Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Not much to comment on today. If you want a very good run down on the state of sportscar racing in the US following the Miller ALMS race then log on to www.lastturnclub.com.

Rossi says he will not win at Laguna Seca this weekend, he is saving that for a later race, so Lorenzo and the rest of the boys need to make hay etc. It will be interesting to see how Roger Hayden goes on a track he will know better than most and on a bike that has shown good form this year with de Puniet.

Red Bull are still at it. You must be getting tired of me writing about them , but they cannot help themselves. A week and a half later, and now the "engineer" come out and says Mark did not like that wing anyway.

On the home front the house is starting to look sorted, just need to recycle the paper and boxes now so we can walk around. Yesterday's meeting turned out to be defined by when people thought "tomorrow" was, so it is today. I'll update you tomorrow, that would be Wednesday, on the project.

One of the results of moving is changing the time zones. Has some good consequences, football starts early and we do not have to stay up all night to watch. On the other hand events like the Tour de France starts around 4 am! Good job they repeat it. We have a great race going, sure Lance is out of the running but he is hanging in there to finish and we have a terrific duel going on between Schleck and Contador. Great mental sparring going on and they are in a class of their own this year, except "class" is not a word I would use for Contador after today's move on Schleck. I cannot believe that Lance or one of the other greats would have taken advantage of a mechanical problem of his rival.

It is taking some time to get the house sorted, but it has only been two days. Kitchen is nearly done, but still boxes everywhere. Still found time to put the finishing touches to the web site, all we need now is the logo. Getting together this morning with the other partners so maybe we can decide on the final design. It will be good to catch up with the other guys and find out what has gone on while I have been moving.

My great friend Snoopy, who is French, says he cannot believe how much we move, Europeans cannot leave home like that. If I had lived in France perhaps I could not either, but England in the late 60's was not fun, and besides, most people in this sport have to move. When I worked with Kenny I asked why there were so many Australians and New Zealanders, and he said they were used to traveling and living in different countries.

Fantastic result for Valentino Rossi yesterday, he held nothing back despite the leg, fighting with Stoner for the last podium spot. Commentators made a lot of him riding with his broken leg, and sure that is very gutsy, but not unusual for motorcycle riders. Doohan rode just about all season with a broken leg and a thumb brake. Still do not know how they do it given the amount of effort it takes with the legs to turn these machines. Nice to see that Roger Hayden will replace De Puniet rather than some geriatric test rider, as it should be, give the young guys an opportunity.

Buemi says he has now decided to re-sign with Torro Rosso, but Glock is one of the drivers being tipped to replace Petrov, despite a pretty good rookie season. Renault are obviously looking to build a serious team again.

Bernie is playing his usual games, saying he does not really need the Monaco GP. He tried to get rid of it once before as he does not control it and they do not pay the fess like everyone else, but the sponsors told him he had to keep it. Maybe the reduction in sponsor support has given him ammunition to do it this time. He is looking to bring in India and Russia, while keeping the teams happy by limiting the number of races to twenty. At the same time that argument over the logos on team trucks continues. It seems so petty I can only imagine APM is hurting for signage money.

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz assures us that he will give both his drivers equal treatment even if it costs them the title. They cannot shut up about it can they? Just show us, don't tell us. Ferrari's Team Manager has told his men that anyone who does not still believe they can win the Championship can leave now. I like that.

IRL put on their annual crash fest in Toronto, and elsewhere Carl Edwards pulled his usual stunt to win a race."We came here to win," even if you kill someone I suppose? Grand Am had a race in New Jersey, but did anyone notice?

Looked at the web site for the new project. Nearly ready. Going to be in tune with the Spanish heritage of the area and the climate, Sol Real (Royal Sun) Motorsport Resort. Architecture will be Spanish Mission. Project will be very stylish. Need to agree on a logo so we can finalize the website, and just a few tweaks. Really hard to find good photos of country club type tracks, but my good buddy Greg Sarni has helped out. Need to catch up with what has happened since my little detour via Louisiana.

Next week will be busy with setting up the hanger for meeting prospective members, and actually starting sessions with them to explain the project. Just heard that the nearby casino has committed to building a new $20m tower as an addition, so someone else has confidence in the local economy, and it is a great amenity for our members. They will of course prefer our clubhouse, but it is nice to have options.

On the motorsport scene it seems Red Bull management cannot learn when to shut up. After saying they are all friends again, Helmut Marko comes out and says he does not know what Mark wants, he is in a great team and winning races. Vettel should be the one complaining due to all his mechanical problems. If you do not understand what Mark wants Helmut then you should do as Hans Stuck suggested and retire. Jos Verstappen said he would have trod on the wing so neither of them could use it, Go Jos!

