Bob Barnard Track Engineering

On the day when those heroes on the World Motorsport Council vote to reinstate Bahrain, unanimously, our National Radio Broadcaster, NPR had the following item.

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/03/136912868/bahrain-accuses-doctors-of-exaggerating-protesters-injuries

Nice one guys, you just proved what a bunch of gutless individuals you are. How can a vote on something so contentious be "unanimous?" Is this just a case of we must all be seen to be in this together? Is Bernie right when he says it's not about the money? There has to be something else going on here.

The only person with the courage of his convictions is Damon Hill, and why are we not surprised. Damon's quote is spot on.

"It is important that Formula One is not seen to be only interested in putting on the show, whatever the circumstances, " Hill concluded. "You can't just base your decision to hold a race in a country on that country's ability to pay."

Hill's comments come in the light of another flippant remark from Bernie Ecclestone. He told CNN: "What's our problem in the world at the moment? Too many over-educated people. If we can find a way to do something about that then a lot of our problems will disappear." Oh Bernie, how can you? How can CVC allow this to go on?

Again I find myself in agreement with Max Mosely. He said reinstating Bahrain "would represent 'a public relations disaster' for the sport – asserting that if he was still FIA President, the grand prix would be rescheduled 'over my dead body." Well said.

Well I for one am not going to watch it and urge others to do the same. It is India I feel sorry for. They now face the prospect of trying to sell tickets while the teams are saying a race on Dec 11 is impossible for their staff. If they stick to their guns they will not go, but they have not shown any willingness to stand up to Bernie to date.

Who should make the rules in F1? Bernie thinks the FIA is a joke and "we" and the teams should make the rules and the FIA just act as policemen to enforce them. Well, the last time I looked the motorists do not make the rules, Parliament does, and their employees, the Police, enforce them, just like the FIA. But is this the right way to run this sport? NASCAR does not let the teams make the rules, but perhaps Bernie is looking at the NFL where the teams own the league, make the rules, employ the refs, and basically run things the way they want. Except we now have a lockout because they do not run the players. I imagine "we" is Bernie, a sort of League Commissioner. I can only imagine what we would be watching if Bernie made the rules.

Then there is dear Max who cannot help himself. Talking about the Bahrain GP situation he said;

"Sport must be separated from politics," Mosley insisted. "If that was not so, there would only be major sporting events in half the current amount of countries.

"Moral and political evaluations do not belong in sport," he added.

Then what does Max? Money? What about the athletes oath before an Olympic Games? I suppose what Renault did in Singapore is fair game then if "Moral ...evaluations" do not belong in sport. And where would Bernie and CVC be if the politicians did not use government money to buy and stage the events to promote their own image and agenda?

F1 practice kicks off shortly under expected wet conditions. That would stop us learning much about the tire situation. Are HRT actually going to have a complete car(s), or is Australian customs going to hold up some vital part? Can it make the 107% cut off? Bernie is not there of course, but nor is he in New York it seems. Mr. Walker has been feeding misinformation, but why and on who's behalf?  His own I suspect, I think he is desperate to keep the GP in Melbourne and keep his job. It is a situation that Adelaide found itself in where the GP believes in its own importance and forgets why it is there and the people of the State that they serve.