By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, what the hell is going on out there? First, there's the ongoing intransigence in F1. Bernie Ecclestone's stranglehold on the sport has led it down the primrose path to irrelevance. The races are boring, the technology exists for technology's sake and nothing else, and the sanitized, pasteurized and regimented "show" is as exciting as watching paint dry. Lewis Hamilton, the newly crowned 2015 World Champion, visited NASCAR's last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and admitted that F1 could learn a lot from NASCAR in the way the races are presented. And his view is shared by many, including former World Champion and current McLaren-Honda pilot Fernando Alonso, who admitted after the last F1 race of the season in Abu Dhabi that the WEC and MotoGP races were "more fun."
But then again besides Bernie, everyone is complicit with the dismal state of F1. The manufacturers are especially guilty for trying to orchestrate control over the rules to their benefit and for spending obscene amounts of money and shoving incredibly expensive technology down people's throats with no appreciable benefit to anyone. The hosting venues for the races are equally guilty for allowing Ecclestone, the King of the Carpetbaggers, to hold them up for offensive amounts of money for the "privilege" of hosting an F1 race, knowing full well that there's a real chance that Bernie will become bored with the venue and move on to the next flavor of the month, leaving them on the hook for millions. And of course the drivers, who, though they know they're participating in a sport with an ever-diminishing rate of return, refuse to do anything or say anything that might offend anyone. In short, it's a first-rate mess.
Indy car racing is in a perpetual state of disarray, with the 100th Anniversary of the running of the Indianapolis 500 and the upcoming road race at Road America being the only events that stand a chance to resonate with anyone. The new event in Boston next fall will be a hit, at least for the first year, but as we've seen with other "event" street races by the third year it will disappear, because after the first year's novelty wears off declining attendance is a given. IndyCar needs more participating engine manufacturers and even more important, needs more diversity of thought on the starting grids before any real progress will be seen.
As for the powers that be at NASCAR, they contribute their own particular brand of intransigence and "we've always done it that way" paralysis, but I already covered that in a "Fumes" column two weeks ago, and in my High-Octane Truth video No. 6 here, so I'll refrain from going into it again.
And major league sports car racing here in the U.S.? As long as our version of that sport is being held hostage by the FIA and the ACO - and controlled as an appendage of the NASCAR brain trust - road racing enthusiasts will continue to get what they don't deserve, and it's a complete travesty.
But nothing, and I mean n-o-t-h-i-n-g tops the news last week that a new series will debut next year called Roborace, which will feature ten teams of all-electric driverless cars competing against each other. WTF? And here I thought Formula E was glorified slot car racing, but at least they have real humans working the pedals and steering the steering wheels. But this? You have to be frickin' kidding me. Ironically and not surprisingly Roborace will be run in conjunction with some of the Formula E race weekends. "Roborace is an open challenge to the most innovative scientific and technology-focused companies in the world," Alejandro Agag, chief executive of Formula E, said in the press release. "It is very exciting to create a platform for them to showcase what they are capable of."
Really? Yes, it is common knowledge that with modern technology at the racing teams' disposal a F1 car could be programmed to actually run on any race course in the world without a driver if they wanted to. In fact F1 teams - and other racing teams - do it in advanced track simulations all the time. But does anyone really want to see that?
No, of course not. And why is that?
Because at the end of the day racing is not about the technology, or the aerodynamics, or the electrification of this, or the hybrid of that. It's about persevering against all odds, about sacrificing everything - at times devastatingly so - for a level of success that few will ever achieve or even have the opportunity to even attempt. It's about immensely talented people willing themselves to the outer limits of physical and mental capability both on and off the track. It's crushing disappointment punctuated by fleeting moments of absolute elation. It's runaway emotions, fuel-injected tempers and outsized personalities, and the rawest definition of blood, sweat and far too many tears.
In short, racing is one of the most gloriously flawed and achingly difficult endeavors that we as humans can participate in on this earth.
As for Roborace? It's insanity writ large and a flat-out insult to everyone who has participated in the sport in the past, and who participates in it now.
And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: For more racing news and photos, check out "The Line." -WG
Check out the latest episode of The Autoextremist on AutoextremistTV below. -WG
Editor's Note: Many of you have seen Peter's references over the years to the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF), which he launched in 2007. For those of you who weren't following AE at the time, you can read two of HERF's press releases here and here. And for even more details (including a link to Peter's announcement speech), check out the HERF entry on Wikipedia here. -WG
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)
Hampton, Georgia, April 11, 1965. Leonard Wood (lower left), Marvin Panch, Miss Atlanta 500 and A.J. Foyt in Victory Lane at the end of the Atlanta 500 NASCAR Grand National race. During the race Foyt's No. 41 Wood Brothers Ford had throttle issues early on and retired. Panch (No. 21 Wood Brothers Augusta Motor Sales Ford) became ill behind the wheel so the Woods Brothers asked A.J. to finish the race for them in Panch's No. 21 Ford. Foyt did and sure enough, he won the race. Panch was credited for the win. Bobby Johns (No. 7 Holman-Moody Ford) finished second and Ned Jarrett (No. 11 Bondy Long Ford) finished third.
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD