Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/05/carb-day-final-practice.html
Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis
Saturday
Friday
The value of an F1 budget cap
There is only one possible conclusion when one looks at the Formula 1 teams: they are not very good businessmen. They use all their energy to spend all that they earn – and more – in order to win. In doing so they burn through indecent amounts of money, which simply serve to cast the […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/the-value-of-an-f1-budget-cap/
Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto Jean Alesi
SRT CEO denies poor Viper demand
Back in October we reported that SRT needed to slow production of the new generation Viper, due to poor demand. However, it looks like now Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of Chrysler?s SRT Brand and Motorsports, says that the car has indeed a bright future and that the company has "several hundred units outstanding we still have to build."
Gilles said that the Viper indeed had some problems at launch and this is why the company had to postpone initial deliver, but now the interest in the new Viper is very strong.
It looks like the problem was not the car, but the dealers whom had no idea how to promote the car. The new Viper has a base price of $97,395 - a lot more than the previous car, so it was to be expected to hear that customers will ask more for the money. SRT wants to allow its customers to choose "their color, their stripe, their package, their interior," but the dealers wanted to "anticipate the market and ended up creating a car that may not be the right car."
To fix the problem SRT launched a fourth-quarter training program called "All Access Tour" that brings together dealers, current owners and potential customers. Basically thanks to this new program, the potential buyers will have the chance to test the car and see what they will get for the money.
Gilles confirmed that all the Anodized Carbon were spoken for and that the new Time Attack edition sold out in just three days.
Click past the jump to read more about the SRT Viper.
SRT CEO denies poor Viper demand originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 28 November 2013 13:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/srt-ceo-denies-poor-viper-demand-ar161401.html
George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage
Thursday
The future of Nico Hulkenberg
In Formula 1 things can move quickly so something that is said 36 hours ago may not always be true if written today. However on Sunday I was assured by Force India and by Nico Hulkenberg’s people that no agreement had been signed between the two of them. This was not really a surprise. Although […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/the-future-of-nico-hulkenberg/
Wednesday
Tuesday
Here?s Greg Biffle spinning Jimmie Johnson around by the collar (GIF)
Need proof that Greg Biffle grabbed Jimmie Johnson by the scruff of his firesuit? Here it is.
Kudos to Johnson for staying incredibly calm in the aftermath. While a kerfluffle would have been intriguing, a la Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon at Phoenix last year, Johnson's got much more to worry about than Greg Biffle. And that calmness that Johnson showed in the GIF above is a big reason why he's so successful.
Biffle later apologized on Twitter.
I Apologize for the way I acted towards @JimmieJohnson after the race,hard racing and I know the bumper had damage already but not dragging
? Greg Biffle (@gbiffle) October 28, 2013
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Monday
Stewart-Haas Racing names Daniel Knost as Kurt Busch?s crew chief
Daniel Knost will be the crew chief for Kurt Busch at Stewart-Haas Racing next year.
The team announced Knost's promotion along with some other organizational changes on Tuesday, including the official announcement that Chad Johnston would be atop the pit box for Tony Stewart.
Greg Zipadelli, who was Stewart's crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing and has served as the team's competition director, will be the teams vice president of competition. Matt Borland, formerly Ryan Newman's crew chief, will be the team's vice president of engineering.
Knost has been with the team since before it was Stewart-Haas Racing and was Haas-CNC Racing. He formerly served as the race engineer for Newman's car.
Rodney Childers will be Kevin Harvick's crew chief and Tony Gibson will be staying with Danica Patrick.
?Our greatest asset at Stewart-Haas Racing is our people,? Stewart said in a release. ?Obviously, there is a lot of change happening for 2014 as we grow to four teams and bring in Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. But with our new management structure and the crew chiefs we have in place, we?re well positioned to handle whatever challenges come our way. Collectively, we have the experience and wherewithal necessary for each of our teams to perform at the highest level possible.?
