Batracer thread!
- Thread starter MagpieRacer
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- 543
Hello all and welcome to GTP's coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix! I'm your announcer...uh...Mister Insert Clever Name here, or you can just call me Yoshi. Whatever.
Anyway, the cars are all lined up on the grid already to take the green flag. Light. Whatever. And...one...two...three...it's really awkward counting backwards - er, four...five green light...and they're out and the race is on!
It's a clean start, except for the fact that the two leaders, Beyens in the Renault and Butler in the McLaren, decided to start in reverse and are moving backwards fast. Hutchinson in the Renault has assumed the lead from P3, with Chang in the BMW moving up 2 into 2nd. All cars have made it through the first lap cleanly - there's been some contact way deep in the field, but apparently no one seems to care.
Lap 2 and we're already seeing cars in the pit lane - what's up with that? Ramos, Taylor, and Allman are putting on a pit stop challenge just for the heck of it...no, it sounds like they begun on wet tires. No more drinks for the mechanics on race day I guess and there's a Toyota in the wall! It looks like Charkaoui has bobbled at the Nouvelle chicane and the damage is pretty intensive. That's the end of the day for him. A rough start for Toyota...
(Lap 5) And right now Soyfu in the Midland is just flying...he's up 2 spots to fifth over his teammate Horton and Kawasie in the BMW...and there's word that there's a Red Bull with suspension damage and - there it is! Looks like it's Richards, whose car has parted ways with one of it's wheels and it's headed straight to the garage. Too bad, he was moving up through the field pretty well. Here, we have him coming on the Team Radio, let's listen in...
Richards: "...****!"
OK...let's not...clearly a little frustrated...
(Lap 20) Here we are on board with Yuuji Kawasie, the new BMW driver in the field. Chasing down on 6th place Horton in the Midland, one of the better battles of the race. Diving down to the inside at Rascasse and whoooaaaaaaa Horton locks it up there - this is for real, no faking it here - and he's stuck pretty nice. He'll have to wait for a couple of cars to pass before he can back out and...there he goes, Horton is away. Tough break, he lost four spots.
(Lap 24) Now we're nearing a third of the way through the race and it looks like pit stops are going to come up soon for many of the leading drivers. The Renault crew is rolling out its tires and mechanics...hey, look at that. Trendell in the Ferrari pulled a nice impromptu drift session through Portier. Looks like he lost some time but no mechanical damage.
(Lap 27) We're onboard right now with Soyfu in the Midland...trying to hold off Butler in the McLaren for third place...gap's about half a second. Going through Piscine and - look out! I think he clipped the wall there, did you see a bit of front wing fly out? That might cost him. Luckily it appears that Midland is preparing for a scheduled pitstop next lap so they can go check that problem out right away...
(Lap 40) Now let's rewind the tape a bit, take a look at this - this is Ramos in the Williams, tailing Super Aguri's Edwards...he just JAMS it right into the back of the Aguri under heavy braking. Oh wait, look at this, Edwards is coming into the pits right now to investigate the problem. Wait, Butler, the leader in the McLaren had just made a pretty serious error Massanet - he clips the wall, might've damaged the suspension there...that could hurt his pace. Beyens's not too far behind...
(Lap 42) I do believe that was one of the best pitstops in the history of Formula One right there, and I'm being sarcastic...this is Allman pitting with the Toyota crew. He slots it right into the pit box...mechanics get the fuel hose out, try to jam it in...lose a bunch of time, and then it won't start! The bloody fuel rig won't start. It's a riot! Meanwhile, one of the tire changers trips over the front wing, takes a fall...finally pulls away after 27 seconds. What a stop!
(Lap 57) Here we go, Herman Chang, the race leader for the BMW team is into the pits. This'll be his last stop, everything looks like it's going smoothly aaaand he's away. A perfect stop. Wait, what's this? There's an Aguri in the wall right before the start-finish line. Looks like it's Adams. He's OK and out of his car...had a dissapointing race all around, retiring will drop him a total of one position.
(Lap 67) Now take a look at this battle between BMW Kawasie and Honda Davidson for 7th place. Davidson is closing pretty fast, but it's one thing to catch a car, another to pass...and meanwhile, the third-place BMW of Chang is slow on the track, let's listen in...
