5. Oktober 1969 - HEUTE VOR VIERZIG JAHREN: Start zum Grossen Preis der USA in Watkins Glen. Jochen Rindt wird aus der Pole Position (Lotus fünfzigste) mit einem tadellosen Start-Ziel-Sieg am Ende seinen ersten Grand Prix-Triumph herausfahren. Der Tag wird für Graham Hill, im Foto oben hinter Hulme verdeckt auf Startplatz 4, weit weniger erfreulich Ende. Der Weltmeister des Vorjahres bricht sich bei einem schweren Unfall beide Beine.

5/10/1962, Michael Andretti wird geboren in Bethlehem, USA

Michael Andretti gehört zu einer der bekanntesten Rennfahrer-Dynastien Nord-Amerikas, ist der Sohn des Formel 1-Weltmeisters von 1978, Mario Andretti, und Vater von IndyCar-Talent Marco Andretti. Mike hat nach Ende seiner eigenen Fahrerkarriere den Rennstall Andretti Green Racing und hat mit seiner Mannschaft bereits drei IRL-Meistertitel gewonnen und auch jenes Juwel, das ihm als Fahrer versagt bleib: Die 500 Meilen von Indianapolis.

5/10/1922, José Froilan González wird geboren in Arrecifes, Argentinien.

González debütierte 1950 beim Grand Prix von Monaco de 1950 in der Formel 1, nahm an 26 GPs in neuen Saisons von 1950 bis 1957 und jene im Jahre 1960 teil. Der Argentinier erzielte 2 Siege, 7 zweite und 4 dritte Plätze. Ausserdem gewann er die Copa Acerbo von 1951 und, im Jahre 1954, die 24 Stunden von Le Mans mit "Co" Maurice Trintignant.

5/10/1939, Walter Wolf wird geboren in Graz-Liebenau

Walter Wolf wanderte in jungen Jahren nach Kanada aus und wurde über das Bau- und Ölgeschäft zum Selfmade-Millionär. 1976 kaufte er Frank Williams unterfinanziertes Team auf, taufte es in Walter Wolf Racing um und holte gleich beim Debüt des ersten eigenen Renners 1977 mit Jody Scheckter am Steuer in Argentinien. Zwei weitere Siege und einigen Podestplätze folgten und der Südafrikaner wurde prompt Vizeweltmeister. Doch der Traum vom WM-Titel bleib unerfüllt, Wolf zog sich frustriert zurück. Heuer kam der Austro-Kanadier wegen Betrugs- und Bestechungsvorwürfen in die Schlagzeilen, wurde in einem Fall aber bereits freigesprochen.

A fines de mayo de 1968 entré en el Gasoline Alley del autódromo de Indianápolis -enviado por el Canal 13- y lo primero que vi fue a Paul Newman agarrado a una lata de Budweiser, junto a Robert Wagner y a quien fue su mujer durante casi medio siglo, la gran actriz Joanne Woodward. Estaban filmando escenas para el film Winning, que aquí se conoció como 500 Millas -en un alarde de ingenio- dirigida por James Goldstone. El film fue mezclado con escenas del accidente múltiple que ocurrió en la partida de las 500 de 1966 -yo estaba allí cubriendo la carrera para El Gráfico- para hacer de Winning algo más espectacular. Así que Newman quedó haciendo varias veces de Bobby Unser, que fue el vencedor, especialmente cuanto tomó la botella de leche en el Círculo de los Ganadores.

Durante esos 4 días que lo vi trabajando me pareció un gran tipo como realmente fue durante toda su vida, según se sabe. Y todo ésto tiene que ver por que, según su propia confesión, fue ese trabajo el que le despertó la pasión por el automovilismo. "Esos días junto a Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Bobby Unser, A.J. Foyt y Parnelli Jones me marcaron para el resto de mi vida. Pocos días después de terminar el rodaje fui a verlo a Bob Bondurant y tomé clases con autos de Fórmula Vee hasta los Can Am...", decía. Agreguemos que James Gardner, a quien vimos en Grand Prix en Mónaco ´66, también aprendió como para simular mejor con Bondurant, que antes de profesor fue un buen piloto en California. Agregaba Newman, que a los 47 años de edad -cinco después de Winning- la mitad de su vida estaba dedicada al automovilismo amateur.

