Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Must be nearly New Year as the news has died down to a murmur. Just to give us hope, like the first flower poking through the snow, comes the news that the 2011 Ferrari monocoque has passed the crash test, so the new season must be getting close. The Rolex 24 hr is less than a month away, so we just have to hang in there. The Dakar starts Saturday, so there is another glimmer to maintain the faith. It's sad isn't it, we are just motorsport junkies. In the "good old days" we would have had the Tasman Series to keep us going through the dark days of winter.

At least I have a new track to keep my brain occupied, and it is a challenge. It is the old No Problems Raceway which was essentially a drag strip, which is now the "Circuit Grand Bayou" in Louisiana. So to wrap a track around the strip on a flat, narrow, long site and make it safe and fun. I am in mind to do something like the straights either side of the main stand in Malaysia, but still in full 'dream' mode, let it come.

Down to the last couple of chapters on the book, up to Daytona 2004, and 2011 could be busy so I need to finish it off.

Interesting to read that Team Lotus, or whoever they are, Mike Gascoyne's team, are building a wind tunnel. This is serious stuff and shows the level of commitment that Tony Fernandes is making to bring this team up to par with the big guys. I look forward to seeing the 2011 car with Renault power and Red Bull power train getting amongst the second half of the top teams. They have the drivers to do it.

D'Ambrosio does, or he will till he drives it. So another shoe has dropped and we are left with HRT and Force India, barring surprises. It seems D'Ambrosio, odd name for a Belgian, has won the ride on merit and not his wallet, and no Russian driver in sight.

So "Lotus Racing" has rebranded itself as "Team Lotus." All semantics to us plebs. I'd be just as supportive if they called it Air Asia. I know the brand is valuable, but not when we know it isn't really Lotus and it is being devalued all the time with the current squabble.

It seems that we are going even further back to the future with "tea tray" front wings from 2013, i.e. flat and short, not the convoluted things we see hanging out in the breeze waiting to be knocked off these days. This is something from the early eighties to go with the eighties turbo. Patrick Head and Rory Byrne were tasked with coming up with the regs for 2013, which will see even smaller rear wings and more downforce from under the car. Hang on, isn't that called "ground effects" and didn't we ban that as too dangerous? The worst part of this whole story, which I had to check the date on to see it was not April 1st, was the quote from Patrick.

"(In 2013) We are only going to have roughly 65 per cent of the amount of fuel and a (limited) fuel (flow) rate - that was a given," Head, engineering boss and co-owner at Williams, confirmed.

"We were just told ’That’s what it will be, you’ve got to come up with a car spec that is not going to be more than five seconds a lap slower than a current F1 car’.

So slower than a current GP2 car? What are we doing here? As Montezemolo said the other day "This is Formula One which should be the spearhead of technological development."

Murphy The Bear has a new posting which gets even more gloomy for ALMS and LMP1 cars every time. Why don't we just run the series for GT3 cars and enjoy it without having to worry about those other cars coming past and pushing them off the track? Murphy has a worst projection of two cars and a unlikely max of five. Why bother for other than the Sebring and Petit races?

If you think that the row between the Australian GP and the ASN, CAMS, is over, then watch this space. Last straw comes to mind for some people down under.

Stands for hypocrite race team, or rather their manager. HRT did not perform because of their inexperienced drivers. And who employed them? And did Klien do any better when he got in it? Kolles pointed out that Hispania had achieved impressive reliability compared to its nearest rivals. Really? I do not know the numbers but it seems to me Bruno Senna in particular often did not turn a lap. This is some impressive spin here.

Very little else going on, the who is driving what continues with not much clarity. Montezemolo is still going on about running three car teams, and Autosport has created a stir with their front cover saying the "real Lotus is back." It does not matter which team they are talking about, no it is not, and never will be. Drivers are promising to lose weight so that the extra weight of the KERS can be accommodated. I would have thought if they had weight to lose they would have done it this season.

As Joe Saward pointed out in his blog the entry of the Lotus Cars Group into the Renault F1 team actually signalled the departure of Renault the manufacturer from the sport. They have come and gone ever since motor racing started, so no doubt will be back again one day. Until then they will continue as Renault Sport to supply engines, perhaps the correct role of manufacturers in F1. More than a few commentators are questioning if Group Lotus are over reaching themselves, but maybe the Malaysian Government has given enough backing to do it all, or is it enough rope? Petrov looks more and more likely to stay at Lotus-Renault, which leaves very few seats left.

Tony Fernandes has decided to stick with Lotus green and yellow after lots of calls from fans to do so, so Bob Varsha will have an easier time of it. I think there is a lot of goodwill for Tony and Mike Gascoyne to do well next year.

The Junior Trophy added to the World Superbike for 2011 looks like a good initiative. Around $30,000 for the six race European season which includes a pre-season training camp in Spain. This does not cover travel and accommodation so for a non-european it is still a lot to find, but still a worthwhile series supporting WSBK. Nice to see someone trying to find the next generation riders, but the problem remains of where to then without serious personal sponsorship?

On the home front the land for the track here in Arizona has had it's comprehensive plan amendment approved, so now to look at how to lay it out. If you have looked at the web site previously this is a new location and larger site so the layout will be new.

So the genie is out of the bottle, Genie Capital that is, and the worst kept secret is out. We now have two Team Lotus in F1, both with Renault engines and gold and black livery. Let's see Bob Varsha handle that lot. Neither side is going to back off obviously, so either the Malaysian Government, FIA, or the British High Court are going to have to decide this. Sad that it has come to this for such a great name.

Renault is also in the news with the settlement of the Piquet libel suit following the Singapore "crashgate" affair. What a miserable, cynical, exercise that was, and the architects of it are looking to stay in the sport. It is still unfathomable that a professional driver, however desperate to keep his drive, would do such a thing. Sad end to a promising career and a blot on a Champion's heritage. And the guy who won the race because of it still keeps the win! Same problem as Hockenheim this year. When is the FIA going to have the guts to take the result away when something like this happens?

So Dorna is now blaming the manufacturers for the loss of entries following the move to 800 cc MotoGP. ""The manufacturers wanted the 800cc class, so it was them causing the escalation of costs that, because of the (financial) crisis, forced them to take a step back. Now not all of them can maintain their commitments because of financial problems." As I have said for a very long time, the manufacturers should not be making the decisions about racing, they will make decisions based on what they want to sell, not what we want to watch, and they will leave whenever it suits them. Dorna also wants to look at new tracks outside Europe, like Abu Dhabi. Right, let us know how that works for you, and the riders. They want less races in Spain, so now we are going to have four in the Gulf States instead?  And let us not forget Austin. We have Laguna and Indy now, so which one of those are we going to lose?

I see that World Superbike is instigating a "Junior Trophy" based on 250cc machines. This is definitely back to the future, not necessarilly a bad thing, but what will it cost a rider?

So Patrick McNally is retiring. Most of you have probably never heard of Patrick or Allsport Management, but you have seen their work. For nearly thirty years Patrick has controlled the signage at F1 races, and he is a master at placement. David Campbell is going to take over and the rumor is David is being groomed to take over from Bernie. They are some mighty large shoes to fill David, good luck. That succession is likely to look like the "War of the Roses," the English dispute over the crown, not the movie.

Great story on Kenny Roberts on Superbike Planet http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Dec/101207alancarter.htm. Kenny proves it is not a problem with the bike, and you have to think he could still do this today over a lap or two.