F1

Yesterday I wrote about the changes FIA president Max Mosley has introduced for the future of F1. I was a tad remiss in that I did not write that Mosley's plans are an effort to drastically cut costs in F1 racing.

Certainly his intentions are noble and frankly, necessary for the long term health of the sport. If you look around at the team owners and principals you notice it is not a group of young men. Rather it is older guys who may be nearing retirement age. And look at the companies involved with F1 racing. Ferrari, BMW, Daimler-Chrysler (Mercedes), Ford, Renault and Cosworth. These are companies with deep pockets, but in a world economy that is still coming out of the 90's hangover, these guys are not really willing to up their ante's any more than what they are currently.

Ferrari has a reputation in the world beyond F1, but since they limit the number of cars they sell they are limited on budget even though they are part of the Italian government. Daimler-Chrysler is under extreme pressure from stockholders to turn a profit and pouring more and more money into racing at this level is not cost effective.

And go right down the line and the story is the same.

Next week the teams are meeting in Monaco to discuss the future. One thing is for sure, unless changes are made the circus may get shut down.

And people think IRL has problems.


IRL

Day one of ROP is over. Larry Foyt was just as happy as a clam when he was finished. I'm going to try to go out tomorrow during lunch if anyone is interested. The IRL is conducting an open practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Yesterday, Foyt, Ed Carpenter, Mark Taylor, Kosuke Matsuura, Luis Diaz, Marty Roth and Jeff Simmons also took part in the ROP yesterday. Simmons and Roth will still need to complete their programs when the track opens May 9th.

Local boob Robin Miller floated what he called a "rumor" in his online column on Friday that TG was going to cut the 500 down to a one weekend event because he wanted to have another IRL race in May. Miller is filled with so much hate towards the Speedway it just clouds his vision.

First of all, no one would ever let RM in on any secret. Ever. Second, if he did hear it, it was because someone wanted to make him look bad. But as usual, he does have his faithful followers who eat up his word as if it were the Gospel truth. That radio show him, Dave Scoggins and Jay Baker do is just pathetic. Piss poor attempts at humor, constant stabs at the IRL while trying to make it sound as though they are sympathetic to the open wheel cause and a lot of F1 news that is both untimely and usually inaccurate.

Keep trying boys, maybe OWRS will actually finish the season.


NASCAR

In what is one of the biggest surprises to me is that NASCAR is NOT contemplating fining Junior for the fans reaction to Jeff Gordon's win on Sunday.

Tony Stewart, however has been squarely in NASCAR's sights since Sunday. The moron of the year was involved in two accidents on the track for which he took no responsibility. But NASCAR is considering disciplinary action against the blockhead for an incident after the race.

Stewart, slowed with the rest of the pack as they took the checkered flag under the caution, decided to turn left directly onto pit lane (the wrong direction) instead of taking the usual lap around. Of course the boob claimed it was because of the debris being tossed onto the course after the race. Stewart rammed into Terry Labonte demolishing his car.

Stewart, no stranger to idiocy, will probably be fined and put on probation. This turd needs to be suspended for a season until he proves he is fit to live among human beings.

Well it was an interesting weekend of racing, if not wholly unpredictable. I do have to admit that right now the Pacers are kind of getting my attention, but now that they are off for at least a week I can get back to racing.


NASCAR

Another Talladega and another strong run for DEI. Junior comes home second and probably would have won had there not been a yeller with just 5 laps to go. Jeff Gordon got the win which proved about as welcome as a turd in a punchbowl. All in all the racing was fierce. There were 58 lead changes, which is a lot for a place known for such happenings. And of course there was the “Big One”.

This races “Big One” honorary starter was none other than Mr. Happy himself, Tony Stewart. In what was just one of those things at a restrictor plate race, Tony pushed Kurtis around and he spun in front of an oncoming pack. 11 cars were involved in all.

I’m not sure Junior would have won without the caution, but I am pretty sure that Jeff Gordon would not. The fans responded by peppering the track with cans, wrappers etc. As I said, typical goings on at Talladega.


