Dutch TT - Argh!!!

I totally forgot that the Dutch TT was on today (Saturday) instead of Sunday! Plus, I could not find the listing on TV so I missed it.

Me = not happy

The race reports indicate that this was a good race too. Rossi comes through from 11th (!) to win the race while Casey Stoner brings his GP7 second on a tight and twisty racetrack. Honda has to be smiling too after Hayden snags third and Pedrosa got forth. Hopkins was a consistent fifth while the Texas Tornado managed sixth.

As you can tell, I am excited about three American drivers in the top-six!

Rossi won, which is impressive from his starting position, but I think Stoner's drive is even more telling. Rememer that Assen is a tight track that does not have the long straights that the Ducatti likes. Stoner qualified second and finished second at a track his bike was not suited for. Based on that performance, I think he did his Championship bid a lot of good.

This year looks like a two-man race for the title with Stoner and Rossi the two protagonists. If Stoner can keep up his performances, he will win but I have a feeling Rossi will be right there 'till the end. Those two riders are the class of the field right now and look set to continue their title chase for the duration.

That said, Honda is doing better and Suzuki is looking good too. Pole and a fifth (from Hopkins) is good work and shows that they are right there. Should be a good season, now I just have to make sure I can watch the rest of the races...

Turning the page

Well, Friday is my last day with my current employer. A couple of weeks ago we were informed the the Project Management Office was going to be reduced and the remaining people would report to a new Director. It was the latest in a series of organizational changes made since the new parent company took over. There were other changes but this one affected me.

Six does not go into three evenly.

I was one of the three who was informed my services would no longer be needed. This was no a surprise since the person who brought me into the department was having his job eliminated as well. I've been down this road before and know how things work. In other words, after the announcement was made I knew where I stood even though nobody had the guts to tell me.

I know that things are going to work out for me, so I don't worry.

As luck would have it, the job market in Phoenix is really good now. This is a pleasant change from years past, believe me! If you work in Information Technologies long enough, you will probably add being unemployed in a slow/dead job market to your list of life experiences. It is not much fun but that is life in the big city.

So two years and two weeks after my adventure began, I will be packing my boxes and turning the page on this job. For about half of the time, it was really good while the other half was stress-inducing yet tolerable. The entire time was full of learning and development, which has certainly increased my marketability. I leave much better equipped to pursue my career ambitions.

Plus, the money was always deposited to my account on time...

What's next you ask? Well, there is nothing to report now but my people have things lined-up for me. For now, I am going to relax next week and get some things done. The plan is to get some mountain biking in at altitude in preparation for my upcoming bike ride, so that will be on the agenda as well. Karina and I have no big plans for Independence Day so we will probably just lay low. But I suspect I should have some good news within the next week or so.

Stay tuned...

Donnington MotoGP

Well, the Texas Tornado got on the pole and had a good finish...

It looks like Casey Stoner is going to make everybody catch him for the title this year. Rain could not prevent him from taking his 5th victory of the season out of 8 rounds so far. This is very impressive indeed since the team is battling the Japanese teams that are much larger than them.

BTW, Honda (whom many picked to win this year with Dani Pedrosa) has still not won yet! Hayden and Pedrosa started off well but Nicky went off and Dani fell back. Not a good day at the office for either rider.

Both Suzuki riders were very solid in the rain. I really think John Hopkins is going to win sometime this year. He is on the brink and once that first win comes, more will follow.

Colin Edwards had everybody covered, except Casey Stoner. He rode a great race in second and never look out of sorts. Rossi had a ragged ride to fourth but this was not his day.

The Kawasaki riders did well, particularly West (until he went off-track). We will probably see guys in green shirts doing the rain dance for the rest of the year!

I think what we are seeing is how things are shaping up this season. Casey Stoner, Ducatti, and Bridgestone are the ones to beat. The Yamahas of Rossi and Edwards will be near the front along with the Suzukis. The (factory) Repsol-Honda team may or may not do well and the Kawasaki team will show improvement. That is how I have seen the last few races shaping up.

Indianapolis and the Grand Prix

Over the next fews weeks, Tony George and Bernie Ecclestone are going to be negotiating the future of the US Grand Prix. For eight years, Formula One has come to the Brickyard to race, which has re-established the series in the US. However, there are no guarantees that this event will continue.

The USGP has been successful in many respects, it is a lot more open and accessable than most other races on the calendar. Plus, the event is well-organized since the racetrack has played host to large races for almost a century. There are some factors that may convince both Tony and Bernie to go their separate ways.