In other crew chief news, Mike Kelley will be the crew chief for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. next season, replacing Scott Graves. Graves is moving to the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway. Kelley and Stenhouse won the 2011 and 2012 Nationwide Series titles together.
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Sunday
Lotus and Heikki
The Lotus team confirmed Heikki Kovalainen for the last two races of the year this morning Texas time after Caterham gave the go ahead. No racing team ever does anything for nothing, if there is something it wants in exchange and I hear that there was a quid pro quo with Lotus agreeing to release […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/lotus-and-heikki/
Jack Brabham† Bill Brack Ernesto Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla
Saturday
Happy Hour: Your reactions to Fox Sports 1 and more
Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy. Right? Oh who are we kidding, this is NASCAR. No one is ever happy.
Last week I posed the question about why people were so unhappy with the transition from Speed to Fox Sports 1. And y'all responded. Thanks for that. This week's mailbag will primarily focus on that, as there was some good reaction. Let's get started.
If you can not agree that FS1 is a major face change from SPEED you must not be watching on Fridays, SPEED was all about racing, granted the stupid reality stuff with Rutt and Kyle and Kenny was utter nonsense, but it focused primarily on racing and cars. FS1 is about competing with ESPN, I do not care about soccer or the British commentators. It is just weird to hear the accent describing NASCAR, and it is just wrong. The race day coverage is still using that cheating Waltrip, who needs to listen to that fool. The commercials are relentless, the same stupid tired rerun that never changes. The racing commercials like Home Depot, or Subway are few an far between because the major sponsors are bailing out at an alarming rate, it's all about the chase, and the sponsors know if they are not in, NO COVERAGE, the package will change for only the first 26 shows, then nothing. If the 24 wins the CUP after being given a spot, you will see the biggest revolt that ever happened in NASCAR, THE FANS ARE TIRED OF THE MANIPULATION OF THE RACES. When folks go to the short track instead of the CUP race, it's says it all. Again, if you do not see and feel a difference, you are in the wrong business!
- Jim
First off, I never said that it wasn't a big change, and stop with the British nonsense. You mentioned a key point when you said "utter nonsense." The key parts of NASCAR programming has been kept on television (again, with the exception of Wind Tunnel and SpeedCenter). Many of the other non-live event programming that was on Speed was superfluous.
Racing commercials being on a racing network but not an all-sports network shouldn't be that hard to figure out. And Jim, you don't have to worry about Jeff Gordon any longer.
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I can put up with Fox 1 but what really frosts me is that Fox 2 has usurped so much of the action programming. Dish Network has split the two Foxes and will only provide me with Fox 2 if I buy an expensive addition to my existing coverage package. Don't tell me that NNS qualifying was never televised - that's bunk - and of the two practice sessions on Saturday, at least one was televised by Speed. Since Dish brags about their viewership, how many fans are being shut out or shaken down? If nothing else this, coupled with the boring racing, is having the effect of weaning me from NASCAR.
- Carol
Carol, sorry, but you're caught in the middle of a nice carrier and company dispute. If you're in Fox's shoes, wouldn't you be putting programming that people want to watch on your No. 2 channel in the hopes that someone would move it to a stronger tier? You would.
If you're the cable company, would you not want to be strong-armed into paying a higher rate for the unproven No. 2 channel all while hoping that you could recoup more money from the people that need to upgrade to a higher tier to watch it?
I'm not picking sides, I just hope people realize all of this. And also that in 2013, sports programming and cable television isn't free, though I do think it's absurd that a channel like NBC Sports Network wasn't on my family's Dish satellite tier package when I went to watch the F1 race Sunday morning while in Texas.
Most of my television programming is sports related, and I realize that on my bill accordingly. It's about the tradeoff. More to come after this next one...
