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9 Jul 2003, 16:10 (Ref:657021)
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#1 | |
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Retired
Racer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 280
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Who the heck is Marko Asmer?......
....Marko 'Asmer'...not a name to sneeze at!...But who is he?
How does he get to pedal a WILLIAMS BMW at the most important F1 test session at Barcelona, before the summer testing ban kicks in! And how come all you 'F1 knowitalls' out there just accept him wizzing around in the most powerful 'car of the moment' and not a word!!!? With loads of F1 wanabees being pumped out each season in various 'junior' championships...Mr Asmer slips past them all...thanks very much! And bangs off 100laps of the worlds most physically demanding drivers track, in a fairly respectable 1.20.291. Just 2 seconds off Badoer's Ferrari on day one, apparently with no offs, spins, nor even a sore neck! (Bet he's got one today?!) Is it a Bird?...Is it a Plane?...No!...It's Asmer Man! |
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9 Jul 2003, 16:18 (Ref:657032)
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#2 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
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Asmer? Yea, I've got that, have to always keep an inhaler with me....
Joking aside, he's in his first full season outside of karts, he did well but not sensationally in those, and is in the Formula Ford series this year I think. He's Estonian, so that's a first in an F1 car. |
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9 Jul 2003, 16:27 (Ref:657041)
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#3 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 674
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really surprises me that he got a test now ...he was good in karts, but not that good...maybe a move to promote f1 and bmw in eastern europe...
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9 Jul 2003, 16:46 (Ref:657058)
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#4 | ||
 Race Official20KPINAL
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 21,606
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"Williams with Asmer"
The car will stop at the first corner with an aspirated problem... |
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__________________
Show me a man who won't give it to his woman An' I'll show you somebody who will
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9 Jul 2003, 16:57 (Ref:657076)
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#5 | |||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 517
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Quote:
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9 Jul 2003, 16:59 (Ref:657078)
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#6 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,384
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this is **** - and proves my point of F1 no longer being the elite for drivers and that drivers managers are ramming them down F1 throat.
How can a kid who is in his first year out of Karts warrent 2 F1 test sessions (1 straight line 1 real test" when people like Davidson and others are on the sideline ! shambles |
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9 Jul 2003, 16:59 (Ref:657079)
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#7 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 351
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He did very good times with a limiter on!!!!! He did not have any phisical problems adopting. The guy must be a fitness maniac.
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9 Jul 2003, 17:52 (Ref:657119)
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#8 | |||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
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Quote:
You're all right though, this guy has no business being in F1 yet, even to test. He hasn't proved himself greatly in lower formulae, certianly not the way Raikkonen did, and there are 100 better qualified to have a go at this. |
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9 Jul 2003, 18:14 (Ref:657141)
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#9 | |
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Rookie
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 76
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Marko was a works driver with Tony Kart, partnered Mr M Schumacher in the kart world championships a year or so back, is currently driving with Team JLR in the national Formula Ford Championship and is doing reasonably well. He is managed by Harald Hauysman, the same guy who managed Jenson Button when he got to F1 .... hence the connection with Williams.
Hope this helps! |
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9 Jul 2003, 18:15 (Ref:657143)
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#10 | ||
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Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 41
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Seriously, getting Asmer in a BMW F1 takes the pish!
This has really bugged me since he CLEARLY IS NOT the most talented young driver out there and HAS NOT earned the test purely on merit 
Last edited by UKFFORDSTER; 9 Jul 2003 at 18:18. |
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9 Jul 2003, 18:21 (Ref:657154)
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#11 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,979
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They might as well have given me a ride in that car, and i would have done a better job too!
Damn rich kids always get the good stuff... |
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9 Jul 2003, 19:55 (Ref:657274)
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#12 | ||
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14th
1% Club
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 42,742
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I have no problem with this, good luck to him. Frank can put who he wants in the car - especially for a test. He gave Nico Rosberg a run too, so we can be happy with that anyway.
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__________________
Seriously not taking motorsport too seriously.
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9 Jul 2003, 19:57 (Ref:657277)
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#13 | |
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Racer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 262
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its impossible to do 98 laps in an F1 without neck problems
and remember he has only done a few FF races u can be in the gym 24 hours a day for 2 weeks before a F1 drive and u would still have series neck agro after some fast lappery |
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9 Jul 2003, 20:28 (Ref:657303)
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#14 | ||
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Race Official 20KPINAL
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 21,606
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Just to think about it and I'm already feeling it...
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__________________
Show me a man who won't give it to his woman An' I'll show you somebody who will
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9 Jul 2003, 22:52 (Ref:657441)
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#15 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 393
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AAAAAH I'm so jealous of this guy! He's 18!?!?!? Actually that's kinda cool, I hope he doesn't have any problems.
