Eh? What happened? What happened to your signature, EMSC? You know; that proclamation of truth you had here a few hours ago…
A fortnight ago, we told you Michael Schumacher would soon be donning hisracing suit again and hopping behind the wheel of his former Mercedes AMG Formula One car to tackle the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The stunt is being done as part of Mercedes’ celebration of the Nürburgring 24 Hours race, which takes place later this month. Mercedes has now confirmed the stunt and revealed that Schumacher and his W02 F1 car will be going up against some of AMG’s latest models on the notorious German race track. As part of a high-performance demonstration, four AMG models will go up against Schumacher and the W02. The vehicles will start at different times but should all cross the finish line simultaneously. F1 diehards may recall David Coulthard completing a similar stunt with a McLaren F1 race car at the Silverstone circuit. The first vehicle to head off the line will be an A45 AMG driven by current F1 Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer. He will be followed by DTM driver Karl Wendlinger in the new E63 AMG S-Model, who in turn will be followed by current Mercedes AMG F1 driver Nico Rosberg in an SLS AMG Black Series. Behind them will be DTM champion Bernd Schneider in an SLS AMG GT3 race car, and then finally Schumacher in the W02. It will certainly be interesting to see how long Schumacher can delay starting before catching up with the others. The stunt takes place in the lead up to the 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours, which starts on May 19. Interestingly, Schumacher will be the first driver to cover the Nordschleife in a newish Silver Arrow since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954. “Driving around the Nordschleife in a Formula One car will be an unforgettable experience both for me and for the motor racing fans,” Schumacher said in a statement. “The legendary Nordschleife, famous throughout the world, is the perfect place for this demo, and the Mercedes-Benz vehicles taking part are all fascinating, powerful cars, a unique parade for all the spectators and car enthusiasts gathered there as they hurtle past.” Below is a quick rundown of the vehicles and their drivers: A45 AMG (355 hp, 0-62 mph in 4.6secs), Driver: Bernd Mayländer E63 AMG S-Model (577 hp, 0-62 mph 3.6secs), Driver: Karl Wendlinger SLS AMG Black Series (631 hp, 0-62 mph 3.6secs), Driver: Nico Rosberg SLS AMG GT3 (more than 500 hp), Driver: Bernd Schneider MERCEDES AMG W02 (750 hp, 0-62 mph 2.7secs), Driver: Michael Schumacher _______________________________________ Well this will be awesome.
Nice post, EMSC. Do you know who wrote it? I have taken part in stunts like this and we should bear in mind that the idea is to promote motor-racing, which is best done by promoting what stands at the top of the tree: F1. For this reason, the publicized idea that all cars should "cross the line together" is actually untrue. In actual fact, the idea is that all 'competing' (ahem) cars cross the line in order of respective performance. As you've quoted, it is a "stunt" to galvanise interest amongst the public and promote the whole idea of motor-sport. I'm pleased Schumacher is taking part. There is no doubt that he will 'win' – it's the whole idea! P.S. Being limited to our little planet, this is my favourite circuit in the universe.
Clearly you haven't experienced the AstralRing, home of the Zoovroozlechester GP on Betelgeuse V. Well worth a visit if you're ever in the vicinity.
So you've heard that rumour too, DHC? Unfortunately, the threat of imminent supernova renders my insurance invalid. On top of that, unless you can provide some exotic transport, the biggest challenge is a race against time to get there within my life-time…
Who wants to see an exciting race? http://viewer.dacast.com/beta/b/17963/c/23797 On pole position is Antonio Fuoco (Ferrari young driver). Sharing the front row with him is Nyck de Vries (McLaren young driver). ---------------------------------------------------------- Very lucky. Fuoco dominated the race, only to spin at the end due to rain (which put him 4th) but then red flags came out, and Fuoco wins the race!!! please log in to view this image
Lucky might be the right word. Then again, he's a Ferrari prodigy, so perhaps not? Call me cynical but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to learn that the Red Flag was coerced. By the time it was deployed, it served only one end: that of promoting Fuoco up to his previous position.
Ferrari manipulate race organised by Renault? I don't think so. The rain was coming down heavily, and other drivers were spinning off into the gravel. I think the red flag was the sensible decision.
Ha! I see your point, Fred. `````````` I agree that Red Bull's big-game strategy in F1 is to out-Ferrari Ferrari. In its efforts to usurp, the team has effectively become F1's tearaway teenager. However, in terms of 'the establishment', this would be bull(y) is still overshadowed by a prancing horse! Let's just hope characters like Briatore* are kept at more than an arm's length, eh? Despite having no class, I think he sees the aristocratic and hugely influential Luca di Montezemolo as his own role model!- - - o0o - - - *I shudder at the thought that the world could fall to people like him if we do not remain extremely vigilantâ¦
Maybe McLaren manipulated the race eh? After all, the red flag came almost immediately after De Vries found himself in the gravel
Interesting story from Gary Hartstein (ex-F1 Doctor): "So I've mentioned the lack of experience and relevant authority of the current Medical Delegate. Just to illustrate, a small anecdote. You know that F1 cars are equipped with extricable seats. This allows the driver to be removed from his car IN HIS SEAT, minimising movement. A Sid Watkins inspired advance, may I add. Anyway, to show how lax the supervision of this critical component of the safety package is. (I?) was informed on Thursday of the GP of India that mods during the season rendered both Ferrari seats impossible to remove from the chassis. This situation was not corrected by Brazil. No idea (obviously) if he's on top of the situation by now. Sorry Fernando and Felipe, but this wasn't on the list of what I was allowed to do! The lack of competent oversight is shocking." Apparently Ferrari aren't to blame for this per se, they didn't gain any performance of weight through this, they simply didn't realise the extent of the regulations in place, and thought that as long as the seat could be theoretically extricated it would be enough. A competent delegate would have seen to this. Apparently Hartstein tried to convince the medical delegate (effectively his boss) that this issue should be handed over to the scrutineers and checked each race, but he kept it as his own job and appears to have neglected it. He compares the current FIA to be worse than Balestre, who apparently would at least listen to reason. Frankly, it's worrying that the highest level of safety clearly isn't being maintained. Sid Watkins did an awful lot of good in the sport, and it would appear that the FIA have regressed back since then. The current medical delegate may have been appointed as a "jobs for the boys" type thing, and was under-qualified. To clarify, this is Hartstein's boss he's complaining about, not the new Rescue Co-ordinator who replaced him.
I hope - but I very much fear the opposite - that this had nothing to do with the FIA's decision not to renew his contract.
The thought had crossed my mind. Lackey going over bosses head saying his boss is incompetent and under-qualified for the job, so boss lets him go? Wouldn't be the first time, and would also tie in with Hartstein being given very little notice.
