE have now reached the point in an unwinnable season where teams turn their attention to the following year, and eagle-eyed observers have noticed 2012 parts being tested during Friday practice sessions in recent weeks. Perhaps the most revolutionary new part currently being developed if reports are to be believed is a front-wing Fduct concept Mercedes are thought to be working on. According to a report in Autosport, the new Mercedes front wing mimics the concept of the F-duct by diverting airflow through a series of complex channels onto the diffuser, adding downforce and reducing the load on tyres. McLaren pioneered the concept of a rear-wing F-duct during the 2010 season, when they created a vent that when blocked physically by a drivers arm or leg diverted the flow of air over the rear wing, adding rear downforce. The device was banned by the FIA for 2011 as it was deemed unsafe for drivers to be used as moveable aerodynamic devices. If reports of the new front wing are accurate, Mercedes appear to have circumvented the FIA regulations by allowing changing rates of air pressure to do the work for them, taking the driver out of the equation

newey concerned by 2012 diffuser ban

RED Bulls period of dominance could end thanks to the 2012 diffuser ban, Adrian Newey admitted this week. One of the biggest changes for teams to adapt to in the 2012 Technical Regulations is a wholesale ban on the blown diffuser concept that has been powering Red Bulls race-winning and championship-dominating cars since 2009. Banning the blown diffuser is a big change, Newey admitted to British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph. It has a fundamental affect on the aerodynamics of the car which then knocks on through the car. It is an enormous challenge to stay at the top. The RB7 was designed pretty much from the outset with that exhaust location. Everyone else, possibly with the exception of Ferrari but probably without exception, copied what we did. Whether they got as much performance out of it as we did having designed are car around it is difficult to know. While Newey has admitted his concerns to the media, the paddocks aerodynamic and technical brains are all in the same boat when it comes to the diffuser ban. Teams have come to rely on the blown diffuser for added speed and downforce in recent years, and the FIAs decision to ban the device is an opportunity for a quick-witted team to get the march on the competition by designing Formula Ones next piece of must-have technology.

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5 MINUTES WITH ...

PAUL BUTLER
black day. But then again ... its not that long ago, and to think that an organisation who were told there was oil on the track would not even go and look, and sent people out to their deaths, is quite ... Youve presided over big changes: the end of two-strokes, dumbed-down Moto2, control tyres, electronics. Electronics have probably had the most impact. MotoGP bikes are wondrous machines, and the levels of performance wouldnt be achievable without effective engine management. But its had its impact certainly on motorcycle racing because it affects rider feedback, and it affects cost, hugely which is probably the major concern right now. I remember Garry Taylor (team manager) telling me that Suzukis four-stroke electronics budget was greater than the total two-stroke budget. But its probably impossible to turn back the tide. Ive also seen tremendous swings in horsepower, in relation to chassis capacity. When we got into F750 and Daytona and so on in the 1970s, all of a sudden there were the 750 Suzukis throwing out way more power than either the chassis or the tyres could handle. That was the peak, then it got managed, it got controlled. I think theres a very strong argument for having more horsepower than you need, because it gives flexibility in the racing. Theres more sliding, its more spectacular, and it should be less expensive: more attainable. I feel were coming back to that now with 1000cc. Do you see a future without the factories? Well, Ive seen it before, when Honda withdrew in the late 1960s. I can certainly see it happening again. The beautiful thing about motorcycles ... there are no F1 cars out there on the streets, nothing you could convert to go and run an F1 race. But youll see an armload of motorcycles that, with the right kind of investment, you could convert into grand prix motorcycles. Twas ever so. I think the potential for motorcycle racing to ride the storm, however severe the storm is, is massive, because of the wonderful roadgoing machinery thats out there.

A senior influential figure is nearing the end of a long career in bike racing Michael Scott spoke with him on the eve of last weekends Malaysian GP
Paul Butler is overseeing his last two races as MotoGP Race Director a job he has held since 1999. Before that he was Team Roberts manager, a founder member of the gamechanging IRTA, and before that a Dunlop tyre man: four decades in bike racing. GPWEEK: What was there before the Race Director? PAUL BUTLER: A Clerk of the Course and the Jury. That was more or less forever. No permanent officials. One key race was Spa 1989, when we had three races. Claude Danis was clerk of the course, and decided that under the rules there was nothing to prevent a race being restarted twice. His judgement was based on giving the punters something to watch. The FIM jury met hours afterwards, after all the pots had been presented, decided it was illegal and nullified the result. This goes back to the motivation for IRTA to create a professional series. Among the trappings, theres all the technology, like CCTV and radio links to marshals. That must help a lot. Id like to have had the technology at the Scandinavian raceway in 1983. Because nobody saw what happened between Kenny and Freddie at the end of the runway. It would have been fascinating to be able to make a judgement on that. Now we have so much information, so many angles, so many views that your challenge really is to look at it in real time. The temptation is to look at everything in slow motion and of course that is unreal. If youd been able to see Lee Harvey Oswald coming in slow motion, JFK would have lived to a ripe old age. It doesnt happen like that: things are instant, and youve got to judge them. The bottom line is theyre all trying to beat each other, and its not a kid-glove sport. I dont recall too much dissatisfaction with decisions because we try and make it clear that its unanimous, and why. But youre never happy being punished. For some teams and riders, the biggest criticism is inconsistency. How do you respond? Theres four of us making the decision, and you cant take the human emotion  aspect out of these things. It has an effect. You go through periods when everything is smooth and calm, then all of a sudden people are looking for a hanging judge, because its no longer smooth ... it is time to stamp on it. You have to rationalise that with the aim of being consistent. So you make these judgement calls as you go. Whenever these things come up, someone has to be the asshole. Thats the job. What is your legacy? I dont lay claim to any of this. IRTA made it the rearrangement happen, and the credit after that is due to Dorna for co-operating so well in the development of the rules and the structure. We started out with a pretty thin set of rules protocols, I should say, or procedures: and they are much admired. New tracks praise it highly compared with other world championships. Year on year the championship has learned from its mistakes. A favourite circuit, or racing trip? California and, if you go back a bit, Daytona in Florida. In European terms, Mediterranean. Italy and Spain is where it works best. Mugello has to be one of the favourites. The South American adventures were always memorable, but a lot of that was to do with IRTA parties. And South Africa ... the Kyalami bash was fantastic. There was Johor Baru (in Malaysia). The sultan was a rather colourful character. He used to ride his Harley around the golf courses, and we had to time the races because he needed to be there not to coincide with his golf games. So we would be there waiting for the sound of his helicopter so we could start the race. Top rider? Thats tough. Kenny Roberts has been a huge part of my life. Wayne Rainey was without question Kennys favourite rider. I experience a little bit of Mike Hailwood, although not in his pomp. Agostini, an absolute star. Obviously Saarinen amazing. When he and Pasolini died at Monza, it was a very

