Most likely going as a quasi-tourist in 2007; with an all-access pass and wireless-enabled laptop I think I can work pretty much anywhere without troubling the Media people.  But I have a dozen races between now and then so time will tell. 

I missed the ambience and the company, and I missed especially wandering around the paddock and garages in the early morning hours.  But I have to say that it as great to fold up the sofa bed, take a hot shower and have breakfast as soon as the race was over, and not have two more days before I got home.

Well, that is why I asked.  We don't get a 'balanced' viewpoint over here and they make it look as if everything is under seige (because it makes a better story).  My parents say the same thing about Canada; the only time Canada is in the news in Alabama is when something terrible is happening or a politician does something anti-American.  Most of the time Toronto is no more dangerous than Atlanta, except that in Atlanta you can shoot back.   

Piglet, I have had an invitation from a couple of friends to share a motor home if they decide to go, which is pretty nebulous -- so I am not really planning on it but wanted to check on the safety just in case.    I would not be working if I did go, just over there for the fun.  (For once!)

I hope that none of the people (including Buddy Lazier) who are calling Paul Dana stupid and worthless within hours of his death will ever die in a racing car -- and I hope if they ever do, that someone isn't standing in front of an International audience that includes their widow and/or children, and calling them stupid and worthless within hours of their deaths.

There may be a good reason for the insurance company and the track (and any lawyers involved) to ascertain as nearly as possible who was at fault and what could be done to help ensure that it doesn't happen again -- insofar as they can -- but there's no reason whatsoever for the press and the fans, with nothing more solid than the pronouncements of people who don't know any more than they do, and team members who may have an agenda of their own, to be vilifying a man who is barely in his grave.

Whatever happened to nil nisi bonum for the love of God?   

There was an area of little trailers behind very large locked gates over on the end of Karting Nord this year.  It's my understanding that they were leased by an outfit similar to Grand Prix Tours and you had to belong to their Group in order to move into one.  I don't remember what group it was though.

I am hearing about a lot of rioting, burning of cars and blowing up of buildings, plus rampaging "students" on the trains who are beating up the passengers and robbing them.

Also I have heard that Bird Flu has begun in France.

How safe is it going to be to go to Le Mans in 2006?  (After we get there it will be as safe as ever, I am sure, but how about the actually getting there part?)

"I offer the following cross post from someone who knew what they were talking about before she opened her mouth. What do you think the National Guard is just sitting in 4x4s in the garage every day of the week?! They have families, are on vacation, jobs etc. Double oh my God, do you think trucks are just sitting around ready to roll to feed a half a million people in every state in the Union? Do you think they levitate 100s and 1000s of miles?

Compare what happend at the start of the Korean War - when we emergency mobilized. It took a whole lot more than 3-5 days just to get the tanks to the ports - it took weeks and months!

A shot across the bow - States want states rights. With that comes states responsibilities and the shame when they screw up.

9.05.2005
Katrina Aftermath Choke-the-LWM Moment # 749
As a former Air Force logistics officer, let me clarify the following for the idiots in the Left Wing Media:

1. Things can get destroyed far more swiftly than they can get fixed.
2. The United States military can wipe out the Taliban and the Iraqi Republican Guard far more swiftly than they can bring 3 million Swanson dinners to an underwater city through an area the size of Great Britain which has no power, no working ports or airports, and a devastated and impassable road network.
3. You cannot speed recovery and relief efforts up by prepositioning assets since the assets are endangered by the very storm which destroyed the region.
4. We do not yet have teleporter nor replicator technology like you saw on "Star Trek" in college between hookah hits and waiting to pick up your worthless communications degree while the grownups actually engaged in the recovery effort today were studying engineering.
5. Getting people out of the stricken areas is the most pressing concern, since we cannot get enough supplies into it to safely sustain them.
6. Getting the airport, bridges, and roads repaired is the next priority, since the supplies and people needed to fix levees, drain the city, and repair the infrastructure cannot be transported via aircraft. You need to truck them in.
7. Once the infrastructure is repaired, it is vital to get the ports in working order. Equipment and supplies can only be moved into the area in large quantities by sea.
8. Only then can recovery efforts begin in earnest.
9. The above will take weeks and months, not days or hours.
10. No amount of yelling, crying, and mustering of moral indignation will change any of the facts above. Facts are facts. Opinion is cheap.
11. You could do more help actually keeping your darned satellite trucks out of the way of the folks doing the real work.
12. If you must vent your indignation, how about targeting the Louisiana officials who did absolutely nothing to protect their constituents? At least you can help ensure the populace doesn't elect these clowns again.

By the way, in Florida the Guard did a fantastic job over 4 storms. It still took 3 days to mobilize. In Mississippi the Gov got his act atheproblems the N.O. people did in LA. Compare and contrast all you want after they get the people out then assess non-political blame."

