F1Rejects.com

by **MinardiFan95** » 14 Dec 2010, 17:59

The Generic Times wrote:Team Minardi misses out on Ford deal for next season
After the horror performance at Bathurst for Minardi when their single car entry failed to qualify, Ford Australia has terminated their deal with the team which was planned to start next year. This plunges Minardi back into financial difficulties, as they only have one engine between two cars - a knackered old Asiatech V10 from 2002. A spokesperson for Ford was quoted as saying: "We will be concentrating on our local motorsports efforts, namely the V8 Supercar series". Driver David Simpson hit back at Ford, with this comment: "Geez, I didn't know Ford were concentrating at all on V8 Supercars, especially now that for the past two seasons their best drivers have defected to Holden. It's a real blow to our team, because we built a second chassis assuming Ford would supply us with an engine and some financial backing. Do they even care about motorsport or are they more interested in sponsoring cricket and AFL." Despite all this Minardi have sent their entry to the F1RWRS organisers.

Team Entry - F1RWRS Season 3
Team name: Ozjet Team Minardi Australia
Car(s): Minardi PS04C
Engine: BMW
Driver(s): David Simpson
Tyres: Bridgestone

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 14 Dec 2010, 20:23

Results for Eastern Creek now up.

Website · by **Wizzie** » 14 Dec 2010, 20:36

Daniel Melrose wrote:Obviously I am very disappointed with what happened between myself and Simpson and the implications in the championship as a result but I'm not going to attribute blame to Dave since it was purely a racing accident plus him and I are good mates from our Presicion Motorsport days 13-14 years ago. That plus everyone's had a difficult weekend with the passing of Tom Walkinshaw and I would like take this oppertunity to send my thoughts and prayers to Tom's family, friends and everyone at the Footwork Pheonix team. Also I would like to extend an offer of assistance to Dave Simpson's teams as in light of the Ford pullout he will have the option to have access to free BMW engines next season should the need arise. Finally a word to Jeroen and he's done a brilliant job this weekend considering he was suffering from a pretty bad fever for the past few days and was only declared fit to drive 30 minutes before race start. Now it's time to pack up from this incredibly difficult weekend here at Eastern Creek and head up the coast to Surfers.

by **Jeroen Krautmeir** » 14 Dec 2010, 20:55

Jeroen Krautmeir wrote:It's been an extremely tough weekend for all involved. Obviously there's the passing of Tom Walkinshaw and Jacques Swaters, and I can only give my condolences. This race, it was extremely tough. My head has been killing me since last Friday, and it was no different today. It's probably a miracle I didn't qualify last, or finish last for that matter, but I manage to muster up enough energy to make it through the race. The car was not as good as I hoped at the beginning, but during my pitstop the crew made a few adjustments, and from there I was able to do much better. I have to feel sorry for Daniel, he's certainly been miles ahead of me this weekend, and I don't feel I deserve to be classified ahead of him! Anyway, next up is Surfers Paradise, and hopefully the team as a whole will fair better.

by **Shizuka** » 14 Dec 2010, 22:27

I had an okay race in front of my sister team, having a chance to score some minor points.

I seriously don't know what the hell did Nicolas Steele think when he pushed me into the wall. After that, my car had heavy oversteer and if the race would have been longer, I swear I could have had an accident. :oops:

I hope he will try to calm down, because this driving is dangerous not only for him, but for us too.
I don't know what happened to the AMR team this weekend. Not even Pippa could score points. And Douglas... what the hell happened to his engine? :shock:

Next up is Surfers Paradise. I like that track, I have positive memories from my TOCA years. Hope to be competitive there!

by **watka** » 14 Dec 2010, 23:01

Ashley Watkinson wrote:We weren't really at the races today, were we? It seems that we didn't have the straight line speed on race day which meant that I got bogged down in the midfield, despite the car being OK to drive. We pitted relatively late, too late to make up any advantage with the new rubber. I think that qualifying showed that if I get some clear air then I'm one of the fastest drivers out there, but when you fall back into the pack with same of these maniacs, particularly that idiot Steele, then that matters jack all.

