FUMES

Monday

Jan032011

Monday, January 3, 2011 at 04:41PM

January 5, 2011

Editor's Note: Peter will return next week with a new Fumes column. - WG

Thoughts on the upcoming 2011 racing season.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 1/3, 4:30 p.m.) Detroit. Now that the "non" break is over it's time to engage in serious speculation - or to specualte seriously (whichever the case may be) - about racing and the motorsports world in 2011. After all, speculation is what fuels racing at this time of year, because what do we have to go on - really - other than a few early test reports, the usual spate of driver announcements, sponsorship wandering and the other usual gossip, innuendo, pure conjecture and hypeperbole? So in the spirit of this time of year - when everyone is counting the days to Daytona's Speed Weeks and various forms of early-season testing - I'm going to touch upon a few subjects, just to stir the juices up a bit.

Remind me again why the French are allowed to lord over racing? If there's a Racing Rule No. 1 in this business it is this: Left to their own delusional devices the powers that be in the FIA and the ACO will screw up anything and everything to do with racing that they can possibly get their hands on. It's flat-out uncanny. The ACO's latest attempt at "simplifying" the GT class, going from GT2, to GT and now GTE Pro and GTE Am - depending on the "caliber" of the drivers - as well as throwing in driver classifications for all of their other racing categories at Le Mans is simply a joke. Why these professional hand-wringers - a bunch who clearly have way too much time on their hands - were handed the keys to international racing long ago and left alone is one of the mysteries of the modern world. It's simply unacceptable, and the time has come for a new international racing organization to rise-up and deliver to these French racing overlords the most unkind cut of all, which is simply to ignore them once and for all. Unlikely, of course, as it would be the equivalent of blowing up the NCAA and starting over, but one can dream, right?

The Daytona 500 will suffer from a "green" track, and not in a touchy-feely, environmentally correct way either. Yeah, we've seen this before, but just a reminder, when you re-pave a super speedway it takes a couple of years for the groove(s) to "break in." It's just the way of the world. So hard on the heels of an embarrassing stoppage last year when potholes revealed themselves during the race, the 2011 Daytona 500 is likely to be a processional, follow-the-leader exercise that will be as exciting as watching paint dry. Not what NASCAR - or the sport - needs to kick off the new racing season, that's for sure.

There will be a "cheating" incident in Formula 1. Check that, some F1 team is going to come up with a "secret sauce" type of aero-mechanical tweak that will immediately put everyone else on the trailer for the first few races. In which case a predictable scenario will ensue: Said team will be accused of "cheating" by a jealous rival. F1 honchos and the boneheads in the FIA will get involved and screw things up royally. Bernie will weigh-in to no appreciable effect. And then everyone will be allowed to copy the secret sauce ingredient or come up with something similar on their own to "level" the playing field. And life will return to normal in F1, same as it ever was. That is until the next secret sauce tweak emerges.

Jimmie Johnson will win his sixth championship in a row. This just in, but unless and until somebody beats the Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus/Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut at their own game, these guys are going to win the whole damn deal yet again. Just watch 'em.

Audi needs to re-think their racing program here in the U.S. I get that Audi is on an upward trajectory in this market and around the world, but the fact that they would deign to appear in only two races with their prototypes here in the U.S. market - the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans - is a complete travesty. That certainly doesn't go with the "premium" image they're trying to forge in this market and it's a sharp stick in the eye for enthusiasts who have come to expect more from Audi in recent years as well. Audi either needs a full-time GT program in the American Le Mans Series to go up against their showroom rivals, or they need to commit to running the full ALMS with their prototypes. And for the record, waiting for a sponsor to drop out of the sky isn't a smart business decision, it's an excuse.

IndyCar's last "old-rules" season won't be a complete waste of time. At first I thought this might be the case but I think there are enough new drivers at new teams to make things interesting. Will it still be between Penske and Ganassi? Yes, but that doesn't mean there won't be some great racing this season.

Valentino Rossi will will Ducati to victory. Do we expect anything else? To paraphrase the great Bear Bryant, Valentino could take whatever he's riding and beat you, then he could turn around and take your ride and beat you with it too. I'm looking forward to the most memorable MotoGP season ever if that's possible, because they've been scintillating of late.

Watch out for James Stewart in the Arena Supercross Series. Yeah, I know, you're only as good as your last race, but anyone who thinks Bubba is going to show up and run a game second or third is kidding themselves. He will be a force to be reckoned with, and he will win, big time.

I'll have more thoughts in the coming weeks but this should be enough to chew on, at least for five minutes anyway.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1966. The great driving champion Jackie Stewart sits in John Mecum's Lola-Ford before qualifying at Indy in 1966. Stewart would qualify in 11th position at 159.972 mph, but would drop out with a broken oil scavenge pump after leading comfortably by over a lap with just eight laps to go. He was classified 6th and was named Rookie of the Year. Stewart would win 27 times in 99 Formula 1 races entered and was World Champion in '69, '71 and '73.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out ford.artehouse.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.