Several Unexpected Treats, and Something Else

It is fair to say that in recent years I have grown a little tired, a little bored of motorsport.

I will always be a NASCAR fan, will always follow F1, from a reasonable distance, and will always look forward to the Indy 500 each and every year, regardless of whether I have paid attention to another Indycar race over the rest of the season, or not.

However I have recently watched several races which ignited something of the race fan in me again.

Readers may already know of my liking of the FIA Formula E series, and the latest race from Miami was no exception. I loved the shots of the race cars driving under the freeway, with the road cars going about there everyday business above them. In the first half Virgin Racings Sam Bird put on a great show, before fading with power issues later on, while in the second half of the race Scott Speed showed what he was made of. If only Virgin Racing could keep it together for a full race, come on Sam! A lot of race cars have got too big, too aerodynamic, probably too powerful to produce good racing.  Maybe Formula E, for all of its quirks it the opposite of this. Smaller cars, more room to race on tight city street circuits. No aero what so ever. Ok they may not be that quick compared to say a modern F1 car but that does not remotely bother me. The racing is good and that is what matters.

Readers will also know of my fondness for the Red Bull Air Race. The first round of the year came down to a gap of next to nothing between the top two. Really close, dramatic stuff. It's just a shame there's such a long wait for the next round... oh well... I'll live.

The other day I watched some of the 73rd Goodwood Members Meeting, namely the Gerry

Marshall Trophy. The Camaro's, Rover SD1's, Minis, Capri's, Dolimite Sprints, among others were an absolute joy to watch. If you want a lesson in what is wrong with modern touring car racing, then this is it! I still can't get the sight of the Minis bouncing all over the back of the big Camaros in the twisty bits but then literally waving goodbye on the straights and the SD1's drifting, out of my head. Just wonderful!

I have also recently discovered Roby Gordons "Stadium Super Truck" series. 600bhp, V8

engined, big off road pickup trucks. Designed to look like a Traxxas remote control car, who also sponsor the series, they roll, they oversteer, they jump, oh boy do they jump, they hit each other, they are great! If you fancy something different, try them out for size.

When was the last time you saw an ugly Penske Indycar. I may be in the minority in considering the DW12, as was, a good looking modern single seater but what it has morphed into is... not... I wait with equal amounts of excitement and absolute dread for the Indy 500 spec cars.

Lastly, someone has to mourn the loss of Chrysler to the UK motoring industry. So here I

go. I have owned a couple of PT Cruisers, and a Voyager and consider myself a bit of a Mopar guy, on a budget. OK so some of the cars were not great like the Sebring, but in the UK we had the PT Cruiser, the Crossfire, Dodge Nitro, the 300C. I may be in the minority but I will miss the only America company to sell "American" cars over here.

Till next time...

2015 - Quick Thoughts

I am really enjoying Formula E. I like the good looking modern race cars, the city street circuits, and am enjoying the racing! I am hoping to go to London for the final round in June. The Virgin cars have rapidly become my favourite modern single seaters, with their flash chrome, red and purple colour schemes, but more of that in a bit...

Once again the Red Bull Air Race has got me hooked. Great spectacle, great entertainment and really close racing!

Oh dear, only three races in and we are already discussing this years NASCAR Sprint Cup Series aero rule changes, and not necessarily in a favorable light.

On the same topic, after the build up to, and, hopefully, drama of the Daytona 500, I find it hard to get excited by NASCAR over the following few weeks. To be fair, a general disliking of Atlanta and Las Vegas doesn't help... Yawn!

Also, I can not shake a feeling of disappointment towards this years Daytona 500. All that anticipation, those 15 or so laps of fantastic 3 wide racing and it ends under yellow, and yes I know NASCAR were right to put the yellow out, safety first blah blah blah, just don't ask me to like it. I wanted a last lap, last corner one on one slingshot for the win. The only comfort I took from the yellow was I am not sure it changed anything. As great as the racing was, I do not believe the drivers were able to overtake, one on one for the win, without a push from another driver, and on the last lap that was not going to happen.

I have been patiently waiting to see what the new Indycar aero kits look like.. and now the Chevrolet aero kit has been unveiled... One word... UGLY. The DW12 used to be my favourite modern single seater but not anymore... They had better race well 'cause that looks hideous!

On paper I like the "idea" of the new Nissan Le Mans car. A front engined sports car, a modern Panoz if you like. Something different to the normal mid-engined prototypes. But sorry what did you say? Front wheel drive? Oh dear, moving on...