RIP to Tom Walkinshaw as well. Being in Australia for this race, we're obviously all aware of the great influence that he's had on Supercars over here, and also in F1 with Sammy Jones before he defected to F1RWRS.

by **tommykl** » 15 Dec 2010, 00:05

Thomas De Bock wrote:So, it's another points finish, I'm delighted to be in 6th position behind my future team mate and close friend. It was a relatively quiet race for me, I just had a good start and kept my position the whole race without too much problem. I've now stopped all my championship hopes and am concentrating on winning the constructor's crown to Calinetic before moving off to ECB.

Aurelien Moll wrote:4th place, not bad, I'm ahead of my compatriot, and that's amazing for me and the team. I had a great race, the team made a great strategy call, and I'm just glad it worked out!

Both Belgian drivers have sent out their condolences to the families of Tom Walkinshaw and Jacques Swaters, and ECB has announced an all-black livery for the last races for Walkinshaw, as well as Moll wearing a yellow helmet (in honour of Ecurie Nationale Belge's historical color) with the simple message: "Thanks Jacques" (Swaters was one of the team's founders and original owner of the name).

by **dr-baker** » 15 Dec 2010, 05:34

Shizuka wrote:I don't know what happened to the AMR team this weekend. Not even Pippa could score points. And Douglas... what the hell happened to his engine?
Next up is Surfers Paradise. I like that track, I have positive memories from my TOCA years. Hope to be competitive there!

AMR Press Release

First of all, AMR wish to apologise for the non-apperance of their drivers at this press meeting. They are currently having an almighty row with each other and the engineers about the quality of their craftsmanship and the earlier swapping of chassis between the siblings. As to the immediate future, nothing is decided yet, but there may be a chance of Douglas Mann moving early from AMR to partner Shizuka-san at MAN before the season is out. And good luck to Shizuka-san at Surfer's Paradise - these two teams (and the series as a whole after the recent tragic deaths) could do with a good-luck story then...

Website · by **Wizzie** » 15 Dec 2010, 06:45

Autosport wrote:UPS to sponsor O'Lauchlan Motorsport next season

Privateer entry in the F1RWRS Dean O'Lauchlan and his O'Lauchlan Motorsport consortium got a major financial boost as they signed on US parcel delivery service giant United Parcel Service. UPS CEO Scott Davis was quoted as saying that "This is a big announcement for us and for O'Lauchlan Motorsport as we get exposure all around the globe. We also would like to send our condolences to Tom Walkinshaw's family and Jacques Swater's family. Even though us at UPS don't know much about motorsport's history we do know they have both been instrumental in making Top Flight Motorsport what it is today." However Davis wouldn't comment on whether UPS' decision to sponsor O'Lauchlan Motorsport was due to the rumours that chief rival Federal Express was rumoured to be in talks with several teams. O'Lauchlan Motorsport was originally going to run a predominantly green car next season but instead will run a brown and gold livery to reflect the UPS sponsorship.

by **MinardiFan95** » 15 Dec 2010, 14:20

the Generic Times wrote:BMW customer engine deal for Minardi Team Aus
After the deal with Ford as an engine supplier fell through at the 11th hour, some sources have already reported that a deal has already been signed with BMW as an engine supplier to the team. It is understood that this deal will give the team access to the BMW engines used by MRT throughout this season. However this may deal not go through after critics have blasted Dave Simpson for what they thought was a deliberate attempt at taking out Daniel Melrose. Simpson hit back at these critics, with this: "Daniel and I are still good mates from the Precision Motorsports days and I would never even think about deliberately hitting anyone, let alone him. The cause of the problem was a broken throttle cable which snapped in the middle of the straight and I couldn't react in time." In other news for the team, the tyre supply contract with Michelin has been extended for two more seasons, replacing the cheaper and lower quality Nankang tyres that the team were going to use when the original Michelin contract ended.

by **Warren Hughes** » 16 Dec 2010, 01:37

Rumours of nepotism at Calinetic
The F1RWRS paddock was today thrown into controversy amidst suggestions that the vacant second seat at Team Calinetic alongside reigning champion Gary Cameron was looking likely to be filled by the son of the team's CEO. Cameron had this to say:

I was chatting with the boss's lad on the way up to the Gold Coast and he was saying his Dad might be sorting him out a seat in the car for next year. I was a bit surprised because I'm not sure he's ever sat in a racing car before. But if he does get the drive I'm sure he can do a good job.

A spokesman for the team strenuously denied allegations of nepotism.

[TMLW can you remember the name of Calinetic's team owner, or indeed anything about them?]

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 06:17

Warren Hughes wrote:[TMLW can you remember the name of Calinetic's team owner, or indeed anything about them?]

Um... I think his name was Joseph Calinetic, or something similar, and he was a Jamaican businessman.

by **JeremyMcClean** » 16 Dec 2010, 07:50

Grease Monkey Magazine wrote:The weekend at Eastern Creek was mixed for ArrowTech. Jari Kekkonen placed sixth for the team, scoring three points in the process. "We're very pleased about this result," replied Kekkonen, "we're hoping to score more points than this. It's been an absolute mess, and we're trying to prove our ways." This is the team's second points finish, as Nicolas Steele scored in fifth at Silverstone. The team currently has five DNPQ's to date, with Steele blaming that the car was "a dog of a machine." The team currently stands last out of the two-car teams, and the crew is not pleased about this at all. Many people inside the F1RWRS paddock were not satisfied on how in the world did Steele ram into John Zimmer and Hagane Shizuka, collecting a DSQ in the process. Steele, who has been very angry with the team as of late, was still unavailable for comment. Word is being sent out that Steele will be fired after the season and being replaced with someone else. The team will "definetly" hire a reserve driver, though the reserve driver can drive with another team in the meantime. All plans for a B-team has been scrapped, as there wasn't enough funding for this season after being handed down a hefty fine for Steele's incident in Eastern Creek. The next race is in Surfer's Paradise, a race where both drivers have struggled greatly, and it will serve as a good test to see if the drivers are good enough to be on the team next year.

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 11:55

RESULTS OF QUALIFYING HEAT #1 AT SURFERS PARADISE:

Nathanael SPENCER: 1:09.93
Jeroen KRAUTMEIR: 1:10.20
Frank ZIMMER: 1:10.46
Barii MORI: 1:10.63
Jari KEKKONEN: 1:10.84
Sammy JONES: 1:11.24
Douglas MANN: 1:11.31
Gary CAMERON: 1:11.42
T. HEMO GOBLIN: 1:11.84
Kay LON: 1:11.96

RESULTS OF QUALIFYING HEAT #2 AT SURFERS PARADISE:

Chris DAGNALL: 1:10.01
Pippa MANN: 1:10.29
Daniel MELROSE: 1:10.49
John ZIMMER: 1:10.70
Phoenix MCALLISTER: 1:10.89
Thomas DE BOCK: 1:11.02
David KOCZO: 1:11.15
Ashley WATKINSON: 1:11.37
Simon REDMAN: 1:11.75
Nicolas STEELE: 1:12.09

RESULTS OF QUALIFYING HEAT #3 AT SURFERS PARADISE:

Hagane SHIZUKA: 1:09.91
Dave SIMPSON: 1:10.56
James DAVIES: 1:10.99
Aurelian MOLL: 1:11.43
Darren OLDER JR: 1:11.68
Giovanni RODA: 1:11.85
Luca PACCHIARINI: 1:12.00
Dougal KERR: 1:12.18

COMBINED PRE-QUALIFYING RESULTS:

Hagane SHIZUKA: 1:09.91
Nathanael SPENCER: 1:09.93
Chris DAGNALL: 1:10.01
Jeroen KRAUTMEIR: 1:10.20
Pippa MANN: 1:10.29
Frank ZIMMER: 1:10.46
Daniel MELROSE: 1:10.49
Dave SIMPSON: 1:10.56
Barii MORI: 1:10.63
John ZIMMER: 1:10.70
Jari KEKKONEN: 1:10.84
Phoenix MCALLISTER: 1:10.89
James DAVIES: 1:10.99
Thomas DE BOCK: 1:11.02
David KOCZO: 1:11.15
Sammy JONES: 1:11.24
Douglas MANN: 1:11.31
Ashley WATKINSON: 1:11.37
Gary CAMERON: 1:11.42
Aurelian MOLL: 1:11.43
Darren OLDER JR: 1:11.68
Simon REDMAN: 1:11.75
T. HEMO GOBLIN: 1:11.84
Giovanni RODA: 1:11.85
Kay LON: 1:11.96
Luca PACCHIARINI: 1:12.00
Nicolas STEELE: 1:12.09
Dougal KERR: 1:12.18

by **AndreaModa** » 16 Dec 2010, 12:41

Yess that's what I'm talking about baby!

