Bob Barnard Track Engineering

I spent the last couple of days watching the Rotax US Grand National kart racing from the Gopro Motorplex at Mooresville on the Kart Racing Network. This is an online live streaming site that was a refreshing change from the networks. No one would call it slick, but it gave us great non-interrupted coverage, with a commentator who was just like Murray Walker. Human, and making mistakes, but not glib and manufacturing excitement like Varsha and Diffey. He did not have to, the racing spoke for itself.

I have not watched kart racing at this level, except for odd clips of Senna, and I am so impressed at the standard of driving, even at the youngest class. Here were two 7,8, or 9 year olds racing clean, leaving each other room, and strategising where to overtake. How good are they going to be by the time they are late teens? Each class produced great racing, reminded me of the hey days of MotoGP with four or five drivers dicing it out.

The track was perfect, and not just because I built it, but because the owners, especially Justin Marks uniquely had the vision, had the funds, wanted to do it right, and listened to advice. If only other track owners learned from this. The commentator Ken who was English and had travelled to many tracks around the world, said he believed this to be the best he'd seen. Well done Justin, Michael and Eric.

I will certainly be watching the Rotax World Finals at NOLA later this year.

Why would you schedule a second GP2 race in Bahrain the week after the F1 GP? No one cared as was obvious from the crowd. It is reported as 12 on day one and 30 on day two. FOM had 20 cameras, so the TV crew was larger than the spectators, and who watched on TV anyway? All very strange. No security forces at the track, but that did not matter as the demonstrators knew the world had switched off, but still plenty of action away from the track and the capital.

So Bernie is getting married again, that explains the need for the float of F1, he needs to keep his wives in the manner to which they are accustomed, and let's not forget the daughters.

In the real world Casey Stoner overcame the problems of the first MotoGP and practice to win in Jerez, where I am sure there were a lot more than 30 people watching.

Strangely Michael Schumacher and I agree on something once more, the Pirelli tires make F1 a lottery. F1 should be won by the best drivers in the best cars, not someone who lucked in to the perfect set up for that instant in time and weather. And when will McLaren stop shooting themselves in the foot?

On other matters I was pleased to have a reason to visit the Georgia property that has my best track design laid out on it. Property and track as beautiful as I remembered, and the gentleman who accompanied me was as excitied as I am about the potential, so let's keep our fingers crossed that there is a chance to at last make this a reality.

I am also traveling this week to Mooresville, NC, home of the NASCAR Teams and drivers, on Lake Norman. My good friend and colleague Jarno Zaffelli and I are at last going to collaborate on a new kart track under construction there.