US F1 To Skip Initial Races?

I missed this article from Racer last week. According to FIA president Jean Todt, the new F1 challengers do not have to show up for the first three races of the 2010 season.

Despite both teams insisting they are on course to make the first race, US F1 and Campos continue to be surrounded by speculation that financial issues will leave them unable to get their cars and outfits ready for the season opener in Bahrain on March 14. Although, under old rules, absence from a single race would result in the teams losing their privileges, F1 commercial rights manager Bernie Ecclestone and Todt have now confirmed that provisions are in place for competitors to miss a total of three races without penalty. This means that US F1 and Campos have theoretically got until the Chinese Grand Prix on April 18 to get their cars ready for action before they would officially fall off the roster.

So now the waiting begins. Will US F1 gracefully bow out given the chance?

Another interesting aspect of the story was Todt’s challenge for F1 to pull its pants up and get on with facing reality.

“We need to cut costs, improve the show and draw investors,” he said. “F1 must understand that the world has changed. How can you explain that an F1 car needs 80 liters of fuel to cover 100 kilometers?

Why not be the pinnacle of motorsports, by doing something impressive? I think this is a great point. F1 teams can achieve innovation, technological breakthroughs, and brand marketing by concentrating on some of the basics.

BTW, where is the next great F1 console title? I miss the yearly releases from back in the PlayStation days.

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Sunday Stuffs

Here are a few random links for your viewing pleasure that I came across while surfing the web this morning. As I heard on SportingNews radio, legitimate web surfing; in other words it is too early on Sunday morning to be looking for some T&A.

After the affair ends …
A reminder for married folks to be careful who they jilt after the sex factor comes to an end.

YaVaughnie Wilkins posted the signs after she learned that her lover, Charles E. Phillips — president and director of the tech conglomerate Oracle Corporation and a member of Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board — had reconciled with his wife, the New York Post reported.

The billboards — there are three in New York and one apiece in Atlanta and San Francisco, where Phillips lives — may have cost Wilkins up to $250,000, at an estimated $50,000 each.

After the billboards surfaced, Phillips fessed up to his longtime affair through a spokesman on Thursday.

The again this one probably only applies to rich folks. I am sure Tiger can relate.

Miranda Kerr
OK, so I lied about not having enough coffee to look for T&A, but by golly wow is Miranda beautiful! I did come across this one while taking in my daily dose of morning Fox news; we can chalk this up as legitimate.

Cheers to beer in a can!
I had no idea that canned beer has been around for 75 years! It’s nice to learn something new before 7AM.

Team US F1 looks not so American
While I am excited about the prospects of a U.S. based F1 team, I am disappointed to learn that the first driver announced is not an American.

AUTOSPORT reports that former grand prix ace Carlos Reutemann, a close friend of US F1 boss Peter Windsor and now a leading politician in Argentina, has been instrumental in putting the funding package together for Lopez, who will receive a degree of government backing alongside other Argentinian sponsors.

I have nothing at all against Jose Maria Lopez; I hope he shows well for US F1, but it sort of sucks that an American could not put together a funding package. Then again, Lopez has the full backing of the Argentina government! Maybe President Obama and his socialist agenda should considering jumping into racing. Why not inject some cash into NASCAR, IRL, and US F1?

Happy NFL Championship Sunday!

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Button Dismisses F1 Shortcuts

What a stupid idea by Bernie Ecclestone. Shortcuts in F1? Good grief!

Ecclestone proposed the idea during a media event last week. “I’ve tried to push the teams with a number of proposals. Imagine a shortcut which a driver can use five times every race,” he said. “It would stop people from getting stuck behind others and be good for TV.”

Jenson Button quickly dismissed the idea out of hand. Mr. Ecclestone, why not work on the actual on track racing, implementing rules for passing, not introducing hazards on the track?

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New F1 point system has pitfalls.

I do not like the newly announced F1 point system, but of course no one asked for my input. According the racer.com the new system was announced because of the expanding grid for the 2010 campaign.

