Bob Barnard Track Engineering

I commented the other day about the time it took IMSA to respond to accidents and clear them. Nearly 6 hours in a 12 hour race does not keep the fans or drivers happy. So IMSA is looking into it. Hope it is not a mirror. Old joke.

Of bigger concern is the management of the accidents. Several marshals have now chimed in as to the new rules for them. IMSA used to have a dedicated response team that went to all the events, like IndyCar, but the new regime decided to use the NASCAR model and have a crew from each track. This is not necessarily a bad thing, F1 does the same apart from the Medical Car, but both NASCAR and F1 are a single class race,with almost spec cars in the sense that basic safety items are the same on each car. The fuel filler is in the rear quarter panel for example. Just check the Porches in sports cars. IMSA has four classes of cars with a variety of manufacturers and with very different designs. Getting to know where the cut off switch is in each one is not the work of a morning. 

Worse than this though is the decision to not let marshals respond until there has been a "conversation" with race control. Responding to an accident, especially a car on fire with someone in it is not a time for conversations. I well recall when Berger ran off at Imola and caught fire. I along with most viewers were screaming at the TV asking where was the fast response car? It seemed and eternity, but it turned out to be 22 seconds. I bet it felt like an eternity to Berger.

Race Directors need to make snap decisions, and so do the men on the spot, the marshals. Here in the US there is a reticence to marshals going over the wall, unlike most of the world. I do not know if this cultural, or an insurance issue, but going out under yellows ensures that someone is at a crash almost immediately. Who recalls at Sebring a few years ago the Jaguar almost fully engulfed but one brave soul had it out because he got there fast.

Marshal posts must have sight of each other, so a yellow at the preceding post should be automatic. We had a car in the tires at Turn 9 mid race, and again it seemed to me an age before someone turned up, and then it was a truck, and the driver was not getting out. Who knew how bad he was hurt?

In respect of the fire, why was a red flag not shown immediately as we had with the Turn 17 crash? We had marshals and fire trucks trying to combat a fire which would not go out while the cars paraded past. Crazy. Marty Kaufman and Gordon Gratiot where are you?

There was a lot of talk about how great it is that in 2014 Sebring looks like it did 50 years ago. What other major track looks 50 years old and has outdated safety. Probably the other track owned by ISC, Watkins Glen. And this is good why? I have said in past years that there is a point beyond which "character" becomes dangerous, and Sebring is long past this. Turn 17 is hideous with cars "kangaroo hopping" through it. Dorsey Schroeder said he was always amazed when he got through it each lap. Well we had a reg flag for a couple of cars that did not. The wall on drivers left at exit is too close and has one row of tires not properly attached. Compare that with Turn 5 in Melbourne where there are at least four rows if not five. Again the wall comes back to accommodate the bridge abutment.

That was just one crash however. After the three hours on Fox, with all the usual infomercials and historic photos we had a car almost burned to the ground and a previous crash so had about an hour of racing. It got a little better when it streamed on IMSA.com with fewer breaks, but in the end we had almost 6 hours of yellow and red flag in a 12 hour race. Part of this the ridiculous time it takes to clear a car and get back to racing under the closed pit lane system. In the last hour we had a car off at Turn 9, not damaged, just stopped. It took 30 minutes to go back racing, so we had a 20 minute sprint and no time to catch the Ganassi car which benefited from pitting just before the yellow.

The standard of driving was so bad that even Jim France suggested that they pass out business cards for racing schools. I know "gentlemen" drivers have been part of sports car racing since the first Le Mans, but some basic level has to be maintained or as was said, they will kill someone. It says much for the design of the cars that no one was, especially the crashes at 16 & 17. 

The US commentary was right up to it's usual standard. They must think we are idiots, Radio Le Mans where are you? On Motors TV in Europe that's where. Two gems when it got dark  Varsha, " now you can see why headlights are so important." His emphasis. The Justin Bell talking about how drivers cope with the reduced visiblity at night. "Generally the track doesn't change between corners." Really, so sometimes they rush out and throw in a chicane or something? Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up.

I am at a total loss why Fox would even show this. Three hours of a twelve hour race, and the first three, not the last. Filled with ads and nonsense. It must be a condition of the NASCAR contract.

