Motorsports Trivia Thread!

[daan]

Back row (left to right) - Ken Tyrrell, ?, ?, ?, James Hunt, Graham Hill, Patrick Depailler, ?, ?, Clay Regazzoni
Front row (left to right) - Jody Scheckter, Derek Bell, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, Ronnie Peterson, ?, Deny Hulme

It was taken in 1974 at a cricket ground not too far away from Brands Hatch.

 

[TheCracker]

Ken Tyrrell, John Watson, Guy Edwards, Mike Hailwood, James Hunt, Graham Hill, Patrick Depailler, Peter Gethin, David Purley and Clay Regazzoni. Jody Scheckter, Derek Bell, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, Ronnie Peterson, Jochen Mass and Denny Hulme.

(Thanks Pinterest )

 

[Liquid]

I was wondering about John Watson. Forgot he used to have that beard; I thought it was Ringo Starr.

 

[TheCracker]

I was wondering about John Watson. Forgot he used to have that beard; I thought it was Ringo Starr.

I thought it was Snufkin from the Moomins.

 

[Liquid]

Open question:

What are the longest gaps between a team's pole positions? I was intrigued by Benetton not having a pole position between the 1986 Italian Grand Prix and the 1994 Monegasque Grand Prix.

That's 8 years and 118 Grands Prix. Brabham might run them close on this though.

Lotus Enstone Racing and Mercedes-Benz Brackley Grand Prix don't count.

 

[Dotini]

Open question:

What are the longest gaps between a team's pole positions? I was intrigued by Benetton not having a pole position between the 1986 Italian Grand Prix and the 1994 Monegasque Grand Prix.

That's 8 years and 118 Grands Prix. Brabham might run them close on this though.

Lotus Enstone Racing and Mercedes-Benz Brackley Grand Prix don't count.

Renault and Peugeot were winning GPs before WWI, and many decades transpired between their ancient and modern campaigns. But back then, there was no such thing as pole position, as lineups by practice times were an innovation of...the thirties?

 

[Jimlaad43]

Open question:

What are the longest gaps between a team's pole positions? I was intrigued by Benetton not having a pole position between the 1986 Italian Grand Prix and the 1994 Monegasque Grand Prix.

That's 8 years and 118 Grands Prix. Brabham might run them close on this though.

Lotus Enstone Racing and Mercedes-Benz Brackley Grand Prix don't count.

That is the longest by a team that has continuously raced. Technically, there are 4 teams with bigger gaps. Renault (France '84 to Malaysia '03), Alfa Romeo (Italy '51 to US East '80), Honda (Italy '68 to Australia '06) and Mercedes (Italy '55 to China '12)

 

[Liquid]

That is the longest by a team that has continuously raced. Technically, there are 4 teams with bigger gaps. Renault (France '84 to Malaysia '03), Alfa Romeo (Italy '51 to US East '80), Honda (Italy '68 to Australia '06) and Mercedes (Italy '55 to China '12)

I was unconsciously thinking more about continuously raced teams but the other info is still quite handy.

My own pernickerty views on continuity would preclude Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Honda somewhat but Alfa Romeo slipped my mind completely; mainly because of how crap they were when they returned.

Another question I don't know the answer to:

Why do some race tracks, like Magny-Cours and Imola, have two different start and finish lines? I think at Magny-Cours in particular the race starts at the start line (obviously) but the chequered flag and timing beam for the end of the lap is at the back of the grid.

 

[Jimlaad43]

I was unconsciously thinking more about continuously raced teams but the other info is still quite handy.

My own pernickerty views on continuity would preclude Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Honda somewhat but Alfa Romeo slipped my mind completely; mainly because of how crap they were when they returned.

Another question I don't know the answer to:

Why do some race tracks, like Magny-Cours and Imola, have two different start and finish lines? I think at Magny-Cours in particular the race starts at the start line (obviously) but the chequered flag and timing beam for the end of the lap is at the back of the grid.