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Here is why many people don't like the change from Speed to FoxSports 1. We already have ESPN, and ESPN2, and 10 other sports channels, which mostly focus on football, basketball, and baseball. Speed was about cars, racing, motorcross, monstertrucks, boats, ATV's and such. That was the appeal to that channel. If you wanted other sports, tune in somewhere else. Now FS1 takes over, and it's a channel that at best runs 20% motorsports programs. The rest is just a copy of ESPN, with some MMA mixed in.
I still watch it, but I don't sing praises about the change. The other fun feature is if you want to get a little more race coverage, switch over to FS2, except you have to upgrade your dish/cable package to get it for another $20 per month. No thanks. I miss Speed.
- Carl
Speed was once in a very small position and had to grow their audience and distribution incrementally. This is not something that's a new phenomenon for FS2. And if memory serves me correctly, for Directv subscribers, Speed was on the current package that Fox Sports 2 is now. It's a process, and while a la carte pricing may be closer than ever, it's still a long way away.
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Why? indeed!
How about, SpeedTV was about motor sports.
Now, we have a channel that is about all kinds of sports.
They feel compelled to compete with ESPN, ESPN2, ComcastSports, NHL Network, NFL Network, NBCSports, local sports channels, etc.
So Fox 1 covers Baseball, Football, etc.
I turn on SpeedTV and can see any number of different motor sports.
Now, I get three hours of post RedSox World Series victory coverage. (And I'm a SoxNation sports fan!)
I want motor sports coverage. Everything else is just a game...I have dozens of channels here in Boston to get coverage of silly games...
Where's my SpeedTV?
- Greg
Yes the racing coverage is still there but most of the other programs are gone. Two Guys Garage, My Classic Car, and pretty much anything but the race coverage. But the worst is all the promos about other sports shows and commercials unrelated to cars and racing, etc.
SPEED channel was about cars and racing ? it was aimed at us gearheads and we miss it. I don?t want to hear about football and the other stick and ball sports. FS1 is trying to be ESPN ? God help us and save us from that crap.
- Larry
I know this isn't a popular around these parts, but does anyone who is mad about the change want to give credence to the idea that there wasn't an audience for a motorsports-only channel any longer? Or should I say the widespread audience for a motorsports channel? We saw the direction that Speed was going with more and more NASCAR-centric racing programming and ridiculous shows like Pinks and the like. Other racing series were hardly mentioned, and if the two news shows that we mentioned above were drawing audiences that were sustainable in the eyes of executives, they wouldn't have disappeared.
Change is hard. I realize that. But there's nothing that can be done, and there will not be a motorsports channel anytime soon. Your best bet for that is NBC Sports Network in 2015. A bunch of racing and soccer? That's a perfect channel in my eyes, and no, I'm not just saying that because of our alliance.
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I was reading the debate about caution laps not being counted so I'll put my 2 cents worth in. Don't count caution laps in the last 10 laps.
- Mary
I'd be good with this, and I'd also be good with the idea that the race isn't over if a caution comes out on the last lap. It would also help eliminate those stinking fuel mileage races that so many people seem to dislike.
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Harvick- Pot calling the kettle black. Since the arrival of Jeff Gordon, all the drivers have been spoiled little rich kids. Harvick is a very good driver, but he would never have had the opportunity to develop his skills if he had not been a rich kid.
- John
Harvick's father was a firefighter and local racer. That's a far cry from the empire that is RCR.
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NASCAR is not stock car racing and it shouldn?t be. You had a letter that a gentleman wanted stock car racing, try going to your local track. About 8 years ago when I lived in Ocala, Florida, I went to the weekend races at the local track. They had five races: 4 cylinders ? usually won by Mustangs and a couple Toyota pickups, 6 cylinders ? a Buick Skylark and a Nissan Maxima seem unbeatable, 8 cylinder ? various winners, Modified ? most could not tell what the original car was, and finally sprint car ? offset tires, roll cage with sheet metal and bore out motor. It was a blast every time, but of little or no interest to anyone outside the local community. Drivers attracted family and friends. Beer, burgers, and bonfires followed the race on those hot Florida summer nights.
