3 registered members (Edinburgh, respace, 1 invisible),
189
guests, and 3
spiders. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums69
Topics113,594
Posts1,341,047
Members1,801
|
Most Online731 Jan 14th, 2020
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628515
10/01/2019 21:34
10/01/2019 21:34
|
GrahamL
Unregistered
|
GrahamL
Unregistered
|
I'd probably remove "Mountain hike" from your itinerary for a start.
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628519
11/01/2019 09:50
11/01/2019 09:50
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 869 Germany
neil_r
Enjoying the ride
|
Enjoying the ride
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 869
Germany
|
Hope you have a great time. I have been following Formula E for a few seasons now and it is usually quite unpredictable racing. There are more and more known names taking up seats too. No pit stops for a new car from this year - the batteries are getting better! I like it but I will watch most top-rung motor racing given the chance
1997 20V 2000 V6 manual S-Type and 2011 5.0 XKR 2016 Tucson 1.6T AWD 2018 Mazda2 GT
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Edinburgh]
#1628525
11/01/2019 13:39
11/01/2019 13:39
|
GrahamL
Unregistered
|
GrahamL
Unregistered
|
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Mark_S]
#1628537
11/01/2019 22:22
11/01/2019 22:22
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,831 Haslemere, Surrey
Mark_S
Forum is my job
|
Forum is my job
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,831
Haslemere, Surrey
|
Just read the Sun article and it does not mention that a Swiss national has been arrested and that this was a "training attack" run under his auspices.
997 C4S
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628547
12/01/2019 16:15
12/01/2019 16:15
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 21,510 Aldershot
PeteP
Hon Club Member 005, Membership Secretary
|
Hon Club Member 005, Membership Secretary
Forum Fossil
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 21,510
Aldershot
|
Leaves me cold, all the cars look the same whining their way round the circuit with only the paint different, 50% of the race done and change cars?
16VT and X1/9 1500
We must all do our part for the planet. I unplugged a row of electric cars that nobody was using.
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628549
12/01/2019 18:02
12/01/2019 18:02
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,783 In the coupe.
magooagain
Club Member 259
|
Club Member 259
Forum is my life
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,783
In the coupe.
|
Maybe I didn't give enough time,but it's not for me. I'm realizing I didn't Annalise why I didn't like it,though by what's has been said from others here I now know.
Some nice locations though.
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: PeteP]
#1628553
12/01/2019 18:11
12/01/2019 18:11
|
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,852 Cambridge & Cotswolds
MeanRedSpider
Je suis un Coupé
|
Je suis un Coupé
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,852
Cambridge & Cotswolds
|
Leaves me cold, all the cars look the same whining their way round the circuit with only the paint different, 50% of the race done and change cars? At least they don’t change cars any more - and there are now at least some different designed cars - though the shape looks the same. It will eventually get somewhere good I hope but it’s not there yet The support race is Jaguar ePaces - that kinda sums it up right now
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628556
12/01/2019 19:45
12/01/2019 19:45
|
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,162 Glos
Brilly1uk
Club member 1034
|
Club member 1034
Competition Level
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,162
Glos
|
Work in progress I think - it somehow lacks "emotion"?
Fiat Coupe 20VT Alfa Romeo Spider BMW X3
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: magooagain]
#1628557
12/01/2019 20:01
12/01/2019 20:01
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,927 The Faringdon Folly
oxfordSteve
Forum is my job
|
Forum is my job
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,927
The Faringdon Folly
|
Maybe I didn't give enough time,but it's not for me. I'm realizing I didn't Annalise why I didn't like it,though by what's has been said from others here I now know.
Some nice locations though. Wait. Who's Annalise?
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: oxfordSteve]
#1628562
12/01/2019 23:18
12/01/2019 23:18
|
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,780 Auld Reekie
Edinburgh
Club President, member225
|
Club President, member225
Forum veteran
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,780
Auld Reekie
|
Maybe I didn't give enough time,but it's not for me. I'm realizing I didn't Annalise why I didn't like it,though by what's has been said from others here I now know.
