|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ralf reviews Spa (16 Sept) Long questionnaire with Ralf. Some extracts: Are you looking forward to driving for Toyota in Japan? Ralf: Yes, because it looks as if we go pretty well on high-speed tracks and it would be great to have a strong performance and hopefully even a podium for Toyota at Suzuka in a month's time. How do you assess this year? Ralf: It has been very good so far and a lot better than we all expected. The car performed well again at Spa and we were very competitive. How are you finding working with the Toyota team? Ralf: Really good. It's a very enjoyable team to work in, with better feelings than I have ever had in the past. Toyota has a different way of working with drivers than Williams had. Both teams work well in their own way, but I personally prefer it at Toyota. Ralf: We should have won in Spa (16 Sept) Ralf was in a position to challenge for the lead when he switched to dry tyres while running close behind Juan Pablo Montoya. The decision proved ill-fated as Ralf spun immediately upon returning to the track. Ralf: "If things had gone our way, a win was possible... as things turned out I had to change back to intermediate tyres. I stopped again for dry tyres with four laps to go so, altogether, I had four pit stops. To finish seventh and still score points just goes to show how strong we were" Ralf surprises himself and Montoya (15 Sept) Ralf admits he was surprised to find himself battling Juan Pablo Montoya for the lead of the Belgian GP, but says Juan was probably just as surprised to see his former team mate behind him. Ralf was challenging for a podium when he made a poor decision to go to dry tyres at his second stop. He came back in for intermediates and dropped way down the order. After going onto dries with four laps to go he eventually finished seventh, having set fastest lap. Ralf: "I was really surprised. I guess Juan Pablo didn't think that when he goes to McLaren and I go to Toyota that he sees myself in the mirror, so it was a good feeling" (click link for more) Ralf drove the fastest lap in Belgium and finished in 7th place Ralf: "That was a very tough race. The timing of the safety car period worked to our advantage early on and we were in good shape. We were quick in the conditions, everything was going well and the strategy was well defined. Then we just decided to go onto dry tyres too early. It was a very close decision, but we took it together and we got it wrong. Like everyone we expected the track to dry out a lot faster than it did. Instead the track was incredibly slow to dry out. It was amazing how slippery the circuit was, and I can't remember seeing a race like that. We came straight back in and that enabled us to score some points. The team did a great job but we just got one decision wrong" Belgian GP Qualifying Ralf qualified one place ahead of Michael (5th place) Friday wrap-up (9 Sept) Ralf: Unfortunately weather like that means that this will be a hard weekend for all the teams. Obviously it makes it very difficult to pick which dry tyre to run if we ever get a chance to run on dries this weekend. It makes tomorrow busier, too. We'll have to go out in the wet eventually. There have been no wet races yet this year and at Toyota we haven't done much testing in the wet either. So we'll have to wait and see how it works out. From the Belgian GP Press Conference (8 Sept) Ralf, what does your brother Michael say about losing the title and not being at the top any more? Ralf: Actually, we have never talked about motor racing that much and so we didn't do this year honestly, so far. So I can't tell you. Ask him! There's another photo here Belgian GP preview (6 Sept) Ralf: For many drivers, Spa is the best circuit on the calendar, and I'm no exception. The dramatic Eau Rouge is one of the most recognisable corners on the calendar, with a compression as you come into it and then a steep climb out. It has been likened to threading a needle and that's not a bad analogy. The high-speed Stavelot and Blanchimont corners are also satisfying to drive. It's a 'real' circuit. The other major factor at Spa is the weather. The Belgian Ardennes seem to have a climate all their own and you are never quite sure what you are going to get. When the weather changes, it can be dry in one part of the circuit and wet in another, so you have to be careful. This year the race is a couple of weeks later than usual, so I'd be very surprised if we get through the weekend without rain. We haven't had a wet race all year, so it could be interesting for the drivers, the teams and the tyre companies. (me: and he was right about the tyres) Ralf finished sixth in the Italian GP (4 Sept) Ralf: "The team again did a great job with the strategy and in the pitstops". Ralf moved up a place on the grid – to 9th – because of the penalty for Raikkonen's engine change. Ralf qualified 10th for Italian GP It may feel like the 2005 Formula One season has been going on forever, but