When the great CART/IRL split occurred, NASCRAP saw an opportunity and ran with it.

Bernie had a great chance to increase F1's base in the the US, but was evidently looking elsewhere.

 

There's usually a blip about F1 in the Detroit Free Press / News. It is on the back of the sports section, but that's all I usually read anyway!

 

I wrote a biatching letter to the Houston Chronicle, and they actually "responded" by starting a racing section. Funny thing is, I rarely read it because I get my F1 information elsewhere, but at least they have tried. Lots of NASCRAP there, as Gromit calls it.

 

There was a 2 inch story on the race Monday in the Lansing State Journal, but I think it was only because there was no NAPCAR Easter weekend.

 

And now -- just for fun -- something from the "creative" mind of Eddie Jordan. Here's the text of an article over on formula-1.updatesport.com:

"Team founder and former owner Eddie Jordan has thrown a spanner in the works of the Force India outfit, according to reports.

The Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell claims that the Irishman, despite no longer owning the team, still controls some of the land surrounding the Silverstone factory in rural England.

Jordan has apparently been trying to sell to Force India a section of land that provides access to the team factory.

But because the Vijay Mallya and Mol family-owned team has so far refused to buy, it is reported that Jordan blocked access to the factory while the race team and bosses were away for the Malaysian grand prix.

Motorsport Aktuell claims that Jordan ordered the dumping of a truckload of concrete on the access road."

 

 

Being discussed to take effect in Bahrain: A new rule for Q3 mandating that cool-down laps be no slower than 120% of typical lap times. This is to prevent the potentially dangerous last-lap traffic issues we saw in Malaysia, and the same as the rule for recon laps heading to the starting grid.

Autosport.com

 

I can see the reason for the change, but that sounds pretty high to me, and I'm not sure it would help the problem. After all, that would be pretty similar to front tier cars racing with the backmarkers. Why can't they make some sort of rule keeping those cars that have made their flying laps out of the driving line?

 

I wonder how much it would cost to add a track exit placed somewhere far enough after the finish line, allowing cars to immediately exit the track after qualifying. How necessary is a cool down lap, considering cars come screaming into the pits during a race, stop, and go again.

 

Let's say "in lap" instead of "cool down lap."

They need to have a rule that is enforceable. "Stay off the racing line" could be subjectively interpreted (probably in Ferrari's favor every time, right conspiracy theorists?), whereas a time limit is objective. I suppose they'll track cars' 1st and 2nd sector times on their in laps to make sure they're within 120%.

 

The 120% rule is in addition to the existing rules. You still cannot balk someone on a hot lap. So the "Stay off the racing line" rule is still in effect.

Alan

 

That's an awful lot of calculations to make sure each team is above the minimum. And what is the penalty for an error? Losing qualifying slots? This business of 5 or 10 positions is getting old. Then again, Bernie has seriously talked about reversing the qualifying order at the start of the race, to make the top cars have to wade through the bottom cars. Sort of loses the incentive to go fast during qualifying, though.

As for an exit lane, I don't think even he'd go for that, since it would have to encircle the track, or allow for parking a bunch of cars. A lot of tracks just don't have the space, either.

 

London Paper Links F1 Boss To **** Sex Tape

Max Mosley Allegedly Participated In **** Role-Playing

Maybe now he can go away... but I doubt it.

 

Let he who has not taken part in a "in a 'sadomasochistic orgy' with five prostitutes that included **** role-playing" cast the first stone!

 

 

It would only have to encircle the pits. I don't believe these cars NEED a "cool down" lap. As they go slower, there's less cooling. Get off the track, circle right around the pits, enter the pits (making sure no one is flying in from the track enterance), and to your garage.

 

I suppose to a very few, Max may be able to convince them that this is all just a First Class April Fool's Joke, but to everyone else, here's the deal

 

They would probably need to award a point or two for the top qualifier for incentive.

 

Ok. So they keep it the same with Q1, 2, 3, etc, but just reverse the order of qualifiers in Q3? Hmm... so, choices:
1) Go for it. Reward: 1 or 2 points. Risk: Getting 2nd, starting 9th, and finishing out of the points.
2) Sandbag it. Reward: Start on pole, win race, 10 points. Risk: penalty? Someone else is slower and you have to start 2nd?

That'd have to totally re-do the qualifying or at least make a LOT of new rules. It's cool for a second shoot out race or something, but when qualifying is your best chance to get to the front - not so much.

 

I like Qualifying the way that it is . . . with the quickest sitting on pole for the race . . . but I guess I'm easily amused.

Heck I'm so easy to please that to this day I still have not seen one valid reason for dropping the old 9-6-4-3-2-1 points system. IMHO, it was the perfect mathematical formula . . . the winner gets three points above second who gets two points above third. Anyway, the number 9 is a lot more interesting that "10." One actually has to use a fraction of their noggin to do the math.

I'm not really crazy about the idea of awarding points outside the actual GP . . . kind of defeats the purpose of the entire weekend building toward the "main" event.

 

Formula 1 coverage on SPEED from the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir:

Friday, Apr. 4, 2008
7:00 a.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix Practice (L)
8:30 a.m. EST Inside Grand Prix
Saturday, Apr. 5, 2008
12:30 a.m. EST Formula One Debrief
1:30 a.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix Practice
7:00 a.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying (L)
Sunday, Apr. 6, 2008
3:00 a.m. EST Inside Grand Prix
3:30 a.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying (re-air)
7:00 a.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix pre-race show (L)
7:30 a.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix (L)
1:30 p.m. EST Barhain Grand Prix (re-air)
Wednesday, Apr. 9, 2008
12:00 p.m. EST Inside Grand Prix
12:30 p.m. EST Bahrain Grand Prix (re-air)

Speed's schedule seems even worse this week than usual so I pieced the above together from a few different places - I made a few assumptions - feel free to chime in with corrections.

 

It makes me wonder just what fan base F1 is trying to attract. I mean outside the US, it's already the most popular form of motor racing.

So that begs the question, who? That pretty much leaves the US. Yet when a US driver got involved, F1 didn't do squat to promote him within the US (that I could see), and he was something of a pariah within the circus, because he was "the American who was given a free ride." Bernie didn't do anything to help that situation either.

So with all these changes, who is that idiot Bernie trying to attract to F1?

 

Like CutnThrust said, "I like Qualifying the way that it is".

If they want to improve the racing I think they should get rid of the rear diffuser, flat bottom cars all the way back. Make the down force with the wings which is much easier to control/monitor... and go back to full slicks of course.

They are proposing slicks for 2009 (or '10?) based on results from upcoming aero changes anyway.

Any time a drivers comments on difficulty passing cars, the problem is with turbulence caused by the diffusers.

 

Oh... I love it the way it is. I think dramatically changing it would be silly. It's exciting to watch, and adds a lot to strategy, etc. For people who just watch the race, the fastest people still end up in the front.

 

I don't know if Bernie ever promotes anything. I would guess that he leaves that up to the individual track promoters. Why would he want to promote an individual driver?