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 13:06

A bit of fanciness here:

Qualifying delayed to severe storms & hail.

See, I was about to do qualifying, but a massive storm has just hit, forcing me off the Playstation :evil:

The hail very nearly smashed the window behind me, so it was probably a good idea...

by **Jeroen Krautmeir** » 16 Dec 2010, 13:21

Jeroen Krautmeir wrote:Well, it was tougher than I made it look, primarily because I decided to go for very little downforce. I believe I could have got closer to Hagane, but that drift at turn 9 really cost me. To be, two tenths ahead of Daniel, is pretty fantastic, and hopefully my form continues into qualifying and the race.

by **JeremyMcClean** » 16 Dec 2010, 13:33

Jari Kekkonen wrote:Qualifying delayed due to hail? HAH! You should have seen the weather in Finland. Dreadful! Every time it snowed in my town you had trouble driving... good thing I learned how to cope with the snow in Rallies! The only problem is the visibility... I crashed my car once because there were snow squalls everywhere... I'll never forget that?

Nicolas Steele wrote:hhmph... I nearly got hit with hail... that's never happened before... hhmph.

by **MinardiFan95** » 16 Dec 2010, 14:34

Delays for hail at a race at Surfers Paradise doesn't really surprise me, especially after what happened at the 2003 Champ Car (or was it CART back then) race there.

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 16:41

RACE #13 - SURFERS PARADISE
Qualifying:
After being delayed due to a massive hailstorm, the cars were evntually let out on to the track, but the rain was still pouring. Imagine rain like at Suzuka, with water on the track like Korea. And two accidents at the last corner like Sydney (for our V8 fans). In a blatent showing of team preference, Footwork Phoenix sent out Barii Mori almost immediately, hoping for the rain to stop. When the rain started falling harder, Mori had the last laugh, as it was impossible for anyone else to touch his time, in what was the most spread out qualifying in terms of lap times in F1RWRS history. As for the crash, Frank Zimmer and Dave Simpson simply skated into the wall, with Zimmer starting ahead, having been on a flying lap at the time, while Simpson was on his first out lap.

1st: Footwork Phoenix - Barii MORI: 1:16.89
2nd: Prospec - Nathanael SPENCER: +1.78
3rd: Mann-Anglo-Nippon - Hagane SHIZUKA: +1.98
4th: JLD Motorsport - Daniel MELROSE: +2.56
5th: RubberTex-Jones - Sammy JONES: +2.92
6th: Hemogoblin Autowerks - Ashley WATKINSON: +3.78
7th: Team Calinetic - Gary CAMERON: +4.25
8th: Prospec - David KOCZO: +4.99
9th: JLD Motorsport - Jeroen KRAUTMEIR: +5.74
10th: Club Bangelia Racing - James DAVIES: +6.24
11th: NAB-HRT - John ZIMMER: +6.75
12th: RubberTex-Jones - Chris DAGNALL: +7.64
13th: Anglo-Manx Racing - Douglas MANN: +7.90
14th: Team Calinetic - Thomas DE BOCK: +8.55
15th: ArrowTech Racing - Jari KEKKONEN: +8.97
16th: Footwork Phoenix - Phoenix MCALLISTER: +9.24
17th: Anglo-Manx Racing - Pippa MANN: +9.68
18th: NAB-HRT - Frank ZIMMER: --:--.--
19th: Australian Minardi - Dave SIMPSON: --:--.--

Race:

It's time for a another 'Ring-like review!

