The New Boys on the Block-YOU Make the Decision.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 19 May 2013, 09:54

WaffleCat wrote:Also,Backmarker,I doubt Pironi can still race in 1983 after that crash in Hockenheim,especially when even racing in 1986 was not suitable for him.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better...stronger...faster.

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 19 May 2013, 11:17

Empire Racing Official Driver Contract Negotiations 1983

Stefan Bellof

Thomas Traver's first target had made an impact in Formula 2 the year before,winning the first two races of the season before finishing fifth. Bellof has been keen on joining F1,but Porsche want him for their endurance programme,although Bellof is favouring F1.

1-75:Bellof joins Empire
76-100:Bellof joins Porsche in Endurance racing

And the random number is.....88! Stefan Bellof will not sign for Empire or F1,instead wanting to take his chances driving for Porsche.Best of luck to him.

Ayrton Senna

Brazil's latest rising star,he has the British and European Formula Ford 2000 titles to go along with some nice sponsorship.The young kid is clearly keen on joining Formula One,but there is a doubt over him at whether he is ready to make the large jump from Formula Ford to Formula One.

1-55:Senna joins Empire
56-100:Senna looks for Junior Formulae offers

And the magic number is....99! Senna plainly feels he is not ready for large flyaway races and heavy turbos,so he sticks to the junior formulae for another season.

Marc Surer

Surer has had quite a decent few seasons with Arrows,and plans to be staying there for many more years.However,Empire have submitted an offer,although Surer seems loyal to Arrows.

1-20:Surer joins Empire
21-100:Surer stays with Arrows

And it's a.....49! Marc Surer will stay with Arrows for another season.

Derek Warwick

Warwick is a British talent driving for Toleman,although he has rarely been competitive.But Toleman have said that they have a much more competitive car this season,and Empire and Arrows are offering contracts,what shall he choose? He seems to be favouring Arrows,though.

1-30:Warwick strikes a deal with Empire
31-60:Warwick holds on to a Toleman seat.
61-100:Warwick pairs up with Surer at Arrows.

Number decider has chosen...75! Mr Warwick teams up with Arrows and ditches Toleman and Empire.

Martin Brundle

The current Grovewood Award holder for most promising young driver,Martin Brundle is a relatively new face to motor racing,although he did set Britian alight with a fourth place in the standings in his inaugural season in British Formula Three.Brundle seems prepared to make the move up to F1,and Empire is his only offer.

1-70:Brundle strikes a deal with Empire
71-100:Brundle stays in British F3 for another year.

The randomizer chose number...26! Martin Brundle agrees to join Empire,salary to be disclosed later.

Thoughts?

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 19 May 2013, 11:26

I can't believe Senna turned down our more than generous offer, but Brundle will be a valuable asset to the team.

Post by **kevinbotz** » 19 May 2013, 15:36

Well, Brundle was my choice after Bellof and Warwick, so I'm pretty satisfied. I'm confident he'll provide good performances for the team during this critical first year.

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 20 May 2013, 11:29

F1 Headlines(Went to Press January 21st,1983)

Driver Roulette Amongst Lower Teams
The order of drivers in the teams below Tyrell and Alfa Romeo have shifted left,right,centre,diagonally and slantways,with a complete change in lineup everywhere.Derek Warwick has moved in to join Marc Surer at Arrows,with his vacant Toleman seat occupied by newcomer Thierry Boutsen from Formula 2,joining Teo Fabi. Teo's brother,Corrado,joins backmarker outfit Osella alongside another newcomer with money,Piercarlo Ghinzani,who displaced French veteran Jean-Pierre Jarier to Ligier,where he is paired up alongside Mauro Baldi. Chico Serra joins RAM,who have started producing their own chassis,while Manfred Winklehock keeps still at ATS.Brian Henton joins the cash-strapped Theodore team with a Venezuelan,Johnny Cecotto. Finally,new boys Empire Racing have snapped Martin Brundle for a nice amount of 120,000 pounds a year.Strangely,Empire seems to be coping well financially for a new team,so we will wait and see what happens.

New Qualifying Format
Unhappy with the "two-sessions" rule,Jean Marie Balestre has proposed an overhaul to the current qualifying rulebook,which will see a one-hour,all out qualifying,fastest time wins. As usual,the top 26 cars will take part in the race,with the notable exception being Monaco,with a grid size of 22 cars allowed.Teams have also called in to see into a grid limit at the new street circuit at Flushing Meadow,which is a tight and narrow course punctuated by chicanes with a short main straight. FISA is currently looking into this appeal.