Su primer triunfo fue en una carrera del SCCA, regional, en Thompson, Connecticut, conduciendo un Lotus Elan. Durante los siguientes 6 años, Newman manejó en la clase C y D Producción, con Datsun para el equipo de Bob Sharp, ganando 5 títulos nacionales. Decía que su mayor orgullo había sido su victoria en la clase C en Road Atlanta, sobre los Nissan de fábrica.

Corrió en 1979 las 24 Horas de Le Mans con un Porsche 935 Turbo, junto con Dick Barbour y el alemán Rolf Stommelen. Se clasificaron segundos en la general y Newman creía que había manejado seis horas, pero sus compañeros le dijeron que fueron 8. Nunca quiso regresar a Le Mans porque -decía- lo volvieron loco los paparazzi. Otra vez en su país siguió en la serie Trans-Am del SCCA y ganó en Brainerd en 1982 y en Lime Rock, cuatro años más tarde.

Entre 1978 al 81, Newman corrió en Can-Am en sociedad con Bill Feeman. Sus rivales eran Keke Rosberg, Bobby Rahal y Al Unser, entre otros. Para el final se había hecho amigo de Carl Haas y unieron los equipos comenzando una gran sociedad.

Menos de un año mas tarde, Haas le propuso formar un equipo en la categoría CART con Mario Andretti como piloto. En 22 temporadas el equipo ganó 8 campeonatos: con Mario Andretti en 1984, Michael Andretti en 1991, Nigel Mansell en 1993, Cristiano da Matta en 2002 y Sebastien Bourdais en 2004, 2005, 2006 y 2007. Durante la década de ´80, Newman corrió más de 60 carreras en Trans-Am, pero más adelante dejó el automovilismo para dedicarse a su fábrica de condimentos para ensaladas y su obra filantrópica.

En 1995, cuando cumplió los 70 años, Newman corrió con un Roush Mustang en las 24 Horas de Daytona, junto con su viejo amigo Mike Brockman, Tommy Kendall -campeón del Trans-Am- y el veterano piloto de NASCAR Mark Martin. Terminaron 3º en la general y ganaron facilmente su categoría, a 8 vueltas detrás de un Porsche Kremer. Se convirtió así en el piloto más veterano en ganar una carrera internacional. En 2000 corrió otra vez las 24 Horas de Daytona y fue 5º en una carrera de Trans-Am en Lime Rock ("no está mal para un viejo...", dijo). En2003, con su amigo Brockman, hicieron armar un ex-Gentilozzi Riley & Scott Trans-Am Corvette para Paul y un Camaro para Brockman. Fueron después a Road Atlanta y se clasificaron 3º y 4º en una SCCA GT1 y 3º en Lime Rock. Newman hizo la pole y anduvo adelante de 30 autos. En Watkins Glen, chocó el Porsche GT1 que corría con su amigo Kyle Petty y ya pensó que estaba como para descansar y se dedicó con Hass al equipo en la Winston Cup del NASCAR. Sin embargo, en 2004 y 2005, compitió otra vez en las 24 Horas de Daytona.

"Tengo realmente buena suerte", dijo una vez. "No tengo colesterol, mi presión es de 12-7 y mi pulso normal es de 64, pero trabajo demasiado. Los 365 días del año". Y se dió tiempo para todo: ganar un Oscar, hacer beneficiencia, correr hasta que quiso, ser respetuoso y, teniendo todo a su favor, no se la creyó nunca.

Murio en paz, luego de una buena vida.

The sad fact is, the era of racing drivers being found competing every weekend in different formulae all over the globe has now passed - at the very top level at least.  Even so, it's testament to what a unique achievement Hill's is that even at the height of the moonlighting of the 1960s - an era which saw European teams trying to demonstrate their technical superiority by entering Indianapolis, and an era which saw warring car manufacturers hiring the cream of the driving talent to help them beat each other at La Sarthe - that nobody else completed the slam.  Even some legends of the sport failed to win any of them, but mostly you will find at least one win in one of these three events in their CV.  Jim Clark and Mario Andretti, for example, can both offer a single Indianapolis 500 win, whilst Juan Manuel Fangio, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna only scored at Monaco.

By Lauda's era, of course, the era of drivers trying to win disparate events all over the world was coming to an end.  These days, Formula 1 drivers are often cosseted to such an extent that their contracts explicitly forbid any such japes, the teams looking to protect their investments.  Le Mans has become the mainstay of sportscar and touring car specialists augmented by Formula 1 drivers the system has spat out.  Indy meanwhile has reverted to a insularity not dissimilar to the one which caused European teams to start making attempts on the title in the 1950s and 1960s.  The last Formula 1 World Champion to win at Le Mans was Graham Hill in 1972, whilst the last World Champion to win at Indy was Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.