One is money. Tony is paying Bernie $10 million or so per year to host the race. This is a fraction of what other races are paying and was largely due to the fact that F1 wanted a USGP at the time. Tony wants to make money on the race (or at least cover his costs) and raising the fee 2-3x the current rate would preclude that.

Another is popularity. F1 is not as popular in the US as NASCAR, so the USGP is dealing with a relatively small market for fans. I went to the first three USGPs and saw a lot of people from Europe and South America in the stands. Over the three years, these numbers declined and now you have a lot of empty seats. With only one American driver in the series (on a backmarker team) and little on-track action, you won't have the draw that NASCAR has.

Now if Marco Andretti goes to Honda in another year or two and Graham Rahal gets a seat somewhere, that may change. But the product on the track has to be good and frankly, F1 does not produce much of it.

Another factor is glitz. Indy is a third-tier city that happens to have a large racetrack. The demographic is very blue-collar and insular, the kind of folk that drive Fords and Chevys, drink Budweiser and Miller, shop at Wal-Mart, and watch NASCAR. For this race, the Speedway has to import fans from elsewhere. Frankly, Indy is not the travel destination that Montreal is. Believe me, I have been to both!

If Bernie has his choice, a USGP would be somewhere much more international and sophisticated. Indy is the hick from the sticks, not the kind of place F1 would choose to be. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, or DC are much more desireable locations. Those places could provide the atmosphere that Bernie desires for a Grand Prix. Getting a Grand Prix in any of those locations though is going to be difficult.

Personally, I think that the USGP will stay in Indy for a few more years. Miami and Las Vegas would be the two main competitors but they don't have a track right now. The manufacturers want to keep coming to the US because it is their number one market. Right now, they are wielding more influence because of their ownership position within F1 as well as the teams. In any event, expect an announcement in the next couple of weeks extending the contract for the USGP for another few years.

USGP Results

Just got done watching the USGP on Fox. As expected, not as much mechanical failures as in Canada and a bit less action. Maybe it's because the wildlife in Speedway, IN knows to maintain a low profile on a race weekend...

*****Spoiler Warning*****

One British website said it this way, which I reckon is fairly accurate. Alonso got close for a couple of laps but could not take the top spot. Ferrari were left for dead, which is an ominous sign for the upcoming races. What is strange is that at both of the top teams, the junior driver is leading the way from the (higher-paid) lead driver...

I am beginning to run out of superlatives for Lewis Hamilton. Every race so far he has been on the podium. He has never finished lower than his qualifying position. He has won two successive poles and race victories on tracks he has never seen before and that Ferrari were expected to win at. This guy handled the pressure from the reigning World Champion who is a very talented driver. Plus, Lewis seems to be a geniune good guy. Oh, and he is a rookie who is leading the World Championship!

I really can't say much else other than "wow!"

Ferrari were never a factor. Third and Forth is not what the team expected at Indy, although this is an improvement over Canada. Massa had Kimi covered again but they were a long way back from both McLarens. At the beginning of the year, Kimi was expected to win the World Championship and beat Massa (I believed this too). Both Ferrari drivers are now in danger of falling out of World Championship contention. With McLaren reliability rock-solid, they have a hard row to hoe to get back in the game.

Ralf blew it on lap one, not good when Trulli finished in the points. Rosberg's blown engine aside, Toyota have the engine to contend. While the factory team along with Williams may not be in the frame for race wins, they are good enough to score points. But not with Ralf behind the wheel.

Webbo did well, which may mean the Red Bull team has got their Newey-designed chassis sorted. The Renault should give them good, reliable power and a well-tuned chassis should enable them to score more points like today.

Kovy is doing Yeoman's work at Renault. I don't understand why Briatore rakes him over the coals so much, he is doing a good job with a good (but not great) car. Plus, you can't expect every driver to come on the scene like Hamilton.

Vettel is the first teenager to score points in Formula One history! BTW, this was his first race. Good work for the young German driver.

By the way, did you see Anthony Davidson pass Jenson? The Super Aguri passed the factory Honda team cleanly and held the position. Davidson did it with lesser equipment on a team with a fraction of the budget that Honda has. Well done by the "Super Best Friends" team!

Honda is in big trouble, expect some major changes soon.

*****Spoilers End*****

Now on to Circuit de Nevers (aka Magny-Cours) for the last French GP at that circuit. It will not be missed by anybody.

New WSBK Regulations

It looks like Dennis Noyes was right (again) about WSBK displacement regulations. According to this article on Speed, the FIM will allow twin-cylinder bikes to have a displacement of up to 1200cc.

This means Ducatti remains in WSBK.

This means WSBK remains a healthy series.

This means the Corona Alstare Suzuki team (with Max Biaggi) will be in MotoGP next year.

