So has anyone else seen the layout for the London EPrix in the Formula E series this weekend? Couldn’t remember if it was here or Discord someone mentioned that part of the track is inside the Excel centre… Here s a quick layout video.
Going to have to watch the practice session this afternoon to see it.
I was at the Excel Centre for EGX a couple of years ago and they had a Formula E car on display. Was pretty neat. Will be interesting to see them go through the actual building.
I’m glad they got rid of that whole car swap thing when they first started because the batteries weren’t good enough. I still think they need to get rid of the fan boost and gimmicks like that. Make it a pure sport and alternative to F1. It doesn’t need those things IMO.
Here’s a picture I took while I was there, sadly you couldn’t get any closer.
GassyHaggis they can keep the boost pad area though. Just in case they have an anti-grav breakthrough soon.
What time is the practice session GassyHaggis
16:55. Here’s a link to the Youtube feed.
Didn’t realise they run treaded tyres which work in both dry and wet conditions.
It really is starting to sound like Wipeout.
I mean these onboards are always cool, but 38 seconds in (which should be where this link starts)… That pink car. 
Edit: changed time to 38
Lemans 24 on right now. Totally chaotic wet start. The hypercars just couldn’t keep it pointing forward. Worked wonders for my self esteem.
I feel ok posting this now as the driver’s ok. Aston Martin got punted by an lmp2 at Indianapolis (the end of Mulsanne straight, circa 200mph).
Was pretty scary to watch live tbh. The gravel really didn’t slow him down and he took quite some time to get out.
If that one doesn’t work, this might.
Yeah that was more than a little scary. Marshalls did well straight after and in the clean up too.
Meant to post this when I saw it.
https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/gt3-cars-to-replace-gte-class-at-le-mans-from-2024/6650874/
GTE is going away to be replaced by GT3. That could open up the field massively. I’m sure the Spa 24 hour race had nearly 60 entries. All GT3. I’m sure this LeMans had 61 at the start, total.
Just tuned in (15 hrs 30 ish minutes to go) to see a race restart after a safety car. Apparently had to rebuild a tyre wall. Anyone catch what happened?
Brave I switched it off earlier but it may have been this..
That must be the one, looking at the time. That was a big side impact. Those marshals had the tyre wall rebuilt really bloody fast though.
Thoroughly enjoyed that. Genuinely exciting right up the last lap. That’s the most I’ve watched of the real thing in a long time. The virtual version in 2020 got me back into it tbh and I’m very keen to get some proper endurance simming done this winter.
I caught the first few hours but after a break in the evening I struggled to get focused back on it again. Weird because usually I have it on in the background regardless what I’m doing. Possibly because I didn’t pay to much attention in the run up and was a little lost with the teams and drivers this year. Lesson learnt. Do my homework next time. 
Meanwhile there’s GT racing at Brands, live on YouTube.
The lad’s doing well for himself.
Incredible car control from Jake Hill in the Ford Capri. Every single corner a beautiful drift.
There’s a longer video of the entirety of the final at the end of the same day as this but this is just a lovely 8 minute master class.
Actually just watching the 25 minute final video I’d say it’s a great one to watch as well. The engine note of the Camaro in car is a treat.
Also made me feel really very old. There was an Alfa Romeo Alfasud in there which my dad went through about 8 of over the years, a Golf mk1 ( again my old man got one very early on) and a couple of lovely Minis, my first car, although mine wasn’t exactly a Cooper it was /cough/ tweaked by my old man and me to behave very like one…
Heading to knockhill to see the real deal today. The British Mad Farmer’s Rallycross Championship. It’s not really called that but it’s definitely a flavour of the competition 
https://clubmansrallycross.weebly.com/
It’s the final round and the championship is apparently down to the wire so it should be a fun watch. Dressing warm is the order of the day…
Had a great morning. Unfortunately had to come home as we realised our car is dropping oil. We’ll have to take it to the garage first thing in the morning.
Modern equivalent of making you watch home movies below:
Looks like a fun day out. Shame about your car though, dropping oil constantly? Hopefully just a pipe or filter cracked.