>> MOTO CHAT

23

Death in Vegas
opinion

ADAM HAYNICHOLLS
GPWeek Editor

Las Vegas was eerily subdued the evening of Sunday past. Most of the citys throng of tourists, gamblers and good time girls were unaware of what had happened earlier that day north of the city limits at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but for those of us who were there the neon had been extinguished, and plans for post-season partying instantly cancelled and forgotten. It was the silence that I will remember for a long time, from the moment we were informed of Dan Wheldons passing through to when everyone drove out of the car parks. The drivers, who had been told of their friends death moments before the official announcement, emerged from the meeting room without saying a word and went out to their cars to fire up for a five lap salute. All orchestration was unseen, as the entire paddock stepped over the pitwall, walked over to the grass divider, and stood shoulder-toshoulder as the cars came around. My literary plans had taken a sharp turn into uncharted territory. I had headed out to the desert from L.A 24 hours earlier on a mission to channel legendary gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson. I had rented a Great White Shark a fast USbuilt convertible. As Hunter was fond of saying: You cant cover the American Dream in a fucking Volkswagen. Accompanied by my attorney friend, keen to sample his first taste of motor racing and drunk by 11am when we arrived at the circuit, we assembled with the crowds

in front of a big truck that shot flames in the sky, and upon which each driver appeared, dramatically elevated through a hole in the roof. It was the last time most people saw Dan in the flesh. The plan was to watch the race from the grandstands, but I caught the start of the race in the media centre canteen. The live audio was frustratingly out of kilter with the images we were seeing, which were delayed. We heard about the crash via the commentators five seconds before we actually saw it. Doubtless you have seen the recording my view was the same. It looked like a Hollywood action scene. The accident just kept on going, all the way out of Turn 2 and down the Nellis straight. Twice before Ive been at races where I thought we might lose a driver: Kubicas Montreal crash in 2007 and Massas accident in Hungary 09. But with so many cars involved, and 11 of the 15 drivers getting out of their cars with ease, I wasnt immediately alarmed. Not until we saw an ominous-looking yellow tarp being put over one savagely ripped apart car, and then the whirring of rota blades. It came many minutes after the moment of impact and until then we had no idea what we were dealing with. You didnt even want to think, let alone say, the D word. But as time dragged on two hours with no news the signs were not good. On the drive back I had to consider my story brief, having been sent by a New York magazine to create Fear & Loathing with a modern twist. Was the subject now untouchable, too dark, too sensitive for cultural examination? Then I remembered a famous quote from one of Hunters greatest influences, Ernest Hemmingway: There are only three sports bull fighting, mountaineering and motor racing. All the rest are merely games.

4

>> GPWEEK OPINION

The end of a Lion

MICHAEL SCOtt
MotoGP Editor
At times like this, all thoughts are muddled by grief. In one split second, in one freakish moment when the tyres gripped and imposed an illogical trajectory, everything that is beautiful about bike racing turned ugly. The sudden loss of Marco Simoncelli will take some getting used to. He was a lion of a man, with a great big mane and a booming voice, and a great big heart. He was also a lion of a racer: I never give presents to the other riders. By the end of this, his second MotoGP season, he was as fast as the Aliens. He had a big future. His gung ho style found some disfavour with his rivals. He was blamed for knocking off Pedrosa at Le Mans; Lorenzo at Assen. His critics might wish now that he had heeded their advice. But its irrelevant. He was a racer, who only knew one way. Sennas way. What most would call the right way. And in the end it was not his exuberance or aggression that played him foul, but a quirk of physics. Fighting for fourth, he was fast into the right-hand turn 11, one after the left-right esses behind the pits. The camera on the challenging Bautistas Suzuki recorded his back tyre painting a black streak as it spun, searching for grip. But it was the front that let go first, and the bike slid away. A perfectly normal low-side get-off. It should have ended with a safe slide into the run-off. Instead it got weird. Somehow the tyres gripped again. If the bike had been a bit more sideways this might have precipitated a loop over the high side. But that didnt happen either. Instead, as had happened last year to Shoya Tomizawa, the bike speared inwards towards the inside of the corner, Simoncelli inside and halfbeneath the riderless machine. The guys behind, Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi, didnt have a chance. Neither did Marco.

opinion

So what is the effect on racing? On racing fans? On racers? In the shocking hours after the event, it is hard to gauge ones feelings. I wrote back in 1993 after Wayne Raineys crippling crash that, for those who were there, racing will never be the same again. In some ways, it wasnt. But it was in others. Its like that. The sport is bigger than the man, and that is still true. On a personal level, it might be different. Hours after the event, BBC commentator Steve Parrish predicted that Rossi might retire. He and Simoncelli have been friends for a long time. While Rossis part in his friends death was nothing if not accidental (he didnt know if hed hit him or not; photos suggest that he did), it could prey on his mind. Racing in general needs some answers. Why did his helmet come off? Could the design be improved? Would that have made any difference? Why did the tyres grip again in this quirky way? Is there anything that can be done to prevent that? But we all know that nothing can be done to avoid the extreme danger to a rider when he is struck at high speed by following motorcycles. In this case, he will be very lucky to escape with his life. The only way to prevent that happening will be to stop people racing each other on motorbikes. I dont think thats what Simoncelli would have wanted. It remains only to express sincere condolences, shared I am sure by all readers, to Marcos family, friends and team. He achieved a lot in his 24 years. You must be proud.