NASCAR tried going back to its root with the IROC series. Matched cars that were shuffled between drivers so no one had an advantage and it died on the vine in the 90s. NASCAR is about top teams using top equipment for top results, period. That is what true NASCAR fans live for. I feel that NASCAR has already address most of the issue with the Truck Series, Nationwide and the Sprint Cup. If you want more look into ISMA and Road Rally.
- Kenn
Kenn nails it. If there was enough of an audience for true "stock" racing, it'd be around. Heck, try watching the V8 Supercars.
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hello i am writing to find out where i can buy the jimmie johnson car ??
- Charlene
You have come to the wrong place, Charlene. Try Hendrick Motorsports. Though I'm not sure they're looking to sell any of Jimmie's cars or if you could afford one.
Thanks everyone! We'll see you next week.
Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen
Friday
Thursday
Piquet undergoes heart surgery
Nelson Piquet is on the road to recovery following an operation in Sao Paulo to place a stent in his heart to improve the blood flow. The 61-year-old triple World Champion was treated at the Albert Einstein Hospital, where he remains for the time-being. Piquet has been suffering from heart problems for a couple of […]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/piquet-undergoes-heart-surgery/
Kurt Adolff Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers
Wednesday
Right rear tire on Paul Menard?s car explodes after he enters the pits
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- A fire in the right wheel well of Paul Menard's car meant bad news for his right-rear tire.
Contact on a restart jammed up the field, and Menard ended up with a cut tire, which compounded itself into a fire in the wheel well.
"I guess a bunch of rubber got wrapped up underneath around the axle I guess," Menard said. "Came in a couple of times trying to fix the damage and try to get the rubber off. We didn't get it all and I guess it just caught fire. I didn't really know it until there was a little bit of spark coming in the car and landed on the window net; thought that was kind of weird. About a lap later they said I was on fire, I lost my brakes and then the damn wheel blew right off."
That tire explosion happened as Menard's crew approached his car to inspect the issue. As team members encroached with an extinguisher and fresh tire, the hot fire expanded the air in the tire and it exploded, blowing the wheel off. (You can see in the video that the violence of the pop lifts Menard's car off the ground before it settles to rest.)
It was like the micro version of what happened to Juan Pablo Montoya at the 2012 Daytona 500.
While that lap 193 restart proved dangerous for Menard and crew, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth escaped. The field accordioned when Jeff Gordon couldn't get going and Kenseth and Johnson were in the morass of fender-bumping. However, Kenseth escaped without significant damage and Johnson's left-front fender wasn't dented enough to derail his quest for a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.
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Follow @NickBromberg
Tuesday
Remember him? Denny Hamlin grabs Sprint Cup pole at Martinsville
One of Denny Hamlin's best tracks is Martinsville Speedway. Though we can't blame you for forgetting that in the midst of all of the discussion surrounding Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.
Since returning from the back injury he suffered at California, Hamlin has struggled. The top 10 he had at Charlotte was his first since in June at Pocono. Start of a run? Well, last week at Talladega, his engine blew.
On Friday, Hamlin reminded everyone that he's pretty good at Martinsville, and got the pole for Sunday's race. Before qualifying, Hamlin said he'd be a factor, but that his team hadn't done anything this season to deserve favorite status.
"I think that we need to perform on the race track and they'll notice us tomorrow and they'll notice us Sunday, but I don't feel any type of entitlement to being a favorite. Especially how we've run these last six months or so has been very tough," Hamlin said.
"We've definitely been sort of a non-factor I guess you could say as far as race wins are concerned. I think for the competition or anyone from the outside to think that the 11 is going to be the favorite going into a track where we struggled to run top-10 lately would be farfetched. However, I'm pretty sure and pretty confident that we're going to be a pretty large force on Sunday."