As someone who has owned and loved two mark 1 Mazda MX5's I am loving the the look of the new version. If all I read about it is correct, it sounds like it will be a great car too, just like the original!

Another thing I like about Formula E is the School Series. I just like the idea of getting the host city's schools involved!

Marco Ambrose back in a V8 Supercar, and a Penske, of sorts! Sounds good to me. His car is pretty too!

I am looking forward to this year's BTCC. Lots of new driver, team, car combinations! I hope the relative stability in the rules package helps more teams get to the front.

And finally... the Honda Indycar aero kit has been unveiled, and guess what? Just when you thought things couldn't get any uglier...

2013... A Good Year for Racing!

It occurs to me that 2013 is building up to be a vintage year for fans of motor racing.

I watched the last couple of Grand Prix and they were good... very good. I don't usually care for F1, too technical, boring drivers, ugly cars, too, well, dull. However this year we have seen not only some of the best racing I can remember seeing in F1 but some of the best racing anywhere, period. Some may say its only due to the artificial mix of tyre compounds, KERS and DRS, and the racing is not "real". Personally I say humbug! Good racing is good racing, and this year F1 has produced a show worth watching.

Long may it continue!

By the way, while we on the topic of F1, I can not help but laugh at the reaction some have when certain drivers "go racing".

Oh didums your team mate overtook you, or pushed you a bit hard or disobeyed orders or blah blah blah. This is what racing is about, if you do not like it then retire and let another young hotshot have a go.

However in 2013 F1 is not the only championship which seems to have got its "stuff" together as this years NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is producing great racing every weekend.

We had a great race at Talladega, Bristol has its magic back, and for the first time in years the cookie cutter mile and a half tracks are great to watch.

Whats the one common denominator?  The Gen 6 race cars. It is fair to say that so far this year NASCARs extensive R&D has paid off... big time. The cars look great, they look relevant, and boy are they racy!! So racy in fact that I might actually look forward to Pocono this year... anyway... this year we are seeing the drivers racing closer together and with more side by side racing than we have for years.

Again, long may it continue!

But F1 and NASCAR are not alone in producing great shows for the fans as the Indycar Series is delivering the goods as well.

I grew up more of a NASCAR and CART fan than F1 fan. The racing was better, the drivers more fan friendly, the cars better looking, you get the idea. While I have never stopped following and being a fan of NASCAR, my alegence to Indycar has waned in recent years. Aside from the Indy 500 (always a favourite occasion) I lost track of the sport once the IRL ceased to be. I used to love the close oval racing the IRL produced, and the great road races that CART at its best produced before that and I have missed this style of racing. With this in mind I have rediscovered American open wheel racing this year.

I have watched this years races in reverse order and have enjoyed them. Again cars capable of running close together and drivers making the most of it. While I was disappointed that the series did not opt for a bolder design of car when the current spec car was introduced the car has grown on me. Another race car that looks great and races well. Am I looking forward to the Indy 500? You bet!

Again, long may it continue!

 

I have also been watching this season of Australias V8 Supercars, and again, what great racing. The new rules have kept the gap between Ford and Holden close and its only a matter of time before the Mercedes and Nissans get to the front. On the topic of touring cars, in the UK the BTCC has produced some good races as well.  Once the BMWs, Toyotas and Fords are consistantly up front

with the Hondas and MGs the championship will be back where it belongs.

Good racing in 2013...

Long may it continue!

BTCC Pre Season Testing

Getting Excited Yet??

Hopefully the new NGTC cars will increase the level of competition, and build on the momentum the Championship started to gather last season.

Top 10 Reasons I Am Looking Forward to 2013

10 - More NGTC = Better BTCC

It's a bit early in the year for motorsport over here but with drivers being announced and the prospect of more NGTC cars on the grid, 2013 should build on the momentum the series gathered last year.
 

9 - New NASCAR race cars
 

8 - Grand Am Daytona Prototypes, last year before "merger"

2013 is the last year for the Grand Am Series as we know it as next year it will merge with the ALMS series. I like the Daytona Prototypes. They look good, sound good, and as last years championship and this years Rolex 24 at Daytona show, they race good too! I hope the newly merged series keep the Prototypes as the top class next year, and don't let the overly technical, expensive, irrelevant European machinery wreck their own homegrown championship!

7 - New NASCAR race cars

 

6 - Year 2 for the new Indycar Series

With a year in the books the Indycar Series should produce more good racing as hopefully more teams and drivers will be competitive in the DW12 chassis this year. Roll on Indy 500!!