25

THE RACE TH
An accumulation of unfortunate incidents ended in tragedy at Sepang on Sunday, as Michael Scott reports

6

>> MOTOGP MALAYSIA

HAT WASNT

2

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 of Colin Edwards is returned to the Sepang pits (above).

It was hopeless; there was no way of avoiding the collision ...

HE Malaysian GP had already had the guts knocked out of it. A series of unrelated crashes had robbed the grid of both factory Yamaha riders and one Suzuki wild card. The championship was already decided: Stoner first. The heat and humidity were enervating; the back-to-back schedule exhausting. There was still plenty to play for. In the end, it proved too much. Among the Repsol Hondas, a major grudge to be settled between Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, disputing third overall. This promised much: all three Repsol bikes were dominant in practice and qualifying, with Pedrosa marginally ahead of Stoner, Dovi within two tenths. A little lower down, fifth was up for grabs. Yamahas Ben Spies held it on 156 points, but was out of the race after another bruising crash compounded the injuries that ruled him out in Australia. Marco Simoncelli and Valentino Rossi (San Carlo Honda and Marlboro Ducati) were equal, only 17 points adrift; second Ducati rider Nicky Hayden only seven away from them. Rossi was also desperate for a good result, on a day when the absence of two Yamahas had already promoted him two slots.

And Alvaro Bautista was on a real high with a transformed Suzuki and a point to prove to factory bosses still wavering about whether to carry on grand prix racing. The threat of rain had receded when the race started, and Stoner sprung a surprise by beating Pedrosa into the first corner. Simoncelli, from row two, was fourth as the completed that lap and started the next. On the first corner, a little slip let Bautista past the Honda. Typically, as in their many 250 battles, Simoncelli wouldnt have it. He barged straight back underneath into the following left. The crash came nine corners later. Pushing hard, Bautista inches behind and Dovizioso not far in front, Simoncelli laid it into the right-hander. The bike slid away as he slipped off the inside, but before he was fully down it gripped again and swerved wildly across to the right. Bautista had passed already, Hayden just made it by. Close behind Edwards had Rossi pushing hard. As they exited the corner, both braked hard and swerved as Simoncelli veered right into their path. It was hopeless: there was no way of avoiding the collision. Both bikes hit the fallen

Simoncelli; Edwards went tumbling horrifyingly over the bars and into the grass, Rossi managed to land back in the seat and recover as he ran off. Simoncellis helmet was ripped off in the impact, and he came to rest lifeless on the track. The race was red-flagged immediately as he was removed to the medical centre in very critical condition. A restart was scheduled 30 minutes later, while sombrely silent pits awaited information. Before that, however, Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta was touring the pits explaining the situation to teams and riders, and instead of the restart the race was cancelled. The official reason was that all medical support was dedicated to Simoncelli, leaving nothing for any further injuries. News that Simoncelli had not survived became public a little more than half-anhour later. By then a record crowd of 67,112 had been informed of the race cancellation, although not the reason for it, and the grandstands were echoing to baying discontent. The fans had been denied a race. The MotoGP paddock, united in grief, had lost something much greater.



>> MOTOGP MALAYSIA

29

Did Marcos tyre gamble go wrong?

All weekend, riders had complained that the Sepang surface was in a slippery condition. But there were no complaints about the tyres, and after practice all the leading riders were unable (or unwilling) to reveal tyre choices. Either softer or harder would do the distance was the common opinion: the former with better grip, the second with better endurance. We must wait and see what the temperature is like, said Pedrosa. A threat of rain had cooled things slightly when the race began at 5pm. Even so, all but three riders stuck with the harder front tyre ... Elias, Bautista and Aoyama were the exceptions. All but two decided that the softer rear would be the one. The exceptions were Randy de Puniet ... and Marco Simoncelli. The play-off they chose was to sacrifice some grip in the earlier laps in the hope of being stronger at the end of one of the most gruelling GPs on the calendar. On-board footage from Bautistas bike clearly shows Simoncellis rear tyre painting a black line on the corner exit as he opens the throttle. That is what you would expect, with a harder tyre in the early laps. And wheelspin would in turn put more weight on the front. For it was the front that folded, tipping him off the inside of the bike, before the tyres gripped again and sent the bike careening to its inevitable collision.

30

>> MOTOGP MALAYSIA >> MOTOGP ITALY

The fight for Marcos life

MEDICAL Director Dr Michele Macchiagodena gave a factual report of the injuries to the fallen Honda rider which clearly explained how seriously he was hurt, and why they had been unable to resuscitate him. He suffered a very serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest. When our medical staff got to him he was unconscious, he told a sombre Press conference, hosted by the full Race Direction committee. In the ambulance, because there was a cardiac arrest, they started CPR (cardiac pulmonary resuscitation). Once in the medical centre, Simoncelli was given full emergency treatment including intubation and the draining of fluids, by Clinica Mobile and local doctors. They battled to re-animate him for 45 minutes, without success. We tried to help him for as long as we thought it was possible. Unfortunately it was not possible to help him and at 16:56 (local time) we had to declare he was dead, concluded Macchiagodena. Simoncellis father was among the crowd gathered outside the medical centre awaiting news, and was comforted by distraught members of the Gresini team. By cruel irony, the same team suffered the last fatality in MotoGP, when Daijiro Kato suffered fatal injuries at Suzuka in 2003.

