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David Phillips
Editor and ChiefDavid Phillips is a long-time contributor to print and electronic publications in the U.S. and abroad, including Racer, Autosport, AutoWeek, Motor Sport and SPEEDtv.com, oversees the daily updating of news stories and assigns, edits and contributes feature material for inRacingNews.com.
Chris Hall
iRacing.com Series WriterChris Hall has been writing since the nineties and moved into motorsports reporting in 2005, covering series such as ALMS, British GT, FIA GT, Le Mans and 2CV racing for Full Throttle magazine, Motorsport.com, The-Paddock.net, GTGateway.com, L' Endurance and, of course, inRacingNews. During 2008 and 2009, he worked with the RSS Performance Porsche Carrera Cup Team (and former British GT(C) champions) as a data engineer for a variety of drivers and models of 997s.
Jameson Spies
Contributing Writer19 years old, Jameson Spies lives in Quartz Hill, California. He grew-up surrounded by racing. His mother raced late models throughout Southern California while his father built and setup the car. Not surprisingly, Jameson began racing go-karts at the age of 13, and is now racing Spec Trucks at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He has a passion about all forms of racing and hopes to make a career out of it.
Jason Lofing
iRacing.com Series WriterJason is 21 years old and was born and raised in Elk Grove. California. A big time NASCAR fan, he hasn’t missed a race on Sunday in years. Lofing is also a huge San Fransisco Giants fan and tries to take in at least a couple games a year. Other than sim racing, his biggest (and far more expensive!) hobby is photography. Although he is rather new to sim racing, Lofing has already accomplished some pretty impressive results, qualifying for the 2011 iRacing Oval Pro Series in Season 1, 2011, winning the inaugural Landon Cassill Qualifying Challenge and finishing runner-up in the second one.
Ray Bryden
Technical contributorRay grew up in Nova Scotia, which means he’s a hockey nut, but in Nova Scotia’s two non-winter months he had to find other diversions, which meant watching F1 racing on weekends with his dad and brothers. Without the resources to get started in racing, he gravitated to computer versions of racing – first Atari games like Pole Position, followed by PC racing games like Indianapolis 500: The Simulation. Dozens of others came and went, until Grand Prix Legends came along and he decided sim-racing was his official hobby. Years were spent enjoying this both offline and online until a few years of fatherhood took priority. When free-time reappeared he heard about iRacing and signed up in 2008 and became so involved in the service that he wrote one of the first books on the subject of sim-racing, iRacing Paddock. When not writing for inRacingNews.com, his main occupation is as a research associate with Saint-Gobain working on advanced ceramic materials.
Patrick Atherton
Contributing WriterPatrick Atherton, originally from Adelaide in the state of South Australia, currently resides just outside of Melbourne, Victoria with wife of 17 years and 3 kids. A business manager by profession, but also dabbles with blogging, cartooning and fine art, having been published both as a writer in a short-lived South Australian motorsport yearbook and later as a cartoonist in a niche trade magazine. At the age of 19 he competed in club circuit events in an Austin Healey Sprite, later indulging in sprint karts between 1994 and 2000. Following the move to the State of Victoria he raced Road Race Karts (“Superkarts” as they are known in Australia) in the popular Rotax class, competing at Phillip Island, Oran Park, Mallala, Wakefield Park, Eastern Creek, Calder Park, Sandown and Winton. It was during this time he met former Australian F2 champion and inventor of Australia’s first, and most prolific race simulator rig, Jon Crooke. This culminated in an introduction to Papyrus’ legendary NR2003 simulation, and the subsequent sim racing addiction which brought him to iRacing.
Tim Terry
Contributing WriterTim Terry, aka the voice of Maritime stock car racing, fell in love with sim racing in 2004 after he joined the Sim Racing Network crew as a pit reporter. From October 2004 to SRNtv’s closure in June 2007, he’s covered prestigious races and leagues such as the Online 500, FLM Fall 400, Real Racing Online and the DMP Racing League – each as the lead broadcaster for the company. At the same time the wheels started to turn in another direction as he began announcing stock car racing locally. Terry became the assistant announcer at Scotia Speedworld in May 2007 and took over full duties in May 2009 when long-time voice Mike Kaplan retired from the track. Terry also became the series voice of the Parts For Trucks Pro Stock Tour in ’09 and continues to hold down both posts in 2011. He has also announced races for the Pro All Stars Series, Atlantic Open Wheel and Maritime League of Legends tours and has called races at six different Atlantic Canadian tracks. Terry can be heard online at WebRacingNetwork.com, RLMtv.com and OLRtv.com covering sim races. He also makes occasional appearances on PSRtv.com. In addition to inRacingNews, his articles and columns can be read on ScotiaSpeedworld.ca, MaritimeProStockTour.com and his own website at timterryonline.com.
