Virgin on the ridiculous
The soap opera that surrounds the ex-Honda Formula One team continues as the first Grand Prix of the season approaches. Several questions seem to just float in the air without any resolution. Will they, or won't they get there? Who will buy the team? Is the car any good after all?
Well one question has been answered. There is no buyer. Forget David Richards and forget Richard Branson's recent posturing about Virgin acquiring the team. Honda's president Takeo Fukui has gone on record to say that they have not found a buyer. According to the BBC website, the deadline for finding a new owner is this week.
Bernie Ecclestone, talking through the medium that is the News of the World, has said that he offered to help Nick Fry and Ross Brawn undertake a management buy-out. His help was refused and now Mr Ecclestone has positioned himself as the genial benefactor concerned only with doing the right thing, in order to make Fry and Brawn look ungrateful and misguided. However, the pair are not daft.
If they had allowed Ecclestone to help them in the buyout, this would have given him access to FOTA and their private meetings. Once there, he could set several cats among the pidgeons and rip their unity to shreds. In the short term, it means that the old Honda team looks increasingly doomed, yet for the long term Fry and Brawn may have helped saved the sport...
MotoGP Preview
Thanks to current economic crisis, Grand Prix Motorcycling is having to make big changes to cut costs and keep the racing competitive. While it is not the only racing series that finds itself having to face the harsh reality of a world that is going into financial meltdown, things are a bit more desperate for the premier motorbike series as the withdrawal of Kawasaki has left the MotoGP class under-subscribed. As a result, there may be only fourteen bikes on the grid this year, unless a private team is willing to enter.
Times are tough indeed. Compare that with the 1979 British Grand Prix where there were around forty riders ready to take the start. Additionally, look out for a young Randy Mamola and the long haired Graziano Rossi (Valentino's father) on the first row, himself a Grand Prix winner and no mean rider.
The real worry for Dorna, the series promoter and organiser, is that if more teams drop out then the championship will no longer be considered one by the FIM regulations and they will only be able to call it a cup competition. Motorcycle World Cup anyone?
Runners and Riders
125cc: The smallest bikes are always fun to watch and are very competitive. Although the make-up of the championship is starting to look a bit odd, with half the field made up of men aged 18-25 and the rest by er, children. Marc Marquez, Jonas Folger and last years British Grand Prix winner, Scott Redding aren't even old enough to take their GCSE's yet! Last years championship winner, Mike DeMeglo, has moved up to the 250cc class, leaving the rest to fight for scrabble over his vacant spot at the top. From reading all the all pre season build-up, it is difficult to tell who will be his successor, but last years runner-up Simone Corsi will probably be in a position to do so.
250cc: Probably THE championship to win this year, as it is the last 250cc world championship to be run. Next year will see the introduction of the 600cc Moto2 class, an extension of Dorna's quest to turn the other World Championships simply into nurseries for the MotoGP class. Marco Simoncelli and the Metis Gilera team will be attempting a defence of their 2008 title from the Aprillia and KTM teams. Aspar's Alvaro Bautista (rumoured to be courted by the Honda MotoGP team) will now be aiming to go one better than his runner up spot last year. It is also the last year that the KTM's will be competing, as they have made it clear that they have no wish to take part in the Moto2 Championship.
MotoGP: The new season asks many questions. Will Casey Stoner and Ducati enjoy a resurgence and reclaim the title they won in 2007? Or, will Valentino Rossi master the Australian like he did last year? Will Nicky Hayden manage to tame the Ducati, unlike Marco Melandri who failed in the task. Will Kawasaki make it to the grid in some form or another? All these questions and more wait to be answered over the course of the season.
Britain's own James Toseland is currently at home recovering from a 125mph high-side crash at Sepang last week. The double World Superbike Champion had a tough first season last year, yet put in several impressive point scoring rides, most notably his epic battle with Rossi at Phillip Island. Let's hope he goes even better this year. As for the man himself, Valentino Rossi, looks like he will be able to put up a strong defence of his title even if he is recovering from a bizarre curtain-pulling injury.
2006 World Champ Nicky Hayden joins Ducati this year to partner his 2007 successor Casey Stoner (now there's a man looking to best Rossi). Whether or not the American is able to tame the Italian steed more successfully than Marco Melandri remains to be seen, but I have a feeling that Hayden will get more of this season than he has done playing second fiddle to Pedrosa at Honda.
Problems on the horizon?
As I have already said, Grand Prix Motorcycling is not in the the rudest of health at the moment. This is largely due to the times we live in, but Dorna's constant tinkering does not help either. Instead of playing to it's strengths, seems to want to emulate Formula One, a role model that definitely should not be followed least of all now! The replacing of the 250's with Moto2 have caused some controversy. Why not keep the 250's and run the Moto2 championship as well? Or have 125cc, 400cc, 600cc and MotoGP championships, reflecting the type of bikes sold in the shops. Either way, it gives the paying crowd real value for money and takes away the onus on the other championships being just a feeder for the top class.