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__________________
In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
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10 Jul 2003, 09:20 (Ref:657682)
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#16 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 158
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Isn't his dad some sort of Estonian politician as well? I think there has been a big push to get him to F1 as quickly as possible, but he needs way more experience.
I don't mind him getting a test - I think that's great. They should give loads of drivers tests, all teams, and Williams have given lots of other drivers tests as well - Nico Rosberg for example. Though I think it would be premature to give someone with that little experience, and not achieving the best results more than just the odd test. I was happy when Raikkonen was given the Sauber test in 2000, but I still think giving a driver straight out of FR an F1 drive was one step too far - and the same applies here. I like Asmer, I thought he did a good job last season in karts (though he was a bit slow at first), but I think this is as much an example of drivers getting opportunities because of good PR and the like rather than talent and results. |
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__________________
"To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, but I feel that life is measured in achievement, and not in years alone"
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10 Jul 2003, 09:34 (Ref:657692)
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#17 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 3,546
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Come on guys, it's only a test. He's not racing for them or anything.
Has he got any handy sponser links? Could that explain his prescence? |
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__________________
It's just my opinion.
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10 Jul 2003, 12:17 (Ref:657824)
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#18 | ||
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Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 41
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Well, as I see it, isnt F1 test or drive the ultimate reward in motor racing??? (if thats your career goal)
Yeah its good to see young drivers getting opportunities but the bit thats irritating is the drivers who get the tests arent the best the motor racing world has to offer so surely they are rewarding drivers with nifty managers rather than the nifty drivers  And that leaves this 'Ultimate' drive theory of mine completely redundant, and me wondering if I might be able to test a williams if I sort my manager out  Just kidding, or even more to the point, if F1 really the ultimate reward for a racing driver?
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10 Jul 2003, 12:50 (Ref:657857)
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#19 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 213
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As you can imagine, this is pretty big news round here in my part of the world.
To answer your questions in roughly the order they were raised: First of all, his time wasn't 1.20, but 1.24, as he was driving the whole time with a speed limiter on. This may also explain why he didn't appear to have any neck problems. This was not his first test for Williams. He did some straight-line testing for them at Vairano in Italy back in May. The decision to put him in the car has NOTHING to do with: * BMW wanting to sell more cars here (the population is only 1.4 million and not all that many of them will be able to afford BMWs anyway); * him being a rich kid, because he is not. He has a few decent (by Estonian standards) sponsors, but no real money of his own. And most of the money Estonian sponsors can offer for motor sports already goes to rallying which, thanks to the exploits of Markko Märtin, is just as high profile as F1 here; * his Dad being a minister. He is no longer a minister, and even when he was (until the last election) he was only a relatively low-ranking one, namely the Minister for Regional Affairs. By the way, his Dad used to compete in some kind of motor sport himself. The decision to put him in the car has everything to do with his manager Harald Huysman and the boss of his Formula Ford team (forget his name), both of whom are relatively close friends of Frank Williams. Oh, and of course also the fact that he's quite good. OK, he's not blown everyone away in any series yet, but he's making steady progress, and Huysman, Williams and the FFord guy have been very impressed with what they've seen so far. Don't get in a huff anyway. As some of you mentioned, it's only a test and he's unlikely to be doing very many, although I do expect him to do one or two more this year. Huysman has made no secret of the fact that the aim is to get him into F3 next year, and then we'll see I suppose. And of course when Ralf and Juan's wage demands get too high, we could see a Rosberg-Asmer pairing at Williams for 2005!
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10 Jul 2003, 12:52 (Ref:657861)
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#20 | ||
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14th
1% Club
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 42,742
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Thanks for that Laagri. Nice to get a bit of local knowledge.
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__________________
Seriously not taking motorsport too seriously.
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10 Jul 2003, 16:05 (Ref:658009)
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#21 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 274
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What, in this context, is a speed limiter? Presumably they just reduce the point in the rev range where the auto 'box shifts up?
Does testing with such a limiter benefit Williams, or was the test conducted purely to give Asmer a run in an F1 car? Either way, whatever the guy's paying his manager it's not enough! |
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__________________
You drink, you drive... You spill --NOFX
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10 Jul 2003, 16:23 (Ref:658021)
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#22 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,404
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10 Jul 2003, 16:41 (Ref:658032)
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#23 | |||
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14th
1% Club
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 42,742
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Quote:
It can be good for Williams as there is less chance the test is cut short because of failure. Depends what you are testing. As he did a lot of running I suspect he was testing something. Maybe component reliability or tyre wear. It might not be perforamance parts. |
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__________________
Seriously not taking motorsport too seriously.
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10 Jul 2003, 17:07 (Ref:658054)
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#24 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 751
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Richard Dean is his JLR team boss.
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10 Jul 2003, 18:29 (Ref:658112)
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#25 | |
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Racer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 198
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Yes he ran at Donnington in the v6 and finnished about 8th i think.
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