He's been a large force in qualifying despite the limited schedule. Friday was his fifth pole. But outside of finishing fourth in the Coca-Cola 600, those strong qualifying results haven't meant good race finishes. He ended up 25th at California after the crash, 34th at Dover, and 28th at Bristol.
As for Johnson and Kenseth, we'll they'll be nose-to-tail when the green flag drops. Johnson qualified second to Hamlin and Kenseth was fourth. Kyle Busch will start third and Clint Bowyer will start fifth.
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NASCAR rolls out 2014 Sprint Cup schedule with few changes in place
NASCAR has announced its schedule for 2014, and it looks remarkably like the schedule for 2013.
The only major change is a swapping of dates between Darlington and the Kansas spring race. Kansas will now run a Saturday evening race on Mother's Day weekend. All other races remain on their designated weekends, with the exception of Texas and Martinsville, which will run a week earlier in the spring. The series will have only two breaks from mid-February to mid-November: after Darlington in April and after New Hampshire in July. Also, the Chase slate remains identical. Road courses and other tracks will have to wait for future Chases.
NASCAR Vice President Steve O'Donnell addressed the questions of sweeping schedule changes, including new Chase races. "It's certainly something we look at, but it's not as easy as just flipping the switch and moving [a race]," he said. "There's a lot of things that come into play with weather, TV calendars, travel. So it's something that we're taking a bigger look at every year. I think that we're more open than we've ever been to looking at those things."
The 2015 schedule, with new broadcast partner NBC Sports entering the mix, is likely to see more significant changes than 2014.
Here's the complete Sprint Cup schedule, including non-points-paying races. Start making those travel plans now:
2/15/2014 ? Sprint Unlimited (Daytona)
2/20/2014 ? Budweiser Duels (Daytona)
2/23/2014 ? Daytona 500
3/2/2014 ? Phoenix International Raceway
3/9/2014 ? Las Vegas Motor Speedway
3/16/2014 ? Bristol Motor Speedway
3/23/2014 ? Auto Club Speedway
3/30/2014 ? Martinsville Speedway
4/6/2014 ? Texas Motor Speedway
4/12/2014 ? Darlington Raceway
4/26/2014 ? Richmond International Raceway
5/4/2014 ? Talladega Superspeedway
5/10/2014 ? Kansas Speedway
5/17/2014 ? All-Star Race (Charlotte)
5/25/2014 ? Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/1/2014 ? Dover International Speedway
6/8/2014 ? Pocono Raceway
6/15/2014 ? Michigan International Speedway
6/22/2014 ? Sonoma Raceway
6/28/2014 ? Kentucky Speedway
7/5/2014 ? Daytona International Speedway
7/13/2014 ? New Hampshire Motor Speedway
7/27/2014 ? Indianapolis Motor Speedway
8/3/2014 ? Pocono Raceway
8/10/2014 ? Watkins Glen International
8/17/2014 ? Michigan International Speedway
8/23/2014 ? Bristol Motor Speedway
8/31/2014 ? Atlanta Motor Speedway
9/6/2014 ? Richmond International Raceway
9/14/2014 ? Chicagoland Speedway
9/21/2014 ? New Hampshire Motor Speedway
9/28/2014 ? Dover International Speedway
10/5/2014 ? Kansas Speedway
10/11/2014 ? Charlotte Motor Speedway
10/19/2014 ? Talladega Superspeedway
10/26/2014 ? Martinsville Speedway
11/2/2014 ? Texas Motor Speedway
11/9/2014 ? Phoenix International Raceway
11/16/2014 ? Homestead-Miami Speedway
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Monday
Power Rankings: And then there were two. For now, anyway
It's time for Power Rankings! After every race, we'll opine about who we think is at the top of the Sprint Cup heap and how and why they got there. Remember, this isn't scientific, as our formula is the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. So let's get on with it now, shall we?