5 - NASCAR Trucks on Dirt

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series... at Eldora... on dirt... What's not to look forward to?

4 - New Air Titan technology for NASCAR
 

For a sport which relies on dry weather, the last couple of NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons have been blighted by rain delays early on in the season. The most famous effect of rain was the JPM vs track drier fireball incident at last years Daytona 500. This new technology, developed by NASCAR basically blows the water off of the track so the track driers can dry the track and not the water on the track. Once the water is on the apron another machine sucks the water up. It is a bit like washing your hands and then using a hot air hand drier, the quickest way to dry your hands is to shake the water off and then put your hands under the drier. This should dramatically reduce rain delays. Simply put, in the event of rain, more racing, less waiting!
 

3 - New NASCAR race cars
 

 

2 - Mercedes and Nissan join V8Supercars

The new spec V8Supercars look great! Mercedes and Nissan have joined stalwarts Ford and Holden on the grid this year under the championships new rules package. The Mercedes is especially tasty!! I can't wait to see how they race. The only pity for me is that after years of supplying the pace car, Chrysler have not joined the grid with the 300C SRT, oh well at least the pace car is still a Mopar!

 

1 - New NASCAR race cars, have I mentioned it?

OK I am in love with the new Ford, Chevy and Toyotas in the Sprint Cup Series! You might have gathered, I am of the opinion that if a car looks right it probably is right, and these look... right! I hope the American press and the fans give NASCAR, the teams, the drivers and Goodyear the time to get the racing package right at all tracks. The prospect of 43 of these 2 and 3 wide, nose to tail at all types of race track is one I look forward to. This will be a learning year but the sport has the right goals for this car!
 

BTCC Live - Disappointing

Words I would use to describe my day at Rockingham for the latest round of the British Touring Cars...

Shocking, distant, disappointed, lacking, cold, windy.

Let me try this again.

In 2012, can families be expected to pay £30 per adult (children were free) just to watch cars race round a track. You may think that a strange question, after all I was at a race meeting where the focal point tends to be cars racing round a track... But hear me out.

I was brought up going with my Dad to watch BTCC meetings at various tracks, DTM at Donington, and Eurocar meetings at Mallory Park among others, along with other race meetings.

Back then BTCC was in its hey day, the height of the 2.0 litre era with Cleland, battling Hoy, Menu, Tarquini among many others. Vauxhall, Ford, Renault BMW, Audi, Alfa Romeo etc, back then the list was long. I saw Nigel Mansell stuff his Mondeo in the wall at the Old Hairpin at Donington. You get the idea.

That was then, and this is now. Now I am the Dad taking my girls to see racing live... And I question whether it is enough for an events organiser in 2012 to simply say here is some racing, come see?

At a club level this is fine. The focus is more on the drivers than the spectators. However BTCC is supposed to be the top National racing series, and therefore the event should be the best day out in the Country as well.

Unfortunately I was disappointed. If the BTCC is to attract sponsors the show must not only look good on TV but also at the track, and to me families are the key. Gone are the days of a Dad taking his son to a cold, muddy circuit with smelly toilets and bad food. In 2012 families have many options and little money so a day out must be complete. The Mom must be entertained, the children must have fun and the Dad must enjoy himself as well. Smelly toilets and a muddy bank don't cut it anymore.

Now Rockingham has never had old school facilities and does not do muddy banks and I was glad to see that the place looked as good as ever!

However one thing Rockingham used to understand was how to put on a show for a family. How to get the fans and the families involved in the day, how to bring the business of "show" to the races.

A BTCC meeting could do with a bit more "show" and a bit more family. It could also do a lot more to take the racing and the cars to the paying public. We wanted to walk round the support paddock before the first touring car race only to find the paddock appeared to be closed to spectators! We found a gap in the fence and went in anyway but we were the only people there. Since when did stopping the fans going into a paddock become the norm, I was appalled. Even the BTCC pit road walkabout at lunch time was not good enough. The teams could at least push one of their cars out of the garage so the fans can actually get close to a real race car, er no.

Maybe my day was blighted by the bitterly cold weather. Maybe returning to Rockingham is harder for me than I expected because of my history with the place. Maybe I am a bit out of touch with live motorsport in this country, or maybe just maybe putting some cars on a track and saying there you go is not good enough anymore.