Well, that's about as much as I can write without all of you switching off your computer, so here's to a season full of close racing and may the best rider win!
F1 Preview 2009
Well, there's not much going on Motorsport-wise at the moment, so here is the first of several previews for the forthcoming season. Rallying, MotoGP, Le Mans series, Superbikes; you name it, I'll do a 'short and informative' preview for it. So what better series to start with than the most overblown and pretentious motorsport series in the known universe: Formula 1!
Yes, 2009 sees the 59th season of the Bernie and Max show...sorry, Formula One motor racing, taking place on the Hermann Tilke designed or modified racetracks of the world. So what do we have to look forward to this year? For starters, the first time since 1997, we have a reigning British World Champion in Lewis Hamilton, plus slick tyres are back and aerodynamic 'widgets' have been banned. Looking to the future, we also have the prospect of proper racing returning with the banning of refuelling for 2010.
Change for the better?
At the time of writing, we have seen the new Renault, Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, Williams and McLaren cars. With the exception of the frankly ugly Renault and BMW, the other machines look good (apart from the funny rear wing). The Ferrari, in my opinion, is a bit of a stunner. However, looks aren't everything and it may perform to a lesser pedigree than it's beauty would suggest. After all, last years Ferrari had reliability problems aplenty and no car is any use parked at the side of the track.
Team round-up
Fernando Alonso will be hoping that the new Renault will perform significantly better than last season. Despite taking two wins in Singapore and Fuji at the end of the season, the French car was not anywhere near a match for the Ferrari and McLaren in terms of performance. Nelson Piquet will just be grateful if he has a better season than last year.
Fortunately Sebastien Bordais will keep his seat this year, having earnt his place enduring a tough 2008 (he should learn to pull over for Ferrari's at all times!) . The Frenchman had a lot of bad luck last year, but still managed to perform well, most notably at Monza. If he keeps his place, he will be joined by Sebastien Buemi (Does Red Bull love that name or what?), a 20 year old Swiss GP2 driver who had previously tested for Toro Rosso's sister team. Whether or not Buemi will set the F1 world on fire in the way his predecessor, Vettel, did is another matter entirely. It seems that at the moment F1 bosses believe that the younger a driver is, the better he will be (completely overlooking the fact that Schumacher was 37 in 2006 and still the best driver on the track).
Talking of Vettel, it remains to be seen as to wether Red Bull will deliver this year, despite having Adrian Newey as their designer. Last year's car wasn't a world beater by any stretch of the imagination and if Mark Webbers broken leg doesn't heal in time, their problems could get worse.
On the way out?
We are still waiting to see whether someone will buy the Honda team, but as the weeks go by the situation seems to get worse for the Brackley outfit. David Richards now appears to be uninterested in buying the team and there has been no solid interest from anyone else. What happens next is anyone's guess.
Toyota appears to have launched their car with a 'make or break' ethos this year. Team boss John Howett speech at the launch of his teams new car was worded in a way that pointed to this year being the year that the team had to justify it's continuing existence.
At the other end of the spectrum, McLaren start the year on the best footing that anyone could hope for, fielding the current world champion and benefiting from a stable team line-up, the only major change being Ron Dennis stepping down as team boss. Ferrari are continuing with the same driver line-up this year, hoping that Raikkonen, F1's highest paid driver, will erupt into championship winning form. These guys need a return on their massive investment and last year the Finn didn't exactly justify his pay. Massa will be trying to take the championship that he just missed out on last year, but I have a feeling it may have been his last chance unless he moves to another competitive team.
Tracks new and old
Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well, we have another new Grand Prix to go to, this time in Abu Dhabi. I have a horrible feeling that it will be another made-for-VIP affair with a luxury paddock and pits, distracting from the unnecessarily tight and twisty nature of the track. On the other hand, it could be a modern classic like Istanbul.
On the up side, the appallingly boring Mount Fuji has been 'kicked to the kerb' and Suzuka is back! Thankfully, the powers that be have granted us the pleasure of seeing F1 cars racing on one of the worlds greatest racetracks once more. Now, how about a few more decent tracks? Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch, the new Circuito Potrero de los Funes in Argentina and Imola are all demanding circuits that deserve a Grand Prix. Unfortunately, circuit owners such as Brand's Jonathan Palmer cannot offer the money that a Shiek can, so such tracks will be overlooked in Bernie and CVC's quest for dollars.
So that's your lot for now. MotoGP preview coming up next!