While Lewis Hamilton took the pole on a last gasp run it was Daniel Ricciardo who won the hearts of the Australian crowd, and the plaudits of most viewers with his well deserved 2nd place on the grid. He out performed his world champion team mate, and got between the two Mercedes who seemed unstoppable. Both Nico and Lewis made it through Q1 with ease only using the slower of the two tire choices.

The Rookies also put on a great show with Magnussen and Kvyat both putting in very sure performances, especially in the really difficult wet Q2 & 3 sessions, Magnussen out performing his world champion team mate Jenson Button. Kvyat made an amazing turn around from Friday where all he seemed to do was get in the way, but today we saw why he has the ride. Both Toro Rosso's made it into Q3, while their "parent" Red Bull could not, with Vettel struggling. 

Lotus continued their terrible form, with Maldonado not even getting in a lap, and Grosjean failing to get out of Q1. Both drivers very unhappy and saying so. What contributes to the problems of all the teams is the time it now takes to fix an issue. It is said it takes 6 hours to change an engine, and a lot, lot more to change the whole power system. Lots of teams are breaking the curfew out of shear necessity. We will see who can make it to the grid. With the time between practices and qualifying a problem can cost you a day, and time is something no amount of money or resources can fix.

It appears that all the cars will be able to start having done enough to avoid 107% rule problems. The start should be interesting as there are comments that some cars are better than others in getting off the line, so be sure to watch. Rain tommorrow will make it even more interesting.

Along with most commentators I was pleasantly surprised at how well the cars performed in the wet, some actually looking better. This can often be the case if they are down on power or have a softer set up, but with the torque available I expected a lot more problems. Williams was the only team that really looked uncomfortable in the wet, especially Massa who had some lurid moments even in a straight line. All the drivers were really having to perform, no running on rails with these cars, which is great to see. There were problems with the white lines and painted out lines on the track, which should just not happen in this day and age. The technology exists and is used in places like Singapore to remove the lines before a race, and non-slip paint is readily available and should be standard issue even for everyday use on a street track.

There were a couple of casualties in the wet. Raikkonen hit the wall on the exit of turn 3 and admitted he was fiddling with his steering wheel. Why are there no tires on the inside of the exit of that corner? It is a pretty popular spot to hit. Kvyat lost it on the back of the circuit and collected the wall on a sweeper which is not a spot you'd expect. Lines again. Both cars should be OK.

Even in the dry Martin Brundle made the comment that instead of losing cars from unreliability he is now concerned how many will be lost to accidents. The brake by wire continues to cause drivers to miss their braking points and apexes, and running wide at entry and exit is proving to be a risk all on its own.

So, the most interesting Grand Prix for some time awaits us tomorrow. Mercedes look the goods, but in the dry had issues with tire wear. Whoever wins this is going to need all the skill, experience, intelligence and all the luck he can call on. One not to miss. 

Sebring 12 hours is on today, and we are certainly not going to see much of it. Lots of good drivers, but without the LMP1 cars not what it used to be. Big crash yesterday in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge when Marc Miller was spun into the wall protecting the bridge abutment. This was an accident waiting to happen, and I am surprised it took so long. Why when you started with a wide open airfield did you have to build a bridge to the infield that was narrower than the track and verges leading up to it? Again in this day and age not good enough. A classic case of making the track fit the obstacles instead of the other way around.

Those of us that live here in the US, and trust me I love to live here, have to suffer through the worst race coverage thanks to SPEED and now NBC. SPEED, aka "The NASCAR Channel and those things owned by NASCAR, "showed the Sebring 8 Hour yesterday. Yes I know it is a 12 hour race, but it seems they did not. Despite Bob Varsha promising we will not miss any of the action they promptly signed off and went to NASCAR practice, not a race, for an hour. They then came back for an afternoon of the usual "infomercials" for other shows on Fox stations, Michelin, Chevrolet, Mazda etc, broken up by the inane commentary. I say commentary, but it is actually huckstering for the series as the station has a vested interest in telling us this is the best racing on earth. How about some honest reporting, and oh yes, some silence so we can hear the cars?

