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...

2010 Red Bull Air Race Photo Gallery

Congratulations to Paul Bonhomme, winner of the "2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship", and to Nigel Lamb... Brits in first and third!!

 
Thank you Red Bull Air Race... please come back soon...

Todays Scores... Wall Won vs. Schumacher / Sadler Nill

F1 -

• Something's never change... Schumacher still thinks he can get away with anything, after all it was only one move to protect his position... Pity the Stewards did not have enough time to black flag him...
• Something's do change... Barrichello didn't back off!!
• Vettel gets penalised for messing up a restart and the team blames radio issues. Apparently the Red Bull cars and drivers are radio controlled now, and the drivers have no need to understand the regulations...
• Going into the mid season break, Red Bulls number 2 driver is leading the points ahead of Hamilton... with Ferrari on form... should make for a good points race, if Ferrari actually race...
• Schumacher is obviously finding it hard to drive the latest generation of Ross Brawn designed F1 car, or in Mercedes speak, the front tyres are "peculiar"... oh that's the reason...
• The FIA / Ferrari post "team order" controversy hearing is being held after the next race... F1 have the best part of a month off and the FIA cannot organise themselves to make up their collective minds in time for the next race. The world should know what is happening now, not in more than a months time!
• Interesting quote from the Autoblog web site (www.autoblog.com) that gives us an idea of the American attitude towards F1... "Instead of the usual parade of high-tech machinery proceeding in procession, sapping the excitement out of the sport – or worse yet, lamentable team orders sullying the day – this latest round in the Formula One World Championship was packed with fate-altering, nail-biting action – and rivalries both old and new – from start to finish. A fitting way, then, to sign off before the season takes a nearly month-long summer break." 

NASCAR -

• Say what you want about the current Cup car in terms of looks, costs or effects on the racing but no-one can debate the safety standards of this car design. Elliot Sadlers hit at Pocono was HARD, and once again the driver walked away, long may this continue!
• The racing at Pocono was good, again... I still think the combination of the spoiler, the side draft and a larger drafting effect and the fact that the drivers have to sit up and drive these cars, along with 2 wide restarts have transformed some tracks and races from dull processions to races that are good to watch.
• Sadlers wreck does show how safety standards have advanced. Sadler hit armco not a SAFER barrier and the engine got ripped out of the car, ouch...
• When was the last time a wreck happened in a Cup race that was not covered by at last 5 different TV angles??
• Finally a Ford, in the hands of Greg Biffle, wins. NASCAR always needs different drivers up front, and it's always good when you have Chevy vs Ford...
• So Kentucky is going to have a Cup race, another 1.5 mile track added to the schedule. I hope New Hampshire keeps its two races to maintain some element of variation in track design. Personally I would put Pocono down to one race, regardless of how good this years races have been, or swap one intermediate track for another. Less cookie cutters and more short tracks please...
• Watkins Glen next, the second and last road course race of the year... Marcos leave the engine running this time!! 

Other stuff -

• Good luck to Paul Bonhomme at this weekends 2010 Red Bull Air Race finale at Eurospeedway Lausitz Germany. It will be interesting to see what the race looks like with only the sky as a back drop.
• Sorry to hear the 2011 Red Bull Air Race season has been cancelled. In motorsport if a series takes a year off it is usually the first public indication of nails in the coffin, but I hope this is not the case for the Red Bull Air Race.

Mother Nature Throws the Racing World a Curveball!

Two weeks ago, the world had to be woken up from its F1 induced slumber.

This week, just when F1 needed to look good, against all odds, the weather delivered a wakeup call.

To be fair the Australian GP is generally one of the better races, but this years was good!! Did I just say that?? Let me try that again... the GP was good!! See, I said it again... and I meant it.

Somebody in the F1 paddock must have performed a major rain dance, as the only way the race was going to be any good, if the first race and the drivers opinions were anything to go by, was for something to upset the balance. Thankfully the weather did just that. We had a first corner incident, overtaking, pit strategy, overtaking, late race drama, overtaking, and a surprise winner. WOW!!

Please, please, please let it rain again next time!!

While mother nature did F1 a favour, American auto racing was not so lucky as the top three racing events, NASCAR, IRL, and NHRA were all postponed to the Monday.

FoxSports are currently running a poll - Question, "Was Denny Hamlin too aggressive in Martinsville?" At the time of writing, with more than 7000 votes cast, over 60% said "Yes", with an even split of the rest voting for "No"  or "Thats Racing".

What do NASCAR fans want? I feel sorry for NASCAR. They let the drivers "Have at it boys", an attempt to reintroduce drama back into the Cup races, and now it is happening the fans think the driving is too aggressive. It wasn't just Hamlin at the end, the whole race was a bit physical, its Martinsville, what do you expect. Would you want it any other way??

The end of the race was great. Proper, hard, bump 'n' run, short track, "honest to god," edge of your seat NASCAR racing. The G-W-C rule and the 2 wide restarts did just what the racing Doctor ordered yet again, creating excitement.

NASCAR - More short tracks please!!

Also... Welcome back to the rear spoiler. As a self confessed COT fan from the start, even I must say again... the cars look better with the spoiler. Lets hope they race well come Texas.

Lastly... Well done to Paul Bonhomme who won the opening round of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship. What those guys do in the air is stunning!

See ya'll next time.