David Allen
Contributing WriterNorth Carolina born and raised with over 15 years of computer/IT experience, I combine two of my biggest hobbies -- racing and technology -- here at inRacingNews. In my spare time I run a Nascar fan site and cure my own need for speed riding atvs. If it involves technology or racing I'll be there, but combine the two and I'll be looking a front row seat. Stop by and say hello anytime!
Allen Krier
Contributing WriterAllen was born in West Palm Beach, Florida but grew up in Atlanta and attended Georgia College and State University where he received a BS in Information Systems. Currently a resident of Albany, GA, he started sim racing in 2008 while in college when iRacing was first released to the public. Since then, Krier has been a two time iRacing Pro Series driver (2009 and 2010), picking up one Pro Series win at Daytona in ‘09. Besides sim racing, Allen’s other hobbies include RC Car racing as well as “attending and watching any sporting event that I can including going to the local dirt track.
Yas Marina day-night race Q and A
August 28th, 2009
Conducted and provided by Abu Dhabi’s press office.
Q. Why has this decision been made?
A: F1 is all about constant change and innovation. Most of the time that focus is on the change and innovation surrounding the cars. This is a great chance to set a new precedent. Yas Marina Circuit has been built from the outset to host day and night-time activities. Staging Formula 1′s first ever day/night race in Abu Dhabi offers us the unique opportunity to demonstrate this circuit’s inbuilt flexibility and state-of-the-art facilities and it couldn’t be staged at a better location than with the stunning backdrop of an Arabian sunset.
Q. When will the lights get turned on?
A: Subject to confirmation by the Race Director, all lights will be turned on prior to the Pit Lane opening before official practice, qualifying and race times. This ensures consistent lighting levels at all times for the drivers.
Q.Will the drivers have to deal with changing light conditions and will that present dangers?
A: Yas Marina Circuit’s lighting system uses a mixture of tall outfield floodlights and smaller infield fixtures to ensure that the lighting level for the driver is consistent throughout the race.
Q.Why is this different to the race start times for Singapore or Australia?
A: This is the first time in Formula 1 history that a race is scheduled to start in daylight and end during night-time. The difference between Singapore and Australia is that Singapore is a full night race and Australia, due to daylight saving hours, is raced during daylight hours.
Q.Who made the decision?
A: This is a joint decision between Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management and Formula One Management. It has always been our mutual intention to showcase to the world this spectacular venue and this decision allows just that opportunity.
Q.Who benefits from this decision?
A: Spectators and television viewers will see the stunning architecture of the world’s newest Formula 1 circuit during the afternoon sunlight and then experience what it is like under floodlights. It is the best of both worlds.
Q.How do you think the F1 teams will react?
A: Formula 1 has a long history of embracing challenges and pushing boundaries. We hope all teams will embrace racing on this spectacular race circuit at this historic time.
Q.What time will be free practise and qualifying?
A: According to FIA guidelines, practice and qualifying must replicate conditions for the actual race. So, we can expect the second free practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday to be held under similar sunset conditions.
Q.Does this mean that some or all of the support races will be at night-time?
A: We are working with FOM to ensure that the support race programme will be set to optimize racing conditions to the benefit of each and every race category. By that we mean: drivers, spectators, and viewers. We will be announcing the support race programme, shortly.
Q.Is this really a first? Surely Singapore and Australia have done something similar?
A: This is the first time in Formula 1 history that a race is scheduled to start in daylight and end during night-time.
Q.How have you taken into considerations the drivers’ previous complaints about the danger of driving in day/night conditions?
A: Yas Marina Circuit’s lighting system uses a mixture of tall outfield floodlights and smaller infield fixtures to ensure that the lighting level for the driver is consistent throughout the race. The lights will be on from the start of the race to ensure a seamless transition from daylight to dark.
Q.Have you taken into consideration those people who have booked flights already?
A: Inbound and outbound flight schedules for Abu Dhabi and the UAE are compatible with both the previous and new start times for the race. Those with bookings need not change their travel plans.
Q.Does it mean the F1 teams will have to bring more personnel?
A: As with the time change for Singapore last year, the F1 teams changed their working days to suit the new schedule.
Q.What happens with daylight savings times?
A: The change in daylight savings is on October 25th 2009 for Europe and November 1st for USA. Except for the USA, broadcast times for race-day will be unaffected.