dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

i'm still adjusting to the time change after coming back from ten days in Germany. i was over there for christmas, and generally spent my time drinking lots of beer and eating. that and trains, lots of time on trains. nine hours is a huge differance to get used to again.

oh yeah, German women and flight attendents seem to dig my new bright orange hair.

IS2Scooby

iTrader: (3)

Welcome home! Missed your comments on the WRC - they're always a pleasure to read.
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dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

thanks. as soon as i have a couple of hours, i'm going to post the pics from my trip to the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart. i didn't make it to the Nuremburg Ring due to family, but i did get some good digital photos from the museum. i'm going to have to go back sometime this spring to get in a few laps...

bushido

iTrader: (2)

sounds like you had fun. Sure wish i was in Europe right now. Was it cold?

Love to see some pictures.

When does the WRC start? is it being aired around the 20th or something like that. I don't have a callender in front of me. Guess i could get off my **** and look over at SPEED.

dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

it was a pretty good time. most of the trip, temps hovered in the mid twenties. watching germans nonchalantly rolling through town in 8-series BMWs and 911s with four inches of snow on the ground was something else. here in the states, it would have been accident city, but i didn't see a single one over there. pics are in the car lounge forum, under the thread "pics from my trip to the mercedes museum in stuttgart, germany."

i haven't checked when the season starts for sure, but i think it's like the 3rd weekend in January. i don't think the Tivo has the schedule that far out yet, but i'll check it this evening.

bushido

iTrader: (2)

_
FIA WORLD OF MADNESS

05-Jan-2004

The FIA continue to attempt to alter the winning formula of the Rally World Championship and have again come up with more madness.

‘Superally’ it has been reported that M Sport boss Malcolm Wilson supports the system.

‘Superally’ rules allows for each leg of the event to be treated individually. Points would be awarded for each leg finished, counting towards an overall score. Crews that failed on a leg and thus not scoring points could re-enter the event on the legs still to run with the possibility of scoring further points.

Wilson states ‘I think a good idea at the moment is anything that can keep the cars in the events. There will certainly be events next year where not all the points are taken. I think it could be a good idea if you’ve got young drivers.’

Leg scoring is used in the Australian and Asia-Pacific Championships.

The World Rally Championship is the ultimate in rallying and it seems a shame to soften the rules and the challenge.



What the hell is going on. I can't tell if i like this or not.

rich

dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

the FIA rule makers!

this is crap. as far as i'm concerned, if you crash out of a stage, and can't get going on your own again (with the help of spectators of course) you're out of the rally, plain and simple. rallies are based on the premise of covering the alloted distance in the minimum ammount of time, not getting points for finishing legs of the rally.

this rule will mean that guys like Gronholm, who have a nasty "win it or bin it" habit, will be able to drive 110% for the whole rally, since they can always re-enter if hey crash out. so much for fair competition. this is going to mean a lot more crashes, and probably more drivers getting hurt.

ZIZZIZ

iTrader: (2)

i really don't like this. not at all cool. come on, if you can't keep your car on the road, why bother to race? it's not as if they let F1 drivers reenter once they've retired due to a crash.... and even though solberg wouldn't have a major problem with an empty gas tank (d'oh still) i don't like it.

dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

my point exactly.

IS2Scooby

iTrader: (3)

BOGUS. What are they thinking? I thought they were trying to SAVE the teams money? This is just going to cost them more in repairs/rebuilds during the course of ONE rally!
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dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

yeah, i think you're right. the FIA seems to be working at cross purposes with what it says its doing. gravel crews are eliminated, and recces are shorteneed -- but then they're making it so teams might have to bring two or even three cars per driver for every event in order to be competative? WTF?

platypus

iTrader: (1)

this is a very bush-league suggestion. It's just what I've come to expect from the Fscking Idiots Association. It seems that they're trying to come to grips with the fact that they've hamstrung the field with the 2 car rule (which obviously was not fully thought through), and they're finally realizing that they're going to have something like 5 WRC cars finishing each rally. Oh, and we *can't* have any privateers scoring points in a WRC event, now can we? </bitter sarcasm>

dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

they ought to just rescind the two car rule, and throw this new "points per day" system out the freakin' window. i can hardly wait to see what Nicky Grist has to say about this when Monte Carlo rolls arround in a couple of weeks.

IS2Scooby

iTrader: (3)

Agreed! I bet Nicky isn't going to pull any punches... The Welsh Wizard can be... Blunt.
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dropkick_muppet

iTrader: (4)

now that he isn't employed by a team, he can pretty much say whatever the hell he wants -- as long as he doesn't bad mouth Speed (his current employer). i don't think he is going to like the new rules much, and i'm betting that a lot of drivers are going to have the same opinion.

Gronholm will complain, and then use it to his advantage.