Bob Barnard Track Engineering

It's OK expanding racing to the far east, so long as they can build the tracks properly. We have had the earlier saga of Korea not building a track and paying Bernie a chunk of change not to run a GP, and now we are presumably still paving a track to race on in two weeks time. A couple of years back we had a Shanghai street race where the hairpin was so tight the cars had to do a three point turn, and no I am not joking, and then the manhole covers were not secured and the race was stopped to weld them down. Now we have the second practice for Superleague cancelled at a new Beijing street race because the curbs are coming up. It is actually worse than this as it is being run as non-championship race to a Chinese National Sanction as the track was not approved safe for an FIA Grade 2 status. So, the drivers are not going to race as hard if it is a non-championship race? It is OK to have a serious accident so long as the Chinese are approving it? What piece of unsafe are we missing here? As I said yesterday some people get a pass because they do not know better. Who built this anyway?

Suzuka already looks to be a Red Bull benefit. I know it is only Friday, but the signs are ominous. Ferrari nearly a second off the pace, Button struggling with the car, and Lewis dumping it into the wall almost from the get-go and doing very few laps in the second practice. Let's hope the new rear wing arrives in time for him. I guess they only had two of the new wings, and unlike Red Bull, did not want to take the one off of Button's car for him. It must be hot off the press or you would think they would have brought more than the two with them. The Degner curves are catching people out just as they did last year, despite the curbs being altered, but obviously not improved. Barrichello in particular commented that they love Suzuka as drivers, but it does have some safety issues and they have to drive accordingly. Not easy to make changes to Suzuka, being tightly wrapped in the valley as it is. Let us hope the rest of the teams can get it sorted and we can see another good race, and one not spoiled by the weather.

Trulli says he is looking forward to next year with Lotus and applauds their improvement this year. Looking at the practice times they are the class of the new teams, but are still over 4 seconds adrift of the quick guys. HRT are some 6 seconds back, so it seems not surprisingly the new teams have not made much progress this year. They are going to have to make a very significant redesign of their cars in the off season if they are to survive, which so far only Lotus seem to have put in place.

In other F1 news it seems the engine builders are agreeing with me, rule changes cost money, so they are trying to change Jean Todt's mind about the four cylinder turbo for 2013. Cosworth is saying it will cost Euro 20m to design a new engine, and who is paying, HRT,Virgin? The other guys are saying this is a Euro 100m deal, so where's the cost saving in F1 now? They sensibly suggest they can do a lot with the existing 8 cylinder if Jean wants "green," otherwise it is going cost lot of green stuff. Resource Reduction Agreement anybody?

Over in Malaysia Rossi seems to be riding around his shoulder problem, or maybe it is the chip on it that is helping? I'm sure after the comments of Yamaha management he is out to prove something. He is now saying he will go to Australia, which I am sure the Phillip Island Promoter is very relieved to hear, and make a decision after that. Stoner will be looking for a good result to take to the Island, while Lorenzo I'm sure will be looking for a nice quiet race to the World Championship.

Bathurst is on and practice times are as competitive as you would expect from this series, with 1.5 seconds separating the top twenty cars. I'm really sad we do not get the race here, although after ten hours last weekend of Petit I need to get some things done. I think we have had a highlight show on occasions. If any of my US friends know please tell me. David Brabham looks like it could be a long race as his car is well down in practice, but as they say in the classics, and F1 driver's interviews, it is a long race.

Murphy The Bear has a new post today, it is the usual mixture of rumor,opinion, and truth, but as always funny and worth logging in to.

I have commented often on the ongoing hydraulic problems that beset the new teams, and their seeming inability to get on top of it. Well Tony Fernandes has found the answer, buy the gearbox and hydraulics from Red Bull to go with the new Renault engine. Job done. As I have said recently Tony is a man who is committed to doing F1 right, despite his comments on blue flags, and with this combination, a stable team, and more announcements coming, it seems he will not have to worry about the flags for long. Now, if we could just get the name sorted.