Overall, this is good for World Superbike since it keeps Ducatti in the series and may even convince KTM to join. Could BMW be far behind with one of their R-series bikes?

USGP Qualifying

It was another dramatic qualifying session at Indy. Like Canada, Ferrari was expected to be on top. Like Canada, McLaren (and Lewis Hamilton in particular) are the class of the field. It looks to be an interesting race for sure.

Remember, Lewis Hamilton (the guy on the pole) has never raced at Indianapolis. He beat his World Champion teammate (who topped the timesheets in all previous sessions) for pole as well as the Ferraris. No small feat for a rookie!

Ferrari were fast but I get a sense that something is not quite right. They are near the front, which is good, but with their budget and talent people expect poles and victories. That is what Herr Schumacher (St. Michael that is) gave them during his tour of duty, but it seems that both Massa and Raikonnen are not up to the task. This at a track where Ferrari has won at every time except 2001...

BMW looked good. BTW, their substitute driver (Sebastian Vettel) is only 19! Seventh on the grid is good work for another driver who has only seen this track on TV. Nick has a good shot at a podium given Ferrari's lack of form lately. The high-speed nature of Indy should suit them well.

Renault are getting better, although they are still behind BMW I think. Kovy and Fisi may not be the best drivers but they are both doing a solid job. They are not the same without Alonso and Michelin, Flav is not the same without Heidi Klum.

Oh, and I think Ralf should make sure his investments are doing well. His future in F1 is looking bleak after another lacklustre qualifying performance. Granted, Jarno is a great at qualifying but to be beaten EVERY TIME by your teammate while you are being paid $20 million per annum does not look good. The clock is ticking and I doubt Ralf will last the season if he has another "effort" or two like this.

Webbo showed his qualifying prowess yet again but I doubt he will collect any points. At least he got to the Q3 session. I think he will replace Fisi at Renault next year since both he and Kovy are managed by the Flav-ster.

Why do I feel greasy every time I mention Flav's name?

Should be a good race. Sound like the weather will be hot and humid tomorrow, which could spell trouble for engines and brakes. I don't think we will have carnage like we did at Montreal but a couple cars may well expire tomorrow. That may shuffle things up and remind us why we watch racing.

F1 Thoughts From the Crew

There is a crew of us who did F1 comment on it. Why not post your comments on my blog, that way there is a record of the astute observations.

Any comments?

Canadian Grand Prix Thoughts

The only adjective I can use to describe the Canadian GP is surreal. Every so often you get a race like this which defies description and serves up a heaping helping of the unexpected. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was the scene of such an event.

*****Spoiler Warning*****

Sato (Super Aguri-Honda) passed both the Ferrari of Kimi Raikonnen and the McLaren of Fernando Alonso. That sentence should give you an idea of what the world just witnessed in Canada. It was bananas!

Reigning two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso messed-up FOUR TIMES in the Turn 2-3 complex. Plus, he pitted when the pit lane was closed and had to serve a 10-second stop and go penalty.

Massa (or Ferrari?) did one worse and did not come in for their penalty. Black flag came out, Massa had to park it. Not a smart move when you are fighting for the Championship. Raikonnen had an underwhelming race as well, he was never a factor. The result was near disaster for the Scuderia, they have to recover at Indy and regain their momentum.

Did I mention that Lewis Hamilton drove a perfect race? He was utterly dominant and in control, this guy is the real deal. Oh yes, he is a rookie and never drove on this track before. I don't know what else to say other than young Mr. Hamilton is going to be one of the dominant drivers of his era. Raikonnen and Alonso are going to have to bring their A-game to beat him, he is the stuff.

I see shades of Piquet, Prost, Mansell, and Senna here. Four top drivers with a couple of decent up and comers (Kubica and Rosberg) in the wings. F1 has a bright future with these guys.

Speaking of Kubica, his crash was horrific but he should recover. Sebastian Vittel will take his place while he recovers but BMW should remain strong. Lest I forget to mention that Nick Heidfeld is the most underrated F1 driver out there. I have been saying this for years but now he is reminding the world that he has the skills. A win is in his future methinks.

Four safety car periods for a rash of wrecks is a new record for Canada. High speed track with low downforce and little/no runoff can produce a lot of flying carbon fibre... There were only twelve cars at the finish, which is a fair amount of attrition for F1 these days.

Wurtz did well to finish third and Kolvanien salvaged a horrid weekend with his run. I think others will be able to say it better than me, but this was certainly a memorable Grand Prix. There were a lot of errors made and it was an unpredictable race, which is good for the sport. You can't script this stuff after all.