Ferrari say they were not told "immediately" to let Kubica back past, Charlie Whiting took a whole 1 minute and 55 seconds. Wow! And of course Charlie only told them his opinion based on what he thought the Stewards would do, and he was correct, so stop whining Ferrari. If you had taken his advice, or better still do it your self straight away, Alonso would have re-passed Kubica easily as the Renault had a problem, and he would have been in a great position.

So Yamamoto did such a great job at Silverstone that he is going to replace Chandook for the next race. I guess HRT   think that if they keep giving him rides his wallet will weigh less each time so he will get quicker? Buemi denies he has re-signed with Torro Rosso and says the transfer market is still open, but where is he going to get a better ride? Does he know something we do not? Does he think a seat is coming available at the senior Red Bull Team? On a similar note Virgin hope to retain Timo Glock, but what seats are open to Timo, as good as he is? Nico Rosberg's new team mate?

Valentino Rossi amazed everyone with his pace yesterday at the German Motorcycle GP, finishing seventh fastest. His fit team mate, Lorenzo, could only manage one place better. Medical science and the willingness of these guys to ride with pain is unbelievable. I saw it with Wayne Rainey, Wayne Gardner, and Mick Doohan, the mark of a true champion, and basically anyone in this sport.

House in total chaos, boxes everywhere, and the truck coming this morning, so short and sweet today.

The fall out from Red Bull continues with Horner saying he regrets not talking to Mark Webber before they took the wing off Mark's car to give to Vettel. What was going on that was so important you could not spend two minutes explaining that? I can only imagine my reaction if I walked in the garage and saw that going on without being told anything! Do these people know nothing about managing people, especially people as intense as top sportsmen. They need to call Phil Jackson for some tips, or just read his book.

Alexander Rossi finished third in the GP3 race at Silverstone the weekend, having a great first season, and someone in the US needs to make sure he has the backing to move on from here in a top team. Cypher?

Well done Valentino Rossi, tested on a superbike the weekend and lapped as quick as the WSBK guys. Just do not fall again!

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How sweet it must have been for Mark Webber to win the British F1 GP  yesterday. "Methinks they protesteth too much" is how I would treat Red Bull's continual assurances that Vettel is not getting preferential treatment. Team Principal Christian Horner insisted that the differences between the two wing versions were minor, and only affected driving characteristics. If that was true why risk having a problem with Mark by changing it over to Vettel's car after Vettel's wing had broken in practice? Sources have revealed that there was both a lap time and a weight difference between the two versions. Mark commented that the car felt better with it on. Horner saying that they gave the wing to Vettel because he was ahead in points makes more sense than "there were minor differences." It's like the Turkey deal all over again, they cannot stick to a story. So, if Mark wins the World Championship are we going to see a Champion walk from his team again? You have to love him for his honesty and lack of PC!

Not that winning the Championship is going to be easy. They said that Jim Clark could just drive around a car's problems, as did Senna. Now I am not yet saying that Hamilton is in that illustrious company, but you have to admire his ability to take a car that is not well set up and putting it fourth on the grid when  his World Champion team mate can only manage 14th and says it is undriveable. Then he runs a strong second in the race, setting fastest times. Cudos to Button to take that ill handling car and get it up to fourth, he has a different style to Lewis but is still very effective. You do not really see how he does it. McLaren have a great team with these two and of course the engineers and mechanics, and yes I am biased.

Ferrari are again exercising their selective memory and "the rules do not apply to us" mentality. Do they not recall Spa three years ago and that great duel between Raikkonen and Hamilton? When Kimi pushed Lewis wide at the "bus stop" and Lewis did pass Kimi, let Kimi back past him again, and then overtook him, only to be penalized for not letting Kimi by far enough! Lost the race and the Championship. So why was Alonso's pass on Kubica any different?

Nice to see Williams up there again, and the Cosworth is obviously not too shabby. Yamamoto ran around last, must have been weighed down by his wallet! Well done Nico Rosberg, beat your elderly team mate again. Michael is not driving well and cannot be enjoying his time back in the car. Even the TV commentators are now comparing his age with every other driver he gets passed by.

Did not get to see the ALMS at Miller, but well done Highcroft, and it seems that the Drayson car ran well. Keep Emmanuele in the car so we have some competition for Brabham and co.

Did not see WSBK either, but it is turning into a Biaggi benefit. Pity about Corser and the BMW's. Did anyone see the accident in practice? Brno is a safe track so I am surprised at his injuries, was it just a high speed get off?

Congratulations Spain for the World Cup. I lived in Spain for a year and love the people and the Country, so if England could not win I am glad Spain did. Hard to believe it was their first final and win.

Sad to see Lance Armstrong having such a tough time on the Tour, but I guess when your luck runs out. He is still amazing, but in a way he is finding out what Michael is finding out, the current crop of riders are pretty damn good! I know I am an Aussie, but I think Andy Schleck is who I would like to win.