2014 Canadian Grand Prix...what a weekend!

So its been since IndyCar's Mid-Ohio race last year since I posted anything on this blog....for this I am ashamed but must admit life gets in the way...
     While I have time this morning enjoying the beautiful sunshine on this the 10th day of June 2014, I've decided to resurrect this blog after spending the past weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix. the 2014 edition was my 6th time attending the wonderful event. It is my vacation; my Disney Land, my Spring Break , my whatever it is people do to escape the realities of everyday life. Since 2008 (bar 2009...ugh) I have looked forward to this weekend from begining of May. But this year was different. Although I was excited just to go the wonderful Ile Notre-Dame, this year I was uber excited because we have new technology in Formula 1 and a new engine/Power Unit! For the first time since 2006, the engine formula has changed. Gone were the screaming 2.4L V8 natrualy aspirated engines, hello 1.6L V6 Turbo Hybrid! Now, you may say "why are you excited for these new um, sorry little excuses of engines? Havent you heard the sound on TV they sound like Dyson's! My mini van has a bigger engine?" You want to know why? First off, its relevant to the 21st century, second of all it leaves a lot of room for innovation that could lead to better road car motors. third , have you seen the race in Bahrain? And finally, because numbers don't lie: 560HP from the combustion engine and 160+ HP from the electric hybrid system. Some claim the Mercedes Power Unit has 900HP potential. are you kidding me?! 900HP from a little 1.6L V6? But I digress...
   Now, my intetion for this post is to just sum up my experience at the GP, I wont talk about the race its self. for this I refer you to my podcast webpage at www.formulathoughts.com and click on the audio files where you will find my reaction to a few of the things I witnessed and experienced whilst there. I also have a really kick ass interview with a bunch of Hamilton fans.

I guess in the end I had the last laugh...haha

Also keep an eye open in the next week or so for the proper Formula Thoughts Podcast where Aaron, Joe and myself will dissect the GP and review the action. In the mean time check out www.pitstopradio.com and listen to the wonderful Sarah host a complete debrief of the action along with Sam, Jack and myself.
   This post is going to be about the importance of the GP to Montreal, Quebec , Canada and the entire Formula 1 organisation.
   The Canadian GP has been signed for 10 more years a nearly 200 million dollar deal which will see the Canadian Grand Prix remain a classic and favorite on the F1 Calendar.

Beautiful shot of the circuit I took during the Formula 1600 practice

From a economic point of view, the GP brings in so much revenue to small businesses in Montreal like bars, shops motels corner stores etc. This expands to a wider area once people start travelling to and from Montreal. Living in Kingston, I need to travel the 401 highway east to Montreal, along the way you find many On Route rest stops. I guarantee you they see an influx of business without even realizing why. I'm sure they figure out once they see many people dressed up in F1 fan apparel and either sun burned dirty and with a large smile on their face. But the the point I'm making is the GP affects the entire country not only financially but culturally. The GP brings the world Canada for 3 days where Canada is the talk of the town. The race itself is always one of the most entertaining on the calendar with this year being no different (WATCH IT) The drivers themselves love to come here not only because of the nature of the circuit but because we embrace the sport, the fans are knowledgeable we give a damn about them. You can talk to just about anyone there about the sport in general and you will get smart informed answers - its embedded in the city! To echo Mayor Denis Coderre in the Montreal Gazette "the Canadian Grand Prix is part of Montreal's DNA". And I will go farther and say it is part of Canada's DNA. The fact that three tiers of the government has invested millions for this 10 year deal just shows the value of this event. Picture the Olympics coming to Canada every year, this is what the GP does. In 2009 when the we lost the GP was devestating to the city, thats 75 million dollars not entering the country. That's a lot of cash. This new deal will not let that happen again for the next decade. 

