thought they were faster!!!

[armchair racer]

hi ,i think the fastest lap by montoya this year at sepang was 1.36 secs( race speed not pole) and the pole for a1 was 1.56 ish .....if that is accurate its 20 seconds a lap slower ... thought thay would be closer than that !!! ............just a thought

[safc_fan89]

I was surprised when I heard that the pole time was 1:56, that's about 25 seconds slower than an F1 car at full speed on low fuel. But it's not the speed that counts, it's the entertainment and good racing.

[fordlover]

they have big enough crashes as it is, dont wanna make it worse

[armchair racer]

unfortunatly for me thats the problem ...i really want to like it ( nascar included ) but i just cant get into it

[Kicking-back]

It's a very long circuit - so the difference to F1 will be higher.

I for one don't mind - it's close and competitive racing.

[Gil Abobeleira]

This is the time set by Ralph Firman in Super-Pole in SuperGT at Sepang
Honda NSX - 1'57.824 BS

[armchair racer]

as a matter of interest , does anybody know how the times of a1gp compared to last years time of cart at brands hatch???cheers

[Net-Ranger]

Originally Posted by armchair racer

as a matter of interest , does anybody know how the times of a1gp compared to last years time of cart at brands hatch???cheers

Well, answering this until march when the race at Monterrey take place we will have that weekend the comparison against a Champcar

Champcars Vs F1 are around 6-7 seconds of pace from the better F1, and around 2-3 seconds from the worst F1 car, the data comes from Montreal race

[Ian Sowman]

They raced on different circuits, so it would be meaningless...

[Go-Pakistan]

Was the F1 circuit configuration the same as the one used for A1GP?

[Stephen Green]

Cart raced on the Indy circuit while A1 were on the Grand Prix circuit so as Ian has said, to compare the two would be meaningless.

[armchair racer]

aahhh , thought it would be the gp circuit blimey i bet that was congested!!!

[Stephen Green]

It was quite a small field for Cart so not too bad really.

[Hazard]

Also, CART/Champcar wasn't at Brands last year, it was the year before

It was fairly eventless, the A1GP at Brands was far more entertaining.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Oops

[ScotsBrutesFan]

20 seconds might sound a lot, but F1 would reach top speeds and stay their for longer on the twin straights of Sepang, since they have the benefit of traction control and computerised gear changes. Infact the F1's would probably pick up at least a second or two out of every "slow" corner with this traction advantage.

[Hepatic]

Top speed of A1 cars is about 165mph, whereas the F1s were getting around 210-215, so theres a whole chunk of time. No comparison in entertainment tho, A1gp wins everytime!

[Kiwi3]

I was at Sepang over the weekend, and also went to two F1 GP this year (not Malaysia though). As a comparison I would say that A1 the A1 cars still looked very quick down the straights, noticeably slower around slow corners but well and truely acceptable as a top level series. I would much rather have cars that are driveable by drivers from non-traditional nations than something that is really quick but harder to drive. The close racing more than makes up for it. I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and I think that A1 have got the formula right.

They are really, really loud by the way. They certainly sound the part.

[Quartermiler]

Love A1, think the racing is very entertaining. Like the looks of the cars. Think the size of the field is great and I support the series fully and think it's a fantastic success etc.

But...being a speed freak, I am one whom would like to see quicker cars.

And being a Drag Racer, I like raw speed, aswell as high cornering speeds in circuit racing. Motorsport should frighten you in my opinion, although I wouldn't be daft enough to say these cars are slow and some of the shunts have been disturbing.

It would be good to see the cars with another 150bhp and more grip, a little like the Grand Prix Masters Reynards or similar.

After all, this is the World Cup of motorsport.

Can't wait for the next race ....

[Quartermiler]

Yep...The show is great at A1GP.

But I just can't help wanting to see these cars doing 180mph + and still moving around a lot and overtaking.

The racing is good without doubt and it certainly does not need spoiling, but with a label like World Cup Of Motorsport, should it feel like a bit of a junior series, I would like to see it more of a game for big boys and girls.

But if it stays as it is, it will get my support, the racing has been refreshing and very very entertaining.

[Quartermiler]

Yep...I see where you're coming from. And as I said, A1 is awesome racing and I wouldn't want to see that change. Long may it last.

There is also no doubt that there is great racing in some lower classes.

As for looking down on the series, I'm not sure I personally look down on it as such, but it is being used as a trainer series by many, so I'm not sure how it could still be thought of as the World Cup?

The top drivers and quickest single seaters are still at F1,Indy/Champ and possibly now Grand Prix Masters.

I'm not sure why more powerful cars should spoil the show either, although it might on the lesser circuits, where overtaking may be impossible in very quick cars.

A World Cup suggests the cream of the sport in cars and drivers to me, it's a big banner to live upto.....more power would at least bridge the speed gap to the senior classes.

It will be interesting to see where the development of the series goes. In the meantime..I think it is a welcome addition to the motorsprt calendar.

[Mystery]

Originally Posted by Quartermiler

The top drivers and quickest single seaters are still at F1,Indy/Champ and possibly now Grand Prix Masters.

Is that right though? Let's be honest - F1, IRL and CCWS all have their share of paying drivers, who therefore are presumably not the best, otherwise they'd be there without their big wedge of cash. Does A1GP have any paying drivers that anyone knows of?

[Roninho]

Geeh, solves a lot of discussions. Don't like it, don't watch it.
Great point K-B.

The fact that i don't care for some chinese kid running seconds of pace because a1gp want's to develop racing over there, really does not mean i don't like a1gp or should not watch it.
I also would have like to see champcar race on more ovals, F1 to have lower costs to compete and have more participants in motogp. But that does not mean i don't watch this anymore.

I think it's great that there is another raceserie providing opportunities for drivers and fans, especially since it is in a race-free period and is providing good races. It would just have been even better imo if the cars were faster and there were more competive drivers, even if that goes against what A1gp wants to achieve.

You can disagree with that, and that's great since that is what a forum is all about. But when the reaction is: "don't watch it if you don't like it", imo your really missing the point.

[armchair racer]

Originally Posted by Roninho

Geeh, solves a lot of discussions. Don't like it, don't watch it.
Great point K-B.

The fact that i don't care for some chinese kid running seconds of pace because a1gp want's to develop racing over there, really does not mean i don't like a1gp or should not watch it.
I also would have like to see champcar race on more ovals, F1 to have lower costs to compete and have more participants in motogp. But that does not mean i don't watch this anymore.

I think it's great that there is another raceserie providing opportunities for drivers and fans, especially since it is in a race-free period and is providing good races. It would just have been even better imo if the cars were faster and there were more competive drivers, even if that goes against what A1gp wants to achieve.

You can disagree with that, and that's great since that is what a forum is all about. But when the reaction is: "don't watch it if you don't like it", imo your really missing the point.

would like to second that !! opinions are what this forum , and every other forum, are about, like me saying that, to me , a world cup of motorsport should go faster than f3 cars

[Kiwi3]

why should i care if racing develops in lebanon or china?

.ummm..because if motorsport develops in China it will be a new and very large source of finance, both from Chinese companies and western firms wanting to increase their presence there, plus will add an extra dimension to world motorsport in terms of venues and participants. The Football World Cup is huge and tremendously exciting because it is a global event, would you prefer motorsport to remain European and American (Nth and Sth) based?

Football will always be the world's #1 sport (in my lifetime anyway), but I love motorsport so want it to always be #2, but for that it needs to be global.