The Last Race !!

[Bononi]

That was the last race without TC !

I must admit I was pretty satisfied how things were going until now !
And from now on ? Will the balance of powers change again ?
Will Williams keep increasing ?
An unbeatable team will show up, like in 98 with the rules changes and McLaren back to top ?
I do hope things keep the way they are...

What do you think guys ????

[Tristan]

It's just playing into the hands of the teams with the biggest budgets. SHAME!!!! Expect to see Minardi not qulify. Again. Ever. Wah!

(OK, I'm exaggerating, but still, no hope in Spain, I feel. Unless.......??)

[EERO]

I'll miss the power slides-Montoya has been a riot to watch. The spectacle will be no more. Of course DC would't have spun his tires so much today.

[Damon]

Watch Ferrari have a miracle resurrection of fortune in Spain. They will have the best TC system because they've been running it for the last few seasons.

[marcus]

thinking back to the end of 1993..just when we thought this dreadfull device was dead and buried it reappears 8 years later to devour us of an exciting start at leats.

Traction control is a brilliant idea for road cars but these guys are pro's and can handle a bit of wheelspin so let em be i say...anyway it was good while it lasted..now lets see if anything changes..i hope not I hope the racing for the rest of the year is just as good as it has been so far this year..time will tell.

[Billy_Hunt]

I was reading an article the other day about this subject .
The biggest gain is going to be starts, something like 0.8 seconds can be gained with TC.
But during the race the difference has been minimal and some of the drivers have even suggested they can be quicker without it, given the right circumstances.
So we will just have to see !

[DancingMachine]

i think damon got it spot on

[Bononi]

I do hope not. It is incredible seeing Williams breaking the duo routine. And I think Jordan are getting closer and closer.

[Valve Bounce]

This wil be a very complicated introduction - nothing like what TRACS used to be. TRACS will involve the gearbox and diff. (TGF confirmed that) and there will be ABS thre somehow. Lap times will fall also. The only one I have rad who says that TRACS will make very little difference in the race and that some drivers would prefer not to have it is Bobby Rahal; so guess which team will be left further behind from Spain on. My guess is that Williams will have ethe best system, because Patrick Head was very coy a month ago about using engine mapping and not getting power to the rear wheels from the engine. He wasn't letting on at all about TRACS, then or next month. McLaren won't be far behind, and Ferrari will have a system as good as the other two.

[Bononi]

Yeap, VB.

Williams mastered TC in the past. They can have a significant advantage on this then.
I remember Piquet talking about this once...

[Sonatrap]

Let´s hope this is just a temporary situation for a season or two. Most people seem to begrudgingly accept it on the grounds it´s impossible to police. If f1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and a show case for technology then surely a way must be found to provide the drivers, teams and fans the level of driver control they want while still allowing the sport to spearhead technology.

[Speed]

Originally posted by EERO
I'll miss the power slides-Montoya has been a riot to watch. The spectacle will be no more.

TC doesn't eliminate slides at all... so, dont be so sad.

[Sonatrap]

Speed -

Tell us more. I´ve been led to believe that infact TC does eliminate the spectacle of powerslides. If I remember correctly, recently Patrick Head spoke at length about the implications of TC being brought back in, and he specifically referred to the inevitable demise of powerslides.

I only hope you are right!

[EERO]

Thanks Sona, I remembered the same comments. Would that they were wrong.

[Speed]

I'm not as technical as a mechanical engineer, but, there's something about inertia force and response time that doesn't let TC do its job 100% accurate all the time.

PS: Response on dry track is not the same as on wet track. Traction is a complex subject, that no one has the perfect solution or a universal mechanism to solve it.

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Speed
I'm not as technical as a mechanical engineer, but, there's something about inertia force and response time that doesn't let TC do its job 100% accurate all the time.

PS: Response on dry track is not the same as on wet track. Traction is a complex subject, that no one has the perfect solution or a universal mechanism to solve it.

I think some of you are missing the point. We are NOT going back to the old TRACS system. The new system will be a sophisticated computer system controlled by engine mapping, as well as direct response to any likelihood of wheelspin and we are talking about response times measured in micro seconds. The computers will control the gear box and differential as well as the engine, and possibly the brakes as well. We are talking about 8 years of advancement in computer software and hardware technology, which can be equated to a 100 year improvement in teh internal combustion engine; that's how fast computer technology advances. Just think back what we were using 10 years ago as a PC, and what we have now. A 486 vs Pentium 5.
There is no way back, just forward. I am sure that cars will be braked automatically with ABS when the car reaches the braking point before a corner, to slow the car down to corner at the optimum speed for the tyre and track conditions. This will be kid stuff for the computer boffins. Initially, I als thought bringing back TRACS was a great idea. It was only when I thought of all the implications that I started my posts of banning all computers on F1 cars.

[Speed]

Originally posted by Valve Bounce
The new system will be a sophisticated computer system controlled by engine mapping, as well as direct response to any likelihood of wheelspin and we are talking about response times measured in micro seconds.

I agree with you on this one, I'm a software engineer, and I know PC's capabilities...

Originally posted by Valve Bounce
The computers will control the gear box and differential as well as the engine, and possibly the brakes as well.