As you can see from the picture there, there are six other drivers lacking just one of the events in their permanent records.  Rindt, McLaren, Trintignant and Nuvolari are all now dead, so can be forgiven for not trying to amend this fact.  Foyt, meanwhile, is now 73 years of age.  Nuvolari and Foyt can also be commended for the breadth of their achievements elsewhere.  Foyt has a unique quadruple to his name just as weighty as Hill's, winning Indianapolis and Daytona 500s, plus Daytona and Le Mans 24 Hour races.  Nuvolari, arguably the greatest racing driver of all, won both the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio twice.

It's all down to Montoya, then.  Since he left Formula 1 in mid-2006, he's been ploughing around in NASCAR.  It's not particularly difficult to understand why, as he has a young family and the sport is very lucrative - much more lucrative, of course, than any romanticised feats which nerds and historians would get excited about.  It is also very much not the case to suggest that any one of the three events in question is "the easy one", each demanding huge skill, dedication and commitment.

But, I can help but feel, well - it would be nice if he'd give it a go one day.

Secondo posto su una ruota

Le Mans, ottavo Gran Premio della classe 500 del 1986: Randy Mamola, californiano di San José, uno dei migliori motociclisti a non aver mai vinto un Mondiale, ha un ritardo troppo netto sul di lì a poco iridato Eddie Lawson. Dietro di lui, il francese Christian Sarron è a distanza di sicurezza. Cosa fare dunque? Percorrere l'ennesimo (ultimo) giro limitandosi a svolgere il proprio compitino? Nella mente di Randy, già famoso per le sue estrose prodezze, scatta la scintilla: si avvia all'entrata dei boxe ed esegue quello che in gergo si chiama stoppie. Frena con la ruota anteriore della sua Yamaha YZR500 e si alza su quella posteriore. La bravata non viene notata dagli ufficiali di gara, poco distanti da Mamola che riprende la gara chiudendo secondo.

Il weekend successivo il fotografo Don Morley gli dona una stampa della foto dell'evoluzione e Randy è entusiasta del fatto che non sia passata inosservata. Non è dello stesso parere il boss della Yamaha, l'ex motociclista Kenny Roberts: "Licenziò Randy sul posto, e gli disse che si sarebbe assicurato di non farlo più gareggiare. Per me fu terribile, ma fortunatamente Roberts tornò sui suoi passi", questo il ricordo di Morley.

(Christian Tugnoli)

There is a moment about 1/3 of the way through Le Mans, the 1971 film directed by Lee Katzin*, when I realized that I had heard almost no dialogue. I checked my realization, and indeed, there are about three lines of actual on screen dialogue in the first 30 minutes of the film. My next thought was that this was a strange type of mainstream filmmaking, even for a film starring Steve McQueen, not usually one of Hollywood's most loquacious stars. I then realized that this is because Le Mans is not a mainstream narrative film, but falls somewhere in the middle of a sort of Venn diagram of documentary, alternative cinema, mechanical film, and traditional narrative Hollywood filmmaking. It is also the most pure racing movie ever made by Hollywood.

I have always admired films that deal with simple plots and characters who are trying to excel in realms of extremity (e.g. The World's Fastest Indian, Man On Wire). These are films that feature protagonists with one goal, one dangerous goal. In The World's Fastest Indian, it's Burt Munro trying to set land speed records on his motorcycle. In Man on Wire, it's Philippe Petit walking on air.

Le Mans is certainly this type of film. This is a film about cars going fast around a 13-km circuit, the people who pilot the cars, and the buildup around the race. However, unlike the films mentioned above, Le Mans strips away almost all psychological examination of the drivers. The race, the pure act of driving, is the center of this film. At least 3/5 of this movie is just footage of racing. It is not a study of the type of person required to drive, what makes him tick, what motivates him. Le Mans assumes that the qualities needed to pilot race cars for up to 14 hours are more or less a given.