Full Driver Lineup For 1983 Season
Strangely,every team have already picked their drivers for the 1983 season at such an early stage.Now,as teams prepare to test on certain days,with a possible chance that teams may share a track,here is the entire lineup for 1983(team leaders named first)

Ferrari--Patrick Tambay,Elio de Angelis
Renault--Alain Prost,Jacques Laffite
Brabham-BMW--Nelson Piquet,Riccardo Patrese
Williams-Ford--Keke Rosberg,Eddie Cheever
McLaren-Ford--Niki Lauda,John Watson
Lotus-Renault--Nigel Mansell,Derek Daly
Alfa Romeo--Andera de Cesaris,Rene Arnoux
Tyrell-Ford--Michele Alboreto,Danny Sullivan
Arrows-Ford--Marc Surer,Derek Warwick
Ligier-Ford--Jean-Pierre Jarier,Mauro Baldi
Toleman-Hart--Teo Fabi,Thierry Boutsen.
ATS-BMW--Manfred Winklehock
RAM-Ford--Chico Serra
Theodore-Ford--Brian Henton,Johnny Cecotto
Osella-Ford--Corrado Fabi,Piercarlo Ghinzani
Empire-Hart--Martin Brundle
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Julien · Post by **Julien** » 20 May 2013, 15:33

Err... How will Baldi drive for both Toleman and Ligier?

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 20 May 2013, 15:36

Julien wrote:Err... How will Baldi drive for both Toleman and Ligier?

It should be Thierry Boutsen.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 21 May 2013, 01:25

Backmarker wrote:
Julien wrote:Err... How will Baldi drive for both Toleman and Ligier?

It should be Thierry Boutsen.

Someone besides Baldi

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 21 May 2013, 02:48

go_Rubens wrote:
Backmarker wrote:
Julien wrote:Err... How will Baldi drive for both Toleman and Ligier?

It should be Thierry Boutsen.

Someone besides Baldi

Somewhere The Stig's Italian cousin will sub in - trouble is, which car will he be in??? :shock:

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 21 May 2013, 10:20

February 8th,1983.

In the middle of Milton Keynes,Thomas Travers was making his first televised appearance. He stood in the middle of a large parking lot,with a fair number of press reporters gathered around him. Only this time,he was not just going to hold another press conference. He had Martin Brundle by his side and a couple of engineers as well. The parking lot was at Silverstone circuit. And he had a car. Yes,this was the official release of the new EMP01 chassis,which took the engineering team wonders to get done in slightly more than a month. About an hour later, Brundle took the car for a few demonstration laps around the National circuit,although he was going slower than normal in order to familiarise himself with the car a little and not to cause an embarassing crash in front of the press. Mr Travers was happy,and so he could relax for today. But tommorrow,he had to make some decisions.

There was just about a month remaining before the first race in Jacarepagua,and Mr Travers needed to test the car.He had ordered the weekend before the race to pack up equipment to travel to Rio,leaving three weeks in which the car could test.Mr. Travers had a schedule to test the cars from Friday to Sunday,almost replicating a race weekend,in which Friday would be used for setup and general car feel,Saturday to see out quick lap times,and a race simulation on Sunday that would normally be slightly longer than the race itself. Mr. Travers had little time to travel to the continent after the launch,thus his first test would be in the UK. His second and third tests would see at least one being held in Europe itself. Three test weekends is not a lot,but it may be enough for Mr. Travers.

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ISSUE:What tracks should Empire Racing test at?

Vote by naming one track in the United Kingdom and one track in the rest of Mainland Europe.The highest-voted tracks in both the UK and Europe votes will be test venues for Empire,while the next highest-voted track will be the venue of Empire's remaining test.

Due to some after-school programmes,the voting deadline will be 48 hours instead of 24 hours,so there is more time to vote.

Also,I fixed the Mauro Baldi cloning situation in my previous post. Hopefully.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 21 May 2013, 10:43

Brands Hatch for the UK track, Spa-Francorchamps for the European. This should allow Brundle to become familiarised with two tracks on the F1 calendar at minimal transportation cost. While Silverstone is also on the calendar, Brundle's experience in British Formula 3 will have seen him complete more laps at Silverstone than Brands Hatch, which was only used for three rounds in 1982, compared to seven for Silverstone.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 21 May 2013, 10:46

For the UK track, Empire should test at Brands Hatch.

For the mainland European track, I'd go with Dijon.

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 21 May 2013, 10:52

Brands Hatch and Monza.

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 21 May 2013, 11:49

the Masked Lapwing wrote:Brands Hatch and Monza.

Ditto.

Post by **kevinbotz** » 21 May 2013, 12:16

Brands Hatch and Spa.