But I'm not talking about microchips' response time, I'm talking about this mechanical equipment that do the dirty part of the trick.

[Sonatrap]

´I am sure that cars will be braked automatically with ABS when the car reaches the braking point before a corner, to slow the car down to corner at the optimum speed for the tyre and track conditions´

Forgive me if this sounds naive but what, then, will the role of the drivers be reduced to given this new technology ?...to hold on tight?

Perhaps computers need to be discarded as V.B. has been saying.If the only justifiable reason to allow this technology to be introduced is because it is undectable amidst all the other software and systems currently on board and in the pits, then it should all go for the greater good of the sport in the long run.

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Sonatrap
´I am sure that cars will be braked automatically with ABS when the car reaches the braking point before a corner, to slow the car down to corner at the optimum speed for the tyre and track conditions´

Forgive me if this sounds naive but what, then, will the role of the drivers be reduced to given this new technology ?...to hold on tight?

Perhaps computers need to be discarded as V.B. has been saying.If the only justifiable reason to allow this technology to be introduced is because it is undectable amidst all the other software and systems currently on board and in the pits, then it should all go for the greater good of the sport in the long run.

The more I read about TRACS the less I like the idea of the use of on board computers. Here is the latest announcement about TRACS:
Ferrari starts preparations for Spanish GP on Tuesday
*
Ferrari will start their preparations for the Spanish GP on Tuesday
at the Fiorano circuit, before moving on to Mugello for the
remainder of the week to concentrate on the changes to the
electrical regulations.

Giancarlo De Angelis, head of Magneti Marelli's competition
department said: "As far as the hardware is concerned, it stays
the same as before, with two control boxes. The changes are all
to do with software. Each time could come up with different
solutions depending on their needs. The most important task for
the electronic controls is to tailor the torque of the engine in
order to avoid wheel spin. The new system should also make life
easier for the clutch, so there should no longer be any problems in
this area in the event of a re-start. The gear change will be
completely automatically controlled, which will also reduce the
strain on engine and gearbox. Road holding will be better and that
will improve safety and performance. However, we are convinced
that, even with the best system possible to meet the new rules,
the best and most sensitive drivers will continue to dominate."

Speed and Sonatrap, I really don't know where all this is leading F1, all I can say is I hope I am wrong, but I have a bad feeling about the direction where F1 is heading. And what will be the driver's job eventually? Scream I suppose. Not much else to while his time away while the car circulates.

[Liz]

Being familiar with software only to the degree that I know it is unreliable and capricious, filled with glitches that only show up at the most desperate time, what happens to these cars when this Remote Control thingy crashes? And the people in the cars, if there are any, don't know what to do except hang on?

What if that "Illegal operation" thing comes up in the middle of Eau Rouge? Will it alert the guy in the pits with the Remote Control to steer the car safely back home, giving an electric shock to the poor incompetent in the seat if he tries to touch anything relevant? (He can clutch his head, I suppose - that will be the least relevant part of the equipment.)

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Liz
Being familiar with software only to the degree that I know it is unreliable and capricious, filled with glitches that only show up at the most desperate time, what happens to these cars when this Remote Control thingy crashes? And the people in the cars, if there are any, don't know what to do except hang on?

What if that "Illegal operation" thing comes up in the middle of Eau Rouge? Will it alert the guy in the pits with the Remote Control to steer the car safely back home, giving an electric shock to the poor incompetent in the seat if he tries to touch anything relevant? (He can clutch his head, I suppose - that will be the least relevant part of the equipment.)

He is also permitted to scream
The thought of three cars going around the circuit with the drivers holding their heads and screaming is mind boggling.

[RALFANATOR]

I think willams & mclaen will have a big advantage in the TC war due to the fact that BMW & MREC are world leaders in these systems as there systems also inc anti slide and stabilitiy functions the greman's normal build things to be the best in world . But saying that FERRARI won't be caught napping but I do expect WILLAMS & MERC to have a head start to the TC war. Remember that all these team have used TC before the tech will be the only main differance.

[Sonatrap]

Helmet clutching screamers...what a nightmare.

I hope you are wrong V.B. but I can´t say I´m getting a good feeling about the way things are going either.

Can anybody sketch out a plausible happy ending? Could this be a temporary situation while a more sane, long term solution is drawn up ?

The drivers should speak up .After all salaries are bound to take a bit of a nose dive when helmet clutching and screaming become de rigueur

[Emfa]

Yes, some would say that F1 is on a slide "again." TC was done before and then they canned it. Sure, the technology is "better" now, but are the end results that different?

As to solutions ... what if someone were to start a rival F1 series where the regulations allowed for parity between driver skill and technology, and there was an alternative points system (see New Points System thread)? Does anyone have Paolo Cantarella's phone number - we will send someone over to have a word with him. Yikes - I can't believe I said that - slap my hand.

BTW - How many separate posts are there on TC that are active?

[Speed]

Originally posted by Liz
What if that "Illegal operation" thing comes up in the middle of Eau Rouge?

Very funny... but I really don't think they use any Billy's solution on TC. But wait !!!, what did I say ???, "no Billy's solution on TC"
MS ===>>> Microsoft ===>>> Michael Schumacher !!!!!!!
In fact, there's too much MS involved on this !