Road America has long been a track I think of as a Grand Prix-style course. Based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA; this 14-turn, 4.048-mile (6.515-kilometer) race course has hosted racing since its opening in 1955. High speeds and technical corners make it an exceptional challenge. Road America is one of the longest race tracks in America. Today, it is second-longest only to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, USA. This blog post is another in my "Race Tracks" series of posts regarding race tracks. Welcome to my post regarding the Midwestern racing challenge known as Road America.
--- Road America ---
Here is a look at Road America:
^ from: bleacherreport.net - Road America is a very long course with several technical corners.
The Badger State's most difficult challenge lies in Road America. It hosts a variety of racing events ranging from cars to motorcycles. One of the premier events held at Road America include the Road America 500 run by the American Le Mans Series. There used to be races held on the roads of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA prior to races being held at Road America. It also has played host to various motorcycle races as well as even being host to the SCCA Runoffs. I personally feel this track would be a great Grand Prix-style course. If Road America were to be upgraded to maybe host Formula 1 or FIA GT or something (fancy garages connected to pit road and fancy grandstands), it would very much be a fabulous facility to host international-level racing. It already is a lovely place for racing as it is. Maybe the most memorable moment to me watching races at Road America on TV was in 2001 with Trans-Am. As many as 12 cars slid off the race track as heavy rain was pouring from the skies late! The race was later red flagged and called official. Sadly, Road America is also infamously known as the place where Katherine Legge suffered a serious crash in a Champ Car race. For all of you gamers, its challenge can be experienced virtually in a number of games. Among others: IndyCar Racing 2, ToCA Race Driver 2, the Forza Motorsport series, the Shift games, and other different racing games.
Talking Points of Road America.
I've played Road America in a number of games. The first three odd-number corners (Turns 1, 3, and 5) are all very tricky, especially Turn 5. You gain so much speed between Turn 3 and Turn 5, even through the kink at Turn 4. It can be very easy to overshoot Turn 5 and end up having to recover seriously. The most critical corners to me are Turns 1, 5, 8, 12 (Canada Corner), and Turn 14.
Between Turns 10 and 11 is a kink for motorcycle racing events.
Video Lap.
What does four miles of racing look like? This video will give you a nice indication of Road America and the challenge it provides:
(Lap record is as current as this post's initial date) The all-time lap record around Road America was set by Dario Franchitti in 2000. He took his (then) CART Champ Car to run a 1:39.866 around Road America. The fastest a motorcycle has gone around Road America (or one of them) was 2:11.913, set by Josh Hayes in 2011. To see more lap times and get more info on Road America, check out Road America's page on Trackpedia.
There's your look at Road America. To learn more about this fine racing facility, please visit www.roadamerica.com. Thank you for reading! You take care and have a great day/night.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife (North Loop) is the most torturous stretch of tarmac that can be raced on. Despite it being 12+ miles of automotive Heaven, it is affectionately named Green Hell. It is the ultimate test for many of the world's best auto makers and sports cars. It doesn't matter how fast, powerful, exotic, or feature-packed your car is- is it capable enough to take on the greatest challenge for almost any car and car company looking to prove itself on a world stage? Can it tame the many corners of the Nürburgring Nordschleife? Can it lay down a worthy-enough lap time that other auto makers want to try harder to post the fastest-possible time around this monster of a track? For all intents and purposes, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is the single biggest test of acumen and endurance for any auto maker and any car trying to become the best in the world, or even to be among the best in the world. Even if you aren't trying to conquer the 'Ring, you can still drive on these roads daily if you live in the area. This blog post takes a look at this course from my own perspective.
This blog post is one in a series regarding the Nürburgring and its tracks. The one you are reading here concerns only the Nordschleife.
--- Nürburgring Nordschleife ---
All 12+ miles of the Nürburgring Nordschleife can be found here:
^ from: www.xinu.nl (best I could find) - Can you tame the 12.9-mile (20.8-kilometer) Nürburgring Nordschleife and its 157 corners? If so, find yourself a car and prove it!
With hundreds of corners and 12 miles of narrow and unforgiving roads, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is a torture test well-revered by many racing fans. It is a very old track which history dates back to the 1920s. It was started in about 1925 and completed in 1927. Think of the Nürburgring Nordschleife as the massive (not big!) sibling of the Nürburgring Grand Prix course. The current Grand Prix course wouldn't see the light of day until 1984. And since 1984, both the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix course have been used together to form one of the world's longest motor racing circuits with a 170-turn, 16.12-mile (25.94-kilometer) course. Since the 1920s, the track many call "Green Hell" has tested the limits of car and driver alike. It has long been home to Formula One racing. Even I become stupefied as to how F1 racers back then were able to compete and consistently compete on this massive and narrow track. But... they did it. Today's Nürburgring Nordschleife remains a serious proving ground for some of the world's finest cars.
I deeply apologize if what I'm about to say isn't popular... but I loathe racing stupidly-long tracks (besides Circuit de la Sarthe). Every game I've played this track in, I've been terrible at racing it. You have many corners on a very long and narrow course. I cringe knowing I have to be forced to race this track, especially with some of the fastest racing cars. You name the game that this track has been included, and I've failed doing consistent laps and racing it as best as possible- Gran Turismo 4. Gran Turismo 5. Tourist Trophy (which is not offered as a race venue). Enthusia. rFactor. Shift 2 Unleashed. I don't even see how most people can even accurately and precisely clock great lap times around a track like this. My concentration and patience run VERY thin trying to master a 12-mile race course. One mistake ruins everything, and this course has MANY opportunities to do just that. How do most people even properly can keep up with and remember how to attack a track that is 12+ miles in length? I don't usually watch one-lap videos of people taking their cars around this track. Again- I am sorry if this isn't popular for me to say this, but I hate racing this track in games.
Having said all of this though, I greatly respect this course. I greatly appreciate the racers who take on this course and all of its corners. It is not easy at all to go on these long laps while being able to properly attack every last corner and section with precision. One thing I will say as a gamer is that Nürburgring Nordschleife has much more exciting views in Gran Turismo 4 than Circuit de la Sarthe in GT4 (which I was disappointed with in camera views). I think this is a course that makes you appreciate that you don't need a super-fast car for every race track in the world to dominate it. This would be a nightmare to tune for (for example) today's F1 cars. This track is about 2.5 times longer than the 4.352-mile long Spa-Francorchamps.
Breaking Down Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Breaking down this track can be done in quadrants because of its size. If you've read my blog posts on John's Gran Turismo Space where you do one lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in GT4, I've mentioned the track in quadrants. Here is one lap by quadrant:
• QUADRANT 1: (Start/Finish line) to Aremburg (westernmost corner) • QUADRANT 2: Aremburg to Bergwerk (northernmost corner) • QUADRANT 3: Bergwerk to Kleine-Karussell • QUADRANT 4: Kleine-Karussell to (Start/Finish line)
I think the most fun part of the track is Flugplatz, where some of the fastest cars make a jump into the air after going over the crest at Flugplatz. Trying to stay off the grass and keep the car within the white lines is a massive challenge. This is a place where fearlessly pushing you and your car to the limit are met with the uncontrollable urge to go fast. Doing so on narrow roads, however, is tremendously difficult. You also have to properly gauge your distance on the track to know how to go around without sliding off course or stuffing the car into a wall. The part of the track that gives me the most frustration are all the corners between Mutkurve and Pflanzgarten III. This makes up the northeastern end of the course, which feels more like a rally course. What's the easiest part of the track? That's simple- the super-long backstretch after Gaigenkopf. It's just straight road including a look of Nürburg Castle to your right in the distance. All that remains there is a proper set of corners designed to slow your car incredibly down by small increments. After you clear the final corner, it's back onto the Start/Finish straight to do another lap of this massive course. Or if you're doing the 24-hour course, back onto the Grand Prix circuit to start another lap from the GP course.
How do you master an extremely long course with many corners? The most important advice I'd suggest is- take your time and learn the course as you go. You are going to have to log lots of laps to actually examine what it is you have to do in order to master (or at least have a general understanding) of this course. You especially have to learn this course if you're going to play this in a game, especially if you're going to race this course at least once.
