Posted on 10 July 2010 by Tomaso
From the ashes of the once mighty USF1 Team comes word of another Stateside Operation seeking inclusion into Uncle Bernaughty’s secret lair... Err, scratch that, its some largely unknown group mysteriously hiding under the banner of Cypher Group, reportedly composed of a mix of former Ken ‘N Peter charges, hoping to miraculously wrassle the coveted 13th Grid slot upon the 2011 Formula One entry list...
As ironically the Team thought to have the inside track, named ART Grand Prix, which is Co-Owned by Nicolas Todt, as in son of FIA President Jean Todt has just announced they’re no longer seeking inclusion due to you guessed-it! The Economy...
Meanwhile the Cypher Group has boldly announced that its already tied-up, Err signed its first driver, a one Mr. Jonathan Summerton, who Y’all may recall was also highly touted as a potential USF1 race driver by the House ‘O Windsor.
Meanwhile in his typical brilliant snarkeyness, Marc has posted the following rant: Top Five reasons you shouldn’t name your Team Cypher
Posted on 11 June 2010 by Tomaso
As I’d assume that this comes as NO surprise to Y’all, but according to reports the stillborn USF1 Team project is now officially D.O.A. as the Charlotte facilities remaining items went up for Auction at 9:30AM Thursday morning, with some of the more “unique” items being up for grabs were a Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti painting, an unused bottle of Dom Perignon champagne and a barbeque... As Decklen will be remiss to notice that there were ZERO Toasters up for grabs and the Breadstick making Ovens (Autoclaves) apparently had already been acquired?
Yet I enjoyed one sublime suggestion that perhaps Stefan GP would be one of the Auction’s potential bidders; Hya!
Posted on 04 March 2010 by Tomaso
Three New Formula 1 Teams in, Take one down, pass ‘em around… Two New F1 Formula 1 Teams in…So late yesterday the FIA finally published its updated 2010 F1 Entry list and GASP! There was NO mention of USF1, whale that’s not exactly true, as the FIA denoted that Pete & Ken had asked for special deferment of their 2010 entry until 2011, albeit USF1 will not be competing this season… While multiple reports claim that on Tuesday the remaining employees were told to pack up and go home as they’re now on Unpaid Leave, as sadly it seems this is probably the end of the road for the USF1 Team, as it would seem hard pressed for them to be given a second chance in 2011, but who knows?
Meanwhile the New & Improved F1 Entry list also made NO mention of the upstart Serbian Stefan GP Team, although Uncle Bernaughty is pushing hard for their inclusion, albeit time is running out as the Big ‘Ol (747) Jetliner’s depart from Heathrow and Milan on Friday, so tick, tock, eh? And the FIA says it’s too late for last minute entries to be added at such short notice and its 2011 selection process will be announced shortly.
Next up is the newly rebadged Hispano-Suiza, Err Campos Meta 1 Team, who applied for the name change of Hispania Racing Team (not hysteria) which the FIA rejected… And instead will now be known as HRT, which seems quite puzzling to me, especially since it’s known that the Holden Racing Team, and NOT Hormone Replacement Therapy As James Allen wryly penned has been flying the HRT banner for some 20yrs now, so go figure? Wonder if GM will have anything to say about this?
Yet it was nice to see Bruno Senna’s name listed on the entry list, while not surprisingly Karun Chandhok is set to be confirmed as the HRT’s second driver today when the Team is scheduled to hold a press conference in southern Spain.
With USF1’s exclusion for the 2010 season, the revitalized Sauber effort has now inherited the American squad’s car numbers 22 & 23, previously having held the No’s 26-27. So will the number 22 be as lucky for Pedro De la Rosa as it’s been for the past two year’s holders Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, who both drove it to their respective World Championships… Although I still don’t get the logic in continuing on with the name of BMW Sauber F1 Team, as in BMW ran away from F1...
Final 2010 F1 Entry list
Posted on 01 March 2010 by Tomaso
Unfortunately it seems that time; money & faith are running out upon the beleaguered USF1 Team, as speculation continues to rampantly swirl over the upstart American Formula 1 Team’s impending demise…
With wild speculation covering all ranges of the map, from Chad Hurley having left the building to trying to do a deal with rivals Campos Meta and Zoran Stefanović to merge the two Operations, to Ken ‘N Pete blocking his attempts… As Stefanović now has put out another barb publicly about Dreamers at USF1 and how somebody should be in a big trouble if there’s an empty spot upon this year’s Formula 1 Grid… Can you say FIA? (OOPS! Sorry FIA, we really didn’t mean that, as Stefan GP has now posted a supposed apology…)
Meanwhile Stefan GP has also publicly stated how its bulk container has arrived in Bahrain, even giving out the DHL packaging tracking slip details and claims its ready to debut its Ahem! Completed racecar… Although claims suggest that only ONE chassis has been completed, with requisite spares desperately sparse, as there’s a bit of reluctance to press ahead without an Official entry…
And this is also the same outfit that needed to cancel its planned Test session at Portimao due to the fact that the Team has NO proper Bridgestone rubber!