Early in the film, almost nothing is shown of interaction between the drivers and anyone else. The first real conversation besides a deep Michael Delaney (McQueen) glance and a "hello" is the talk between the German driver Johan Ritter (Fred Haltiner) and his wife, where he tells her that he is considering quitting. Other than that, most communication is done through matched eyelines and zooms into deep stares (McQueen has the ability to say more with staring than just about any actor before or since). There are shots of the gathering crowd, arriving in droves, camping in the forest by the circuit (shots here recall a pioneering documentary of the previous year, Woodstock), and moving to the grandstand. Almost all of the exposition necessary is done through the off-screen voice of the track announcer, and it doesn't feel forced at all, as this is what he would actually be telling the gathered crowd. He gives us the two crucial pieces of narrative information that we need: 1) Porsche driver Delaney was involved in an accident at Le Mans 1969 with an Italian driver, Belgetti, who died from the crash (this explains the film's first scene, where a flashback shows us an accident involving Delaney and another driver, whose widow we also see); 2) Delaney's chief rival on the track is the driver of Ferrari #8, Erich Stahler (Sigfried Rauch).

This first section of the film is more in the prevailing documentary tradition of the time. Most of the shots are not staged, but are shots of the actual gathering crowd at the circuit. And indeed, most of the film's racing shots are shots of the actual race - McQueen was to drive his own car in the film, but the producers wouldn't allow this**. The film features two of the greatest racecars ever produced, the Porsche 917*** and the Ferrari 512 (the Ferraris had to be bought from a third party, since Ferrari wouldn't give them to a film where Porsche won - those proud Italians!).

Once the race begins at about the 25-minute mark, the film settles into just showing footage of the race and the pit crews. The first interaction between the rivals Delaney and Stahler off the track, something one might expect in a more traditional Hollywood film (everyone loves a Teutonic villain!), doesn't occur until 45 minutes into the film. Their rivalry is shown as being friendly, professional (they talk in terse sentences about the cars and the press). Stahler tells Delaney to be careful (honorable), and Delaney replies after a moment by saying, "Now, don't be a pain in the ass, Erich" (smart-alecky, maverick American). And that just about sums up the entire dynamic; the film says no more about their relationship, at least off the track, until the very end.

And then there is Lisa, the widow of the Italian driver Belgetti. In a more traditional Hollywood film (cf. Grand Prix with James Garner, a film that McQueen declined), the relationship between her and the protagonist would feature. Here, it is almost an afterthought, an excuse for Delaney to talk about what drives the racers. Lisa is standoffish, understandably, in her interactions with the drivers (a French driver, Claude Durac, tries to get her to have some coffee; she declines). There is a lyrical sequence at the midpoint of the film where Lisa ventures off into the carnival inside the circuit at night and watches the crowd on rides and at games. Delaney runs into her at the cafe, and in a tense exchange, she tells him that she came back to Le Mans "for myself." Delaney only can stare.

This lyrical moment balances what is to come; as day dawns, the nerves of the racers have started to fray a little, and it has been raining. It is getting slippery, and two crashes happen in quick succession.

Here, Le Mans takes a turn for the cinematic excessive, for the unnecessary-yet-totally-necessary excitement of racing. The documentary impulse behind the film becomes almost scientific; the directors bring fully to bear the capabilities of motion picture cameras to enlarge our visual sensorium. The first crash involves Stahler and Claude Durac; Stahler wipes out and sits in the middle of the track, and as Durac tries to avoid him, he flies off of the track through a billboard. But the film does not merely show this; as he flies off the track, the film slows down, drop frames, and freezes as his car smashes through the sign for almost two seconds. It then starts up again, slowly, as his car crushes and breaks against the brush. We then see Durac, in super slow motion, fling off his mask and stagger free of his car. The only sound is that of his breathing. In an almost surreal moment, the film speeds up dramatically in little bursts and slows down again, angles changing on the speedups, as Durac runs from danger (remember, this is 1971 - this speeding up and slowing down has since become a more mainstream technique).

Delaney continues around the track, but is distracted by the exploding Durac car, and loses control of his car (recalling the flashback of his previous year's crash). And then, in a move that almost no mainstream director would consider, his entire crash is replayed in super-slow motion, with sound only as objects collide. Otherwise, there is complete silence. It is a marvelous sequence, both dreamlike and harrowing, both lulling and jarring. It is a technical achievement of action cinema, using multiple camera angles. It is entirely in keeping with the mode of the film, the almost fetishistic quality of the racing sequences (indeed, an anonymous imdb.com contributor referred to Le Mans as "auto racing porn"). It is startling in its visual beauty. The slow motion reveals a deeper, pure truth about the moment: the cars rending apart, the wheels and parts flying off, things that we cannot see normally, but that film can reveal to us in their mechanical glory.

