Failures of Motorsports - Car Designs, Team Mistakes and More

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lxmmy
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The problem the team always encountered was a car not adapted for such long endurance racing & probably one of the least equipped teams to even attempt LeMans. It wasn't until the last couple years of the Murcielago's racing career that JLOC even got anywhere in the SuperGT. Lamborghini gave no support, so JLOC relied solely on Reiter to build a competitive car.
 
prisonermonkeys
@MatskiMonk

Roland Dane

There is an expression that only half of the races are won on the circuit; the other half are won in the stewards' room. Nobody embodies this better than Triple Eight Racing team principal Roland Dane. Dane has forged a reputation in V8 Supercars for quibbling over the rules. Any minor infractions are reported to the stewards (and Dane gets a significant amount of air time to voice his grievances), and this quibbling is matched only by his vehement defence when he gets pinged for something (in which case his air time is spent complaining that the fans don't care about minor rules). He might be team principal of one of the most successful teams in the sport, but he has forged a very poor reputation for himself.
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I see no issues with this, if others can't keep to the rules then he's within his right to complain.
 
Holdenhsvgtsr
I see no issues with this, if others can't keep to the rules then he's within his right to complain.
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It's not that he complains when others break the rules, it's the double standards. He will happily have one team penalised for a minor infraction, but as soon as his team commits it, he's complaining that the races are being determined by minor and obscure penalties.
 
Volvo Polestar racing.
2014: Replacing Alex Premat with STCC sensation Robert Dahlgren.
...not to be outdone with that publicity stunt, they fumble again...
2015: Signing, David "Hit every" Wall for sponsor money over race craft.

Granted, the S60 not running on all eight cylinders most of the year didn't help. It did come on song at the tail end.
 

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TDZdave
A'la conegate from Bathurst 2015
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I was think of the time in Adelaide when Whincup took damage. It was repaired at the first stop, but a mechanic leaned on it at the second, and was adjudged to have been testing the strength of the repairs. In doing so, he exceeded the maximum number of mechanics permitted to work on the car and Whincup got a penalty. Dane was livid afterwards and spent a good amount of tine whinging about it. Quite why the broadcaster gave him so much time is beyond me; other team principals will voice their displeasure at a penalty or incident, but Dane will put the entire sport on trial.

Although he was unusually silent when Whincup ignored the safety car at Bathurst last year. But I don't think that he could have defended it. Even if Whincup had a legitimate case, he could have backed off and let the safety car back through.
 
prisonermonkeys
I was think of the time in Adelaide when Whincup took damage. It was repaired at the first stop, but a mechanic leaned on it at the second, and was adjudged to have been testing the strength of the repairs. In doing so, he exceeded the maximum number of mechanics permitted to work on the car and Whincup got a penalty. Dane was livid afterwards and spent a good amount of tine whinging about it. Quite why the broadcaster gave him so much time is beyond me; other team principals will voice their displeasure at a penalty or incident, but Dane will put the entire sport on trial.

Although he was unusually silent when Whincup ignored the safety car at Bathurst last year. But I don't think that he could have defended it. Even if Whincup had a legitimate case, he could have backed off and let the safety car back through.
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Again its a "who knows" situation,

All I know is that when it comes to Roland Dane there is always something "sinister" for lack of a better word going on,
 
Conrad Rautenbach

Conrad_Rautenbach_-_Rally_Finland_2009.JPG


For as long as there has been motorsport, there has been the pay-driver. At best, they are rich playboys who fancy themselves to be racing drivers; at worst, they are unpredictable mobile chicanes with more money than sense (much less talent). But there has never been a pay-driver like Zimbabwe's Conrad Rautenbach, who drove for Citroën's junior team circa 2009. Like many pay-drivers, Rautenbach had a rich father. And like many pay-drivers, his father was involved in the sport once upon a time. But unlike any pay-drivers, Rautenbach's father is a close, personal friend of Robert Mugabe - yes, that Robert Mugabe - and the money used to support his career came from his father's business activities in the Mugabe regime.