A statement from today’s meeting of the World Council said: “Due to the expanded grid of 13 teams, and further to the recommendation of the F1 Commission, a new points system will be in place for the 2010 season.” The new system will award points in the following order: 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1.

The change was proposed to take into account the increased field for 2010, when the addition of the new entrants will take the grid up to 26 cars – its highest figure since 1995.

So what happens when some of these teams fold? At some point the manufacturers may eventually return and out spend the weaker teams. This just seems like a bad idea to accommodate the next 3-6 years, not to mention the historical significance of a disparity in past points awarded compared to 2010 and beyond.

I can understand the need to make sure enough bottom feeders (or good teams having a desperate day) are scoring points, but if we are making changes, let’s take it a step further. I have long been an advocate for awarding points for winning the pole, posting the fastest lap, and leading at the midpoint of the race. Awarding points for achieving a pole is a fairly worthy cause. Handing out points for leading at the midpoint of a race would provide for some interesting strategies, and of course awarding a point or two for the fastest lap would give the back markers a reason to keep fighting until the bitter end.

Should be interesting to see how 2010 progresses. This is certainly not the F1 I fell in love with in 1995.

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Brawn thinks F1 will survive

So Ross Brawn thinks F1 will continue onwards without a host of major manufacturers? Racer had the following quote from Mr. Brawn

He added: “It’s a major sport and it (manufacturer involvement) will come round again. But luckily there is a lot of interest from privateers and they will sustain Formula 1 for a good few years. I’ve been in Formula 1 for over 30 years, and I’ve seen it go from total privateers to a huge number of manufacturers back to privateers. It just goes in cycles depending on the climate.

I am not so sure. Is it really appealing to watch Ferrari and Mercedes battle each other, and hope for some excitement from the best of the rest? This is going to be a different F1, and who knows if it will be worth watching. I would be surprised if Ferrari pulled out next; if Ferrari does, that will be the end.

I think Mercedes is a sure bet to pull the plug in the next year or two. I can see their top brass saying that from a financial standpoint it is just not worth the effort. It is not as if they will be competing against other German manufacturers – they will be up against the mystique of Ferrari and have everything to lose if they end up second fiddle to some of the independent teams.

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Sports Friday. Falcons take on Rams. No Schumacher return.

I was disappointed to learn that Michael Schumacher’s return to Ferrari ended before it started. Earlier this year Schumacher injured his neck racing around on two-wheelers; apparently the injuries were enough to keep him from being fit enough to race. PlanetF1’s editorial hit the nail on the head.

The shame is F1’s. Schumacher’s return, however fleeting, would have been one of the highlights of the sporting year. Given that poor results would have been attributed to his age and inaction then a victory in Valencia or beyond would perhaps have been the equal of any other achievement in his F1 career. But such musings are now academic.

I am bitterly disappointed that I do not get to see Schumacher give it one more go.

Falcons visit the Rams
It is preseason, so to casual fans it is not very exciting, but there are plenty of positions to watch. Backup QB battle – will Shockley pass Redmond? How will the secondary shape up – Houston is out for this one, which means someone will have an opportunity to step it up a notch. What about the WR depth chart? Is there a number three on the team, much less who is going to fill the fourth and fifth spots on the depth charts?

Happy Friday!

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Ferrari announces Schumacher’s return!

I was looking for a good link to talk about Michael Schumacher’s return to Ferrari as Felipe Massa’s replacement and just could not find what I was really looking for in a story. Then I remembered my mate from across the Pond; a good bloke that contributed in the early days of CG. Adam’s recent Petrol Head post puts some nice flavor on Schumacher’s return …

It has been suggested that getting Michael Schumacher to agree to a brief comeback must have taken the hardest of hard sells from the Ferrari top brass. Really? Getting him to retire in the first place must have taken some doing, since when he stepped out of his car in the Interlagos paddock in October 2006 he was a driver still at the top of his game, with plenty of driving left in him and, to the eyes of the distant observer, being sidelined against his will. “Any chance you could leave us the keys, Michael? It’s just we’ve got this Finnish bloke coming to have a look at your car…”

I for one am excited to see what Schumacher can do with this current generation of F1 machines. Should be good times all around, and with a little luck maybe Schumacher can help get Ferrari back to the top podium spot.

