A Full Grid? It’s Looking That Way

Some of you may be delighted to hear that the former Honda squad is going to be doing winter testing, and that means that they will more than likely be on the grid in Melbourne. Apparently, because no formal buyer came forward for the team, the management at the former Honda team got the go-ahead to buy the team outright. Ross Brawn got the approval from the Honda board of directors and the team will run a blank white livery for now and testing and then have the sponsors on the car when the season starts. For those who don’t care, this will mean nothing, but for F1 fans, it means that a full grid will be on display and that we will still have 20 cars racing, plus we get to see if Honda’s claims that their car was going to be a frontrunner was just puffery or not. (If it isn’t I’m sure the Mercedes engines will get the blame).

While the driver lineup has yet you be finalized, it may just turn out that Jenson Button will be paired with either Rubens Barrichello or Bruno Senna. The engines will be supplied by Mercedes it sounds like and the name of the team may end up being “Brackley F1.” That is the place where in England where the team is based, for those who don’t know. This name is not confirmed as yet, but it works for me…well, whatever they name it will work for me because I just want all the cars back on the grid. And it seems more likely than ever that that will happen.

Honda Still Up In The Air; Heidfeld Says Overtaking More Possible

            With about 30 days left until the start of the 2009 F1 season in Melbourne, there are good reports from Nick Heidfeld and a still unknown status about Honda’s future in the sport.

            Obviously we know that the Honda name won’t be attached to the car, but the deal is that this was the Honda team and that they keep saying that they are set up and ready to go. Virgin, and Sir Richard Branson, have been the two names on everyone’s lips as they are the latest to come up with a sort of, maybe, but we’re not sure sort of plan for buying the team. I think it would be great for them to buy the team as they would not only spice up the pit lane, but would make it so that there would be more teams on the track. The more cars, the better it is for the fans and the racing spectacle. Here’s hoping they can ink a deal so that the grid is full.

            And Nick Heidfeld is now saying that the bodywork changes have made the cars easier to drive behind others cars. Does this mean the preposterously named “Overtaking Working Group” got it right? That the hideous designs that will burn your eyes out if you stare at it too long will actually make for better racing and more overtaking? Maybe. It is still up to the drivers to make the move (which we know they have no trouble attempting) and we still need to see how those front wings hold up at the first corner in Albert Park. But if what Heidfeld is saying holds up, then maybe we will see some better racing and more overtaking in the future. One can only hope.

            The first race of the season at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia takes place on March 29^th. Stay tuned.

Top 10: Audi RS4

So…it’s been a while since I posted something other than F1 news, so I thought I would try something different and continue with my top 10 list that somehow got left in the dust. I am on one of my favorite all time cars, the Audi RS4. For most of you, the RS4 is a new car; one that just came on the scene to challenge the BMW M3 and the Mercedes AMG whatever. But that isn’t the RS4 I am talking about. No, my RS4 is based on the B5 Audi A4 and was made from 2000-2001. This car was never imported to the US, so it is not very well known here, unless you have played it in video games or have been to Europe or…I guess…surf the Internet. But anyway…

This was a car that I lusted over and that I actually already blogged about here. The RS4 came with a twin-turbo 2.7 liter 6 cylinder engine that produced 380 hp and 325 ft lbs of torque. With power numbers like that, the car could sprint to 60 in about five seconds and it would easily top 170 mph if you took the top speed limiter off. Besides the outstanding performance numbers, this car was notable because it only came as an estate. Or rather, it was a wagon. It would seat five comfortably and have enough room in the back to carry a load of groceries, hundreds of dogs or even nothing at all if you wanted the best performance. And it was happy to give it. The car was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and the famous Quattro All Wheel Drive system.

            As with many big-engined Audis it wasn’t particularly sporty enough to keep up with the M3s and the AMGs, but it would certainly do for me. I love it because it always has traction, will always be fast and would probably surprise quite a lot of people because of the understated looks. Sure it has a wide body kit on it, bigger wheels, wider tires and a big gaping front bumper, but people would still dismiss it as a wagon first. And that is where this car succeeds. Not only is it deceptively fast, but it does so without drawing undue attention toward itself. And it can haul a bunch of stuff. This is why the 2000-2001 Audi RS4 is one of my top 10 cars.