Chang: "...oil pressure...pressure's dropping..."
Team: "Dear god not again...try slowing down for a bit, might just be an electrical glitch."
Chang: "What's that supposed to - oh wait, there it goes, ok thanks guys."
Meanwhile, Hutchinson in the other Renault just gets through, but Chang's problem seems to be resolved and he's back at full speed.
(Lap 74) We're getting into the last few laps of this race and Butler continues to be sandwiched by Renaults, looks like it'll be a close finish...and there's another car parked at Rascasse. It's a Ferrari, and it appears to have brushed the wall lightly. You're only supposed to pretend to lock it up, Haswell. A little damage to the body it appears but he has a pretty solid grip on 5th.
(Lap 76) Looks like we're in for a finish here...oh shut up, I meant a good one of course. Butler's last lap was 3 tenths of a second faster than leader Beyens...that'll put him bumper-to-bumper by the last lap. Meanwhile Lee Davidson in the Honda just turned in the fastest lap of the race, he's closing quickly on the 6th and 7th of Horton and Kawasie and Kawasie is STOPPED on the track! Correction, he's sliding very slowly, backwards, along the wall, with no rear wing. Seems to be a mechanical failure that led into a pretty big hit. Kawasie was running seventh at the time...obviously he's not going to finish in the points or at all now. It's a dissapointing first race in Monaco for the championship leader, BMW has been having technical problems all year that have plagued Chang and now Kawasie.
Meanwhile the whole time I've been talking it's become lap 77 and Butler continues to close on Beyens. He's within a second now...but at this race he's just not going to catch the Renault...Butler is definitely faster but he's just going to run out of time...there's the white flag. Assuming no more problems like Kawasie's Beyens's just going to barely hang on, Butler's right on his tail ... but it just won't be enough and BEYENS! takes the checkered flag at Monaco for the Renault team by just over half a second. Hutchinson in the second Renault is third, Chang in the surviving BMW saves team face with a fourth, and Haswell in the Ferrari pulls an impressive run from the back to take fifth. Horton, Davidson, and Trendell round out the points. Of special recognition is Pianelli in the 2nd Honda, finishing an amazing 6 laps down, being lapped 4 times by the second-to-last finisher.
Anyway, the cars are all lined up on the grid already to take the green flag. Light. Whatever. And...one...two...three...it's really awkward counting backwards - er, four...five green light...and they're out and the race is on!
It's a clean start, except for the fact that the two leaders, Beyens in the Renault and Butler in the McLaren, decided to start in reverse and are moving backwards fast. Hutchinson in the Renault has assumed the lead from P3, with Chang in the BMW moving up 2 into 2nd. All cars have made it through the first lap cleanly - there's been some contact way deep in the field, but apparently no one seems to care.
Lap 2 and we're already seeing cars in the pit lane - what's up with that? Ramos, Taylor, and Allman are putting on a pit stop challenge just for the heck of it...no, it sounds like they begun on wet tires. No more drinks for the mechanics on race day I guess and there's a Toyota in the wall! It looks like Charkaoui has bobbled at the Nouvelle chicane and the damage is pretty intensive. That's the end of the day for him. A rough start for Toyota...
(Lap 5) And right now Soyfu in the Midland is just flying...he's up 2 spots to fifth over his teammate Horton and Kawasie in the BMW...and there's word that there's a Red Bull with suspension damage and - there it is! Looks like it's Richards, whose car has parted ways with one of it's wheels and it's headed straight to the garage. Too bad, he was moving up through the field pretty well. Here, we have him coming on the Team Radio, let's listen in...
Richards: "...****!"
OK...let's not...clearly a little frustrated...
(Lap 20) Here we are on board with Yuuji Kawasie, the new BMW driver in the field. Chasing down on 6th place Horton in the Midland, one of the better battles of the race. Diving down to the inside at Rascasse and whoooaaaaaaa Horton locks it up there - this is for real, no faking it here - and he's stuck pretty nice. He'll have to wait for a couple of cars to pass before he can back out and...there he goes, Horton is away. Tough break, he lost four spots.
(Lap 24) Now we're nearing a third of the way through the race and it looks like pit stops are going to come up soon for many of the leading drivers. The Renault crew is rolling out its tires and mechanics...hey, look at that. Trendell in the Ferrari pulled a nice impromptu drift session through Portier. Looks like he lost some time but no mechanical damage.