F1

Race 4 is in the books. The winner again is Michael Schumacher. Schummi outdueled Juan to the first chicane, or outpushed him according to Juan. Montoya was quoted after the race as saying he would be surprised if Michael would get away with it once the FIA officials reviewed it. Good luck JP. Tell you what, wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first.

The bumping between Schummi and JP (soon after joined by Ralfie boy) allowed pole sitter Jensen Button to scream away from the pack. However, by the time the first pit stops rolled around Schummi had gathered Button in and made the pass by virtue of a super fast pit stop.

What was odd was that Button put much more fuel into his car at the first pit, but pitted after the same number of laps as Schumacher on his second stop. For his effort he finished a career high, for both him and BAR, second. These guys are for real.

JP soldiered home third but was clearly not happy. In the only other real note of interest in the race Kimi Raikkonen got his first point of the season when Takuma Sato’s Honda blew up in spectacular fashion while riding in 8th position. Raikkonen started at the back of the pack after posting no qualifying time. The team had to switch gearboxes and skipped Q’s.

It was a tough day for Jordan as both drivers failed to finish with mechanical problems. Christiano suffered through one of his worst days since coming to F1. He was penalized for a pit infraction and then spun into a gravel trap and was unable to continue.

The Renaults were 4th and 5th and Fernando Alonso put on a great charge trying to overtake JP, but couldn’t quite make it.

In what could be the final running of the Grand Prix of San Marino, the tifosi certainly turned out in droves. The stands and infields were seas of red. Quite irritating to say the least.

In other F1 news, FIA president Max Mosely floated some new rules for the upcoming seasons. The current rules are in place until the end of next season, but the radical ideas suggested by Mosely are sure to generate a lot of talk.

For starters he has proposed a switch to a 2.4 liter, 4 valve per, V-8 engine which would have to last for 2 race weekends, bans on variable geopmetry for intake and exhaust systems, electronic controls issued by the FIA, no direct injection and a limit on the stiffness of materials used in the cars.

Manual gearboxes and clutches, no electronic differentials, powersteering and no more carbon fiber brake disc systems. He also advocates a drop of at least 50kg in car weights and narrower front tyres. He has also said he would like to see but one tyre manufacturer.

Mosley also would like to see the cars remanded to parc ferme for the entire race weekend, drastic reductions in private testing and only two sets of tyres for qualifying and the race to be replaced only in case of a puncture.

He also wants to see points in each race go to only the top four finishers for the constructors championship to encourage the selling or leasing of equipment to teams. Of course the major part is that only a majority would be needed to make changes. Since the F1 teams rarely agree on anything expect there to be much less radical changes when the smoke clears.


IRL

“Mike” (Felipe Giaffone) was named to replace Robbie Buhl in the Dreyer and Reinbold Purex #24 car. Buhl who stepped down Friday (see story on mark_m.com.tripod.com) hopefully will be able to better concentrate on making his team successful.

The IRL has an open practice this week at Indy.

One weekend, three races, more than enough boredom to go around. That is my summation of the IRL, OWRS and NASCAR races over the weekend.

First the IRL. I have to say I have been very under whelmed by the racing so far this season. Yeah, the first race came down to Sammy and Julio battling for the win down to the wire, but Phoenix and Japan were real snoozers.

Now it could be as simple as knowing it is the last race for the 3.4 liter engine and the focus is on the future. I don’t like rule changes, especially in season, but this one was known before the season so I will not spit the bit on it. I’m ready for May and to see what kind of speeds we will see.

Anyway, congrats to Gentleman Dan Wheldon. He dominated the Japan race and gave Honda their first win at their home track. Right now it looks like They have Toyota’s number.

The race was pretty boring, no real passes and not a whole lot of real good dicing. Robbie finished second to last and the Dreyer and Reinbold miseries continue. Early indications have the 3.0 liter Chevy engine as being strong. We will know soon enough!

NASCAR spent the weekend at Martinsville, VA. What a shithole. That track just sucks and what is more, it came apart yesterday. A big chunk of concrete came out of the track causing a 2 hour delay. They need to get rid of that turd track.

Rusty Wallace managed to win the race. Jr. did pretty good finishing 3rd and regaining the lead in the Nextel Cup Championship.

Finally OWRS did actually run their race at Long Beach. They had their usual first turn crash and Paul Tracy won and their were no passes. My favorite thing of the day was when Tommy Kendall was talking about how Alex Tagliani loved the push to pass button so much he kept asking for more in practice. Kendall made the analogy of a crack pipe saying “It (the push to pass button) was his personal crack pipe”. Good Sctuff!!!

The race basically sucked. Vasser was last and cried to the cameras as usual.

Overall it was a pretty sucky weekend of racing. Let’s hope May brings more excitement.

IRL

“Gentleman” Dan Weldon will start the Japan Indy 300 from the pole tonight from Motegi. Weldon, who was behind Tony Kanaan in every practice managed fast time when it counted. Greg Ray starts second in what has been yet another solid run for the former wuss clocking in at just .0007 of a second slower than Weldon.

Tony Kanaan will start third after setting fast time in all of the practice sessions including the final.

Honda desperately wants to win at Motegi, the track they built but have never won on, and have positioned themselves nicely to do so. They took the top 5 spots and 7 of the top 10. Only Adrian Fernandez failed to get in on the party.

Robbie will not start last! Speedwise that honor goes to Tora Takagi, but lineupwise will go to Alex Baron who changed Chevrolet engines and will have to start from the back of the pack.

This is a big race for Honda and they have put a lot of work into finally winning at their home track. Toyota will have its work cut out for it and Chevrolet best hope their 3.0 liter engine works better than their 3.4 liter engine. It sucks, that’s right sucks!


F1

Not a whole lot to report from F1 this week. BAR had another good week of testing and seem poised to move up the ladder. With McLaren struggling they may just do that.

More and more it is looking like Great Britain, Italy, France and Germany may be the only European tracks standing by the time Bernie gets done. He is running from places that are too restrictive on tobacco advertising. I think this bodes well for the US to get another race, but we have to really get it promoted and so far this year, it has not lent itself to very good racing.

OWRS

Well, they take to the track today for practice leading up to the Long Beach Grand Prix. I don’t wish them any harm, I just don’t think two series can survive. I really hate all of the bullshit the CART fans spew. They will never be back. To me I say who needs them. If they can’t like OWRS and the IRL then they aren’t race fans. And there are IRL fans who are just as bad.

One thing to look for on Sunday is the use of the “push to pass” button. This will allow a driver a bit of extra boost to make a pass. Can’t wait to see how many of these guys hit the walls using this ingenious tool!

IRL

The teams are all heading for Japan this week for the 2nd Bridgestone Japan Indy 300 at the Twin Motegi track. This race marks the end of the 3.4 liter engine as the rules make a change to the 3.0 liter engine beginning with the Indy 500 in May. This was done as a response to the speeds achieved, coupled with the crashes of Kenny Brack at Texas and Tony Renna’s fatal crash at Indy last year.

Hopefully this is not just a knee jerk reaction to a couple of bad crashes and the changes made will greatly enhance the safety of the cars. So far in testing, the new configuration has been safe and effective. Speeds will probably be down, but as I know from experience, when changes are made it is only a matter of time before they are back up.

Good luck to all at Japan. But the IRL has got to do something about the lapse of time between races. It has been nearly a month since Phoenix and it will be more than a month before Indy. This series is on thin ice as it is. It needs to get some momentum going and keep it. If you only race every month, any excitement from the previous race is long gone. TG has the money, unfortunately his brains are bad news.

OWRS will be lucky to make it to raceday. Take advantage of them and build your series the right way. You have to forget about the diehard CART fans. They will never be back. But for us fans who are craving Indy Car racing, waiting a month between races is just too much.

One other note about Indy and the IRL. Someone started a thread last week asking what changes people would make if they owned the Speedway and there were no IRL or OWRS. I found it amazing the boobery of many posters. Many wanted to see the Silver Crown cars out there. Some wanted Trans Am races. All I could say as I read the responses was “Thank God these people do not own the track”.


F1

This is one of those rare times in the F1 season that the teams have three weeks between races. This gives everyone a chance to extend their testing sessions. Couple that with the next race being in Europe and this becomes a real chance to gain some ground on Ferrari.

