Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Hands up everyone who understands what next year's engines will have to do? I suggest not many of us unless we are very smart mechanical engineers, and how many fans are that? Yes we love F1 for the technology, but we also love the racing, and that has been a mess lately with all the aids to overtaking like DRS and Kers. Oh yes, and tires that don't last. Throw in Red Bulls domination and I have tuned out on a sport I have followed from almost the start of the World Championship.

So we had to have smaller engines, "more relevant" to what the manufacturers want. What about what the fans want? If you want to see what happens to a sport when the manufacturers dictate what we race and watch just look at motorcycle racing at all levels. Horse racing is not "relevant" and has not been for half a century, but we still do it. V6's are not the problem, turbos are not the problem, but the fuel flow restrictions and capacity balanced by an increased energy recovery to eke out the race distance will make for complicated races where I doubt few people will know what's going on. Is this racing?

I know Le Mans has energy recovery, but it is relatively simple to follow what is playing out, and there is no limit on the amount of fuel, you just have to stop more often, and we can understand that that may change the race result. They still race flat out for 24 hours. Porsche coming on board next year will liven up the top end of the field and make it more likely I will watch and I suspect many others. Growing up the World Sports Car Series was as important as F1, if not more. Maybe we will see it again. But let us not forget that manufacturers have screwed that up to by leaving when they have dominated and driven out the privateers. Sound familiar?

On another note it seems even Bernie has worked out what most of us already knew. New Jersey is not going to happen. Building a parking garage does not constitute a race track. Mexico needs a lot of work, which has not started, and no offence, I cannot see things moving that fast down there. 

Who recalls and understood what Renault were doing with the mass dampers that were finally banned by the FIA after nearly two years of using them? Well the boys at Enstone who used to be Renault and are now "Lotus" are at it again. No forward exhausts this year so they have come up with a brake set up that emulates the mass damping. and legally according to the FIA. Now a mad scramble by the others to follow before the season starts. Never a dull moment in F1, unless you count the last few weeks.

Williams has finally confirmed Bruno Senna as the other driver, who knows if either of them is a number one, but they both have money. Luizzi is complaining that a contract doesn't mean much in F1, so presumably he is out of a ride at HRT.

The Gribkowsky court case continues quietly in Munich, with Bernie's Swiss financial adviser, Andre Favre, detailing how the hush money was paid to Gribkowsky. Read Joe Saward's piece of the 16th:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/

Bernie went to a lot of trouble to hide where the money was coming from.

Lots of pictures posted of the New Jersey Streets on Motorsport Nextgen:

http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/gallery/pictures/2012/f1/index-uk-new-jersey-16jan-1.php

The shots of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty are cute, didn't know the track went around there. Reminds me of the Grand Prix of Gibraltar with Peter Ustinov and the underwater harbor section. Not exactly glamorous.

Poor Robert Kubica breaks his leg, not looking good for a return, and Morgan announce they are going back to Le Mans with Oak racing and a carbon fiber tub. HFS must be turning in his grave. No more can enthusiasts like me rebuild the frame themselves in the garage.