Before there was the nutty-as-a-fruitcake FIA Group B racing, there was the only-slightly-daft FIA Group 5. Group 5 is the series that saw the 1500 hp Porsche 917 in 1970 and ’71 and the Porsche 935 later in the decade. The Group 5 formula changed significantly over the decade, as demonstrated by the two vastly different examples of racers that Porsche entered into competition. Whereas the 917 was a pure prototype with only 25 built (under the watchful eye of one Ferdinand Piëch), the rules were later changed to force manufacturers into entering “special production cars” that had to be based on normal production models, which is why the 935 was based on the 911 Turbo. In Group 5, the 935 competed with the likes of the Ferrari 512BB LM, the BMW 3.0CSL, and the BMW M1. Despite the stiff competition, the 935 won a full 33% of the races it entered, including the outright win at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, 6 wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona, 3 wins at the 1000km Nürburgring, and 6 wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
SpeedTV has just reported on their recent conversation with the FIA’s Nick Craw regarding that organisation’s recent talks with the beleaguered USF1. While it is unlikely that they have, in fact, been wasting time making space-age toasters, it’s equally clear that they’re not going to be ready to race at Bahrain in a few weeks time. With that in mind, what does USF1 intend to do? Official word is relayed in this video. To be honest, the first two options seem rather unlikely, at best.
Putting an end to the rampant rumours currently circulating the F1 world, the FIA has clarified today that the new Concorde Agreement does not allow teams under F1 contract the luxury of not showing up for three races. Instead, it insists that all teams must be present for every race, or else they will have infringed upon both FIA regulations and the Concorde Agreement.
It’s official: the FIA World Motorsports Council convened on Friday, 11 December and approved a new points system for F1 that will go into effect from 2010. Follow the jump for more.
If you’ve ever wondered what an F1 race staged at this circuit might look like, you can stop. Turns out it’s about 99.99999999% likely to not ever happen, after all. Reasons why after the jump.
October 23rd marks the day that a new FIA president will be elected to replace Max Mosley, who will finally be stepping down. Will it be Ari Vatanen or Jean Todt? Not keen to go quietly, Mosley’s in the midst of a new scandal on the eve of this important event. Find out what it is after the jump.
After a crucial misstep by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes pit crew with reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton’s front right tire, the 2009 European Grand Prix at Valencia officially became Barrichello’s to lose. So did he disappoint?
If you’ve ever wondered what an F1 race staged at this circuit might look like, you can stop. Turns out it’s about 99.99999999% likely to not ever happen, after all. Reasons why after the jump. 
October 23rd marks the day that a new FIA president will be elected to replace Max Mosley, who will finally be stepping down. Will it be Ari Vatanen or Jean Todt? Not keen to go quietly, Mosley’s in the midst of a new scandal on the eve of this important event. Find out what it is after the jump. 
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