News On F1 Forums - Talk Formula 1

The first GP Masters race is coming up soon. For those of you who do not know, Masters is for retired F1 drivers all in a controll car. Driver eligiblilty below:

Have retired from all forms of open wheel racing
Have competed in F1 for two complete seasons
Have passed a medical examination
Be more than 45 years on the 1st Jan for the season to follow, and have retired from F1 for two complete seasons.

The first race is in Kyalami International raceway, South Africa, 11 to 13 November.

Driver line up so far is:
Alain Prost
Emerson Fittipaldi
Alan Jones
Riccardo Patrese
Rene Arnoux
Stefan Johansson
Nigel Mansell
Andre DeCesaris
Jan Lammers
Christian Danner
Patrick Tambay
Hans-Joachim Stuck

More details to follow. Apologies for any spelling mistakes, the website: http://www.gpmasters.com/index.htm will not let me cut and paste easily! How am I supposed to be lazy with websites like this around?

Oh I almost forgot. Murray Walker is coming out of retirement for the race too. Thankfully he is not a driver, he will be commentating the events.

Rah, there was a test session at Silverstone for the GP Masters series(yesterday and today, I believe)...here are the testing results:

1}De Cesaris, 59.310 secs./90 laps
2}Mansell, 59.366 secs/122 laps
3}Johansson, 59.623 secs./106 laps
4}Warwick, 59.687 secs./150 laps
5}Caffi, 1:00.300 secs./82 laps
6}Stuck, 1:00.700 secs./74 laps
7}Tambay, 1:01.929 secs./146 laps
8}Danner, 1:03.062 secs./40 laps


Here's the link to the info above...
www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/roadracing/20428/

AJ wont fit !!!!

According to a couple of sources, Scratch Alain Prost's name from the GP Masters race at Kyalami and pencil in American Eddie Cheever. Whether its' for one race or more, who knows? I just hoipe he drives better than his IRL drivers do....

Former F1 & CART champion Nigel Mansell was the fastest at Kyalami in South Africa in the first practice session for the GP Masters series inaugural race, setting a time of 1:35.086 secs. Close behind was another F1 vet, Derek Warwick, while fellow F1/CART champion Emerson Fittipaldi was third. Here's the list of the 15 drivers in the practice....

1}Nigel Mansell 1:35.086 secs.
2}Derek Warwick 1:35.367 secs.
3}Emerson Fittipaldi 1:35.728 secs.
4}Ricardo Patrese 1:35.790 secs.
5}Jan Lammers 1:36.407 secs.
6}Eddie Cheever 1:36.666 secs.
7}Hans Joachim Stuck 1:36.775 secs.
8}Christian Danner 1:36.806 secs.
9}Stefan Johansson 1:37.338 secs.
10}Andrea de Cesaris 1:37.736 secs.
11}Rene Arnoux 1:38.091 secs.
12}Eliseo Salazar 1:38.187 secs.
13}Patrick Tambay 1:38.964 secs.
14}Jacques Laffite 1:39.082 secs.
15}Alan Jones 1:43.296 secs.

A Jones would barely fit in the car, and would probably fail a breath test

Alan Jones has been forced out of the Masters, due to uncontrollable neck spasms. The chief Medical officer has stated it would not be safe for him to drive. There is no truth in the rumour they found a stubby of Fosters lodged in his throat. His place will be taken by Alesio Salazar.

Just as he did yesterday in practice, 1992 F1 WDC and 1993 CART champion Nigel Mansell led in qualifying and will sit P1 for the race tomorrow. Here's the grid for the race.....

Row 1:Nigel Mansell 1:33.248 secs.
Emerson Fittipaldi 1:33.998 secs.
Row 2:Ricardo Patrese 1:34.048 secs.
Jan Lammers 1:34.082 secs.
Row 3:Andrea de Cesaris 1:34.086 secs.
Derek Warwick 1:34.087 secs.
Row 4:Christian Danner 1:34.132 secs.
Eddie Cheever 1:34.602 secs.
Row 5:Hans Joachim Stuck 1:34.755 secs.
Stefan Johansson 1:34.841 secs.
Row 6:Rene Arnoux 1:35.453 secs.
Eliseo Salazar 1:36.852 secs.
Row 7:Patrick Tambay 1:36.948 secs.
Jacques Laffite 1:36.958 secs.
NOTE:Alan Jones withdrew due to neck spasms which limited his practice times yesterday; his seat was filled by former F1 and IRL driver Eliseo Salazar.