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 21 May 2013, 12:26

Silverstone and Paul Ricard will be my picks. Brundle's already sorta used to Silverstone with the car, and Paul Ricard is a good testing circuit, a good all rounder.

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 21 May 2013, 12:42

Brands Hatch because it's on the calendar and he needs experience on it
Spa because it has variety in the layout

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 21 May 2013, 18:15

Brands hatch for u.k
Nordschlife for elseware

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 22 May 2013, 01:44

I'm gonna go with the majority and say Brands Hatch and Spa. Brands would be a good place for Martin to get to grips with the car, while Spa is a track where the driver can make more of a difference than most others, so having experience there will likely help. It's also not too far out of the way.

Julien · Post by **Julien** » 22 May 2013, 06:04

Brands Hatch and Paul Ricard. Two different characteristics, excellent for finding the setups for different layouts.

By the way... Guys, you did realize that both Spa and the Nordschleife runs partially on public roads, so they can not be used outside of official race weekends, right? That's exactly the problem Andrea Moda run into when they went to test in Spa just to realize they don't have the track so they were roaming back and forth in a straight :lol:

(Or was it Connew?)

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 22 May 2013, 06:09

And who is going to push the car 20km if it breaks down on the Nordschleife?

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 22 May 2013, 06:16

Brands Hatch and Paul Ricard

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 22 May 2013, 07:32

AustralianStig wrote:And who is going to push the car 20km if it breaks down on the Nordschleife?

The driver of course :lol:

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 22 May 2013, 12:24

Julien wrote:Brands Hatch and Paul Ricard. Two different characteristics, excellent for finding the setups for different layouts.

By the way... Guys, you did realize that both Spa and the Nordschleife runs partially on public roads, so they can not be used outside of official race weekends, right? That's exactly the problem Andrea Moda run into when they went to test in Spa just to realize they don't have the track so they were roaming back and forth in a straight (Or was it Connew?)

I always forget that Spa is part street circuit. It doesn't feel like one.
So change my vote to Paul Ricard, then.

Post by **kevinbotz** » 22 May 2013, 13:31

UgncreativeUsergname wrote:
Julien wrote:Brands Hatch and Paul Ricard. Two different characteristics, excellent for finding the setups for different layouts.

By the way... Guys, you did realize that both Spa and the Nordschleife runs partially on public roads, so they can not be used outside of official race weekends, right? That's exactly the problem Andrea Moda run into when they went to test in Spa just to realize they don't have the track so they were roaming back and forth in a straight (Or was it Connew?)

I always forget that Spa is part street circuit. It doesn't feel like one.
So change my vote to Paul Ricard, then.

Ditto.

pycku · Post by **pycku** » 22 May 2013, 14:11

I'll join this by voting for Brands Hatch and Paul Ricard

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 22 May 2013, 14:40

And I'll change my previous vote from Spa-Francorchamps to Paul Ricard.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 22 May 2013, 17:21

Switching from Spa to Paul Ricard as well. Didn't realise they still used the roads at Spa.

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 23 May 2013, 10:19

VOTES TALLY

Test Circuit-Britian: Brands Hatch--11,Silverstone--1
Test Circuit-Europe: Paul Ricard--8, Monza--2, Dijon--1, Nordschleife--1

Thus,circuits that will be used for testing are Brands Hatch, Paul Ricard and Monza.

Februrary 11,1983.

Thomas Travers stepped out of the warehouse-turned-factory and into the truck. He was going to Empire Racing's first ever testing session,but this time at Brands Hatch instead of nearby Silverstone,probably to try something different. Brands was also a comfortable choice for Brundle,who has race there quite a few times in Formula Three. And yet,despite being an official Formula One team with a handy set of engineers and a decent driver behind the wheel,they still could not find the time to hire a truck driver. Or an actual truck,for that matter. Mr.Travers made a note of this on his notebook,then promptly set off towards Kent.

Mr. Travers had also decided his venue for his second and third tests. The second one would be down in the south of France, Le Castellet to be exact.The Circuit Paul Ricard will play host to their next test,and Mr. Travers would not be to surprised if he saw some French teams like Ligier or Renault appear on the same days. His third choice was rather unusual,as it was a track with barely any turns at all. Monza. Yet Mr.Travers thought over this,and figured that Monza would be a great choice. Not only would the test expose Brundle to a wider variety of tracks around the world,it would also test out the Hart engine on reliability while getting to see how low downforce grip is like in the Empire. Whatever it is, Mr. Travers was about to see his dream come true.

