Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Joe Saward, an F1 journalist I have followed assiduously for many years, has a post on today's blog about an ethical challenge facing the FIA. Now I presumed he was talking of Sochi, about which there is still no comment from anyone. But no, he is talking about Bahrain.

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/

So it has taken two years for someone to actually raise the F1 race in Bahrain with the FIA as an ethical issue. Now as bad as the situation is there, they have not invaded their next door neighbor. I personally find it disturbing that Joe has not even mentioned the issue, but there again who has among the media, FIA and FOM. Are Gary Hartstien and I the only ones to care. I suppose they all think this will blow over by the time the Sochi race comes around. I would not bet on it. Putin will want East Ukraine soon to protect the Russians there. And then what, the Baltic States?

The purported sale of the Nurburgring raises more questions than it has answered. What was actually sold, and to who? In anybody's money the price paid of around 80m Euros seems very cheap for an F1 racetrack, but I suppose it does not matter how cheap it is if it only loses money. So why buy it?

Thanks to my great friend Dr. David Vissenga, ex F1 Medical Chief and FIA Medical Panel Member I had the great pleasure in watching a You Tube video of an Interview with Dr. Gary Hartstein who was the FIA Medical Delegate and F1 Medical Response Organiser after Professor Sid Watkins retired. If you want some background on the safety and medical side of motor sport at its top level then this is a must see. If you want to see the dark side of motor sport politics, not just the FIA, then this is even more a required watch.

The experience resonate so much with my experience."Safety at the top level is now at a level where it does not register", unless someone like Dan Wheldon dies. But at the levels below that where most participants are things are not so good. "They know but they don't care." Wow, how true is that.

And then there is the lovely "you need to bid for your job next year." After having talked me into resigning a s a Company Director so they could hire me as a Consultant in 1986, the Australian Grand Prix Office then required me to bid for my job for 1987, and of course the terms were ridiculous and I did not get hired.

I won't give any more away, enjoy and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBXWbTuNEl8