Motorsport success from your country!

[Ranger]

How successful is your country in international motorsport right now?

I just had an epiphany yesterday that Motor racing in Australia has never looked better... probably better than any other country at the moment.

Mark Webber is in a race-winning car this year in F1;
Casey Stoner is already a world champ, has already won races this year in MotoGP;
Ryan Briscoe has already won a race this year in IndyCar, him and Will Power both look like firm title challengers for this year.

Discuss.

[leopard]

Perhaps it's because there are too much space empty there, so riding and driving fast can be everywhere.

[Mark]

Current F1 champ and current championship leader.

[EuroTroll]

Not so great in Estonia right now, although not catastrophic either.

We used to have Markko Märtin in the WRC, of course, and there was a time (2003, 2004) when everything seemed possible for him. But then (2005) Grönholm destroyed him as a team-mate at Peugeot and it turned out he wasn't so great after all. :) And then there was the fatal accident in Wales and he quit.. :(

Man, I miss 2003! :) Ah, to hope and dream again! :p :

Now we have Urmo Aava trying things in the WRC, but he clearly is never going to be great.

And we have Marko Asmer trying to get into F1, but that's never gonna happen either.

There are some seemingly talented young guys too, attempting both rallying and circuit racing, but it's too early to say anything about them.

[Roamy]

Shut Up !! Or we will send Andretti down there!!

[Donney]

Fernando Alonso, good.
Dani Sordo, questioned
Moto Gp and other categories riders, mostly good but none of them really brilliant.

[EuroTroll]

Fernando Alonso, good.
Dani Sordo, questioned


Wow, you're modest. :)

I'd say:
Alonso - great!
Sordo - good. :)

[Donney]

I was really trying not to let my nationality get in the way (honestly I quite agree with you) but...

:p

[Storm]

Donney, not currently but there have been some great riders on bikes españoles...even now, Dani Pedrosa is one of the good ones.

as for us? Narain Karthikeyan :erm:
decent driver but not really high quality, was pretty quick when he wanted to be. especially in the wet.

apart from him...Karun Chandok who was Bruno Senna's teammate in GP2 last yr...this year will be in GP2 again I think.

what else? Ah Force India F1 :\

[pino]

Fernando Alonso, good.
Dani Sordo, questioned
Moto Gp and other categories riders, mostly good but none of them really brilliant.

If only all Spaniards were like you Donney :p : ;)

[Sonic]

Have to say I don't follow drivers due to nationality. The last Brit I really followed would have been Damon Hill.

Of the current batch of GP drivers Nico has my vote (which country is he again - he can't seem to to make up his mind!) :)

[leopard]

I follow drivers not by their nationality, I tend to follow whoever have the same or similar drive with mine, for the whole season I'll follow them are in the list of my FGP. As of this stage god job for Glock and Buemi...

[TheFamousEccles]

Of all the drivers around at the moment, the one that really gets my attention is Sebastien Loeb - the guy is brilliant. No argument. Would love to see him in an F1 car, just for interest sake... ;)

[EuroTroll]

Of all the drivers around at the moment, the one that really gets my attention is Sebastien Loeb - the guy is brilliant. No argument. Would love to see him in an F1 car, just for interest sake... ;)

Well, he has tested. ;) And been quite competitive.

[EuroTroll]

I follow drivers not by their nationality, I tend to follow whoever have the same or similar drive with mine, for the whole season I'll follow them are in the list of my FGP. As of this stage god job for Glock and Buemi...

You drive something similar to what Glock and Buemi drive? :)

[leopard]

You drive something similar to what Glock and Buemi drive? :)

I don't have another strong reason to be fan of certain drivers. Being fan of driver because he won 7 titles I think a classic reason ... :)

[TheFamousEccles]

Fernando Alonso, good.
Dani Sordo, questioned
Moto Gp and other categories riders, mostly good but none of them really brilliant.


I don't agree, completely. Lorenzo is a gifted rider, and if he can get a handle on the control tyres and the shortened set up time, I think he is most definitely a potential champ.

[Donney]

If only all Spaniards were like you Donney :p : ;)

Thanks? :confused: pino :p :, but that could be applied to most fans from any nation.

[MrJan]

Bloke called Jan Yeo, he's currently lying 14th in the ASWMC Sprint Championship :D

[Magnus]

Hey, look!!! :eek: Isn´t there a 747 going down over there!
Keep looking...
;)

[A.F.F.]

If I can quote my friend N.O.T. all Finland has is never-beens and has-beens :)

[steve_spackman]

Matthew Wilson. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team (http://www.rallye-info.com/carmake_profile.asp?make=1) ha ha

[christophulus]

I was surprised at how many Brits were in the IRL actually, and they seem fairly competitive. Plus the BTCC is good fun and that's 99% British (but will still be won by the only Italian in the field :s )

[MrJan]

Matthew Wilson

:laugh: Him and Ralph Firman

[Rollo]

I just had an epiphany yesterday that Motor racing in Australia has never looked better... probably better than any other country at the moment.

