British F3 Oulton Park

[strider]

Originally Posted by boyndie

It appeared to me that Calado must have had some of Vergnes Red Bull in his fuel as that RSF motor was flying through the field in both races. And overtaking on the outside of cascades on the damp line, well thats just showing off!!

As for qualifying, there's too much riding on that one quali session. With a bit of bad luck it could really stuff up your weekend, as Calado proved.

Calado complained about that and it's true that if for some reason you don't perform in the single qualifying session your weekend is pretty much ruined.

Originally Posted by boyndie

I am looking forward to sunday, 7.30 am on channel4. Does anyone know if there's live coverage of F3 as I had thought Motorstv would be showing it live but that hasn't happened?

Sadly there's no live coverage because it's simply too expensive.

The Channel 4 programme shows first, but the MotorsTV programme is better because it's twice the length. I'm not sure how they're going to be able to do justice to 3 races in just half an hour.

[Alex K]

Golf aint no boring!!
Re. pitstops, Carlin would probably have to take few more technicians to deal with them.

[strider]

If the pit stop was literally like a stop and go penalty for, say, 10 seconds you wouldn't need technicians.

If it was more than that and involved changing something, you simply put a limit on the number of people who can work on the car.

[GroupOfOne]

Yeah a simple stop & go would suffice, no point adding something which encurs extra costs and resources.

Could always make the driver get out, run round the car and do ten star jumps before he's allowed to set off again

On a more serious note, are there any technical implications which mean a F3 car wouldn't be able to, or wouldn't like, coming into the pits and sitting stationary for 10secs mid-race?

[MikeHoyer]

I don't see the point of a stop and go for no good reason. It may shuffle the order, but then again it may just drop everybody back 20 seconds or whatever.

Let's give it a few more races first! Everyone complained about the first F1 race of this season being dull, but the second wasn't.

[FFfan]

Originally Posted by GroupOfOne

Yeah a simple stop & go would suffice, no point adding something which encurs extra costs and resources.

Could always make the driver get out, run round the car and do ten star jumps before he's allowed to set off again

On a more serious note, are there any technical implications which mean a F3 car wouldn't be able to, or wouldn't like, coming into the pits and sitting stationary for 10secs mid-race?

Think the wheels that F3 cars run would have to be modified if they were going to be changed quickly mid race. As has been said elsewhere there would be a need to purchase wheels guns etc but maybe it would be in SRO's interests to help with this if it improved the show?

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by MikeHoyer

I don't see the point of a stop and go for no good reason. It may shuffle the order, but then again it may just drop everybody back 20 seconds or whatever.

More often than not pit stops ruin a close race. The only reason I can see for pit stops is to change drivers or to change tyres/refuel in long-distance races. Introducing such artifices in an attempt to make races "interesting" only treats the symptoms; maybe we've just got to accept that slicks & wings single-seaters tend to produce boring races. . .

Now I'll get flamed!

[EastonNeston]

SRO help the teams!

I've not seen anything so funny, unlikely to happen or as unrealistic since reading the ****** party manifesto.

SRO have done nothing to assist the teams since they have had the rights to promote the series, It's unlikely they will change now.

A 40 minute race in damp or hotter conditions would bring in other factors, especially tyre wear, so stick with the formula, there's no need for artificial pit stops. I don't think reversed grid races add anything to the series either.

The aim of the sport is to win by been faster, a reversed grid race penalises people for been fast.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

maybe we've just got to accept that slicks & wings single-seaters tend to produce boring races. . .

Now I'll get flamed!

silent agreement from all and sundry rather than flamed, i suspect

Originally Posted by EastonNeston

SRO help the teams!

I've not seen anything so funny, unlikely to happen or as unrealistic since reading the ****** party manifesto.

SRO have done nothing to assist the teams since they have had the rights to promote the series, It's unlikely they will change now.

quite. it's only been through the sheer persistence of the f3 teams organisation over the past decade that the series has continued. if sro take one step forwards it is usually followed rapidly by two steps back

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by EastonNeston

The aim of the sport is to win by been faster, a reversed grid race penalises people for been fast.

Thats it in a nutshell. It should be two qualifying sessions with the fastest at the front, and no reversed grids. Makes it dull, but motor sport IMO should be about seeing the very fastest drivers right at the front, not penalising them for being fast! British F3 had the format right in recent years.

[Toorop]

Originally Posted by runshaw

Thats it in a nutshell. It should be two qualifying sessions with the fastest at the front, and no reversed grids. Makes it dull, but motor sport IMO should be about seeing the very fastest drivers right at the front, not penalising them for being fast! British F3 had the format right in recent years.