31

MoTo2: ReD fLag, anD LuThi, keep TiTLe baTTLe aLiVe

AN extraordinary Moto2 weekend ended in an extraordinary way, when Stefan Bradl was robbed of a possible victory that would have secured him the championship. Instead the race was shortened by two laps when the red flags came out after a crash left rider Axel Pons in the middle of the track. Results were taken from the 17th of 19 laps at exactly the point when Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Suter) had nipped ahead of racelong leader Bradls Viessmann Kalex for the first time. Bradl never had the chance to show if he could redress the balance, and lost five points that would have put him out 3 of reach of challenger Marc Marquez. I was a little bit unlucky today, he grimaced. The weekend started badly when four riders crashed on their first lap due to a marshalling error (see news story). One was Marquez, and though the Repsol Suter rider did manage to qualify at the back, he was ruled out of the race by track medical staff. Bradley Smith was also hurt and out. Bradl had regained the points lead a week before: now victory would give him the crown. He took off up front, smooth and determined. First-time pole qualifier Luthi was with him, and stayed within a second over the early laps as they drew away. From lap 13 he closed right up again. The challenge would come, but when? And how much did Bradl, still riding neatly, have to spare? The pass came on the back straight and into the crucial final hairpin ... and it resolved the race. Third-placed Pol Espargaro (Tuenti FTR) had seen off a challenge from older brother Aleix (Pons Kalex), and in the end another from a storming Alex de Angelis, who finished lap one 15th. Another couple of seconds down Dominique Aegerter (Technomag Suter) also battled through, narrowly heading Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Suter), Michele Pirro (Gresini Moriwaki), Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone (Speedmaster Suter). Kallio had been with de Angelis, but ran wide on the last lap. Redding (Marc VDS Suter) had dropped back from this group, but saved tenth as he outpaced Esteve Rabat (Blusens FTR). Sofuoglu won a race-long dice with Cluzel and di Meglio for 12th. Takahashi and Pasini were among the crashers; race-stopper Pons escaped serious injury in spite of having been inadvertently run over by Kenny Noyes. Bradl leads Marquez into the last race by 274 to 251; Iannone (172), de Angelis (170) battle over third. Luthi has 151, Corsi (crashed out today) 127.

>> MOTOGP MALAYSIA

125: TeRoL faLTeRs, new boy wins

THE title battle stayed open in the smallest class too, as Nico Terol faltered in the final laps, dropping to fifth after leading much of the race. With rival Johan Zarco securing third, the Spanish Bankia Aprilia rider will have to wait two more weeks. Terol secured pole for the seventh time this year while Zarco had a nightmare, qualifying only 15th on a hastily patched-up AirAsia Derbi after crashing in the early stages. It was Terol away first, chased by Sandro Cortese (Intact Aprilia), Maverick Vinales (Blusens Aprilia) and Jonas Folger (Red Bull Aprilia). Zarco had an amazing first lap and lay fifth. Folger dropped away as Terols team-mate Hector Faubel joined in, and the lead group of five was still all up close for the first ten laps. By now Vinales had led for three laps, with Cortese in second. On lap 13 Terol took over again and tried to break away. No way. All four went with him, and now he started to make the odd mistake. He blamed fading tyres, and on the last lap, as Cortese took to the front again, he almost crashed and ran onto the grass at the esses. Vinales was in front again by the flag after a desperate last lap, Cortese three tenths down. It was the 16-year-old rookies third win in his debut season. By then Zarco was a couple of seconds down and Faubel likewise on him. And only then did Terol cross the line. He didnt complete the slowdown lap, parking the bike, walking off and collapsing with heat exhaustion, to be resuscitated at the medical centre. Folger was a lone sixth; a long way back Malaysian Zulfahmi Khairuddin (AirAsia Derbi) thrilled home fans by defeating Kornfeil, Moncayo and Kent in a long fight for seventh. It equalled his bestever result. 33

With its maiden Grand Prix just around the corner, KATE WALKER explains why India needs to copy Singapore and embrace Formula One this weekend, if its to avoid being another Turkey.
34

f1s passage To inDia

>> F1 FEATURE

35

ormula One is a world of contradictions. Teams constantly look to the future while fighting to preserve the sports rich past, and the market-driven global calendar leads to megalithic new circuits being built in countries with no motorsport heritage. One of the criticisms often levelled at the worlds most expensive travelling circus is that of a lack of global sensitivity or awareness some of the calendars most popular races take place against a backdrop of extreme poverty. When the Indian Grand Prix was first announced, the knee-jerk reaction from the non-sporting global media was one of criticism. F1 was at it again, they cried, racing multi-million dollar cars in a country known (in automotive terms) for inventing the worlds cheapest production car, an economic necessity in a country whose growing middle class disguises the fact that hundreds of millions of people still live on or near the poverty line. But the response to the race from within the rarefied confines of the paddock has been more positive. India is a sport-hungry nation with an existing interest in motorsport, and the decision to locate the Buddh International Circuit on the outskirts of Delhi has meant that organisers have no concerns about ticket sales. Where many races falter because teams and locals alike fail to promote the grand prix in the run-up to the event, Indias maiden race has faced no such difficulties. The Force India Formula One team has been attracting a strong Indian fanbase since the team first lined up on the grid in 2008. Now that the outfit are regular midfield contenders, part of a chasing pack that sees them challenging the likes