Kimi Räikkönen

2011_wales_rally_gb_by_2eight_dsc7414.jpg


After departing Ferrari at the end of the 2009 Formula One season, Räikkönen decided to make the transition to the World Rally Championship and was signed by Citroën's junior team with significant backing from Red Bull. However, it immediately became apparent that Räikkönen was wasting his time in rallying. Veteran co-driver Kaj Lindstrom reported that Räikkönen simply drove the car, paying very little heed to the pace notes and showing no interest in developing them. Citroën and Red Bull quietly dropped him for 2011, leading Räikkönen to enter privately under the "Ice ONE Racing" banner. Ice ONE were ultimately excluded from the 2011 season after Räikkönen failed to compete in any of the four rounds outside Europe (the rules for manufacturer teams state that they must compete in at least one flyaway).

Robert Kubica

2014_Rallye_Deutschland_by_2eight_DSC1336.jpg


"George, George, George of the Jungle, / Strong as he can be! / George, George, George of the Jungle, / Watch out for that tree!"
 
Staying on the same sort of theme in the post above, here is a short list of great race car drivers that couldn't quite get the hang of NASCAR's top tier of competition.

Juan Pablo Montoya

​

Montoya came to NASCAR with an extremely impressive open wheel resume to back him up. Won the Indianapolis 500 in his first attempt, and won races for Williams and McLaren in Formula 1, some of the best non - red car teams at the time.

Montoya drove for Ganassi his entire NASCAR career. He did manage to grab two wins, but they were both at road courses. And NASCAR's schedule is currently 94% ovals. Aside from almost winning the Brickyard 400 (which I believe was mentioned in this thread already), and a few other small flashes of brilliance, Montoya was usually around the upper - mid pack, taking no wins on any oval he competed on. He made the Chase once in 2009 where he finished 8th, but he finished around 20th in points in the rest of his career. Although he had some good moments, Montoya was never really a big threat for race wins for most of the season, nor for the championship.

In 2014, Montoya returned to IndyCar with Team Penske. In 2015, he won his second Indy 500, and almost won the title. His career continues into 2016.

Marcos Ambrose



Around the same time Montoya entered the championship, Marcos Ambrose came up from Australia to compete in the Sprint Cup. A 2 - time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship, Australia's premier touring car series.

Like Montoya, Ambrose was an absolute ace on the road courses. After all, a Sprint Cup car has a lot in common with a V8 Supercar. And also like Montoya, he only managed to grab two career Sprint Cup wins. But they came at the same track: Watkins Glen. He came very close to winning a race at Somona, but made a mistake while trying to save fuel, completely stalling the car under caution, losing the lead, and ultimately the race. Outside of that, he had no oval wins in his entire NASCAR career. Ambrose had 0 Chase appearances, with a highest points position of 18th, which he achieved twice (2009 & 2012).

After 6 full Sprint Cup seasons, Ambrose returned to Australia with intentions of coming back to the V8 Supercar Championship in 2015. Unfortunately, while the return was highly anticipated, the start of his season was pretty dismal, qualifying at the back nearly every time, and earning a highest finish of 12th. Shortly after the start of the season, Ambrose opted to step out of the car and hand it over to Scott Pye for the remainder of the year, only returning for the endurance races where two drivers are required. It appears as though Ambrose won't be a full time driver in 2016, either.

Dario Franchitti



This happened so quickly, I'm not even sure people remember it even happened. But it did. For 13 races...
Personally, I also love how the livery on his car had a car on it. :D

Franchitti entered NASCAR hot off an IndyCar title and an Indy 500 win. He drove the #40 Dodge for Ganassi in 2008, but the #40 team was ultimately shut down in July of that year. To make matters worse, Dario injured his ankle in an Xfinity (then Nationwide) series crash early in the year, so he didn't even drive the car the entire time it was in competition, missing 5 races. When he was in the car, Franchitti managed a highest finishing position of 22nd. With an average finish of 34th. He even failed to qualify more than once.