I agree, i am and always wil be against these rules which aim to artificially promote a ''more interesting'' race. The fastest driver should always start at the front, no matter if the race is gonna be boring or not.

[EastonNeston]

THere was an interesting comment during the coverage of the Masters golf on BBC last night. I was pointed out that as everyone knew where and when the tournament would be held each year, not only was the venue able to raise the finance to develop the facilities, but the participants, suppliers, media and local businesses could plan ahead and make the most the event. In many cases hotels etc were used by the same people returnung year after year.

Surely it would be better for any racing series to have an established calender, where it uses the same venues at about the same week every year.

[GroupOfOne]

That's far too sensible an idea Easton. Closest we get currently is Oulton opening the season on Easter weekend.

Whether F3 is too low down the rung for such a practice to work I don't know (for example even the BTCC doesn't do this), but it would be interesting if they could try it for say two or three seasons to see if there were benefits, and what these were.

Problem is I can't see anyone wanting to commit to a two or three year 'experiment' with the number of things that can change a calendar from year-to-year, particularly as at the moment in British F3 there seem to be two major issues that have affected and are affecting the calendar this season & in future seasons - the availability of Donington and which foreign circuits are used.

That said, presumably they could guarantee the dates of say two or three meetings (Oulton opener, Brands finale and one other) for a couple of years and use that as a trial.

[strider]

Originally Posted by GroupOfOne

That said, presumably they could guarantee the dates of say two or three meetings (Oulton opener, Brands finale and one other) for a couple of years and use that as a trial.

That's pretty much what they have done for the last few years, with Silverstone in the middle of August also becoming a regular fixture.

I'm a bit of a purist so for me two qualifying sessions on the Saturday and two races on the Sunday is how it should be, but it was the teams themselves who asked for the format that is being used this season.

Oulton is notoriously difficult for overtaking and so is Silverstone, where the next round will be held, but I think it's worth seeing how the experiment works for a few meetings before planning any major changes for next year. Thinking about it, I agree that pit stops are not a good idea. There will be some circuits where tyre conservation over 40 minutes will be major issue.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by EastonNeston

THere was an interesting comment during the coverage of the Masters golf on BBC last night. I was pointed out that as everyone knew where and when the tournament would be held each year, not only was the venue able to raise the finance to develop the facilities, but the participants, suppliers, media and local businesses could plan ahead and make the most the event. In many cases hotels etc were used by the same people returnung year after year.

Surely it would be better for any racing series to have an established calender, where it uses the same venues at about the same week every year.

A sensible idea but that assumes that F3 is going to attract a crowd, which sadly at present it doesn't. It also assumes SRO are going to publish a fixture list 12 months in advance,even less likely!
Currently the same hotels are currently used by the same people each year, the teams and media. If the dates were known years in advance only the same people would take advantage, the teams and the media.

[MikeHoyer]

I don't like the idea of a fixed calendar year on year, just as a personal feeling. It's nice to visit new/different tracks at different times of the year. However, if Monza was a guarenteed race...

[EastonNeston]

obviously there would be scope for changes to the calender year on year, but the current method of announcing dates a few weeks before the first race, does nothing to help the people involved with their planning and definitely does nothing to help teams and drivers market themselves and the value of the series.

There was no justifiable reason why SRO could not of published the schedule for this season in October 2009.

[MikeHoyer]

I do agree with you on that!

[strider]

Originally Posted by MikeHoyer

However, if Monza was a guaranteed race...

And I do agree with you on that!

[EastonNeston]

Monza and Spa every year would be good.

It seems that people in this thread not only care more about British F3 than SRO, but we have a much better idea of how to run and promote the series so it's attractive to competitors, sponsors and spectators.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by EastonNeston

Monza and Spa every year would be good.

Have I missed something here? Isn't it the British F3 Championship?

[bella]

no. it's the british formula 3 international series

[MikeHoyer]

And those tracks are better!

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

Have I missed something here? Isn't it the British F3 Championship?

It ought to be. And the European series ought to be open to anyone contesting one of the national series with a race in each country.

Unfortunately racing these days is mostly for the benefit of the promotor, and they all use Bernie as the role model and so we can expect logic and common sense to take no part in the decision making.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Unfortunately racing these days is mostly for the benefit of the promotor, and they all use Bernie as the role model and so we can expect logic and common sense to take no part in the decision making.