The start/finish line is opposite race control - more specifically the timekeepers. In case the timing screens go down, they can look outside and do it manually. At Silverstone for example, the glass bit as they turn the corner into the pitlane is race control, which is why the finish line is there. You can't put the pole position there as there isn't much straight behind it.

You'll also have noticed if you follow Formula E that the finish line has to always be between the pit entry and exit.

 

[Pete05]

The start/finish line is opposite race control - more specifically the timekeepers. In case the timing screens go down, they can look outside and do it manually. At Silverstone for example, the glass bit as they turn the corner into the pitlane is race control, which is why the finish line is there. You can't put the pole position there as there isn't much straight behind it.

You'll also have noticed if you follow Formula E that the finish line has to always be between the pit entry and exit.

Same thing applies at Bathurst, Mount Panorama.

 

[Panoz]

Nearly every GP circuit today (Monaco is the only exception I can think right off) have the grid start line set farther down the main straight compare to the timing and scoring line.

 

[Jimlaad43]

I merely have Silverstone as an example because it's the track I know best. Some like Brands Hatch have them together, but it all comes down to architecture.

 

[Liquid]

I merely have Silverstone as an example because it's the track I know best. Some like Brands Hatch have them together, but it all comes down to architecture.

So it's the structure of the start/finish straight and the pit complex/race control area which determines whether the start line and finish line are different or the same?

 

[Jimlaad43]

So it's the structure of the start/finish straight and the pit complex/race control area which determines whether the start line and finish line are different or the same?

The finish line is opposite the timekeepers office, and thats where the flags are shown. Pole Position is a minimum of 250m away from the apex of turn 1, and is placed where they can fit a mostly straight grid behind.

 

[GTP_Nail]

View attachment 667498
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Williams!

 

[Com Fox]

Speaking of start/finish lines, does anyone know why Spa has 2 different sets of start/finish lines and it's not even like they're in opposite ends, they are one corner away of each other.

I know stuff like F1 use the one before the corner and I think WEC or Blancpaib use the one after the corner but why do they do this? What difference does it make to make it relevant?

 

[daan]

Speaking of start/finish lines, does anyone know why Spa has 2 different sets of start/finish lines and it's not even like they're in opposite ends, they are one corner away of each other.

I know stuff like F1 use the one before the corner and I think WEC or Blancpaib use the one after the corner but why do they do this? What difference does it make to make it relevant?

The traditional start line at Spa is the one that the WEC use (with Eau rouge as the first corner) and that's the start they now use for races that have a rolling start. For standing start races, they use the new F1/F2/GP3 line so that the first corner (La Source) is a slow corner, so any accident there won't be as severe as it could be if the corner was eau rouge.

I think the powers that be see a rolling start as safer than a standing start as everyone is going at roughly the same speed, whereas with a standing start you can have a slow starter and a fast starter, going either side of a medium starter, and that has more likelihood of ending up as an accident.

EDIT: Can you imagine how much worse this would have been had it happened at eau rouge? It was bad enough being at a slow speed corner...

 

[Liquid]

Something to share rather than ask:

According to this 1998 video, Sauber's customer Ferrari engines were not just rebadged year-old Ferrari engines. In the words of Peter Sauber himself, the engines are 75% core Ferrari base and 25% Sauber engineered; that 25% engineered by Sauber being handled by Honda's former F1 engine project leader.

I was always curious exactly what the arrangement was with customer engines.

 

[Jimlaad43]

What links Pastor Maldonado, Pat Flaherty, Bill Vukovich, Jo Bonnier and Thierry Boutsen, which makes them better than drivers like Jenson Button, Ayrton Senna, Stirling Moss and Jarno Trulli?

 

[SagarisGTB]

Pole conversion rate? Maldonado and Bonnier got their only F1 World Championship win from their lone pole. Button (never converted his early career poles with BAR), Senna (far more poles than wins), and Trulli (didn't start the race after his US 2005 pole for Michelin related reasons) certainly didn't convert all their poles into wins.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Yep. MAL, FLA, VUK, BON and BOU are the only drivers with 100% Pole/Win ratios.