Love this photo: the Montreal downtown in the background

  However, there is work to be done to the facilities; a new medical center must be built, a new race control tower needs to be built, the paddock must be renovated. Most of this by 2017. It is fair to ask for this because with new venues such as Abu Dahbi setting the standard in Formula 1 for facilites, the Canadian circuit must do something as well. But the good thing is, it will not lose its heritage, its personality. it will just do what is necessary to keep up to standards but still be the best circuit , the warmest and most welcoming facility on the calendar. , the Canadian circuit must do something as well. But the good thing is, it will not lose its heritage, its personality. it will just do what is necessary to keep up to standards but still be the best circuit , the warmest and most welcoming facility on the calendar. 
   Well, I believe I have said all i can say about this great news. I once again welcome you all to www.formulathoughts.com for a recap of the weekend live on location and do keep an eye out for the next episode of Formula Thoughts Podcast ; Canada. Have a great week everyone! 

And we have reached the boiling point

   Well then, now that I have had some rest. A large coffee with 1 cream from Tim Horton's and 2 Pop Tarts, I think I am now ready to post about the 2013 Go Pro Grand Prix of Sonoma. Let me start of by saying that if you ever thought IndyCar was dull I urge you to watch a replay of this race. Although there were some clumsy moves and amateurish moments, it really was an ex
citing one. But moreover, it will go down as one of the most controversial races in recent memory.
   Allow me to start off with qualifying. The session saw the return of Dario Franchitti at the front of the grid followed by his teammate Scott Dixon for Target Chip Ganassi. Third place belonged to Will Power of Penske Bellow are the results from www.indycar.com

   Going into the race it was clear that the Ganassi's were the ones to beat with all 3 cars occupying 3 spots in the top 6. It is also apparent that Penske is coming to grip with their qualifying woes with Will Power but how would he fair in the race? The sole Andretti Autosport driver in the top 5 was Ryan Hunter-Reay trying to defend his title. James Hinchcliffle was able to put the #27 GoDaddy machine in 9th. He is desperate for a good string of results after being being the first 3 time winner this year but has been struggling with finishing races thus losing many valuable points. Not to mention his contract is up at the end of this year. No word of if he stays put or goes elsewhere.
   And what of our championship leader? Helio Castroneves has been so consistent and careful just trying to get points and keeping his points lead its easy to see that his main goal is to finish in the points every race. This will be very obvious in the race...
  Okay, enough of the build lets crack on to the race as Aaron would say (my correspondent at http://formulathoughts.blogspot.ca/ check it out)
  The race went off with a side by side rolling start. The green flag did not stay long as Charlie Kimball spun when he hit the #3 of Castroneves paired with Joseph Newgarden clipping his front wing with EJ Viso's car forcing the first of many full course cautions.  Kimball believed he had a drive shaft issue but ended up being a case of just resetting the car's on board computer. This forced last race's winner to go a lap down 2 laps into the race. Not a great start. It was reported during the full course caution that Helio couldn't get out of second gear. The problem did not last long as once they got rolling again he was fine. As for our Canuck in the field Hinch fell way back to 15th on the restart due to being on the black primary tire and everyone else being on the red option.  Lap 5 saw Dario take the lead from Dixon. 