Haas is.......

Carl Haas, and Gene Haas are unrelated. Carl Haas ran Newman-Haas Indy, Lola-Haas F1 (Beatrice Ford), Nascar etc..He is a vehicle importer, and industry conglomerate. He is no longer involved in any racing teams I believe. He is probably in his 80's by now...

Gene Haas is bidding for the F1 team. Gene Haas owns Haas CNC Automation in California. A very wealthy and intelligent manufacturing entrepreneur. He currently runs the Haas-Stewart NASCAR team. I am sure he has the technical and business background to get started on the team, at least bringing some NASCAR experience with him.

 

I am not quite sure that NASCAR experience has any relevance in F1 !

If it had been experience in a top single-seater series like Indy, GP2, I may see the benefit, but NASCAR ...

 

Corporate raiders KKR took over Beatrice in 1985 and killed the sponsorship, which was all the backing for the F1 effort. The team carried on through 1986 looking for sponsorship and we actually had Foster's for a week during November until Ford (Kranefuss, to be exact) pulled the plug on the engine supply in favor of Benetton... I'll let you figure out how that one worked. Bernie bought the assets from Carl, and it was game over.

 

The aero trickery that NASCAR engineers have up their sleeves is quite amazing. They work with a tight rules package, yet still find ways to make one guys car go quicker than some one else's.

 

I like Branson but I reckon he is tighter than cramp where money is concerned, I agree with your overall assessment though.

 

Me like that.

 

Gene Haas writes…

Gene Haas writes? « Sniff Petrol

Seems legit..

 

Is it wrong that I read this in the most hillbilly esque accent I can muster?

Probably the very best thing Sniff has ever written

 

He's either incredibly arrogant or completely delusional.

Attempting to do what he plans with a very, very healthy budget would be almost impossible. Having his plan and wanting to do it 'on the cheap' because for some reason you have deluded yourself into thinking the huge companies that have entered the sport and failed didn't work smart, nor spend smart will become farcical, I fear.

The interview regarding his entry on Youtube is cringeworthy in its naivety.

 

I'm guessing you don't pay much attention to NASCAR. True, Indycar is the top single seat series in the United States, but only a handful of people can even name the second best single seat series in the U.S. Indycar boils down to spec racing and not very good spec racing at that.

NASCAR, on the other hand, is quite sophisticated these days; WAY more sophisticated than Indycar. You may pooh-pooh it, but when it comes to talent NASCAR has it all over Indycar both in engineering/design talent and driver talent. Hint: Follow the money.

Some of those NASCAR guys know a thing or two about making power, optimizing aerodynamics, and innovative rule interpretation as well. Some of them also know how to organize and run a successful team in the face of fierce competition.

Of course, that's not to say this venture will even hit the track, much less succeed. But if I had to bet, I'd say a NASCAR based American effort has the better chance of getting a foot in the door of the world of F-1

 

very funny!

 

Sniff Petrol is about as funny as a root canal.

 

+1

Pile on the stereotypes

 

Hilarious!

 

This is where you get it wrong; I don't pooh-pooh NASCAR.
It's a successful series in its own right.

I just think it is completely alien to single seater and therefore the experience acquired there isn't very relevant in F1.

I must say that the opposite is also true; many a single-seater driver has been completely at loss on the big ovals.

 

+1 I find myself with no facial change or expressive emotion when I read Sniff Petrol. It seems like a little boy is thinking himself funny. It's a grueling read, and a big waste of cyber space.

 

Frankly I am appalled, but not surprised, by the ignorance and lack of support for a US based F1 effort.

 

I didn't sense any arrogance, just good old American optimism. He noted several times that it would be a partnership, just one lead by an American sensibility. I think that would be a good thing for F1.

Cheers,

George

 

I think the only way a US F1 Team can be a success is if it is based in Northamptonshire/Oxfordshire in the the UK. I think that is where Toyota went wrong.

 

Agreed. There will have to be a European base of some sort with the majority of testing
and engineering talent based in Europe or within a couple of hours fly time away.

Dallara has produced some interesting cars over the years and have F-1 experience so
it isn't such a far reach but the time it is going to take to bring a brand new team up to
speed is what they'll quickly learn will be their greatest challenge.

A lot of F-1 engineers have come over the pond to work in NASCAR, this is true. And, from
a technical stand point, they are two completely opposite disciplines. Let's see how it
all works out keeping in mind that Red Bull, a soft drinks company, has spent its way into
four consecutive World Championships.

BHW

 

A F1 teamed based in the USA is doomed to fail. Period.

 

When was the last time an F1 team didn't spend their way to a world championship?

 

There are many examples where the team that spends the most doesn't actually win the championship. Having the right people is the most important aspect. The fact is that often the right people cost a lot!

 

Alternatively, when was the last time a team won the championship on the cheap built from the ground up?

If Haas thinks he has an advantage because he thinks teams have failed in this sport because they didn't work smart or try to spend smart, he's failed before he's even begun. Teams have failed because its incredibly difficult to win, not because they were reckless and didn't employ talented people.