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Posts Tagged FIA

Audi Evolution-Version R8 LMS

Mar 8

Posted by Insider in Audi

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According to Audi, its new GT3 customer sport program has reached a new milestone. The German car manufacturer says that by the middle of April it will hand out 20 Audi R8 LMS cars to teams competing in various national and international racing series, including the two 24-hours races at Nurburging and at Spa-Francorchamps this season.

Audi wants to offer its customers the best car possible, so the automaker will obtain FIA homologation of an evolution-version of the R8 LMS. Previous vehicles will be brought up to date with the help of a kit.

“During our evolution project we primarily focused on service life and maintenance- friendliness,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “All the experience we gathered last season with the help of our partners has been fed into the evolution-version. We’re convinced that we’re handing over a reliable and easy to handle vehicle to our customers that embodies the high quality standards of the Audi brand.”

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Red Bull Pit Stops in 2 Seconds

Mar 8

Posted by Insider in F1

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Some time ago, we were reporting that pit stops will probably take under 3 seconds in 2010, given the refueling ban introduced by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for the upcoming campaign. However, with the majority of the teams testing the new pit stops during recent test meetings, it seems some stops will take even less than 2 seconds.

According to Red Bull Racing’s boss Christian Horner, the mechanics of the Milton Keynes based team have managed a record 1.8 pit stop after some intense hours of practice. Although unofficial, this result means that ultra-speedy pit stops will likely become a regular thing in the series through 2010, given the new devices the teams have debuted this winter.

“We have done sub-two second stops. They are absolutely lightning,” said Horner. “The guys have trained like hell over the winter. They have all lost weight and got fitter in the process. The guys have been training in the gym at 12 and 4pm every day since November.“

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F1 Entry List for 2010

Mar 4

Posted by Insider in F1

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With the news that US F1 will not be joining the 2010 Formula One Championship due to internal issues, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) released what we believe will be the final entry list for the upcoming campaign.

As most of you might suspect, the big hit of the list is actually a missing piece that we had all believed will make the grid of the Bahrain Grand Prix two weekends from now. We’re obviously talking about Stefan Grand Prix, a team willing to take the place of US F1 on the 2010 entry list after some intense preparations in recent months.

Nevertheless, the FIA argued that replacing an F1 entry with another one in such a short period of time would be inappropriate, and made public a 12-team entry list for the season to come. Basically, we’re going to have 24 cars on the grid this year, 10 of which will score points at the end of each Grand Prix.

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Mosley Think Is Amusing

Feb 25

Posted by Insider in F1, Rumors

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One already knew that the “love story” between former FIA president Max Mosley and Formula One team Ferrari was terminated during the course of last season, “thanks” to the former’s cost-cutting and new-entries policy regarding the future of the sport. However, following the latest attack on Mosley made by Ferrari, the story seems to make the headlines once again.

With Ferrari blaming Mosley for the current situation in Formula One - with two teams in danger of not making it to the 2010 Bahrain GP due to lack of finance - the former FIA president could not have sit and listen to those accusations without a proper respond. And, according to James Allen on F1, the 69-year old Brit actually found the attacks “quite amusing.”

“(He) hinted that the team had opened a can of worms here and that he had not planned to say anything rude about them before now, but that they have fired the first shot with this attack. He described Ferrari as a middle-aged woman who is jealous of the attention new beautiful women around her are getting!” said James Allen on F1.

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Bridgestone Stay in 2011 ?

Feb 23

Posted by Insider in F1, Tire

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As the new Formula One season approaches, supremo Bernie Ecclestone is already preparing the 2011 edition of the championship. And the first thing that he needs to take care of when talking about the campaign one year from now is securing a solid engine supplier for the series.

As most of you probably know by now, Japanese tire supplier Bridgestone has already confirmed its intentions to quit Formula One at the end of 2010. They have been sole suppliers for the series between 2008 and 2010, after the International Automobile Federation (FIA) rules that only one manufacturer should supply tires to all the Formula One teams.