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Sunday morning news and notes.

It’s Sunday morning, so it must be time for some random ramblings, news, and notes.

Prayers for Massa
Each morning while I am enjoying my morning coffee I usually check out a number of sites including ESPN. Thanks to FOX [not really; that was said with venom] I do not get to see the Hungarian GP live. It should be starting within the hour. I was saddened to see that Ferrari’s Massa was in a massive accident.

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa underwent surgery on life-threatening skull injuries Saturday from a high-speed crash during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying. He was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a military hospital.

The accident happened when a loose part from another car hit Massa in the helmet, causing him to veer into a tire-lined barrier at about 120 mph. The front of his car was shredded, with both tires gone and the front nose open.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Massa.

Trophy patch for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Because gaming is better with trophies. From the examiner

LucasArts also quietly revealed that they are adding trophy support to the Playstation 3 version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Here is the confirmation from the official Twitter of LucasArts Games:

“Just confirmed to me: TFU on PS3 to get trophy support with the Sith Edition. Will find more out Monday (plane takes of in a few hours)”

And all of the IGN gamers rejoiced!

I did not purchase TFU because of all the mixed reviews. Metacritic has this one rated a shaky 71% (based on 47 reviews). The reviews area all over the map. When TFU was first released I thought it would have been a waste of money at $59.99, but now that the game is selling for $26.99, I think this one may provide some good clean fun. Too many game, not enough time.

When gaming nudity does not count.
I should have saved this one for T&A Thursday, but I could not resist posting now. joystiq has an article on Dragon Age: Origins. I do not really know much about the game, but I have seen a few hopeful posts that suggest that we will get to see simulated sex and breasteses in all their CG glory. Something like that. I followed the article’s ESRB link to get to this gem:

Though the game never features human nudity, one female demon character is briefly depicted with bare breasts.

LMAO.

Happy Sunday!

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FOX, thanks for taking my Nurburgring away.

Another F1 race, another FOX tape delay. These things suck. It is bad enough that FOX will not play the race until later this afternoon, but WTF is wrong with SPEED TV? I love how SPEED TV offers its own replay at 1PM this Wednesday. Seriously, whoever signed a deal for me not to be able to watch live F1 races can just F Off!

Looks like SPEED TV does not pick up a live race until Aug 23, the European Grand Prix.

Welcome to Sunday. Don’t let my grumpiness prevent you for having a good one. Happy Sunday!

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Sunday is sports day.

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there, strolling through the virtual goodness of the internet. What better way to kick off Sunday morning than a cup of coffee, and a hefty portion of Sunday sports.

U.S. vs. Egypt – Confederations Cup
Team USA takes on Egypt this afternoon in Confederations Cup action. Forget about the U.S. advancing to the next round and all that jazz. While it is mathematically possible for the U.S. to advance, I do not see Team USA clearing on goal differential; the U.S. is just not that creative, lacks a serious attacking striker. Besides, the defense will let us down at some point in the game with a boneheaded mistake.

At this point I just want to see Team USA not completely embarrass itself against Egypt. I known Italy and Brazil are the best of the best (FIFA #4 and #5 respectively as of June 3), but we should not be out of our league against top competition. Egypt is ranked #40, so this afternoon is a good chance to show if we are going make a decent recovery or if we just want to pack up and go home with our tails tucked between our legs.

Silverstone no more?
I thought watching the British GP this morning would be a nice Father’s Day treat, but no, Fox has to start their annual 3-4 mid season delayed broadcasts. In this day and age of “I want everything now” I really do not care much for trying to avoid results until after lunch, and then watching a race that ended several hours ago. Instead I will probably watch the IRL Iowa Car IndyCar 250 (I shit you not; that is the name), but back to F1. Silverstone seems to get no respect, at a delayed broadcast is a fitting end to this historic track.

