Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Don't often find anything interesting to write about Indy Car, but the announcement that they are going to trim the funding scheme from 24 to 22 cars "in a move aimed at boosting the quality of the field" has caught my eye. You are going to stop paying $1.2m a car to the bottom two teams to improve the quality? And you do not expect the size of the field to reduce, so presumably those two cars are going to have "pay for ride" drivers to make up the loss. That will improve the quality. Randy speaks with fork tongue methinks, he just wants to save $2.4m. Maybe he got this Bull from his previous job, which he is somehow still listed as holding.

It seems the American motorcycle world is in need of some financial assistance with comments today about the number of good riders without a ride for 2011. "Hopefully, this is the bottom," said one team owner of the current situation. What is going to change to make it the bottom?

Not much else to report, 100 days to the start of 2011 F1 season, hang in there. V8Supercars at Homebush in Sydney this weekend, is this the last race of 2010? Still, gives me time to finish the book, Chapter Nine under way, back in Oz after the '93 USGP.

Here we are on Sunday, and I do not know if it is just me, but there is not much getting my juices flowing. Congratulations to Casey Stoner for his win at Aragon, and just maybe Valentino has made a brilliantly timed move to Ducati. He is talking about missing the last two races to get his shoulder operated on, sounds like a very smart move to me.

I mentioned the discussion on LinkedIn the other day about the loss of TV audience for NASCAR. I commented, but I am having my doubts as to the value of such discussions. I am amazed at the lack of knowledge or analysis that people in these groups have about the sport that they profess to follow. It is as if they just watch the races and believe everything they hear from either commentators or promoters without question. I am seriously considering stopping my involvement, but then they will all talk to each other and promote more disinformation.

So, back to the racing. IRL went to Motegi because Honda supplies the engines, I doubt the number of spectators made the trip worthwhile. I watched a little of the race towards the end, but cannot get excited by it. Have I been spoilt or just getting jaded and old? DTM, WTCC, FRenault3.5, BTCC, FIAGT, and Superleague all raced, but we do not see any of it here despite having a dedicated race channel, sorry NASCAR channel, so it is hard to follow these and comment. The Fords have been winning in BTCC, but stirring up controversy over their engine package. Sounds like good racing, but it is going the way of most series with spec body shells by Toyota and engines by the series. Formula Ford or Formula Vee have been delivering close racing for probably over twenty years, but who watches?  Nice to see Donnington back in action though.

There are signs that the honeymoon for the new CEO of the IRL, Randy Bernard, is over. It seems the team owners are not happy about the new car for 2012, and I admit to being wrong when I said that teams like Penske and Ganassi would dominate because they had the money to design and build the aero for the bodywork. Penske has come out and said he will not be producing his own aero kit as he would have to commit to selling it to any of the other teams who want it, so we are back to a spec car again because they will buy the best package from whoever comes up with it. That whole idea sounded goofy to me when it was announced.  The Indy boss also wants to go back to Milwaukee because they have a tremendous fan base there. That is why the last couple of promoters at the track went broke.