Thursday, 28.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Misano - this and that

Misano - this and that

31. May 2006First there was the wrench of having to say goodbye, because Carlos Funes will in future occupy another position at the FIA and will be responsible for the FIA European Rally Cross Championship. Being the technical delegate in charge, Carlos - as he was called by the entire paddock - had quarrels with all of the pilots or the teams from time to time, but now that he was going to leave people felt really sad. Buggyra racing manager Seline Hellmonds had put together a collage showing the course of his career during his truck racing time. <br />
Otherwise, the main topic in Misano for once wasn't the speed measurement per GPS which - as we all know - is rather problematic in Misano, but the continuously smouldering anger about the short interval between the races in Misano and in Albacete. Nobody from the representatives of the Circuito di Santamonica could explain why the traditional date for Misano - the 3rd weekend in May - was postponed for one week, especially since the circuit would have been free at the 3rd weekend. And because of this postponement the teams are now forced to make strenuous efforts to cover 1,800 km within 2 or 3 days. Some teams want to make the tour a bit less exhausting by taking the ferry boat from Genoa to Barcelona. But the duration of the boat trip is 17 hours, which means they have to arrive in Genoa at 7:00 p.m. on Monday at the latest. That's why most of the teams will take the less time consuming overland journey along the Riviera. It must be doubted, however, whether they will be able to enjoy the beauty of the scenery. <br />
Topic no. 2 was the above mentioned speed measurement. There were no extraordinary incidents that we know of, since there was again an additional checking by radar. One of these measurements was listed in the results lists But why this particular spot was chosen nobody knows. Because the times measured there where nowhere near the critical limit of 160 km/h. But maybe all this problems with the GPS measurements will soon be a thing of the past. As already told, a team from Siemens VDO ran tests with a digital tachograph which had been modified for truck racing. This device will be used at the Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring with the sole purpose of monitoring the speed limit. And perhaps we will have this device already at the coming season for all the races of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship. <br />
The flying start is again a subject for discussion this season. It's an urgent matter to have standard rules and to put them into practice consequently. In case of doubt the start has to be stopped and, if necessary, must be repeated until the last of the drivers get’s it into his head. And if somebody still thinks he has to twitch or to step on the accelerator a bit early, then the rules allow to take sanctions. Most important is to have uniform rules, so that the pilots no longer have the impression that some of them are favoured while others are disadvantaged. Same with the ratings of the black smoke. Here a standard proceeding is imperative. It is clearly laid down in the regulations that a truck giving off heavy smoke has to take to the pit. There are still trucks which emit clouds of smoke, especially during the acceleration, and sometimes they see the black flag, but other times they don’t. <br />
But finally some pleasant news. Last Thursday, members of the technical committee met representatives of the manufacturers of commercial vehicles to discuss the technical regulations for the coming season. According to the participants, the long session was worthwhile. For a long time there hadn’t been so great an unanimity as now, and it is to be hoped that the decision makers of the FIA will not be opposed to the results.