1. Matt Kenseth: (LW: 1): Kenseth described his car as "evilest" at one point during Sunday's race. He openly wondered if it was a word. He wasn't the only person struggling with his car all weekend, though a pit road speeding penalty and a caution flag right after a green flag pit stop will make things a lot tougher than they should be. Considering all of that, 11th place was enough to hold on to the points lead, and thus, Power Rankings.
[Related: Kyle Busch complicates Chase chances]
Lucky Dog: Marcos Ambrose. The spin that Aussie had worked out and put him on a put strategy that had him fourth at the final restart. He faded to ninth, but recorded his fourth top 10 of the year.
The DNF: Newman will get this one, as he started sliding trying to avoid the crashed Allgaier and had absolutely nowhere to go. He's 12th and just 10 points ahead of Kahne in 13th.
Dropped out: Newman.
Sunday
Jerez Moto2 & Moto3 Test, Day 1 Times: Luthi And Miller Start 2014 Campaign In Charge
While the MotoGP teams have packed up and finished for the year - with the exception of a couple of Open class teams, who will be testing at Jerez at the end of the month - the Moto2 and Moto3 have headed to Jerez for the first test of their 2014 season. The first test sees a host of new faces making their debuts. A gaggle of champions enter Moto2, with World Supersport champ Sam Lowes, Moto3 champion Maverick Viñales and AMA Superbike champion Josh Herrin entering the fray. In Moto3, Red Bull Rookies Cup winner Karel Hanika makes his first appearance in the world championship.
At the end of the first day, Thomas Luthi led the Moto2 class, though it was tight as ever at the front, with just over a tenth of a second covering the top three of Luthi, Jordi Torres and Mika Kallio. Sam Lowes made a very impressive debut, just four tenths off the time of Luthi. Herrin had a little more trouble adapting, ending the day 2.2 seconds slower than the fastest man of the day. Moto3 champion Viñales ended his first session under two seconds behind Luthi, but well ahead of the man he spent the year fighting the Moto3 championship with, Luis Salom, who was 3.4 seconds off the pace of Luthi.
Saturday
Friday
Phoenix is Bobby Labonte?s final race of 2013
Could Sunday be the final race of Bobby Labonte's Sprint Cup Series career?
The 2000 Cup champion hasn't announced plans for next season, and with almost every full-time team set for next season, unless Labonte can snag a part-time role or hitch on with a new team, Phoenix may be his 718th and last start. (Though don't be surprised if a team puts Labonte in its car for the Daytona 500 for the use of the Past Champion's Provisional.)
It's been a trying season for Labonte and JTG-Daugherty Racing. The team brought AJ Allmendinger on board for what it deemed to be a second opinion earlier this season. Allmendinger's first race was at Michigan in June, while Labonte was able to catch a ride with Phoenix Racing to keep his consecutive starts streak intact.
However, two weeks later at Kentucky, Allmendinger was in the No. 47 again and Labonte didn't have a ride and the streak ended at 704 races. Allmendinger is scheduled to drive the No. 47 at Homestead and signed with the team to drive in 2014.
Over Labor Day weekend, Labonte was scheduled to drive for Phoenix again at Atlanta, but broke his ribs in a cycling accident and missed three weeks.
Labonte hasn't won since 2003, so for many newer NASCAR fans, his past accomplishments may be overlooked. However, whenever he is eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, his career will serve as a fascinating barometer for how voters will consider the standards for drivers.
Through his 717 starts to date, Labonte has 21 wins, 115 top fives and that 2000 championship. Is that enough to be in the Hall of Fame? For reference, Dale Jarrett, a 2013 inductee, finished with 32 wins and a Cup title, but Jarrett also won the Daytona 500 three times.
Is any driver who wins a Cup title a Hall of Famer? Labonte's inclusion or exclusion may answer that question. What do you think?
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Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels Edgar Barth Giorgio Bassi
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