Bridgestone prepares for next Ice Age! :D

[ioan]

Snow tires for F1!
Maybe Bernie is preparing for the first Antarctic GP!

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=30461

[futuretiger9]

Well, we've already got races in the desert, night races will follow in the near future, so I suppose anything is possible!

[SteveA]

Not that I expect for one minute speeds will be very high during this publicity stunt, however I wonder how secure these studs are and if they'll withstand speeds of 200MPH. An exiting stud would be a lethal weapon!

[Erki]

I doubt the speeds would reach 200MPH, I think they can go 100MPH at most on the ice. Go for it I say! Maybe this is what would take excitement back to Formula Snooze :up:

[janneppi]

Mclaren drove their two-seater in Lappland few years back, they didn't appear to go very fast then.

[tinchote]

They should run a few races on a frozen lake, and force them to run one of the stints without studs ;)

As JV said many years ago, if the cars can move, there is always the chance of racing :D

[Ian McC]

So BMW wanted it, I wonder who paid.......... :D

[jso1985]

According to Al Gore and his hippie gang we might need snow tyres alredy for the day after tomorrow, so in F1 words that's the Malaysian GP, right? :p :

[Dzeidzei]

Snow tires for F1!
Maybe Bernie is preparing for the first Antarctic GP!

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=30461

Hell yes. This stinks of a Finnish plot. Finally Kimi will win something, cause he sure sucks as a driver and only demolishes cars and Ferrari only wanted him for his nice behavior.

And as everyone must know, ALL Finns know how to drive on ice and snow. Most of the other people do not. Thanks Bernie :)

[call_me_andrew]

Does anyone know what the world ice speed record is? Assuming there is such a thing.

[tinchote]

Does anyone know what the world ice speed record is? Assuming there is such a thing.

Googled for a minute and couldn't find anything. But there is surely someone claiming to have the fastest ice run?

[SteveA]

Well, there's snow-mobile drag racing where they reach speeds of 140MPH. I'm not sure if anyone's tried snow tires on a top fueler yet though. 8,000hp on ice sounds like fun!

[PSfan]

Well, there's snow-mobile drag racing where they reach speeds of 140MPH. I'm not sure if anyone's tried snow tires on a top fueler yet though. 8,000hp on ice sounds like fun!

Actually, I believe the record for ice drag snowmobiles is set at 192.2 mph (as of 2005)

I also remember from years ago a special snowmobile with some kind of big block chevy engine sponsored by Budweiser I had seen on tv, but can't recall what it could do...

[wmcot]

I also remember from years ago a special snowmobile with some kind of big block chevy engine sponsored by Budweiser I had seen on tv, but can't recall what it could do...

Probably make millions of ice chips for the coolers full of Bud!!! :)

[VresiBerba]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmR4a55wl-s

[ioan]

Thanks for the link Vresi.
It look pretty twitchy at moments even at moderate and low speeds. Maybe they would have got better grip at higher speeds because of higher downforces, but I'm not sure and there was no need to take any risk.

Interesting anyway.

[janneppi]

The biggest reason for the skittishness were tyres, the ones used in the show weren't much more agressive than normal studded road tyres concerning studs or tyre pattern.
A normal road legal(here) winter tyre:
http://users.cjb.net/pousaoy/nastarengas.jpg

F1 tyre:
http://www.pitpass.com/images/headlines/2007studdedtyre400.jpg

studded tyre for WRC:
http://www.students.tut.fi/~poutiaij/ralli/nasta.jpg

[cosmicpanda]

Why don't the FIA run a winter F1 race or two? Say at Spa or Barcelona in winter. Afterall, they don't stop the race if it rains, so why stop the race if it snows?

They should let the teams put on studded tyres if it does.

Afterall, they don't mind it when the Rallye Monte Carlo runs with dry, wet, icy and snowy tarmac in the same stage, so why not give F1 a go with it? :p :

[Ranger]

Why don't the FIA run a winter F1 race or two? Say at Spa or Barcelona in winter. Afterall, they don't stop the race if it rains, so why stop the race if it snows?

They should let the teams put on studded tyres if it does.

Afterall, they don't mind it when the Rallye Monte Carlo runs with dry, wet, icy and snowy tarmac in the same stage, so why not give F1 a go with it? :p :

I don't quite think any of that will happen... best leave that to the WRC :p :

[Brown, Jon Brow]

An Ice F1 race?? :erm:

If I was an F1 team boss I would get Yvan Muller to drive my car :laugh: He's the ice expert!!!

[cosmicpanda]

I don't quite think any of that will happen... best leave that to the WRC :p :

all we need is a billionaire hermit in the arctic or antarctic somewhere, and Tilke. :p :

[wmcot]

You could redesign the track at your pleasure by plowing out different areas of ice as needed. One problem though, run-off areas would have to be a LOT bigger!!! :)

[cosmicpanda]

You could redesign the track at your pleasure by plowing out different areas of ice as needed. One problem though, run-off areas would have to be a LOT bigger!!! :)

not really, haven't you heard of snowbanks? :p :

[janneppi]

Open wheelers aren't the best choise for snow, they throw lot of ice and snow in the air making visibily a problem, also tyres get stuck more easily than if there is a bodypanel leaning against a snow bank.

[msaxman]

Open wheelers aren't the best choise for snow, they throw lot of ice and snow in the air making visibily a problem, also tyres get stuck more easily than if there is a bodypanel leaning against a snow bank.

they were all joking, you know.

[janneppi]

Oh really, i thought all of those smileys in their posts were put there accidentally...

[Erki]

they were all joking, you know.

I am not. I genuinely want there to be an F1 race on ice.
Icepolis 500 anyone?

[captin 1 VXR]

alan prost and muller in the spyker on ice mmmmm thay win all the ice races

[ClarkFan]

With oil prices up, the Russians have a lot of money these days. Perhaps Ecclestone is preparing for a GP in Murmansk.

:s

ClarkFan

[Tazio]

After reading this I think the title of this thread is REALLY appropriate!
http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/3193/617/

I fear we are going to be overwhelmed with mediocrity

[wmcot]

not really, haven't you heard of snowbanks? :p :

That would be a sight - imagine a car burying itself 50 meters deep in a snow bank! It would look a bit like a giant mole tunneling!