1st: Hagane Shizuka (Mann-Anglo-Nippon): 47 minutes, 34.55 seconds
2nd: Barii Mori (Footwork Phoenix): +13.75
3rd: Phoenix McAllister (Footwork Phoenix): +59.74
4th: Dave Simpson (Australian Minardi): +1 LAP
5th: Jari Kekkonen (ArrowTech Racing): +2 LAPS
6th*: Nathanael Spencer (Prospec)
7th*: Daniel Melrose (JLD Motorsprt)
8th*: Thomas De Bock (Team Calinetic)
DNF: Pippa Mann (Anglo-Manx Racing) - L22 (accident)
DNF: Douglas Mann (Anglo-Manx Racing) - L21 (collision)
DNF: Chris Dagnall (RubberTex-Jones) - L21 (collision)
DNF: James Davies (Club Bangelia Racing) - L19 (accident)
DNF: Frank Zimmer (NAB-HRT) - L17 (accident)
DNF: Ashley Watkinson (Hemogoblin Autowerks) - L10 (accident)
DNF: Sammy Jones (RubberTex-Jones) - L1 (accident)
DNF: Gary Cameron (Team Calinetic) - L1 (accident)
DNF: David Koczo (Prospec) - L1 (collision)
DNF: Jeroen Krautmeir (JLD Motorsport) - L1 (collision)
DNF: John Zimmer (NAB-HRT) - L1 (collision)
Fastest Lap: Barii Mori (1:14.98)
*Did not finish race, but was classified as they completed 75% distance (in my fancy rulebook)

L1 - Sammy Jones gets to the second chicane, aquaplanes, and hits the wall. Gary Cameron can only get to the first before he's out, and John Zimmer, Jeroen Krautmeir and David Koczo all collisde before they get there, as Koczo stalls, Krautmeir is forced aside by a fast starting Zimmer, and they have an unhappy ending.
L10 - It gets eerily quiet until Ashley Watkinson goes straight into the wall at turn 4, barely out of the way of traffic.
L17 - Frank Zimmer was sliding hiis way around the track until he gets very sideways at the first chicane, hits the wall and says goodbye.
L19 - James Davies has the most spectacular accident so far as he jumps the fence at the first chicane, but destroys his suspension on landing.
L21 - Chris Dagnall tries to pass Douglas Mann, but Mann shuts the door, causing both to spin in the wet and hit the wall on opposite sides of the track.
L22 - Pippa Mann follows her brother footsteps. Except without another car.
L24 - Thomas De Bock clips the wall at the first chicane and tries to limp home, but can't quite make it.
L28 - Nathanael Spencer and Daniel Melrose battle for the lead, as they come to lap the 3rd placed Hagane Shizuka. They try to go around on opposite sides of him, but when Shizuka slides his way around turn 5, he forces Melrose into the wall, and one of his wheels bounces into the path of Spencer. Shizuka has to pit, but was a lap up on Barii Mori anyway.

Drivers’ Championship (after Round 13 of 15)
1st: Nathanael Spencer (63)
2nd: Daniel Melrose (57)
3rd: Gary Cameron (41)
4th: Frank Zimmer (39)
5th: Aurelian Moll (35)
6th: Thomas De Bock (33)
7th: David Koczo (31)
8th: Dave Simpson (30)
= 9th: Chris Dagnall (29)
= 9th: Pippa Mann (29)
11th: Simon Redman (28)
12th: John Zimmer (26)
13th: Hagane Shizuka (25)
14th: T. Hemo Goblin (22)
15th: Ashley Watkinson (21)
= 16th: Barii Mori (20)
= 16th: Phoenix McAllister (20)
= 18th: James Davies (18)
= 18th: Giovanni Roda (18)
20th: Jeroen Krautmeir (13)
= 21st: Kay Lon (10)
= 21st: Luca Pacchiarini (10)
= 21st: Douglas Mann (10)
24th: Jari Kekkonen (7)
25th: Darren Older Jr (5)
= 26th: Sammy Jones (4)
= 26th: Nicolas Steele (4)