While initially expected to extend their deal with Formula One at the end of 2010 - given their great collaboration so far - Bridgestone made it very clear that the level of expenditure in the Great Circle has made it virtually impossible for them to continue investing in their F1 programme. According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the Japanese company is currently spending around 55 million euro annually.

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2010 FIA WTCC Entry List

Feb 20

Posted by Insider in Racing, WTCC

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The FIA World Touring Car Championship today confirmed the official entry list for the 2010 season. Despite the bad news regarding some of the championship’s leading manufacturers in recent months, it was now confirmed that both SEAT and BMW will continue their racing programmes in the championship.

Gabriele Tarquini, Tiago Monteiro, Jordi Gene and Tom Coronel will all run factory Seat Leon TDIs throughout the 2010 season of the FIA WTCC, running under the SR-Sport name, while BMW will provide factory support for only 2 cars, driven by 3-time champion Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus Jr.

“We are proud that we managed to maintain a high quality field in this challenging economic environment. Most of our regular drivers and teams are still with us, which guarantees continuity in the growth of the championship’s popularity,” said Marcello Lotti, General Manager of KSO. Read the rest of this entry »

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New Engine, Test Rule Changes For F1

Feb 13

Posted by Insider in Awareness, F1

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Nobody will know for sure the level of fuel efficiency of the engines developed by the Formula One teams for the 2010 season. With refueling being banned by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for the upcoming season, the fuel the cars will start the race with will have to last until the chequered flag.

However, the FIA today confirmed that the information regarding the cars’ weights prior to the race will remain secret. Until now, the ruling body had presented to the media - shortly after the qualifying session on Saturday - the weight of each car, giving the fans a glimpse into each team’s strategy for the race.

That will no longer happen during the 2010 season, as the FIA removed the part that stated the cars’ weights will be published from the rulebook.

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New Helmet for WRC

Feb 13

Posted by Insider in Gadget, Rally

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The International Automobile Federation (FIA) today confirmed the introduction of an all-new helmet design in the World Rally Championship, aimed at improving the drivers’ safety in the series. According to the press release from the ruling body, the helmet took no less than 8 years to be developed, and will reportedly “provide drivers with increased protection in all key areas of safety.”

Although it is made of lightweight components and weights an overall 1200 grams, the 8860-2004 helmet can withstand some incredible forces, as explained by the FIA.

“An 8860-2004 helmet withstands an impact of 9.5m/s with deceleration of less than 300g. During fire tests, the helmet was subjected to 800°C for 30 seconds, with temperatures inside the helmet not exceeding 70°C. In addition, the visors can withstand projectiles being fired at them at high speeds.“

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WRC New Points Format

Feb 10

Posted by Insider in Awareness, Rally

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After the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced new sporting regulations for the 2010 season of Formula One - mainly focused at a new points format - the ruling body now proceeded to the same measures inside the World Rally Championship also.

Consequently, the number of drivers who will get to score points in the WRC throughout the 2010 season will be 10, as compared to 8 until now. The overall Top 10 of each event will be awarded points in the same way the F1 drivers will, meaning the WRC will switch to the 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 system.

The news was reported by the official WRC site, who said that “the decision to adopt the system was taken on 9 February, after the FIA put the matter to a fax vote of competitors. It was also approved by the members of the World Motor Sport Council.”

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Jean Todt NO Budget Caps in F1

Feb 9

Posted by Insider in F1

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Although he was backed by Max Mosley for the presidential seat of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Jean Todt doesn’t seem to have the same visions about the future of the sport as his predecessor. And one of the things the two don’t agree on is the budget cap rule.

According to the 63-year old Frenchman, budget caps are not the way to go in the future, as cost reduction can easily be achieved through other measures. Changing the technical rulebook of the Formula One series would be one solution, as an aerodynamic freeze similar to the one imposed to engines a few years ago would solve the constant developing of the F1 single-seaters throughout the season (and therefore reduce the costs that go with it).

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