Mid-Week Round-up 11/06/08
Lots of things have happened in the high-octane (couldn't resist) world of motor-sport over the last few days, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to write about it as I've been a bit busy. So here are some snippets of what has been going on:
Formula 1
Robert Kubica won his first Grand Prix at Montreal in Canada. Lewis Hamilton made a bit of a tit of himself by driving into Raikkonen, who was waiting behind a red light at the end of the pit lane. I don't think Ayrton was watching over him then, do you? Massa ignored the adage of overtaking with pit stops and just took two cars in one great, scrappy move at the hairpin. The BMW team are probably still drunk.
MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa won the Catalan Grand Prix by a country mile. Rossi held off current champ Casey Stoner for second. Plus, Britain's James Toseland (imagine Murray Walker's voice reading this) brought his bike home for a sterling sixth place, despite not having rode on the Barcelona track before.
Rallying
Citroen's Sebastien Loeb (the scruffy one, remember?) is leading the World Rally championship by one point from Finland's Mikko Hirvonen after seven rounds. The next rally will be held in Turkey, starting on the 13th of this month. I must apologise for not writing much about rallying at the moment, I intend to correct this asap.
Sportscars
Le Mans is ready to get going this weekend with Audi looking to take a third win for their R10 sports car. We will also be treated to the sight of a whole host of ex-F1 drivers taking part, including Jacques Villeneuve. Qualifying will be getting under way today this lunchtime.
Landrovers!
I found out about the Land Rover G4 Challenge event the other day. Things are still in the preliminary stages, but it looks to be a really interesting event. 4x4's being used for their real purpose: going off-road and covering terrain that an ordinary vehicle can't. Not driving two spoilt kids to school (although to be fair, Land Rovers are usually used by farmers for real work on the land, unlike the Porsche Cayenne). I'll be writing more about this event later.
There, conscience clean.
Disgusting, that sort of thing, you know?
Think of Monty Python's Graham Chapman dressed up as an army major, complaining about anything that doesn't seem to match his regimented ideals. Daft, isn't it? So funny to watch. This kind of person doesn't exist anymore, he's straight out of another age. We are more open minded and tolerant these days, aren't we?
Er, no.
Unfortunately the traditional stuffed shirt still exists and he and his pals are of course firmly ensconced in positions of power. This week, Citroen Rally Champ Sebastien Loeb fell foul of the Rallying authorities simply because he hasn't had a haircut for a while. The head of the WRC commission, Morrie Chandler and Surinder Thatthi, chairman of the Confederation of African Countries in Motorsport, have both condemned his 'scruffy' appearance. Thatthi was upset that Loeb was "Unshaven, scruffy looking and with unkept hair". Chandler goes as far as saying that sportsmen such as Loeb, "...are an insult to real males."
In Loeb's defence I defy even a 'real male' to emerge from driving a rally for several days looking anything other than unshaven, scruffy looking and with unkept hair! Unless of course the driver keeps a hairbrush, eyeliner and a bit of lippy in his handbag by the side of him at all times...
I leave you now with a picture of a real man, Mr Chandler. A man that even Australians would admire. May I introduce the chain smoking, lady chasing, hard drinking, long haired, scruffy looking, F1 Championship winning, Mr James Hunt!
