A Christmas List

Charles Dressing gives us his Christmas list at ALMS.com.  It got me thinking of my Christmas list:

1 - confirmation that the new ALMS/GrandAm merger will embrace the technologies that make Le Mans prototypes so much fun.
2 - IndyCar to start opening up their rules as was the original plan with the new 2012 cars.
3 - SCX Slot car - 2007 Laguna Seca corvette Jake #3.  I have the #4 but the yellow nosed #3 is next to impossible to find.
4 - Wheels & axles for my collection of 1:32 Corvette bodies.
5 - an interesting web article or commentary that includes F1, Sports Cars, and slot cars.

Thanks Chuck! I can cross #5 off my list!

Right Down The Middle

It took Sauber 2 years to make this.  You need to take 5 minutes and watch this.

of F1, Renault, & Taking One For The Team

I have no idea what is happening in F1 with Renault and Piquet. Sounds like he was told to take one for the team in Singapore last year, now he's fired, and taking Renault down with him. With that kind of ghost in the closet you think they'd have hung onto Piquet just a few months longer. Instead they decided to embarrass him with a midseason firing.

My take. F1 and many forms of motorsport are indeed team sports. In team sports people come off the bench and commit fouls to stop the clock, pitch at the batter, and yes drive into the wall. It looks like this is what happened.

Regarding Bernie's comments about this pushing Renault out of the series. Why should the FIA care? Renault is gone soon anyway. Comments like this do not help the FIA's appearance. They are often accused of looking a blind eye at rules when it involves their favorite teams. If the FIA is going to do nothing they should do and say just that - nothing. If the FIA doesn't like that kind of behavior they should deal with it harshly when it happens, not 2/3 through the next season.

Mosley: Peace In Our Time

Mosley Announces Peace...

2010 Grid Confirmed...

FOTA stops new series...

FOTA reportedly gets what they demanded. FOTA teams must call off the breakaway series and commit to F1 until 2012. The FIA agreed to accept FOTA's demands and there has been agreement to get back to 1990s spending levels. Details of how that will be done are not yet available. It was these details that caused the rhubarb in the first place, so this will be interesting to see. Despite Max's announced plans to run again for FIA/WMSC president in order to "save" F1; it turns out that the saving move might be his agreement to go quietly into the night at the end of this term.

My take:
Mosley gets to announce that he preserved the peace while the team owners rise in power. The new president, who ever that is, will be beholden to FOTA. The current and future team owners have made it clear that they will race high tech cars against other members of this exclusive club, by their rules, no matter what the series is called.

Whether under the banner of FOTA or not, F1's top teams have threatened this before - as they should - they will do this again. FOTA is stronger. 2012 is not too far away to start laying the groundwork for a series laying in wait.

It looks like 2010's grid with 26 cars is a throwback to early 1990s CART: high car count, several manufactures, a mix of chassis and engine combinations. This could be good.

I had hoped that this threatened split would lead to a true merger of the world's open wheel formulae. With the promise of reduced costs with in two years, is there a chance? Hey. I can dream.

The New Open Wheel Split

FOTA is announcing that it is setting up a new Formula 1 alternative. They have threatened this before, but the threats were years out and the FIA had given concessions. This time it just might happen. WOW! Tony George needs to call FOTA now and come up with a common formula. 2011 with two series under one formula would be too unbelievable. FOTA teams to launch breakaway series It will never happen. (The Indy/FOTA formula - that is.)