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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am Posts: 6146 Location: Middle Earth
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I haven't managed to focus on the F1 as much as I would have liked recently. Moving, new job, time zone, sporadic internet etc. 
_________________ Dive like a fish, drink like a fish!
><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º> •.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>
If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:54 pm |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am Posts: 6146 Location: Middle Earth
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Entertaining race. Nice to see Vetel penalised and lots of wheel to wheel action midfield.
_________________ Dive like a fish, drink like a fish!
><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º> •.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>
If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:25 am |
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steve74
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:43 pm Posts: 1798 Location: Manchester
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Yeah, I enjoyed that one! Even better that Vettel got demoted - quite right too, all four wheels were off the circuit. Shame for Lewis, but looks as though McLaren's updates have improved the car, they just need to get on top of qually now.
Looks like it's Alonso's to lose now - regardless of the fact that I don't particularly like the guy I have to say he's driving superbly.
_________________ * Steve *
* Witty statement goes here *
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Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:56 am |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am Posts: 6146 Location: Middle Earth
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I'm no big fan of Alonso, but he has been driving very well this season. At least he's not German. 
_________________ Dive like a fish, drink like a fish!
><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º> •.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>
If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:31 am |
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steve74
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:43 pm Posts: 1798 Location: Manchester
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Amazing that the McLaren pit stop for Button was 2.4 seconds - I suspect the last time they achieved that sort of time was when they missed one of the wheel nuts!!! 
_________________ * Steve *
* Witty statement goes here *
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Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:35 am |
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Spreadie
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:06 pm Posts: 6355 Location: IoW
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Missed the race, but couldn't help notice the result. Gunna watch it on iplayer later
_________________ Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!
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Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:24 pm |
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E. F. Benson
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:42 am Posts: 798 Location: land of the free, Bexhill-on-Sea
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 |  |  |  | steve74 wrote: Ha, ha, yes it's the silly season, no doubt about that! Well, I'm heading off today for Silverstone, can't wait - though it's looking like it's going to be a wet race, in fact all 3 days are looking decidedly dodgy weather wise. To make matters worse, our grandstand this year (in the Village complex) doesn't have a roof on - luckily, we have a roaming ticket for Friday and Saturday so we'll try to find shelter those days.!! Must book a bit earlier next year to get into the one with a roof. Ah, well, guess I'll have pneumonia next week! Still, hopefully it'll spice up the race, as long as it's not black-flagged.  Anyone else here going this year? |  |  |  |  |
Just wondered how your weekend at Silverstone went? I was going to make some comment on the cost of attending but that really is nobodies business but their own.
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 8:14 am |
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steve74
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:43 pm Posts: 1798 Location: Manchester
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Yes, not bad, we went for the 3-day pass which gives you a roaming ticket for the Friday and Saturday - so despite the fact it was raining pretty solidly those days, we managed to find a grandstand under shelter for practice and qualifying. So it could have been worse I suppose. Traffic in and out was pretty heavy on the Friday, took us an hour and a half to move about half a mile into the car park. The problem was they closed the camping sites to new people arriving on the Friday, so those people ended up circling the roads around Silverstone trying to find a place to camp - which then resulted in traffic chaos for the rest of us arriving at the general car parks. Bad organisation really. We didn't find out about the announcements from Silverstone advising ticket holders not to attend on Saturday until late Friday night and that was only because one of us happened to turn the news channel on in our hotel. Poor communication if you ask me - there were no announcements at the track on Friday so they must have only decided it at the eleventh hour (literally!!). We set off anyway at 5am for the short 30-minute drive from our hotel and only just managed to squeeze into the hard surface car park at 6.30am just before they closed it off and started turning people away. The car park staff were pretty clueless (employed by G4S, so no surprises there!). Basically they just grunted at people and gave no information whatsoever! Same on race day, we had to set off at 5am just to get into the hard surface car park - then it was parking bumper to bumper so there was no hanging around after the race had finished to soak up the atmosphere - if one person didn't turn up at the car park, the rest of them behind that car were stuffed - a fist fight broke out at the exit of our car park because someone tried to push in to the queue! So, tempers were frayed a tad. But, despite the traffic, car parks, crap food and appalling weather, all in all it was still a good weekend.  