tagged 
Bernie Ecclestone, F1, Korea, MotoGP, Olympics, Phillip Island, Track Safety
Bernie Ecclestone, F1, Korea, MotoGP, Olympics, Phillip Island, Track Safety Bernie at his Best
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 11:57AM
In an interview with England's Guardian newspaper Bernie was in great form. "I don't think democracy is the way to run anything." That goes without saying, you just have to look at how he has run F1 these last thirty years or more. Speaking about job satisfaction he said,"You look back at the end of the year and you see what you've achieved by working out how much money the company has made. That's it." That tells us all we need to know. No sentimentality about famous old tracks being lost, and unapologetic about the spate of "cookie cutter" tracks replacing them, blaming it on the need for track safety. In my mind safety and a great track are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, a safe track allows drivers or riders to take chances they would not normally take if they thought the track unsafe. I think Phillip Island is a great example of this. Anyway, I do not believe Bernie is quite as hard bitten as he likes to make out. Don't get me wrong he loves winning the deal, but he started as a racer don't forget, then a driver manager and team owner. He does love the sport, just loves the deal more. Asked about retirement he repeated what he has said before that basically they will carry him out of the office in his coffin, and said they needed a car dealer to replace him. Not quite sure if Flavio Briatore was a car dealer, but he was a wheeler and dealer so I guess that counts. One very true statement Bernie makes is in respect of the money wasted by Governments on the Olympics compared to investing in say Silverstone. "The worst thing is that they have wasted a fortune on the Olympics which will come and go, and be forgotten in a few weeks, when they could have supported Silverstone and made sure the British grand prix is there forever. The only good thing about the Olympics is the opening and closing ceremony. They do a lovely showbiz job. Otherwise, it's complete nonsense." Well said Bernie.
I read yesterday that Korea is spreading cement dust on the asphalt to soak up the oil seeping out of it because it is so freshly laid. That's high tech right there, you want to be the first driver to find that slick spot.
There is a lot of comment about the bad weather at Phillip Island last weekend and why can't they pave the parking or move the race to earlier in the year? Paving the parking would be extremely expensive for just that race, even if the farmers would sell the land and the Council would let you. I always planned that the race would be one of the first of the season so even though the weather can still be iffy in the fall at least the ground would have dried out over the summer. As it is in September it has rained all winter on volcanic soils, not a good mix. The argument is that the F1 race is early in the year and you do not want to clash. Well it wasn't when it ran in Adelaide, and only runs early in Melbourne to avoid the Melbourne Cup horse race, Australia's Derby, which is run the first Tuesday in November if I remember correctly. So what if the GP ran that weekend prior? What an experience, you don't think the sum of the two is bigger than the parts in terms of a tourist draw?
I read yesterday that Korea is spreading cement dust on the asphalt to soak up the oil seeping out of it because it is so freshly laid. That's high tech right there, you want to be the first driver to find that slick spot.
There is a lot of comment about the bad weather at Phillip Island last weekend and why can't they pave the parking or move the race to earlier in the year? Paving the parking would be extremely expensive for just that race, even if the farmers would sell the land and the Council would let you. I always planned that the race would be one of the first of the season so even though the weather can still be iffy in the fall at least the ground would have dried out over the summer. As it is in September it has rained all winter on volcanic soils, not a good mix. The argument is that the F1 race is early in the year and you do not want to clash. Well it wasn't when it ran in Adelaide, and only runs early in Melbourne to avoid the Melbourne Cup horse race, Australia's Derby, which is run the first Tuesday in November if I remember correctly. So what if the GP ran that weekend prior? What an experience, you don't think the sum of the two is bigger than the parts in terms of a tourist draw?
Reader Comments (1)
Bob
I was at Phillip Island for the GP. And yes it was wet and windy and WILD. But that was part of the experience.
The only thing I would say about the mud was that it was everywhere, and it was slippery and sticky. Particularly the slope down to the trade expo and merchandising stands. If I was a food or merchandise retailer there with gloopy mud inches deep in front of my store that I've paid handsomely for, I would be peed right off.
As a spectator, I chose NOT to go anywhere near the pits or the media centre this year, and looked at it through the eyes of the spectating public and not a part of the elite.
If you move the event to earlier in the year than the World SuperBike series is going to be compromised. As it is I'm back down there for WSBK at the end of February 2011.
And yes you guessed it, next time I'm packing ALL the gear for all the weather conditions plus enjoying some of the comforts of the inner sanctum when Atcho needs me to be there. Other than that, you'll find me at Lukey Heights watching some of the world's best sprinkled with a few princesses doing their thing at the best track.