Bob Barnard Track Engineering

So here we are in Singapore, metaphorically speaking, getting ready for an important race in the World Championship. They are all important of course, but as we get closer to that last race the ability to recover from a bad race is much more difficult. McLaren say they have fixed the Hungary problems, let's hope so, we want a good close race not a Red Bull benefit, even though they are capable of losing anywhere even with the quickest car.

The engine limitation rule is about to bite someone.  Pedro de la Rosa has already had to use his ninth (Ferrari) engine in his Sauber and take the ten grid spot penalty, and Alonso and Massa are both on their eighth engine. Now Sauber had to go to the ninth as they had blown the others, which is not Ferrari's situation, but even though they say they are not worried there has to be a glimmer of concern. At best the engines might be a bit tired, at worst ready to grenade. Just when you thought it was all complicated enough with five guys still in the running, then we add this little twist. Red Bull are in the best condition with engines, despite the fact that they seemed to have a lot of problems this year, but I guess they were not terminal.

Rain is the other wild card this weekend. We've seen what happens in Malaysia when it decides to rain, and apparently that is what is going on each afternoon this week. The forecast is for more rain, which is always an issue with tracks anyway, but throw in the night race under lights and it gets us into the unknown. Now NASCAR runs under lights but not in the rain, and Le Mans does not have enough lights to potentially be a problem, but the Rolex 24 hour at Daytona does. I cannot recall it creating a problem for drivers, but then they are only turning left on the oval which drains well anyway and the infield is not lit. We have seen how spray hangs in the trees at say Monza, can you imagine it under the lights?

Water on a street track always creates it own problems, Adelaide was shortened at least once because it was impossible to drive on. Drainage on any road is a key element, but on a race track it is magnified ten times both in importance and difficulty of doing it. That is why I have included a presentation at the Cologne Forum specifically on drainage of tracks. Let's hope that Singapore is not marred by rain and we have a good straight shoot out. I know rain effected races can throw up some fun results, but it is not what I would be looking for at this time.

Bernie is quoted as saying he would welcome France back on the calendar, provided a promoter can be found to stump up the cash and someone can provide a track. Is that all? On that basis anyone could have a race, but where would you find space in the twenty race calendar we have now? Who is on the short list to be dropped? While we are talking about Bernie, he is raising his medal system again instead of points. As he said, the new points system did not change anything, but not sure I like the winner takes all approach a medal system implies, and who is going to buy the gold and silver for them? The Promoter I suspect.

World Superbike is at Imola, one of those great tracks that no longer host an F1 GP, despite upgrading the facilities as requested. It will be good to see it again. Imola was home to some of the best signage, large painted logos on the grass run off that was in perspective and looked like it was standing up looking at you, like the signs in Italian soccer if you watch it. Very clever.

The driver situation is heating up, even though there does not appear to be too many options. Paul di Resta is tipped to have a full time seat at Force India next season, so is Liuzzi out, or is Sutil off somewhere, or is Mallya just hedging his bets? Heidfield's ride is just to the end of the season, so is Massa really going back to Sauber as part of the Ferrari engine deal? All will be revealed soon I guess.

Aus$50m, that is what the Victorian Government has owned up to losing on this year's Melbourne F1 GP, despite a good crowd. Of course promoters attendance figures are always dubious at the best of times, but what must the total cost of staging that race be if they LOST $50m? Are you listening Tavo? Now there is a business plan I'd love to read. When I was involved with Adelaide it cost around $20m to stage, including Bernie's fee, which was a lot less in those days. Now that was 25 years ago, but even so, when you have a permanent pit building, the roads are all there, how does it cost that much to put up grandstands? It cannot all be promotion and staff. Allowing for income of say $20m from spectators, corporate etc, that puts the cost of Bernie's fee and staging at $70m!

After "letting the team down" in Monza, Lewis vows to try even harder for the rest of the season. Given how he has been racing that is going to be something to see.

Not much else of real interest going on. Rumors of Kimi to Renault continue, Grosjean is the new Pirelli tester, and Mark Webber is not asking Vettel for help winning the championship. Perhaps if Mark wins the Championship the loss in Melbourne may only be $45m?

