Heidfeld will run the BMW Sauber F1.07 on the Nordschleife

[ioan]

It seems that the management has decided that nick will not go full throttle around the "Green Hell".

<<But team officials have clipped Heidfeld's wings by arranging that his F1.07 is equipped only with 'demonstration' Bridgestone tyres - which are significantly slower than the real thing.
>>

<<Ultimate performance of Heidfeld's car will also be compromised by an extraordinarily high ride-height, but Theissen insisted that he thought the BMW Sauber would still reach impressive top speeds in excess of 300kph.>>

Also he won't drive on the Karussell section.

http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlin...27110254.shtml

[Valve Bounce]

a brave brave man, even if he takes it relatively easy!

Common!! Bernd Rosemeyer raced the Auto Union there on skinny tyres. And when the fog shrouded the track, he continued in just slightly slower speed. Let's put this into perspective.

And yes! I have the tape.

[ShiftingGears]

Valve!!! You must find some way of uploading it!!

And for Heidfeld, kudos for him for wanting to have machinery to allow him to set the fastest time. Pity he can't have proper tyres. Also, is the high ride height that the car will have simply to slow him down or does it have some advantage over the undulating surface?
Shame about the F1 car not being able to tackle the Karussell also.

And, do any relative insiders here know whether it will be filmed onboard? Or from tv cameras, for that matter. If so, that'd be great, I'd love to see more F1 cars tackle great old school tracks like this, would make PR enjoyable

[Valve Bounce]

Valve!!! You must find some way of uploading it!!

It came with a copy of MOTORSPORT some years ago. Best video in my collection. I'm going to see whether I can get it put on DVD.

[Mickey T]

Valve!!! You must find some way of uploading it!!
Also, is the high ride height that the car will have simply to slow him down or does it have some advantage over the undulating surface?
Shame about the F1 car not being able to tackle the Karussell also.

Yes, the higher ride height has the advantage of not spitting the undertray onto the bumpy tarmac and spearing him into the trees at 200 fast an hour.

the Karussell would shake a modern F1 car to pieces. wouldn't be pleasant for its driver.

Modern f1 cars rely on the tyre sidewalls for much of their bump absorption, but that presumes that you're running on a modern (re, billiard table) f1 track. think nick will need a chiropractor after the run.

as for skinny tyres, well, those cars were grip limited and go nowhere near approaching the cornering potential of a modern swift road car, much less a full aero F1 car. it's a whole different world.

at race pace or qualifying pace, in a fully charged F1 car, there would be a hundred places where the bumps would be just too willing to put you off the road, and there's just no run off anywhere to lessen the impact.

grip limited cars - even grip limited f1 cars - are far safer.

[Valve Bounce]

as for skinny tyres, well, those cars were grip limited and go nowhere near approaching the cornering potential of a modern swift road car, much less a full aero F1 car. it's a whole different world.

at race pace or qualifying pace, in a fully charged F1 car, there would be a hundred places where the bumps would be just too willing to put you off the road, and there's just no run off anywhere to lessen the impact.

grip limited cars - even grip limited f1 cars - are far safer.

You're not seriously suggesting that Bernd Rosemeyer's Auto Union racing at Nurnburgring was far safer than the current F1 cars I hope.

[Mickey T]

no, just that life has changed tremendously and so have the cars.

cars of that era had not much lateral or braking grip (hence the need for drifting) and, by modern standards, a mountain of wheel travel.

they had more wheel travel than a modern touring car would have.

i'm just saying that the auto union was designed for this sort of track - and was as safe as they knew how to make it at the time.

since this sort of track has been bypassed by modern formula one, its technology has gone in another direction. the two are no longer compatible at race pace.

that's all i'm saying.

[Valve Bounce]

no, just that life has changed tremendously and so have the cars.

cars of that era had not much lateral or braking grip (hence the need for drifting) and, by modern standards, a mountain of wheel travel.

they had more wheel travel than a modern touring car would have.

i'm just saying that the auto union was designed for this sort of track - and was as safe as they knew how to make it at the time.

since this sort of track has been bypassed by modern formula one, its technology has gone in another direction. the two are no longer compatible at race pace.

that's all i'm saying.

OK! I do have, on tape, Bernd racing the Italian (can't think of the guy's name right now {old age} ) when the fog shrouded the track and he continued to race at almost the same lap speeds.

While I don't want to take anything away from the ability, fitness etc of our current F1 racers, safety provisions in F1 cars and F1 tracks make today's racing far, far safer than those pre-WWII years.

So drifting, sliding, yumping and whatever else of those days, I consider to be far more dangerous than the present day's F1 racing.

Under the circumstances, I think Heidfelds driving (note: not racing) the modified F1 BMW around this track is no more than a publicity stunt of little consequence, and probably demeans what this track really stood for. I mean, if the guy took Niki Lauda's Ferrari and raced that around the track I'd be a helluva lot more impressed.

[Mikeall]

You're not seriously suggesting that Bernd Rosemeyer's Auto Union racing at Nurnburgring was far safer than the current F1 cars I hope.

Well the Auto Union had no wings so air wouldn't get under them to flip the car. It wouldn't bottom out over a bump and go straight on and also would be much slower round the corners. If prepared properly and driven with care a modern BMW.Sauber is undoubtedly safer but I guess there is much more to think about that to prevent situations occurring that could take the car out of the driver's control.

[ShiftingGears]

I hope he goes flat out, knowing the risks :