Stop me now if you've heard this kind of story before...

Race Organizers Reject Ecclestone’s New Jersey Doubts

GMM | Posted May 31, 2012 GMM Newswire

Organizers of the American GP coming to New Jersey in 2013 refute Bernie Ecclestone's suggestion the event might be pushed back a year. They have once again dismissed claims the event is in doubt. Bernie Ecclestone said last month that the American Grand Prix could be pushed back to 2014.

And the F1 chief executive repeated his doubts this week, revealing the organizers are having trouble with "funds" and had therefore missed deadlines in the contract.

But when asked about Ecclestone's latest comments, a spokesman for the race, which would be played out amid the famous Manhattan skyline, insisted preparations are "precisely on schedule."

According to njbiz.com, he added that organizers are "still on track for a June 2013 race."

The spokesman added: "We don't comment on our contractual relationship with Formula One or its details."

The land that will be used for the race is co-owned by Roseland Property Co., whose boss Carl Goldberg said he had "heard nothing to suggest that there's going to be a delay from any of the American promoters."

He added there is "a significant amount of time and money being invested, all pointed to a first race in 2013."

Goldberg said Ecclestone's comments are "disconcerting" in light of the money, time and manpower invested so far.


Makes you wonder about who's zooming who here! Let's see now there was the USF1 debacle and then the on again off again Austin venue (still waiting to see if that one comes off) and now this.

Seems that we here in the USA just can't seem to catch any support for F1 and are always at the mercy of charlatans, hawkers, and snake oil salesmen! Such a soap opera!

 

Yeah, we've heard it before, Sabre. And the chief charlatan, hawker, and snake oil salesman is...Bernie Ecclestone.

I don't think F1 will be "right" until Bernie retires or croaks.

 

Bernie does this all the time, to push people's buttons. It's on purpose, to get an edge in negotiation tactics. He's just being Darth Vader getting the battlestation fully operational. No doubt the NJ promoters will redouble their efforts now.

 

It seems rather baffling to me that there may exist the perception that F1's credibility is at stake for, so far, producing six different winners in six races.

I came across this article where Fernando Alonso states,

Alonso: Formula 1 cannot lose credibility

CNN / Saturday 2 June 2012

Fernando Alonso believes, while the current Formula 1 season has delivered what is statistically the most unpredictable start in the sport’s history, it risks damaging its credibility by throwing up what could appear as random results on a race-by-race basis.

“It’s a fantastic season,” he begins to tell CNN. “It’s so unpredictable; I think people are surprised, sitting in front of their TV, with surprises in every race. So it is good for the audience and it’s good for the sport, to bring attention to the races.

“On the other hand, we cannot lose credibility and we cannot lose the fact that the best teams, drivers and strategies win the races. At the moment, from the outside it seems that anyone can win any race and that the talent, teams and performances are like a lottery.
“What you achieve in Formula 1 is not chance. We need to make clear that, if you win a race, it’s because you have done something better than the others - and at the moment I don’t know if this is clear for everybody.”

For me and countless others, this has been one of the best and most competitive seasons in quite some time! Additionally anyone who percieves the WDC as a lottery (in terms of winning) knows nothing of the sport. You think that a win comes as the result of a random act of good fortune? Just ask HRT, Marussia, Caterham, et. al. who still have to notch a win for the first time!

So, is this Alonso beating a drum and yelling to the world, "Look at me, I got this mediocre race car to the front and am leading the WDC because I'm that good" OR that he really thinks that the public carries the misconception that multiple winners = random winners among the field rendering the competition a lottery?

Opinions folks?

 

"Something, something, something Dark Side... Something, something, something, complete."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHiUitciuJ8

 

I had to go back a loong way to find a season this exciting. Back to 1967!

 

I think this is old news but here goes:

http://online.wsj.com/video/sisters-...88A463051.html

Just so we can dislike the Eccelstones a little more...

 

Well S-Driver thanks for throwing high octane fuel on the I Hate Bernie thing...

Yup thats where all those sanctioning fees are going all right... Into Bernie's pocket and then handed out to these 2 spoiled girls!

Seems that Bernie has taught them well... Its all about the $$$$$$$$

There's luxurious, there's extravagant, then there's what these girls have done! I can see having a pool, maybe indulge in putting in a bowling alley, but a nightclub in your house!