In 2009, Dario joined Ganassi's IndyCar team, and pretty much returned to his winning form. He would go on to gain two more Indy 500 wins, and 3 straight IndyCar titles. But unfortunately, an airborne wreck at Houston would see Dario retire from racing. He now commentates on Formula E, and remains at Ganassi as a driver's coach.

Sam Hornish Jr.



Yet another great open wheel driver taking a stab at NASCAR's premier series. 2006 Indy 500 winner, and a 3 - time IndyCar champion.

Being a Penske IndyCar driver, it was a natural move to Penske's NASCAR division, which he made in 2008. However, Hornish was not met with the same success he saw in an IndyCar. His Sprint Cup career is mired with plenty of 20th and 30th place finishes, with only a couple of top 10 blips.
In 2011, after Mobil 1 pulled their sponsorship from the Penske team (to move to Stewart - Haas), Hornish was moved to Penske's Xfinity team. And in an Xfinity car, Sam wasn't too bad at all, with a few wins, quite a number of top 5 finishes, and a second place championship run.
Hornish returned to Sprint Cup racing with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015 to replace Ambrose. And a lot of people (yours truly included) thought this was a great move for both Hornish and Petty, based on his past performances in NASCAR's lower tiers. Although expectations were high, all Hornish really managed to do was obtain his highest ever year end points finish: 26th.
In 2016, Hornish was replaced with Brian Scott, with the car number changing from #9 to #44. It appears as though Hornish has not returned to racing in 2016, but has become a TV personality within the last few years.

I'm sure there are more, but this post must finish at some point...
 
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flip55
Staying on the same sort of theme in the post above, here is a short list of great race car drivers that couldn't quite get the hang of NASCAR's top tier of competition.

Juan Pablo Montoya

​

Montoya came to NASCAR with an extremely impressive open wheel resume to back him up. Won the Indianapolis 500 in his first attempt, and won races for Williams and McLaren in Formula 1, some of the best non - red car teams at the time.

Montoya drove for Ganassi his entire NASCAR career. He did manage to grab two wins, but they were both at road courses. And NASCAR's schedule is currently 94% ovals. Aside from almost winning the Brickyard 400 (which I believe was mentioned in this thread already), and a few other small flashes of brilliance, Montoya was usually around the upper - mid pack, taking no wins on any oval he competed on. He made the Chase (the worst championship structure known to man, story for another time, though...) once in 2009 where he finished 8th, but he finished around 20th in points in the rest of his career. Although he had some good moments, Montoya was never really a big threat for race wins for most of the season, nor for the championship.

In 2014, Montoya returned to IndyCar with Team Penske. In 2015, he won his second Indy 500, and almost won the title. His career continues into 2016.

Marcos Ambrose



Around the same time Montoya entered the championship, Marcos Ambrose came up from Australia to compete in the Sprint Cup. A 2 - time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship, Australia's premier touring car series.

Like Montoya, Ambrose was an absolute ace on the road courses. After all, a Sprint Cup car has a lot in common with a V8 Supercar. And also like Montoya, he only managed to grab two career Sprint Cup wins. But they came at the same track: Watkins Glen. He came very close to winning a race at Somona, but made a mistake while trying to save fuel, completely stalling the car under caution, losing the lead, and ultimately the race. Outside of that, he had no oval wins in his entire NASCAR career. Ambrose had 0 Chase appearances, with a highest points position of 18th, which he achieved twice (2009 & 2012).

After 6 full Sprint Cup seasons, Ambrose returned to Australia with intentions of coming back to the V8 Supercar Championship in 2015. Unfortunately, while the return was highly anticipated, the start of his season was pretty dismal, qualifying at the back nearly every time, and earning a highest finish of 12th. Shortly after the start of the season, Ambrose opted to step out of the car and hand it over to Scott Pye for the remainder of the year, only returning for the endurance races where two drivers are required. It appears as though Ambrose won't be a full time driver in 2016, either.