---------------------------------------------------------------

I actually have a system to each test. I am going to make the Empire upgrade as tests go by. For each test,there will be a randomizer roll that will depend on how Brundle feels about the car: Not Powerful,Sufficent power,Good handling,bad handling,break down on track or no feedback at all. From this,another randomizer roll will determine how the mechanics respond this situation and will work on the car so that it "improves" come the next test. Of course,the type of probabilities of feedback Brundle gives and following upgrades will be dependent on the track,so for example,a track like Monza would probably get more info on speed than it will on handling,while a tight track would act vice versa.

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 24 May 2013, 08:13

Brands Hatch Testing Session Reports

Febraury 11th,Friday

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Brands Hatch Testing Session--Friday 11th February
1 Derek Daly (Lotus-Renault)      1:13.902
2 Keke Rosberg (Williams-Ford)    1:14.164
3 Thierry Boutsen (Toleman-Hart)  1:15.222
4 Brian Henton (Theodore-Ford)    1:17.519
5 Martin Brundle (Empire-Hart)    1:17.904
6 Johnny Cecotto (Theodore-Ford)  1:18.456

The first test session of the weekend at Brands saw Derek Daly and Keke Rosberg as the only two front runners for the day.Toleman also showed up,like they had on Thursday,but with one chassis that would be split with Thierry Boutsen and Teo Fabi.Theodore also showed up on Friday and left on Friday,while the new Empire team planned to do weekend testing at the track. The results of the fastest lap times of the day ended with Daly on top,about 0.2 seconds ahead of Rosberg in the Williams. Almost a further second back was Thierry Boutsen,while Empire did not embarass themselves by splitting the Theodores,with Brundle being faster than Johnny Cecotto but slower than Henton by 4-tenths of a second.

February 12th,Saturday

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 Brands Hatch Testing Session--Saturday 12th February
1 Derek Daly (Lotus-Renault)      1:13.950
2 Keke Rosberg (Williams-Ford)    1:14.131
3 Eddie Cheever (Williams-Ford)   1:14.467
4 Teo Fabi (Toleman-Hart)         1:15.843
5 Danny Sullivan (Tyrell)         1:16.295
6 Martin Brundle (Empire-Hart)    1:17.975

The Theodores were gone,but along came the Tyrells,with Danny Sullivan given one extra day to help acclimatise with road courses and Formula One. Teo Fabi took over the Toleman,while Eddie Cheever joined his team-mate,although Daly's team-mate,Nigel Mansell,was nowhere to be seen. In terms of times,Daly again posted a lap two tenths faster than Rosberg,with Cheever about the same distance behind Rosberg. Fabi set a lap time 6 tenths slower than teammate Boutsen,while Sullivan struggles with his chassis. The Empire car had no real relevant competition,but Brundle was at least consistent,putting up a laptime close to yesterday's.

February 13th,Sunday

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 Brands Hatch Testing Session--Sunday 13th February
1 Derek Daly (Lotus-Renault)      1:13.857
2 Keke Rosberg (Williams-Ford)    1:14.014
3 Nigel Mansell (Lotus-Renault)   1:14.059
4 Michele Alboreto (Tyrell)       1:14.425
5 Eddie Cheever (Williams-Ford)   1:14.565
6 Thierry Boutsen (Toleman-Hart)  1:15.442
7 Teo Fabi (Toleman-Hart)         1:15.791
8 Danny Sullivan (Tyrell)         1:16.322
9 Martin Brundle (Empire-Hart)    1:17.960

This was the busiest day in the testing schedule for Brands Hatch,with nine drivers coming out onto the track.Nigel Mansell finally showed up to test alongside Daly,Michele Alboreto joined Sullivan at the Tyrell side and the Toleman car was shared between Boutsen and Fabi. Otherwise, everyone from Saturday showed up on Sunday. On the track,Daly again set the fastest lap time with Rosberg about one and a half tenths back. Mansell was a close third,with Michele Alboreto barely beating Cheever in the Tyrell.The Tolemans were comfortably between the two Americans,while Brundle again propped up the leaderboard.

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Thomas Travers was content with what he had seen. Although Brundle was not able to give advice on upgrades for the car,their current situation was not too dire,especially placing ahead of the Theodore on Friday. He also made new friends in the paddock,having had a small chat with Ken Tyrell. Things were looking up for Empire,as Mr. Travers drove their truck back to Milton Keynes before heading off to Paul Ricard.

Julien · Post by **Julien** » 26 May 2013, 07:06

1 second off from Tyrrell and 2 form Toleman... Man, this will be a looooong season.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 28 May 2013, 02:22

Well, Empire isn't going too badly so far. Beating a Theodore is a good thing, right?

