Bob Barnard Track Engineering

It is interesting, and annoying, to compare the different views the media and those involve have of the same event. A good friend, Allen Petrich, who watched only snippets of the Indian GP, commented how at odds were the comments of ESPNF1 compared to my blog.

I see this all the time, and it has an element of "The Emperor's new clothes" about it. I heard the SPEED pit reporter say what a "fabulous circuit" India was. What basis has he for saying this, is he just mouthing the press release from Bernie? Too many journalists do not know anything about what they are seeing and reporting on, so just repeat what someone with a vested interest has told them. Drivers say they love the track. Do they really are are they just part of the business. I admit India may be a fun track to drive around. There are many like that, Barber here in the US is I'm sure a fun track to drive on your own, but race? That is a different matter, and that is what we are here to do. Tracks need to produce good racing, overtaking opportunities and not just corners thrown in just to have one. There were a few of those in India. The "parabollica" was great, and if you did not have the next two slow corners we could probably have seen overtaking into that nice downhill right, but as it was there was no way to get close enough. 

Of course Bernie says it was all wonderful, he had his check a long time ago, and as an event it went OK, as a race it was awful, but that is my opinion, and a few others. Bob Constanduros has been writing a "postcard" from India on Pit Pass. Bob is a long time F1 track commentator and thought the race was interesting, good battles going on for 14th! Now I am not saying Bob has a vested interest, but who do we think suggests tracks use him? Bob comments in his Sunday piece that he had lots of tweets about the boring race, so there are some more of us out there.

Have a look at the ESPNF1 piece on media reaction. "Great weekend, forgettable race," and see what I mean,

http://en.espnf1.com/india/motorsport/story/63151.html

I understand that people like Martin Whitmarsh are going to say it is all great, they can see dollar signs from Indian sponsors, but the media have a responsibility to tell it like it is. Unfortunately the motor sports media seem to think it is in their interest and their employers to beat up how good everything is. Most of us true fans can tell for ourselves thank you.

The "lease" of Silverstone by a Qatar based group that was denied so strongly now seems to be happening, and a good job too says Bernie. 

"It's what Silverstone needs," he said. "They need to let the professionals run it."

"The new owners will put proper people in, commercialise it and run it properly. They will get the job done. They won't muck around. Europe has got to understand that Europe will be sold to the Chinese or India or these people in the Middle East." Ouch! I'm sure the BRDC who have run Silverstone for 60 years are glad that a bunch of Arabs with no motor racing history can come in and show them how to run it "professionally." Yas Marina is such a success the developer has had to have the Government take over.

Where does Bernie think all the knowledge and development has come from to build the sport to where it is, Korea? As far as I know all the tracks are designed and built by Europeans, and you will usually find a European running the place.

Oh sorry, I guess Bernie is talking about all the essential hotels and BS that he loves to see.

Is this about Bernie? No, he already has that with his latest signing of the agreement in Russia with Putin present no less. No it is about the DTM. BMW have finally got off the fence and announced their commitment to what has been a two horse race series between Audi and Mercedes, and no worse for it in the vein of the V8Supercars in Oz. Rumors have abounded about tie ups with both the Japanese Super GT series and Grand Am, but now it seems it will go further than that. The Japanese are to adopt the DTM rules for car preparation, so presumably manufacturers can compete in both and would not that be something to see. Nissan, Lexus and Honda mixing it with Mercedes, Audi and BMW, and with some of the best drivers in the world. What a show! It gets better. The plan is not to run in Grand Am, but to run as a separate series of twelve races in the US, six with Grand Am events and six with NASCAR events. Look out ALMS, we're coming through, and BTCC and WTCC are going to look a bit sick. No spec cars here with the same chassis and engine. Could even give NASCAR a run in the US as the DTM guys biff and barge as the old NASACAR boys used to do. Did you see Dijon last year?

Down at Phillip Island the conditions were the talking point among the riders and the spectators. Rain delayed practice and wind was another big problem. A racetrack next to the sea looks great on a nice day, but when there is nothing between you and Antarctica it can be awful, I know I lived there. For once I am glad I am not promoting that race. Pedrosa was in more pain than most with his freshly plated shoulder, but the wet conditions made it a bit easier for him. Very courageous men these riders. Lorenzo celebrated his World Championship with fastest time in Friday practice. He has vowed to put on a show now he does not need to worry about points, so it should be fun. Casey Stoner was next with his teammate Hayden third. Most riders saw little point in pushing it in the conditions, with Ben Spies presumably just touring around seventeen seconds off the pace.  The weather can change several times a day there, so tomorrow can be quite different, although running the race this time of year is always going to be a gamble. It is promoted by the Government who presumably do not want it to compete with the F1 GP, but a race early in the year is really the way to go.

A couple of nice articles to read. Last Turn Club has a review of the Petit which is right on the money, and ESPN  F1 discusses the never ending march of Bernie through more and more countries and asks where will it end?

"If the promised races go ahead, then the real losers are likely to be the established venues, mainly in Europe. Bernie deals on the back of massive financial guarantees from the tracks. The new venues he has unveiled - some good, some appalling - have almost all had the benefit of huge funding from local or central government. The older circuits simply cannot match the money being thrown at Ecclestone.

When Bernie faced with sentimentality, or even public opinion, against cash, there will only be one winner."

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?

You may think I've lost it, but the most interesting thing today is an article on paint drying.  If you go on the ESPN F1 site, en.espnf1.com, there is an article there about how McLaren save a couple of kilos in weight from the paint, while keeping the car looking fantastic. Presentation has always been Ron Dennis' thing, and how he got the Marlboro money and McLaren in the first place. He ran a F2 or F3 team back in the early eighties called Project 4. That is why the McLarens since he took over are all MP4's. While running on a very tight budget he always made sure the cars and team were all immaculately presented. Marlboro were sponsoring the McLaren team which was going through a slump, and put Ron and McLaren together in a sort of shotgun marriage, and as they say in the classics "that was the start of a beautiful friendship."

I have read before that Ron had the cars stripped of paint after each race rather than just repainted so that the weight does not increase, so when you read about what they do today it all makes sense. To me it is what makes F1 so incredible. The attention to every little detail is what adds up to success, and obviously costs lots of money.

That is apparently what the new boss at Renault F1 has found out. There are rumors of Renault buying back a larger share in the team now business is better and the team are obviously doing well, so the two stories add up to a possible outcome. Not really sure what a venture capital group was doing buying an F1 team anyway, except as a fun business for the manager. Yes the teams make money under Bernie's arrangement, but it is an expensive sport and high risk if you are not winning.

August was a busier month for the blog, despite the F1 hiatus, with nearly 3000 visits from 59 countries! Thank you all for reading and responding. It puts the pressure on me to keep finding interesting stories to comment on.