(Lap 27) We're onboard right now with Soyfu in the Midland...trying to hold off Butler in the McLaren for third place...gap's about half a second. Going through Piscine and - look out! I think he clipped the wall there, did you see a bit of front wing fly out? That might cost him. Luckily it appears that Midland is preparing for a scheduled pitstop next lap so they can go check that problem out right away...
(Lap 40) Now let's rewind the tape a bit, take a look at this - this is Ramos in the Williams, tailing Super Aguri's Edwards...he just JAMS it right into the back of the Aguri under heavy braking. Oh wait, look at this, Edwards is coming into the pits right now to investigate the problem. Wait, Butler, the leader in the McLaren had just made a pretty serious error Massanet - he clips the wall, might've damaged the suspension there...that could hurt his pace. Beyens's not too far behind...
(Lap 42) I do believe that was one of the best pitstops in the history of Formula One right there, and I'm being sarcastic...this is Allman pitting with the Toyota crew. He slots it right into the pit box...mechanics get the fuel hose out, try to jam it in...lose a bunch of time, and then it won't start! The bloody fuel rig won't start. It's a riot! Meanwhile, one of the tire changers trips over the front wing, takes a fall...finally pulls away after 27 seconds. What a stop!
(Lap 57) Here we go, Herman Chang, the race leader for the BMW team is into the pits. This'll be his last stop, everything looks like it's going smoothly aaaand he's away. A perfect stop. Wait, what's this? There's an Aguri in the wall right before the start-finish line. Looks like it's Adams. He's OK and out of his car...had a dissapointing race all around, retiring will drop him a total of one position.
(Lap 67) Now take a look at this battle between BMW Kawasie and Honda Davidson for 7th place. Davidson is closing pretty fast, but it's one thing to catch a car, another to pass...and meanwhile, the third-place BMW of Chang is slow on the track, let's listen in...
Chang: "...oil pressure...pressure's dropping..."
Team: "Dear god not again...try slowing down for a bit, might just be an electrical glitch."
Chang: "What's that supposed to - oh wait, there it goes, ok thanks guys."
Meanwhile, Hutchinson in the other Renault just gets through, but Chang's problem seems to be resolved and he's back at full speed.
(Lap 74) We're getting into the last few laps of this race and Butler continues to be sandwiched by Renaults, looks like it'll be a close finish...and there's another car parked at Rascasse. It's a Ferrari, and it appears to have brushed the wall lightly. You're only supposed to pretend to lock it up, Haswell. A little damage to the body it appears but he has a pretty solid grip on 5th.
(Lap 76) Looks like we're in for a finish here...oh shut up, I meant a good one of course. Butler's last lap was 3 tenths of a second faster than leader Beyens...that'll put him bumper-to-bumper by the last lap. Meanwhile Lee Davidson in the Honda just turned in the fastest lap of the race, he's closing quickly on the 6th and 7th of Horton and Kawasie and Kawasie is STOPPED on the track! Correction, he's sliding very slowly, backwards, along the wall, with no rear wing. Seems to be a mechanical failure that led into a pretty big hit. Kawasie was running seventh at the time...obviously he's not going to finish in the points or at all now. It's a dissapointing first race in Monaco for the championship leader, BMW has been having technical problems all year that have plagued Chang and now Kawasie.
Meanwhile the whole time I've been talking it's become lap 77 and Butler continues to close on Beyens. He's within a second now...but at this race he's just not going to catch the Renault...Butler is definitely faster but he's just going to run out of time...there's the white flag. Assuming no more problems like Kawasie's Beyens's just going to barely hang on, Butler's right on his tail ... but it just won't be enough and BEYENS! takes the checkered flag at Monaco for the Renault team by just over half a second. Hutchinson in the second Renault is third, Chang in the surviving BMW saves team face with a fourth, and Haswell in the Ferrari pulls an impressive run from the back to take fifth. Horton, Davidson, and Trendell round out the points. Of special recognition is Pianelli in the 2nd Honda, finishing an amazing 6 laps down, being lapped 4 times by the second-to-last finisher.
Evolution.
(Banned)
- 3,722
I hate you
- 543
And I hate the mechanics who forgot to tighten the screws on my rear wing. Trade you?