Teams' Championship:
1st: Prospec (92)
2nd: Team Calinetic (74)
3rd: Qantas JLD Motorsport (69)
4th: NAB-Holden Racing Team (48)
5th: Anglo-Manx Racing (39)
6th: Kahama Motor Sport (38)
7th: Hemogoblin Autowerks (37)
8th: Ecurie de Course Belge (35)*
9th: RubberTex-Jones Racing (32)
10th: Australian Minardi (30)*
11th: Footwork Phoenix Mugen-Honda (29)
12th: Rosenforth Engineering (24)^
13th: Mann-Anglo-Nippon Team (20)*
= 14th: Club Bangelia Racing (18)*
= 14th: Trueba Racing Team (18)*
16th: Pacchia-Coswojuddhartlambo (16)*
17th: ArrowTech Racing (11)
= 18th: CR Motorsport (5)*
= 18th: West Cliff Racing (5)^
20th: Fwifwi-Holden Racing (4)^

*Denotes single car team.
^Sadly these teams are no longer with us.

So, with that done, it's up to Shanghai, where hopefully the rain doesn't strike again...

by **Jeroen Krautmeir** » 16 Dec 2010, 16:47

Jeroen Krautmeir wrote:Well, all I can say is that I could have done better, but a stupid lump hit me an hour after we returned from pre-qualifying. My head feels terribly sore, and I can only be happy that I managed ninth for quali.

by **AndreaModa** » 16 Dec 2010, 16:57

I'm loving this front-end of the grid antics! It's making my head go all light with excitement!

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 17:40

The ridiculously wet Surfers race is complete.

by **Shizuka** » 16 Dec 2010, 17:45

Booyaka!

I told you I like this track and it showed off with a good qualifying result, and then I managed to survive the race. I even heard Douglas saying "Shizuka-san, just finish this and you'll win this" 5 laps before the end. I want to thank the team for giving me a good car here and also congratulations to all the others, who managed to finish the race!
Also... I'm sorry I couldn't get myself out of the way when I was third. I had to go off the drier line and I aquaplanned in that turn... :oops:

by **AndreaModa** » 16 Dec 2010, 17:48

Hmm I suspect that move on the leaders was a bit dodgy Shizuka

But still FFS!! What do I have to do to get a decent race finish this year! Takes the piss!

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 18:45

The Generic Times wrote:John Zimmer will not be able to take part in the next race at Shanghai, after he went to hospital with a suspected broken leg sustained during his accident at Surfers Paradise. The NAB-Holden Racing Team is offering his seat to any driver who wishes to drive there, be they a new driver or someone who is currently unhappy with their team, and wants a free test for a seat next year, if the 42 year old decides to call it quits.

by **Shizuka** » 16 Dec 2010, 18:58

AndreaModa wrote:Hmm I suspect that move on the leaders was a bit dodgy Shizuka

If it was, I'll gladly take a penalty next race.

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 16 Dec 2010, 19:07

Shizuka wrote:
AndreaModa wrote:Hmm I suspect that move on the leaders was a bit dodgy Shizuka

If it was, I'll gladly take a penalty next race.

No way was that his fault, it was a pure racing incident. He might have left a little bit of room...

by **Shizuka** » 16 Dec 2010, 19:08

Okay, if both drivers find me guilty, I'm willing to take a one-race suspension.

Website · by **Wizzie** » 16 Dec 2010, 19:15

Daniel Melrose wrote:Another race, another race ending crash and another chance to take back the inisitive in the championship lost. The conditions out there were simply atrocious and in hindsight it was an absolute miracle that we could get the race underway let alone get it through to the full distance. As to the accident I'm putting it down to simply being a racing accident as the conditions there were especially tricky and there was nothing Hagane could have done to get out the way in time.

Before I forget I would like to congratulate Hagane on his first win and also send a big shout out to Footwork Pheonix for scoring a double podium along with pole and fastest lap for Barii. They sure did Mr Walkinshaw proud this weekend.

by **thehemogoblin** » 16 Dec 2010, 19:52

If watka passes me, I'm going to be depressed.

