motor

styla21 · 02-09-2008, 06:39 PM

NO!!
Australia can't lose the GP...

Max mosley is contesting the idea.. So I am crossing my fingers.

HeilSvenska · 02-10-2008, 01:55 AM

What?! That's stupid! Bernie can't force Australia to hold a night race! (I guess he can) What makes him think that a Russian one would be better? If anything, they should come down to Long Beach!

Mattk · 02-20-2008, 09:31 PM

Yeah, I'm really pissed that Ecclestone is even considering dropping Melbourne from the calendar. Australia has a long-standing motorsports culture. Russia does not. Logical choice - Australia.

styla21 · 02-21-2008, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by Mattk

Yeah, I'm really pissed that Ecclestone is even considering dropping Melbourne from the calendar. Australia has a long-standing motorsports culture. Russia does not. Logical choice - Australia.

Agreed!
141 Million people with a rapidly growing middle class who love luxury and flamboyancy, might be a reason though

Sadly, the 20m Aussie slide down the worlds food chain of importance. I wouldn't bet against seeing a greater India / Chinese presence over the next few years too...

Mattk · 02-24-2008, 08:32 PM

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if India picks up a race. At least in China they actually care about motorsports, a little.

blue8 · 02-27-2008, 01:15 PM

Ron Dennis has forcibly relinquished his role as Team Principal of McLaren, and will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Martin Whitmarsh, a Spanish newspaper claims.

The national sports daily Marca says the decision, compelled by the British team's engine and equity partner Mercedes-Benz, will shortly be confirmed by means of a press release.

Marca said Mercedes was angered by Dennis' handling of the espionage scandal last year that cost the outfit $100m and arguably both titles.

Dennis, who has overseen McLaren's ultra-successful reign since the early 1980s, could be given a new position but will not be in a crucial decision-making role, the publication claimed.

Dennis owns 15 per cent of McLaren, with the rest of the equity divided between Mercedes, a Bahraini company, and Mansour Ojjeh.

McLaren has yet to comment on the matter.

Considering this came from Marca, this rumor is unlikely to be true. But then again who knows?

HeilSvenska · 02-27-2008, 01:17 PM

^Gah. You just beat me to that! It's plausible, but I wouldn't fire someone with so much experience in the field. Then again, a person with that much experience should know better.

nthfinity · 02-27-2008, 01:21 PM

wow, talk about potentially the biggest shakeup in F1 history....

sti4_ver · 02-28-2008, 01:55 AM

If the rumour is true, it will not do good for Lewis and Heikki.

blue8 · 03-03-2008, 09:53 AM

Rumors that he was fired are untrue. But news are saying that he's stepping down... still a rumor until it's officially confirmed

Dennis ready to step aside

Ron Dennis is likely to hand over the role of McLaren team principal to F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh before the end of this month, autosport.com has learned, but has not yet decided exactly when he will do so.

There has been mounting speculation about Dennis' future in recent weeks, with the 60-year-old believed to be increasingly keen to focus more on family matters and other aspects of the McLaren Group business than just the F1 team.

Dennis is also understood to believe that his departure as team principal will help relieve tension remaining at the team in the wake of last year's spy scandal, which left the team stripped of their constructors' championship points and fined $100 million (USD).

Sources have made it clear, however, that although Dennis is planning to change his role within McLaren, he has not yet settled on exactly when that will be.

It could be within a matter of days, or may not happen until after the season, which kicks off in Melbourne on March 16, has begun. However, a decision on the exact handover is expected to take place later this month.

Last week, Whitmarsh made it clear that Dennis still had the full support of McLaren's shareholders - and that any decision about his future was for him to take alone.

"Ron is fully supported by all our shareholders, all our management, and all who work for our team and our company," Whitmarsh told autosport.com.

"He currently has three roles: Chairman, McLaren Group; Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Group; Team Principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

"It therefore follows that it is for Ron to decide when and if he should step down, step away, step back, or whatever."

Mattk · 03-11-2008, 10:42 PM

http://www.smh.com.au/news/motorspor...125911230.html

The Melbourne GP organisers have agreed to start the race at 5pm. That's the time when most races in Australia, and in the world, end. That's the time when most people want to make dinner, go out etc. TV schedules will be shaken up because the news is on at 6pm. But no, Bernie Ecclestone wants a night race because it's better for the European market. He accuses the organisers of being uncooperative. What a douchebag. They have been more than cooperative. If Ecclestone is really interested in racing and race development, he'd accept 5pm. If he was really interested in the sport he is in charge of, he would let the organisers stick to the old start time. But he is interested only in money.

HeilSvenska · 03-11-2008, 10:55 PM

^That's frustrating. The only non-endurance race that happens at night is usually NASCAR when they have red flag conditions that impede the race for a while. It's fine for me, who's on the West Coast of the US, but when the races end at like 9:00pm here, that means that people have been watching till 12:00am in the East Coast. But Ecclestone doesn't care about fans like that. I mean, the man threatened to put Silverstone out of business, and Spa's.

Mattk · 03-11-2008, 10:59 PM

What Ecclestone doesn't seem to understand is that the Melbourne GP weekend also involves myriad other races/competitions, including the V8 Supercars, an Australia/New Zealand NASCAR with lots of sharp corners which is rated one of the best touring car tournaments in the world by racing professionals.

HeilSvenska · 03-11-2008, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by Mattk

What Ecclestone doesn't seem to understand is that the Melbourne GP weekend also involves myriad other races/competitions, including the V8 Supercars, an Australia/New Zealand NASCAR with lots of sharp corners which is rated one of the best touring car tournaments in the world by racing professionals.

What? Surely, an F1 enthusiasts wouldn't be seen watching those low-brow "events". (Sarcasm)

HeilSvenska · 03-17-2008, 12:01 PM

oops wrong thread.