Video Lap.
Because I'm faced with the responsibility of providing the best content for a popular topic, it becomes a task in itself to find a video to best compliment what I am discussing. So I had to think hard about finding the best possible video to use in describing this course. Here is the best video I have selected in showing one lap around this course. This video is currently (as of March 12, 2012) the fastest time for a street-legal car around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. There are instances where the camera view gets choppy in trying to keep up with everything. Even still, this is a blindingly fast time.
WARNING- You may need to turn down the volume as you watch this video. If you can't see the video, you may visit the YouTube link I've supplemented to see this video on your own.
No one track is more fiercely-contested for lap times than the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Many of the world's top manufacturers try their hand at making the best lap time around Green Hell. There are many cars that have raced here, both production and competition. A lap around the Nordschleife in most of the fastest cars take about 6:40.000 to clear. Many cars usually average in the range of 7:20.000 to 7:40.000 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
This is the all-time fastest time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife as of the date of this initial post (March 12, 2012):
• 6:11.13 - Stefan Bellof in a Porsche 956 (1983)
There are MANY more lap times that have been laid down at this track. So if you want to get an idea of more Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times, here are some sites you can visit:
I could go on and on about lap times, but I'll leave it up to you to learn more about lap times on this massive course. And remember that these times only pertain to the Nordschleife and not the combined course.
Maybe I'm not going to be popular for ripping this track, but who said I was supposed to make statements people agree with? Everything is all based on my own opinion. I have said that I hate racing this course in games, but I respect the drivers who take on all 12+ miles of this course, because I could never memorize or adapt to a very long track with narrow roads and many corners.
The premier motorsports series in Australia is the Australian V8 Supercar Series. Australia has had decades of racing as the V8 Supercar Series stemmed from the now-defunct Australian Touring Car Championship. The V8 Supercar Series has been around since 1994. Its exponential growth in popularity and hard-fought racing has made it one of the best racing series in the world. For Australians, it is a season-long battle of bragging rights- either you are a Holden fan, or you are a Ford [Australia] fan. In the near future, Nissan will return to the V8 Supercar lineup, so you're either with the Aussie brands or with Japan. There is even a rumor about Chrysler wanting to join the V8 Supercar grid as well. Either way, this is one of the greatest racing series in the world.
I never really got to make a general blog post regarding "The Greatest Show on Wheels." So therefore, consider this my general post regarding the Australian V8 Supercar Series. I would like to make a special hello to all of my Australian and New Zealand readers before I begin.
LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):
MAR 21 2012 - added an extra section (cross-promotion and other reading)
--- The Australian V8 Supercar Series at a Glance ---
Allow me to set the mood regarding the Australian V8 Supercar Series. What is this motorsports series all about? This video gives you a GREAT look at the Australian V8 Supercar Series. This video only requires about 2:25.000 of your time:
The Australian V8 Supercar Series was inaugurated in 1997 and is the successor to the former Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC). The cars that compete in this series are silhouettes of road-going cars in Australia. All cars are powered by 5.0-liter normally-aspirated V8 engines pushing north of 600 horsepower. The cars have body shells derived from their road-going variants. The minimum weight (excluding driver) of these cars is about 2987 lbs. (or just below 1355 kg). The two cars that race in today's V8 Supercar Series are the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon- two of the best-selling cars in Australia. According to specifications I read on the 2009 Ford Falcon FG V8 Supercar, these cars can reach speeds of up to 182 mph (or about 294 kph).
Most races in this championship are primarily dual or triple race weekends. However, there are some weekends where there is one long race. These endurance events require teams to have a two-driver lineup to take on each event. So while the majority of races are multi-race events, there are also some endurance events. The double and triple race weekends make up one long distance event. So for example, the Clipsal 500 consists of two 250-kilometer races to make up the 500 kilometer distance for the race weekend. To my knowledge, the Trading Post Perth Challenge is the only three-race weekend on the V8 Supercar Series calendar. The biggest of which is (of course) the Bathurst 1000, which lasts more than 6 hours and 30 minutes. At least from the provisional calendar for 2012, the 2012 schedule features 29 events running from the beginning of March to the beginning of December.
A number of drivers have become champion in this series. Among the champions of the series include the likes of Jamie Whincup, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, and Mark Skaife among others. Some of today's V8 Supercar racers include Shane Van Gisbergen (nicknamed "Cheeseburger"), Steven Richards, Garth Tander, and Lee Holdsworth among many others.
How did I get into the Australian V8 Supercar Series?
It was 2000 or 2001 when I saw a show that aired on Speedvision (now Speed Channel) called "Motorsport Mundial." I had a chance to see some of the racing action on TV in this half-hour digest of motorsports from around the world. The first thing that stuck out at me was in hearing how beautiful these Australian V8 engines sound. It is such sweet engine music!
When I saw some of the first Australian V8 Supercars, the cars of choice were the Holden Commodore VX and the Ford Falcon AU. Today's V8 Supercars include the Holden Commodore VE and the Ford Falcon FG. There is a push to make cars of updated specification to make them safer and more efficient.
Tracks.
The Australian V8 Supercar Series races both in Australia and in New Zealand. They even compete in a few events outside of Australia and New Zealand. Here are some of the many venues that the V8 Supercars race at:
• Mount Panorama Circuit (Bathurst) - a semi-permanent race track that is the ultimate battleground. It is an Australian roller coaster ride complete with many elevation changes and narrow roads. It is home to the Bathurst 1000- a race that lasts over 1000 kilometers and takes just over six and a half hours to complete. Racing is hard-fought from beginning to end as two-driver teams take on this intense challenge.
• Adelaide - former home of the F1 Australian Grand Prix, it is one of the most challenging temporary race tracks in the world.
• Albert Park (non-points) - the Australian V8 Supercar Series races around the current home of the Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park in Melbourne; but it is not a points race.
• Sandown - high speeds and technical corners make the somewhat simplistic Sandown a real challenge. It has been around since 1962.
• Phillip Island - this track plays host to the Australian Grand Prix in World Superbike and in MotoGP. A considerable distance from Melbourne, this track plays host to the Philip Island 500 endurance race in V8 Supercars.
• Barbagallo - Western Australia's racing challenge offers undulating corners and high speeds. This track is based around Perth (one of Houston's Sister Cities).
• Winton - high speeds and tricky corners make this course a tough and action-packed one.
• Hidden Valley - the northernmost track in Australia is based in the city of Darwin in the Australian state of Queensland. This track is known for its high-speeds in the event known as the Skycity Triple Crown.
• Hamilton - a temporary street course in New Zealand with many technical corners.
• Queensland - simplistic in layout but tough in racing, Queensland is often called a paper clip
• Symmons Plains - a short high-speed course dominated by a super-slow and action-packed hairpin.
• Townsville - Reid Park plays host to this lovely temporary course. The western half of the track crosses over Ross Creek several times.
• Surfers Paradise - it has long been a stop for Indy cars. These days, it mostly serves now as an intense street course for the V8 Supercars. The Gold Coast offers one of the most intense racing challenges in Australia. Think of it as the Long Beach of Australia.
• Homebush Park - this temporary street course is a romp around Sydney's Homebush Park. A number of fans miss seeing the V8 Supercars race around Eastern Creek as opposed to Homebush Park.
• Yas Marina Circuit - the home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Formula 1 is the futuristic and ultra-modern Yas Marina Circuit. It plays host to the Desert 400 on a modified configuration.
Of all the tracks both past and present, I am most saddened that Oran Park is no longer with us. Oran Park used to be one of the finest racing facilities in Australia with its unique layout. Sadly, what used to be Oran Park is now housing development.
I sometimes wonder just how much motorsport means to Australia with a number of racing facilities no longer being raced on or rarely raced on. Take the United States, for example. One of the finest courses here used to be Riverside International Raceway in California. That track was mostly taken down to make way for a big shopping center. Riverside used to be great for racing ranging from NASCAR to even a Formula 1 Grand Prix at Riverside. I feel for you Australians who miss Oran Park. Oran Park is not the only former racing facility, though. A lot of other race tracks in Australia have either not been raced on in a while or are long gone. Among others- Surfers Paradise International Raceway, Adelaide International Raceway, Catalina Park, and Warwick Farm Raceway. Oran Park is just another track to sadly add to the list of long-gone great race tracks.
