Sato signs with Super Aguri

[Bombardier R142]

So says the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4653086.stm

[Cygni]

Been on speednews for a bit: http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/22077/

No surprise in Sato, but ive never heard of Yuji Ide. Not like it matters so much. Its pretty much guranteed that they will struggle quite a bit. Ill be rooting for em. I love an underdog.

[SLKRR]

No surprise in Sato, but ive never heard of Yuji Ide.

Gesundheit!!

[Indycarjunkie]

Thats good news to me! I just can't imagine what F1 would be like without Takuma Sato.

[SLKRR]

Thats good news to me! I just can't imagine what F1 would be like without Takuma Sato.

Yeah, they might go a whole race without one wreck, and that just won't do...

[Cygni]

More like they might go a whole race with some Honda mosquito abatement.

[SLKRR]

More like they might go a whole race with some Honda mosquite abatement.

I've read this sentence 10 times, and either I am really, really tired today, or there is some inside joke that I missed, because I have no clue what you mean. Can you help a brother out?

[Cygni]

Honda had a habit of putting engines under Sato that would detonate in plumes of white smoke... mosquito abatement. (I mispelled mosquito in the first post)

[SLKRR]

Honda had a habit of putting engines under Sato that would detonate in plumes of white smoke... mosquito abatement. (I mispelled mosquito in the first post)

Gotcha. Was it actually Honda's habit, or Sato's driving that burst the engines?

EDIT: Maybe you're right (it was Honda's fault) - because they did the same thing to Button and Davidson last year in Malaysia (?) when they both blew up on lap 2.

[Cygni]

Ya that was the debate for a bit in the media. What it came down to was the software wouldnt allow the driver to nuke the engine, no matter his driving tendencies... so it really was just terrible luck for Sato.... or giving Sato handgrenades because he was lower in the points, and could take the risk.

[Gabbiano]

I am glad Sato is still in F1, but I am going to miss him in a competitve car...I loved his hard charging spirit....

[al1234]

Ya that was the debate for a bit in the media. What it came down to was the software wouldnt allow the driver to nuke the engine, no matter his driving tendencies... so it really was just terrible luck for Sato.... or giving Sato handgrenades because he was lower in the points, and could take the risk.

Cygni, actually Honda recalibrated the software for Sato. Essentially, his pattern of requesting (guess that's the word for it) downshifts from the semi-automatic gear box was causing problems.

Once they did that he was demonstrably slower through the speed traps than Button.

[Refutation]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmlxN...=Takuma%20Sato

Sato is awesome, nicest guy in F1, I expect he'll still be going after any position he can take. Though I think he will calm down some, not too much hopefully. He is F1's "Mr. Excitement"

I remember the Arrows being a mid-pack car capable of scoring points a few times. They will only be using that car for the fly away races, and are supposed to have a "new" car. I think it'll be a modified BAR007, hopefully with the Understeer problems worked out of it, because that is what gave Sato the most trouble with that car.

Yuji Ide has done well in the series he's ran in Japan, I think he's been a Champion in one of the Sport Car series, and multi race winner in some of the Formula car series. Is he ready for F1, eh he's 30, he's been racing since he was a teenager, If he's not ready now he never will be.