Meanwhile we’re all awaiting to see what Jean Todt ‘N the FIA do over USF1’s entry now that its Technical Delegate Charlie whiting has been to Charlotte to view first hand exactly what is going on there… As in can they really build a racecar in time for Barcelona or are they simply too busy making Toasters instead?
And while USF1 has NO Driver’s to go along with its missing Type 1 Racecar’s, Stefan GP is supposedly poised to announce Jacques Villeneuve as Kazuki Nakajima’s teammate aboard their Shiny red S01’s propelled by rebadged Toyota ‘lumps… Now if somebody could just convince Bridgestone to give them a couple ‘O sets of tyres, eh? Hmm? Why does that remind me of another upstart F1 Team named Toleman and Pirelli?
Meanwhile last night on The Speed Report (TSR) Bob Varsha noted that USF1 has now asked the FIA for deferral of its 2010 F1 entry until the 2011 season and that Ken Anderson and Chad Hurley are willing to back that up with a 7-figure bond, while I certainly hope I’m NOT reading too much into this… But Varsha failed to mention his friend Peter Windsor’s name, while Dave Despain mused cryptic thoughts about how The House ‘O Windsor may not even be involved anymore? Or is this just more media mastery crafted by USF1’s Sporting Director?
So it appears to be crunch time as the F1 Circus will shortly be packing its Bags, not to mention 40’ Containers along with those all important racecar’s for shipping to Bahrain, as will it be 11, 12 or 13 Formula 1 Constructors taking part in the seasons opening Grand Prix?
Posted on 20 February 2010 by Tomaso
Mr. Pete Windsor the Formula 1 Circus is waiting for you… Please pick up a white courtesy phone and dial your party’s extension… There’s a Mr. Tomaso for you on line-4 and an Uncle Bernaughty for you on line-1!
Once again Paging Mr. Pete Windsor, please pick-up the nearest white courtesy phone and dial your awaiting parties extensions...
FOUR!As I’ve been somewhat loathe to scribble about this, having first seen news towards the immanent demise of the House ‘O Windsor’s All Americana Formula 1 Team, better known as USF1 late Wednesday evening… When it was first reported that a tearful Mr. Windsor told Jose Maria Lopez that USF1 was on life support and would most likely not make the F1 Grid this season…
And while the stories continue to grow from numerous sources who I perceive as reputable, nevertheless I’ve been sitting on the story while holding out on hope of all hopes that this isn’t true, even trying to contact the Team with no success.
Rumours continue to swirl over the impending demise of USF1, claiming that the Team’s major financial backer Chad Hurley, of Youtube fame has left the project in disgust, along with Lopez having gone off to London to talk to no less then Bernard Ecclestone about resurrecting his hoped for Grand Prix career, potentially landing at the reconstituted Campos Meta 1 Team now instead?
This along with reports that the Squad’s Charlotte HQ building is up for sale, the Team has NO completed racecar and has cancelled mandatory FIA crash testing in England, all seem to imply that its increasingly likely that the Team will indeed NOT be on the grid in Bahrain in just 3-weeks time, while Stefan GP waits in the wings, now with whispers that some Kuh-Nuck named Jacques Villeneuve could be in the frame?
Here’s the story that triggered the Firestorm of reporting that USF1’s Dreams of making it in F1 will be stillborn…
Sponsorship Woes Threaten Future of U.S. Formula 1 TeamYet apparently in full Damage Control mode, reportedly either very late last night or early this morning, Ken Anderson finally broke the deafening silence concerning the matter… As apparently in an article published in the New York Times, which must be buried rather well, since I cannot locate it! Ken publicly revealed that indeed USF1 will NOT be on the grid at the Formula One’s season opening round in Bahrain.
Anderson says USF1 to miss Bahrain, team’s future in hands of FIAYet Anderson’s claims that the Team wishes to miss the first four races and that its fate is simply in the hands of the FIA, doesn’t bode well for the Team, since I don’t see how the WMSC can open itself up to such a can of worms, having just clarified that ALL Teams MUST compete in ALL Grand Prix’s or face immanent sanctions, or even total exclusion…
Posted on 20 February 2010 by Tomaso
As we come into the home stretch of preparations prior to this years season opening Formula 1 race in the Desert Sands of Bahrain, just a scant 22 Days prior to the very first Grand Prix, yesterday it was announced that Campos Meta 1, which has yet to appear in any Pre-season testing, and was one of Uncle Bernaughty’s two picks to not make the Grid in 2010…
Announced that a “Rescue” package has been put into place, seeing Co-owner Jose Ramon Carabante take over Controlling interest in the Team and having inserted Dr. Colin Kolles as its new Team Principle, while Adrian Campos and Daniele Audetto have left the Team…
You may recall that Kolles was previously in-charge at the never ending revolving door of Formula One Constructors Jordan-Midland-Spyker-Force India, before finally getting the heave-ho late in 2008 from Dr. Vijay Malia, yet Kolles has convinced Carabante that he’s the right man for the job of saving the sinking Campos Meta 1 ship and has promised that two Dallara built, Cosworth powered F1 racecar’s will indeed be on the starting grid of Bahrain in just three weeks time.
