Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Can't keep Texas out of the news these days. The State should be pleased with the publicity, but I'm not sure this is the type they were looking for.

http://jalopnik.com/5970719/austins-circuit-of-the-americas-cancels-track-days-screws-over-racing-fans-everywhere?utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_twitter&utm_source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

So what gives? Is COTA going to follow India, Korea and Shanghai, and Turkey before it lost the F1 race, as F1 tracks that cannot afford to be kept open for other than the GP? The track says it is still staging major events, and is changing direction. Whatever that means. I cannot imagine that here in the US there are not enough people wanting to rent the track not to be worth taking their money. And it seems they have taken the money, cashed the check! This is becoming a pattern. First they fall out with Tavo over the F1 race, then Kevin Schwantz over the MotoGP, and now track renters.

Perhaps the noise complaints have forced this, but they did not put up much of a fight if that is so, and most of this type of use is road cars anyway.

Perhaps they are going to manage the track days etc themselves, but if so why not say so. This is creating bad feeling with the grass roots, and doubts about the viability of the track. And I can't imagine the politicians who are forking out millions to back this are going to be too happy if their constituents can't use it. Watch this space I guess. As readers know I have never understood the economics of this track.

Over to soccer, and after my blog the other day about the use of arms these days, there on Sky Sports is a discussion on "grappling." Glad I am not the only one who thinks this is a problem.

It seems that the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, and his coach, knew nothing about Jerry Brown, the intoxicated center who killed his friend, being on the sideline at the recent game until they saw him there. Lucky he was not suited up and playing I guess? Is their security so lax that this can happen, and are they saying they would not have let it happen if they knew? He has their full support after all.

Meanwhile, over at COTA the first complaints about traffic and noise are being heard. Welcome to the world of owning a race track. Reminds me of Phillip Island. "Can't we just have the Grand Prix?"

I have decided that to keep my readers entertained I will digress to sports other than motor racing. I have played a fair few in my time and seen even more. I grew up in England so I am an avid soccer fan, supporting Tottenham heaven help me. Since when did soccer become an arm wrestling contest? Whether it is going up to head a ball with elbows flying, holding on to shirts and arm, wrestling each other at a corner or free kick, or just generally fending players off, I have never seen so much arm being used. And if they are both doing it that's OK it seems, and if you do not try hard enough then it is equally OK to be pushed over according to most commentators. Why not give all of those with their hands on someone a yellow card at the first corner or free kick, that should stop it for the rest of the game. It was nice to see Fellaini of Everton receiving a three match ban for that cynical head butt, after looking around to make sure the Ref was not looking. The camera was though, and full marks for the other player for not retaliating.

On the subject of bans, an NFL player was recently given a four game ban for PED's. Performance enhancing drugs. Compare that to the persecution Lance Armstrong is receiving. I for one am still waiting to hear what this "most comprehensive doping system" consisted of, what drugs were involved, and how did they evade the constant and irregular testing? Once I have some evidence, not just charges, then I will decide for myself. And in the end if he only beat other athletes doing the same thing, then were his results not still worthy? I have never smoked, let alone taken a drug, so I in no way condone this, but neither do I accept all that I hear on face value. There is much more to this we do not know.

The Statesman, the Austin daily paper, revealed Thursday that the COTA has applied for more assistance from the Texas slush fund for events. The State paid out $29.3 m for the F1 race it is disclosed, and now they are asking for another $5 m to cover costs associated with the MotoGP, V8Supercars, ALMS and WEC races scheduled for 2013. I always wondered how these events were going to help COTA pay for building the facility as it costs money to bring them, just like F1, but on a lesser scale. And the audience is even less certain, not many Mexicans racing in these classes, and not many Americans either. There are two other MotoGP races in the US next year, so apart from novelty value why would you go to COTA. The MotoGP group inspected the track a week or so ago and expressed their doubts about it for motorcycles. If you look at most MotoGP tracks these days they feature long sweeping corners, not the stop-start type currently fashionable in F1. I can see that Texas will end up footing the bill for this facility in much the same fashion as Nurburgring is being bailed out.

While still in Texas and talking of sport, let me digress and express my disgust at seeing the Dallas Cowboys Center, Josh Brent, on the field with the team during yesterday's match after killing his buddy and fellow Cowboy Jerry Brown while driving drunk at 2:30 am the day before a game! Number one why is he bailed? Would most of us get this treatment. Then why is the team "supporting" him? Being out drunk at 2:30am the day before a game should be enough for the coach to bench him, let alone killing someone, and that someone being another player! What does he have to do to not get their support? The New Orleans Saints management were not allowed in the stadium until the NFL gave them special permission after their part in paying their thugs to injure other players in the course of a game. Why would other players even want to play with those guys again? But here we have someone who has killed another player wandering around on the sideline! Is this behaviour so endemic that it is acceptable? We have a litany of on and off field "incidents" like the unfortunate one at the Kansa City Chiefs, and I could go on. It is now reported that the Players Federation provides a service for drunk players to be given a ride home for $85 a time! Is the stress of earning all that money too much for them?

Just when I was saying that Austin did not have access problems up pops Sir Jackie Stewart telling everyone that they need to fix the road! The Texas DOT does not agree it seems as it has decided not to spend the money due to the lack of issues. The Texas State Comptroller is happy with it all though and has released the $25m, now only $10m more from the track to Bernie and they are paid for this year and about time to pay for 2013. Bernie always likes his money up front. And of course we still have the date conflict with the NASCAR finale, who scheduled this? And next year the inevitable Texas College football match, that is going to be fun. I doubt that the college fans will be happy with the $600 a night hotel rooms that the F1 race prompted. How to drive fans away and kill the golden goose. 

It seems the Team Bosses agree with me that Alonso was the driver of 2012, and Sir Jackie says Vettel has a long way to go to be great. Nice to know someone agrees with me.

Norbert Haug has got the chop at Mercedes after 22 years in charge of motorsport, 22 successful years at that. I can't believe he left "amicably," Mercedes cleaning house to try and get their F1 team to perform? Button warns Rosberg that he will be amazed at the speed Lewis can get out of a bad car, so as I said, something to look forward to. With the team Ross Brawn has assembled it is hard to see that they can continue to build bad cars, but that is all relative to the big three of course. Bernie has come out and told us he is happy to see another of the "new" teams disappear, ten is enough, and no, he does want anyone to buy HRT. 

Hi blog readers, been missing in action lately due to finishing the Mooresville Motorplex and the PRI, as well as catching up on all the things in life that did not get done for six months.

So, let me offer my opinions on recent events in F1. The old saying is it is better to be lucky than good. Now I am not saying Vettel is not good, but he is certainly "lucky," and not yet worthy of rating up there with Fangio just because he won three Championships. Agreed Fangio also made sure he had the best car, but he did not have Newey. Alonso did an amazing job to stay in the hunt with that Ferrari, which while not as bad as they kept making out, was certainly behind the McLaren and Red Bull. Where would Lewis have been without the DNF's? It seemed the only luck he had was bad.

So to Vettel. How is it that he can take out two cars in Brazil, not only without penalty, but avoids enough damage to his car to even slow it down! So much for all that fancy rear end design Adrian did, half of it missing did not seem to matter. Then he gets a safety car, thanks to Alonso, and Lewis gets taken out by Hulkenburg in a much less violent accident than Vettel's. Hulk gets a penalty for that one which you could argue was a racing incident, albeit a badly judged one. Then there is Abu Dhabi. What a great drive they say. Who did he pass? Much slower cars, and had two safety cars to keep bringing the leaders back to him. And they allowed the team to alter the car after qualifying when he was penalised for not having sufficient fuel in the car. What sort of penalty is that? Sorry if I offend Vettel supporters, he is a good "steerer" and a spoiled brat as far as I am concerned. His whining after Lewis overtook him in Austin was classic Vettel. 

And so to Austin. I know some of you are dying to know my thoughts on that extravagance. What is with "The Mullet" as the observation tower has been labeled? Did you have some spare cash so let's build a tower? Now I always try and make something on track a "signature", just look at the control tower at Eastern Creek! But at least that performs a function and does it well. The track? Does not do anything for me. With that elevation it could have been special. How can anyone compare that first corner to Eau Rouge! Eau Rouge is a flat out flowing corner and a real test for drivers. Turn one at Austin is a hump with a slow hairpin at the top, just like Turn Three in India. Neither use nor ornament. Turn One should have flowed around the contour and been faster, it is a waste of an opportunity as it is. Then we have the "Esses." Like Suzuka, except Suzuka is there because that is what the terrain dictates. Austin was always going to be a place where passing was not possible and so it proved. In fact it is dangerous given the near misses in practice. The only value I see is in Tilke's comment that they demonstrate the amazing performance of an F1 car, but I'm not sure that is what a race track is primarily about. It is typical of a track like Barber that is fun to drive on your own, but horrible to race on. There is a world of difference between driving fast and racing. The middle section is a couple of straights, and then we have the Turkey look alike at the end, which would have been another no passing zone if the track had not been so slick and the tires so hard. I'd love to know why the track was so slick? It had been down long enough, so was the mix too slick? I laid what I would presume was a similar mix at Mooresville and we were racing karts on it within a couple of weeks without these issues. Korea was raced on almost the day it was finished, if you recall, without the same problems.

All in all a nice facility, and it seemed to be well organized as I have not heard of any access issues or crowd problems. Let's see if this is truly the home of F1 in the US. Been said before, but the track has to make money for that to happen. We all know what happens if Bernie thinks you are making money, Bernie ups the fee.

Bernie is getting a lot of coverage lately, what with the German court case and now Adam Parr having a dig at him. It was obvious from the time he "resigned" from Williams that Bernie had a hand in it. Let's see where that all goes. Not that Bernie going will change much, CVC will still want their pound of flesh, and more. Bernie warns that some promoters will leave. How is that possible, they have a contract, and he is quick to remind them of it every time they want to get out of it. Just ask the Koreans. 

The racing season is over, roll on 2013. The mobile chicane that was HRT are no more, thank goodness. Marussia and Caterham need to lift their game if they are not to follow. Schumacher is gone, again thank goodness, and Lewis is in at Mercedes. That alone will make 2013 interesting. New Jersey is gone for 2013, and beyond? Turkey is back, maybe, and the Nurburgring? The list of hopefuls who want an F1 race is as long as ever, and the mystery remains as to how they can imagine they can make it viable when the evidence is all around that it cannot be done under the current business model. Just ask Melbourne, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Nurburgring, Spa, anywhere in France, Valencia and Barcelona.