The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Pirelli want action on tyre testing Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:26 AM PDT The Italian company was again in the line of fire at the weekend's Korean Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber complaining about how quickly the tyres wore out. McLaren's Sergio Perez suffered an explosive delamination of his front right tyre during the race at Yeongam which left debris strewn across the track and brought out the safety car. The incident was reminiscent, in terms of drama, of the spate of blowouts earlier in the season that triggered safety fears and forced Pirelli to return to last year's structure with 2013 compounds. Pirelli motorsport head Paul Hembery told reporters yesterday there were no worries about the Perez incident but there was real concern about how the tyres would behave next year when the rules change significantly and a new V6 turbocharged engine is introduced. A planned tyre test with McLaren in Austin, Texas, before next month's US Grand Prix was cancelled after objections that it could favour the former champions, who are fighting Force India for fifth place overall. Pirelli have done several tests, including a controversial "secret" one with Mercedes in May, with teams providing older cars, but have repeatedly complained that they need to use more representative machinery. "We're running around in a 2010 car, developing tyres for the 2014 car, which nobody really knows what it's going to look like," said Hembery. "Yet every time we even ask to test with a 2011 car we come up against opposition. "Going forward, to do what we need to do, we need to have the ability to test and help everybody – drivers and teams," added the Briton. "Whilst nobody wants to think they're going to get an advantage in testing, you can't carry on going round in circles and decide to do nothing. Something has to change." Dead rubber Hembery said Pirelli wanted to reduce the amount of "marbles" - small chunks of tyre rubber – that litter the track and increase the mechanical strength of the compound. To do that, they need to test at certain tracks with suitable conditions and also need teams to help them. Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit could offer one such opportunity after the season-ender there in November. Another option would be for Pirelli to test in Bahrain in January before two more scheduled pre-season tests there with all the teams in late February and early March. "Ideally at the end of the season we'd like to see some use of these (2013) cars because they're the best and the quickest we've got at the moment," said Hembery. "It would make sense to use them because for the majority of the teams they'll be of little relevance anyway." Sunday's race at Yeongam was marked by high degradation and heavy stress on the front rights, with drivers talking afterwards about how their tyres were effectively "dead". Asked whether Formula One, which will allow some limited in-season testing next year after banning it previously to save money, was getting what it deserved, Hembery smiled wearily. "To an extent, yes," he replied. "We're still talking about trying to sort testing out and we're in October. I just hope the engine manufacturers for next year have been able to do their work, and as they desire. "Otherwise the conversations we'll be having might be with them next year – I hope not, for their sake." Hembery said the new engine was likely to see a dramatic change in the application and delivery of power. Yet there were no plans to test tyres in wet conditions with the new cars before the start of the 2014 season, despite the regular risk of a tropical deluge at the second race in Malaysia. "There are things, as a sport, we need to improve on, which is something that is starting to be recognised. A number of the team principals have said we need to do something differently, and we obviously agree with that," said Hembery. – Reuters, October 7, 2013 |
| Tiger leads US to Presidents Cup Posted: 06 Oct 2013 08:15 PM PDT World number one Woods edged 41st-ranked Richard Sterne of South Africa 1 up to secure the trophy, thwarting an Internationals fightback and boosting the Americans to 8-1-1 in the overall rivalry with their fifth win in a row. "It feels good," Woods said. "It was a tough day, tough conditions, rain, wind all around. It was a long week, but it was worth it." Battling nagging back spasms over the final five holes, 14-time major winner Woods won the par-3 16th with a par, chipped from the rough to inches from the hole at 17 and halved 18 for the victory. "(My back) went out on me at 14 and from then on it just kept getting worse. We played a lot of holes the last couple days so a lot of our guys are dinged up and unfortunately I was one of them." Woods is a five-time winner of the US PGA Memorial tournament, which is played at Muirfield Village, and he went 4-1 in Cup matches, improving his overall singles record in Ryder and Presidents Cup to 10-3-2. His victory put the hosts up by four with only two matches remaining on a course that saw heavy rain for the fourth day in a row, forcing lift, clean and place rules to be used. "We've all slogged it out and did our best," said 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia. It was the third triumph for Fred Couples as the US captain, all having ended Woods taking the winning point. "Three in a row and Tiger has the winning point all three times – that's pretty good," Couples said. Couples is not planning to guide the team again in 2015 when the event will be played in South Korea. "A three-peat is good enough for me," Couples said. Internationals captain Nick Price was proud of his team's rally, winning four matches in a row with the US on the brink of clinching to create some late drama. "We're a real hodgepodge team that came from the four corners of the world and gave the might of America a run for their money," Price said. "The all played incredibly well. They tried their hardest and I'm proud to be their captain." Aussie Jason Day won the first singles point 6 and 4 over Brandt Snedeker. The Muirfield Village member won four of the first six holes and led all the way. Hunter Mahan answered for the hosts, beating Japan's Hideki Matsuyama 3 and 2. Mahan birdied six and seven to take the lead for good and prevent an Internationals run. Jason Dufner, who won the PGA Championship two months ago, edged the US closer by beating Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge 4 and 3. Dufner led from start to finish and won after de Jonge hit his tee shot way left into trees at the par-5 15th. Canada's Graham DeLaet chipped in from a bunker at the 18th hole to beat Jordan Spieth 1-up. Zach Johnson beat South African Branden Grace 4 and 2 to put the US on the brink of victory. But Scott edged Bill Haas 2 and 1 and South African four-time major winner Ernie Els outlasted Steve Stricker 1-up to keep Internationals hopes alive for a draw. The tension increased as Aussie Marc Leishman made a 10-foot par putt at 18 to edge Matt Kuchar 1-up and South African Charl Schwartzel beat Keegan Bradley 2 and 1 before Woods ended the drama. Webb Simpson led for 16 of 17 holes but gave South African Louis Oosthuizen the last to halve their match and Phil Mickelson gave Argentina's Angel Cabrera the last putt, hole and the match 1-up to create the final margin. The US team won two-and-a-half points in foursomes matches that ended yesterday. – AFP, October 7, 2013. |
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