The race was pretty good and our grandstand was in the Circle complex - I'd highly recommend this area as you get a good view of the cars, and there are about 3 or 4 corners where the cars can actually overtake. It's near the start of the circuit, just after the first corner - so on lap 1 you get plenty of action - it's where Paul di Resta spun off this year. We used to go to Luffield - a bit further round from the new Circle complex - but that's been ruined by the changes to the circuit to accomodate Circle and the new start/finish "Wing" building. Luffield isn't as exciting as it once was (it used to be the final corner before they moved the start/finish line). The problem with Silverstone is they're just trying to squeeze too many people into the circuit - a couple of years ago it was a sell out on race day and there were just under 100,000 people - last year I think it was about 110,000 on the Sunday, this year it was apparently around 125,000 people as they'd put up another 2 grandstands to increase the capacity. Now, call it greed if you like - or more likely Bernie putting his prices up - but I guess to make enough profit to fund their expansion plans, they either have to increase capacity or increase prices. Well, they seem to have done both - this year the price of the 3-day pass had gone up to £315 - I think that included the car parking charges too, but even so it's about £40 more expensive than last year for the same tickets. Add in two nights at a cheap hotel, plus evening meals and petrol and you're talking over £500 for the weekend - not cheap! I think we'll have to think long and hard whether we go next year.
_________________ * Steve *
* Witty statement goes here *
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:11 am |
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E. F. Benson
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:42 am Posts: 798 Location: land of the free, Bexhill-on-Sea
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Thanks Steve. You need to a fan to put up with it all, eh. I've been to Silverstone a few times, but never a GP weekend. Various vintage meets and sportscar events courtesy of a family freind who worked admin on lower formulae. The good bit about these "lower" events is the mingling is much improved, or was then. I remember a good chat with Jem Marsh in the paddock (he of Marcos fame). Really good was the 3 wheeler Morgan racing. JAP engines running on methanol and bolted to the front of a couple of 3/4 inch steel tubes, a dog clutch and a bicycle rear wheel. Lap records are still held around the country by these machines, courtesy of the high cornering speeds allowed by the setup ignored by Reliant. All these guys eminently aproachable and mines of information for my own projects. My one and only GP was '87 Monaco. That year I happened to find myself working for a construction company nearby in Nice. It seemed rude not to. 750Francs for a seat at the Piscine and I could watch Senna, Prost and Mansell wrestling their frankly scarily fast machines through that particular chicane for maybe 2 seconds a lap. The smell, the noise and the colour aren't done justice by tv coverage but the rest you can keep. My workmates and I had invested quite heavily in refreshments, this being our GP green period, we didn't realise until too late that glass bottles were a no-no. The bench seating wasn't a patch on the sofa either  There wasn't an opportunity to mingle too freely, we were marshalled in and out by those fierce French cops with guns. So, I'm glad I went but...
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:01 am |
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Spreadie
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:06 pm Posts: 6355 Location: IoW
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His season in a nutshell, really.
_________________ Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!
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Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:12 am |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am Posts: 6146 Location: Middle Earth
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I don't see PM having a long career in F1 to be honest. 
_________________ Dive like a fish, drink like a fish!
><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º> •.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>
If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:18 am |
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Geiseric
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:35 pm Posts: 1657 Location: Ipswich
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Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:19 pm |
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steve74
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:43 pm Posts: 1798 Location: Manchester
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Ha, bet Maldonado tried to blame the corner!
_________________ * Steve *
* Witty statement goes here *
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Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:54 pm |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am Posts: 6146 Location: Middle Earth
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IFL Spa!
_________________ Dive like a fish, drink like a fish!
><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º> •.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>
If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:36 am |
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Spreadie
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:06 pm Posts: 6355 Location: IoW
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Interesting that Bernie said "we're going to miss Michael" and something about him leaving without winning another race.
When EJ questioned him further, Bernie said "I don't know"
That sounds like Schumacher is planning to leave, and before the end of the season.
_________________ Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!
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Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:41 am |
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