Some nice locations though. Wait. Who's Annalise? Wash coop thoroughly, apply lateral thinking and it'll rub off
BumbleBee carer
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628593
14/01/2019 11:09
14/01/2019 11:09
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 16,603 Corridor of Uncertainty
Jim_Clennell
OP
Forum veteran
|
OP
Forum veteran
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 16,603
Corridor of Uncertainty
|
Warning: long post ahoy. Well, here I sit in the sunny courtyard of our riad in the centre of the old town in Marrakesh, (which is nice - thanks, AirBnB), and reflect on Saturday's main event. Where to start? Overall, we felt we had a fantastic time, with quite a variety of activities packed into a small area - the e-village. The circuit in Marrakesh is to the southwest of the medina/old town and not easy to get to on foot/via public transport. This is a bit of a problem for a sport that is supposed to trade on its city centre locations, but it's not a game changer in a city that seemed almost entirely unaware of the existence of FE, with no airport/billboard or obvious social media advertising. We arrived at around 9am, hoping both to avoid the crowds and catch the maximum track time of the cars. The first disappointment of the day was that - contrary to the media stories - there would be no Jaguar iPace support race. In fact no support race of any kind, except a charity bicycle affair and a chance for spectators to pedal round the track on Boris bikes. Not a top quality undercard. The E-Village is a slick operation, with a number of "zones" (charge zone for your electronic devices, food zone, game zone, etc.). There are sponsor stands for ABB, Allianz, Red Bull (of course), Nissan and a few others, plus the inevitable stage with giant video screen and sound system, emitting a mixture of local culture and "youth" activities at ear-bleed volume. An electric kart track for punters was a welcome diversion, with pretty fast karts and a decent track. Or so the young men of the group told me. I declined to embarrass them with my superior racecraft. There's a definite accent on "green" touches/gimmickry: solar powered cars, free refillable water pouches, etc., though the old foe, plastic packaging and straws was much in evidence, as was a fairly lackadaisical approach to recycling. We saw our first glimpses of the race cars themselves as free practice unfolded. The lack of noise doesn't diminish the fact (or the impression) that these are fast cars, but it does almost totally eradicate the drama inherent in internal combustion- powered racing. It might not be fair or reasonable, but it is a fact and one that stands squarely in the way of engagement with traditional racing fans. There are other things you hear that are drowned out in conventional racing: the crash and grind of carbon fibre bodywork hitting other cars or sliding over high kerbs, the squeal of tyres on the edge and the metallic scream of brakes. And of course, you have the sub-jet whine, like a cross between a tube train and a washing machine building up to a spin or slowing down. As for that other sense that quickens the pulse at motor racing - smell - you get plenty of burning rubber and hot brakes and clutch, but don't expect the popcorn aroma of Duckhams Q or the modern equivalent. In short, there's nothing that grabs your entrails and squeezes. Nothing like an engine. There, I said it. Qualifying got underway and was reasonably entertaining. As the season is only one race old, the pecking order with the "2nd gen" cars is undecided, so it was impossible to say who would be quickest. I have no favourites or pantomime villains as I do in F1, so it was just nice to see a couple of Brits do well, with Sam Bird taking pole. I should mention at this point that EVERYTHING was in French (and - naturally - Arabic. I couldn't tell you whether it was classical or Moroccan). I don't know if this was because Morocco is Francophone (far more than I anticipated, but - bully for me - not a problem), or whether it is another of Formula E's deliberate distinctions from F1, but it left some English-speaking spectators scratching their heads. Qualifying ended at 1pm, which left a rather oddly long 3-hour gap until the race started at 4. We filled it with (pretty unexciting) food, more cultural events, an autograph session and an e-race where the actual F-e drivers raced each other and fans on simulators, about an hour before the real race. Ideal preparation? Not according to the body language of the drivers. Then we took to the grandstand for the race itself. The format is 45 mins plus 1 lap. The gimmicks mentioned above include "fan boost" where fans vote for their favourite driver, who gets additional power unlocked for a short period and "Attack mode", where drivers have to deviate from the racing line for about 50 metres (thus losing time and sometimes track position) to drive over an activation zone. This allows them to use additional power for 4 minutes. They must take 2 Attack mode periods during each race. Despite watching attentively, I didn't notice any gains for anyone using fan boost (I don't even know who got it) and attack mode seems to cause so much disruption to the drivers' rhythm and concentration as to be pretty much worthless for attacking. It would be better named Defence Mode really, as it seemed to help more in preventing other drivers from getting by. Attack mode strategy seems to be in its infancy, as most drivers seem to take it right at the end simply to avoid penalties. With both fan boost and attack mode, the halos on the cars light up either blue or red, but this is a bit pointless, as you don't really have time to assimilate all the info. Or at least I didn't. Maybe once you know the drivers/liveries a bit better... The racing itself was not too bad. Plenty of incidents, though mostly these were indeed caused by the narrow track design. I understand the appeal of wheel-to-wheel racing against a backdrop of famous landmarks, but even in more "global" cities than here, what you actually see is scalextric between concrete walls, topped by advertising banners, turning every race grey. On the plus side, the days of changing cars halfway through are gone and there was a reasonably comprehensible narrative of the race. The 2 members of our group without grandstand tickets ended up watching on the big screen, as the general admission view was poor, which will sound familiar to anyone who has tried to watch F1 at Silverstone. After the race, the podium took place in the e-village and was a pretty friendly affair, (though I didn't hear what da Costa thought about his teammate). Access to the drivers is undoubtedly far better than in F1, for what it's worth. After the event, we left the circuit to try to get home. This was where the fun really started and leads neatly into the best bit of the trip: Marrakesh. What a place!