--- Australian V8 Supercar Series: Why Should You Care? ---
If you care anything about hard-fought racing from start to finish, you should definitely care about the Australian V8 Supercar Series. The racers in this series bring it every day, every race. No shortage of action from flag to flag. I think an American fan who enjoys NASCAR can definitely appreciate the action in this series.
--- Australian V8 Supercars vs. DTM: Who Would Win? ---
You know, I always wondered what would happen if DTM and the Australian V8 Supercar Series had an exhibition. Could a Holden beat a DTM Audi? Could a Ford outpace a DTM Mercedes-Benz? Part of me says that DTM would win since the DTM cars are very sophisticated and capable. But come on now- wouldn't you want to see these Australian V8 Supercars match up against Germany's premier motorsports series?
Part of me says that DTM would win if it was an Australian V8 Supercar vs. DTM exhibition. DTM cars are much more sophisticated and capable even if they give up about 150+ horsepower to Australian V8 Supercars.
--- What If: Australian V8 Supercars World Tour? ---
The Australian V8 Supercar Series does race at a few locales outside of Australia and New Zealand during the course of the season. They may even be planned to race here in the United States at the Circuit of the Americas facility just outside of Austin, Texas, USA. What if they had a World Tour? Here are venues that I think would be great to see the series have more racing action in...
North and South America.
• Infineon Raceway - love to see these cars weave left and right at this track. • Laguna Seca - imagine Holden vs. Ford being decided at the Corkscrew! • Road America - 4+ miles of road in Wisconsin meant to punish all who race it. • Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - this track is challenging for novices and experts alike. • Barber Motorsports Park - Australian race cars at a great track in the Deep South, anyone? • Road Atlanta - long-standing race track with a competitive layout • Virginia International Raceway - a take-no-prisoners, old school race track. • Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve - Canada's premier racing facility that has hosted many Canadian Grands Prix. • Circuit Mont-Tremblant - a tricky race track in a beautiful natural setting. • Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - former F1 Mexican Grand Prix venue. • Puebla - a competitive oval that also has a challenging road course configuration. • Interlagos - the finest race track in Brazil combining high speeds with intense corners. • Brasilia - Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet delivers intense racing on a twisty track. • Buenos Aires - former home of the F1 Argentine Grand Prix, this technical track delivers amazing action.
Europe and Africa.
• Donnington Park - would be a great challenge for the V8 supercars with its weaving roads. • Valencia (Ricardo Tormo Circuit) - mostly flat, this track is a very tough and technical Spanish race course. • Catalunya - the premier racing facility in Spain is one of the most challenging courses in the world. • Magny-Cours - a great rhythm-based track in France, former F1 French Grand Prix. • Dijon-Prenois - a tricky French track that's great for touring car racing. • Zandvoort - a formidable Dutch venue not far from a beach. • Zolder - a demanding and technical Belgian race track. • Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - the legendary Belgian battleground for racing. • Kyalami - South Africa's formidable racing challenge. It is a challenging course for any machines that race here.
Asia.
• Istanbul Park - a rhythm-based race track in Turkey that is home to the Turkish Grand Prix of F1. • Buddh International Circuit - the new world-class Indian race track delivers high speed and intense thrills. • Sepang - Malaysia's premier world-class racing track that's been around since about 1999. • Sentul International Circuit - a challenging motor racing facility in Indonesia. • Goldenport Park - a very popular Chinese race course based in China's capital of Beijing. • Zhuhai - once considered as a possible F1 stop, it has since played host mostly to touring cars and GT racing. • Suzuka - one of the world's most rewarding race tracks is in Japan's Mie Prefecture. • Okayama - this Japanese circuit served as home of the former Pacific Grand Prix in F1. • Autopolis - once considered a potential F1 Japanese Grand Prix venue, it remains a challenging Grand Prix course despite never hosting an F1 Grand Prix.
In addition to these tracks, I'd even be interested in seeing today's V8 Supercar Series race at Taupo Motorsports Park or even Teretonga International Raceway. Both of those courses are in New Zealand, by the way.
Again- I felt I should have posted about the Australian V8 Supercar Series long ago. I love and respect all of my fans and readers worldwide, and Australia is one of the most popular locales to visit "John's Blog Space." I hope this blog post has been to your liking. For more information on this series, I have included the following links for all of you:
Please be sure to visit those links if you enjoyed this post. I hope you enjoyed your time here on John's Blog Space; and if you did, please show your support by clicking on links below to show your support for my work. Thank you for reading!
By now, you racing fans may have seen the radical concepts put forth by Indianapolis, IN, USA-based DeltaWing Racing Cars. This company produced racing prototypes that seem very unusual. Some of their concepts seem more like WipEout ships than your average racing car. DeltaWing was one of the first to come up with concepts for the future design of 2012 Indy cars for the IndyCar Series. Apart from the IndyCar Series, DeltaWing took their interests to sportscar racing with an interesting prototype to be driven on Michelin rubber.
If you have ever seen the DeltaWing prototype, I have one tremendous fear about its design- what happens if one of these DeltaWing cars spins out and gets T-boned by another car around where the driver sits? Most formula racing cars have side pods that would suppress a good deal of damage if in the event of a T-bone crash. This here would be catastrophic the way the car is designed.
Here is some material for your viewing/reading pleasure:
Released long ago, here is a simulation video of the DeltaWing Le Mans racing concept:
Now I sincerely doubt this car will handle like it does in this video, especially the way the front wheels are made. This car would be a perfect candidate for anti-gravity racing if you just get rid of the wheels and just use some thrusters. You would have to drive this DeltaWing MUCH differently. Driving this thing would almost be like trying to ride a motorcycle.
Also, how would you set up a car like this for any given number of tracks? For example, let's say this car would run on every track in Formula One (or almost every track) or the Le Mans Series. How would you set this car up for each track? It would be absolutely insane trying to pilot this car while also trying to get it to handle properly around each course.
I'd like to credit DeltaWing Racing for coming up with these concepts. I have more questions than answers as to how these unusually-designed cars will function in today's racing world. I want to salute DeltaWing Racing if they happen to read my blog post here.
To learn more about DeltaWing Racing, please visit deltawingracing.com. What do you make of DeltaWing's concepts? Thank you for reading!
Speed Channel shown the Bathurst 1000 for the first time on American TV LIVE this weekend. This blog post showcases my own ideas regarding the coverage of the 2011 Bathurst 1000. The Bathurst 1000 is Australia's biggest racing event. If you want to liken this to a NASCAR event, you could say that the Bathurst 1000 is like the Coca-Cola 600, but with the prestige and honor of the Daytona 500. You win Bathurst, you become a legend. It's the big one. This blog post is all about how I've taken the Speed coverage of the 2011 Bathurst 1000.
A PERSONAL NOTE BEFORE I BEGIN:
(ADDED: OCT 10 2011) I would like to welcome all of my readers from Australia and New Zealand to John's Blog Space! Thank you so much for findind and sharing my blog. More so, I'd like to welcome people from the Australian Ford Forums for finding and sharing this post. I hope you have a good read. If you do enjoy my blog and my work, PLEASE feel free to subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner, Follow John's Blog Space, and/or even "like" my Facebook fan page. Thanks again, everyone!
--- Setting the Tone... ---
I needed to use a picture to help set the tone, so here is one I found online to help set the tone for the race that was covered this weekend (best I could find):
^ from: www.speedcafe.com.au - Bathurst 1000- legends are born for those who conquer this six-hour race around Mount Panorama. On October 8, 2011; the United States got to see this race for the first time LIVE.
The coverage began at 7:00 PM Eastern [Daylight] Time on Speed Channel. The race itself began around 7:30 PM Eastern [Daylight] Time. This was the commenting crew for Speed:
• Mike Joy - play-by-play • Darrell Waltrip - analyst • Leigh Diffey (one of my personal favorite Speed personalities) - pit reporter • Calvin Fish - pit reporter
Leigh Diffey, of course, used to be the play-by-play announcer for races in the Australian V8 Supercar Series. Perhaps a bit unusual not to hear him call down this one as the play-by-play announcer.
