If NASCAR was cool…
If NASCAR…
1) Had drivers with balls…
2) Had tracks that didnt just lead them in left hand circles…
3) Had cars that were infinitely cooler…
This is what it would be like.
I am a motorsport fanatic. I love most forms of car racing. However, my attention wanes when it comes to American car racing. Im sorry but IRL is just F1 for NASCAR fans and NASCAR is just plain boring.
I introduce to you (NASCAR fans) what your sport would be like if the Australians ran things. In short, it would just be cooler. Australian V8 Supercars are Australia’s version of NASCAR wrapped up in a racing series all their own. All the wheel banging, tough racing, grumbly noise making cars that produce about the same power to weight horse power and go about the same speed that America loves with the epic tracks, amazing driver skill and racing action Europeans love. What a perfect blend. Unfortunately, this series and in particular this race, aren’t broadcast in the US so you have to know where to look to watch it online.
This past weekend was the 1000km of Bathurst. Run on the Mount Panorama circuit in Queens Land Australia, the circuit is Germany’s Nurburgring’s little brother and just as challenging. Check out this video. Gives you a great sense of what the series and Mount Panorama is like. They just dont make tracks like they used to anymore.
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Change We Need…
Change We Need.
Unlike Barak Obama’s slogan, “change we need”…this is actually change we need and the change we may get next year, in this Ferrari fan’s opinion, is a good kind of change.
Let me first start with a quick history of my involvement with F1. I watched my first grand prix on satellite tv in may 0f 1999. At that time, Eddie Irvine was second fiddle to the great Michael Schumacher. Since then, as most of you well know, I have lived and breathed everything Ferrari F1 related. Ive been to 4 grand prix’s since 2005 and have faithfully stood by the team through scandal, success, and failure…which is more then some of you can say right now.
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Ignorance toward Cycling
Lance Armstrong
So as many of you know, from July 4 – 26th, le Tour de France, the worlds greatest and most grueling cycling race is taking place in France. Hundreds of the greatest cyclists in the world are risking life and limb to wear the yellow jersey given to the overall leader of the Tour. I am working a 1-10pm shift at work today so I slept in a bit and when my body clock eventually woke me at my regular alarm time of 8:30, I flipped on the TV for lack of something to do that early in the morning. The Tour is being aired live every day until July 26 at 8:30 am every day so I naturally turned it on.
The point of this post is not to talk about the Tour or how the stage went this morning but rather to vent about what came after on the broadcast had ended around 11am EST. Versus, the TV network that airs the Tour in the states, has a program called “Fanarchy” where a team of 4 regular sports fans chime in via skype or something like it and have a raging debate about topics that a moderator chooses.
The firs topic was one that dealt with the tour. The question was “Is the Tour de France the hardest sporting event in the world?” Now regardless of your opinion of cycling or even if you feel the Tour is in fact the most grueling sporting event in the world, you have to have some serious respect for the riders that do it. I mean imagine that every day for 23 days you ride a bike race that covers from 60 to 120 miles over terrain from flat as a pancake to the steepest roads in the world for a grand total of 2200 miles in the saddle.
Now I am no proclaimed cycling genius nor even above average at it, but I have raced in 4 triathlons and would like to do a cycling race soon. During peak seasons, I ride over 100 miles a week which compared to these Tour guys is a pathetic amount. When the question above was given to these 4 average sports fans (two guys, two girls) to fight about here is a basic approximation of the conversation that followed..
Guy 1: “Think about it! Cycling is kind of hard but youre on a bike! I mean really!! The worst thing that could happen to you is that you fall and skin your knee!”
Girl 1 and 2: “WOW. You have to be kidding me. You need to go to your local gym and sign up for a spin class and see how hard it really is.”
Guy 2: “Oh wow, yeah because you took a spin class at Gold’s that makes you an expert in cycling.”
Guy 1: “Lets be serious here. There are sports that are hard, but sitting on a bike is not one of them.”
I turned the TV off after that in absolute anger. Forgive me but I have done enough cycling to know what is hard and what isnt. I had a facebook status last week when the tour started that said something along the lines of “if everyone had a road bike, there would be no fat people.” Biking is one of the best work outs for your body. You will build lungs, your legs will be like steel, your arms will get muscled up, your abs, back muscles…everything. I dont know of a muscle group that isnt worked, and worked hard on a good bike ride. Now I’m not talking about a mountain bike. Im talking about a road bike with tyres that are an inch wide and can get you moving faster then a van down the interstate. I have personally topped out at over 56mph down a hill in KY. Now think about that and what guy 1 had said. If you pop your car door open and jump out as you drive down the interstate..do you really think that the worst thing that will happen to you is a skinned knee? In fact, in 1995 one of Armstrong’s teammates, Fabio Casartelli, died going 55mph during a descent from the Pyrenees in the Tour de France. Maybe it’s me, but that is slightly worse then a skinned knee.
And even though the girls were defending cycling and the tour, their example of a spin class at gym is not even comparable. While the motion of a spin bike is the same at the gym and the muscles are the same, you eliminate the factors that make biking what it is. I mean, spin class is in an climate controlled building with a TV screen in front of you for your entertainment. Biking for exercise is about a lot more then the bike. Its about wind resistance, road surface, heat, humidity and 100 other factors that cannot be replicated in Golds Gym. I honestly feel that if everyone had a bike, people would treat bikers on the road with a lot more respect when passing them in a car, and a lot more respect as a sport.
