2022 Motor racing thread

[legatoblues]

After 2021 turned out to be quite the year of racing, I hope we're all ready for 2022.

Of particular interest this year is the major change to the F1 technical regulations, with the new car bringing a significant change in aero concepts, including the return of ground effect after 40 years.

Away from F1 there will be plenty of other championships to keep an eye on. Here's looking forward to what the new year brings.

Use the following link to check for upcoming events:
https://www.motorsport.com/all/schedule/upcoming/

 

[ralphc1]

2022 could be a pivotal year for much of motorsport. Sponsors are getting more difficult to find as the costs of racing increase. Formula One is at a very fragile stage with Engine manufacturers. Honda has already pulled out leaving Red Bull to build their own engines. Red Bull will only supply engines to their own 4 cars. Formula One was hoping that winning the drivers championship might bring Honda back in but it was the fact that internal combustion is looking like a dead end technology that caused Honda to focus it's energies on the electric car segment.

Formula One hopes a Volkswagen group client like Porsche would join the engine supply ranks but the Volkswagen group has to focus on electric cars with the coming years as countries phase out the sale of internal combustion vehicles. Volkswagen has suffered huge financial setbacks as well as a loss of prestige for getting caught cheating on emissions testing. I doubt that they will delve into Formula One.

Ferrari hasn't been competitive in Formula One since they had to change something following the FIA finding some problem with the cars that the FIA has refused to disclose. Whatever happened, Ferrari powered cars haven't been competitive since. Ferrari supplies engines for six cars. How long can they keep doing that and how long will these non competitive teams last. How long can Ferrari

Renault is supplying engines for the Alpine teams two cars and doesn't seem to be inclined to supply any more.

Mercedes is supplying engines for 4 teams, 8 cars, which has to be very expensive. They could cut that down to two teams to better focus their resources or they could decide to withdraw from Formula one altogether. Mercedes, Audi and BMW all announced that they are leaving Formula E after the 2022 season which pretty much kills the series. Unless Mercedes receives some guarantees that the rules will be followed, I don't see them staying in Formula One. Can Formula One survive with 12 cars?

 

[ralphc1]

NASCAR is also in bad shape as teams are losing sponsors and can't find new ones. Race attendance and viewership is down which is a major reason for sponsors leaving. Teams may be forced into using drivers who bring their own money like Formula One has been doing.

Other racing series are also seeing the same problems with sponsorship and entries declining as costs rise.

Even the rise of electric vehicles doesn't seem to be helping as Mercedes, Audi and BMW have announced that they will be leaving the Formula E series after 2022.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

NASCAR is also in bad shape as teams are losing sponsors and can't find new ones. Race attendance and viewership is down which is a major reason for sponsors leaving. Teams may be forced into using drivers who bring their own money like Formula One has been doing.

Other racing series are also seeing the same problems with sponsorship and entries declining as costs rise.

Even the rise of electric vehicles doesn't seem to be helping as Mercedes, Audi and BMW have announced that they will be leaving the Formula E series after 2022.

I think most of Nascar has been like that for a while. It's why terrible drivers like Riley Herbst are allowed to run top tier cars in the Xfinity series for years. His dad is an oil tycoon and he has Monster Energy in his back pocket. Couldn't win in the Gibbs car and couldn't win in the 98 car, which won 9 races the year before. But he'll always have a ride because of money.

 

[PRIDEWASBETTER]

I think most of Nascar has been like that for a while. It's why terrible drivers like Riley Herbst are allowed to run top tier cars in the Xfinity series for years. His dad is an oil tycoon and he has Monster Energy in his back pocket. Couldn't win in the Gibbs car and couldn't win in the 98 car, which won 9 races the year before. But he'll always have a ride because of money.

They're really banking on the Gen 7 car to pump new blood/money into the sport. They NEED to perform this season.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

They're really banking on the Gen 7 car to pump new blood/money into the sport. They NEED to perform this season.

I don't think they can. Sponsors have gone woke, which has caused Nascar to go woke. The fans haven't had a connection with the drivers for quite some time and now they have no connection to Nascar either. Hard work and talent, the same type that brought guys up like Earnhardt, Wallace and Martin doesn't do you a lick of good unless you have a rich daddy these days. Who can relate to a rich 18 year old that's thrusted into a race car? No one other than other rich 18 year olds.

The fans just have nothing to relate to anymore and the tires and aerodynamics have made the on track racing a shadow of what it once was.

The only big positive has been the move to dirt and road courses.

 

[PRIDEWASBETTER]

I don't think they can. Sponsors have gone woke, which has caused Nascar to go woke. The fans haven't had a connection with the drivers for quite some time and now they have no connection to Nascar either. Hard work and talent, the same type that brought guys up like Earnhardt, Wallace and Martin doesn't do you a lick of good unless you have a rich daddy these days. Who can relate to a rich 18 year old that's thrusted into a race car? No one other than other rich 18 year olds.

The fans just have nothing to relate to anymore and the tires and aerodynamics have made the on track racing a shadow of what it once was.

The only big positive has been the move to dirt and road courses.

I agree with all of that. Aside from that, NASCAR themselves have alienated their fans by doing what they feel best for the on-track product and not listening to drivers or fans. Their past sins are coming back to haunt them.

 

[ralphc1]

At least they have a full 60 car field for the Rolex 24 at Daytona with other teams on the waiting list. That's up 11 cars from last season but it might be mostly drivers from other series who want to run in the off season. It might be a one off thing. All four of the drivers of Chip Ganassi's Indy car teams are in it.

