Curb problem claim “absolute rubbish” – Warwick

By Jul 1, 2013, 10:13 AM EDT
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Derek Warwick, former F1 driver and president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club which runs Silverstone, rubbished claims the tire failure seen in yesterday’s race were caused by problems with curbs.

“Absolute rubbish – these curbs have been in since 2009 and we have had thousands and thousands of cars go over these curbs and they have been absolutely fine,” Warwick told Sky.

During the race drivers were told to avoid using the curbs in several corners as teams suspected they might be contributing to the problems.

The curbs at The Loop and Becketts were under scrutiny as all five of the tire failures during the race occurred immediately after these bends.

But Warwick is convinced there was nothing wrong with them: “We have had them checked by the FIA and they conform fully with the FIA.”

“I think the problem is that we had the secret three-day test for Mercedes a few weeks ago – that test was to build a tire that was strong enough for the British GP.

“They came up with a tire and the teams then had to vote on bringing that new tire to Silverstone and three teams voted against bringing the new tire to Silverstone. So the teams need to look at themselves – they made the decision not to bring the new tire.

“I kind of blame Pirelli, but they did their best to bring a new tire to Silverstone and three teams voted against it.”

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
IndyCar
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”