I have but one question.

How did such an ugly little troll like Bernie end up with two attractive looking daughters?

I would conjecture that they must have gotten their physical attributes from Mom and their rapacious greed from their father of course!

 

I'm on my way to Montreal for the race. Does anyone know of any radio frequencies for English broadcasting at the track?

 

Try TSN Radio 990 in Montreal.... Radio 990 is covering all of the F1 excitement!

Here's a link to their website and they stream live on the net!

http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=397784


Wish we were there with you! Enjoy the GP weekend and all of us on this forum are expecting a report of how it went with maybe some updates as the GP weekend progresses...

 

OK its been real quiet here lately!

Guess everyone is out motoring!

Well I'll throw this out here and see what happens...

Suffice to say this season's race for the WDC has been varied with a different winner every time out... so far!

The GP of Europe may well deliver another "new" face at the top step of the podium come Sunday... time will tell.

In the meantime, what do you all think? Will the string of different winners continue or will we have a repeat winner stand atop the podium? Predictions anyone on who will win (or who they want to see win)?

My predicition: 1st) Alonso 2nd) Vettel 3rd) Grosjean and my dark horse winner is M. Schumacher.

That's how I see it but then again the reception on my crystal ball is poor (one bar.. )

Oh and before I forget, what ever happened to STLMINI and his race report on the Canadian GP?

How about it STLMINI?

We're anxious to hear all about your foray into the world of F1 in Montreal!

 

How can I refuse a command performance from Sabre!

The trip to Montreal was great. It's such an amazing city. This year my buddy and I stayed downtown. After 3 trips to the GP and staying 3 different places I've decided downtown is the place to be. I was less than a block from the metro and within a couple blocks from all the street parties.

I sat in section 3 of Grandstand 11 which gave me a clear view of start finish, turn 1, and 2. Great place to see the cars go fast, slow down, turn and take off.

Also, those stands are close enough to get down on the track to see the podium ceremony.

Let me know if you have any questions about it and I'll try to address them.

I highly recommend the Canadian GP. The entire city of Montreal gets behind the race and there's nothing like being in a place with 100,000 of your closest friends.

 

You honor me good sir and I thank you for your response!

Wow! Questions, questions... Inquiring minds want to know...

Did you see alot of MINIs in Canada or at the GP? I hear that the downtown has a very "carnival" atmosphere to it... that true? Also how is the lodging downtown... expensive I would guess?

So you got to see the cars attack the "Champion's Wall" section... Is it really as tight and as fast as it seems on TV?


Thanks STLMINI and if you got any pics how about sharing with your NAMily... we'd love to see what it was all about?

___________________________________________

On another note... how about that GP in Valencia! Had me on the edge of my seat it did! Really enjoyed it and it was a pleasure to watch the level of talent that was displayed by Fernando, Kimi, and Michael! Great racing and alot of drama!

 

I didn't see more MINIs in the city than I would see in St. Louis but there was quite a nice display of MINIs in some of the streets that were closed off for the festivities. Very much a carnival atmosphere.



















Lodging downtown is great. You're right in the mix of everything and have access to the metro to get just about anywhere. Our room was $500 a night for a Marriot Residence Inn but there were rooms for $800+ also. We may have been able to get something cheaper if we were more vigilant about booking it but we waited too long in my opinion.

I was on the other end of the straight so I didn't see as much of the Wall of Champions during the race but I was able to go up to it after the race and see it as close as any champion has. It's tight. Real tight.

Here's some pics from our seats:




(Not from our seats. This is at the entrance to the hairpin)




















(lots and lots of beautiful women, btw)

































Unfortunately, my camera card crapped out on me while I was on the track after the race so I lost all my pics from the actual race day that I didn't take on my phone. :(

 

I LOVE THIS SEASON!!!!! Woooohoooo....

 

Thanks alot STLMINI for sharing your pics with us!

WOW! Montreal sure looks like a great time! F1, fast cars, good food, and lovely ladies... what more can a guy ask for!

Nice to see that the supporting races made for some MINIs on the track!

I got a question for you... Did the Formula Ford race and the tin-tops run on the GP course or was there a shorter (can't really see how it could be) version of Circuit Gilles Villenueve that they ran on?

