Can KERS be beaten?

The Return of KERS

With the new Drag Reduction System, (DRS) movable rear wings, a new tyre supplier with all teams using identical Pirelli tyres, the 107% qualifying rule and more; It is the return of KERS, that is the most exciting  regulation change of all for Formula One in 2011.


Now that the KERS system has been reintroduced for 2011, (after the teams mutually agreed to suspend their use throughout the 2010 season), the drivers who have it are really finally getting to grips with it!
What are the effects when KERS is combined with DRS?





Once the drivers have learned how to use it, can they be beaten by non-KERS cars drivers? Surely it can only come down to race strategy for non-KERS cars teams; - having better lap-times, no incidents with other cars, perfect pit-stops and fewer pit-stops.

As I update this post today 2011 April 10th - we have just witnessed the Red Bulls do very well without KERS due to a fault that developed during the race!  The Red Bull cars have been quick for all sorts of other reasons, not least that Webber and Vettle are the leading drivers to date!

During the race, other teams even knew of the Red Bulls KERS failure, via the BBC1 reports on their garage  TV!   It is good that teams make use of all the information available. Without actually having a spy on the inside in other competing teams, the next best thing is to just watch the telly!  Great stuff, but no-doubt, someone will pipe-up and complain!  Perhaps we will see a ban on TV's in the pit-lane before long, ha ha!

See this YouTube Vid - F1 KERS system 2009 -

New for 2011 - No F-Ducts or Double Diffusers Allowed!
The main reason for the ban on F-Ducts; is as we thought back in 2010. Due to the fact that it is a bit on the dangerous side, to have a driver having to keep his hand or elbow covering a hole or operating a device similarly by a procedure which uses a driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamics of the car!

Also the regulations on stepped floors means Exhaust Double Diffusers in their original sense are also banned.

Read more about it Exhaust Diffusers F1 Aerodynamics

Combining DRS and KERS!
Is anyone else talking about this? What are the effects when KERS is combined with DRS?
Under new moveable bodywork regulations, cars equipped with DRS, can adjust the rear wing from the cockpit, altering its angle of incidence through a set range.

The Drag Reduction System is electronically controlled and can be used in practice and qualifying (unless a driver is on wet-weather tyres).

However, during the race, DRS can only be activated when a driver is less than one second behind another car at pre-determined points on the track. The system is then deactivated once the driver brakes.

In combination with KERS, it is designed to boost overtaking. Also like KERS, it isn’t compulsory.

KERS RaceCar Engineering

Who KERS - You should, learn the basics


AndyGold.

© AndyGold 2011

Hard or Soft? (tyres).

Gaining advantage with tyres...

Soft tyres keep more heat than hard compound at lower speeds. Advantage when starting or resuming race after safety car = more grip!

An interesting advantage develops when cars are following the safety car, cars run too slow to hold temperature, the tyre pressure drops as tyres cool and gives lower ride height.

This can cause problems other than loss of grip! F1 cars are already set to run just millimeters from the surface, the lower tyre pressure reduces the clearance over the bumpy uneven parts of the track..

Also hitting the kerbs on the apex, hammers the underside of the car. This has compounding effects on the cars handling, re- steering, grip and driver stress!

So, F1 strategy IS all about HOT AIR! I think people who do not understand the basic strategy and exciting technical stuff about the sport, don't enjoy the race as much.

Andy..

Race coverage going back to the BBC was the best news ever for UK TV F1 Audience!

I'm no F1 fanatic, I just enjoy the sport.

This season has been much better for the TV audiences in the UK since it has gone back to the BBC.

No-matter how hard the program schedulers or the race presenters / program-race-directors try, YOU CANNOT PUT TV AD BREAKS INTO F1. When it changed over to independent TV, it was the worst news and was a constant source of annoyance when the ads came on.

Coverage used to be on BBC2, before going to ITV (independent television), much of the new and younger F1 audience don't remember this because they were either too young to remember it or looked on BBC2 as an educational channel.

In the UK BBC2 is seen as a channel full of documentaries and information programs like the Open University programmes and many wildlife programs. That's why we love BBC2, the important part is that, the BBC does not run ads! But, many current watchers don't realise this, ask a few UK citizens and many won't know that...

The BBC does not run sponsor adverts, (currently), on BBC1 & BBC2, for product sales and all the other rubbish we get thrown at us. I may be one of the few, but I personally have never bought anything after seeing a TV advert for it! Probably it is just that nothing they advertise appeals to me? I don't know!

I'm complaining about TV ads in general, the length of individual ads, the audio volume being too loud and the total length and frequency of the advert breaks!

Having some ads is OK and necessary I'm sure. Many ads, like the one that shows that new auto-breaking sensor on the front of cars, is a fab safety feature and gets your mind going as to the implications regarding lowering insurance claims and premiums for us all and of accidents being prevented it's really a good thing.

I find these ads informative and interesting, I'm sure it would be a persuasive feature in car sales. So I'm not complaining about that, but TV ads was a point that I wanted to talk about from the point of the F1 race, last year, when I wanted to get this blog going. So now that the F1 in the UK has gone to the BBC its all a bit non-relevant, or so you'd think!