Dario Franchitti



This happened so quickly, I'm not even sure people remember it even happened. But it did. For 13 races...
Personally, I also love how the livery on his car had a car on it. :D

Franchitti entered NASCAR hot off an IndyCar title and an Indy 500 win. He drove the #40 Dodge for Ganassi in 2008, but the #40 team was ultimately shut down in July of that year. To make matters worse, Dario injured his ankle in an Xfinity (then Nationwide) series crash early in the year, so he didn't even drive the car the entire time it was in competition, missing 5 races. When he was in the car, Franchitti managed a highest finishing position of 22nd. With an average finish of 34th. He even failed to qualify more than once.

In 2009, Dario joined Ganassi's IndyCar team, and pretty much returned to his winning form. He would go on to gain two more Indy 500 wins, and 3 straight IndyCar titles. But unfortunately, an airborne wreck at Houston would see Dario retire from racing. He now commentates on Formula E.

Sam Hornish Jr.



Yet another great open wheel driver taking a stab at NASCAR's premier series. 2006 Indy 500 winner, and a 3 - time IndyCar champion.

Being a Penske IndyCar driver, it was a natural move to Penske's NASCAR division, which he made in 2008. However, Hornish was not met with the same success he saw in an IndyCar. His Sprint Cup career is mired with plenty of 20th and 30th place finishes, with only a couple of top 10 blips.
In 2011, after Mobil 1 pulled their sponsorship from the Penske team (to move to Stewart - Haas), Hornish was moved to Penske's Xfinity team. And in an Xfinity car, Sam wasn't too bad at all, with a few wins, quite a number of top 5 finishes, and a second place championship run.
Hornish returned to Sprint Cup racing with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015 to replace Ambrose. And a lot of people (yours truly included) thought this was a great move for both Hornish and Petty, based on his past performances in NASCAR's lower tiers. Although expectations were high, all Hornish really managed to do was obtain his highest ever year end points finish: 26th.
In 2016, Hornish was replaced with Brian Scott, with the car number changing from #9 to #44. It appears as though Hornish has not returned to racing in 2016, but has become a TV personality within the last few years.

I'm sure there are more, but this post must finish at some point...
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Not many people go from Open Wheel to Nascar and find success. Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti seem to be the two who found it.
 
Hornish and Montoya are galaxies better then Danica, and she is still around....
 
RazorSharkz
Danica = $$$
She's probably the best woman ever in Nascar too. You want to talk a real failure let's talk Shawna Robinson.
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It's hard to make that argument because the only records she has are most likely due to longevity. Janet Guthrie ran in only 33 races, had one less top 10 than Danica has in the 119 races she's competed, and finished higher in points. Sara Christian ran in the opening year (1949), had a top 5 and finished in 13th in points. Danica has neither finished in the top 5 nor has she finished in the top 20 in points, let alone the top 15.
 
Blitz24
It's hard to make that argument because the only records she has are most likely due to longevity. Janet Guthrie ran in only 33 races, had one less top 10 than Danica has in the 119 races she's competed, and finished higher in points. Sara Christian ran in the opening year (1949), had a top 5 and finished in 13th in points. Danica has neither finished in the top 5 nor has she finished in the top 20 in points, let alone the top 15.
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Danica's also the first woman to qualify on pole for a Sprint Cup race.
 
Blitz24
To be brutally honest (and not to nitpick), qualifying on the pole for the 500 is not what one would consider a huge challenge.
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Tell that to me. I've been struggling to get a NASCAR ride for a decade. Even getting into the Sprint Cup is quite a feat.
 
Spyker F1 team

Yep, Spyker had a F1 team if you forgot it lol

Although created in 2006, the team's roots can be traced back to the year 1991, when it was founded as Jordan Grand Prix. TheSilverstone-based squad and facilities were bought by the Midland group in 2005 and renamed Midland F1 in 2006, before being sold to Spyker Cars towards the end of the 2006 season.