When I was at Rockingham we did everything we could to firstly take the racing, the cars and the drivers out of the garages and up to the fans, and secondly make the events a full family day out. I had hoped British motorsport had learnt something from that... Apparently not.

My daughter is now an MG fan with a picture of Platos MG6 on her wall so it wasn't all bad, but as a family day out it could have been so much more.

Come on Mr Gow, you are getting the Championship right, now concentrate on the events.

In 2012 a family day out at the touring cars should be so much better.

Good days racing... S'pose...

Good family day out... No...

Shame...

PS Thank you to Colin and Sue White of CWS for your hospitality. It was good to catch up!

Dodge, Road Racing BS, and AJ

Get the Hell Outta Dodge… Actually… Please Don’t

I am saddened by the news that Dodge is pulling out of NASCAR racing at the end of this season. Ever since Ray Evernham brought the third of Detroit’s big three manufacturers back into the sport I have enjoyed watching the Chevy Vs. Ford Vs. Dodge battles.

As a Mopar fan I may be biased, I drive a Chrysler PTCuiser and also have a Chrysler Voyager (Dodge Caravan in the US) in the family, but the 2012 Nationwide Series Challenger and the 2013 Cup Series Charger are two good looking race cars! The new 2013 Cup Series bodies suited the Charger so well, allowing Dodge to finally race a car that looked like the bold road car. Next years grid will be worse off without the Dodge in the field.

 

AJ – What a Waste

 

I was also saddened to hear what has happened to AJ Allmendinger. I think he was one of the next “stars” of the sport, and was impressed by his performances in some average machinery over the past few years. Remember he qualified for every race while driving for Richard Petty, at a time when the team had no provisionals to fall back on! Regardless of whether what happened was an innocent mistake or something else I am sorry to see such a talented young driver jeopardise his racing career in this way. NASCAR are right to do what they have done, I just hope AJ can sort himself out and do what is necessary to get behind the wheel of a Cup car again.

Road Racing… With An Edge

I am from England, where the average racetrack turns left and right, and an oval is a small, less than quarter mile long short track (Rockingham excepted), and the racing on the ovals is not exactly mainstream. NASCAR however does not race in England. In America a race track is oval shaped and a road course is a track with right hand turns.  

Twice a year, however, NASCAR turn right and at Watkins Glen we got one hell of a finish! Should NSCAR have thrown a caution and cleaned up the oil that was being dropped on the track? The English race fan in me says yes. The oil was dangerous and NASCAR should have put out the yellow, cleaned up the track and then finished with a G-W-C. Had this scenario taken place on an oval, this is what would have happened. Thankfully this did not happen last weekend.

NASCAR let the race finish under green and in doing so gave us one of the seasons most dramatic finishes. Road racing with an edge. Car slipping and sliding, slithering and spinning, on track and off, dust flying, and a last lap lead change. What’s not to like!

Close, hard racing without the “BS” as Keselowski put it!

Well said Brad, and well done Marcos!

 

Plato Vs. Neal… Again…

 

At Watkins Glen we saw racing with no, well you know, from Keselowski and Ambrose, in the BTCC, at Snetterton, we got our fair share of, you know, from Jason Plato and Matt Neal.

Jason Plato in his MG6 was obviously holding up the following cars, including Matt Neals Honda Civic, but he was also teaching a defensive driving master class, until Neal changed the game.

With a couple of laps to go Neal went for a “gap” that was never there and pushed Plato sideways. Plato, giving another master class, this time in front wheel drive car control, gathered it all up and followed Neal to the next, the last, corner. Nobody was surprised by what happened next. Plato used Neal as a brake and shoved the both the Civic and his own MG off the track.

 

 

I must admit I did not blame Plato for retaliating. Neal’s move was stupid and uncalled for; Plato’s was payback! NASCAR would have called it “have at it” and America would have loved it! The BTCC officials may not have loved it, but they did leave it alone. They both gave and they both got, so that makes them even.

On a different note, I was pleased to see the new Motorbase NGTC Ford Focus driven by Matt Jackson doing so well on its debut! Bring on more NGTC cars and the racing can only get better. The challenge for Alan Gow and his staff is to keep the technical specs of the cars close, and to keep costs down! I wish them well!

Mid Season School Report

F1

How many different winners...

From how many races...

Alonso came from which position on the grid to win...

Late pass for the lead and lots of overtaking at Silverstone?

To steal a line from the end of the movie "Independance Day", "not bad, not bad at all!"

NASCAR

I think the phrase "must try harder" sums up this year. The two stories of the year so far have to be an overabundance of average, lacklustre racing for the most part, and Dale Jr wins ends his winless streak.