Over-all, TV ads are getting annoying because they are getting longer and longer, and louder and louder. When / if you complain to the advertising standards et al, they reply that it is to do with the fact that TV adverts, being new productions, have all new digital high-quality sound; and films and programs they are set in are made with old of out-dated sound recording levels.. It's all bull sh-azbot..

:-A friend who is a sound engineer, says that this is simply a marketing principle. Wake up your audience! Go flash-bang, like that annoying txxt on the cill- bang ad that shouts at you from the TV. I'm not naturally a violent person, but it makes me want to punch his teeth in! (The guy in the ad, not my friend)!

Late-evening viewing used to be a pleasure, especially once you've got the kids to bed and the house is all quiet. Now you have to dive for the remote at every break, for fear of disturbing the kids and worse, the neighbours. Films may be quiet and have no heavy bass or thumping music, then on come the ads. BANG, BANG, BANG, chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!

Not only is it annoying, it is distressing, if you have hasty and nasty neighbours like mine, who are just constantly looking for a reason to fight and complain.

God help you if you doze off in a film, (I don't mind that, obviously you are either too tired and needed to sleep or the film is crap), either way, I used to like to doze off watching TV. Now you get woken by a disgruntled family member or wake with a banging headache by being dragged from your snooze by the ads.


What I'm trying to accomplish here is, a reduced number of advert breaks, lower audio volume, shorter ads breaks during the program if they have to put them in at all, and relevant adverts to the program!

The horror is that one day, F1 is likely to go back to ITV. It's a money hungry sport and that alone dictates that TV companies that do not rake in big advertising funds will not be able to compete. The BBC may even take on advertising as they have contemplated in the past!

"Race coverage going back to the BBC was the best news ever for UK TV F1 Audience!"

Anther point on TV ads is:-
The TV ads are not relevant to the program topic. Re- (I'm not bothered by this, but my wife is),- they show ads for tampons during evening meal and other meal times, it makes her feel sick and I know that she is not the only one.

For me, my children and I, mainly my two youngest boys ages 8 and 13 at the time of writing this, are watching Star Trek at tea-time, between about 17.00 and 19.00. A reasonable family activity, a family program.

Then on come the ads for that ADULT cartoon sit-com, to be shown at 22.00 - midnight. - I cannot mention it by name since I am complaining about it and want to avoid any legal action. They show extracts that I cannot believe or imagine how they have got past censorship!

One ad talks about how a certain old man, offered a seat on a train or bus, jibes at the younger one for thinking he is old and infirm, the old man boasts that he, quote- "can do press-up's with his John-Thomas". If it's not bad enough already, they leave the scene to run where the young man then asks "What's a John-Thomas" and the reply is "I think it's his penis".

I personally am NOT offended by this advert, I just object to and question the TIME IT IS SHOWN, in normal family viewing time. This ad should be shown after 21.00 in the UK, as this is the watershed. (Expected end of children's viewing time or where parental guidance should be expected).

Hopefully, if you look further down the page, you should find a poll to give me a feel for how to go about fighting these TV ads issues. I don't know if I will even take it up, because I have tried in the past and got no-where. Maybe I will start up a site about this and take email submissions and develop a petition to take to the UK and USA TV companies.

It is in your own interest, if you enjoy watching uninterrupted F1 coverage in the future! Let's be fair to F1 viewers, they would not show adverts in the middle of a world boxing bout, they wait till the end of each round. Football, Rugby and Basketball get ads at half-time etc.

My answer is, if they wanted to, for free-viewers they could show ads in screen, picture in picture, or as a header or footer. They could show ads continuously then if they wanted to!

Poll questions- You can TICK ALL THAT APPLY.
(If you tick the first though you will not logically need to tick any of the others).
TV ads love & hate -
I don't mind TV ads as they are!
LOOK TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR THE POLL
I think that TV ads breaks are too long!
I think that TV ads are too loud!
I think that some individual TV ads themselves are too long!
I hate TV ads that are not relevant to the program topic!
I think some TV ads shown in family viewing time should be censored better for taste and decency!
I would support you if you decide to develop a site that petitions for improvements in line with the above issues I have with TV advertising.

Listen to music whilst you watch the race.

Apart from the race start-up commentary, with all the latest news, once the race starts, I put on some background music. Try it, it will give you a whole new way to experience and enjoy the race.

If you are following the race avidly, you will know whats happening without having to be told all of the time, who's who etc, by presenters who sometimes don't know what they are talking about anyway!

Checkout http://www.playlist.com/AndyGold - Although, they have recently had copyright license issues, and in some locations patrons cannot listen to their music.

Also there are lots of players out there that allow you to embed. Try http://embedr.com/ although again some people have problems building playlists. http://www.playlist.com/AndyGold

I often twitter my DJ status Yes I'm a twittin' Blipper' -
http://blip.fm/AndyGold

Follow me on Twitter Too. Twitter.com/Formula1Race

I love Twitter, are you a twitterer too? Please follow me on Twitter..

http://www.twitter.com/Formula1Race