Jogort yeah I don’t have high hopes. Hopefully we caught it in time. We’re already mooting the idea of another car tbh.
The racing wasn’t as good as the last time I saw Rallycross there but it was still fun to watch. To be fair, the last time I saw it it was dry as a bone in mid-July, and they had 720bhp rs200s and 6R4s. So it was never going to quite compare.
But there were some beauties there. The MR2 was lovely and I really loved the sound of the old 205gtis (another car I grew up hanging on for dear life in the back of).
There was a more modern and serious round of the big super car Rallycross formula (the one with the joker lap) last month and I really wish I could have seen that. Really though, I was just glad to be back. I’d missed the place terribly though lockdown. The smell of hot dogs and engine oil made it all go away.
Really looking forward to iracing adding the place in to its roster soon. Hoping they add the Rallycross layout too.
All I’m saying is that there’s a definite clan tendency in full view there 
Just like my lot. The MacPherson clan was famously very late for the battle of Culloden (family legend has it because they partied too hard in Derby* before turning back north). And I have always been remarkably fond of sleeping in and being late.
*the fact that I t regularly partied hard at what was likely same pub never ceases to blow my mind
This is actually a very big deal.
First Dakar stage win by an electric car. Driven by Sainz sr.
So the first minute or so of this video is an amazing snapshot of what the Dakar is really all about. The guy and his bike are there alone. He’s in a specific bike category that isn’t allowed support (I believe only life threatening events supersede this). They leave at 5 in the morning; get back in 5 to 12 hours depending on whether they had a good day; then fix and prep their bikes themselves at night with no engineers and maybe grab 2 to 5 hours of sleep before they go again.
It’s proper grit.
There’s also a bit later on where a fuck ton of trucks got stuck in a huge sand basin overnight. I think the day before, one truck went over the top thinking it was just another dune, then loads of them followed his line and none of them could get out. =)
Also I have to say, despite a clear design flaw in their suspension which has cost them tons of time overall, the Audi eTron cars - which are a brand new electric concept this year - have made a huge and historic mark on motor sport. All three of their cars have stage wins (and each stage is near enough the length of a WRC event distance) this year against traditional cars and biofuel ones as well.
I haven’t seen electric beat combustion over that kind of distance before. I think the way it charges is still something that needs work but honestly I think it’s the first real spark of the end times for petrol based motorsport.
Another ten years and we’ll more and more be preserving that noise (and maybe even the smell) with sim racing.
The video’s well worth a watch even if you don’t follow rallying; it’s the best taster of the Dakar I’ve seen for a while and I’ve been following these highlight videos since the race started.
I will say though, the presenter is the literally the most annoying pun obsessed twunt of his ilk. If you don’t find yourself involuntarily shouting “fuck off” a couple of times then I doff my cap to you.
Annoyed that I missed this this weekend. I knew it was on, then clean forgot due to the Olympics.
Worth watching, so many legends. What I would give to sit and have a drink with them all. There’sa great quote from Hakkinnen in there: “I’m going to brake late… because I can’t see the corners so good”. 
And for a man who’s closing in on 50, Loeb is really on amazing form. I’ve seen people start to talk about him as one of the few non-F1 GOATs. I must say, after him making WRC so boring for nearly a decade, I used to think he and Citroen were… not quite the problem, but I couldn’t wait for him to retire.
But really, on the basis of what he’s done lately. Dakar, winning Monaco, beating everybody including Vettel in the RoC final. WTCC and lemans as well. He’s just stunningly talented.
It’s a shame nobody could step up and challenge him long term in his prime, but it’s not on him.
Yeah that’s definitely a confirmation of how good he is.
Formula E is on again this weekend at Mexico.
Also this just popped up. Quite keen to see how he gets on…
Imola is the first round with the race tomorrow afternoon. Just now however is the esports event giving real world points for finishing in the top five in each class.
Will be keen to see how Rossi does tomorrow.
GassyHaggis is the main race going to live on YouTube?
Brave Yeah, looks like the show starts at half one.
Top 28 covered by a second over the average of the three drivers. The Rossi car sitting 15th for the start of 52 runners.
Christ. The gt4 grid is massive as well.