by **Phoenix** » 17 Dec 2010, 00:20

Phoenix McAllister wrote:OK, first and foremost: I didn't order Barii to come out and qualify when he did. It was his own doing, and one that paid dividends indeed. Both me and him are on equal billing. He is, after all, the best performer so far, and who brought the sponsorship and the Honda engines as well. As for the race...I'm just all over myself with emotion. This is the best possible tribute we could have paid to Tommy. He'd be so proud...shite, excuse me...
20 minutes later, McAllister appears with the temporary boss James Callahan, McAllister's race engineer. McAlliser comes completely red-faced after crying.
OK, I have to make two announcements. First, we have already a new team boss that'll help us try to fill the void Tom has left. We'll anounce him soon, but I can say he's bringing some cash as well some infraestructures from his homeland racing team. Second, we'll ran with both cars in black for the second time in succession in deference for Jacques Swater's death, founder of the ECB team. I apologise to our sponsors for all this bothering, and I hope they'll understand the situation.

by **SuperAguri** » 17 Dec 2010, 00:59

Barii Mori @ Barthurst wrote:I was quite surprised how competitive I was in Bathurst, a good solid 6th place but was disappointed as I qualified on the front row, led a lap and got my second fastest lap. I was avoiding some australian wildlife which caused me to go off and lose the lead.

Thanks to Porsche for supplying the customer units, but we will be using Mugen Hondas from the next race.

Generic TImes wrote:Barii Mori's form has caught the eye of some of the top teams, he has managed to outperform his more experienced team mate and is looking like getting more points this season.

Barii Mori has said he is happy with joining Phoenix for a full season next year and has brought an engine deal and a healthy sponsorship to the team.

Barii Mori @ Gold Coast wrote:It was a bit of a shock that Tom Walkinshaw passed away, we had just agreed terms and Tom was looking forward to seeing the Mugen Honda race, sadly he never got the chance. The Mugens are work in progress and I barely prequalified, did better in qualifying by getting 13th and ended the race in 13th. We will be working hard to get both cars in qualifying at the next race. There are rumours of some top teams wanting my services and sponsorship but I am happy with Phoenix and I think I will get a lot of points next season."

Barii Mori @ Surfers Paradise wrote:Racing in Japan, you know when the rain will come and I went out as early as I could just to get a good banker lap. Was surprised at getting my pole, however was surprised to loose places at the start and was in 4th, the engine power was really down so was happy to get a podium with my team mate. It was a fantastic result and I would like to thank the team for giving me such a great car and I drove as hard as I can to get a fastest lap too, my 3rd in the season.

by **dr-baker** » 17 Dec 2010, 02:49

Douglas Mann wrote:Congratulations to Hagane Shizuka and the whole of the MAN team for their breakthrough victory and I look forward to working further with the team next season (beyond my current team owner role).

And I sincerely apologise to Mr Dagnall for that most unfortunate incident. Conditions were difficult out there and I just didn't see you there. The cockpit surrounds may be good for safety while you are having the accident, but unfortunately they helped to contribute to this accident starting in the first place. Otherwise I would have gladly avoided another DNF.

Pippa Mann wrote:Douglas and I on a par again? This season started off well for me but it is all going downhill. I've forgotten what it's like to score now. I just want to go home now and have a break, as do many others, particularly those who were associated with Mr Swathers and Mr Walkinshaw. They all have our condolences and hope that they can move forwards as soon as they are ready.

by **SuperAguri** » 17 Dec 2010, 04:43

Autosport wrote:Footwork to walk?

Rumours are abound that Footwork Logistics are likely to pull sponsorship from the Phoenix team after the second race when both cars ran without sponsorship, moreso that the cars finished on the podium and Footwork did not get any exposure. Sources suggest that Footwork are hammering out a new deal with the new team boss of the Footwork Phoenix team in light of this and Footwork are holding Phoenix to ransom as the Mugen Honda deal will also collapse if Footwork leave. However Barii Mori told Autosport, "There is no truth in the rumours that Footwork will be pulling out, they are in F1 for the long term, although they were not too happy that both cars finished 2nd and 3rd but were in Black, they did understand the reasons. They are talking about plans with the new team bosss as they do own a chunk of the team and are title sponsors plus they are integeral to Mugen Honda bringing works engines to the team. There are also no truth in the rumours that I will be driving for Prospec or Team Calinetic next season or even the following season, I will say I was approached by a top team but I turned them down flat, I enjoy the family atmosphere of Phoenix and I enjoy karting and dining with my teammate between race weekends. I am very sad that Tom [Walkinshaw] passed away as he signed me for a season and signed a sponsorship deal with my sponsor and was pleased that Phoenix had a works engine deal.".

by **JeremyMcClean** » 17 Dec 2010, 10:16

Autosport Magazine wrote:Kekkonen unrejectifies himself
During the rain-pouting race at Surfer's Paradise, Jari Kekkonen scored in fifth place, unrejectifying himself, albeit being two laps down. Kekkonen is very glad that he unrejectified himself, and now hopes that next season will have a better car for the team.