1024px-Spyker_M16_Christijan_Albers_September_2006.jpg


The previous team boss of Midland, Colin Kolles, remained as team principal into 2007. Michiel Mol became the new Director of F1 racing and member of the Spyker board, andMike Gascoyne became the Chief Technology Officer from the end of the 2006 season.

The team used customer Ferrari engines in 2007, replacing the Toyota units, which went to the Williams team. Although the team remained based in the UK, it chose to register under the Dutch motor racing authority and therefore run under the Dutch flag during 2007, reflecting its new ownership.

During the 2007 European Grand Prix, Michael Winkelhock became the only driver to lead a Grand Prix in a Spyker, due to the team's tyre selection. However, Winkelhock did not keep his race drive as this went to Sakon Yamamoto.

In August, the new B-Spec Spyker model, which the team hoped to use at the 2007 Turkish Grand Prix, failed the crucial rear crash test which is set by the FIA. All cars must pass these tests to be allowed to race. However, a few days later it was confirmed that the car had passed the crash test in time to compete in the Italian Grand Prix.

On August 14, Spyker Cars announced that it might need to sell all or part of the team due to a potential split of the team from its parent company. The team was sold to a consortium named "Orange India" led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneur (and existing board member) Michiel Mol after approval by Spyker's shareholders. Mallya attended the Chinese Grand Prix as team owner. The team was renamed Force India for the 2008 season.

fisi_fif1_silv_2008.jpg
 
prisonermonkeys
Are you referring to the reports in The Hindustan Times claiming Mallya is out?
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hasn't the team been borderline bankrupt every season since Fisichella drove for them?

I'm out of touch with F1 now days, It's so boring and has been for 5 odd years now...
 
TDZdave
hasn't the team been borderline bankrupt every season since Fisichella drove for them?

I'm out of touch with F1 now days, It's so boring and has been for 5 odd years now...
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I wouldn't say that. Vijay definitely has some outstanding engine bills at the very least dating back perhaps as far as the days Ferrari supplied them, but they aren't in a particularly dyer state.
 
Peter.
I wouldn't say that. Vijay definitely has some outstanding engine bills at the very least dating back perhaps as far as the days Ferrari supplied them, but they aren't in a particularly dyer state.
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I dug some old Autosport magazines, I was thinking about Caterham,
 
Being a Chaparral fan, I'm surprised that nobody mentioned them.

While Jim Hall was a genius, his ideas did fall flat a few times.

Of those, the 2J and 2H has to be the worst. The 2J was unable to finish a race proper, and the 2H failed at what it was designed to do.

Let's break this down a little.

2J
Everyone who's played GT4 onwards knows of this brick. It's a dual-engined, active aero car. The technology was good, the idea was sound, and the execution was good. So why did it only ever do four races? It didn't even finish one. What happened here was reliability. IIRC, the JLO they used for the fans kept breaking on them. It set a record lap on Laguna and broke during the race.

2H
"The White Whale", aka the 2H, is what happens when you design a car for straight speed. It was streamlined with a small wing in the back, and the idea was it would make trade handling for overall straightway speed. The driver and Hall had a disagreement over the design of the driver's seat and windshield and it was made open-top. The car performed so pathetically bad that they mounted a large wing on it mid-season.
 
Obelisk
2J
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The first seeds of innovation are often failures in their time, to be germinated by others.

2001_Goodwood_Festival_of_Speed_Brabham_BT46B_Fan_car.jpg


Granted, it only raced once before it was banned but it was undoubtedly a success. It dominated the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.

Obelisk
2H

The car performed so pathetically bad that they mounted a large wing on it mid-season.
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That's a pretty large wing they had to add on there.

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Northstar
It's not though as it's all down to how the car is setup, just ask another first time pole winner.
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Regardless of whether or not it's "all down to setup," as you say, you still have to be tremendously talented to even be considered for a Sprint Cup ride. Every driver on that track has earned their place there.
 

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