The 2009 Canadian Grand Prix has been dropped from the calendar. No North American races next year. Thanks, Bernie. You prick.
All I've read so far is that there were "contractual problems", whatever that means. Could be that Ecclestone was asking for more money than the organizers were willing to dish out to retain the race. I believe that's part of the reason the US Grand Prix was dropped - the price was just too high for them. It's a shame - I've been to the CGP a couple of times now and it's a really fantastic weekend. Usually beautiful weather, a fun race, and a great party scene. I was looking forward to going again next year, but now it looks like Europe or Brazil are the only reasonable options, and those trips will cost twice as much as a trip to Montreal would have.Let me preface by saying I know nothing about the FIA.
Why the hell was Montreal dropped? Angry canucks want to know!
Complete madness. I think I had a heart attack when the rain started to fall in the last 5 laps, and I'm convinced I died when Vettel sneaked past Lewis. The shock of seeing Glock on slicks with no grip coming back down the field brought me back to life.THAT WAS INSANE.
All hail the return of King Murray!On a related note, that was the last race that ITV will carry in the UK - the BBC have won the rights back from next year. So that means no more in-race commercials for us here in Britain, and also likely means the demise of James Allen as lead commentator. I don't know whether you have to suffer his commentary in the US, but he's up there with the very worst in terms of innane comments and generally missing the point...
I loved Murray Walker - didn't we all?All hail the return of King Murray!
What's the betting Lineker gets to host - or Clare Balding?!
All hail the return of King Murray!
What's the betting Lineker gets to host - or Clare Balding?!
Off topic. Is Claire Balding a dyke? I've often wondered.Ugh, Balding hosting it doesn't bear thinking about... She prefers 4 legs to 4 wheels.
Oh yeah, openly so. She's "married" to her female partner. And maybe to some of her dad's horses too.Off topic. Is Claire Balding a dyke? I've often wondered.
I never checked...but she looks like a dyke. But a nice dyke.Oh yeah, openly so. She's "married" to her female partner. And maybe to some of her dad's horses too.
So who would you suggest the Beeb use to fulfil that crucial F1 role of "Pit Lane Dolly"? Key abilities must include:Suzy Perry needs to fuck off. She's rubbish in MotoGP. Rossi won't even talk to her because he thinks she's too thick.
Formula One fans will cheer on their favorite drivers and brightly painted, open-wheel cars as they compete at speeds of 60 to 200 miles an hour around a 3.2-mile circuit, with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.
As is common in Formula One racing, the course will incorporate local streets, including the stretch of Boulevard East that runs past Semprini’s house, as well as River Road along the Hudson’s west bank, where a garage complex for the race is already under construction opposite the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal in Weehawken. Race sponsors and racing personalities joined elected officials near the garage site for yesterday’s announcement.
"It’s going to be an absolutely spectacular race," Steve Matchett, a Formula 1 commentator for the racing cable network Speed Channel, told the large crowd of local reporters and racing press.
Matchett went so far as to compare the waterfront location and split elevation of the Hudson County course to the storied Circuit de Monico, which wends through city streets and along the picturesque harbor of Monte Carlo.
I'm sorta curious what you consider a "quality" track.The best thing about the NJ and Austin tracks is that they will show F1 cars off. F1 hasn't raced on a quality track in America in 30 years and now it looks like they'll have two at the same time. Indy was a poor track that would have been loathed by everybody if it wasn't Indy. Its only saving grace was that it was at least a good circuit for overtaking.
The old line about Monaco being like cycling around your living room would apply to Seca. It's just so short and there would be very little room to overtake. It's really narrow in parts as well, especially the run up the hill from Turn 6 and ending at the Corkscrew.The elevation is a good point, as is the flat-out-ness of the Indy track.
Watching F1 at Laguna would be tremendous if only for that elevation change -- I will remember watching those turbo-powered Zanardi-era CART cars in the Corkscrew for the rest of my life, such a great, great thing to see.
I actually don't care if the drivers think the track is fun, as a spectator I care how the experience is, if I'm going in person (on TV, they honestly all come out about the same). Indy was decent to good, Laguna is excellent, because you can sit in certain spots and see 80%+ of the track, except the Corkscrew. There are some tracks where you can only see one turn, no matter where you are, which is rather annoying (Indy had some sections like this, and others with decent multi-turn visibility).
I'll be in town for the race. Arriving Friday, departing Monday, sitting in Grandstand 12.Just a few days to go, I don't suppose anybody else is going to the race?
Thanks - Maybe we'll arrive extra early on Saturday (if possible) and if it turns out we don't need that much of a cushion, we'll adjust for Sunday.My shuttle location is north of the airport at the county expo center. I think yours is the only other location.
That 5k race I mentioned only had about 5,000 participants. That is less than 5% of the anticipated crowd for the race, and apparently it was a clusterfuck.
Friday and Saturday should be very informative. If there are problems on Saturday I would definitely recommend a lot of cushion.
I may try to hit up Franklin Barbecue on Monday, since I don't fly out until late afternoon. We don't have a car, so as awesome as Lockhart sounds, that's probably out of reach for us, but I'll keep it in mind. We'll most likely be in the downtown area - any suggestions there? Is Lambert's worth a visit? It seems a bit fancified, but also seems to get good reviews.Uchiko and Hopdoddy are both good choices. I actually prefer Uchi to Uchiko, but their menus are totally different and both are worth the expense. I also love La Condesa.
The best BBQ place in town right now is Franklin Barbecue. It'll be kind of tough though, typically you have to get in line around 9 - 9:30am and wait a couple hours -- it's a commitment. All the tourists in town will probably make it even worse.
If you are renting a car, you might want to head out to Lockhart, a small town about 30 miles south of Austin. There are several top notch places there -- Smitty's, Kreuz Market, Black's. Asking for sauce in these places might get you some dirty looks.
If you don't want the hassle there are a number of places in town, like County Line, that are okay. Franklin is in another class.
As for drinks, there are a ton of places, it's hard to recommend anything w/o knowing anything about you or what you drink. If you are staying downtown, in your 30's or older, and are not a hipster, I would say the Warehouse district is your best bet.