Team GB - Who should drive?

[Kebab]

<sigh> more Kerr-bashing

I think the point is his career is stagnant more than he's average. Whoever is looking after him needs to get him into a race winning car & team.

I've said it before, but without a massive slice of luck no-one would win in the GB car ... other teams are way ahead (mainly Germany & NZ).

You'd think Team GB would have the best talent available to run the car ... and aren't they supposed to be working with Canada?

[flexible-flyer]

Originally Posted by ISPL

I have some glasses without a rose coloured tint if you ever want to borrow them.

well i make no secret of the fact im a big adam carroll fan. im also a big fan of a few other drivers. i just dont rate kerr in the same league. its an opinion of mine that adam aswell as a few other brits would beat robbie given equal footing and therefore 'should get the GB drive' should they choose to accept it. he has been driving a1 for many races and hasnt impressed ever!

[Sid The Manager]

whether you rate robbie or not, i don't think you could say he "hasn't impressed ever", how about dead last to second at lausitzring last year for a start? maybe others like leading at brands before battery died behind pace car.

[Knowlesy]

Led at Brands, behind safety car, thanks to pitstop.

Piquet was the man that day though, nobody could've stopped him.

He has impressed of course, but it's all distant memories. In the past. Gone. Next driver please.

[Kebab]

Yeah, blame the driver - the team have nothing to do with it!

I'd like them to put someone else in the car so everyone can see the problem is not the driver.

Funny how neither Manning (who people were ranting about here) nor Jarvis (who's result was flattered by more luck than Kerr's ever had) did any better at all.

Short term memories here.

[Mystery]

Manning's an interesting case actually. He was blindingly quick straight out the box and then proceeded to get slower as his first race weekend went on.

Does that indicate you should blame the driver for not developing a good set up or the team for not acting upon any feedback given. I don't know personally, although I am relieved that Manning appears to be well out of it and has an opportunity in the IRL, albeit with a backmarker team.

Kerr certainly doesn't set my pulse racing but he's clearly trying his heart out. I just happen to think there may be better drivers available. I would never thought that McIntosh would have comfortably had the beating of Kerr in WSR and that seems to have been the case judging by the points difference.

What's Adam Carroll doing these days????

[Knowlesy]

I don't blame the driver as such. It is a whole team thing, but the driver is a part of that team. And I still don't rate him anyways.

[Kebab]

Fair enough

Just hope we have a good race this weekend! Looking forward to it.

[Knowlesy]

Yes, very much so. Hope it matches last years event!

[dave not neil]

Stick Stephen Jelley in it!!

[ISPL]

What a great performance by Kerr at the weekend. He may have his doubters - especially it seems on this site - but IMO creaping up the order in the sprint race and then nailing it in the feature race showed great maturity.

On a track more suited to carnival procession than racing Kerr seemed to be one of the few drivers who actually gained track positions on track!

If he keeps driving like that I am more than happy for him to keep his seat.

On another note I know that I have expressed my concerns about having a Rookie who is not committed to the whole series, but it was good to see Jarvis back in the Rookie session.

Well done GBR - keep up the good work.

[nev]

It was a great job considering that all practices and qualifying by both kerr and jarvis were hampered by car problems.

[Knowlesy]

Haven't seen the races yet, but that does seem an impressive feature race there.

If only they could combine these occasional stand-out races with a good qualifying performance and a smidge of luck.....

[lovebritF3]

Originally Posted by dave not neil

Stick Stephen Jelley in it!!

and he's done what to deserve it? going into fourth year of britf3 includin national class and still nothing from it

[nev]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Haven't seen the races yet, but that does seem an impressive feature race there.

If only they could combine these occasional stand-out races with a good qualifying performance and a smidge of luck.....

you can clearly see how the German car and NZ car were nearly a second quicker than GB, just emphasises how wide Robbie had to make his car.

every lap at the hairpin he was suckering Halliday into going the long way round putting him under presure from Jani.

He was quick before the pit stops but he was on new rubber posting simular times as everyone else but after that i think they put used on and it showed.

[Gilles lives!]

Robbie always seems to be over driving the car, using his tyres too early and I am not sure if this is due to the car set up or his style. He can certainly race with the best but perhaps his technical ability and that of the team is lacking.

Anyone mentioned Mr Paffett yet?

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by Gilles lives!

Anyone mentioned Mr Paffett yet?

Yes. Often Gilles. And as much fun as that would be, you can see Gary this season in DTM.

[ISPL]

Originally Posted by Gilles lives!

Robbie always seems to be over driving the car, using his tyres too early and I am not sure if this is due to the car set up or his style. He can certainly race with the best but perhaps his technical ability and that of the team is lacking.