It's a good thing the restrictor plate package works so well!

The new spec car bodies debuting next year can not come quick enough!

BTCC

So far we know the new Civic is a very good car, period. We also know the MG6 is also a good car in the hands of Jason Plato... When it runs... And when Plato stops complaining...

Some really good racing this year, offset against some bizarre races where the drivers seemed hell bent on taking themselves out. The current grid format of qualifying, race 1 result gives the grid for race 2 and randomly reversing some of the front runners for race 3 is working very well.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes made to the NGTC cars for next year as the suspension gets damaged too easily when the cars race close together. Otherwise so far... So good!!

Grand Am

So far this year I have watched the Daytona 24 Hours, the Mid Ohio race and some of the Watkins Glen race... And I have enjoyed what I have watched! Good racing from the latest batch of Daytona Prototypes on some of Americas best road courses.

Keep up the good work!

Indycar

I was lucky enough to see the closing stages of this years Indy 500 but thats about it. I enjoyed Indy and from whats I read the season is going well.

Now lay off of the politics and concentrate on the product, the racing, for a while and spread the word!

The Wonders of Modern Technology

The NASCAR Sprint Cup season is now well under way and thanks to the wonders of modern TV broadcasting and satellites I can sit at home in England and watch every race. If the race is on in the middle of the night UK time I can record it and watch it the next day. I can also do the same thing with this seasons Nationwide races. So with this in mind life is good...

This season, via the very same medium known as television I can also watch every Grand Am race, every BTCC race along with all the support races and every V8 Supercar race, all from the comfort of my own sofa! Again as a race fan life is good...

I could, if I paid the necessary monies, also watch every IndyCar Series race... But I am not able to do so.

Life as a race fan has come a long way from having to read about your favourite championships and drivers in Autosport the following Thursday.

This month is the month of May and my mind instantly focusses on the Indy 500! I was preparing myself for the dark day at the end of the month where I would miss the great race however there is now light at the end of Mays tunnel.

It has come as a nice surprise to discover that all of this years IndyCar races are being uploaded onto the modern medium known as the internet, courtesy of YouTube and the IndyCar Series themselves!

http://www.youtube.com/indycars

Even if it is available later in the week, I now have the chance to watch the great race and am looking forward to it. The new DW12 cars look good in oval spec and I hope they enable the drivers to race closer together than the old cars while also staying safe!

Thanks to modern broadcasting technology and the internet life as a race fan has never been this good...

Only problem...

Not enough hours in the day...

It's a hard life...

BTCC OTT

Touring car racing, by its very nature, is a physical form of racing. Cars make contact, lean on each other, they may even bang and loose mirrors, but at its heart it is still a "non contact" sport... Kinda...

However it appears nobody told Mr Plato... que Donington...

Race 1 - A very good race proving BTCC drivers are capable of racing cleanly, and that includes Mr Plato!

Race 2 - Two wide round the last corner at Donington will go if the drivers give each other room! Again nobody told Mr Plato as he moved over on his fellow driver exiting the corner inadvertently putting himself into the tyre barrier and out of the race. Oops...

Race 3 - After a fabulous drive from the back of the grid, making his way up to third, Mr Plato lowered the tone going into the last corner of the last lap in the last race of the day with a move so blatant Stevie Wonder would have seen it.

Pity.

In all seriousness there were other incidents, and in a Championship as closely contended as this years BTCC it is to be expected... but Mr Platos name seems to crop up more than most this year.

The pity of the two incidents at Donington was that for the rest of the races Mr Plato drove brilliantly. Coming from the back of the grid in race 3 to get to third with two laps to go was a great drive, and he drove cleanly up until the last corner.

Just as at Brands Hatch there was no way the BTCC Officials were going to let him get away with such an OTT move, and I am being polite, this is a family blog.

Pushing another car... pushing it all the way down the back straight and not letting go until after they had passed the braking point... putting Gordon Sheddens Honda off the track was, how did I put it... OTT!!

I would like to applaud the Championships Clerks of the Course for the penalty they handed Mr Plato. They could have thrown him out of the race for such a blatant move however the only drivers affected were Shedden and Mr Plato so giving the MG driver a 2 second penalty, dropping him back behind the Honda, seems totally appropriate.