of Renault and Mercedes for the lower end of the points, Indias home-grown fans have a team of their own to cheer with pride each weekend. What Force India lacks is an Indian driver, but thanks to HRT and Team Lotus, Indian fans are likely to be able to cheer on two of their countrymen come Sunday. HRT have already confirmed that Narain Karthikeyan will be taking over Tonio Liuzzis driving duties for the Indian Grand Prix weekend, while Team Lotus reserve driver Karun Chandhok is still waiting to hear whether or not he will be able to line up on Sundays grid. Driving in front of the home crowd cheering on is going to be a surreal experience, Karthikeyan said over the weekend. A once in a lifetime experience and I feel extremely fortunate. There is a huge buzz around the grand prix already and Im sure that itll be a resounding success that will motivate more youngsters towards the sport and give us the future F1 drivers. Making it into F1 at the time I did was a seriously uphill task and the thought of being able to compete in the inaugural Indian GP was non-existent. But it is finally here and Ill be on the grid. Speaking to Reuters in the run-up to the Indian Grand Prix, Karun Chandhok was positive about the race, although he accepted that no maiden race ever runs smoothly. You are going to have to expect typical first-year problems, the Team Lotus reserve driver said. There are going to be traffic problems, car park problems, cockups here and there. But is there anything that will really threaten the event? I dont think so. Is there anything that will really publicly embarrass the event? I dont think so.

The Indian drivers confidence could be misplaced, given the problems that have so far dogged the nascent grand prix. Since May there have been reports of local farmers doing their utmost to destabilise construction efforts at the Buddh International Circuit site, using means legal and subversive to halt work where possible. There is a sense in the local community that farmers were underpaid for their land, and resentment has been running at a steady boil. Add to that the fact that the site chosen for the racetrack has cut off local villagers from a sacred temple, and led to the relocation of a cremation site, and it is easy to understand why community tempers have been frayed. Speaking to the Hindustan Times about local opposition to the circuit, villager Sunder Singh said: Hundreds of devotees throng the temple on Sundays. Hurting the religious sentiments can turn things ugly. It should be sorted out amicably. There have been regular threats of demonstrations during the grand prix weekend, with villagers keen to use the glare of the global media spotlight to draw attention to their cause. But relations between the circuit and the local community have improved in recent weeks, with the villagers as keen as the race organisers to use the Indian Grand Prix to erase the negative impression of the country left in the wake of 2010s Commonwealth Games. In any case, the problems faced by the race organisers are not limited only to those caused by the locals. The F1 travelling circus is used to a certain level of assistance from local governments when it comes to such administrative details as organising visas where necessary, easing the passage of F1

>> F1 FEATURE

freight through customs, and ensuring the smooth running of a global event. In the case of the Indian Grand Prix, however, administrative details have been a series of administrative headaches. The visas have been the most visible problem, with some teams and drivers having their initial applications refused. While Nico Rosberg and the HRT team have since resolved their visa problems, not everyone has been so lucky. A significant number of the travelling press corps has been refused visas, while this reporter was informed that their threeday visa application would be ready for collection shortly after the Indian Grand Prix weekend drew to a close, nearly two weeks after the application was first submitted. Speaking to The Times of India after Septembers Italian Grand Prix, where Indian visa struggles were a hot topic of paddock conversation, the FIAs F1 Head of Communications, Matteo Bonciani, admitted that the long waits for F1 visas were a matter of concern. If the government takes three weeks to process a visa application, almost 90 percent of F1 people me included wont attend the race, Bonciani said. While the visa issues have earned miles of column inches in recent months, the more complex issue facing F1 attendees is the problem of Indian taxation. There have been a number of different tax rows surrounding the Indian Grand Prix, and not all of them will have been resolved when the circus touches down in Delhi this week. The first issue to raise its ugly head was that of additional customs taxes on F1 freight. Where the central government was able to organise customs-exempt bonds for specialised equipment entering the country for last years Commonwealth

Games, Formula Ones tonnes of freight have been subject to additional taxes. That row was only resolved when the race organisers took it upon themselves to pay the additional taxes on behalf of the teams and FOM. The tax issue that has been more widely publicised and has yet to be resolved concentrates on the earnings of teams and drivers during the week that they will spend in India. Teams have been informed that they and their drivers but not the associated support staff or media will be required to pay up to 70 percent income tax on 1/19th of their annual earnings, calculated as the monies earned during their trip to India. It is highly unusual for countries to make income tax demands on non-residents, especially when those affected will be spending less than a week in the country in question. The ongoing tax rows are just more proof that one of the biggest hurdles the Indian Grand Prix organisers still need to overcome is the overwhelming lack of support from the central government. Speaking to The Times of India in midSeptember, Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs S D Majumder shocked the world of motorsport when he told the newspaper that the Indian Grand Prix was not an event of national importance. Such attitudes are incredibly shortsighted. While Formula Ones popularity in India may be limited when compared to national heavy-hitters like cricket or the Bollywood film industry, hosting a grand prix is an opportunity to present your country to a new demographic on an internationally televised stage. Only the Olympics and the World Cup can compare in terms of viewing figures.