Totally.

What with Toyota killing off TRD, Holden possibly cutting its manufacturing operations with the demise of GM and chapter 11 proceedings and with Ford not much better, Mitsubishi as a manufacturer in Australia is over.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/crisis-means-curtains-for-holden-expert-20090414-a50b.html

Never looked better? How is oblivion better?

[Ranger]

Totally.

What with Toyota killing off TRD, Holden possibly cutting its manufacturing operations with the demise of GM and chapter 11 proceedings and with Ford not much better, Mitsubishi as a manufacturer in Australia is over.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/crisis-means-curtains-for-holden-expert-20090414-a50b.html

Never looked better? How is oblivion better?

I was talking about drivers on an international stage and nothing to do with the auto industry.

Having said that, V8 Supercars which has long been the blood of motorsport IN Australia has a healthy grid and is still expanding which is an acheivement in itself IMO, considering most other international series are not doing so.

[jso1985]

Erm...

wait...

I know now...

That guy that races Karts in Germany(and being 27 years old...)
and the sporadic rally driver finishin 17th on the SouthAm Rally Championship...

:s

[millencolin]

Casey Stoner - Epic!
Mark Webber - Great, but so annoying to be a fan of (too much heartbreak)
Will Power - Deserves a better shot at the top
Ryan Briscoe - Very good, but is very BORING (he isn't THAT Australian, he got a state of origin question WRONG... Vic vs Nsw vs Qld... MORON!!!)
Chris Atkinson - Hard done by
Chris Vermulen - Good rider, Very well spoken and intelligent

Australia is having a hell of a time right now, with Bayliss retiring as World Champ, we are going through somewhat of a golden age... It is a shame though that the meida only cares about v8company cars

[MrJan]

Chris Atkinson - Hard done by


Complete opposite of hard done by, he's a mediocre rally driver who seems to spend more time in the scenery than on the leaderboard and Subaru held onto him for far too long IMO.

[fandango]

Eh......

Everyone goes to the Irish bars afterwards....

[ShiftingGears]

Complete opposite of hard done by, he's a mediocre rally driver who seems to spend more time in the scenery than on the leaderboard and Subaru held onto him for far too long IMO.

Got more podiums and points than Solberg last year.

[MrJan]

Fair enough, do you actually think that Atko is as good as Solberg though?

[ShiftingGears]

Fair enough, do you actually think that Atko is as good as Solberg though?

Yes.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I notice no Canadian has said anything......well..not much going on right now for use.

Paul Tracy cant get a full time ride in the IRL ( No sponsor will back him for a full season)
Patrick Carpentier cant get a ride in NASCAR ( no sponsorship)
Alex Tagliani is part time in the IRL ( Sponsor issues )
JR Fitzpatrick started off with a 4th at Daytona in NASCAR Trucks..but cant run full time... (lack of full time sponsors)

See a trend developing kids? When Paul Tracy cannot get a full time ride in the IRL, a series in desparate need of a personality transplant, there is something wrong. The sad part is, this has little to do with the economy and EVERYTHING to do with the shameful way Canadian multinationals and large companies wouldnt' spend 20 cents to help out a race driver.

To top it all off......Ron Fellows is retiring from full time racing except for the odd NASCAR road course ride as a hired gun.

It is slim pickin's for us Canuckleheads. Villeneuve is racing some taxicab in the Arab world...and the kids of Canadian racing will likely suffer the same fates as the ones I mentioned above...

[Ranger]

I notice no Canadian has said anything......well..not much going on right now for use.

Paul Tracy cant get a full time ride in the IRL ( No sponsor will back him for a full season)
Patrick Carpentier cant get a ride in NASCAR ( no sponsorship)
Alex Tagliani is part time in the IRL ( Sponsor issues )
JR Fitzpatrick started off with a 4th at Daytona in NASCAR Trucks..but cant run full time... (lack of full time sponsors)

See a trend developing kids? When Paul Tracy cannot get a full time ride in the IRL, a series in desparate need of a personality transplant, there is something wrong. The sad part is, this has little to do with the economy and EVERYTHING to do with the shameful way Canadian multinationals and large companies wouldnt' spend 20 cents to help out a race driver.

To top it all off......Ron Fellows is retiring from full time racing except for the odd NASCAR road course ride as a hired gun.

It is slim pickin's for us Canuckleheads. Villeneuve is racing some taxicab in the Arab world...and the kids of Canadian racing will likely suffer the same fates as the ones I mentioned above...

