Monday 29th June 2015

Motorsport on Monday: 29/06/2015

Formula E: Were you electrified?

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Did you catch the London ePrix this weekend at Battersea Park? You can be forgiven if you didn't; pre-event publicity was meagre in the extreme, and it was only Sir Richard Branson proclaiming that Formula E could be, er, as big as Formula 1 in five years' time that got the headline writers into a pickle.

First race dull; second much better

Pity; a double pity that the first of the double-header races in the capital - the first since Crystal Palace closed in 1972 - was a processional affair blighted by problems with sections of the track layout. Because the race on Sunday, the last one of Formula E's inaugural year, was a cracker. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting it to be, but I was thoroughly engaged by it and convinced the formula might be onto something by the end.

This was despite the usual Formula E confusion about who'd actually won, who had time penalties because of using all their charge and so forth. Even the commentators took time to realise Brit Sam Bird had won the British race, which didn't help the slightly anticlimactic feel - at least they were able to inform Nelson Piquet Jr he'd become a series champion for the first time since 2004, much to his teary surprise.

Good enough to look interesting for 2016

I mused on Twitter after the event that I thought it went well, that I was impressed with Formula E's first time in London. Some seemed to agree; others disagreed, saying the lack of noise was an issue and the lack of spectacle was a turn off.

I had expected to be nonplussed by it, and know that there have been some dull races as the series finds its feet. But the lack of screaming engines wasn't an issue: I quite liked the high-tech whines and was fascinated by being able to hear tyre squeals as they locked and lost traction. A very technical sort of motor racing, despite the seemingly contrived nature of it - and, in the confines of street and parkland circuits, they do look quick.

It's not going to be as big as F1 in five years' time, but it deserves a future. And now they've had a season to find out all about it, I'm sure the spectacle will improve for 2016, as the London overnight tweaks proved. Now, if only they can make it less confusing with regards to all the battery charge, power boosts... and you thought F1 was getting complex!

Not exactly to plan...

F3 drivers behave; IndyCar drivers get at it
Alarming driving alert switched from F3 to IndyCar this weekend, with some spectacular incidents in the "insane" event at Fontana. Semi-flips, shattering bits of car all over the shop and much driver grumbling at the end. Again, the blame is centered on the new aero packs, which seem to be encouraging ultra-ultra-close racing; exciting for the fans but a bit too heart-in-the-mouth for comfortable watching.

Some of the drivers were more vocal than others, but it's something they'll have to sort quickly: a few drivers said it was the sort of perfect storm that led to the incident which claimed Dan Wheldon's life at Las Vegas in 2011. Here's hoping they do: although we like close racing, this was way too much.

Assen Saturday, Goodwood Sunday - good work!

MotoGP brilliance
He was starring at Goodwood on Sunday but on Saturday, Valentino Rossi was creating a storm at the Assen MotoGP with a thrilling performance. Only Marc Marquez wasn't happy, as he felt Rossi stepped over the mark: if you saw it, what do you reckon?

Whatever your thoughts, it was an outstanding race that's why so many watch MotoGP and, as the buzz at Goodwood proved, so many worship Rossi. Even Goodwood regulars were taken aback at how electrified the atmosphere was from his very presence; many car racing types will be looking closely at it.

Lovely shots of Rossi having a tray lunch with Nico Rosberg on Lord March's sofa too, after riding his Yamaha into Goodwood House and then going on a tour of the regal residence. The Doctor really did look quite happy being Lord of the manor...

Dominant weekend for BMW at Croft

Testing times for BTCC
Croft BTCC and three wins for the West Surrey Racing BMW 1 Series (with three different winners - Andy Priaulx, Sam Tordoff and Rob Collard). Croft is a track very hard on tyres, apparently, and the front-wheel drive racers suffered, particularly those on the soft tyres. So the BMWs cleaned up, and not just through having super-clean starts, either.

Now we've got six weeks to the next race, and it won't be off to the beach for most of the teams. Unlike F1, where the summer shutdown is absolute, BTCC teams can still go testing and the Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type Rs for one will be off to closed circuits for work. That they can still do this and don't spend a fortune doing so (budgets are a tenth of Super Touring days, I've been told) is good to know: couldn't F1 teams try some in-season testing a bit more to help the strugglers find low-cost speed and equalize the grid? Might be cheaper than another round of rules changes...

[Images: LAT]

[arkenphel]

Electrified? Nope, not even the slight tingly sensation of putting your tongue on a 9 volt battery...

Mostest boringest races ever. with a crap track. Spectators looked rather non-plussed too.