Formula One has a new "Fan Car"

Oh dear, http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73414

I threw up, in my mouth, just a little.

Anyone else have an idea of how this lil' equipe will jazz up the grid? I thought of this.... Let us gaze into the future and wonder-----(cue Bob Varsha)---"This is history in the making, with only five laps remaining in the United States!(ahh crud, that's gone; how about the--) Canadian!(nope, how about the--) British Grand Prix, the USF1 duo of Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal are leading by over fifty seconds! And now for all of you USF1 fans, now is your chance to determine who will win! Log on to the team website, or call the toll-free number at the bottom of the screen and issue your "Team Orders!"

no marco andretti!! anybody but him!!!

Gee, until I clicked on the link I thought Gubby was kidding.

Now I have something else to be ashamed of.

I'll believe it when I see it.

Hope it happens, but I'm not holding my breath.

what is shameful about a United States F1 team that is more accessible?

I heard A. J. Allmendinger was being considered for driving. Why not Jensen Button or Reubens Barrichello?

I vote Jensen Button. I hope the USF1 team happens but I could do without the TV show.

maroon92 wrote: what is shameful about a United States F1 team that is more accessible?

The whole idea of a US F1 team is nearly incomprehensible. Still, I'd love to see it happen.

With the Cosworth engine becoming available in 2010, it shouldn't be to bad. But I hate that idea so much.

Bernie's up to his old tricks. Little update on USF1 team.

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=37152

Feff

Jeez, he's more of a Bob Costas than Bob Costas is!

Hey, let's get Tony Stewart to drive the thing. We'll see how many dents he can collect and how much of the handling he can blame on tires.

as much as I would like to see Jensen Button or Reubens Barrichello driving for USF1/USGPE/whatever it is now, it would be nice to get the driver line up all-american. Scott Pruett, Alex Gurney (it would be interesting to see a Gurney in F1 again. maybe if he ends up on the team they'll change the chassis name to the Eagle and the team name to All American Racers? bit of obscure F1 history reference for you all there), Danica Patrick, Mario Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Patrick Long, Ryan Briscoe, hell even Kyle Bush, would all be qualified to take a stab at F1. personally I wouldn't put Bush in the car, just because he's gotten used to having fenders and uses them more than I think is necessary, and bumping people off of the piece of track you want just doesn't work in F1. I think that of that list, I'd have Scott Pruett as the main driver, then probably either Tony Kanaan or Ryan Briscoe. of course, if keeping the driver lineup all american isn't a big issue, I'd give Mika Häkkinen another shot at F1. Michael Schumacher said himself that Mika was one of the few drivers in F1 who he feared. plus he's got the saying "If you want to win, employ a Fin" on his side. either way, Scott Pruett would be one of my picks for the team. sure, he'd be the oldest rookie in F1 history, but he also has 7 Grand Am Rolex series championships to his name

no offence to pruett, he is a great guy, and a really great driver, but he is just too old for F1. the winningest driver in the sport retired at 36, and Scott is 48...you would be laughed off the grid.

If the team were mine, I would try to recruit someone who knows formula 1 (if Fernando Alonso weren't so expensive, he would be perfect), as well as young american talent such as Scott Speed, Graham Rahal, or Kyle Busch (as much as I hate the man, he knows how to drive)

"One of the problems with Formula One, (is that) the way the teams present themselves in America has always been very difficult for the fans to grasp what F1 is all about," he said.

Stop turning right and more american fans will get it. I think that if WRC had an all left turn format it could make headway in america too.

maroon92 wrote: no offence to pruett, he is a great guy, and a really great driver, but he is just too old for F1. the winningest driver in the sport retired at 36, and Scott is 48...you would be laughed off the grid. If the team were mine, I would try to recruit someone who knows formula 1 (if Fernando Alonso weren't so expensive, he would be perfect), as well as young american talent such as Scott Speed, Graham Rahal, or Kyle Busch (as much as I hate the man, he knows how to drive)

possibly so, but being the hottest new 20-something driver on the grid doesn't make you any better than someone who's been playing the game for a while and has some experience. the someone-who-knows-F1 thing plays right into the hands of hiring Mika Häkkinen, though, or at least giving him the chance to get back in a F1 car. I do agree with you on the young American talent bit, though. although, like I said, I'd almost be afraid that Kyle Bush has gotten a bit too used to having fenders. bump drafting doesn't work in F1, and touching wheels is just asking to get punted a meter or two into the air. personally I would go for drivers who had extensive experience in either open wheel or a series that frowns upon contact between cars, such as ALMS. that way the driver already has the mindset to do more or less everything in their power to avoid contact with another car, either because they don't want to get too rowdy (pardon the Kyle Bush reference) and get a stop/go penalty or a drive-through penalty, or because they want to keep their cars in more or less one piece.

plucking a "good old boy" driver out of basically a 3500 pound, space-frame, mid-size sedan with a 850hp V8 at the front and a wing on the back and sticking them in a 1300 pound, carbon fiber monocoque with a wing at each end, a screaming 2.4l V8 mere inches behind your head (ok, maybe a foot), a flappy paddle gearbox, more knobs on the steering wheel than are in the entire inside of most cars, and no fenders to speak of, without a few months of practice driving that sort of car under race conditions, said good old boy has a high chance of ruining more than his fair share of suspension components and monocoques.

HappyAndy wrote: "One of the problems with Formula One, (is that) the way the teams present themselves in America has always been very difficult for the fans to grasp what F1 is all about," he said. Stop turning right and more american fans will get it. I think that if WRC had an all left turn format it could make headway in america too.

begrudgingly, I agree with you. the begrudgingly bit wasn't aimed at you, but more at the fact that our premier racing series plays host to drivers who only turn right at 2 tracks in a 36 race season, and when driving their personal cars, or racing in other series.

So, the problem with Speed is that they show to much Nascar, this guy wants to put his f1 team on tv and he's wrong. This is a tough crowd.

Wally wrote: So, the problem with Speed is that they show to much Nascar, this guy wants to put his f1 team on tv and he's wrong. This is a tough crowd.

No, selfish. They want racing the way they want it, only for themselves. At least NASCAR gives the fans what they want, which is entertainment. Entertainment, to me that is the only reason to watch any "Sporting" event on TV. Whether that entertainment is watching a perfectly executed pass under braking or watching a fiery explosion, carnage, general mayhem and people on fire running around the infield in their underwear, that isn't for you to decide for other people. As a promoter, you have to go with what the crowd wants or you don't make money and you can't afford to give them what they want.

Don't like what is on TV? Either complain TO THE NETWORKS or turn the TV off and find something else to do.