The problem with Canada's representation in major OWR is that there hasn't been a Jacques Villeneuve, Greg Moore, or Paul Tracy emerging since the 1990s.

IMO at 37, Villeneuve is still the best Canadian driver at the moment.

[Camelopard]

The problem with Canada's representation in major OWR is that there hasn't been a Jacques Villeneuve, Greg Moore, or Paul Tracy emerging since the 1990s.

IMO at 37, Villeneuve is still the best Canadian driver at the moment.

There used to be a joke going around that Canada had the same collective sporting ability as every other country in the world, except all that ability was in one person, Wayne Gretzky!

[Mark in Oshawa]

There used to be a joke going around that Canada had the same collective sporting ability as every other country in the world, except all that ability was in one person, Wayne Gretzky!

There is an element of truth to that. About every 30 years we produce a hockey player who is light years ahead of everyone around him. Before Gretzky it was Orr....but that is another topic.

Canada's racing community has some really good young drivers. The problem is they are needing to get large amounts of sponsors to push them forward from Canada and it isn't happening. James Hinchcliffe. Sean McIntosh, J.F. Dumoulin are just a few young guys trying to climb the ladder and getting little or no help. For a driver to get to the IRL, NASCAR or F1 they need to find a way to get rides in the European feeder system or Indy Lights for the IRL, or into the NASCAR system.

The problem is they cannot get adequete sponsorship for any of these steps right now, and because all of the steps are in series that are NOT Canadian, it is that much tougher to do it. They cant go to Europe and get sponsors often because they are not from Europe. No one knows them and no one gives you a chance. They have a better shot working up in American racing and this is how the Villeneuves made it to f1, and Moore and Tracy came to Indy Cars. The problem here of course lies in they are not American, so they often lose out to Americans for sponsors. Of course...one could argue this system isn't producing f1 drivers anyhow, Scott Speed being the last US f1 driver and he came through the Red Bull system.

[Donney]

I don't agree, completely. Lorenzo is a gifted rider, and if he can get a handle on the control tyres and the shortened set up time, I think he is most definitely a potential champ.


And to prove your point he won this weekend.

Nice! :D

[AndyRAC]

Matthew Wilson. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team (http://www.rallye-info.com/carmake_profile.asp?make=1) ha ha

Yeah, who can't even beat Frederico Villagra, not good.......

[MrJan]

Yes.

Wow, that's true patriotism. Soon people will be telling us that Mark Webber is better than Fernando Alonso :laugh:

[ShiftingGears]

Wow, that's true patriotism. Soon people will be telling us that Mark Webber is better than Fernando Alonso :laugh:

Atkinson
2008 WRC position : 5th
Podiums : 5

Solberg
2008 WRC position : 6th
Podiums : 1

It's not patriotism, it's just fact.

[TheFamousEccles]

I wouldnt go as far as to say Webber is as good as Alonso, though if it wasn't for bad luck he'd have no luck at all. I would like to see Webber string some good weekends together, where nothing breaks, no one runs into him or baulks him in a qualifying sesh, and add a good dose of luck, stir vigourously and then stand well clear...

[TheFamousEccles]

And to prove your point he won this weekend.

Nice! :D


I never used to be a fan of the lad, he had a little too much self confidence for my liking, but he seems to have grown as an individual in the past few years and that can only be a good thing.

I was at Catalunya in '07 when he won the 250 race - the crowd went absolutely batsh*t for him - it was really quite a vibe. Actually that whole race day was awesome and I am very pleased I managed to get there. The antics of the local lads on minimotos and quads in and around Montmelo was almost as entertaining :)

[MrJan]

Atkinson
2008 WRC position : 5th
Podiums : 5

Solberg
2008 WRC position : 6th
Podiums : 1

It's not patriotism, it's just fact.

Despite those stats I don't believe that many people would agree that Chris is better than Petter.

Eccles - It's always amused me that there are a lot of people who love Webber and hate Button yet fans of each driver are convinced that one big break is all they need. While I agree that Mark hasn't had great luck or a quick car I just don't think that he is equal with a lot of the current grid :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think judging any f1 driver is just getting tougher and tougher. 2 years ago if someone had told ANYONE on this board that Jensen Button would be the winner of 3 out of 4 races and would be leading the championship in what was then Honda, no one would have believed you. You could have gotten very long odds from the bookies on that. Yet he looks great. Now is Jensen the greatest driver in f1 or did the car and team leapfrog the field? We know the truth, and that is the problem with judging any f1 driver who hasn't had a seat in a good car on a good team.

It is a problem in motorsports in general but REALLY obvious in f1 and maybe WRC. Series with very tight rules such as the IRL or NASCAR tend to highlight the top drivers....