So far.... F1- in free-fall (standard engines, teams pulling out, etc) LeMans-Audi pulls LMS program, Porsche may or may not run RS Spyders, etc. NASCAR- Big 3 going belly up, sponsors harder to find, probably thin fields (in addition to bad racing with the COT) Indy-Who knows. always a car-count mystery. awful TV package. Helio probably in jail by the 500. Is 2009 going to be a "lost year" for racing? Are there bright spots out there I'm missing?
As long as there are boys with toys they will race, thing's have got out of perspective IMO, same as house prices here, got to high, same with F1, it will be back it's taking a rain check, just wish PornoMax would whip himself out of F1, and Bernie give a bit back of what he has pulled out of F1. Don't much care for the rest sorry.
Racing will survive, even if it means receding to a level at which it can subsist. I'm sure things will look different in '09, but we'll just call it a re-building year.
What utter nonsense! F1 is doing just fine. Honda resigned from the sport where they never were a force to be reckoned with and where they made no money and had no sponsors. If anything I was surprised they hung in there for so long. And in all likelihood the team will be bought up and come to the inaugural race under a different name. Remember it was BAR before it was Honda? Of the 10 teams in F1 so far 1 left and 7 have confirmed their 2009 engagement. Only Renault and Force India haven't made any public announcements, but probably don't feel the need to: Renault is participating in the tests in Jerez and Force India has just made a new engine deal with Mercedes. F1 rules change all the time. The spec engines for teams who want them won't come until 2010. And when they come, they will lead us back to the golden age of the seventies where the garagistes all had Cossies. Nothing wrong with that, quite the opposite. Find another sport to tarnish! 2009 will see amazing racing in F1 with more passing because of the slicks and the reduced aero downforce. Also there will be drama with KERS systems malfunctioning and there will be passing with push to pass buttons. The championship will be a three way battle between Alonso, Hami and Massa. And with a bit of luck even the Iceman will like the car and challenge for the lead. We will see new drivers and a new track. If anything 2009 will be a stellar year for F1.
Miss Lauper she drove all night, I kept telling her Time after Time, but she just wanted to have fun.. Er sorry I digress..
Well I'm glad about that Andreas and I like your out-look really.. now is it Silverstone for me, as it's the last race there, or SPA. And don't say Spain, I want something different, although I do like a bit of sun.
My compatriot Lauper is right. Money changed everything. In 1970. People are acting as if a team's disappearance or new engine regulations is a new thing. It isn't. It happened all the time. F1 is a snake that changes its skin from time to time for a variety of reasons. Could be money (spec cossies), safety, technical development (KERS) or entertainment (slicks).
F1 is not without blame and the controversy over the move of races out of Europe into Asia is a major point of aggravation. But that has nothing to do with the financial crisis. It has everything to do with a greedy dwarf. Everybody could be making lots of money with races in Europe and he'd still go to Asia to find a higher bidder. If anything, the financial crisis might reign in some of the Middle and Far East governments. That'd be a good thing actually.
Yep, I'm pi$$ed off Honda have left I don't hide the fact, but it showed to me it takes more than money, and more than RB, although I feel it a shame as I really thought they would have been in with a shot of a few podiums next year, however your right, shedding it's skin doesn't look nice at the time but there again its new again.
A few things... 1) No way will Massa be a contender in 2009. He will retake his rightful place - as the #2 driver. 2) There will be a big shuffling of positions I think - the cars are all new. Who knows who will be quick? We may be surprised! 3) Yes, Honda was BAR before it was Honda, but it still had Honda money behind it when it was BAR, and Honda were always eager to have it be Honda, rather than just sponsored by them... I think you may be downplaying the seriousness of Honda leaving. 4) Yes, many teams have committed to 09, but things change. Remember how committed Spyker was? And remember how Midland told us they were committed to long-term success in F1? And remember how Super Aguri said they were there for the long haul? And remember how Arrows said they were there to stay? Things change and no team is going to say they are re-evaluating F1. They will just quit. Why give notice and alert sponsors to stop paying you and drivers to start looking and employees to start looking? 5) I am with you - I am relieved/happy about the engine rules coming. I like cosworth powerplants being available. It used to be that Cosworth were willing to supply engines, but they were never quite as good as the factory engines. Now, with mandated equality, they will be. IMO it's really no different than before... Cosworth used to supply engines, even though they themselves were not an F1 team at the time - Williams and others used to used Cosworth engines. So what is different in 09 than was in 08? I dont get the anger of some... engine output was limited in 08, so in 09 it's just the same deal, except with an additional engine option that didnt exist before. Trannies are probably no big deal, since that company made most of the F1 grid's trannies anyway. 6) I think things could get really ugly for F1. The car OEM's are seeing huge (like 50% or more) reductions in sales. Their bills will go down and they can do layoffs, but they will have capital expenses, equipment, facilities, contracts for raw materials - that cannot be layed off. And if your costs go down 20% but your revenues drop 50%, suddenly you go from a 20% net profit to a 40% net loss (or worse). It won't take too many months of losing several hundred million euros before many of these teams decide to pack up and leave. I will be surprised if Renault and Toyota are still in F1 2 years from now. I think BMW and MB will stay but I wouldn't even be surprised if they left too. I doubt Force India will make it through the 09 season, and I wouldn't be surprised if Red Bull is gone within 2 years also. Furthermore, the teams that will be taking over Honda and STR - those aren't likely to be big manufacturer teams, so their tenure in F1 would be precarious and short-lived, most likely. IMO it's a really big and potentially devastating situation for F1. CVC is losing money hand over first, and while it's true that if F1 went bankrupt, someone would obtain the asset and keep it going - who knows in what form, and whether the major teams would stick with it. If the sponsorship money dries up, it makes it even more important for the teams to get that TV money. And right now CVC just doesn't have the $$ to pay it and it will only be worse in 09, IMO.
There is always WRC folks, the field may not be as diverse as it once was but the action is still top notch and some great new talents coming through. Loeb is nigh on invincible but Mikko has found extra speed and consitency, Latvala is blindingly fast when he keeps it on the road and Sordo just keeps getting better. Add to that further development in the Subaru package and the possible return of Gronholm and they could be challengers. Add to this the Subaru B team and the field is quite deep. As for F1, it may turn out ok but at the moment I have lost all enthusiasm for the sport. Come Melbourne that will all change no doubt.
Nissan was told they could forget the Detroit and Chicago Auto Shows (even though they had new models). A miniscule portent perhaps but I'm watching Renault.
The Rolex series is great racing. The 24 Hours of Daytona and Watkins Glen are the races I usually attend and it is, by far, a better value for the dollar than anything else. All the support races, drivers accessability and track events make this a good time. No problems with attitude from drivers or team owners. They are truly grateful for the fans, unlike most series.
Where is TifosiRon when I need him? Seriously, I think Massa will challenge once again for the title. Simply because he sits in the best car and can be fast when starting out in front and there is no rain. I'm not saying he will get the title, but I'm sure he'll be a real contender. Nothing engine wise. The spec engine deals is for 2010. 2009 will bring KERS, slick tires and reduced aero, but no changes to the current engine rules. I don't. By next summer we will be done with the recession and things will improve for the 2nd half of 2009. Whatever sponsor deals are in place now, will probably hold and carry the teams through to 2010, when F1 racing will become less expensive. Today Mosley met with FOTA in Monaco to discuss money saving for 2009. That might help as well.