After the crash, Delaney retires to his trailer, where he encounters Lisa. The conversation that then occurs is the longest that Delaney has in the film, and it reveals much about the film, McQueen's body of work as an actor, and the world of auto racing:

Delaney: This isn't just a 1000-1 shot. This is a professional bloodsport. And it can happen to you. And it can happen again.

Lisa: [...] What is so important about driving faster than anyone else?

Delaney: A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing...it's life. Anything that happens before or after...is just waiting.

Le Mans is a film that is concerned with the race, and the race only. Hints at relationships between characters are just that: hints. The life on display here is the life of the race, not the lives of the people. The drivers are professionals who have a job to do, a job that they do well. Their thoughts, their emotions, are secondary to the act itself. As the film plays out to its conclusion, emotional states are approached, but really, it's about driving and professional rivalry.

The business of cinema is to reveal truth, the truth of moments, moments revealed visually and sonically. Le Mans is a collection of moments with drivers living. They're not putting their lives on the line; they are dead only when they do not race. The drivers are only alive when on the track; the only truth in their lives is in the pure act. Le Mans is a film that understands this and brings the full apparatus of the cinema to bear on giving a full effort to revealing the truth underlying the actions of the people behind the wheels. Like Man on Wire, the film knows that talk is not really film's business. Film is at its highest, its most pure, when it reveals the truth of the act.

-------------

* Le Mans was originally to be directed by John Sturges, but he quit, claiming that Steve McQueen kept interfering in everything. Katzin came on to the project, but I suspect that McQueen is the real "director" of the film, given the scope of his personality and his love for driving.

** According to imdb.com, there is a persistent rumor that McQueen actually did really drive his car, a Porsche that finished 9th overall, despite having cameras mounted all over it!

*** For more on this remarkable car, see this sweet video.

29. September 2002 - So grosszügig kannte Man Michael Schumacher gar nicht: Kurz vor der Ziellinie lupft der Deutsche und Teamkollege Rubens Barrichello schlüpft zu dessen 5. GP-Sieg vorbei. Dabei sollte es doch eigentlich nur ein gestelltes Foto-Finish werden, natürlich mit Schumi auf dem obersten Treppchen. Na, das hat man dann ja noch mal geprobt...

29/09/1972, Oliver Gavin wird geboren in Huntingdon, England.

Der Britische Formel 3-Meister des Jahres 1995 schaffte es nie in die Startauftellung eines Grand Prix. Zumindest nicht am Steuer eines Formel 1-Rennwagens, denn mehr als ein paar Testfahrten und der Status als Reserve-Fahrer des Pacific Teams sprang für ihn nie heraus. Dafür durfte er am Steuer des FIA-Safety Car ein paar Male vor dem Feld umherkurven. In den vergangenen Jahren hat sich Gavin in der American Le Mans Series einen Namen gemacht und holte drei Klassensiege bei den 24 Stunden von Le Mans.

29/9/1992, Paul Alfons Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg stirbt.

Der ehemalige Rennfahrer kam über die Position des Vorsitzenden des Automobilclubs von Deutschland von 1975 bis 1986 zum Vorsitz des Automobil Weltverbandes FISA.

Geboren: 26. Mai 1917 in Wien, Österreich.
Verstorben: 29. September 1992 in Genf, Schweiz, im Alter von 75 Jahren.

Newman's interest in racing was tickled after acting in the 1968 movie “Winning”. Unlike other actors before and after, Newman didn't just dive into a fleeting passion with cars and then move on. Instead, he brought the same dedication and professionalism to his racing as to his acting.

Newman first won a road race in 1972 while driving a Lotus Elan at Thompson, CT. Over the next two decades he would capture four SCCA National Titles -- including D Production in 1976, C Production in '79 and two consecutive GT-1 trophies (1985 and 1986). He also took two Trans Am Series wins, one in 1982 and one in 1986.

Newman's endurance racing record made him a legend among actor/racers. In 1977 he placed 5th in 24 Hours of Daytona. In 1979 he piloted a tricky Porsche 935 to second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His crowning achievement, though, might be the IMSA GTS Class victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona at the young age of 70. Newman last competed at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2004.