Last week the teams were at Barcelona. BAR was your big winner garnering fastest time in almost every days practice. Of note was Scott Dixon’s return to testing. Scott was fast, just a tick off the veterans, most of the sessions. But Thursday’s rain showed Scott has a long way to go on the rain tyres. Friday brought decent results, but mechanical problems slowed his progress. I still expect him to be in the Williams next year, but I think his stock may have fallen just a bit.

This week the teams are at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Dixon of course will be in Japan so I don’t think he will run.
F1 also announced that new safety regulations could be initiated this season. Allegedly the cars are ‘cornering’ too fast and there are safety concerns. Now depending on who you ask, this is nothing more than a move to slow Ferrari down.

When it comes down to it, the owners will never agree on any single plan to “increase safety” in the cars. So the FIA will step in and make a rule. I do not like rule changes in the middle of the season. I am not happy about Ferrari’s dominance, but that is because I am not a Ferrari fan. I certainly admire the fact that they have come out of the gate as strong as they have and have just killed the competition. More on this later.

F1

We are now 3 races in to the 2004 season and if past trends are any indication, you can hand the World Championship to Michael Schumacher. He has won the first three races of the season and no one has ever lost the championship after doing that. Right now Ferrari looks like the proverbial man amongst boys. They have dominated qualifying and racing so far this season. To make matters worse, Schummi’s biggest competition trudged home yesterday in 13th place after losing several gears towards the end of the race.

Rubens brought the other Ferrari home second yesterday and Jensen Button found his way to the podium for the second race in a row. There were some spins and some tense racing moments. Ralfie was reprimanded for cutting off Takuma Sato’s BAR in the middle of the race and for the third week in a row Kimi Raikkonen failed to score any points as his Mercedes Ilmor engine crapped out on him again.

At the rate we are going, Schumacher will have this thing wrapped up by the time they roll into Indianapolis. Now the teams have 3 weeks until the race at Imola. That track usually rewards horsepower and BMW still has plenty of that. But as the “spiritual” home of Ferrari it will be murder to stop their roll. 3 weeks teams. You better be hitting the practice circuits early and often before the first race in Europe.

NASCAR

Congrats to Elliot Sadler who won the Samsung 400 yesterday at Texas. Sadler was solid all day, but Kasey Kahne was really the strongest car. He came up just inches short in his bid for the win. Junior came home a solid 4th and moved closer to the point lead which was surrendered by Kennseth to a consistent Kurtis.

F1

The fist two practices are over at Bahrain. Rubens was fastest with Juan second. No real surprises there. What was shocking was the amount of cut tyres especially from Michelin.

As may have been expected there were quite a few spinoffs. Michael Schumacher, Coulthard, Trulli and Alonso all spun. Most of the drivers were superheating their brakes at the first corner which may have caused problems. Christian Klien managed to set fourth quickest time in the second session in the Jaguar.

The track looked awesome. It had much more undulation than I thought it would have. It looked narrow the first time they went to the in car camera, but from above there seemed to be plenty of room. I guess that viewing it the first time played tricks on the eyes. It looked like a first rate facility with impressive looking stands and garages. The safety teams seemed a little slow. Hopefully they will get that worked out. It still amazes me that in these times, F1 is running in Bahrain. In an effort to ease worries, King Bernie said he was safer in Bahrain than in London. For him and only him he is probably correct!

One note about Speed TV’s coverage. First of all, I want to know if these guys are even at the track or if they are watching a feed like the rest of us. It seems like they never make “local” comments. Not knocking that notion, just wondered. What I am knocking is their crappy ass coverage. Bob Varsha is just awful. He knows nothing and adds nothing to the program. David Hobbs is good, but when it seems like he is not there his insight suffers. Steve Matchette really doesn’t add anything either.

If F1 is to grow in this country something has to be done. TV coverage is such an easy place to start. Danny Sullivan is working with the Red Bull people to find an American driver, but that may or may not happen. The repaving of the Speedway tells me F1 will be sticking around, but with the current business climate in Europe, I am sure Bernie would like to be on the west coast as well as Indy. Anyway, just thoughts.

My predictions for this weekend stay pretty much the same. Schummi, Juan and Rubens 1-2-3.