My parents were missed by this hurricane but were hit hard by Hurricane Ivan -- in a very small town of 1200 people, 85% Black and the rest elderly White people.  My prayers are with your family.  I know second-hand what they are going through.

As for all the people here who think that they could have handled the aftermath with laryngitis and no rehearsal, I'm going to copy a response by a member of the military to explain what will be needed to fix a disaster that has wiped out the same size territory that comprises your entire country.  Read through it and tell me where President Bush screwed up.

I remember seeing that; he drove Patrick Tambay's car and Tambay was there laughing at him and saying "You kids don't know what real racing was like."

The German Fellow also refuses to consider racing at Indianapolis or in a World Rally Car -- "too dangerous!" -- although he did race in the ROC and was man enough to be embarrassed when they disqualified both men who beat him so he could "win".

I liked F1 when it was simpler and guys raced because they loved racing.  I loved F1 when you could tell the drivers apart, and they didn't speak from pre-vetted index cards ... and when the winners didn't look as if they were about to be hanged.

Of course I liked hockey when it wasn't dominated by Russians playing shinny and whining prairie boys who can say "You can't expect me to support a family on $3 million US per year" with a completely straight face.

If anyone sees Bruno Lambert, please remind him he's got my hat.   

The James Hunt book is excellent, and a very deep analysis of James that I wonder if he could have done if James were still alive to criticize it (although I suspect he would have approved).  I understand from later analysis that James was manic-depressive, at least in his later years; was that verified, does anyone know?

My favourite James quote of all time was during a race in Monaco when Murray exclaimed that someone was "on fire as he came into the Swimming Pool" and James replied, "Well, that will put him out, then."   

I will start reading the autobiography of Nigel "It's All About Me" Mansell next.

----------------

As for whether and whither F1, I think it now suffers (besides from the Ron Dennis School of RoboSpeak) from the same problem that happened in hockey -- and I believe Sir Jackie Stewart pointed it out in F1, actually: that as the cars have become safer and safer, the drivers have become more dangerous.  Now that they are virtually assured to walk away from any prang, they don't hesitate to ram other cars or force them into the curb, gravel traps, et al.  regardless of consequences.  I remember Eddie Irvine in the Jaguar forcing Bernoldi into the tire wall at a very high rate of speed, and then parking and piling out of his car to run and help pull the tire wall off the Prost and rescue the other driver; he was quite shaken up by the result of his action when he thought he had killed a fellow driver, but clearly he hadn't considered the effect of his action until he saw it.

On the other hand we have the delightful spectacle of Jean Alesi chasing Jarno Trulli through the infield in Montreal -- Trulli running backward because he was afraid to stop and turn around -- with Alesi shouting "I WEEL KEEL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" after Trulli saw him off, which was a delightful echo of the days when drivers could be told apart without consulting the program.

Are there enough of them left to spell "Vodafone"?   

I'm reading James Hunt's Bio that Gerry Donaldon wrote, and enjoying James' ascerbic comments when he worked with Murray Walker; and imagining Jacques doing the same service in livening up James Allen's woeful commentary. 

"In James' view, Alessandro Nannini lacked brainpower behind the wheel, Mauricio Gugelmin was slow in all the lesser formulas, even slower in Formua 1 and ahd no reason to be there; Rene Arnoux was a menace to other drivers, Andrea de Cesaris was an embarrassment to himself, his team and the sport; Alain Prost's motivation was suspect; Nigel Mansell (the next English World Champion after James) made silly mistakes,d efamed the office of World Champion by not staying in Formula 1 to defend his title; and so on."

Now imagine what Jacques would say about the current field!

Now, does reading and writing all that about the good old days before everyone was handed his post-race thoughts on index cards typed up and run past the censors ... make anyone think that today's F1 is more than a pale shadow of what we used to have?

I think once Ferrari gets rid of That German Fellow, F1 will become just like hockey became when Bobby Orr retired -- suddenly everyone will have to start actually stepping up, instead of bowing the Red Car past.

And I devoutly hope that I will never again hear Peter Windsor ask a young up-and-coming World Champion To Be, "Did you ever think of [throwing the race to Schumacher] and settling for Second?" with a straight face -- although Alonso's expression was priceless, compared to his reasonably response!   

Yes, that was the source of my "Jumped up Bavarian Brat" statement -- the Mayor of a city in Italy referred to him with that phrase in his chewing-out of said JUBB for disrespecting the Italian anthem.  I know it was later pointed out that JUBB was not in fact from Bavaria, but the quote is accurate.

If you want to see Johnny Herbert's ears turn red and his eyes glitter with steel, just slip up beside him and murmur "Michael Schumacher".   

Somebody remind me who the driver was that Senna vetoed (who would have been competitive with him) and whom they took on in that driver's place, who was, er, Massa light....

P.S. For real crybaby stuff, Helio Castroneves takes the prize.  Brazilians are just naturally emotional guys, I think.