But Vicky Chandhok, who has long been one of the driving forces behind the Indian race, is au fait with the potential to be found in the logistical nightmare he signed up for. Writing in The Hindu over the weekend, the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India said: Eighteen other countries globally cope with the various pressures of bringing an event of this scale to their shores and this is the opportunity for us to step up and deliver on our dream of being not a developing, but a developed nation! Its not just the stakeholders of the sport but the Government that need to exploit this global platform to promote India. With a global audience of 527 million viewers in 2010, 16,000 hours of coverage in 187 countries, I dont think anybody can argue with the brand equity that is Formula One. You need only look to the Singapore Grand Prix to see all that can be achieved if a race is run with governmental support. Formula Ones night race has fast become one of the calendars most popular fixtures for a host of reasons: the facilities for fans, teams, and media alike are all top-drawer; logistical and organisational problems are non-existent; and transport and accommodation are some of the easiest on the calendar. There are several models for a new grand prix to follow. While Singapore is a great success story, a number of other races have risen and fallen over the years, thanks in no small part to mismanagement on the behalf of local authorities. The Indian Grand Prix is at a crossroads, and next weekend will determine whether it enters the F1 history books as a Singapore-style jewel in the crown, or yet another Turkey.

ford picks up the pieces

The Lucky Lemon of spain

Through walls of dust and ill-fated luck came the Citroen of Sebastien Loeb, who once again ran away with both speed and good fortunes while his rivals were seemingly without. MARTIN HOLMES was on the spot in Spain.

3

>> WRC SPAIN

39

itroen clinched their seventh world rally Manufacturers title in nine years when Sebastien Loeb cruised home to win in most extraordinary circumstances in Spain. Despite finishing second and third, Ford lost out in the title race by three points. Once again, Ford tactics kept Mikko Hirvonen artificially in the running for the World Drivers title, with help for the third time this season from teammate Jari-Matti Latvala. Hirvonen lays just eight points behind the seven times world champion Loeb, with the final round in Britain to run. The chances of one of the most exciting events in memory, a neck and neck battle between the Citroen of Sebastien Loeb and the Ford of JariMatti Latvala were dashed almost before it began, thanks to absurdly unfair driving conditions. The dusty, dry mixed surfaced stages run on the first day strongly favoured the first car on the road, and when one of the stages was later run in darkness, lingering dust meant any hope of meaningful competition had long gone. Loeb, who had earlier grumbled at the prospect of driving first car on the road assuming that surface cleaning would be the dominant feature of the event, suddenly found things were going his way. The dust from his car was was badly handicapping the following cars, even though the running order between the top cars was extended to four minutes. And when stage six was run in darkness, pursuing drivers spoke about stopping on account of impenetrable walls of dust. Of all the top drivers, only Loeb had a clean run on this event. Star of the show, however, was Latvala, putting up a most impressive performance on the asphalt stages, constantly vying for best stage times with Loeb. Latvala however did not stand a chance of ultimate victory. During Day 1, fourth running Latvala was able to pass Loeb into the lead for two stages, but then the stage in darkness put paid to his chances. A sudden wall of dust from the cars in front of him caused him to spin, and then he was forced to wait until his own dust eased before being able to continue. All this cost him 46 seconds. During the all-asphalt stages of Day 2 Latvala reduced this deficit to a half minute, and there he stayed until Fords tactical machinery wing came into operation and demanded he incurred a time control penalty in order to improve

teammate Mikko Hirvonens title aspirations. While Hirvonen continued to have trouble getting the best out of his Fiesta, Latvala had demonstrated a new impressive level of excellence of tarmac driving. On this occasion, Loeb was on his own, with little hope of tactical support from his teammate Sebastien Ogier. At midday on Day 1, Ogier was lying third, only 11.9 seconds behind Loeb. But he subsequently had the first of two punctures, which dropped him behind the challenging Mini of Dani Sordo. Then, Ogier had another puncture and dropped also behind the Mini of Meeke, before settling for the rest of the rally behind Sordo in fifth place. Spanish driver Sordo, who was on home soil, was urged on by thousands of addoring supporters, but had a tricky event. He

suffered badly in the dust on Day 1 when his intercom failed and was soon nearly a minute behind the rally leaders. And in the dust on stage six, his deficit doubled not only because of visibility, but because the car was ingesting the dust a well. As the rally progressed Minis settled into fourth and sixth positions. Then came Ogiers final indignity. The Citroens engine failed on the penultimate stage and he was out altogether. Best customer car for all of the rally was the Fiesta of Mads Ostberg, helped by the first stage exit of Petter Solberg, Ken Block and the SWRC challenger Ott Tanak, who all crashed into a concrete culvert to the permanent detriment of their suspensions. Kimi Raikkonen withdrew after two stages due to problems caused by a fuel leak. On Day 3, and the final day of asphalt rallying this

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>> WRC SPAIN

year, Armindo Araujo went off the road on the first stage. For the second rally running, the Portuguese driver had gone off the road shortly after the start of the first stage of the final day. And just as the computers were working out the championship positions came the realisation that the looming rain had finally arrived on the stages. After a taking a bet on fitting soft compound tyres, the Minis of Meeke and Sordo took the two top positions on the Power Stage, and of the top championship drivers, only Loeb took a supplemental point. The quest for night time stages as part of the FIAs declared attempt at reviving ancient and hallowed rallying traditions, backfired badly. But through it all came the seven times world champion Lucky Loeb, who once again unexpectedly landed on his feet, winning Citroens 80th WRC event.

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opes that the SWRC would climax in a nailbiting finale between series leader Juho Hanninen and challenger Ott Tanak soon stumbled. Tanak was, at the start of the Spanish foray, just three points behind Hanninen with Martin Prokop in the wings waiting for a double misfortune for those ahead. Tanaks aspirations were dashed when he hit the same culvert as Petter Solbergs Citroen, but he was able to restart under SupeRally rules for Day 2. Tanak was in line for points if he finished, but he unfortunately failed. Hanninen found himself locked into a battle for the lead of the event with Nasser Al Attiyah, whose championship hopes were nil after a disastrous series of troubles eariler this year. At the end of Day 2, Al Attiyah damaged his transmission cooler and was only 0.4 second ahead of Hanninen but the Qatari had brake trouble and Hanninen took the lead, securing the title on Day 3. An early challenger for SWRC honours for the event was Craig

