Taupo weekend thread

Armco Bender · 19 Jan 2009, 05:52 (Ref:2374224)

The cars are definitely in NZ,the TV news just showed them being unloaded from the plane at Auckland airport.

Just Do It! · 20 Jan 2009, 07:51 (Ref:2375046)

It seems that the NZ round is only happening this weekend due to the extreme generosity of Colin J Giltrap.

We have a lot to thank Colin for, and by that I don't just mean this weekend. If any of you go to Taupo this weekend, and you see Colin, I think it would be a lovely gesture to take the time to personally thank him.

A1GP came painfully close this week, and people like Colin help keep this series alive.

Sir Colin Giltrap in the Queen's Birthday Honours List wouldn't be an unjust gesture.

*salutes*

mountainstar · 20 Jan 2009, 18:52 (Ref:2375498)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Do It!

It seems that the NZ round is only happening this weekend due to the extreme generosity of Colin J Giltrap.

We have a lot to thank Colin for, and by that I don't just mean this weekend. If any of you go to Taupo this weekend, and you see Colin, I think it would be a lovely gesture to take the time to personally thank him.

A1GP came painfully close this week, and people like Colin help keep this series alive.

Sir Colin Giltrap in the Queen's Birthday Honours List wouldn't be an unjust gesture.

*salutes*

Wow, in some ways that is good in other ways a shame the series is struggling so much.

SALEEN S7R · 20 Jan 2009, 22:36 (Ref:2375663)

Indeed it is a shame that the series is struggling, the concept is great and so is the racing. Now all the A1 GP organisers need to do is work out what is going wrong on the finances, I sincerly hope they do because i've really grown to like this series over the years. At first it was a novelty, something to watch during the winter, these days though it is a cracking top line series and it would be a shame to lose it.

mountainstar · 21 Jan 2009, 05:15 (Ref:2375793)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=10552764

Looks like hotel bookings are down a bit for this years race.

Jimmy Magnusson · 22 Jan 2009, 15:30 (Ref:2376892)

An aside question, who is running the Team Portugal car this season? A1 does its best to hide such info...

ICE · 22 Jan 2009, 17:07 (Ref:2376972)

The programme says BOER services..... the same as the Swiss so they have lost the GBR partnership then!

Jimmy Magnusson · 22 Jan 2009, 18:10 (Ref:2376999)

Yes well, I'm not trusting that programme! For instance Super Nova have become DSM and Argo Racing Cars on it, and DAMS has become Connor Racing. That's why I'm asking.

kerrmanningjarv · 22 Jan 2009, 18:42 (Ref:2377015)

Portugal are run by the same team as Switzerland, yes, it was in a recent Team Portugal news item.

Jimmy Magnusson · 22 Jan 2009, 19:09 (Ref:2377031)

Who runs them then? I know DAMS used to run Switzerland, and later Team Jota.

strider · 23 Jan 2009, 00:16 (Ref:2377231)

The rookies have had their two practice sessions. Results here. Report here.

Not a bad effort by Winslow, but Clucas would have done better. IMO.

Kiwi3 · 23 Jan 2009, 01:55 (Ref:2377267)

Good that they are not doing the silly power boost qualifying this weekend.

jackschmidt · 23 Jan 2009, 02:02 (Ref:2377270)

Yeah. That one was an unnecessary rule change. Please abolish it forever.

Kiwi3 · 23 Jan 2009, 03:32 (Ref:2377296)

Anyone know why KOR is missing from the Friday practice results? In fact they are not showing on the entry list for this weekend so perhaps they've gone the same way as Japan, Russia and Greece?

If they've pulled out I hope at least they paid their franchise fee...

strider · 23 Jan 2009, 09:02 (Ref:2377377)

First session proper times here.

I'd hoped for better from Dan Clarke, but it sounds here as though he is taking the sensible approach. He really was thrown in at the deep end.

RichardRenes · 23 Jan 2009, 09:30 (Ref:2377391)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwi3

Anyone know why KOR is missing from the Friday practice results? In fact they are not showing on the entry list for this weekend so perhaps they've gone the same way as Japan, Russia and Greece?

If they've pulled out I hope at least they paid their franchise fee...

They are 'restructuring' according to http://a1.gpgrid.com

They also say they will be back at Gauteng.

kerrmanningjarv · 23 Jan 2009, 11:49 (Ref:2377476)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Who runs them then? I know DAMS used to run Switzerland, and later Team Jota.

DAMS (aka Connor Racing in A1 terms) run France and South Africa, after running France, Switzerland and Mexico in the first season. In seasons 2 and 3, Switzerland were run by Max Motorsport (presumably named after Max Welti the seat holder). This could well have been Team Jota with a different name. I believe they still had engineering links to DAMS though, despite running with a different name.

For season 4, both Switzerland and Portugal are run by Boer Racing Services - this could be Max Motorsport renamed, a new team altogether or an established one under a different name.

Perhaps it is even like DSM/Argo Racing Cars - the same team (Super Nova) under 2 different names, running New Zealand, Brazil, Lebanon AND India.

kerrmanningjarv · 23 Jan 2009, 11:52 (Ref:2377478)

And yes, Korea are "restructuring", but A1 only thought to tell the world's media and not the general public.

We can add them to the four-strong no-show list also including Canada (mysteriously vanished), Germany (apparently restructuring too) and Pakistan (does it really take 4 months to extend a car?)

kerrmanningjarv · 23 Jan 2009, 12:44 (Ref:2377517)

By the way, looking at the photos from Friday practice, I noticed 2 things about the GBR car...

1. Part of the front wing is in carbon black - looks like they haven't been able to paint it blue in time, perhaps because of the alleged impounding of the cars?

2. Metro logo missing from the nose cone - hopefully they haven't lost that sponsorship?

cos · 23 Jan 2009, 13:12 (Ref:2377536)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerrmanningjarv

2. Metro logo missing from the nose cone - hopefully they haven't lost that sponsorship?

There was a half page article about GBR/Clarke in today's Metro (more than any other UK paper would give A1 all year probably...) so I can only assume their relationship is still intact.

kerrmanningjarv · 23 Jan 2009, 14:58 (Ref:2377601)

Maybe they will just put the sticker on for Saturday - I notice some teams don't run fully-branded cars on Friday.

RichardRenes · 23 Jan 2009, 18:41 (Ref:2377789)

If 'restructuring' means Hwang out and Bruins-Choi in, then they have my blessing

**gomick** · 23 Jan 2009, 22:22 (Ref:2377934)

good to see john martin on the pace in practice 2 - hope he has a great weekend

Point-5 · 24 Jan 2009, 02:16 (Ref:2378032)

jackschmidt · 24 Jan 2009, 02:53 (Ref:2378035)

Awesome job by Adam Carroll and Robert Doornbos. Also Felipe Albuquerque and John Martin. Neel Jani put in a respectable result even though he's got a sore back to fend off. Loic seems like he's struggling a bit.

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