I watched the F1 race via live streaming of Sky, and was delighted when their pit reporter just held his microphone out during a Ferrari pit stop so we could hear it, without the necessary female telling us they were putting on Pirelli tires. SPEED meanwhile left the 12 hour race at 7:30 PM, with three hours to go, and crossed to watch AMA Supercross. That tells me how sports car racing rates! They were to come back at 10:30 pm, and as the race started at 10:45 am we were to be treated to the last couple of laps and the podiums, or a taped delayed version once the result was known by anyone with a computer. Needless to say I did not bother. An endurance race is complex, and it is impossible to follow who is where in each class and on what strategy when the broadcast is so broken up and commentators so stupid. For some reason Radio Le Mans was not working.

Over at NBC, who are covering the F1 races this year, things are very similar. Practice and qualifying sessions were scheduled about an hour or so after the actual times they are going on. Do they think we are stupid? Don't answer that. They obviously think the average viewer is by what they show on Network TV. I cannot complain about their commentators as I did not watch NBC, but knowing Leigh Diffey is one of them is enough. Makes me cringe as an Aussie.

Well the racing season kicked off with a marathon. F1 practice in the middle of the night Friday and Saturday, Sebring all day Saturday, and the F1 race at 2 am Sunday. Thank goodness Sunday was quiet.

Thankfully it was all worth watching. The F1 race threw up a few surprises after qualifying. McLaren looked like they would run away with it, 0.7 seconds a lap quicker than the Red Bulls who recovered from some poor practice sessions, as we knew they would. Jensen basically did, jumping Lewis at the start, and apparently both cars fueled light in anticipation of cruising to the win. Not sure what went on with Lewis unless he was conserving fuel. I can understand him not catching Jensen, but he seemed to be able to manage the gap to Vettel until the safety car deal. I know good athletes make their own luck, but Vettel sure seems to get more than his fair share. Still, I expected Lewis to go back past as the McLaren was faster in top speed anyway, and with DRS you would expect him to blow past. Not to be, struggled to stay in front of Webber and not at all happy with third.

A lot of drivers would have been, Grosjean for one, and Maldanado after a very strong drive in the Williams which looked good. Not sure what happened to Senna who could not produce the same performance. Ferrari, well Alonso, recovered from a disastrous qualifying to show that the Ferrari still seems to have trouble getting heat into the tires. I expected Montezemolo to have fired them all overnight Saturday. Let's see what Malaysia brings. Massa had another shocker, how long are they going to put up with him, and who is there to replace him? 

Great to see Kimi fighting back after mistakes in qualifying, but presumably they don't have blue flags in rallying or NASCAR. Force India were disappointing after last year and what seemed to be a good test season. HRT. What can you say? Please just go away. Marussia at least qualified, but that's the best you can say, and Caterham must be disappointed after also looking like they made a big step in pre-season. Ricciardo and Vergne acquitted themselves well and well fought Daniel after a fraught start. 

Sauber are about where they were last year, which is not so bad, and it would have been interesting if Michael's Mercedes had not broken so early. Strange how Rosberg was off the pace. The F-Duct is still creating some controversy, but on this showing is not doing a a lot for the Mercedes.

A good entertaining race though, even if Button was not really challenged, and he already seems to be the teams focus for the Championship judging by Whitmarsh's comments. On to Malaysia, and watch out if McLaren put enough fuel in the cars this time.

Much angst in the paddock apparently over the reported special deals done with Ferrari and Red Bull. My assumption that Bernie is planning to float F1 seems to be at the center of this as to float he has to secure the major assets. Why this does not include McLaren and Mercedes I don't know, unless Ron is too much of a straight shooter to agree to a deal that shuts out the rest of the teams. We all know Ferrari have done this before, and Red Bull is all about money. Mutterings of the other teams taking their bat and ball home if this is true.

Sebring produced an interesting race, even with the Audis obviously going to win and duly did. GT's put on their predictable great show, with the Ferraris being fast and fragile, and the local BMWs still capable of producing the goods. The LMP1 HPDs kept the Audis honest though, a good showing for brand new cars. The Dyson Lola was never in the hunt and the ALMS season will have to be all about the GTs on this showing, Muscle Milk will have it all their own way. Still early days. Way too many cars out there this year, we could have done without the LMPC and GTC cars to get in everyone's way. The early story was the FIA/ACO were not going to allow non-WEC cars at Sebring, and that is the word for next year. I can't see Don and the boys being happy with that. It would be nice to see some money spent on the track before then.