*****Spoilers End*****

Now it is on to Indy for the USGP. I still think that Ferrari will have the upper hand at this event but McLaren and BMW should be up there as well. I think BMW could pull an upset if they can run a clean race because both of the top teams have shown moments of weakness this season. It should be another good race, I'll be watching.

Catalunya Results

I did not see the MotoGP race yet from Barcelona, but through the miracle of modern technology I can go get the results from a European website...

*****Spoiler Warning*****

It looks like we had an excellent race with one of my Dark Horses (Stoner) taking the win. Rossi could not convert a pole to a victory, which is the ninth race (!) in a row for the MotoGP series. No matter, second is good for him in that it keeps him within striking distance of Stoner. After Donnington we will have Assen and the Sachsenring, which should favor Rossi. Then we will have Laguana Seca, which should favor the American riders.

While Pedrosa will be a bit disappointed with third, his season is getting better. He has run some consistent races after his crash in Turkey, which is what Championships are made of. I don't think that Honda has what it takes this year but if Pedrosa keeps improving they will be in good shape going into next year. Pedrosa is Honda's Golden Child after all and they will do everything in their power to get him into contention.

Apparently John Hopkins did well too, which is good to see. Right now he is the best American rider in the series. I think he has a good shot at winning Laguna Seca and will have an influence on the championship this year. He is on the brink and once he scores his first win, he should be a consistent threat for podiums and wins.

*****Spoilers End*****

I may have to sneak a look at the race during commercial breaks during the Canadian GP. Looks like a good race indeed.

Cruel Dilemma

On Sunday June 10, I will be faced with a cruel dilemma.

No, not the prisoner's dilemma.

Not Sophie's Choice either.

For me, I have to choose between the Spanish MotoGP race or the Canadian Grand Prix tomorrow. This is both ironic and unusuall for many reasons.

The Catalunya MotoGP race will be on CBS (!), the Canadian Grand Prix will be on Fox.

Both will be on at 1000 hrs Arizona time (!) and will not be re-broadcast anywhere...

Each race is crucial to the momentum of the respective title aspirants. The stakes are high in both events.

AND I WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO WATCH ONE!!!

Guess I really need to buy that DVR I keep talking about...

To sum it up, Valentino Rossi can really get the momentum going his way again with a win. He is on pole and has won many times at the Circuit de Catalunya. However, Dani Pedrosa is on the front row too and he is hungry for a win at home. Honda has not won a MotoGP race yet this year, but a win by Pedrosa would go a long way to getting them back on track.

Casey Stoner and John Hopkins are the two wildcards though, both could have an impact in this race. Catalunya has a 1000M main straight, which should suit the Ducati. However, John Hopkins has been riding well and Suzuki has won a race this year so he could be a dark horse. It should be a good race, but I will be watching the Canadian Grand Prix instead...

The F1 race will probably not be as action-packed as the bike race, but it should be interesting. Lewis Hamilton is on pole with what can only be described as a mind-blowing lap. His run in Q3 was simply amazing, he got everything right. Alonso was going to beat it but lost several tenths in the last sector, still McLaren 1-2. Before practice I don't think anybody would have bet on McLaren occupying the front row. After all, Monaco was a special case...

Momentum in F1 could be turning. If Hamilton and Alonso make clean starts and dictate the pace of the race, it will be difficult for Massa and Raikonnen to be in contention for a win. Nick Heidfeld could do well with the powerful BMW starting in 3rd so it could be a long day for the Prancing Horse. Both Ferrari's just did not have it when it counted and I think they could be in trouble.

Canada and Indy are power circuits, the thought is that Ferrari would be on top at both tracks. Yet it seems McLaren can do well at both low and high-speed tracks. Ferrari needs the win to get their momentum back and Raikonnen needs a win to stay in the game. I certainly did not think that by Canada Kimi would only have one win and be the odd man out in the title chase. Massa may have to be content with a 3rd or 4th based on the strength of the McLarens and the BMWs. It should be a good race.

Time to hit the rack, busy day of racing tomorrow!

New Acquisition

I have finally joined the 21st Century!

My household finally has an LCD monitor connected to my desktop computer.

Yes, we (I got my wife's approval) purchased a Samsung SyncMaster 203B today. Fry's Electronics had it on sale for $299.99 and there are two rebates totalling $70.00 on this unit. This was the last day to get the rebate and they had one in stock. So I picked one up after work and installed it when I got home.

This is a very nice monitor, I am glad we got it. Even though it is not a widescreen, it has a lot of area. We are talking a 20.1" monitor after all... It is significantly larger than the 17" Relisys unit that I have used for many years.

