Here at Restrictor Plated, you know our bread and butter is NASCAR, of course, but we can’t let this story pass without at least mentioning it. The venerable Formula 1 is about to be split in half. The primary teams in F1, the members of the recently-formed FOTA (Formula One Teams’ Association), have split from the FIA, which is the sanctioning body of F1. At issue is the proposed budget cap of £20 million GBP (almost $33 million USD). The members of the FOTA (which include all of the big teams: Ferrari, McLaren, this year’s dominant team Brawn GP, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso) are all saying that this budget cap is untenable and will muddy the level of competition in the sport. To Formula 1’s argument, however, they are afraid that the high cost of entry will sink new teams before they ever have a chance to compete and will prevent other new teams from even being able to join. It’s a complicated issue and hopefully nothing more than just a bargaining tactic on FOTA’s part. I guess no one stopped to see how well splitting in half only to remarry ten years later worked for the IndyCar Series…
Archive for the ‘Those Snooty Aristocratic Bourgeoisie Eating Their Havarti Cheese and Sipping on Rioja and Driving Their Cars Without Fenders’ Category
Formula 1 Splits in Twain
Friday, June 19th, 2009Roger Penske Mulling a Bid for Saturn
Monday, May 18th, 2009
The dude abides.
Roger Penske, well known in our circles for Penske Racing, has always been a very shrewd businessman. His Penske Group has been considering a bid to take Saturn off of GM’s hands. This had been announced earlier this month, but a bid basically has to be submitted this week. The government’s deadline for a GM reorganization is June 1, so Penske would have to submit that with a sufficient amount of time for GM to be able to incorporate that into their reorganization plan.
But could a Penske-run Saturn affect motorsports? Well, possibly.
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Johnny Come Lately: John Andretti BARELY Makes the Indy 500 Field
Sunday, May 17th, 2009
John Andretti will start 28th.
John Andretti Wrecks in Sunday’s Indy 500 Practice
Monday, May 11th, 2009
Kind of indicative of Petty's fortunes as a whole this season.
Tony Raines Thinks He’ll Be Subbing for John Andretti?
Monday, May 4th, 2009
It would certainly be convenient for the sponsors...
Tony Raines says that he would surprised if he’s not offered the substitute position for John Andretti as he dabbles in trying to make the Indy 500 this month. This would be the obvious move, because they are both teammates at Front Row and because Tony Raines is outside the Top 35 in owners points, which at least guarantees that he’ll make Darlington. However, with John Andretti right at 35th in owners points, is starting a driver who has only two starts (average finish: 42nd) and four DNQs really the right move here? Aric Almirola and Travis Kvapil are just a phone call away…
Scene Daily: Tony Raines expects to fill John Andretti’s seat during Indy 500 conflicts
Richard Petty Motorsports to Field a Car for Indy 500
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
Petty blue at Indy. Just feels right.
You may have already heard the news that Richard Petty is planning on fielding a car for the Indianapolis 500 for John Andretti. Well, now we have pictures and specifics. The car will be the familiar Petty blue, Day-Glo red 43 scheme that we all know and love, just in a Dreyer & Reinbold-built Dallara Honda sponsored by Window World (who you may recall, has been sponsoring Andretti for much of the NASCAR season this year). I wouldn’t rank Andretti’s chances at Indy very high, but there’s just something that feels right about seeing the 43 at Indy like this.
Indy 500: NASCAR legend Petty to field Indy 500 entry for John Andretti
USF1: The New American Constructor
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
I’d like to deviate briefly from our usual NASCAR coverage. Many of you are fans of motorsports as a whole, not just the Southern-based, oval-dominant, pseudo-stock franchise that is our bread and butter here at Restrictor Plated.
So, with that preface, I’d like to point out that USF1, a new Formula 1 team that will fly a “Made in America” banner of sorts, held their first announcement press conference on SPEED today.
Details are scant, so instead we get to speculate and postulate, which is always great fun.
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