 

[Dotini]

Yep. MAL, FLA, VUK, BON and BOU are the only drivers with 100% Pole/Win ratios.

I'm hearing quacks. Boutsen had fewer poles than wins. That's less than 100% ratio. Button also had more wins than poles. Yet you have them in your two different categories.

You had a good basic idea for your trivia question, yet you have screwed the pooch - together your bud, @SagarisGTB

 

[Jimlaad43]

I'm hearing quacks. Boutsen had fewer poles than wins. That's less than 100% ratio. Button also had more wins than poles. Yet you have them in your two different categories.

You had a good basic idea for your trivia question, yet you have screwed the pooch - together your bud, @SagarisGTB

Boutsen won every race he started on pole

 

[Liquid]

In Formula One what distinction is shared by tyre manufacturers Goodyear and Dunlop that is not shared with Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, Firestone, Continental, Engelbert and Avon?

 

[Com Fox]

In Formula One what distinction is shared by tyre manufacturers Goodyear and Dunlop that is not shared with Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, Firestone, Continental, Engelbert and Avon?

Currently the only tyre manufacturers to pull off 8 wins in a row.

 

[Liquid]

Currently the only tyre manufacturers to pull off 8 wins in a row.

Incorrect.

There have been periods where Goodyear (1987-88, 1992-97), Bridgestone (1999-00, 2007-10) and Pirelli (2011-present) were the only tyre manufacturer and thus won all the races in that period.

 

[Com Fox]

Incorrect.

There have been periods where Goodyear (1987-88, 1992-97), Bridgestone (1999-00, 2007-10) and Pirelli (2011-present) were the only tyre manufacturer and thus won all the races in that period.

Oops, noticed the missing word in my answer, let me rephrase it.

Currently the only tyre manufacturers to pull off 8 season wins in a row.

Probably not the answer you wanted but none of the others you mentioned have won 8 seasons in a row . Granted should probably do more research on this.

 

[Liquid]

Oops, noticed the missing word in my answer, let me rephrase it.

Currently the only tyre manufacturers to pull off 8 season wins in a row.

Probably not the answer you wanted but none of the others you mentioned have won 8 seasons in a row . Granted should probably do more research on this.

True, it's not a strictly defined question it's more of an anomoly I spotted so it's open to interpretation but 'winning seasons' does play a part in the distinction Goodyear and Dunlop have that the other suppliers do not.

 

[Roo]

Prodrive chalked up their 300th race or rally win last weekend, when Aston Martin won GTE Am at COTA, and they've listed their most successful drivers:

"Having hit 300 wins this weekend you may not be surprised to see who tops the Prodrive driver leader board of race or rally wins, but you may be surprised at some of the rest.

Colin McRae 31
Mark Winterbottom 27
Frank Sytner 24
Pedro Lamy 18
Darren Turner 16
Paul Dalla Lana 14
Petter Solberg 13
Richard Burns 12
Francois Chatriot 12
Stefan Mucke 11
James Weaver 11
Mathias Lauda 11
Saeed Al Hajri 10
Chris Atkinson 10"

Edit: Today Prodrive posted the list of cars that took their 300 victories:

Subaru Impreza WRC 49
Ford Falcon V8 supercar 42
BMW M3 touring car 39
Aston Martin Vantage GTE 36
BMW M3 rally car 27
Subaru Legacy RS 19
Subaru Impreza group A 18
Porsche 911 SC RS 15
Ford Mondeo Super Touring Car 12
VW Golf SCRC 11
Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello 9
Aston Martin DBR9 9
Honda Accord Super Touring Car 5
Aston Martin DBR1-2 4
Metro 6R4 3
Porsche 959 1
MINI RX 1

 

[Com Fox]

Here is a little fun question and a throwback to the time of replays were somehow sponsored.

Which motorsport championship once had their replays brought to you by: Mario Kart: Super Circuit?

Hint: This only was a thing at the start of the season and was eventually replaced later on (likely because the game already came out).