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 28 May 2013, 07:06

go_Rubens wrote:Well, Empire isn't going too badly so far. Beating a Theodore is a good thing, right?

It's not bad, considering that Theodore qualified for most of the races.

Julien · Post by **Julien** » 28 May 2013, 20:05

Theodore has a normally aspirated engine while Empire has a turbo. It hould beat every normally aspirated cars except the Tyrrells maybe.

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 28 May 2013, 21:41

Somehow, I knew BMW was a better choice than Hart.

Post by **kevinbotz** » 28 May 2013, 22:34

JeremyMcClean wrote:Somehow, I knew BMW was a better choice than Hart.

Honda V6 engines for next season?

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 29 May 2013, 01:21

JeremyMcClean wrote:Somehow, I knew BMW was a better choice than Hart.

There is a reason why I chose BMW, you know :lol:

WaffleCat · Post by **WaffleCat** » 29 May 2013, 09:47

Paul Ricard Testing Reports

February 11th,Friday

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Paul Ricard Testing Session--Friday 18th February
1 Alain Prost (Renault)             1:36.853
2 Jacques Laffite (Renault)         1:38.184
3 Manfred Winklehock (ATS-BMW)      1:40.966
4 Martin Brundle (Empire-Hart)      1:42.175

A relatively quiet day at Paul Ricard circuit,with Renault still testing at the track after three days or so. ATS join in for the weekend. Finally,the Empire car arrived from Britian to test for the weekend,like they did previously at Brands Hatch. Today saw the Renaults top the timesheets,although Alain Prost was obivously the faster of the two.The ATS somehow managed to find a way to blow-up,delaying testing for a while,but Manfred Winklehock still set a time faster than the Empire car of Martin Brundle,who was new to the circuit.

February 20th,Saturday

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 Paul Ricard Testing Session--Saturday 19th February
1 Alain Prost (Renault)             1:37.090
2 Jacques Laffite (Renault)         1:37.948
3 Rene Arnoux (Alfa Romeo)          1:38.675
4 Mauro Baldi (Ligier-Ford)         1:40.729
5 Martin Brundle (Empire-Hart)      1:42.058

A slightly busier day saw the Renaults and Empire stay on track,Winklehock's ATS was taken off it to investigate what went wrong and do some repairs,and two teams hopped on board. Rene Arnoux joined with a singular Alfa Romeo chassis,that would be shared between him and De Cesaris for a couple days,while Mauro Baldi entered the track with the Ligier,although this was a one-day test as the team had tested at Jarama and were on the way back to the factory. In track times,the Renaults again went quickest to no surprise,however Rene Arnoux kept within a distance to the Renaults. Baldi was slightly disappointing in his Ligier,though he was still 1.3 seconds ahead of the Empire.

February 21st,Sunday

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 Paul Ricard Testing Session--Sunday 20th February
1 Alain Prost (Renault)             1:36.871
2 Jacques Laffite (Renault)         1:37.863
3 Andrea de Cesaris (Alfa Romeo)    1:39.243
4 Manfred Winklehock (ATS-BMW)      1:41.109
5 Martin Brundle (Empire-Hart)      1:42.345
6 Piercarlo Ghinzani (Osella-Ford)  1:43.411
7 Corrado Fabi (Osella-Ford)        1:43.501

The busiest day of the weekend saw the Renaults testing here for the final time before moving to Silverstone,with the Empire and the Alfa Romeo squad staying put,thoguh Andrea de Cesaris was in the Alfa instead of Arnoux for today. ATS got their repairs done and dusted,while the backmarkers Osella joined in the fun. Again,the Renaults were on top,whle de Cesaris was a chasm and a bit away at third,although he did have a few problems with the Alfa engine. The ATS was fourth,while Martin Brundle in the Empire outpaced both the Osella's by over a second,with newcomer Piercarlo Ghinzani outpacing teammate Corrado Fabi by a bit.
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Mr Thomas Travers slept well in the bed in his hotel.Strangely,that was the only thing he liked in France:the beds. That's not including the food,but whatever. He had a good rest,confident that his car was a success, especially with Martin Brundle giving rave reviews about how the car handled the power delivered by the Hart engine,especially down Mistral. It was a minor miracle just to get the car running in the first place,even moreso to see it have an edge over some of the more experienced,though slightly lower budget teams. He still had one more test to go,and he had a feeling that he might be the only one there...

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 29 May 2013, 12:37

Yes! We beat Osella!!!

Post by **kevinbotz** » 29 May 2013, 15:44

Our car also seems to be relatively reliable. This bodes well for the season.