Monday, May 3, 2004

F1 and IRL

F1

Tomorrow the big “Monaco Summit” starts for the F1 boys. Team owners are expected to meet to discuss the future of Formula One racing and Max Mosley’s proposed changes. I chronicled them in a previous article so I won’t list them again. But, what are they really going to accomplish at this meeting?

This is a group of people who will never agree on anything. As I understand it, the Concorde Agreement requires full approval by ALL owners before a change can be implemented. Under Mosley’s plan, only a majority would have to agree.

To be honest the owners really do need to address the future. As we are down to 10 teams, with no new teams seemingly showing interest and the loss of several teams over the past few years, it is incumbent upon the current owners to promote and save their own series.

The series needs new sponsors with the loss of all tobacco money in 2006 and it needs younger team owners who will become the stewards of the series. The old guys now in aren’t getting any younger and there seems to be no one to take their place or start new teams.

F1 is at a crossroads. Tracks like Imola, Austria and even Silverstone are taking heat for not being up to quality standards. Some like Belgium have felt the sting of losing races. Spa is back this year, but Austria is not. Places like China and the Middle East are being courted as the new hotbeds of F1 racing. Sure there is money in the oil rich OPEC nations, but China? Turkey and Russia also want in. Where does that leave some of the European markets? And what of the USGP? Frankly I think TG and the Bernie’s relationship is strong and the race will continue, but it is no secret Bernie wants to be on the west coast too.

Canada damn near lost their race this year. Without sponsor dollars to replace those lost when tobacco money goes away there will be less cars, not more. On the surface Ferrari would appear to have the world in the palm of its hands, but they are such a small part of FIAT that they can not be self sustaining without the Marlboro money. No government can or should be expected to run race teams. Renault is in the same boat. McLaren, BAR and Jordan all rely on tobacco money. What is their future? When it comes right down to it, only Williams, Minardi, Jaguar, Toyota and Sauber aren’t sponsored primarily by tobacco companies.

And of those teams, only Toyota seems to be on unquestionable solid footing. Williams is probably looking to hire a young driver so they can pay less for him, Minardi has the support of Ferrari but for how long, Sauber has good money with Petronas and Red Bull but there has been scuttlebutt regarding Ford’s commitment to the Jaguar program.

The bottom line is this. These owners are going to have to face a future without tobacco money and that future will be bleak if they decide not to do anything about it. Costs are spiraling despite efforts such as the one engine per weekend rule, but this if F1. Costs are supposed to be high. For the owners, they will have to decide how high is too high and they will have to show some profit to entice new money, owners and sponsors to the series.


IRL

The open test completed last week showed that Penske was still king at Indy. Sammy led all sessions with Julio right behind him. Dixon was consistently third. Some good news for the 24 car of Dreyer and Reinbold was that Mike was fast right away. Generally he was fourth fastest in every session. Honda struggled, but Tony Kanaan did not take part in the test. He was allegedly tire testing in Kentucky.

The track opens for practice Sunday. As it stands today, temps are supposed to be in the 80’s and of course there is a chance of rain.


Someone on the message boards started a thread about Snakepit memories. I added this gem…

Letsgocolts
Member
Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Indy
Posts: 792
Man oh man those were the days.

I don't remember the year, but Q95 was sponsoring Tim Richmond and they were having banner contest for some $1000 stereo, which at the time was a lot. All you had to do was have a banner that had Tim Richmond's name and Q95 on it.

We snagged three sheets from my buddies mom on the Friday night before Pole Day and sewed them together and spray painted "Show us your t*ts for Q95 and Tim Richmond".

Well as you may or may not remember, Richmond tried to knock the wall down in the morning practice. Q95 postponed the banner contest a week if I remember right, but it didn't stop us from proudly displaying our banner stretched across three cars.

It was a rainy and muddy day and the infield was a mess, but we had what seemed like a thousand people around our banner and any females that happened by were "encouraged" to heed the advice of the banner by all the people around.

For the most part it was all good, muddy fun, but there were a few who would jump on or in cars that would try to drive by with girls in them.

I had an old Torino that at one point I counted 20 people standing on. The truck which was the other end of the banner had a cap on it and one of the corners was caved in, but the guy who owned it just stood back and laughed about it!

That went on for about 5 hours. I don't think I ever saw a race car that day, but I was young and stupid and it was all about the party. What a day!

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