Breen, who took over Eyvind Brynildsens entry for Spain. Bernardo Sousa retired on Day 1 with engine problems having earlier stopped at the end of Day 1 with alternator failure. Breen had a broken driveshaft and settled for an impressive fourth place behind Hanninen, Al Attiyah and Prokop. Yeray Lemes in a nonchampionship Skoda S2000 beat the SWRC competitors three times on the Spanish mixed-stages. Hanninen won the SWRC title, giving a Skoda driver their first ever world rally championship title, following up from Skodas last-minute WRC 2-litre Cup title in 1994. Behind Breen came Hermann Gassner, fighting to regain his confidence after his accident in France. Skoda have therefore achieved half of their declared objectives of the season, winning the SWRC with Hanninen, and are now hoping to win the IRC series, preferably with Jan Kopecky in Cyprus. Future plans for the Skoda team are not yet announced, team director Michal Hrbanek said in Spain that nothing would be said about future plans for the team until after Cyprus.

hanninen The supeR

ntroducing a controversial night gravel stage was a big risk, but one encouraged by the way the Acropolis Rally organisers had done the same earlier in the season. The problems this time were endless. The need to extend the gap between competitors meant that later crews had to do not one but two stages in the dark, and the rally extended well into the early hours of the next day. Before the start of the rally Petter Solberg said the decision was extraordinary, The FIA decided some years ago not to run orthodox stages at night, for safety reasons. So why is the safety issue not so important now? For the rally the trouble was that the conditions were dry and the wind had died down, leaving dust hanging in the air. It was a strikingly unfair situation in which the lead driver had a massive advantage over following crews, far more significant than any road cleaning issue with which the FIA are concerned. Jari-Matti Latvala explained his predicament, The dust was not consistent in its intensity. Suddenly I was confused and spun. Sebastien Loeb, who created the dust, had a clear line of sight. Then when I spun, it was my own dust which stopped us from setting off again. Mads Ostberg, It destroyed

the rally to have a stage like that. Think about JariMatti, he did some very impressive stages and took the lead, even though there had been a lot of dust on the earlier afternoon stages (four and five). It was just a disaster that they chose to have a stage like that. It destroys everything for all the drivers, except the driver who is first on the road. It isnt good enough for a world championship rally. The team bosses also had things to say about night time dry gravel stages. Citroen boss Olivier Quesnel said, For the drivers running behind, the situation was even dangerous. It was not fair for everyone. We must think about this problem. David Richards for Prodrive meanwhile stated, This was not the right way to organise a world championship rally. The great frustration in the sport is that with new rally chiefs comes new ideas, like running night stages. Unaware that these have been tried out before, and sometimes (like running dry gravel stages in the dark) have been rejected in the past for reasons which are just as relevant today. The FIA meanwhile have chosen to run reverse running order for top drivers on gravel rallies in 2012, in an attempt to bring fairness amid team tactics.

Drivers

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ound 6 of the PCWRC started off with a lot of unexpected news. Hayden Paddon, winner of the first four rounds of the series and world champion elect, found his car had suffered a throttle problem as the car was being prepared for the start line. A minute piece of electrical insulation had become dislodged. Suddenly there was hope for others! The event turned into a close battle between

opening The fLoDin gaTes

Patrik Flodins Subaru Impreza and Michal Kosciuszkos Mitsubishi Evo X. Conversely however, Kosciuszko hit a tree and broke a rear window, subsequently suffering from dust entering the cabin as well as from the dust of slower drivers on Day 1. On Day 2, he was very lucky to finish after he lost his brakes near the end of stage 12, nearly spearing off the road as a result. On the final day, he set out to catch the Swedish driver again, which he just fell

>> WRC SPAIN

short of doing by just 2.0 seconds at the finish. Paddon meanwhile was able to start Day 2 under SupeRally rules, immediately taking fastest times ahead of the overall leaders. The new FIA 2-wheel-drive Cup winner Harry Hunt went off the road with his Citroen DS3, with both Martin Semerad and Dmitry Tagirov also heading off the road.

against night stages LighTning seb S

ebastien Ogier made a lightning wheel change in mid stage after he punctured in Stage 5. Co-driver Julien Ingrassia explains how they did it. My driver and I practice the system so that we get to do things automatically without having to discuss things first, said Ingrassia. This tells us what to do when everything is normal, but things are not always normal on a rally. It can always be unexpectedly more difficult to change a wheel. This time we were really motivated but there was a special factor, it was because the organisers had ordered that the cars on the afternoon of Day 1 should unusually run at four-minute intervals. This meant that we never had to check whether we would be in a convenient place to put the car before getting out to change the wheel, because we knew the next car would not arrive for another four minutes, we stopped the car in the middle of the road. That was a most unusual opportunity. Ogier and Ingrassia only dropped about 1m40s because of the puncture.

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no bRiTish DRiVeRs foR skoDa

Kris Nissen, VW Motorsport director, came under fire in Salou for his decision on the Wales Rally of Great Britain to halt the habit of including a candidate local driver to steer one of their Skoda SWRC cars at their home rally. Joonas Lindroos had raced for Skoda in Finland, German rally youngster Christian Riedemann in Deutschland and Yeray Lemes in Catalunya. But for Rally GB - a Dutch and a German driver, not a British driver will line up for Skoda. Nissen had his reasons, voicing continued hope for the British hopefuls. Despite this however, Sepp Wiegand and Kevin Abbring will be the youngsters lining up at the Rally of Wales. I can only say what Ive always said, Volkswagen wants to have a young driver in the team that we believe can be the new Sebastien Loeb or Petter Solberg, or whoever, who can one day win the world championship, Said Nissen of his decision. The quality is much more important than the nationality. Of course we cannot ignore that we are a German manufacturer and we are proud of that, and we also have a bit of a job to do to make rallying more popular in Germany. This is why we also need to know, as soon as possible, which German drivers might have the talent, even if they are not ready for 2012 or 2013. We are watching Hermann Gassner, we have given Christian Riedemann a drive for the second time, we found another young German Sepp Wiegand, who will drive in England. But we are also trying the Dutch driver Kevin Abbring in England because he is recommended to us by the FIA Academy. We have some British drivers on our list and Im sure by the latest next year, March/April, we will have done tests with one or two British drivers, and if we are convinced by the testing then we will put them also in a car for a rally. Nissen then added, We have a clear goal which is to be with a good team in 2013 in the WRC, to win our first race in 2014 and to fight for the championship in 2015. For the first race in 2012 we go to Monte Carlo then Mexico and Argentina. We are planning to start proper testing with the Polo in February 2012. We want to be at the start with three works cars.