- 107
i fancy a move to midland if the seat's still open?
- 24,132
- Scarfolk
- Grim10
- Are you kidding?
- 12,299
- Ealing-London
Ummm... no! 
You are 5th.... Out of 5.
I am first, so if you have loaded my setup then you will have a quick car for qualifying.
*edit* And I have the top 4 fastest practice laps.
Your fastest lap was 15th overall!
Come on guys. Join the game!!
You are 5th.... Out of 5.
I am first, so if you have loaded my setup then you will have a quick car for qualifying.
*edit* And I have the top 4 fastest practice laps.
Your fastest lap was 15th overall!
Come on guys. Join the game!!
- 1,410
- Canberra
- Unwired-Eddie
V8 Guinea Pig - Another mixed bag for FPR at Barbagallo. I dropped 2 places from qualifying to finish 10th, moving me to 5th in the championship. 3 of the top 5 have no podium finishes showing that consistancy pays off, though Jules is still in 4th despite a DNF. My teammate suffered from an early collision and the loss of speed saw him finish at the tail end, also dropping him to 27th in the championship.
As a team we are now 7th so all is not lost (yet). Tasman is 1st, SBR 2nd, Fujitsu 3rd.
GTP V8 - A good run from mid field. Pit stop strategy worked perfectly this time, and the safety car didn't hurt much either. Equal 6th in the championship is a good start.
As a team we are now 7th so all is not lost (yet). Tasman is 1st, SBR 2nd, Fujitsu 3rd.
GTP V8 - A good run from mid field. Pit stop strategy worked perfectly this time, and the safety car didn't hurt much either. Equal 6th in the championship is a good start.
- 6,331
- Banbury, UK
- Uberbee
Current S4 line up:
(Italic = Current Driver, Bold = Confirmed Driver, OPEN = No Driver)
Renault:
Jef Beyens
Duncan Hutchison
McLaren:
Christopher Owens
Lee Davidson
Ferrari:
Simon Trendell
Ashley Butler
Toyota:
Appie Charkaoui
OPEN
Williams:
Lloyd Ramos
Steve Travis
Honda:
Marc Pianelli
Blake Haswell
Red Bull:
ls2_297 (Needs Driver Name)
OPEN
BMW:
Yuuji Kawasie
Jarrett Allman
Midland:
Brad Horton
Chris Taylor
Toro Rosso:
Herman Chang
Michael-GT (Needs Driver Name)
Super Aguri:
Brett Edwards
OPEN
If I have anything wrong, don't hesitate to correct me. 👍
(Italic = Current Driver, Bold = Confirmed Driver, OPEN = No Driver)
Renault:
Jef Beyens
Duncan Hutchison
McLaren:
Christopher Owens
Lee Davidson
Ferrari:
Simon Trendell
Ashley Butler
Toyota:
Appie Charkaoui
OPEN
Williams:
Lloyd Ramos
Steve Travis
Honda:
Marc Pianelli
Blake Haswell
Red Bull:
ls2_297 (Needs Driver Name)
OPEN
BMW:
Yuuji Kawasie
Jarrett Allman
Midland:
Brad Horton
Chris Taylor
Toro Rosso:
Herman Chang
Michael-GT (Needs Driver Name)
Super Aguri:
Brett Edwards
OPEN
If I have anything wrong, don't hesitate to correct me. 👍
Evolution.
(Banned)
- 3,722
Yuuji, you'd best be a better teammate than Appie, or I'm going to be pissed.
- 543
Awww...I'm flattered. But it's not me, it's the car. Seriously! *pats BMW, BMW falls to pieces* See? ...uh...wait. Just kidding. I'm staying at BMW for S4 though.
5 and 6 on Midlands was scarey enough...
- 543
How about a number one on the BMW this season? 
(edit: I mean championship-position wise, if there's some hidden meaning than I've made an arse of myself)
(edit: I mean championship-position wise, if there's some hidden meaning than I've made an arse of myself)
- 6,331
- Banbury, UK
- Uberbee
CardcaptorYoshi
No comment...Beyens "I'll Wait Untill End Of Season"
Renault driver Jef Beyens has yet to decide where his future lies after speaking in the press conference for the British Grand Prix.