--- Coverage Thoughts in General ---
Each bullet highlights on a certain aspect of the coverage on Speed. Have a look at these notes I've taken:
• comparing NASCAR Sprint Cup cars to V8 Supercars. Fair comparison.
• "Boogity, boogity, boogity!" - no offense, but no need to say that. This isn't NASCAR, and you shouldn't try to make an event like the Bathurst 1000 to be like a NASCAR race. We don't need to dumb down an event like the Bathurst 1000 this way.
• Good job educating the audience on various aspects of Bathurst, Australia, the race, etc. Even learned a few things about the race and the track.
• Darrell Waltrip talked about the blue oval (Ford) and the "red tiger" of Holden. Uh, Holden's logo is the red LION.
I thought the coverage was very good to me. It also was great for the explanation of the different sponsors in Australia on the cars. Some of the different sponsors were those I was familiar with. It was great to hear Marcos Ambrose during the coverage while Ambrose (two-time Australian V8 Supercar Series champion) was at Kansas.
--- 2011 Bathurst 1000 Thoughts in General ---
There is a reason why this is being featured in the United States. The Bathurst 1000 is one of the greatest races in the world. These cars and this action certainly caught on with Americans as more and more people here get to see these cars in action. To some people, not as many people know of races and series like the Australian V8 Supercar Series because some people think that Australia is too far away from the rest of the world for people to actually know anything about the series.
That awesome finish and the big fire from one of the Holdens (the #17 one, I believe) are the two biggest sights I'll take away from this coverage. This was an exceptional experience to see. I saw most of the race on Speed Channel. It wasn't like I watched every last second.
--- Final Thoughts ---
I do think the insanity of the Bathurst 1000 was captured well here. The one thing I love about Speed Channel (and still do) is that they love motorsports and is willing to provide such great material for racing fans. My first taste of Australian V8 Supercars on TV was back in 2000 or 2001 when Speed Channel used to be Speedvision. The spellbinding thing about all of this is that the Australian V8 Supercar Series was perceived and recognized so well that we not only get Bathurst coverage, but LIVE Bathurst coverage. These same V8 Supercars will race around Circuit of the Americas in 2013. So this is a win-win for any racing fan. This is a weekend you have to enjoy if you are any kind of racing fan in the United States.
Many people think Speedvision's luster was lost the more Speed has started towards becoming more about NASCAR and reality TV. Fact is, Speed hasn't entirely lost what makes the channel what it is- a world of racing and a love of racing worldwide. Even though most of the coverage on the network mostly favors NASCAR and other kinds of American racing, the network still remains in touch with most of the rest of the world of racing. This is a network that knows what the heck they're talking about and knows racing better than any other network. I'd hate for this to be some... you know, highlight-laden deal on ESPN or something with substandard coverage. If this race was going to be shown live on TV for the first time in America, it needs to be done right. And Speed has done it... right, but with a few asterisks.
To be honest... I don't agree with having native TV crews calling down certain races. I am going to watch a major international race for that race, and I don't really need to have a certain domestic crew call down racing action. I appreciate mostly the world feed crew to call races. Take MotoGP coverage, for instance. I'm okay hearing Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett with Mark Bracks for MotoGP coverage. Of course, I do love hearing Bob Varsha, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett, and Will Buxton for F1 coverage on Speed Channel. But for the World Superbike and MotoGP races in the States, we usually hear Ralph Sheheen and Freddie Spencer, and sometimes Leigh Diffey. I'd even be inclined to hear Leigh Diffey do play-by-play for this race and maybe someone else for analysis. Or in a dream scenario, you could have Leigh Diffey and Marcos Ambrose (if Ambrose wanted to return home to Australia just for the Bathurst 1000) calling the action. It just... I would be okay with the usual Australian crew call down this race. You don't have to Americanize the coverage just to appease the American fans.
One last time... no more "boogity, boogity, boogity!" to begin coverage of this race! The Australian V8's is NOT NASCAR, and Bathurst isn't Darlington or some place. So no need to use this catchphrase for a race like this in a series like this. Please?
I am not here to spoil this race. So congratulations to (the 2011 Bathurst 1000 winners) on a job well done! I hope you liked my own review of the Speed Channel coverage of the 2011 Bathurst 1000. You all are free to express your own opinions as well here. More blog posts on various other topics are in the works! So if you loved your John's Blog Space experience, feel free to Subscribe and Follow. Thank you for reading!
Coping with death is one of the most troublesome and trying situations one can endure. Depending upon whom in your life has passed away or been killed, losing someone can feel like either missing a friend or having your heart ripped out of your chest. It is never an easy transition to live without whomever has passed away for some reason. The thought of death alone is terrible in itself. When you lose someone in your life, you will undergo a vast array of emotions. Even people whom have pets that have died or been killed feels about as bad as losing one of your parents. Death is something eventual. We can't run away from it. How one is able to cope with death, though, is especially troubling. This blog post is one I hope can help people feel better through a tough time.
This blog post will NOT be easy to read considering the subject matter. So please read at your own discretion.
Coping With Death of Friends, Lovers, and Spouses.
If a friend was killed, you want justice against whomever killed your friend. One of my High School alums was killed back in 2006. He was a great friend of mine back in High School. You obviously want justice over whomever slain your loved ones. The feeling is exaggerated when he/she is serving in active military duty. It will obviously be a terrible moment if the individual is killed in the line of duty.
Coping With Death of Famous People.
If a celebrity or an athlete dies, it is a chance to remember that famous person for what all he/she has done. I sometimes believe in the statement that "death comes in threes." Because of this, it was VERY horrible when we lost Michael Jackson, the beautiful (Texas own) Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon all in the same day. I am a fan of motor racing. As a fan, I know how dangerous motorsports can be. That's why I STILL cannot believe we've lost some great racing personalities whom have contributed to motorsport in some way. Here are examples of motorsports figures I still miss to this day:
--- [Some] Motorsports Figures I Miss to This Day --- • Dale Earnhardt Sr. • Colin McRae (his talent made me care about the World Rally Championship) • Peter Brock (wouldn't have cared about Australian V8 Supercars without him) • Aryton Senna • Greg Moore (sure love to see how much further in his racing career he'd go) • Tom Walkinshaw (I'd love to know more about him) • Bob Wollek (I'd love to know more about him as well)
I sometimes feel like I got into motorsports a bit too late to know what most racing personalities were like in their day and what they brought to racing.
Coping With Suicide.
Worse than dying or being killed is taking your own life. This is where people feel like life is going nowhere for them, so they feel their only option in life is to kill themselves. Almost as if such people give up on life to where they feel they have no better choice than to kill themselves than live another day with whatever pain they are enduring. The most brutal thing about dealing with someone who committed suicide is that there is usually no warning given. Someone may overdose, stab himself/herself, shoot himself/herself, intentionally crash his/her car at unsafe speeds in unsafe locations, drown... this can be extremely uncomfortable to even consider happening. The impact of someone who commits suicide is VERY disturbing. Almost as if loved ones couldn't be there in someone's most hurtful time.
Coping With Death of Children.
There is nothing I hate more than when a child or some youth dies or is killed. The feeling is unfortunate if the child dies from a certain condition or whatever. The feeling is of anger and a call for justice when a child is killed thanks to some heartless person or from the negligence of a disrespectful parent. To me, nothing is more disheartening than having a child robbed of his/her chances to grow up to be someone very special.
Family members passing away or being killed is equally troubling. Trying to move on without a certain member of the family is especially tough. How big of a loss it is depends on whom has died and how much that person means to the family. You can move on without certain family members, but as I've mentioned, it is extremely tough.
Coping With Death Financially.
When it comes to having a proper burial for a lost one, the impact of losing someone even goes into finances. I remember one time my mom and I were driving home after going to a restaurant. Some teen girl was holding up a sign looking for donations to pay for funeral expenses. It was a moment that really made me feel terribly sorry for her. Having to pay for funeral expenses can be just as painful as losing someone to begin with.