Continuing refining the Sol Real layout with the development of the long section, the elevation of the track. The land is basically flat, so looking to move dirt around to make some more interesting corners. Most of the tracks around here are dead flat, so we need to have some elevation to make it different. Not that it is not already different in having safe run off, something sadly lacking at most tracks.  Started signing up potential members, and looking to do a session in Tucson soon with the local enthusiasts as the track is halfway between there and Phoenix.

There are a couple of interesting pieces on tracks this morning. I commented the other day under "Monza" about the situation at Donnington Park and Adroit. I said at the time it would be good to understand what went on, and fortunately David Broome of Adroit commented on that blog and set the record straight. Not quite what the media was presenting, so thank you David for reading and commenting. Please check out David's comment for the true story. Hopefully this is a happy end to a sad saga, and Donnington can continue as one of England's best circuits for many years to come.

That may not be the case for the new Korean track, where the inspection date has been put back another week, "due to local holidays." Weren't they on the calendar when they booked the 21st? ESPN F1 has a very insightful piece on what happens when it is built, and how likely is it to be financially successful.  Martin Williamson, managing editor of digital media ESPN EMEA, comments on today's web page, "Although it continues to take F1 to new locations, the FIA's determination to base its decisions on cash almost regardless of other factors - especially the local interest in the sport and the location of the circuits - have left the Formula One roadshow going to some places where grands prix take place against a backdrop of indifference. It's all very well to argue it is taking the sport into to new markets, but shouldn't consolidating the existing ones be equally important?"

"Assuming the organisers have a workable circuit by the time the FIA inspect later this month, the Korean Grand Prix will go ahead and contractually will remain on the schedule for the next seven years regardless. But you can't but help get the feeling that the hard work will really start when the builders leave."

Very well said Martin. Check out the full story at http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/28461.html.

I'm not against F1 going to new places, Adelaide would never have happened if it did not seek new markets, but there has to be more to the decision than if CVC is going to get a big payday. After all, do empty stands, failed tracks and bad races really look good for the sport and its long term future?

Busy weekend on the motorcycle front. MotoGP at Misano with the Honda's quickest today and the Ducati's struggling. Can Pedrosa catch Lorenzo? Not without a few DNF's for Jorge, which seems unlikely given his reliability thus far. Stoner says he is not watching the Honda, but he must be dying for the season to end to get on it. Does not sound as if Dovizioso is willing to vacate the seat quietly, will Honda run three bikes? Misano was the scene of Wayne Rainey's unfortunate accident this weekend in '93.  Some days you do not forget. I had the privilege of getting to know Wayne and Shae when I lived in Spain and worked for Kenny, and then in the planning for the USGP at Laguna. A great Champion and individual.

World Superbike is at Nurburgring with Checa quickest, but good to see Troy Corser has the BMW right behind him. Troy seems to struggle over a race distance so let's hope he can hold it together this weekend for a podium. A young Australian, Mark Aitchison, is making his debut in the  Supersport class and is tenth in practice, not bad for a guy who probably never saw the bike or the track before. WSBK needs some fresh blood, Checa, Biaggi etc are a bit long in the tooth now.

AMA is at New Jersey in time to meet Earl, but it is supposed to clean up for the weekend. Tommy Hayden is quickest thus far, but with this series would anyone but the diehards notice.

Elsewhere a few series are restarting after the summer, like the F Renault 3.5 who are at Hockenheim with Australian Red Bull protege, Daniel Ricciardo, fastest in practice. F3 Euro are at Brands Hatch with the DTM and Audi leading practice. It is odd that either Mercedes or Audi dominate at a track, their characteristics must be quite different. BTCC are at Knockhill in Scotland, and F2 are at some place unpronounceable in Germany where most drivers have not been before with a Russian with an equally unpronounceable name quickest in practice. Tony George's stepson, Ed Carpenter shocked everyone with pole at Kentucky Speedway, let's see if he can make something for the race from there.

Over at F1 it is "back to the future." Korea is still trying to finish the track and the date for inspection by the FIA is Sept 21. As Tilke says, it is always tight building a track as the race date is fixed, not like a normal construction project where you can delay the opening if you get in trouble, but that has been the way since I built Adelaide, so why is that news? Korea had one go at running a GP and had to pay Bernie not to run it once before. Chandook is supposed to run a car on the track this weekend, so it will be interesting to see if he has the off road tires on it. What happened to the 90 day curing time on the track surface?