there are still five races left... Italian GP: Toyota preview Ralf: "You can tell that Monza is somewhere special. I am not deeply into the sport's heritage like some people but the setting is great, and you just have to see the old banking to appreciate the history. That is pushed even further by the track's surroundings in the Royal Park and the nearby Villa Reale. The fans, of course, are unique, even if most of them are supporting the other red car! Monza is very fast with long straights interspersed by chicanes. You have to be very precise to gain as much momentum as possible, so I enjoy the challenge of moving from the fast to slow sections" Monza Testing (24/26 Aug) including comments from Ralf. Ralf finished 12th in Turkey (21 Aug) Ralf had a dramatic day after the most unfortunate of starts. He was pushed wide as he tried to avoid an incident at the first corner and he then ran over debris as he rejoined the circuit. He nonetheless managed to work his way up from the back of the field to an eventual 12th place. Ralf: "I had the worst possible start when I was pushed wide trying to avoid an incident at the first corner and I found myself at the back of the field. So I basically lost it all then. Then I ran over Massa's front wing as I rejoined the track, so this was always going to be a tough struggle for me. Luckily my car was okay and I kept pushing all the way to the flag. Towards the end I was chasing Villeneuve but there was no way past. All in all an unlucky day, which is a pity for the team because the pace was there and we could easily have scored points today" Ralf started 9th on the grid "That could have been a very good lap but I obviously lost quite a bit of time in Turn Nine. Perhaps I was trying a bit too hard, but apart from that the grip was there and my lap was going well. Nonetheless we're still in reasonable shape to come away with a good result tomorrow. Jarno's in a really good position, it's slightly more difficult for me again but it's quite possible for both of us to score points. We'll see how possible it is to overtake tomorrow, but another strong points finish is what we are after" Friday wrap-up: Toyota The Istanbul Park is a challenging track, the layout is unusual and something which we haven't seen in a long time in F1. It's a very smooth circuit with very few bumps and lots of run-off areas so it's very safe. For set-up we need to compromise for the low speed corners while maintaining speed along the straight. Tyre choice will be crucial here but the car feels okay and Ricardo's lap time shows that we should be competitive here and aim for another strong result. Ralf keen to see more of Turkey (10 Aug) "I've already had a chance to see a bit of Turkey, when I made a trip there earlier this year. The city was nice, we were very well received and I hope to have more time to see it when I come there this time. But I did not get a chance to visit the Istanbul Otodrom" "When you go to a new track you usually spend the first session getting used to it. In this case it's a brand new circuit for everyone, so it's not too much of a problem. Everyone is affected in a similar way" "I haven't seen any simulations yet, and the circuit maps are just lines on a page. The fact that this circuit has hills makes things more interesting than usual. The blind corners aren't a big problem but it won't be easy to brake downhill and sometimes you tend to lock up wheels on those kind of circuits" "So I will take the scooter round on Thursday just to see which corner comes after which corner. Then you take the car on Friday and do the best you can" There's a long interview with Ralf at: motorsport.com (5 Aug) Q: Are you one of the drivers going to meet FIA president Max Mosley to talk about safety issues? R: Yes, I'll be there. Q: What are the main issues you want to see addressed? R: There isn't any really huge issue but it's mainly about safety concerns in testing and a few opinions and questions surrounding Formula 1's future direction. We are meeting in Cannes and it will be good to take the opportunity to be away from the race track in a calm atmosphere. Q: How do you see the rest of the year? Can you keep going forward? R: I hope so. There is still a development programme going on and we have new parts at every race, so I'm quite positive. If it goes as it has done so far, I might even be able to score more podiums. Q: Are you going to have a holiday in F1's three-week summer break? R: I'm not sure. I think we'll just stay at home. It will make a nice change not to be travelling for a while! |
|
|
|
Other Sponsors electrical connectors, Mangosteen Juice, real estate short sale, Jupiter FL real estate, |
Furniture Markdown Great Deals on furniture - Free Shipping! |
Y-Net Wireless Internet Denver area high speed wireless privider. |
|
|
Dog House Technologies Doghouse Techonologies is located in Tampa Bay FL and offer professional web design, ecommerce development and custom application design for the internet. |
|||