Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Fuel for thought. My Wife Xan has been following the McLaren trucks on their way to Turkey for the GP on facebook. This morning Xan raised the question of just how much diesel that is taking, and times that by all the other trucks headed there. Puts the amount of gas used in a race in some perspective.

And here is the US Indycar series dragging itself off to Brazil only to have the race stopped for rain after a lot of accidents. Did I mention another debacle? Like Bernie just chasing the money. This is not going to solve their problems. There is talk of a second race down there next year, oh goody. Why not just move all of the series to South America if that is where the money is, we can just tune in and watch on Versus, if we get it, or care. Interesting that Sears Point is talking to the World Touring Car Championship, WTCC, about a race next year. Not such a bad idea given that the Chevy Cruze is competitive, but not sure US audiences are ready for WTCC. WTCC goes to some odd tracks around the world so Sears won't seem so bad.

Estoril has been run and won, well done Pedrosa, shoulder surgery obviously did the trick. Making for an interesting Championship. I was going to say Ben Spies disappointed again, but it was a crew member who caused the problem this time, so we'll suspend judgement. Interesting that IRTA has 16 new teams applying for next season. Where are all those machines, and more importantly money, coming from. I know the rules are changing but that hardly seems to be sufficient reason for this. Let's see how many actually make the grid. The "claiming rule" is back. I know the US grew up on this stuff, but it just seems foreign to me in this day and age. Like going back to amateur hour.

I loved the report from Bahrain that "day-to-day life is improving under the State of National Safety." Aka a State of Emergency, how all dictators have maintained power through history. Let's ask the average Joe if he thinks his day-to-day life is improving. I think we know that answer from the open letter to Bernie. Today is May 1st, has anyone heard any news from the FIA?

I am surprised at the lack of response to yesterday's blog, but for you guys in Australia the Mercedes World Drive is headed your way after the US leg, so check the map above.

Bernie's World Tour continues to grow would be stop overs with Croatia the latest to throw it's hat in the ring with a $420m track, to be built by Mr. Tilke of course. Do these would be track owners not read comments like Sir Jackie Stewart and now Martin Whitmarsh on Herman's tracks?  And these guys must know something about high finance that I do not. How do you invest $420m in a venture where the main event loses money every year? Even as a promotion surely you can find something a bit cheaper to put on, or just buy loads of air time. So who is going off the calendar to make way for this one? In a twist, there are protests in the streets of the capital this last weekend, so now we are having protests before we even get a race to cancel.

Martin Whitmarsh was also asked about McLaren building its own F1 engine, and he declined to rule it out. I would have thought that this was a totally logical step now they have divested the Mercedes ownership and started building its own road supercar and engine. McLaren clearly want to take on Ferrari, so their own engine is a necessary step.

There is an interesting news item on Autosport today about the winner of this year's USTCC getting a drive in the WTCC. Now I have not heard of a US Touring Car Championship since the year I first got to the US in 1997, so they have been keeping this a very big secret. Why would the WTCC team up with this unknown series and not the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge, or either of the GT series which do after all run BMW's and other "Touring Cars?"

F1 testing resumes tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on which team you are in, and supposedly we will get some better picture of how the Pirelli's will perform. Hamilton is the latest driver to come out about how they "will make F1 slow." Melbourne will be interesting, or maybe not?

Robert Kubica refuses to predict on how he will go in Brazil this weekend as he predicts it will be unpredictable. Aren't there a few too many "predictable" comments? Sounds as if rain is predicted, which is predictable in Brazil this time of year. I predict it will be interesting whatever the weather, it usually is. They have made the last turn safer by putting in a "soft" wall after a driver was killed there. That last turn and pit entry have always scared me, they need to change the track, not mess about with "soft" walls.

Bernie says that the three new teams have been an embarrassment this year, and should go away, except Lotus, and, as I have been saying, Bernie thinks maybe Sir Richard needs to tip bundle of money into Virgin, like Red Bull, or go away.

It looks like Chevrolet is going to win the World Touring Car Championship against the likes of BMW and SEAT (VW), and no, not with a Corvette or Camaro, with a sedan, the Cruze, that I do not see much here in the US, and I doubt most people here have ever heard of the WTCC. Well done GM, now tell the US about it.

Decent weekend of racing coming up with the Brazilian F1 GP, Intercontinental Cup from Zuhai, and Valencia for the MotoGP final round.

Getting sorted to go to the Professional Circuit Owners and Investors Forum in Cologne in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to meeting up with Dick Hahne, ex Daytona VP Operations, and now with Musco lighting, and some guys from England with a potential new series. Should be a great week.