On the car front it seems we are to have 1.6 liter turbocharged cars with ground effects for 2013. Works for me, we had 1.5 liter screamers before, and ground effects and some great racing. The fuel flow to the turbo is apparently going to be regulated, and presumably the boost level, so we do not have 1000 hp grenades like before that basically made all the run off too short when the ground effects stopped effecting.

Sebastian Vettel still thinks he is going to win the Championship this year. I want some of what he is on. It is one thing to have confidence and I do not knock him for that, I guess all drivers need to think that they will win, but Webber and Hamilton have to have an amazing run of bad luck for Seb to get up from here. Bit like Pedrosa, maybe they should compare notes.

Back in Arizona we move forward on Sol Real with the land in escrow and a meeting with the City next week. Legal docs should be available this coming week so we can get serious. Membership applications will be available as well for those who want to reserve a place, with no money required until there is a track to drive on, although we are setting up a simulator, so that should be virtually very soon. Texas reconnected today, so should be making a trip there later this month. The program is out for the Forum in Cologne in November on track construction and ownership, so if you want one sent by e-mail please contact me, I can also provide a discount on the fee.

Those of you who have followed my blog will know my views on the English Autosport weekly magazine as the best there is. It turned 60 this week, nearly as old as me, and celebrates with a whopping 330 page issue looking back on those 60 years, the cars, the drivers and the tracks. It is a keeper. Have not read it all yet of course, but a look through is enough to see the quality of what they have produced, so make sure you get a copy wherever you are.

The article on iconic tracks is interesting, and they did a great job on Adelaide, but then again I am biased. I'm sure Ron Walker from the Melbourne GP is getting ready to sue them over their comments that Melbourne has yet to reach the standard Adelaide set. It is interesting to see the other tracks from each decade. I would have got them wrong. 50's Pescara, 60's Suzuka, 70's Paul Ricard, 80's Adelaide, 90's Texas Motor Speedway!, and 00's Algarve. Of course the word "iconic" does not necessarily translate to the best, but there are some interesting omissions.

I forgot for instance that Suzuka was built in the sixties. You tend to think of it in terms of its' F1 life. What a track it must have been when built, quite unique, and still is. Paul Ricard is a good choice for the seventies, but Texas for the nineties? I am trying to think of its place in the development of the 1.5 mile tri-ovals of that period, and why that one is particularly special. Guess I will have to read that article. Then the noughties. I would have picked the Chinese F1 track for sheer extravagance, and the grandstand/pit complex is certainly iconic. But there you are, we each have our own opinions, and thank goodness for that.

Of course these are tracks built in those decades, so Spa, Monza or Monaco pre-date the magazine.

Talking of Spa, it is raining, imagine that. Spa is notorious for rain. It is one of those places where that old saying, "if you can't see the hills it's raining, if you can see the hills it is going to rain" is most apt. Makes for interesting races on an already amazing track. Hamilton is still confident there is more to come out of the McLaren, and he had better be right if he and Button are going to maintain a challenge for the Championship.  The real interest is still going to be the fight inside the Red Bull team, and the FIA's latest moves to beef up the testing of the front wings and floors. There are heavier test loads at Spa, and apparently even more stringent tests to come at Monza, especially on the floor. It will be interesting reading when someone finally explains how they did this.

In a previous issue of Autosport they had a half year review of how the F1 teams were doing, and of course the RB6 was the class of the field. Gary Anderson makes the point that it is just better everywhere, it is not just the exhaust blown diffuser or the front wing, it is the skill of Newey. I have a 90/10 rule that works for lots of things, and Gary uses it here. He believes Adrian understands 90% of what makes a car work, because no one can know 100%, where others only know 80%. So the 90/10 rule, you can calculate 90%, but the last 10% is instinct, experience, call it what you like.

Roll on tomorrow when we have F1 and MotoGP practice to get our teeth into. Can Valentino win at Indy, or does Yamaha want Lorenzo to be the new hero?