Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Crazy weekend, and the next few weeks with the World Cup, Le Mans, and then Tour de France, without mentioning MotoGP. F1 and NASCAR races. Made it through the Le Mans 24 Hour again! What a great race. As they said, a lot like old times with cars not running like clockwork and some great mechanics keeping the Audis, Porsches and the Toyota in the race and in the hunt. Made it a lot easier to stay awake with so much going on. Close racing in every class, and for a while a race no one seemed to want to win. Every leader ran into trouble, but then fought back.

I heard Gary Lineker has said that football, the English version, is eleven men running around after a ball for 90 minutes, at the end of which Germany wins. Watching them defeat Portugal today you would not bet against them winning it all. At Le Mans lately it seems it is a race in which 55 cars drive around for 24 hours at the end of which Germany wins. You have to admire Audi for their preparation and ability to keep cars in the race. Completely building a new car at the track in a day, to end up second. 20 minutes to replace a turbo, not once but twice, crazy stuff given the temperature it must have been at. Toyota got the 8 car back to finish third, and Porsche were unlucky for their first time back in LMP1.

So who is going to beat the German cars? Porsche will be stronger next year, but so too should Toyota. Nissan is joining them, but it better not be a gimmick like the Zeod. What a joke. They are behind the real cutting edge cars in the Audi, Porsche and Toyota. The same speed and distance with 25 - 30% less fuel. Like F1 we are the real winners in this amazing technology race.

On other matters Marquez keeps winning, as does Jimmy Johnson. The new kart track opened to the delight of the members at the Monticello Motor Club. and there are some more interesting projects in the wings.

Going back to the Canadian F1 race, I cannot get over the way in which Perez could not overtake Rosberg, but as soon as Ricciardo got passed perez he soon dispatched him to win the race. Some how this did not compute to me. Perez has the Merc engine with full power, and Ricciardo has a Renault supposedly down 30 - 40 hp. Shades of Perez not passing Alonso when he had a Sauber with a customer Ferrari engine?

Good news on Michael, let's hope it continues.

Sorry readers of my blogs, I have had a busy time in May with three weeks away. Spent a week in Orlando at an Expert Witness conference and training sessions, and then two weeks in Monticello NY trying to finish paving the new kart track at the Motor Club. A combination of circumstances made this a less than perfect experience, and then the weather forecasters added to the delays by telling us it was going to rain when it did not. So spent Memorial Day weekend holed up in a hotel.

Still, had plenty to do with a request for a concept master plan for a motorsport park in Cambodia, and some alterations and upgrades requested to be looked at by the Motor Club on their main track. We finally laid the top course on the Thursday so I could drive home Friday. Turned out nice in the end.

 I was joined for the start of the trip by MSI colleagues Jonathan Clark, and Jono Voudouris from Australia. We spent time walking the main track and going through the theory and practice of track design and construction so that they can carry on the good work. Jono has returned to Australia where he already seems to have a project. 

Motorsport continues on without much change. Marquez and Mercedes are still winning, Bernie is still on trial, and crowds for NASCAR and Indycar are sparse. Still, we have Le Mans to look forward to and an exciting prospect of Audi, Porsche and Toyota going head to head for 24 hours. The Canadian F1 race could be interesting with Massa getting in amongst the Mercs. Canada looks to renew its contract while new races continue to join the series. Baku has a GP next year and I was interviewed over the phone on my way back from Monticello about F1 by a Russian web site. Interesting who finds me.