Infineon – NASCAR style
It is always fun watching the circle boys race at Sonoma. Going into qualifying I would have picked Jeff Gordon, JPM, Kyle Bush, Sam Hornish Jr., and Tony Stewart – in that order. After qualifying, I think these guys have a decent shot, but it is just as likely the checker will go to someone else. Who? Not sure, but Gordon has not had much luck this year, Montoya is too far back, Bush will be too aggressive and make a mistake, and Stewart will not have a strong road race project. Of course Stewart has been defying such predictions all year.

I would love to see Montoya make the Chase, but I think this is almost a must win for Gordon. He needs more bonus points; one race victory is going to leave him as at disadvantage to everyone else in the Chase.

Going with hired gun Boris Said would be the easy pick for a Chase buster, so I am going to go back to Gordon, Stewart, and JPM.

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Who will Team USF1 race against?

OK, so now it is official. Next year there will be a US based F1 team.

Team principal Ken Anderson confirmed the plans when speaking to AUTOSPORT in the Monaco paddock. When asked if his team had lodged its entry, he said: “Yes we have. It’s Team US F1.”

The question that now begs to be answered – will Ferrari or any of the other mainstays continue in the circus? I have to think that all the bellyaching about the current regulations and a theoretical salary cap has to be just posturing by the top teams in order to gain more control from Max and Bernie.

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Monday morning sports quickie.

I guess I spoke too soon about UGA having any chance to win one for two from LSU. The Tigers quickly dispatched the Baseball Dawgs 16-0 (yes, not a mistake), and 3-2. I was trying to think of a way to make this sound respectable. Getting destroyed by the #3 team in the country, and eventual SEC Champion (LSU beat Vanderbilt in Sunday’s final) does not really help.

Jenson Button (Brawn) won a somewhat interesting Monaco Grand Prix; he was really never seriously challenged from the get to. To be fair, there is never a lot of passing at Monaco, but Massa tried to do his part to make things interesting, to no avail. Thanks to Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari finally managed its first podium spot of the 2009 season. Not sure if Ferrari was embarrassed to admit elation over a three-four finish, but I am sure there was much relief.

I know the Indy 500 was all about three time winner Helio Castroneves, but I thought the post race interview with Danica Patrick was telling. I have always thought she was sort of spoiled; at least that is what I have gathered from various articles and interviews. You would think she would have been happy with her career best (at Indy) third place finish, but it took her at least a minute and a half into the interview to say she was happy with third. Good grief.

Coca-Cola 600 moved to noon today due to rain.

Because everyone loves a quickie. Happy Memorial Day Monday!

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Greatest racing day of the year.

There are several events that I look forward to each year, and two of them happen to occur today: The Monaco Grand Prix, and the Indianapolis 500. If you throw in the Coca Cola 600, you have one hell of a day of racing. Something like 9 hours of back-to-back racing fun. Throw some good meat on the grill, pop open a can (or bottle) of two of some cold ones, and the makings are there for a wonderful racing day.

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Jenson takes Melbourne. Will Gordon finally finish first?

As I mentioned yesterday, I am getting much too old to try to do the late night (early morning) F1 races, so I did not get to see Button take first earlier today. I also missed both Ferraris failing to finish the race. I guess I will also settle for recaps for the next couple of races, and maybe then get excited.

Of course now I actually sort of have a jones to take out my PS3 F1 game; wonder if a new version has been released. I have been completely disconnected from video gaming for several months now, but I digress.

Gordon has the Martinsville pole, thanks to being in first in the points, and a nice little rainout of qualification. Hopefully he can break his 46 race winless streak.

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Getting too old for off-time F1 races.

Is it really time for the new F1 season to kick off in Australia tomorrow morning? Did Jenson Button really get the pole for the new Brawn/Honda/not sure what the team name actually is called?

These days I am just a casual F1 observer, and I am much too old to try to do the late night (or is it early morning) races. The first three races are 2AM, 5AM, and 3AM EST. Oh well, maybe I can get excited once the circus turns to Bahrain. 8AM is more my speed, even if it clashes with church.

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