USF1 -- F1's All-American Challenger

[Jersey Tom]

It's all about talent. Not how long you're established, not how big your budget is.

Brawn has proven that.

USF1 has just as much potential.

Get over it.

[xpensive]

Having eaten the humble balaclava before, I'd be no stranger to up my antee on this one.
A tobacco-spittin' gentleman on the Melbourne grid in 2010? How 'bout a Nomex suit?

[WhiteBlue]

I never said that Americans cannot build an F1 chassis. I just noticed that it isn't done usually. It may be a bit more challenging to do this than people think. You certainly have to have some key figures in your mind on stiffness and what is going to get you crash worthiness in the tests. So without some inside guys who give away the know how you will be doing a lot of costly iterations to comply and be competitive. Just compare the last 8 years at Williams. They certainly know how to make a chassis but they screwed up the last 5% in aero that make a competitive car. If it were as easy as you think we had a ton cars made in Japan in the last decade with Honda and Toyota involved. They found out they could not do it and I reckon they have shown that they beat Americans in automotive quite comprehensivly today. So I look forward at what comes out of USF1. It will be entertaining without doubt, but will it be competitive?

[gridwalker]

It's all about talent. Not how long you're established, not how big your budget is.

Brawn has proven that.

USF1 has just as much potential.

Get over it.

This ignores the fact that Brawn's car was designed using Honda's millions and facilities ... Given how long that machine was in development, I'll bet much more than £40 million was spent on it before the car even hit the track.

[Jersey Tom]

There are some tremendous facilities and engineering talent in the Charlotte area.

[djos]

There are some tremendous facilities and engineering talent in the Charlotte area.

And if the Yanks can build the F22, F35, SR71, Space Shuttle, B2, F117 etc etc then they can bloody well build an F1 car if they put their minds to it!

Last time I checked, the only country that has ever had a successful manned Moon program is the good 'ol US of A, so im not going to write them off!

[Ray]

I never said that Americans cannot build an F1 chassis. I just noticed that it isn't done usually. It may be a bit more challenging to do this than people think. You certainly have to have some key figures in your mind on stiffness and what is going to get you crash worthiness in the tests. So without some inside guys who give away the know how you will be doing a lot of costly iterations to comply and be competitive. Just compare the last 8 years at Williams. They certainly know how to make a chassis but they screwed up the last 5% in aero that make a competitive car. If it were as easy as you think we had a ton cars made in Japan in the last decade with Honda and Toyota involved. They found out they could not do it and I reckon they have shown that they beat Americans in automotive quite comprehensivly today. So I look forward at what comes out of USF1. It will be entertaining without doubt, but will it be competitive?

Oh, --- off. Are you busting your ass to enter F1?

[WhiteBlue]

Oh, --- off. Are you busting your ass to enter F1?

Slowly man! I'm all for it to happen. Variety is the life blood of F1 in terms of nationalities and personalities. All I'm saying is that I don't expect them to do a Brawn GP act in their first 4 years.

I'm totally prepared to wait and see what will happen. If there is credit due for exceeding my expectations I will be the first to praise them.

[Professor]

Are you referring to Dita van Teese now? But she's german, no?

That's Dita Von Teese, not Van. And she is an American, born in Michigan. Another great American treasure. Nee - Heather Renée Sweet.

[Professor]

Anyway, after spending more years with colonials than I ever needed, I can appreciate your unawareness of individuals such as Anders Celsius, Sven Vingquist and CE Johansson?

And, I know a little about roller bearings and gauge blocks, but I thought Vingquist was spelled Wingquist. And wasn't Johansson the guy that produced most of his stuff in new York and worked for Ford USA for 20 years? I'm not sure because I haven't studied the history of mechanical engineering 100 years back.

[noname]

There are some tremendous facilities and engineering talent in the Charlotte area.

And if the Yanks can build the F22, F35, SR71, Space Shuttle, B2, F117 etc etc then they can bloody well build an F1 car if they put their minds to it!