And I also believe that it was the same Messer Kolles who performed an emergency root Canal upon Tiago Monteiro during a Grand Prix weekend!, reportedly the 2005 Turkish GP, with Kolles also having operated on Monteiro’s teammate Christijan Albers subsequently.
Also noted racecar designer Geoff Willis who was spotted at a previous Jerez test session has been hired as a consultant to oversee the technical development of the chassis, while no word on Driver’s has emerged at this moment.
Bruno Senna does have a contract with Campos, but was not mentioned in Friday’s statement, with Kolles citing the inevitable need for Paying Drivers… While reputedly USF1’s lone signed Driver Jose Maria Lopez could be in the frame, along with his millions of backing from the Argentine Government.
No word on what the Team will potentially be renamed as in the near future, with the chassis being maintained from Dallara’s Italian base for the time being, while new state of the art premises are expected to be completed in Spain sometime later this year…
Posted on 11 February 2010 by Tomaso
It’s always somewhat entertaining when you read your story somewhere else on le internets after you’ve scribbled it… Which is exactly what happened after I speculated over Bruno Senna’s current plight as a Gran Primo Piloto…
As there are now rumours percolating that Adrian Campos has been forced to leave his floundering Formula 1 Team, with none other then Uncle Bernaughty scooping in along with Co-Owner Jose Ramon Carabante to takeover the Spaniard’s outfit, even going so boldly to predict it’ll become Volkswagen in 2011. Hmm? So long to those thoughts of VW in Open Wheel Racing stateside, eh? Although it would seem more logical for VolkswagenAG’s SEAT subsidiary on the Spanish Racecar’s flanks, while this would be great news for Senna, who the squad claims will honour his current contract.
The rub is now that the rogue Serbian Stefan GP outfit that reputedly Emperor Bernardo has his greasy mitts on will need to target admittance to this year’s fast approaching Formula 1 season by acquiring the American outfits grid slot; Aye Karumba! As perhaps this is part of the hold-up over Adrian Vales announcement, eh?
And by the way I forgot to mention The Glen’s, as in Watkins Glen CEO pinin’ for Bob Varsha’s Mate to come ‘N test his Racecar for “FREE!” Anytime at the fabulous road course during SPEED’s Rolex 24 coverage, although Barber Motorsports Park is supposedly the preferred venue…
Posted on 06 February 2010 by Tomaso
As the header of my newest category states… this is just some wild ‘ARSE rumour-mongerin’ by your Fearless No Fenders Scribe, as Grizzled ‘Journo Joe Saward likes to call those of us in the Bloggaratzi “Cut ‘N Paste” ‘Vurd Botcherer’s! Thus I can only react to the current speculation running ‘rife on le internets… (Hey! Its gotta be right if it’s on duh internets, eh?) Over Campos Meta 1’s impending demise? With wild talk of new Formula 1 Constructors being allowed to miss a maximum of 3-Races before having their FIA Dance card punched… As reputedly Dallara has pulled up stakes with Campos Meta and has allegedly signed a deal with the upstart Stefan GP? With further rumours claiming that Michael’s famous brother ‘Ralfanzo could also return to F1? Which would mean that potentially Campos Bruno Senna could be left out in the cold again? Since if this happened he’d either need to take a much unheralded Testing role, since Kazuki Nakajima’s name is being touted as ‘Juan of Stefan GP’s Drivers. Or perhaps jump ship to the only remaining seat at you guessed it! Pete windsor’s All Americana US F1 Team. Then again I’m just guessing’ here, as now I’ve run upon speculation that some Spaniard named Adrian Valles will get the seat instead. Meanwhile Adrian Campos broke his silence by telling the BBC that people are saying stupid things about his Teams shortcomings, and he hopes to have more to say on Monday…
Posted on 28 January 2010 by Tomaso
Recently the fine Folks at Racecar Engineering, a very technical ‘Rag I used to subscribe to a long-long-long time ago... Popped into the Ultra-secret lair of Pete Winsors Charlotte hangout known as the USF1 HQ to grab an exclusive sneak peak at its impending 2010 Type 1 Chassis which you can check here for (possibly) more info…
Racecar Engineering visits the USF1 Team
And while hunting for those rather esoteric pics of the vaunted type 1, hey! You don’t really think they’re gonna give the whole thing away before their big launch party – Do Yuhs? I went to the Team’s Official website which I notice has been totally updated and actually looks quite a bit better…
Click here.
Posted on 25 January 2010 by Tomaso
After letting Mercedes GP bask in the limelight of its New Team racecar unveiling in Stuttgart, USF1 Team apparently decided to continue on its understated tone by merely announcing the confirmation of its first Paid Driver; 26yr old Argentinean José Maria Lopez late Monday afternoon…
Jose Maria Lopez confirmed at USF1 - Peter Winsor insists He’s good enough