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Tags: is Biking hard?, Stupid People, Tour de France
The Real Monaco
Monaco as a Grand Prix circuit is unbelievable. TV images don’t do it justice. Thats why I was so stunned when I visited the famous city on Grand Prix weekend in 2008.
Below is a youtube clip from the 2003 Monaco Grand Prix pole lap with Ralf Schumacher.
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Tags: 2008, Formula One, Monaco, Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo
Posh vs. Common
An open letter to Max Mosley,
Dear Max (NAZI loving) Mosley,
I’ve been ok with all the changes you and the FIA have made. I’m ok with the aero updates. I’m ok with the testing restrictions. I’m ok with giving us fans more accessability via more radio communication.
But what I’m NOT ok with is Max trying to turn F1 into NASCAR. What I like about F1 is the glamour. Thats partly why I think the rest of the world loves it, especially Europe. Glitzy is common. Think disco clubs, grey goose vodka, fast agile cars, famous and glamourous cities, ridiculous hospitality homes on Grand Prix weekend and gorgeous women. That is what makes F1, F1. F1’s appeal to me is it’s inaccessibility to the common man. Its foreign and unusual. Its a live I’ll never live and thats why I watch. To see the most advanced, and loudest cars on earth tear up the tarmac in exotic countries like Monaco, Singapore, Spain, Australia and others.
NASCAR is for the commoner. The uneducated southern hick who loves watching his fellow shirtless west virginian neighbor shotgun a beer and scream “junior!” all while a fat woman flashes the crowd as 43, 800 horse power, cars roar by on a speedway that could fit in my backyard in some backwoods race track.
I would rather see F1 die then become a sport like that. Max, you’re about to lose a majority of the current teams, a large majority of the fans that support your fat wallet and NAZI orgy activities and jump on some other motorsport’s bandwagon.
MotoGP is sounding enticing about now. I’ll follow whatever Ferrari is doing. And if theyre not in F1, I’m not following a sport that has lost it’s roots in favor of new tracks that bore the hell out of me and have no heritage. I’d rather see no passing on Italy’s famous Imola track then watch the cars line up behind each other in Valencia again. I’d rather see races like the British GP, Canadian GP and USGP on the calendar then see a race held in North Korea or India.
How dare you take all but one race away from the western hemisphere. Circuit Gilles Villenueve is one of the best races you had on the calendar and you and Bernie have shot yourselves, and a large number of fans that reside in North America, in the foot.
Change or lose fans until you and Bernie are in your grave.
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This is the most epic battle ever. Any fans of the Nürburgring Nordshleife need to clear their schedule for the next 10 minutes and watch this. It looks like this is a test day for two GT race cars but on a regular track day for the Nürburgring. After all, the circuit is a public toll road most of the year.
Enjoy the part around 3 mintues, 10 seconds. That poor BMW driver must have been shitting his pants. Porsche goes right…Viper goes left. F1 fans, that moment may remind you of the Belgium Grand Prix at Spa in 2000 where Hakkinen and Schumacher split a back marker car heading into Le Combes. Anyway, enjoy. Epic stuff right here. THIS is real driving talent. I have the utmost respect for Rally drivers and anyone that can throw down for lap after lap on the ‘ring.’ Its absolutely nuts.
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Tags: GT3, Nurburgring, the ring, Viper vs Porsche
“The Last Saturday in April”
Well, the day we work 364 days a year toward has come and gone. The Queens Cup, run by my family has chocked up its 14th consecutive year of racing. Always on the Last Saturday of every April, a few people work tirelessly to bring the races to life on that one day.
To honor their dedication and hardwork, I am (self) publishing a book titled, “the Last Saturday in April.” The purpose is to provide a photo documentary analysis of the races from sun up to the last race. I was the track photographer on the day and came away with 700 or so images. Many of them are quite good, if I may say so.
Here is a slideshow I’ve added of the photos I took on race day. Please have a look and comment if you like. The hardcover book will be available via individual sale by me for $50.00 each. Enjoy the slideshow!
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Tags: Jamey Price Photographer, Queens Cup Steeplechase, Steeplechase
F1 2009 Game Wishlist
No, I’m not talking about F1 2009 the real racing series…I’m talking about F1 2009, the video game. As my bio page tells, I enjoy relaxing and kicking back after a long day at school or job and playing XBOX. It has been since 2001 that a Formula One game has been launched on Microsoft’s console, the Xbox (now XBOX 360). At that time, the F1 game was developed by EA Sports (I will not go into how I feel about them in this blog. In short, I think their sports games are worthless, unoriginal and overpriced with very few redeeming qualities).
To continue reading my game wishlist for Codemaster’s Formula One 2009, please click HERE. I have moved it to a gaming specific blog.
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I told you so…….
Vettel takes his second career GP win for Red Bull/Renault © Red Bull
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My ‘digs’ next year
I drew into a four man suite with 4 singles. I’ll be living with one of my good friends and fellow senior swimmer, Will Jenkins, another fellow swimmer as well as an ex-swimmer. Even more exciting is that my wonderful girlfriend will be living a few doors down from me!
This is the outside of the building. It is brand new as of august of 2008. You can bet your ass my room will be covered in Ferrari flags and posters of the most gorgeous F1 cars through the 60 years F1 has been around 
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