Last time I checked, the only country that has ever had a successful manned Moon program is the good 'ol US of A, so im not going to write them off!

machines you've mentioned (except F35 which, in my opinion, is to young to be named as the success) were made long time ago.

since then America was focused mainly on financial engineering. how smart was that move we can see around. it's true there are quite a few smart people in US but personally I think GM better describes current potential of the US than SR71.

[djos]

There are some tremendous facilities and engineering talent in the Charlotte area.

And if the Yanks can build the F22, F35, SR71, Space Shuttle, B2, F117 etc etc then they can bloody well build an F1 car if they put their minds to it!

Last time I checked, the only country that has ever had a successful manned Moon program is the good 'ol US of A, so im not going to write them off!

machines you've mentioned (except F35 which, in my opinion, is to young to be named as the success) were made long time ago.

since then America was focused mainly on financial engineering. how smart was that move we can see around. it's true there are quite a few smart people in US but personally I think GM better describes current potential of the US than SR71.

Considering I work for the worlds 3rd largest Defense contractor (based across UK, US, EU & Aus) and have far more exposure to US tech, I'm going disagree with you!

[gridwalker]

... if the Yanks can build the F22, F35, SR71, Space Shuttle, B2, F117 etc etc then they can bloody well build an F1 car if they put their minds to it!

Last time I checked, the only country that has ever had a successful manned Moon program is the good 'ol US of A, so im not going to write them off!

machines you've mentioned (except F35 which, in my opinion, is to young to be named as the success) were made long time ago.

since then America was focused mainly on financial engineering. how smart was that move we can see around. it's true there are quite a few smart people in US but personally I think GM better describes current potential of the US than SR71.

Considering I work for the worlds 3rd largest Defense contractor (based across UK, US, EU & Aus) and have far more exposure to US tech, I'm going disagree with you!

I agree that the US defense industry does produce some mighty fine hardware, but would you care to list some examples that are neither government funded or military projects?

Racing is a civilian activity carried out in the private sector, so your examples should be relevant, otherwise you're comparing apples and oranges.

[noname]

(...)Considering I work for the worlds 3rd largest Defense contractor (based across UK, US, EU & Aus) and have far more exposure to US tech, I'm going disagree with you!

my opinion is based on more then 10 years of experience coming from the work for:

- world biggest jet engine manufacturer,
- world biggest gas turbine (energy applications) manufacturer,
- both of the 2 big airplanes manufacturers.

all of them are US-based and spread around the world (US, EU, Australia, China, India). during this time I had quite a few opportunities to find out how the big successes (if one is to believe what can be found in media) really look like and how many great designs had not been given chance to enter the world, in many cases due political reasons.

I've been to Wright-Patterson museum, Patriot Pointe, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and museum at Edwards Air Base several times, I saw all Xs, SR 71, B17, B29, B52, B1, B2, YF23, Valkiria, Spitfire, Saturn 5, Space crafts and lots of other amazing machines. I have a lot of respect and admiration for the people who created them and, I hate to say that, I do not think today's world (as in my view it's not only America's problem) is capable of creating something comparable with those designs. in fact I can not point any really great designs (like Blackbird, Concorde, not event mention Rome's aqueducts) born during last 20-30 years.

regards

[gridwalker]

machines you've mentioned (except F35 which, in my opinion, is to young to be named as the success) were made long time ago.

since then America was focused mainly on financial engineering. how smart was that move we can see around. it's true there are quite a few smart people in US but personally I think GM better describes current potential of the US than SR71.

Considering I work for the worlds 3rd largest Defense contractor (based across UK, US, EU & Aus) and have far more exposure to US tech, I'm going disagree with you!

I agree that the US defense industry does produce some mighty fine hardware, but would you care to list some examples that are neither government funded or military projects?

Racing is a civilian activity carried out in the private sector, so your examples should be relevant, otherwise you're comparing apples and oranges.

Actually, I'll answer my own question : Spaceship One, winner of the Ansari X-Prize.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/

I watched the X-Prize winning sub-orbital flights live on webcast (I love watching history being made), so I can't believe that I didn't think of this earlier.

If the American private sector can produce the first civilian craft to leave the earth's atmosphere, then F1 shouldn't be too much of a problem.