2 laps later the full course caution comes out for the second time due to EJ Viso doing what Viso does best= driving into Justin Wilson in a very stupid move on the inside at the haripin.. This resulted in Viso getting a Drive Through Penalty. On the restart a very impressive Simona De Silvestro passes 2 cars to get into the 13th postion for KV Racing. This is what I like about her, she is aggressive but smart in her moves. But just as quickly as that happens former 4 time ChampCar champion Sebastian Bourdais missed his braking point drove into De Silvestro's resulting in a Drive Through Penalty for Bourdais. By this time James Hinchcliffe is up to 2nd place due to having pitting earlier for reds. There was a very important pass made during the first round of pit stops when Will Power passed Dario Franchitti for position. Sit tight this is when things start getting heated. On the restart Pagenaud Andretti and Rahal are going three wide when Pagenaud hits Rahal into Andretti. Graham Rahal thought Marco hit him. Over the radio Rahal says "typical Marco" After the race he did apologize after seeing the replay since the blame was not Marco's. Thus we avoid another Rahal VS Andretti Twitter feud.
    On lap 23 the caution comes out once again when JR Hildebrand spins. At this point I thought I was watching a street circuit race rather than a road circuit...
   On the restart Hinch was tagged from behind by Savaadra forcing Hinch into a 50/50 grind on the curb making one Tony Hawk very proud I'm sure! Savaadra received a Drive through penalty for his part of this X-Games exhibit. Tony Kanaan also served a drive through penalty for cause an avoidable accident. We eventually get back to green flag racing, Dixon to the lead with an intense battle between the 9 of Dixon and the 12 of Power. Could this be the start of an amazing finish? Could this be the day Power ends his winless streak?
   When the 9 and 12 pit at the same time on lap 45 Dixon made the better stop retaining his lead over Power. While this was happening a very nice battle between Kanaan and Hinchliffe was going on. This is why I love Indycar. To see the 11 and 27 drive to the limit knowing that anything can happen despite it not being the real race for the lead was just awesome. Hinch pits on lap 53 falling back to 8th. This was okay, because now he was on the same sequence as the leaders as far as pit strategy till the end. There was shot for James Hinchcliffe to finish in the top 5 as he was now on the red option tire lapping faster than those infront. He picked off Pagenaud and Castroneves. Helio was driving very cautiously due to the fact that he just wants points to extend his lead over Dixon in the championship therefore he was not going to battle Hinchcliffe for nothing essentially. After Helio , Hinch passed his teammate Marco for 4th. But throughout this whole time, Justin Wilson driving for Dale Coyne was at the front fighting for the win up against Dixon and Power despite having that spin! Impressive drive by him!
  So now we get into the juicy blood pressure raising moments of the race. On yet another full course caution, Scott Dixon and Will Power both pit at the same time. Dixon's pit box is directly behind Power's pit. This is crucial for what I am about to explain and describe. Dixon had a much quicker stop than Power, as Dixon is leaving his pit he clips the right rear tire changer of Will Power as he walking behind the car carrying the tire on his left side facing Dixon. When Dixon left his sidepod hit the tire the crew member was holding forcing him to go flying into another crew member in violent fashion. The guys were okay but what had happened? Was there a dirty trick by Penske going on? or did Dixon not turn enough out of the way to avoid him?
  NBC Sports commentators said what everyone was thinking: Yes. The crew member was walking carelessly into the path of Dixon's car. I, along with everyone else thought the same. If you followed me on Twitter during the race, you saw how outraged I was along with everyone else. The big question was: who gets a penalty if any? The world watching thought no fault of Dixon which is why it was a total shock and surprise when Race Director Beaux Barfieled handed the #9 Target Chip Ganassi car of Scott Dixon a Drive through Penalty for unsafe release. I was dumbfounded along with NBC and the world. This ruined Dixon's chance of winning the race and taking the lead in the championship. Dixon fell back to 20th but made a push back up to 15th. The win was now handed nicely to Will Power. Interestingly enough once Dixon was out of contention Helio started pushing much harder to take advantage of the situation to gain even more points.
  Once the race was finished an elated |Will Power climbed out of his car and kissed the #12 out of pure happiness to finally winning a race in 2013. But how did Dixon feel? First the results from www.indycar.com