uncertainties at ford and elsewhere

Just as soon as there is anything to say, we will tell everyone, were the words of Ford motorsport director Gerard Quinn, who was looking unhappy during Catalunya Rally. Quinn answering journalists who reminded him that a statement about 2012 plans were overdue. The mid-October date was expected to be the deadline for when plans for Fords continued presence in the WRC were to be revealed. Fords presence in the WRC is still in the air. Adjacent to the Ford M-Sport facility in the service park at Salou were the Prodrive Mini cars, where there were similar anxieties. Many projects have been put on hold as plans, which should have been centred around a new overall team sponsor, are still awaiting.

Dont call me Juha!

30 year-old Juho Hanninen achieved his eight year dream when he clinched the FIAs Super 2000 World championship title on the weekend. Not only was it a personal success, but it was also the first time a driver had won a world championship title after 10 years of trying by Skoda! Juho - never call him Juha! - has had a remarkable career in which he gained piecemeal achievements in a variety of rally disciplines, including Group N, Super 2000 and also Super

1600, despite a series of demoralising disappointments. On no fewer than three occasions he has been excluded from the results of a world championship rally, twice after a misunderstanding in which he ended up the innocent victim. Hanninens career took off when Skoda invited him to join their official IRC team in 2009, following his victory in a privately-run Peugeot in Russia the year before, and in 2010 he won the IRC title after his seventh win in three years for Skoda.

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>> WRC NEWS

Quesnel explains the Citroen crisis

The internal strife at the powerful Citroen rally team has been a major factor in the season, and with impending decisions about who-drives-what in 2012 still up in the open, there is plenty of stress in the air. But how did it all come about? Was it due to the perception that Ogier disobeyed team orders in Germany, or was there strife before that ever happened? Citroens competitor director Olivier Quesnel explained the background. It all started because Sebastien Loeb was supposed to retire from rallying at the end of this season, (2011) said Quesnel Said. He was fed up with the 2011 restart rules, in which the championship leader has to drive first car on the road on gravel events. We asked the FIA if they would change the rules in the middle of the 2011 season but they said that was impossible. Ford had supported this request. Ogier had already got a proposal from Ford for 2011 and also 2012, so if he accepted the offer and then Sebastien Loeb was going to stop at the end of the season, Citroen would end up with no top drivers! We decided we had to keep Ogier in the team. We knew he wanted to stay but we had to give Ogier equal number status straightaway to make sure this happened. Then in Sardinia, Sebastien Loeb heard that the FIA was going to change the restart order rules in 2012 and said he would like to stay in rallying after all. The problem has not happened because Sebastien Loeb was changing his mind. For myself, it was because the regulations from the FIA were changing. When asked if Quesnel thought the problem could have been avoided, he replied I would have preferred Sebastien Loeb had told me at the beginning of the season he would stay for 2012 and maybe 13. It would have been easier for me but this is it. I cant do anything about that. But for Citroen I think it is good news to still have Sebastien Loeb in the team.

Rally gb entries confirmed

Twenty World Rally Cars have been entered for the final round of the 2011 World Rally Championship. Making their first appearances in a WRC car are SWRC contenders Ott Tanak and Martin Prokop in Ford Fiestas, while former Brazilian PCWRC driver Paulo Nobre will line up in a Mini. As already announced, Evgeniy Novikov replaces Khalid Al Qassimi in the registered Team Abu Dhabi entry, while new PCWRC world champion Hayden Paddon has been entered in a Subaru Impreza R4. This gives Paddon entry as a P2 driver and therefore qualifies for his world title. The VW Motorsport entries for candidate drivers Kevin Abbring and Sepp Wiegand, however, are expected to compete as non-priority drivers.

The draft entry list names of 78 crews, including 17 drivers in the WRC Academy category, with two drivers (Valentin Hummel from Germany and Christopher DuPlessis from the USA) new to the Academy. Another one making his maiden appearance in a World Rally Car, is the Class 10 Toyota Yaris of Belgian privateer Renaud Bronkart.

The architectural berger moves on

Jacques Berger, the architect of the technical rules which have shaped the new generation of World Rally Cars, has been given new responsibilities within the FIA, with a new role of working on sports safety projects. At present it is not known who will take over Bergers current position, or whether there will be a direct replacement, although new to FIA work is Karl-Heinz Goldstein, best known for his rally engineering work with GM in the 80s. Berger has worked full time in motorsport since September 1990, following the work of Gabriel Cadringher who introduced the Groups B, A and N regulations, and together they have worked on in the past formulating the World Rally Car rules which came into force in 1997. I hope I will be best remembered for my rally work with the new Group R rules, also in the WTCC and the GT3 cars, he said when he visited this years Catalunya Rally. Berger started his motorsport work with the WRC, and for many he will always be remembered for discovering the illegal Toyota turbochargers during the Catalunya Rally in 1995, regarded by many as a masterpiece of technical detective work.

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>> GPWEEK PArting Shot

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