A Quick Section About Funerals.
A thing we don't usually think about is that funerals are times where we celebrate and honor one's life. Often times, we think of funerals as absolutely sad occasions because someone passes away or is killed. Think of when famous people die. We usually look back at legendary careers and remember them for what they brought to our lives. I remember when the great Marvin Zindler died from pancreatic cancer, I thought back to all he's done for the city of Houston and in helping many people with many things. The thought of losing someone is heartbreaking, but remembering what all a person has done to contribute to the world is something that needs not go unnoticed. Obviously after a funeral, then begins the tough process of moving on with your life without that loved individual. But still... it is always best to look back in the life of a loved one. This feeling alone can be enough to temporarily suppress the horror of losing someone special in your life.
In conclusion, you never know what you have until it's gone. If you are reading this blog post and have recently endured or experienced losing a loved one, I want to send you my deepest condolences. I want to offer my deepest thoughts and prayers to you, the family, the friends, and all whom have known and loved the deceased person. Coping with death is not easy, but it has to be done. Part of life is in about meeting wonderful people while also (hopefully) meeting other great people who matter in your life. The hole left behind by one person's passing will be tough to fill, but that's life.
I hope all of you are well and safe. I appreciate you reading this blog post. My best wishes are with all of you if you are experiencing one of these troubling times. I hate to provide such a discomforting topic, but I hope I can make you (or someone else) feel better with my words and insight. I may do another blog post regarding one element of this topic in the future, so stay tuned to John's Blog Space for that. It wasn't easy reading this, but you made it. Thank you for reading.
The SCCA Runoffs is America's premier national championship of racing. This is where some of America's finest talent compete in one race across multiple classes of racing. Many of the racers may never get to compete at major racing events worldwide. However, a win in the SCCA Runoffs is just as big as winning the Daytona 500, Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, or any other major motor race. Many of the competitors probably aren't even any degree of pro racer. These racers would certainly trade their usual day-to-day duties to partake in racing competition. Champions of various divisions of SCCA are invited each year since 1964 to compete for gold medals in one of over 24 different championships and classes.
This blog post is not so much a detailed discussion of the SCCA Runoffs, but more of a casual blog post of mine regarding the SCCA Runoffs.
JUST SO YOU KNOW...
The 2011 SCCA Runoffs take place between September 19 through September 25 at Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA).
--- SCCA Runoffs at a Glance (and Why Should You Care) ---
^ from: theautochannel.com - Are you the best amateur-level racer in the United States? If you are great enough in your SCCA region (explained later), you have a chance to become National Champion in the SCCA Runoffs. Picture was from the 2008 SCCA Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka.
The SCCA Runoffs can be thought of as the Olympics of four-wheel motor circuit racing, at least in the United States. You have a variety of classes ranging from production-based machines to purpose-built racing cars competing in a number of individual classes. All the action takes place on one track each year. As I mentioned, champions of individual chapters of SCCA competition are invited to compete for National Championship glory in the SCCA Runoffs.
You don't have to be any kind of pro race car driver who has miles of experience in high-profile racing events. You can, however, be any number of racers that have competed or used to compete in SCCA Pro Racing. Why should you care about the SCCA Runoffs? Simple- it's the best showcase of national racing talent in the United States. These drivers may not have loads of money or lucrative sponsorship deals, but these are ordinary people who do what they love- race. It's the best assembly of racing talent in the United States in one of the biggest racing events every year. Also, it's not a "World Championship" where winning in a domestic series somehow makes you a "World" champion. You become National Champion of a great racing body if you manage to win in any of the different classes of SCCA Runoff competition.
--- What I Think About the SCCA Runoffs ---
There is a reason why I have so much respect for the SCCA Runoffs and what it all entails. The thing that sticks out to me is just that these are people who just love racing and cars. These are people who love racing at the limit as much as they do their day-to-day jobs. If you are talking about embracing motorsport the right way, the SCCA Runoffs represent having a love of racing while doing it at the race track; not on the streets, where lives (including the drivers themselves) are threatened.
You don't have to have the pedigree of the Andretti racing family to be a star in the SCCA. You don't have to have hours running Sebring or Le Mans. You likely don't even need to have even run an inch of road at Daytona or Indy. You don't even need any experience in some million-dollar, ultra-sophisticated race car to be a great race car driver. Then again, you don't need to have any of this experience. You can be great talent racing on the limit on some of America's finest racing facilities. You can be among some of the many whom have raced and/or still race in some level of SCCA competition. If you're fortunate enough to make the SCCA Runoffs, you may even go up against some of the finer competition in SCCA Pro Racing.
So that is what I think embodies not only racing in the SCCA Runoffs, but just racing in the SCCA in general. These are mostly ordinary people who just have a love of racing and competing. You could (for example) be a High School teacher through the week, but then wear your racing suit and hit the track on the weekends in your SCCA-legal race car. The SCCA is all about ordinary people taking part in extraordinary racing action. Many of the SCCA's talent may never compete in the most high-profile racing events or in the most high-profile series, but the ability to head out onto the track to compete and enjoy racing is what makes competing in the SCCA so rewarding. Those that are great are invited to take part in the SCCA Runoffs for the chance to shine and emerge as champions. These SCCA Runoff winners are not only some of the best in the SCCA, but they are also ambassadors of motorsports. They are promoters of what makes motorsports fun. Those who love racing don't have to do street racing or playing video/computer racing games (not that there's anything wrong with games). Considering some of the many stars who emerged from SCCA Runoffs fame (some of these you may have heard of before)- Bobby Rahal, Boris Said, Paul Newman (R.I.P.), and Skip Barber among MANY others; being a racing superstar isn't guaranteed in SCCA Runoffs, but you have the best chance to show you are a racing champion in SCCA Runoffs action.
I encourage you to read the rest of this blog post. However, you can learn more about the SCCA Runoffs by visiting www.scca.com/runoffs, or learn more about the SCCA itself by visiting www.scca.com. These links will be posted again towards the end of this blog post.
Click "Read More" to find out more thoughts of mine on the SCCA Runoffs by taking a look at individual classes that compete in the Runoffs.
--- SCCA Runoffs: Classes of Competition ---
Here is a basic look at how I understand most of the basic classes. I did have to consult the SCCA's website for better clarification of certain classes. I am providing videos for all of you for educational purposes. I'd like to thank all whom allowed their videos to be embedded so I can share these with my blog readers. I've tried to find brief videos so that you get a general idea of each class of SCCA competition. Another thing to note is that not all of these videos regard the SCCA Runoffs. In fact, some of these videos are provided just to showcase certain classes of SCCA competition that compete at the SCCA Runoffs.
I have consulted the SCCA's Car Classification page for some (or all) of my information. Please send me an Email if there is something you think I should add to this blog post to make it better for ally of my readers.
Production Classes.
^ A Porsche 914 racing in the F Production class in the 2004 SCCA Runoffs.
Many of the Production classes are devoid of their tops. The canopy of these cars are basically replaced with racing roll cages. There is no age limit to these cars and those that can compete in the various Production classes. So don't be surprised to see Production-class cars ranging from a 2001 Mazda Miata to an old Austin Healey Sprite competing in this class of SCCA competition.
Super Touring Classes.
[~~~ no video... :( ~~~]
Super Touring is fairly new to me. I don't really know how to explain this class of competition. All I do know is that there are different levels of competition featuring mostly production cars vastly modified for racing. The cars are similar in specification to the SCCA World Challenge.
Showroom Stock Classes.
^ A Showroom Stock C class race at Road Atlanta, uploaded to YouTube in 2008.
Rather than out-and-out racing machines, this class of racing is purely production-based. No tuning of any kind of allowed on these cars except for a racing rollcage and a fire extinguisher. Victory in a series is surely depending on driver skill rather than so much having the most powerful car on the track.
Grand Touring Classes.
^ Highlights of the GT-Lite class at the 2008 SCCA Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka. It features Peter Zekert (the #45 car).
^ A GT-1 class Camaro racing at Eagles Canyon. Listen to this car as it passes by!
Personally, I love the GT-1 class the most. It's basically SCCA Trans-Am style racing with high-horsepower V8s making beautiful engine music. The cars in the GT classes are purpose-built silhouette race cars.
Sedan Class.
(WARNING: You may need to turn down the volume!)
^ American Sedan (or A-Sedan) race in 2008 at Heartland Park Topeka.
The only class that comes to mind for me is American Sedan (or A-Sedan). This is where big American cars all compete at once. Enjoy the roar of American engines as they go at it on the track!
Touring.
^ This was the start of the 2009 SCCA Runoffs in the Touring 1 class. The car in question is (I'm assuming) some variation of the Chevrolet Corvette C6. The track is Road America.
Touring features some of the latest production-based sports cars tuned for racing.
Sport Racer Classes.
^ The West WX10, a D Sports Racer (or DSR) class car, runs a lap around Road Atlanta in this video.
^ The Spec Racer Ford class features purpose-built racing prototypes powered by Ford engines (Ford V8's?).
I LOVE the Sport Racer classes! These machines represent purpose-built sportscar racing machines being raced to the limit. The classes I've come to know are C Sports Racer, D Sports Racer, and Sports 2000. I think Spec Racer Ford also is part of this class. I've seen two kinds of these prototypes- proper prototypes and formula cars with prototype bodywork added to give them the appearance of a prototype. An example of a proper prototype is the Radical SR3, which can be raced in the C Sports Racer (CSR) class. One manufacturer that makes machines for CSR and DSR is a company called Speads. Some formula cars can be fitted with a kit that turns a formula car into a prototype that can compete in the Sports Racer ranks. It's a more cost-effective and versatile way to enjoy racing in the SR classes.
Formula Classes.
(WARNING: Turn down the volume!)
^ SCCA Formula Atlantic racing at Road America in the 2009 SCCA Runoffs. Love the engine sounds!
The Formula classes feature the only open-wheel racing machines. You won't see any super-powerful open-wheelers (like Indy cars or F1 cars), but you will see some very competitive formula-type cars competing in this class. The most unique racing among the Formula machines can be found in Formula 500 (or F500). You will see some of the most unique-looking formula cars competing in this division of the Formula classes. The only manufacturer I know of best in Formula 500 is Novakar. Besides Formula 500, there are divisions such as Formula Vee, Formula Atlantic, and Formula Continental.
Spec Miata.
^ Get your Zoom-Zoom on! :) Spec Miata is a great way to enjoy racing with one of the most affordable and most basic sports cars on the market.
Devoted entirely to the Miata/MX-5, this is where loads of Mazda Miatas square off in fierce competition. Harness its capabilities to win on the track. I hear you could get a late model Miata and purchase some sort of kit or something to be able to compete in Spec Miata.
You now have a basic idea of what each class of the SCCA Runoffs entails. For more detailed specifications of each class, visit SCCA Club Racing - Car Classification on www.scca.com. For more YouTube videos on the SCCA Runoffs, please check out the YouTube search results for "SCCA Runoffs" to see more videos, including much longer videos featuring onboard video from races and more.
--- SCCA Runoffs: What's YOUR Division? ---
I've talked ad naseum about different divisions of the SCCA. If you want to take part in SCCA competition but are unsure of your nearest division, I have provided these links to help you find your division and to help you get started in becoming an SCCA member. There are two ways I can point you towards the division you are based in.
--- OPTION 1: All Divisions --- Visit the site below to find the SCCA Region you are in. If you want to find out more about each division, click on the region that represents your sector of the United States:
• SCCA Divisions - all divisions ^ all Divisions of the SCCA. You can contact representatives of each region and even visit individual region websites.
--- OPTION 2: Individual Divisions --- And here are the individual Divisions of SCCA competition. Each are listed by the individual states and regions that make up each division. Find one that suits your sector of the United States (NOTE: each described region is just a rough sketch of each represented state in each SCCA region):
• Northern Pacific SCCA ^ Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, northern Nevada, and northern and central California
• Southern Pacific SCCA ^ Southern California, most of Nevada, southwestern Utah, and all of Arizona
• Rocky Mountain SCCA ^ central and eastern Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, most of Utah, all of New Mexico, and western Texas
• Southwest Division SCCA ^ Texas (except Western Texas), Louisiana, and southwestern Mississippi
• Midwest Division SCCA Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, western and southwestern Iowa, Missouri, most of Mississippi, and southern Illinois
• Central Division SCCA North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern and northeastern Iowa, central and northern Illinois, and Michigan's upper peninsula
• Great Lakes Division SCCA lower peninsula of Michigan, Indiana, western and central Ohio, and most of Kentucky
• Northeast Division SCCA ^ Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, (Washington, D.C.), West Virginia, and northern Virginia.
• Southeast Division SCCA ^ southern Virginia, central and eastern Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
I hope this helps for you all.
This concludes my blog post on the SCCA Runoffs. I hope my insight (as a racing fan) can help you to appreciate what all the SCCA Runoffs is all about. Special salute to those who have competed in or are competing in SCCA competition. Equal respect for those whom have competed in the SCCA Runoffs. As promised, here are the links from earlier:
Motorsports can be dangerous despite its full throttle appeal. Motor racing is a thrill ride that many people don't even know/care can be dangerous. I've created this blog post to quickly share some thoughts on how dangerous motorsports can be. In addition, I lend some thoughts to all of my readers around the world regarding racing and the dangers involved. And after all, it is these dangers and the fearlessness of racers which help all of us to love and appreciate motor racing. It is why we regard racers as our heroes/heroines. This blog post just shares some personal thoughts on the danger racing provides. Feel free to have a look at my commentary here.
POST NOTES:
Originally Created: May 28, 2011 at 7:26 PM Pacific [Daylight] Time (I had intended on updating this post among my most recent posts, so that's why I included the Originally Created note.) Updated: OCT 16 2011 - added note on Dan Wheldon's death
--- Dangers of Motorsport ---
As much as I love motor racing, there is a reason why people often fear motor racing- danger and injury. The racers basically risk injury (and even death) every mph/kph at a time. It is their relentlessness to contest for speed and push their abilities to the absolute finest as why we love racing. We love the thrill of speed. We love how athletes take a simple task of driving/riding and apply actual racing technique to dominate race tracks. We love how racers put it all on the line to try to get to the checkered flag first before anybody else.
I don't like crashes. I don't like watching video highlights of crashes. People mostly love them because it's an adrenaline thrill or something like that. Well, I actually do think demolition derby can be fun to watch. But of course, not every race is a demolition derby. For the purpose of this blog post, I am reminded of why I dislike crashes as I saw some vicious crashes recently. In the Australian V8 Supercar Series at Barbagallo earlier this year, one driver's car stalled on the grid at the start of the and got rear-ended, leading to a fiery explosion. The driver who got rear-ended was Karl Reindler, and he got rear-ended by Steve Owen. Thankfully, Karl was able to quickly escape despite the violent explosion.
A link to the video. Because I don't want to anything seriously graphic, I will show you only the link to this horrific accident. You don't have to see this video if you don't want to, but just know that this is rather graphic: ""V8 Supercar explodes into flames at startline!!!.
If there is anything positive about watching crashes and such, it is a testament to the safety involved in making sure drivers/riders can race again. Racing machines can be rebuilt and repaired; human lives can not be rebuilt and repaired. That's why I'm proud of the many advances we have made in keeping race cars safe. You want to be able to fulfill your speed rush as many times as you like and live to keep racing. I saw a series of videos on YouTube in the past where race car drivers were killed in racing. It was just so scary and so disheartening to see racers lose their lives performing in their favorite sport. You know... Greg Moore. Aryton Senna. Colin McRae (though he died in a helicopter crash). Peter Brock. Daijiro Katoh. Dale Earnhardt Sr. Paul Dana. Just about every racer who was killed either during a race or during a racing session (like practice, qualifying, warm-up, etc.) are reminders that racing, while immensely satisfying to watch, can be immensely dangerous. Even if there are racers you don't like, you NEVER want to see them in a vicious crash that takes their lives. It is also just classless to wish something like that to your least favorite racers.
The moral of this story? Enjoy racing. Enjoy what racing brings. Just remember that motor racing is dangerous. Racers of various kinds are fearless athletes who contest for speed. They know that while their ultimate goal is to cross the line as winners, they also know that injury and/or death literally awaits every mph/kph at a time, every corner at a time. This is why we love racing and what racers do. They battle as fearlessly in their sport as much as any gridiron football player trying to make plays or basketball players trying to shoot baskets or block shots. Any athlete of any sport is subjecting themselves to injury every time they compete, and racers are no different.
(ADDED: October 16, 2011) With a 15-car crash that ensued at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the IndyCar Series, Dan Wheldon of England was tragically killed in this horrific wreck. He was 33 years old and is survived by his wife and two children. The Indy cars for 2012 will have various upgrades to help aid in safety. Perhaps after this horrific incident earlier today, more innovations could be put to good use to help make these cars safer. We should be able to take negatives as a means to help make us better in the future. The unthinkable still lingers, but at least we can do what we can to help minimize the risk of injury as much as we can.
PERSONAL NOTE: I would like to send my deepest thoughts and prayers to any motor racers whom have lost their lives through racing. The thoughts and prayers go out to friends, family, and all whom have known and loved each fallen racer. Please honor and respect all racers in all disciplines of motorsport. That even includes various non-racing personnel (such as flagmen, pit crews, race officials, etc.). Their jobs are just as important as the racers on the track.
Thank you for reading. One last time: honor and respect all racers and racing personnel. That includes car racers, motorcycle racers, drifters... anyone basically in the path of impending danger while motorsport competition is going on.
The impact of a nation hosting a Grand Prix race is immense. Formula One is the world's premier motorsport. Being able to host a race featuring the world's most sophisticated race cars with some of the world's greatest drivers speaks high volumes. I began to think about this topic somewhat and decided to blog about it. I am blogging about this topic to answer this question: what do YOU think it means for a nation or a certain city to host a Formula One Grand Prix race?
I don't consider myself an F1 fanatic, but I do welcome all racing fans including the F1 fanatics. Most of this blog post pertains to Formula 1 Grands Prix. However, this can also apply to MotoGP Grands Prix as well.
--- My Initial Thoughts ---
^ from: www.topnews.in - Hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix is ALWAYS a big deal considering the scope and appeal F1 racing provides internationally.
Hosting a Formula One Grand Prix race at a competitive venue means that you invite the best drivers and best race cars to an intense racing challenge. As long as the venue is a homologated FIA Grade 1 facility suitable enough for F1 racing (some tracks are FIA Grade 1 facilities, but for testing only), just being able to host a round of the Formula 1 World Championship in whatever country or city is always something to be pleased with. A number of tracks and venues make provisional or preliminary schedules, but never actually get raced. I blogged once about the Autopolis Circuit on the Japanese island of Kyushu. The track itself is very challenging (as are most Japanese courses). But... it just didn't get to be raced as part of the F1 World Championship.
Obviously, if you're going to bring some of the best race car drivers in the world with some of the most sophisticated racing machines in the world, it is best have a track long enough and challenging enough to test the limits of an F1 racer. I have always wondered what makes Formula 1 so challenging (and I mean this in a respectful light). I mean, is it the fact you have to have such incredible reaction times to handle an extremely fast circuit racing car? Is it the challenge of the tracks themselves? Is it about building the ultimate racing car... up against the ultimate racing cars as other teams see fit? The ultimate test of F1 drivers and teams is to take part in Grands Prix around the world as well as in addressing individual challenges F1 provides.
--- Hosting F1 Grands Prix ---
Let's take a look at some of the nations to host F1 Grands Prix this past decade (2001-2010). Here were some of the nations to host F1 races either for the first time or first time in a long time: Turkey (Istanbul Park), Singapore (Marina Bay Street Circuit), Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina Circuit), Bahrain (Bahrain International Circuit), China (Shanghai International Circuit), and the Korea Republic (Korean International Circuit). Let's not forget the return of F1 to the United States at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Before that, the United States had F1 Grand Prix action in a number of places- Sebring, the streets of Dallas, Las Vegas, Riverside International Raceway, the streets of Detroit, Watkins Glen International... all among other places. You can add India and Moscow (Russia) to the list of future F1 racing venues for when the Grand Prix races for these locations are run proper.
The impact is huge to host an F1 Grand Prix race. I sometimes like to think of F1 Grand Prix races to be like the World Cup. All the attention is usually paid to one place as the sport's or league's stars all converge to do battle on the track. In today's modern F1, most everything has to be modern or futuristic. At no point was this more apparent than when the streets of Singapore hosted Formula 1's first ever night race (or at least the first-ever F1 race run under artificial lighting. A lively and energetic city-state like Singapore provides an outstanding setting for which to host something exciting like the Singapore Grand Prix.
I am someone who believes that money talks. If you can throw money at something, you can do almost whatever you want. Evidence of this in racing is when tracks in the Middle East started coming up. Think about it- there were hardly any Middle Eastern racing venues until recent times. One of the first venues to come to mind in this subject matter is the Dubai Autodrome. The Dubai Autodrome is evidence of this. There is already lots of money with oil and tourism in the United Arab Emirates, so having a world-class racing facility like this is wonderful for racing fans in Dubai. Sadly for Dubai, the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi seems to mostly overshadow a great track like the Dubai Autodrome.
So I think if there is a good enough financial base and a fairly decent population, you could almost basically take Formula 1 anywhere. But ANYWHERE? I'll put that to the test in the next section!
--- What If... Future Nations/Cities to Host Grands Prix? ---
The previous section involved hosting F1 Grands Prix. This section, though, pertains to what if certain nations or cities had their own F1 Grand Prix venues. Some of the nations and cities you see mentioned here may have never had F1 race there or even had drivers from these nations compete in Formula 1.
What if nations and/or cities like the following hosted F1 Grand Prix events? You may see some surprising and interesting choices for F1 Grands Prix (hypothetical names used):
Grand Prix of Mexico?
The last F1 race in Mexico was back in 1992 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The new Circuit of the Americas is sort of a de facto course for Mexico, even though this track is based south of Austin, Texas, USA. There was once a planned venue for Formula 1 to race in Mexico on the streets of Cancun. Whether or not this deal is on or not is beyond me.
Grand Prix of Venezuela?
Though there are racers from Venezuela, Autódromo Internacional Pancho Pepe Cróquer (or better known as Turagua) is about the only proper racing facility in Venezuela. Turagua is more like a club-level circuit from pictures I've seen. Surely not an FIA Category 1 course. However, it would be interesting to see Formula 1 in the country where the world's largest waterfall (Angel Falls) is located. I think the Caracas market would be the biggest market to potentially have any major racing facility and the biggest market to perhaps host such a major racing event.
Grand Prix of Iceland?
You want crazy? This would be it! This country does bear a touch of relevance because there was a planned race track to be constructed in Iceland called Iceland MotoPark. Haven't found anything to suggest this track was actually created or not. This would likely be a course that would have been home ground for the Iceland A1GP team. The only city I (or most other people) know of is Reykjavik, so that HAS to be a primary market in considering an F1 venue.
Grand Prix of Portugal?
The Formula 1 World Championship once considered Estoril home. A recently-built track in Portugal is the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. This track is certainly long enough to host an F1 race at about 2.9 miles in length. However, I think F1 teams use Portimão as a test venue. It's a very nice track from what I've seen in pictures and video.
Grand Prix of Sweden?
Swedish folk have a lot of great race tracks. Mantorp Park is the one I know best of and love most. I am familiar with Anderstorp from playing the very first GTR. I know Sweden in racing for the wonderful Rally Sweden.
Grand Prix of Finland?
With so much racing on and off road, it's sad that Finland doesn't have its own F1 Grand Prix. You can name just about any Finnish racing talent. I get a lot of traffic from Finland, so I wonder how my Finland readers would feel about seeing today's F1 in Finland. Finland does have a good amount of proper racing facilities. To me, though, only the Helsinki Thunder street course from the mid-1990s comes to mind as far as the only tracks I can readily think of in Finland. I would have to imagine that a proper track capable of hosting a modern F1 race would probably be based in southern Finland or southwestern Finland in terms of a general market.