It's funny really, I am an IT professional (Technical Project Manager/Business Analyst) who has spent the last decade and a half working on computers but has some of the oldest equipment out there. Here is the evidence:

The motherboard and CPU inside my Antec Sonata case were hand-me-downs, the USB and mouse ports don't even work (I got around that problem with a SIIG USB card).

Up until three weeks ago I was using an old Sony 32x CD-ROM. My Sony 52x CD-RW died over a year ago and all I had laying around was the CD-ROM from 1998. Got a new Pioneer DVR 112D which works like a champ, now all I need to do is start burning some discs again.

My NIC is a recycled 3Com 3C905B card that I bought at a surplus sale in 1999. It was $10 well-spent because it has served in three of my computer concoctions since I purchased it. I have never had any problems with either 3Com or Intel NICs, which is why I still have a couple of each laying around.

The LS-120 drive was a gift back in 1998 when it was actually worth something. I have another one in a box somewhere in a storage bin.

Two of my hard drives are under 10GB in capacity and the other two are only 20GB. I have four other drives laying around that I am planning to use in a Linux box. Someday that might happen.

Now that I have demonstrated to you that I am a long way from computing's cutting edge, let me bring you back around the my beloved 203B.

Believe it or not, I have wanted one of these Samsungs for a while. They are very solid mid-range LCDs and give me what I need. The picture quality, color depth, and resolution are good enough to replace the old CRT with this new unit. I'll forget about Samsung's legal troubles and bribery issues for now because they really do make a good LCD.

Yes, they are one of only a handful of companies that actually manufacture LCDs! S-LCD (Samsung and Sony Joint Venture) along with LG.Philips, AU Optronics (Acer and Unipac), Chi Mei, and Sharp produce most of the flat screens out there. So I got one from the source so to speak.

Ah yes, it feels good to be in the modern era...

Mugello

Just got done watching the Italian Grand Prix MotoGP race on Speed. That race reminds me of why I love motocycle racing so much. There was a lot of action throughout the field, clean racing, and some passes for the lead.

Note to Max Mosley, the passes were on the race track.

While it would have been a Hollywood ending if Ducati had won, Rossi won his sixth Italian Grand Prix in a row. He did so in dramatic fashion after falling back after a below-average start.

The Doctor is amazing...

Actually, Alex Barros had a great race, outdueling the factory Ducati of Casey Stoner to get a 3rd. This is no small feat since Stoner is having an outstanding season and the Pramac d'Antin Team has not looked strong in the other five rounds of the Championship this year.

I think that things are looking up for Honda though. Dani Pedrosa led and looked good in second, his bike had more power than the factory Yamaha. He could not catch Rossi but he could be in good shape next week for the Spanish round. With 300,000 screaming fans at his home track, he should have a lot of support.

Side note: I predicted before the season began that Pedrosa and Honda would win this season in a runaway...

Then again, the tires (or tyres for your Brits out there) will tell the tell. The Bridgestones were not dominant in Italy as they have been in other races. I reckon it is a bit of a crapshoot to see who does better in Spain.

Back in the Saddle Again!

It has been a long time since I have posted, at least on this blog... Most of my time has been spent sharing my wisdom and observations on another site that I got started a while back. Well, the other one seems to be rolling along just fine now so I can devote more of my time to sharing with you. Don't you feel lucky?

The scope of this blog has changed a bit too, I will expand the original focus from motorsports to encompass other areas of interest. These will include travel, mountain biking, hiking, boating, sailing, camping, and other things that I dig. Friends, family, and fools will be able to see what is going on with me by dropping by and reading.

Just think, this blog is saving dozens of people from my spam!

Isn't technology wonderful?

Some postings will be looks back at days gone by and adventures past. These will recollect activities that I have wanted to share but have not always had the time to do. Now, through the miracle of modern blogging, you will be able to take a trip down memory lane with me.

See, today is your lucky day!

There will be other postings of current topics. These will offer a snapshot at what is on my mind right now. Warning, these may not be for the faint of heart! For those of you who know me well, that means blunt assessments and brutal honesty. You can't say I did not tell you.

There will also be forward-looking posts as well, ones that step away from the present reality. They will not be prescient by any means but I will stretch my mind a little bit, gaze into my crystal ball, and offer my thoughts.

I will have a money back guarantee too to ensure your complete satisfaction. If you don't agree with what you have read on this blog, I will gladly repay all of the money you have given to me to render an opinion. If you are offended by what I have written, well it sucks to be you!

Ok, I have a MotoGP race to watch so I will let the keyboard cool-off a bit. Enjoy the blog and see you again soon.