"Right now all I'm focusing on is the racing this weekend, I probably wont make a desicion untill the end of the season."
This follows strong rumours of a re-union with S2 champion Blake Haswell at Honda for next season.
Also present at the conference was Lee Davidson who commented on his move to McLaren next season:
"I felt like I needed a change in direction for next season, McLaren have had the experience of winning titles and I feel that driving for them will raise my game to a new level. I have had a great 2 and a half seasons with Honda so far and it was a hard desicion but the team stated that they wernt 100% sure of keeping both me and Marc (Pianelli) so I felt I had to take advantage of a good seat opening up."
Davidson's future Team Manager, Ron Dennis was also taking questions from the media;
"I feel we have a good chance this weekend, we showed a good pace at Monaco which needs high grip just like Silverstone. Our mid-week test at Barcelona was a complete sucess and we should be challenging for big points."
"I am also glad we have secured the services of Lee (Davidson) for next season, he is a fantastic driver with a great technical brain. I feel we will be going to great lengths of success with him onboard."
McLaren driver Ashley Butler futhered Dennis' comments for the race:
"I am feeling good for the grand prix, the car felt good at Monaco, and it's feeling good in the practice here. We changed our strategy slightly at Monaco and it worked so we shall continue doing that. As for Ferrari it's a bit too early to be talking about the move, I can confirm thats where I will be but I need to focus on this season at Mclaren."
Evolution.
(Banned)
- 3,722
I'm going to copy Lee. 
Allman announces leaving of Toyota.
AP- Jarrett Allman, driver of the #25 Toyota TF106B F1 car has announced his retirement from the Panasonic/Toyota team.
"There just isn't enough energy throughout the team." he said. "My teammate, Abdeslam Charkaoui, has not been working with me enough to help improve our team's performance. He has underperformed this whole season so far, and there has been little communication between us. We never exchange setups or attempt to create a strategy. It's just set your car up, qualify, race, repeat."
Allman said that he plans to join BMW Sauber at the beginning of next season. When asked why, he said "BMW Sauber has been a strong team overall since they've been running, and with Herman Chang's contract being cut, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to enlist in BMW's ranks.".
When asked about his new teammate, Yuuji Kawasie, he replied: "He's 1st in points right now, he's a smart driver, and with my personal experience in talking with him, he has a great team-oriented attitude. He seems like a great guy. You can't go wrong with your teammate being 1st in points, right?".
This is certainly a shock to many Toyota fans. To some it may be great, to some it may be disappointing. Either way, next season ensures excitement for the BMW Sauber team!
Note From The Editor: Toyota is still looking for a replacement driver for next season. Many F1 drivers at the lower-spectrum teams should probably consider filling up that void in the Toyota driver ranks.
Allman announces leaving of Toyota.
AP- Jarrett Allman, driver of the #25 Toyota TF106B F1 car has announced his retirement from the Panasonic/Toyota team.
"There just isn't enough energy throughout the team." he said. "My teammate, Abdeslam Charkaoui, has not been working with me enough to help improve our team's performance. He has underperformed this whole season so far, and there has been little communication between us. We never exchange setups or attempt to create a strategy. It's just set your car up, qualify, race, repeat."
Allman said that he plans to join BMW Sauber at the beginning of next season. When asked why, he said "BMW Sauber has been a strong team overall since they've been running, and with Herman Chang's contract being cut, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to enlist in BMW's ranks.".
When asked about his new teammate, Yuuji Kawasie, he replied: "He's 1st in points right now, he's a smart driver, and with my personal experience in talking with him, he has a great team-oriented attitude. He seems like a great guy. You can't go wrong with your teammate being 1st in points, right?".
This is certainly a shock to many Toyota fans. To some it may be great, to some it may be disappointing. Either way, next season ensures excitement for the BMW Sauber team!
Note From The Editor: Toyota is still looking for a replacement driver for next season. Many F1 drivers at the lower-spectrum teams should probably consider filling up that void in the Toyota driver ranks.
- 303
So, if the boss is leaving...does that make me McLaren team leader for S4?
MagpieRacer
Premium
- 17,952
- Wymondham, Norfolk
- Seagull_Racer
WOOOHOO!!!
Pole position!!!!! All British front row! w000000000000t!
Pole position!!!!! All British front row! w000000000000t!
