Bob Barnard Track Engineering

I hope you all enjoy my posts, but you should also be reading Joe Saward, I always do. It is not just that we agree on most issues with F1, but he has been there longer than most and still has his soul intact. Today's is a gem:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/f1-kowtowing-to-vultures-and-the-padding-used-in-ballet/#comment-184235

On the subject of track owners working together I tried without success to do just that at a meeting of the MotoGP promoters in Geneva back in 1991. This was at a time of turmoil with the FIM and I could see that someone like Dorna or Bernie would step in and we would go the way of F1. Maurizio Flammini was at the time the head of the promoters organization, but also ran World Superbike, so had an interest in not upsetting the FIM, so killed the idea. Not before I had the Japanese and several other promoters convinced that all we needed was the teams to make the show. The FIM and now Dorna just take money out. I doubt that promoters will ever agree, just like the F1 teams. At least in MotoGP the teams have IRTA to act as a single voice.

That was the title of a piece on the ESPN blog about Bahrain a year or so ago, and we are hearing the same about Sochi. Has the FIA or FOM nothing to say? Not even "this is sport and not politics," as lame as that is? Ask Putin if the Olympics or F1 are about sport.

So India is not going to be on the 2015 calendar, what a surprise. They fell for that one. Now what are they going to do with that white elephant of a racetrack? The fate of Turkey, Valencia and Korea in recent times does not stop would be promoters it seems, with Azerbaijan getting a race according to Bernie. What with Long Beach still trying to decide, and a raft of others waiting in the wings there are plenty of people and countries who think they are smarter than Bernie and all the other F1 race promoters.

To assist those people I have recently connected with a group called Meet The Crowd, MTC, who specialise in strategies for would be and existing race promoters, and economic impact assessment, to assist with analysing whether to bid for an event or to renegotiate an existing contract. Our combined experience of organizing and promoting such events is now available. Check out their web site:

http://www.meetthecrowd.com/

In two wheeled matters it seems that Dorna is making up the rules as it goes along. Not a good basis for keeping teams in a sport. As soon as Ducati decided to do what Dorna wants and go to the open class they make up a new class for "works" teams in the open category, a class of one so far. Nice one. I bet Ducati are well pleased with that. Dorna has managed to upset both Ducati and the rest of the open teams, and is annoying Honda about them using the common ECU. If they keep this up they will be as popular as the FIM was in the early 90's.

A few items caught my eye today about tracks and calendars. Superleague cancelled their trip to South America as the track in Goiania in Brazil is not ready. Then I see MotoGP announcing a race in Argentina in 2013, provided the track improvements are done. See a pattern here? Next year's MotoGP calendar has been announced, with several tracks to be decided or races to be confirmed. Germany is one where the track is to be nominated as it seems the Sachsenring is unwilling to pay the 4m Euros Dorna want for the race. Dorna taking a leaf from Bernie? Then there is the comment "Despite doubts about its future, the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island is also on the provisional calendar." Any of my Aussie friends want to shed some light on this? Is it racing in October that is the problem, or is it something more, like 4m Euros?

The row continues over the tax on the Indian GP competitors. I originally believed that this was about the teams earnings, and it may still be, but ESPNF1 has an article about the customs duty on importing the equipment.

http://en.espnf1.com/india/motorsport/story/58975.html

Now this is usually handled by international carnet, guaranteeing what goes in comes straight back out, but the Indian Authorities do not see this as a sport or an event of "National Significance," so they are not playing ball! Seems cricket and the Commonwealth Games are significant. Tells you how far motorsport has to go there.

Joe Saward's excellent F1 blog has a piece about a street race in Cape Town, how many GPs is Bernie going to put on a year? Starting to sound like NASCAR. Check out Joe's blog at:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/

Then there is the proposed New Jersey F1 street track which rates a mention by Murphy The Bear so must be getting serious:

http://murphythebear.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/13/unlimited-racing-championship-rands-go-to-jail-national-press-club-bust-leading-proto-teams-go-public-with-demands/

As always a good mix of rumor and gossip with always a grain of truth.

 

It used to be that a "Grand Prix" was THE motorsport event of the year in a particular country, and each country was supposed to only have one such event. Now we know Bernie has got around that with F1, and here in the US you can and do call anything a Grand Prix, totally devaluing the name. Dorna is not only emulating Bernie but has gone straight passed him in the search for the mighty dollar with now three races in the US and four in Spain. Half the World Championship is run in two countries? Italy only has two, which is surprising given the popularity of Rossi. Can the US support three GP's given the lack of interest in the National Series? There are suggestions that Indy is in trouble, but at least they run a real GP with all three classes. Laguna only pays for the top class to come, and I know it will upset a lot of motorcyclists who see this place as the Phillip Island or Assen of the US, but might they just be the one to go?

"Circuit of the Americas?" Sounds like it should be in Costa Rica or Bolivia. Setting some high standards for this track, let's hope it delivers. I staged an event in Australia back in '88 with Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston in two concerts, and a whole range of top sportsmen and women over five days. We were silly enough to call it "The Ultimate Event," which it was and still is, but the media spent six months trying to convince the public it wasn't. Hard to fight that. Still Tavo and the boys seem to be in a honeymoon phase. India has done something similar, naming the circuit "Buddh International Circuit," invoking a connection to Buddah.

Bernie is not letting up on the engine debate, and Jean Todt is learning that just because someone voted for it they can change their mind. This is F1, they will do what they think is best for their team now. Bernie has a powerful ally in Montezemolo who continues to agitate for larger engines, a move away from too much aero, and a return to testing. Once he is President of Italy with Alonso as his Prime Minister then it will get interesting.

My buddy Allen Petrich asks a good question. Why are teams allowed to charge the KERS system before the start of the race? You cannot use the DRS wing for the first two laps, why I do not know, but let's be consistent, and avoid situations like Webber's, or the disadvantage at the start to the small teams that cannot afford it. Or is this all part of the "lottery" that F1 has become?

As foreshadowed yesterday the questions over the Bahrain GP increase. As Joe Saward points out, the opposition have worked out that if a GP can give world wide exposure to a country, then it can give world wide exposure to its problems. GP2 Asia is due there this weekend and the F1 test is on March 3rd, so I guess we will see what happens. The opposition are saying that now there have been deaths due to the heavy handed response by the Government the protests are not just going to go away.

Meanwhile, back with the "good ol' boys" of NASCAR it has been decided to reduce the cooling system efficiency to try and prevent the pairs of cars running together for extended periods and raising speeds to 206 mph. This has to be a first, especially since the field has already qualified. More changes are expected, including a smaller restrictor plate. The engine builders must be tearing their hair out trying to figure out how to set up for the 500 on Sunday. Could be worth watching.

The argument goes on about the date for the Phillip Island MotoGP after this year. DORNA and the riders are pushing for a return to March, and Ron Walker, who controls the GP Organization for both cars and bikes, does not want it to move. But if, as appears likely, Bernie pulls the plug on the F1 GP, then Ron could easily move the bike GP, or is he going to lose both?

Other than these snippets there is again very little to talk about. Barcelona F1 test starts Friday, more opportunities to be fooled by the teams about what they are actually doing.

On the home front most of our friends seem to have had the flu, including us. The Arizona project has taken a different direction and will take a year to get going, but I am hoping for some news on another project tomorrow.