So, 7-Eleven have pulled the plug on Tony Kanaan's car in the Andretti-Green stable. They have been with Tony and Andretti a long time. Is it the lack of results? They are staying with Danica who has no better results, but I guess she has other attributes. Who knows, other than their marketing chief, maybe it was just time for a change or the economy still is a problem. Tony is now looking for sponsors or another drive, either way not easy I would suspect.

On the home front, I have thought for a long time about writing my experiences, particularly the Adelaide F1 and Phillip Island sagas, but there is so much more with Sinatra at Sanctuary Cove, Daytona, Road Atlanta and other projects. I have been encouraged, mainly by my lovely wife Xan, to write a book, and have started a couple of times, only to become annoyed at the outcomes all over again, so I stop. I now find the time is likely to be available and I think I have the right attitude to do it. I've solicited advice from friends and acquaintances in the business, and the response so far is encouraging. I will keep you posted.

Potentially three good meetings this week for Sol Real, one this afternoon before our usual presentation, which looks like being accompanied by the usual thunderstorms. Amazing how that happens on Tuesdays.

Not much else going on, Japanese F1 GP and Malaysian MotoGp both on this weekend. Lorenzo can wrap up the motorcycle title by finishing tenth or better, which barring Rossi punting him off should be doable. Apparently the Yamaha management has taken a very dim view of last weekends events, enough so that Valentino is now likely to make Malaysia his last race, spit the dummy and go and get his shoulder fixed.

The F1 race is extremely unlikely to decide anything, other than maybe eliminate  one of the "gang of five." One thing is for sure though, being Suzuka it will be a good race.

It seems the two newest team owners in F1 know more than the powers that be that have been running the thing. Tony Fernandes has come out and said we should get rid of blue flags because it is slowing his cars down, and Sir Richard agrees with him. I think there a lot of things slowing their cars down, that is why they are seeing the blue flag. It cannot be the engine though as Williams is using the Cosworth to great effect. Cannot be the drivers, Glock, Trulli and Kovalainen are no slouches. Cannot be the tires, they are all the same, so it has to be the car. Fix the car, don't try and fix the sport. If there were no blue flags then presumably his drivers would be looking in the mirrors even more than they do now as they would have no other warning.

It seems everyone except Lorenzo enjoyed seeing the fight with Rossi, and more than a few took exception to Lorenzo's comments after. Personally I interpreted them as not bemoaning the forcefulness of Rossi, just that it should not be what a team mate does when the other rider is trying to win a Championship, which is not unreasonable. Bit like Vettel on Webber at Turkey. Once Lorenzo seals the Championship then it will be something to watch.

Alonso says he is ready for some pain in the four remaining races. Not quite sure what he was referring to other than perhaps a lot of extremely long hours and hard work for the team. Let's hope he does not expect physical pain. Looking forward to Suzuka, should be a cracking race, and the tension gets ramped up every race.

Also on next weekend, not that we get to see it here in the US, is the best touring car race in the world, Bathurst. If you have the chance be sure to watch. David Brabham is a glutton for punishment and after a ten hour race at Road Atlanta is heading to Bathurst for another one on an equally challenging track and, if possible, even more competitive cars!

It comes as no surprise that Sergio Perez will line-up alongside Kamui Kobayashi at Sauber next year in a new deal involving Mexican communications giant Telmex. Let's hope he gets a better chance to show his talent than most of the recent new boys, but Peter Sauber has demonstrated that in the past and has brought in some very good drivers, so good luck Sergio. Hopefully the Telmex sponsorship will move Sauber up the grid, it has not hurt Chip Ganassi in the Grand Am.

Sir Richard Branson is not sure if he really likes a Virgin, which is odd for a team bearing his company name, not just sponsorship. I have commented before about his seeming lack of commitment, but it is really odd the way he has confirmed that he will continue to support the Virgin Racing team in 2011. And then? He is saying Virgin is willing to accept less branding on the car so that more sponsorship from other companies can be brought into the team. An exit strategy?

Superleague raced at a new track in Mongolia this weekend, Ordos, built by the Government for around $140 m by all accounts. There is a lot of discussion on the future of motorsport. Perhaps we are seeing it. As the populations of developed countries get distracted by other attractions, and building and operating tracks gets more difficult, the underdeveloped world is waking up to it as a sport and economic benefit.

