IS There REALLY Gonna Be a Bahrain Grand Prix, Bernie? REALLY??

Ah, to race or not to race. I am not a political stake holder in this Formula One discussion, but I am a man of concern for safety. I would call it being a reasonable man. In a previous life, I became very familiar with the Sultanate of Bahrain. They seem to have a different way of looking at things in the world. If you are a fan of treating women as second or even third hand property, then spend a leisurely vacation there. You just might be in your element!

No, my argument is more with Mr. Ecclestone than it is with Bahrainian circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani. Perhaps I still wish to metaphorically carry the head of the perpetrator of the sham of a Formula One race conducted at Indianapolis in June of 2005. In each case, FOM will get their money, a motorsport event will take place, and the circus will depart, headed towards its next destination.

http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/world-class-formula-1-fiasco-at-indianapolis

Either way, there still remains something inherently wrong in supporting a motorsports event held in a land where the government openly kills its own citizens. My stance is not new, nor is it unshared. This philosophical argument just begins to cover the proverbial tip of the iceberg of concerns for this week’s running of Formula One at Bahrain. Security must be at the top of the list of things to worry team managers about, let alone wondering about bringing enough spares to the track.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/6752821/Bahrain-F1-race-no-gamble-says-circuit-boss

I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that a few days ago, Mr. Ecclestone proclaimed all to be well and said that “there were no issues or concerns about Bahrain”.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98751

One finds it really kind of sad because I would imagine that if you would ask any of the drivers in F-1 about Bahrain, to a man they would just admit to wanting to race. The “in your genes” kind of thing where they just race…..

Briefly and finally, concluding notes on the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix. The IZOD InduCar Series entertainment factor seems to have jumped up a bit more, even after the thrilling events at Barber. I mean, St. Pete was a pretty tasteful opener, with the confirmation that Lotus cars are a bit piggy. Fast forward to Hinchcliffe’s grenade situation at a test that resulted in “Shev-Row Lay” changing out all of the bow tie badged engines in the field. Now, give them the mandated 10 spot grid penalty and watch the Hondas kick butt. Watch the Hondas kick butt. Watch the….WTF?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qk57vVz9i6A

By far the best coverage of the ensuing drama, high jinks and outright butt whipping put on by Chevrolet is handled by the esteemed Pressdog. What unfolded at Long Beach was a wakeup call issued to Honda for the upcoming Indianapolis 500, where they have been prominent for possibly so long that it makes them too comfortable. Enjoy the unique presentation that is Pressdog here:

http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/04/notes-taken-during-the-2012-indycar-race-in-long-beach.html

Lastly, it was very interesting to spend short but quality time with the following local bloggers doing some bench racing. These fine gents are always available on twitter and you should spend quality time following them as well. They are prolific writers! Snag these twitter handles and add them.
@indycaradvocate
@stevewittich
@Erock_in_Indy
@newtrackrecord

That’s my take for this week in open wheel racing. Nice to be working a day gig for a change, but also good to get back onto the blogging saddle. Talk to you next time!

GForcePaul