 

[legatoblues]

The future directions of sportscar racing appear to be on a knife edge depending on the success of the Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh regulations.

2022 is supposed to see the debut of the radical wingless Peugeot 9x8 LMH, potentially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I'm especially excited by that project for the wild approach they've taken and am eager to see how it plays out.

However the 2023 introduction of the more restrictive LMDh regulations into American sportscar racing could hurt global sportscar racing overall. LMH was proposed as being a BOP controlled formula that would still allow manufacturers the freedom to experiment with their own concepts and designs.

Sometime after this, it was announced that the IMSA LMDh cars - a far more cost effective and spec like formula - would be performance matched to the Hypercars, with both regulations able to be cross entered and compete with each other. Great idea in terms of increasing competition and car counts, but suddenly you've got a major disparate between costs for the same performance.

Here's hoping that the 2022 Hypercars (and the LM24) put on a great showing to demonstrate to manufacturers that there is value in entering that class, whilst LMDh has its own success without overrunning both championships.

 

[ralphc1]

59th World Championship Snowmobile Derby

Hosting oval, snocross and vintage racing, the World Championship Snowmobile Derby is not only the largest and most prestigious snowmobile competition in the sport, it is one of the highest-ranking winter sports events in the Midwest and recognized around the world.

Known as the Indianapolis 500 of Snowmobile Racing, the Derby attracts more than 40,000 spectators annually. Fans travel from all over the United States, Canada and beyond to watch more than 500 international drivers race their high-tech snowmobiles at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on a solid ice oval. For over 50 years, the race has been held on a fully-contained, half-mile banked oval track located in the heart of one of Wisconsin’s most popular resort areas, Eagle River.

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/2022-motor-racing-thread.4221555/

 

[ralphc1]

Buddy Kofold beat Kyle Larson in the Chili bowl last night
.

 

[legatoblues]

Buddy Kofold beat Kyle Larson in the Chili bowl last night
.

Fun race and great battle between the two of them.
I love that America has a thriving short track scene, I'd love something like that here.

 

[legatoblues]

Had this pop up in my recommended. I used to follow SuperGT pretty closely (not the last 2 years due to broadcasting rights changing) and think it's some of the most entertaining racing out there.

 

[ralphc1]

Had this pop up in my recommended. I used to follow SuperGT pretty closely (not the last 2 years due to broadcasting rights changing) and think it's some of the most entertaining racing out there.

Broadcasting rights really screw with racing because it's difficult to keep track of who has what. It would cost thousands to subscribe to all of the various services.

Were these drivers trying to stretch fuel mileage and ran out or did the engines fail?

 

[legatoblues]

Broadcasting rights really screw with racing because it's difficult to keep track of who has what. It would cost thousands to subscribe to all of the various services.

Were these drivers trying to stretch fuel mileage and ran out or did the engines fail?

Indycar broadcasting rights here have changed this year as well. As much as I love Indycar, I'm not prepared to spend $35 a month on another streaming service just for that. I'll probably do it so I can watch the Indy 500 live, but not doing it for the full year.

And for the SuperGT video, the first one was trying to stretch fuel. That was what decided a championship, it would have been won by whichever of those two cars finished ahead of each other.
I believe the 2nd one is a mechanical failure, but not 100% sure.

 

[ralphc1]

Jacques Villeneuve to bid for spot on Daytona 500 starting grid

The 50-year-old Canadian, winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 F1 drivers crown, took part in preseason testing at the famed Daytona Beach track on Tuesday and Wednesday, confirming he will try to qualify for the Feb. 20 race. The team put together by former sports car racer Toine Hezemans, Dutch businessman Ernst Berg, and Reaume Brothers Racing, plans to run a partial schedule, competing primarily in road course races.

The shortage of entrants made this possible but there is a shortage of parts for the 2022 cars that can only be obtained from NASCAR's chosen manufacturers.

 

[ralphc1]

Indycar broadcasting rights here have changed this year as well. As much as I love Indycar, I'm not prepared to spend $35 a month on another streaming service just for that. I'll probably do it so I can watch the Indy 500 live, but not doing it for the full year.

And for the SuperGT video, the first one was trying to stretch fuel. That was what decided a championship, it would have been won by whichever of those two cars finished ahead of each other.
I believe the 2nd one is a mechanical failure, but not 100% sure.

NBC has the broadcast rights for the second half of the NASCAR season. They broadcast many races on their sports network last season and that required an additional sports network subscription on most cable or satellite systems. NBC dropped their sports network and will broadcast the races on NBC and USA stations which are included in many basic packages. I know sponsors were concerned that not as many people watched the races on NBCSN. NBCSN had NHL hockey and Premier League soccer which don't have big audiences in the US.

I imagine Fox will still have races on their sports network.

 

[mala-lisa]

nascar ok road corse i get it. but 500 laps in circle ol could not get it

 

[rearnakedchoke]

Jacques Villeneuve to bid for spot on Daytona 500 starting grid



The shortage of entrants made this possible but there is a shortage of parts for the 2022 cars that can only be obtained from NASCAR's chosen manufacturers.

One of my favourite drivers ever.

 

[ralphc1]

nascar ok road corse i get it. but 500 laps in circle ol could not get it

I don't know why they are trying the 500 when the plan for the team is to run the road courses. 50 is rather late in life to try a race when most drivers are retired by then.