SPEED CHANNEL is doing a great job on the F1 USGP

[av8]

Taking a cue from NHRA amd NASCAR, F1 is making itself more accessible to American fans, as a way to build interest in F1 in the US.

There's been unprecedented "visits" in some of the garages this week. Just watched an interesting segment in the BAR-HONDA garage that featured their composite gearbox, the only successful one in F1 at this point. The entire transaxle/IRS was parked on a stand so it could be clearly seen, in great detail. The fellow who heads up the gearbox program was interviewed and explained the why as well as the how of this system. It's an absolute stunner of carbon fiber and titanium, beautifully crafted.

All the practice sessions have been shown live (there's one on right now, 7:45 AM PT)), and there have been a great number of excellent interviews with key people in F1.

Qualifying (live) is from 10-Noon (PT) today, and race coverage begins at 9:30 AM PT tomorrow, ending at Noon.  Good stuff and the very best presentation of F1 I've seen, and I'm a looooong time fan.

If you're interested, you'll find the full SPEED CHANNEL schedule here, including reruns. Just select the week and your time zone.

http://speedtv.com/schedule/index.php?m=&d=&week=15&ts=&wholeMonth=&subcat=&program=&usecal=yes&startMonday=1

[Jbird]

So you're an F1 fan too huh? But, do you have your alarm set for 4:30 AM sunday mornings when the races are in the eastern hemisphere.
Me and Cody(the cat) cuddle up and watch the races live from my bed. Well, I watch and Cody mostly complains about those whiney 850hp, ten cylinder, three liter, 19,000 rpm engines.
    From the looks of it M.S. is gonna walk away with the championship again this year. BAR and Renault seem to be stepping up into Ferrari's elite realm while McLaren and Jaguar are joining the speed bumps that make up the rest of the field. Maybe with the right driver shuffle for next year, BMW can rejoin the hunt. It would be nice to see an eight car race for a change.
  Unfortunately some of us have to work on old Pontiacs while qualifying is going on this morning, but if I'm lucky nobody will say anything and I can pretend like it's live when me and Cody watch it tonight.
      Jbird

[av8]

So you're an F1 fan too huh? But, do you have your alarm set for 4:30 AM sunday mornings when the races are in the eastern hemisphere. . .
      Jbird

Yes, I've got the F1 sickness pretty bad, jBird, had it for a long time. (BTW, qualifying is just starting as I write, but I won't ruin it for you.)

For me, one of the very best things about F1 on the SPEED CHANNEL is that I can watch it live anywhere in the world. no matter what time of day or night it's telecast, just one of the perqs of retirement!

I welcome the attitude expressed by David Hobbs and others that the other manufacturers should push harder to catch up to Ferrari rather than rule changes be used to level the playing field. It's not entirely a money thing; Williams spends more than Ferrari. Nor is it all Michael and Rubens, nor the cars. Ferrari has a focus like no other team. There's no wasted motion, and no wasted laps even in practice; they invariably learn something from even the rare mistake.

There's a good crowd of youngsters coming on strong -- Button, Sato, Montoya, Alonzo -- and Michael may have no more than one or two seasons of his accustomed domination before they're seasoned enough to bring an ailing car home in first place like MS did some weeks ago when his Ferrari fractured an exhaust header flange joint around mid-point in the race. Wish we had some Yanks in the game.

It's a shame we don't have a good "farm system" in go-karts like the rest of the world has. We used to do pretty well with the old USAC system of midgets-sprints-champ cars but that's been long dead and buried as a path to success on the international scene. NASCAR's engineered and purchased high profile has damaged open-wheel racing here, and stadium motocross has siphoned off much of the talent that should have gone into karting, IMHO.

Enjoy qualifying later today, and the race tomorrow. I'm heading outside to work on my F1 -- '48 Ford edition -- as soon as qualifying is over.

[himmelberg]

I've been an F-1 fan since Wide World of Sports would air the race at Monaco back in Phil Hill's glory years. Mid sixties?

Pulled the plug on cable two years ago. School teachers don't have 50-60 bucks a month to blow on the garbage that rules the airwaves nowdays. The exception, of course, F-1 and certain food channel guys.

Now I "watch" the races on the net. F-1's site has live timing, recording times in 3 sectors, total lap time, ins and outs of the pits, text commentary, weather, and position as it happens.

Lots of data doesn't compare to watching it live... still have to get up before the chickens when they race overseas... but it's something. How bout those BARS filling up the second row? Enjoy the race. himmelberg

[av8]

I've been an F-1 fan since Wide World of Sports would air the race at Monaco back in Phil Hill's glory years. Mid sixties?

Pulled the plug on cable two years ago. School teachers don't have 50-60 bucks a month to blow on the garbage that rules the airwaves nowdays. The exception, of course, F-1 and certain food channel guys.. himmelberg

WWS was the cat's * of televised auto sports racing back then, wasn't it? They gave us the bad with the good, and my least-favorite but most persistent motorsports memory of that time was Lorenzo Bandini's crash in the chicane at Monaco and the resulting fire that claimed his life. Safety measures adopted since then have essentially eliminated the potential for such tragedies occurring today.

Please pardon my bummer of a remembered moment. I look forward to the race tomorrow. It will be exciting, and it will be as safe as it can possibly be.

[flt-blk]

I am a minority being a Juan Pablo Montoya fan. in the F1 series.
Behind Vilaneau he is my favorite career to follow.

I thought RedBull was creating a feeder program to try and get an
American F1 driver sometime in the next several years.

Now let's talk ALMS......That Audi R8 is a real piece of machinery, too bad they don't stop in Texas anymore.
TZ

[Jbird]

I wonder how long JPM will last at McLaren. It seems like he's jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

   It looks this season is going to be a race for second place again. will it be Rubens, Fernando, Jarno, Jensen. Takuma (the kamakazee), or Zolt? You gotta like a guy named Zolt, even if he's the slowest guy on the grid, hey he's got a point ain't he.
  Jbird