It is a difficult one to call. With A1GP cars supposedly having similar performance the early laps - when tyres are fresh and you have the opportunity to outbreak other drivers - is sometimes the best chance to make places on the track. Take the feature race as an example, Kerr had made 4-5 places in the first coupe of laps. Obviously the knock on effect is that Kerr's tyres go away towrds the latter part of the race and he ends up locking up frequerntly and giving the impression of over driving just to maintain the places gained.

Watching the races you can tell that Kerr is left foot breaking when others are perhaps not. He certainly has his own style of racing on the ragged edge, but there aren't many other drivers in the series who so frequently split team Germanzealand.

[Mystery]

I'm not normally one to stand up for Kerr but what he does have in bucketfulls is determination. He isn't afraid to try the odd move on people and to hold off half an A1GP grid with a slowing car - but he's very fair with it too.

I've said before however he appears to overdrive, but it's not just in long runs. Once or twice this year in qualifying he's thrown a good lap away. I'd still rather see Adam Carroll in the car, but Robbie's deserving of a half decent drive in this sport and if this is the only way he can get one then so be it.

[Gilles lives!]

Originally Posted by Mystery

I'm not normally one to stand up for Kerr but what he does have in bucketfulls is determination. He isn't afraid to try the odd move on people and to hold off half an A1GP grid with a slowing car - but he's very fair with it too.

I've said before however he appears to overdrive, but it's not just in long runs. Once or twice this year in qualifying he's thrown a good lap away. I'd still rather see Adam Carroll in the car, but Robbie's deserving of a half decent drive in this sport and if this is the only way he can get one then so be it.

It's quite funny but one driver who I believe is similar in technique to Kerr is Adam Carroll, look how spectacular he was in GP2 a couple of years back. Perhaps if it could be arranged, putting Adam in the car for one or two of the races remaining, may help him find a drive for this year,without needing a monster budget.

Last2LiftOff

I will be watching the DTM this year and I hope that Gary doesn't suffer in a year old car, that would a shame.

[strider]

Here's an interesting piece of news. Oliver Turvey is to be added to the team's pool of drivers. The story's here. I'd say he might take over as the rookie driver from Oli Jarvis, as Oli's duties in Japan become more frequent. He was testing there this week.

[Last2LiftOff]

I think that's a great opportunity for him, I'm sure he's delighted with that.

With only the single car per team on track at any one time though, I find it exceptionally difficult to judge a drivers performance. Maybe I'm the only one. A guy has a great weekend e.g. Halliday and Kerr in Durban (to name just two), but who's to say their teammate or another driver wouldn't have done as well or better in the car on that particular day.

I was looking forward to Kevin Lacroix driving the rookie sessions last week for Canada but really, after the weekend (and what a weekend we had), I have no idea how he did; absolutely nothing to compare it to. I'm sure the teams, with all the data and knowing the set-ups etc., have a better idea how one driver does vs. another, but from the spectator's point of view....I got nothin'. I think the sport needs to address that somehow. Run two cars maybe, during the testing sessions? Dunno.

And, again, maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm off topic too - I know how that's frowned upon around here.

[strider]

I know what you mean. Last year most of the teams had two cars, but this year they're down to one and the organisers have a spare that they let a team use if its car has been damaged beyond immediate repair.

The rookie sessions are not worth much, in my opinion, so far as comparing drivers' speed is concerned. Most of the teams use the session to do what I call housekeeping duties, i.e. getting the car in shape for the main sessions later on. It's not very often that a driver is let off the hook to set a time.

Sorry about your weekend. I reckon the car was not really 100% after the big roll at Eastern Creek. James Hinchcliffe is better than that.

[ISPL]

Originally Posted by Last2LiftOff

I'm sure the teams, with all the data and knowing the set-ups etc., have a better idea how one driver does vs. another, but from the spectator's point of view....I got nothin'. I think the sport needs to address that somehow. Run two cars maybe, during the testing sessions? Dunno.

And, again, maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm off topic too - I know how that's frowned upon around here.

It is difficult to compare drivers without a 2nd car. The best you can do at the moment is to compare drivers/results from 'linked or related' teams.

So for Germany see Newzealand results etc.

If you have not already done so you might want to take a look at Strider's post of 4th Feb 'Teams behind the Teams'.

I think your closest comparable is likely to be Robbie Kerr in the GBR car who I note also struggled uncharacteristically in qualifying last time out, made up a few places in the Sprint but then had a full run in the feature race.

[Last2LiftOff]

I have read that thread ISPL, including Strider's post, with interest, thank you. Updated list here. And, I agree with you: at the moment, that is the best we can do. Just not sure how representative a "linked" team can be when lap times are measured down to thousandths of a second.

Now I'm so far off topic, I'm in a different thread.