We managed to flag down 2 taxis from the 5-lane melée outside the circuit. We immediately executed a u-turn across the other 5 lanes, and set off at speed, until a policeman told us we couldn't go down a side road. No problem, we did another u-turn, up a pavement, across a building site and emerged just the other side of the policeman, to his obvious displeasure. Too late, we were gone! I wasnt in the original Italian Job film, or indeed any Bond movie, but I now feel that this oversight has been fully corrected. We drove down pavements, up ludicrous kerbs, along alleys populated by donkeys and fruit stalls, with locals on foot, on mopeds or in Dacias (EVERYONE has a Dacia) scattering before us. We arrived back in about 20 minutes (though curiously, I felt 10 years older) through traffic that would have paralysed any city in the UK for hours. For about 4 quid each. Amazing! The place we are staying in is a traditional Riad, which is a large house in the old town, accessed through an anonymous door in a wall and built around a central courtyard, open to the sky. Ours sleeps 10 in 5 bedrooms, most of which have a shower room attached. The decor is a combination of plain whitewashed walls and dark blue wood and ironwork, with intricately patterned tiles on the floors and some walls. Photos on the walls suggest the owner of ours knew Pope Jean Paul II, Yasser Arafat and knows several other (living) world figures. There are 2 staff, who provide breakfast, housekeeping, taxi-booking duties, as well as the most sumptuous evening meal for under £10 a head. We paid just over £50 each for the 3 nights, which seems like a bargain. The Souks or local markets are right outside the door and there is character by the mule-drawn wagon load. There are also LOTS of tourists, mostly from Scandinavia, who seem to completely ignore the advice for women to keep their hair and arms/legs covered. This seems odd, because it's not about whether you have an issue with women's rights, it's about respect for your hosts and their customs. That said, nobody seems unduly bothered; everyone is really friendly and although there are the usual tourist rip-offs (you'll get a monkey stuck on your head and left there until you pay for a photo), it feels a lot less threatening than other places I've been, some of them in Britain. You do have to remember that it's not Europe, though. Phone data disappears faster than you can say "turn off roaming" and people will remind you that this is Africa. We fly home this evening and it feels like a lot longer than 3 days (in a good way).
Would I go to Formula e again? Maybe, in the right circumstances, but it needs to change. It feels as though it's emerged from a marketing brainstorming, without finding out what the fans actually want. It has potential, especially with younger people who will (probably) grow up in an environment where electric power is the new petrol, but it has some way to go to seduce me.
Would I come to Marrakesh again? You bet.
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628656
15/01/2019 22:46
15/01/2019 22:46
|
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,780 Auld Reekie
Edinburgh
Club President, member225
|
Club President, member225
Forum veteran
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,780
Auld Reekie
|
You're a worthy successor to AA Gill Jim, I'm left wondering whether you've ever been involved in journalism...
It's easy to forget the slap in the face that the way of life you describe above gives one, or "culture shock" as it's traditionally called. Yes it's often ridiculously cheap, incredibly colourful and - temporarily perhaps - stimulating.....but living in possibly similar surroundings many years ago didn't half underline for me the things we take for granted back here in the UK.
Perhaps the lenience shown to the bare-skinned females is becoming more widespread in order to cater for/encourage tourism from the western world - it's certainly generally true in Dubai for example.
You've not sold me Formula E though....
Last edited by Edinburgh; 15/01/2019 22:57.
BumbleBee carer
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628761
19/01/2019 07:20
19/01/2019 07:20
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 16,603 Corridor of Uncertainty
Jim_Clennell
OP
Forum veteran
|
OP
Forum veteran
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 16,603
Corridor of Uncertainty
|
Thanks for the comments. Not sure about the A A Gill comparison, Edinburgh, given the lack of racism, but thanks anyway! My return to these shores has been slightly diminished by a very nasty flu-type bug that knocked me flat on Tuesday. Poor MrsC was left holding the fort (which she did, admirably). I'm just about back on my feet now, but at least 2 other members of our party have been hit; I suspect the flights as the source. I watched the race back on iplayer and it made a bit more sense than it did live. I'm a bit disappointed, as I thought I had a reasonable grasp of it. What makes no sense is the BBC coverage, with Vernon Kaye as anchor. It's like some kind of hallucination: over-the-hill former Channel4 youth strand presenter fronts live broadcast full of missed links, obscure American commentators and Liz Hurley. Must be the flu.
One thing I didn't mention about Marrakesh is that the weather was fabulous! Although the nights were chilly, we saw 22 degrees and lovely sunshine every day.
|
|
|
Re: Formula E, by gum
[Re: Jim_Clennell]
#1628762
19/01/2019 09:17
19/01/2019 09:17
|
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,780 Auld Reekie
Edinburgh
Club President, member225
|
Club President, member225
Forum veteran
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,780
Auld Reekie
|
Not sure about the A A Gill comparison, Edinburgh, given the lack of racism For some reason the racist nature of Gill's spiky commentary had eluded me - that is, any article I had read of his seemed to have avoided such unpleasantness. Still, as Mrs Ed is always reminding me, in any comparision there is always a difference. What I didn't know, upon delving into the Gill/racism issue, was that he was briefly married to our present Home Secretary in addition to being pulled up for his more unsavoury commentary. Perhaps the future of flying will see more attention given to breathable air decontamination - though whether this would involve a steward(ess) walking between the aisles liberally spraying from an aerosol as in our return Air France flight from Cuba is debatable. Flu jab next year, Jim.
BumbleBee carer
|
|
|
|