Grand Prix of Estonia?
A country I have recently grown to love is Estonia. Especially with cities like Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia is a very beautiful country from what I have seen in pictures and video. The only Estonian in racing I've heard of is Markko Martin. There is a permanent facility in Estonia called the Pärnu Ring, but it seems a lot like a club-level circuit.
Grand Prix of Switzerland?
There hasn't been much motor racing in Switzerland unless you go back in time. Many people will immediately think of Alain Menu as far as Swiss racing talent is concerned. I read of a former race track called Bremgarten in Swiss motor racing history. It was a 4+ mile race course mostly on public forested roads. Its danger made this course basically go defunct after a while.
Grand Prix of Austria?
A1 Ring last saw F1 action in 2003. Since 2004, A1 Ring has been mostly disused. I've heard two different reports on this track- either it's been completely deconstructed and gone for good, and another source says that this track has been reconfigured mostly to host touring car racing. The best thing about the A1 Ring was the beautiful view of the Austrian countryside provided. It was also a very tough track with lots of elevation changes and some very decisive sharp turns.
Grand Prix of Croatia?
The beautiful country of Croatia doesn't have any really major series racing on tracks in Croatia. Really, Croatia has the Automotodrom Grobnik in Rijeka, Croatia. I wonder if Croatia would be a good enough place to maybe host an F1 Grand Prix race.
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan is Europe's southeasternmost nation. It is a country whose coastline makes up part of the northern half of the Caspian Sea. There is no motor racing of any kind that I'm aware of in Azerbaijan. However, its capital city of Baku (which is a Sister City of Houston) is a lovely place and is even an oil capital. This alone could be either possibility to host an F1 race on the streets of Baku or some modern F1 track near Baku.
Grand Prix of Egypt?
Back in the mid-2000s, there was a track to be called Ghazala Bay that would host Formula 3 racing. That track, for what I know, NEVER materialized. What if Formula 1 wanted to race in Egypt? The only three major cities I know of in Egypt are Cairo (the capital), Aswan, and Alexandria.
Grand Prix of Morocco?
The streets of Marrakech have been the recent home of racing in Morocco. Even well before this, Formula 1 used to race in Morocco decades ago. Would it be possible for Morocco to maybe have a permanent racing facility to host a round of today's F1 World Championship? Tell you what- the Marrakech street course was made for touring car racing. It would be too boring for F1 cars.
Grand Prix of Kenya?
Kenya is better known in racing as the home of the Safari Rally. I would not be sure if there would be enough financial backing or space to come up with a modern Formula 1 track in Kenya. It would be entertaining to see F1 race there considering the possibility of a heavy rain storm in Kenya for an F1 race.
Grand Prix of Israel?
I started a thread on GTPlanet.net regarding the Middle East's emergence into motorsport. One person posted something about an attempted Formula Two (not F1) once racing in Israel in 1970, but the race was canceled because of poor crowd control. The race was held during Sabbath, which probably made things worse trying to control crowds. A motorsports law was approved in Israel last year or some five years ago. Would Israel be a candidate to host an F1 Grand Prix? It would be yes if there was enough interest and a lot of financial backing to build a quality modern F1 circuit.
To begin the Middle Eastern swing of this blog post, I start with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a track called Reem International Circuit that is 2.36 miles in length. A number of racing series have some major races here for both cars and motorcycles. I'd imagine that Saudi Arabia would be a significant market for any such motorsport in the Middle East besides Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Grand Prix of Qatar?
The Losail International Circuit is the only real contribution to motor racing unless Losail somehow isn't good enough for Formula 1. Now, this track was basically made for motorcycles. This track plays host to the Doha 8 Hour race as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Qatar will play host to the 2022 World Cup. If you think Qatar is on the rise, then you can say that Qatar would be a nice market for F1. The only exception is if F1 doesn't want to host three races in the Middle East.
Grand Prix of Kazakhstan?
The reason why I mention Kazakhstan is because Hermann Tilke had a planned racing venue for the Middle Eastern nation called Kazakhstan MotorCity. Not sure about the status of it, but it made me wonder if Kazakhstan would make for a future country for F1 to visit and hold a race at.
Grand Prix of Vietnam?
It would be most interesting if Vietnam had a Grand Prix. Remember how I said that if you throw money at something, you could make any kind of statement you want? Well, imagine this happening to Vietnam. I have created a number of fictional race tracks; four of which in Vietnam. The premier one I've envisioned was a racing facility not far away from downtown Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam). Again- would be interesting if there was a sparkling, modern, FIA Category 1 racing track in Vietnam. The chances of it actually materializing? Very unlikely.
Grand Prix of Thailand?
Staying in Southeast Asia, I've somewhat pondered if there was an F1 Grand Prix of Thailand. There was an arcade-only F1 racing game from Taito called "Ground Effects." In the 1992 arcade game "Ground Effects," one of the venues is a fantasy course based in Thailand. Thailand has two real tracks to my knowledge- Bira International Circuit and Thailand Circuit. So I have to wonder what if Formula One wanted to hold a Grand Prix race in Thailand. It would either have to be some really modern F1 racing facility or maybe a race around the streets of Bangkok. I think the key market has to be Bangkok.
Grand Prix of Indonesia?
The world's largest archipelago in area is Indonesia. The Republic of Indonesia has a great racing facility that has played host to A1GP racing at the Sentul Circuit. Indonesia even played host to a round of the World Rally Championship in the mid-1990s. The two biggest races in Southeast Asia are the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang and the street course around Marina Bay in Singapore. If there was a third F1 Grand Prix to be held in Southeast Asia, Indonesia would be a pretty nice candidate.
Grand Prix of Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is a lively city. If you have played Gran Turismo 4, you may have ran a number of laps around the Hong Kong circuit. Hong Kong at night would be insane to have an F1 race around. Hong Kong looks spectacular at night. This could be a race to maybe outdo (or try to) Singapore's F1 course. Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China would be interesting if it did materialize. I don't think it will, though.
Grand Prix of the Philippines?
There is racing that goes on in the Philippines. Perhaps the toughest Filipino race track is the Batangas Circuit. Only other racing track I've heard of in the Philippines is Subic Bay Raceway. Would there be enough to have a major racing circuit in the Philippines? Not likely, but it would be interesting to see one such course there to host F1 if it were ever to happen.
Grand Prix of New Zealand?
World Rally races in New Zealand. The Australian V8 Supercar Series has rounds in New Zealand at Hamilton and Pukekohe. One of the biggest off-road races is the Taupo 1000. There is a tough targa rally called Targa New Zealand. New Zealand was an A1GP country with races at the beautiful Taupo Motorsport Park. The Millen racing family is from New Zealand. So... what if there was an F1 Grand Prix of New Zealand? There used to be a Pacific Grand Prix in the 1990s in Japan as well as this being a non-championship race in the 1960s at Laguna Seca. Well, imagine if New Zealand joined the F1 circus. A Grand Prix race in New Zealand would be a great South Pacific F1 deal, perhaps even one that could possibly lure some New Zealanders into F1. From one website I visited, there have been eight drivers from New Zealand to compete in F1. One of the most famous was Bruce McLaren from Auckland. What if young Shane Van Gisbergen (who is also from Auckland, New Zealand) wanted to step up to Formula 1 and perhaps challenge Australia's Mark Webber for Australasian pride in F1? There is not much motor racing culture in the South Pacific besides in Australia and New Zealand. Either a modern circuit would have to be constructed, or perhaps Taupo Motorsport Park gets a whole lot of money to be renovated severely to host an F1 race. It is an FIA Grade 2 track at present.
There were some places I didn't mention. One of them was South Africa because there is a rumor that F1 may return to South Africa, but race on a street course rather than renovate Kyalami. Only street course I recall before this possible new F1 street course was in Durban with the A1 Grand Prix. So I didn't mention them. I also didn't mention a few other places because I wanted to be realistic in showcasing certain nations in motor racing.
Your comments are welcome involving the impact of Formula 1 Grands Prix for the nations that host these events. That even pertains to creating courses that would greatly compliment today's Formula 1 racing. Thank you for reading!