   So what did Scott Dixon think of the penalty? Scott said he felt the crew member had deliberately walked towards him calling it a "D*ck move". His team manager Mike Hull started off by saying he was glad the crew members were fine. He was extremely professional in the way he handled his emotions by stating what he had seen , disagreed with the call but accepted it. He truly was just happy the crew members were okay. 

  On the other side, Tim Cindric seemed a little evasive when asked if it was a deliberate action. He stated he did not know that would have to ask the crew member. 

  Now, when Beaux Barfield was interviewed he clearly stated the reason for the penalty was because the 9 car was not in his pit stall and was too close to the 12. This was confusing to the viewers as the lines were clearly marked. Apparently those lines were for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. the fact that the 9 car was ahead of the Target marked fuel rig it was it was clear to him that the crew member was well within his working area...thus the penalty was a no brainer. This I feel will be a debate which will last for years. 

   Well this concludes my recap of the race. My thoughts? visit http://formulathoughts.blogspot.ca/podcast to listen Aaron Cooper and I discuss our thoughts about the race and the "incident".

 (all photos are from www.motorsport.com, the one stop for all the race news and action you need)

The kettle is getting hotter...

   5 rounds to go and 20 drivers are mathematically capable of winning the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship. As a race fan, does it get any better?-yes of course it does, it always dos.
   Yesterday practice 1 and 2 took place at the Sonoma Raceway venue. The track is 2.385 miles on natural terrain located in California. This makes for a very challenging and technical circuit. Many blind corners are a feature of this track with. the track and uh..well how about I let the IndyCar folks explain : GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma Track Guide (click the link)
  Tired? well don't be. You aren't in the car! You can see where this track is a challenge for both the driver and crew when it comes to setting up the car. This will allow for different setup strategies with the key to the race win will be down to who has done the best job at getting the car balanced.
  Practice 1 saw Ryan Hunter-Reay at the top with a 1:18.6814 followed by Helio Castroneves with a 1:18.6976 and Dario Franchitti with a 1:18.8124. Can we get any closer?!
  The session saw the return of JR Hildebrand driving for Bryan Herta after parting ways with Panther Racing after Indy. Sara Fisher Hartman Racing has acquired Lucas Luhr and Ryan Briscoe has made a comeback after breaking his wrist in Toronto.
  And what about James Hinchcliffe? he was 10th fastest in Practice 1. Now on to P2
  P2 saw the top three title contenders take the top 3 spots of the timing charts with Scott Dixon 1:18:3145 followed by Helio Castroneves 1:18.6694 and Ryan Hunter-Reay 1:18/6814. James Hinchcliffe sat in 14th.
  Things to take away from the 2 sessions: The big three Andretti, Ganassi and Penske are in the hunt. Expect to see these teams racing and pushing hard in qualifying. The Ganassi's have made the biggest gains in the past few races and I expect them to keep the momentum going. I see an Andretti Autosport car take Pole Position with Ryan Hunter-Reay. He has been so fast in qualy this season it be crazy to think other wise. And once again, expect the unexpected as always.
  Qualifying takes place later today at 5:30pm Pacific time.
 (photos from www.motorsports.com)

The end of Speed TV

   What do I have to say about the departure of the once great motorsport/car enthusiast channel? : Goodbye and good riddance to you!

   From about December 2002 till up to a few years ago, Speed was my go to place for motorsports events. They had at one point an eclectic span of race coverage from F1 to NASCAR to WRC and even things in between! But as of a few years ago when FOX took over, the programming went right down the crapper. It became one of the most disappointing channels on TV. Let me elaborate

    There was a time were Speed had amazing F1 coverage (as good as it was going to get in North America). From the age of 12 or 13 every race weekend I would come down to the basement of my parents place. flip the TV on to 48 to watch and listen to the voices of Bob Varsha, Steve Machett and the very funny David Hobbs call and analyse the Grand Prix. It was great. Varsha had been reporting at races for many years with ESPN before hand. Steve Machett used to be a mechanic at Benetton back in the Schumacher days and Mr. Hobbs was a genuine racer himself! So among the 3 of them , the experience and knowledge was bountiful. The on air chemistry was great. Hobbs and Machett would always play off each other in good fun. David's reaction to near accidents or offs would be "wowoowowowooooooo" or a variety of vocal reactions that would get a giggle. Steve has such a great way of explaining to the viewer about how formula 1 cars work despite his years being out of the sport directly. I learned a lot from listening to him and his now gone but popular "Chalk Talk" sessions on speedtv.com. As for Bob Varsha, his calm but commanding description made the experience that much better. 

  Although my area of viewing had been subject to black out conditions, and they usually were for the past 3 years, I would always try to watch the replay at a later date. Now Steve and David have moved on to NBC Sports with another SpeedTV alumni  Leigh Diffey.
  For Canadians, Speed is still around. We will not get Fox Sports 1 due to the CRTC regulations regarding sports broadcasting. Speed however is just now a waste bin of crap shows that will never get better due to constant replays of Pimp My Ride, My Ride Rules and Pass Time. We do still get NASCAR practice and Grand-Am races (thank God). But it is now just full of useless time fillers waiting for the weekend of racing events which Fox owns the rights to broadcast.
  All in all, it is a sad state of affairs for North American motorsports fans. We have no full time home for motorsports and general car programming. Oh well...at least we have the internet.

Mid-Oh High Oh!

   Hi there race fans! Hope everyone has had a a great weekend so far! If not, then never fear, Friday is only a few hours away!

   Here's the situation: F1 summer break is in full swing and there is nothing to watch until Spa in 23 days...

That's all I have to say...NOT

   Are you kidding? Have you completely forgotten about IndyCar?! If you have then please, call in sick tomorrow and contact me and I shall fill you in on this amazing season so far with tales of great passing and on track battles! (or you can just YouTube the races) 

  Yes that's right folks, IndyCar has reached its next leg in the Championship and will be racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car track.  After the exhausting and exciting Double Header events in Toronto, Scott Dixon is looking to make it 4 races in a row after taking the checkered flag twice in Toronto and in Pocono. It would appear the Ganassis guys have started to get a grip on this season. 

  Championship leader Helio Castroneves is trying to keep his lead on the top spot in the standings with 425 points with Scott Dixon moving up closer by leaps and bounds with only 29 points behind. Last years champ Ryan Hunter-Reay is still in third despite having dismal finishes in the past 3 races (Let's face it, Sato is to blame for a good chunk of it).

   And what of our Canuck in the series? After a disappointing finish at home, James Hinchcliffe is still hanging in the top 10 in 8th position. Like Leigh Diffey has been saying, its either feast or famine for Hinch.  Despite winning 3 races this season in true Canadian form, several non finishes have put a damper on his championship hopes. But never fear, all hope is not gone. He only has to look to his teammate for inspiration (check out RHR's blitz in 2012 of three wins a row) 

   Et, de quois d'Alex Tagliani ? Well for poor Tag, it sure doesn't look good. Its been an uphill battle for him and the Bryan Herta. He currently sits in 21st position. Unfortunately, this is not the only bit of bad news...More on that later this weekend... 

    So Mid-Ohio, a beautiful facility in the state of Ohio will host what will be a cracker of a race. Scott Dixon won the race last year, with the momentum he's carrying so far , i wouldn't doubt his chances of winning this weekend. The Target Chip Ganassis outfit know how to set up their cars to go fast here, and fast they shall be. The teams have come off a test yesterday July 31st, with Ryan Hunter-Reay being the quickest , but we cannot forget that its only testing. The Andretti's have been in top form for qualifying this season but falter during the race. Expect Andretti's to take the front row but with Dixon not far behind..As for the race....well lets wait and see after qualifying to come up with any whim of an idea. 

That's all for now folks. Stay tuned this weekend for a recap on practice and qualifying to see how our Canucks do ! Until then, stay humble my friends. (photo credit goes to the wonderful people at motorsport.com)

Welcome! Salut Bonjour!

    Hey everyone! Thank you for the taking the time to read this. Figured its about time to get one of these blogs started!

    Just a little background and forward thinking of what I want this blog to be about: First off, it's a motorsports blog. Yes I know you're all thinking "jeez another one...another wannabe journalist...blah blah blah" Let me stop you right there! First off,  I suck at writing and using proper structure (as you can probably already see...) Secondly, this is not just going to be about the general happenings of racing world wide, but more about the Canadian interest. Sure I'll talk plenty of F1 , IndyCar NASCAR but I'm going to put a Canadian perspective on things, my perspective.

   We are a strange breed we Canadians. We as a people are portrayed as a kind friendly nation. Very true , but if you look at our history of famous successful drivers, we have been so viscous on track! All I need to say is "Gilles" and you all know who I'm talking about. I do not need to mention anything about his career or his finishing positions. We all know him as the most aggressive Grand Prix driver. Take no prisoners, push every lap as if  it were the last! It is my belief that he set the standard at which Canadian drivers must drive at the world stage.

   Goodyear, Tracy, Jacques, Carpentier, Tagliani, Hinchcliffe...All drivers from the past 20 years whom have been exactly as Gilles, fast, aggressive and Canadian!  You wouldn't think it but Canadians are a very competitive nation.We aren't just the friendly people of the northern hemisphere Just look at our national sport! Everyone grows up playing it, it makes you want to win.This tenacity and willingness to win has transferred into the world of Motorsport.  We prove that nice guys can finish first :)

   With that said, here's to a great month of August! Stay tuned! A few more things will be happening with this spot :)