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weekend round up – 6 March 2011 #NASCAR #F1

#NASCAR – Well there’s still life in the old dog yet as MM grabs his 49th career Nationwide win and extend his lead for the highest number of wins in that class. It would have been nice to see him win again on Sunday, but never mind. I was also pleased to see a cup race finish under green for once rather than a succession of cautions.

#F1 – Fingers crossed for JYS to recover from whatver ailed him on his flight back to the UK. I was never a fan, but have always had the greatest respect and admiration for the bloke., and motor sport needs elder statesmen like him.

Bernie managed to get F1 into the headlines to make up for the missing Bahrain GP. A bloody stupid idea (akin to the competition caution that NASCAR love and I deride here as much as I can be bothered to), but it made sure that the press had some column inches to fill. If we are going to go down that route then why don’t we just make all the races virtual ones? Turn up on Saturday and draw lots to determine the grid and do that again on Sunday to sort out the result. Instand cost savings all round.

weekend round up 20th February 2011 #NASCAR #F1

#NASCAR – Really great to see the Wood Brothers having something to celebrate once again and well done to young Trevor for holding his nerve on that last lap. Once again though, why is it that NASCAR’s finest can’t drive round without wrecking? A record number of cautions the man said last night. You’ve read my thoughts here; park ’em for the next race if they wreck someone (and why not just park the#18 every third race just for the sake of it – he’d probably deserve it anyway). Well done also last night to the Double M in the #5 – coming back from the big one and two laps down. That, and seeing the #21 in victory lane again, cheered me up a bit. It’s been a long winter, but we’re racing again.

#F1 – This isn’t the place for politics (I write about those elsewhere), but the middle east situation is changing before our eyes. The unrest in Bahrain could result in a bloodbath if the GP goes ahead as scheduled and no-one wants to see that happen. To at least postpone it would make sense.

mid week musings 17th February 2011 #F1 #NASCAR

#F1 – So Renault confirm Nick Heidfeld until Robert Kubica is fit again. As I said here the other week, I would have liked to have seen Nico Hulkenberg get the drive, but I understand the team’s concerns about his lack of experience and Heidfeld deserves to be in F1, so I’m pleased to see him in a competitive car and hope that he gets that maiden win somewhere along the way.

Will he get the chance in Bahrain though? Is there any point in running the race in the current climate? Motor sport has tended to go with it regardless in the past, but we’ll have to wait and see what they decide to do. Last year’s race there was such a bore that I don’t think I will miss it if they do call it off.

#NASCAR – Shame that Junior will have to go to the back of the pack after his practice wreck. He can still win it from there, unlike in F1, but it does make life harder. Looking forward to the action starting later today.

#Robert Kubica

Sad to hear that the Flying Pole may be out for much of the season, but these things happen.

One of the things I think is great about this guy is that he is a bit of a throwback to the days of my youth when F1 drivers competed in all sorts of racing. Jackie Stewart was not fully fit for much of 1968 after breaking his wrist in an F2 race and, maybe, this cost him a first world title, so there are precedents.

A shame about Robert though, because I had a feeling that he might have been on the verge of shaking up the 5 world champions this year and racking up a few wins. Still, maybe the door will open for one of the desrving young pretenders to take his seat for part of the season; The Incredible Hulk springs to mind….

Wishing RK a speedy recovery anyway.

Weekend round up 29 January 2011 #F1 #NASCAR #speedweeks

#NASCAR. Not long now before we get the season rolling, but what have they done to the points? Seems a remarkably pointless (pun intended) revision and I can’t really see much in the way of benefit. All it seems destined to do is to make it very crowded with lots of people on the same totals. Oh well, I doubt that it will change the spectacle.

#Speedweeks. Good to get the racing year under way with the Rolex 24 (or Daytona Continental as I still think of it). Sports car racing doesn’t appeal to me that much these days, but news of racing having started up at Daytona always makes it feel like the season has started and we’re back in business. Shame that they’ve spend three hours or so under caution due to fog. Spoils it all a bit.

#F1. Nice to see Paul Di Resta rewarded with an F1 drive and I hope that he does well. I’m always pleased to see talent getting a chace over chequebook. Less impressed with commentary team changes at the BBC though, but I always turn the sound down when I watch anyway. Maybe with all the clever tricks we’ll be able to keep the track sound and lose the commentary one day.

I’ll be a bit sad if F1 loses the Australian GP but, if Melbourne don’t want it anymore, it could go back to Adelaide. The Antipodes have provided motor sport with some great drivers and cars, so I’d like to see them stay in F1.