Is Casey Stoner another John Koscinski? He seems to be able to win even on a bike he is not sure about the set up. John seemed to be able to ride around set up problems if his head was right, and maybe this is what we are seeing with Casey? There were some questions raised about his odd drops in form and mysterious injuries. The mind of a motorcycle racer is a powerful thing, and one not to be underestimated. No love lost between Rossi and Lorenzo, not that we thought their was any to start with. Yamaha vs Ducati next season could be very interesting, and let's not forget Casey on Honda with Pedrosa. Pity the size of the field is still disappointing. Not sure I like Motegi, bridges always bother me, and I know there are bridges at Suzuka and Road Atlanta, but not something I would put in a track by choice. Acres of gravel, even on the inside of corners!

Good racing both in Japan and France, surprised there were not more people watching in Japan, home of the motorcycle and with Motegi so close to Tokyo. WSBK in Magny Cours had a decent crowd considering how hard it is to get to.

On four wheels Michael Schumacher says he has the answer to framing a new Team Orders regulation. "I have a very clear position on what I think about team orders." I bet you do Michael, and I also bet we all know what that will be. Move over and let me through. I love Lewis Hamilton's comment that there was no value in beating Schumacher, "he's mostly racing behind me."

Curious that the second most important sportscar race is on and Autosport web page does not mention it, not even under the ALMS tag? We have Peugeot and Audi going head to head with two cars each, unlike Silverstone, and they covered that race. I know the ALMS is not seen as it once was. Quoting Gary Watkins in the September 6 Autosport, "The harsh truth is is that, despite the rhetoric from the series bosses, the ALMS is a pale imitation of its former self." As Gary says, "should Audi return and be joined by another big gun in LMP1, the ALMS can return to its former glory." That is what makes the absence of news from this weekend mystifying, we have just that scenario, and it has drawn the fans to the track by all accounts. Even SPEED has opted to show us all ten hours! Must not be a truck race on.

Practice is showing how close the race is going to be. Yes the Peugeots are fast, 204 mph at the end of the main straight, and lap times in the 1 min 8 seconds. Audi are about a second behind with the "young guys" car, who have less experience here than McNish and company. Maybe Audi know the race is not won in practice. In fact many teams opted to sit out the wet second practice to install their race set up and engine, saving the mechanics sleep last night. They commented that getting the race set up was more important than qualifying.

In LMP2 the Highcroft Honda is just in front of the Cytosport Porsche, and the GT2 class is its usual close run thing, but with the Patron Ferrari with its nose just in front. All drivers were commenting on the amount of traffic so the race is going to be fraught for the drivers and interesting for us. Luck and patience is going to determine who comes out on top, just ask Pirro.I liked Anthony Davidson's comment that Road Atlanta is a "proper mans track."

The Porsche Hybrid is performing extremely well, as you would expect from a car that almost won the Nurburgring 24 hours. Even though it is racing itself the comparison with the GT2 cars will be inevitable, and should it beat them, what then? Porsche are making statements about rejoining F1, and Audi staying with LMP1. It has been a long time since Porsche ran its own F1 car, without much success, but supplied engines to help McLaren win world championships in the mid eighties. It seems that is likely to be the way they will return, although probably not with McLaren. I think we can look forward to McLaren making their own engines when their deal with Mercedes runs out.

Talking of McLaren, Lewis says he will hold nothing back in Japan, that will be something to see! Look out world, I'm coming through. Poor Massa has finally been told what he already knew, he is there to help Alonso win the championship.

Over at MotoGP at Motegi, Pedrosa has helped Lorenzo win the championship by falling off and breaking his collarbone in two or three places, depending on what you read. He is out this weekend, so maybe they can plate it and get him back for later rounds, but what's the point? Valentino topped practice today and was surprised by the lack of shoulder pain and his speed. Let's hope he can keep it up and give us a race Sunday. Lorenzo only needs to cruise around, but if he is any sort of racer he will want to beat his team mate.