Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Danica this... It’s working!

SHEISA!!!

Please DON’T even get me started on this terrible hyperbole ‘bout Princess Dan-Dan-Danicker going to Formula 1... (I mean HELL! She can’t even race in A1GP!) Although I feel like I’m doin’ the Tony Stewart shuffle here, as he retorted to a fellow media member as “Rocket Scientist” after just having crashed into fellow Hoosier & Teammate Ryan Newman during the big race’s final warm-up... As Stewart said he wasn’t even gonna talk ‘bout Goodyear NO more and then repeated the Akron rubber giant’s name 47 more times... But I digress.

Although I like the majority of the Blogger’s comments toward this subject, i.e.; “Danica + F1 = DUMB! Formula 1 races on the tellie at OH-DARK-30 and How do you say "Go Daddy" in Hungarian?”

I’d just like to point out one issue making its way around the Blogosphere in regards to the potentially new US F1 team that will apparently be launched via the SPEED channel on February 24th.

In regards to the “Paltry” $64 million annual operating budget; NOT to be cornfuzed with the $64m question... The reason behind this number, along with the 100 member staffing level is that this is predicated upon what FIA Whipping boy Sir maXXum, nee MAD Max Mosley is currently seeking in his proposed cost containment scheme he’s trying to get implemented for the 2010 season. As this is in the hopes of attracting new teams into the sport which currently has two vacancies on the allowable grid maximum of 12 Constructor’s, barring Honda’s demise...

Bringing down the F1 Budgets
Yet, this amount of money and manpower seems to be doing exactly what Max wants, as in they’re pandering to the FIA’s Dreamscape of teams running upon $65m and 200 staff. But with the upper echelon Constructor’s reportedly spending in excess of $200-400m; this will presumably be only enough capital to run a “Minnow” team at the back end of the grid in 2010... And thus, as much as I’d like to see the project come to fruition and be successful, so far it all seems to be Smoke ‘N Mirrors... (Albeit the former Minardi team under Paul Stoddart was reportedly running on a $40m budget).

Yet, I’d have to say that 16th & Georgetown seems to be on the right track in regards to potential drivers, as Ryan “The Dude” Hunter-Reay is probably the most logical candidate for one of the seats, as the other names being bantered about don’t make a lot of sense to me. (Including Princess). Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden and Scott Speed all seem to be a stretch to me, as the first two are lacking in experience, while the latter has already “Been thar – Done ‘dat!” And Speed seems to have cooked his own goose abroad... So, I’m not really sure who the drivers should be, if we’re truly seeking an All-Americana line-up. (Although I’d pay to see Kyle Busch in F1!) Hey, how about Richard Antinucci after he potentially wins this season’s Firestone Indy Lights championship.

Then again isn’t it amusing how every bodies already forgotten about how Marco Andretti was slated for a ride with Honda F1...