It would have been totally understandable if Mr Plato had been disqualified from the race however this would have set a precedent where all drivers gaining a place by using contact would have to be disqualified with no room for debate. Swapping the two drivers round gives the Officials room to manoeuvre and the ability to treat each incident individually as some will be worse than others. It would also have had a dramatic effect on the overall Championship points table, something that they will not want to mess with unless it is absolutely necessary.

The two second penalty sends a clear message to the drivers, "there is a line and if you cross it we will not let you gain from crossing it". For this balanced, seeing the big picture, approach I applaud the people concerned. Keep pushing the line though, Mr Plato and I am sure you will not be looked upon so kindly next time.

It appears the Officials are watching and they have a rule book and know how to use it... if you go OTT.

Start Wrecking... First Contact

Lets face it, unlike most other forms of top level professional racing NASCAR racing can be a contact sport. On the right weekend, at the right track, contact is permitted. Whether it's at a restrictor plate track when it is called "bump / tandem drafting" or on some of the sports smaller venues or "short tracks" when it is called, well the "norm" really, there are occasions when contact is allowed. Actually it's more than that, on the short tracks it's expected.

After what was universally thought to be a fairly lacklustre Bristol Sprint Cup Series race, the drama of the last few laps at Martinsville came as a welcome change of pace. In fact it brings hope that once Bruton Smith is finished with his concrete half mile the same level of excitment and drama might return for the beloved "night race" later in the year.

So why are some of the sports journalists and commentators having to defend or explain the contact to the fans? Headlines like "Newman makes no appologies for race win?" or statements like "it's just racin'" show the authors explaining why it's allowed. Only a few short weeks ago the vast majority of fans told Mr Smith this was the kind of racing they wanted to see at Bristol, and now after Martinsville the sport is feeling the need to defend that very style of racing?

To this discussion I would like to add the following thought... this is the sport of NASCAR. In NASCAR, on a short track, contact is a way of life, get over it! If you don't like it then watch F1 or touring cars where over the top contact is frowned upon... Mr Plato...

Three wide into Paddock Hill bend, on the grass, was never going to be considered a good idea. Lean on each other, bang mirrors by all means but you can't attempt a move like that and get away with it. For not letting that happen, and for not letting the penalties issued affect the results I applaud the Championship officials.

For the BTCC the first meeting of the year at Brands Hatch has to be considered a success. Three different winners from three races, lots of new cars and all with the new turbo engines. I wish the new NGTC era well!

Now onto David Reutimann...

2012 Here We Come... or... Silly Season, You Bet!!

So what do we know about 2012 so far?

Well 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart has a new Crew Chief in Steve Addington and his team has poached Greg Zipadelli to oversee all things "Competition" including Danicas Cup efforts... Sounds good...

Kurt Busch has "left" Penske and has found a ride... where? Seriously...

Penske now have 'Dinger instead of Kurt... Cool...

Smokes former Crew Chief, Darian Grubb, is now with Denny Hamlin at Gibbs...

At Daytona... Smaller rads... Bigger 'plates... Smaller spoilers... Softer springs... Higher air intakes = less tandem drafing? My breathe is held...

In F1 Raikkonen is back... Hhhmmm... We will see...

and Patrick Head retires...

Caterham... in F1? Well I never...

In Indycar... New car is good on road courses but still needs work on the ovals... Keep trying guys as you need to get it right for the sake of the Indy 500. It doesn't matter if they are slower as long as the racings good...

Kentucky off... Watkins Glen on... Pity about loosing an oval but if you have to have another road course the 'Glen is a good'un...

In BTCC... New NGTC cars being developed... Goodo...

and it's not even 2012 yet...

Excited??

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

This year I have been a very good boy. I have eaten all my greens, went to bed when I was told and have not been on the naughty step for at least a week!

For Christmas I would like...

BTCC - Lots of nice, shiny, new NGTC cars, all rear wheel drive so the cars oversteer like real race cars and not understeer like my dads boring car...

F1 - can your elfs show McLaren and Ferrari how to build a car like Red Bull as I am bored of Vettel winning all the time...

NASCAR - The two car drafting is a bit silly, and the old pack racing got a bit dull so something in the middle where the cars stay together but can still overtake would be nice...

Better racing at the mile and a half tracks as there are so many of them...

Less "fuel mileage" finishes as there were far to many of them...

Another close Chase as years was really good...

INDYCAR - A new car that drafts and races well at Indy as I really like the Indy 500...

Oh and a Buzz Lightyear...

And a Lightning McQueen...

Please

Thank you...

James
Age 3.2 going on 32.

2011 Review Gallery