BTW, in that one pic you look like part of the McLaren brain-trust trying to figure out how to keep your man Lewis out front... worried look on your face as you talk with Martin Whitmarsh on the comm set?

So sorry to hear that you lost your race photos...

Anyway great pics and again thanks for sharing with your NAMily!

 

They all ran on the same track. Just longer lap times.


That was posed. I am a total McLaren fan-boy. That comm set is awesome. It connects to a splitter for up to 4 headsets that allows for a radio input as well so we could listen to the race (104.5 fm) and protect our ears. There's also a push-to-talk button so the mic isn't always open.

 

Well I must say I DO like the way this season is going. It's Fred's WDC to lose, especially now that RB got it's hands caught in the cookie jar.

Here's a pic I had a good time taking:

 

Gee, for some reason I didn't get any notices that new posts were added to this thread, so I'm a month behind. Great pictures, STL! I've been to Montreal, but not to the race--it's actually more on my to-do list than the upcoming race in Texas. Hubby bought tickets for Austin, and we have reservations about an hour away. Is anyone here going?

Did anyone notice that many of the photos had an ad tag for the Fiat 500? At least they did before I signed in. Once I did, they went away. Do you suppose they're actually trying to sell MINI owners on Fiats?

 

You're right Gromit, it has been a most entertaining season and IMO we are witnessing some of the best (and in some cases worst) portraits of driving in a long time.

The tire situation has added a new dimension to the racing along with the DRS and KERS (both of which I dislike) but whereas the latter two factors seem to artificially enhance the racing, the tires remind me of the old days when a driver had to manage the componenets of his car to ensure that he was competitive all the way to the checkers.

Now on the driving front...

Alonso is without a doubt the best driver on the grid for 2012 hands down! It is magic watching him ply his trade on a race weekend.

Also Schumi is flirting with a win if Mercedes can give him the needed equipment. I still maintain that a win is in Michael's future.

Another knocking on the door for a win is Kimi. The "Iceman" is overdue for the top step on the podium considering the fact that Lotus has stepped up its game and is so competitive in 2012.

Vettel is quick but I wonder about his racecraft... Still a little rough around the edges at times... Seems to get really frustrated (though not anywhere near as bad as Hamilton) if he cannot match the pace of the leader and car looks ragged (trying to hard?)

Webber has really stepped up his game and when the fire is lit he is as quick as any, though his performance is streaky.

Teamwise, Red Bull better tread lightly as the FIA is keeping a wary eye on them.

Adrian Newey always seems to find new and interesting ways to make the RB8 go faster... I've loved his designs from his early days with Leyton House/March to now... genius, sheer genius.

The surprise of the year is Williams Grand Prix Engineering. It will be interesting to see what Maldonado and Senna can deliver in the second half of the season.
WOW! Nice pic Gromit... Hunt and Teddy Mayer.

Must have been a difficult photo to take unless you had Pro-Photographer credentials.

What year is this? I'm guessing (Long Beach USGP)1976?

 

Wish I could attend and it is on my to-do list (as is the Canadian GP in Montreal).

Since attending the event is not possible (for me) deb I for one will be waiting to get your report as you wander the paddock at the USGP in Austin. WOW, our own pitside reporter... take that SPEED Channel!

Of course you realize that you will have to fill some big shoes (STLMINI) now that you will be NAM's F1 reporter for this event but I have faith in you! (And you thought that "press gangs" were a thing of the past ).

Btw deb, how about posting some pics of the event, for your NAMily, to go along with your report ? Yeah, pics would be nice to share with all your brothers and sisters here on NAM!

 

We've got Tickets for Austin, and reservations for a not very convenient hotel.

This will be our second F1 race, we got to Montreal in 2008.

 

Alright! Now we have TWO reporters in the paddock at the USGP!

Thanks Btwyx for stepping up!

We will be looking forward to hearing all about the event and seeing pics of the weekend!

 

Sabre, it was the 1977 USGP West in Long Beach. I was in the pits, but no credentials. Let's just say I looked like I belonged there, lol. Got a LOT of great pics for a few years there.

 

Let's hope they don't cancel the race. Ecclestone says they basically have no contract right now...