Well, i thought that that was actually quite a good race....especially the midfield battle....but you cant really take my opinion, because it was in my home country, so i am going to give it a good rating... but i still think it was a good race, and quite a good concept....

Mansel and fittipaldi were in a different league though...
and a quite inspiring last lap attempt by fitti...

I have to say, that was great fun, certainly a place for GPM next year..
If you can be bothered, have a listen to my comments on it at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/
Click on 'Listen again' then click 'Wake up to Wogan'. Use the forward wind buttons to go ahead 1 hour 40 minutes, let Shania finish warbling (sadly you have to put up with a few mins of her) and at 1hr 42:29 there you go !

Rob Sinfield

In case anyone's interested, the GP Masters series has released their drivers' list for the upcoming race in Qatar, tentatively scheduled for the end of April.........

Rene Arnoux(FRA)
Eddie Cheever, Jr.(USA)*
Christian Danner(GER)
Andrea de Cesaris(ITA)
Emerson Fittipaldi(BRA)
Stefan Johannson(SWE)
Jan Lammers(NED)
Nigel Mansell(GBR)
Pierluigi Martini(ITA)
Eliseo Salazar(CHI)
Hans Stuck(GER)
Ricardo Patrese(ITA)
Patrick Tambay(FRA)
Eric van der Poele(BEL)
Derek Warwick(GBR)

*-unsure as to whether Cheever will compete since he is currently driving in both the IRL IndyCar Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series at present

2 practice sessions are in the books at the Losail circuit in Qatar, where the second-ever GP Masters race is to be held, and here are the times from the first and second practice session.........

Practice Session #1:
1}Eric van der Poele..................1:47.739 sec
2}Christian Danner....................1:47.774 sec
3}Nigel Mansell..........................1:48.093 sec
4}Hans Stuck.............................1:48.146 sec
5}Eddie Cheever, Jr....................1:48.343 sec
6}Pierluigi Martini.......................1:48.359 sec
7}Jan Lammers..........................1:48.370 sec
8}Andrea de Cesaris...................1:48.481 sec
9}Derek Warwick........................1:48.538 sec
10}Ricardo Patrese......................1:49.389 sec
11}Emerson Fittipaldi...................1:49.466 sec.
12}Stefan Johansson....................1:49.747 sec
13}Eliseo Salazar.........................1:50.417 sec
14}Patrick Tambay.......................1:51.654 sec
15}Rene Arnoux..........................1.52.535 sec


Practice Session #2:
1}Pierluigi Martini.........................1:47.549 sec
2}Nigel Mansell............................1:48.343 sec
3}Eric van der Poele.....................1:48.449 sec
4}Christian Danner.......................1:48.452 sec
5}Stefan Johansson......................1:48.578 sec
6}Eddie Cheever, Jr......................1:48.731 sec
7}Derek Warwick..........................1:48.796 sec
8}Jan Lammers.............................1:48.869 sec
9}Ricardo Patrese..........................1:49.005 sec
10}Hans Stuck..............................1:49.198 sec
11}Eliseo Salazar..........................1:49.803 sec
12}Andrea de Cesaris....................1:50.220 sec
13}Emerson Fittipaldi.....................1.50.611 sec
14}Patrick Tambay........................1:52.330 sec
15}Rene Arnoux............................1:54.713 sec

In near-brutal 60-deg.(C) track temps., former F1/CART champion Nigel Mansell topped the qualifying charts for the pole at the GP Masters race in Qatar.....Here's how the field will line up:

1}Nigel Mansell.........................1:46.926 sec
2}Christian Danner....................1:47.281 sec
3}Derek Warwick.......................1:47.342 sec
4}Ricardo Patrese......................1:47.445 sec
5}Pierluigi Martini.......................1:47.717 sec
6}Emerson Fittipaldi....................1:47.822 sec
7}Eddie Cheever, Jr....................1:47.894 sec
8}Stefan Johansson.....................1:48.208 sec
9}Andrea de Cesaris...................1:48.343 sec
10}Hans Stuck............................1:48.423 sec
11}Eric van der Poele..................1:48.711 sec
12}Eliseo Salazar........................1:49.832 sec
13}Jan Lammers.........................1:49.920 sec
14}Rene Arnoux.........................1:50.514 sec
15}Patrick Tambay......................1:50.516 sec

My prediction......unless he wrecks during the race, it wouldn't surprise me if Mansell wins.....

Mansell
Patrese
Fittipaldi