Along the way, Newman was known as a tough competitor, but a true gentleman. As a team owner, driver, enthusiast, and spectator, he was admired for his abilities, insight and complete lack of ego.

Other actors will come and go from driving, but chances are that there will never be another guy as great on the screen as he was behind the wheel and in the pits.

Though most of the world will probably remember him from one of his movie, forgive us here if our memories of Paul Newman are those of him sawing the wheels of Datsun/Nissans, Triumphs and Porsches in his role as professional racer.

Sentado en la última fila del cine le he visto dar vueltas en torno a la gata sobre el tejado de zinc caliente, levantar su muleta blanca entre el sofá y la cama, beber un trago largo, mirar con sus ojos azules a Elizabeth Taylor y entregarse a la intensidad de la interpretación.

Ha pasado luego su velocísimo automóvil recorriendo las 24 horas de Le Mans.

Después se han encendido las luces y han anunciado que Paul Newman acaba de morir este 27 de septiembre.

Luego se ha hecho un largo silencio. 

(Imagen: Paul Newman.-flickr.-galería de Enrique Meneses)

Con esta nueva estrategia la máxima categoría del automovilismo pretende explorar nuevos mercados y brindar un mayor espectáculo. También existen otra razones como la promoción publicitaria de la ciudad de Singapur y se tiene la idea de que al ser en un horario nocturno la carrera pueda apreciarse en las demás partes del mundo en un horario central.

A pesar de que es una iniciativa excelente por parte de la FIA, debido a que será muy emocionante ver monoplazas de fórmula 1 corriendo a velocidades extremas en la  noche, la carrera no se antoja nada fácil, en especial para las escuderías. Cuando hablo de escuderías, me refiero en especial al equipo técnico y logístico porque de los pilotos hablaré más adelante. Primeramente que recordemos que a diferencia de autos tradicionales de carreras nocturnas como los utilizados en la carrera de "Le Mans" por ejemplo, los de fórmula 1 no tienen y no tendrán faros, por tanto la estrategia de los equipos debe ser muy precisa e innovadora. Muchas personas difieren conmigo en esto (sobre la iluminación), debido a que todo el circuito estará iluminado por 1500 proyectores, cuatro veces más que los utilizados en un estadio de fútbol común.

De igual manera debemos de recordar que, el circuito de Singapur es callejero. Esto quiere decir que la aerodinámica jugará un papel de suma importancia, debido a que en estos circuitos el motor nunca se emplea a fondo y por tanto no es afectado. Profundizando un pocos más el circuito el cual se encuentra específicamente en la Marina Bay, se correrá en el sentido contrario a las agujas del reloj y contará con un túnel subterráneo que pasa por debajo de las gradas igual que el circuito de Mónaco.

Por otra parte, continuando con las escuderías, no sólo han tenido que enfrentar el tradicional cambio de horario, sino que han tenido que cambiar sus rutinas totalmente, es decir, si antes los pilotos dormían desde temprano en la noche, a hora la harán desde la madrugada hasta el mediodía. Esta medida afecta a todo el equipo logístico, por tanto es nuevo para todos y sorprendente a la vez. Por ejemplo Martin Whitmars, miembro del equipo Mclaren-Mercedes, fue sorprendido en estado de total asombro mientras el monoplaza de Mclaren era asistido como si fuera un vehículo de Rally. ¡Vaya cambio!

Ahora bien, más que los miles de fanáticos que están ansiosos de disfrutar de este Gran Premio, quienes no pueden esperar ni un segundo más son algunos de los pilotos, que no esconden su emoción, aunque un tercio de estos ya han corrido de noche en pistas como "Le Mans". (una carrera que se disputa en Francia que tiene una duración de 24 horas). Lewis Hamilton confensó que: "Estamos todos emocionados: correr de noche a 300 km/h será increíble". Pero no todos los pilotos están contentos con la idea de correr de noche, debido a que ponen en peligro su seguridad. Fernando Alonso comentó: "Se cambian circuitos para mejorar la seguridad y ahora vamos a correr en un recorrido urbano, cuando hay un gran circuito en Valencia a 30 kilómetros. Es difícil de entender lo que quieren los jefes de la Fórmula 1". Ante éste comentario Bernie Ecclestone, máximo representante de la fórmula 1, destacó que desde hace años la máxima categoría se  corre en un circuito urbano o callejero llamado Mónaco y nunca ha pasado nada. Aquí se puede apreciar el tono irónico del "jefe" en respuesta a Fernando. Aunque, mi consejo personal para Alonso es que debe de acostumbrarse a la idea y la innovación debido a que se correrán dos nuevos circuitos callejeros: El Gran Premio de Valencia (Gran Premio de Europa) y el Gran Premio de Canadá a disputarse en la ciudad de Montréal. En 2009 se espera que el circuito de la India este habilitado, aunque desconozco si será urbano. Esta idea sugiere que Ecclestone ha notado que Asia es un mercado rentable y en gran expansión lo que impactará increíblemente en el aspecto financiero de la categoría.