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 18 Dec 2010, 13:42

RESULTS OF QUALIFYING HEAT #1 AT SHANGHAI:

Nathanael SPENCER: 1:19.15
Douglas MANN: 1:19.32
Jeroen KRAUTMEIR: 1:19.64
Frank ZIMMER: 1:19.86
T. HEMO GOBLIN: 1:20.10
Kay LON: 1:20.18
Barii MORI: 1:20.38
Gary CAMERON: 1:20.60
Sammy JONES: 1:20.93
Jari KEKKONEN: 1:21.21

RESULTS OF QUALIFYING HEAT #2 AT SHANGHAI:

Daniel MELROSE: 1:19.10
Thomas DE BOCK: 1:19.33
David KOCZO: 1:19.57
Chris DAGNALL: 1:19.91
Pippa MANN: 1:20.37
Phoenix MCALLISTER: 1:20.62
Simon REDMAN: 1:20.87
Nicolas STEELE: 1:21.29
Ashley WATKINSON: 1:21.39

RESULTS OF QUALIFYING HEAT #3 AT SHANGHAI:

Dave SIMPSON: 1:19.14
James DAVIES: 1:19.40
Giovanni RODA: 1:19.76
Luca PACCHIARINI: 1:20.04
Hagane SHIZUKA: 1:20.39
Dougal KERR: 1:20.79
Aurelian MOLL: 1:20.95
Darren OLDER JR: 1:21.28

COMBINED PRE-QUALIFYING RESULTS:

Daniel MELROSE: 1:19.10
Dave SIMPSON: 1:19.14
Nathanael SPENCER: 1:19.15
Douglas MANN: 1:19.32
Thomas DE BOCK: 1:19.33
James DAVIES: 1:19.40
David KOCZO: 1:19.57
Jeroen KRAUTMEIR: 1:19.64
Giovanni RODA: 1:19.76
Frank ZIMMER: 1:19.86
Chris DAGNALL: 1:19.91
Luca PACCHIARINI: 1:20.04
T. HEMO GOBLIN: 1:20.10
Kay LON: 1:20.18
Pippa MANN: 1:20.37
Barii MORI: 1:20.38
Hagane SHIZUKA: 1:20.39
Gary CAMERON: 1:20.60
Phoenix MCALLISTER: 1:20.62
Dougal KERR: 1:20.79
Simon REDMAN: 1:20.87
Sammy JONES: 1:20.93
Aurelian MOLL: 1:20.95
Jari KEKKONEN: 1:21.21
Darren OLDER JR: 1:21.28
Nicolas STEELE: 1:21.29
Ashley WATKINSON: 1:21.39

NAB-HRT will run one car this weekend, since no one took up my offer for a one race drive...

by **Shizuka** » 18 Dec 2010, 17:36

Hagane SHIZUKA: 1:20.39
Barii MORI: 1:20.38

The MAN team's press release says "Does not compute!".

by **the Masked Lapwing** » 18 Dec 2010, 18:18

Shizuka wrote:Hagane SHIZUKA: 1:20.39
Barii MORI: 1:20.38

The MAN team's press release says "Does not compute!".

Proof-reading fail. I saw Pippa Mann with a 1:20.37 and went "That's where Shizuka's will go", without noticing Mori's time there.

by **JeremyMcClean** » 19 Dec 2010, 00:35

the Masked Lapwing wrote:
NAB-HRT will run one car this weekend, since no one took up my offer for a one race drive...

That's because I've got both drivers taken up...

EDIT: GOD! A double DNPQ! Oh well, time for laguna...

What a trainwreck Nicolas is...

F1Rejects.com

Who is online