Por último espero que la nueva rivalidad de la categoría (Alonso Vs. Hamilton) ahora en equipo diferentes, ofrezca un gran espectáculo y claro está no podemos dejar de lado ni a los Ferrari de Massa y Raikkonen. En lo personal considero que será una gran carrera y trazara nuevos retos para el futuro de la Fórmula 1.

Por: Javier Cabral

Il prossimo anno alla 24 Ore di Le Mans la tecnologia ibrida sarà sì consentita (così come nella LMS, in ALMS e nel nascente campionato asiatico), ma le auto che ne saranno dotate correranno fuori classifica. L'ammissione definitiva avverrà nel 2010. Nel frattempo i responsabili sportivi della Peugeot hanno affermato di voler testare e migliorare la neonata 908 Hybrid, senza escludere affatto un possibile impiego in qualche evento se i riscontri dovessero rivelarsi incoraggianti.

Di fatto la casa transalpina ha realizzato un sistema piuttosto simile al KERS che stanno collaudando le scuderie di Formula 1: un propulsore elettrico, attraverso l'accumulo di energia meccanica in apposite batterie, fornirà cavalli aggiuntivi (circa 80 per venti secondi al giro) al tradizionale V12 diesel, con un consumo di carburante ridotto inoltre fra il tre e il cinque per cento. Aspetto fondamentale, visto che stiamo parlando di endurance.

Ho letto i commenti di numerosi appassionati qua e là per la rete, e i più interessanti, devo ammettere, sono stati quelli sarcastici. A detta di tanti la Peugeot dovrebbe pensare a sviluppare la 908 "standard", per evitare di essere ancora battuta su tutti i fronti dall'Audi. Io sinceramente non seguo con particolare assiduità le corse di durata, ma ho avuto l'impressione che la Peugeot fino ad ora abbia pagato più che altro la relativa inesperienza dei suoi uomini, sia al muretto che in pista. La 908 quest'anno mi è sembrata superiore alla rivale tedesca R10.

E dire che la LMS alla fine è stata vinta da due giovani come Mike Rockenfeller e Alexandre Premat. Un francese contro la Peugeot, uno che soltanto due anni fa era in squadra con Lewis Hamilton in GP2. Anche questo è il motorsport.

Certo il ritrovato interesse verso l'endurance ha dato una bella spinta allo sviluppo tecnico. In due o tre anni abbiamo assistito all'introduzione massiccia del diesel, reso per giunta vincente: non era mai accaduto prima. E' vero che i regolamenti, probabilmente, oggi come oggi sono piuttosto sbilanciati verso le vetture a gasolio, ma si tratta pur sempre di una svolta epocale che grazie alla Seat (non a caso, "cugina" dell'Audi) sta diventando di successo anche nel Mondiale Turismo.

Adesso la Peugeot apre ufficialmente la strada all'ibrido. Senza bisogno di imposizioni come accaduto in Formula 1, dove peraltro i risultati non mi sembrano particolarmente positivi. Insomma, l'endurance si sta rivelando, come ai bei tempi, un ritrovato laboratorio di innovazioni che magari in un futuro nemmeno troppo lontano saranno applicate alla produzione comune.

Non si è sempre detto questo della F1? Sì, e lo si dice tutt'ora, nonostante la tendenza si sia ormai invertita. Molto spesso è stata la Formula 1 stessa a prendere spunto da quanto concepito per i modelli di tutti i giorni, mentre l'estremo lavoro dei progettisti dei vari team fatica a prendere piede sulle automobili di serie. Le Mans e i suoi campionati affini, in tal senso, si stanno dimostrando molto più vicini alla realtà.

Senza fretta, mi chiedo se prossimamente registreremo il trionfo alla Sarthe di una vettura ad alimentazione ibrida. Per riscrivere la storia, come già accaduto con il diesel.