Great White North

OTAY, I know it’s a bit backwards to be heading North today instead of making a Run for the Border on Cinco de Mayo…

But, nevertheless I’m off to the Great White North, eh? For the next few dazes… So if there AINT’s NO New posts, you can simply “BLAME KANA-DUH!”

Tony’s money maker

Don’t know why this caught my eye… As I tend to think of the IMS as NOT being technically savvy… Yet apparently a deal has been struck with Cha Cha… Nope, don’t fret. This AIN’T no smooshy tie-in with the Oxygen Channel, nor “le trio des femelles,” a.k.a. Princess, Milka and Sarah; Ooh lah lah, “Tres chaud, Mon Cherie!”

And it ain’t Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldohney either… Unless she’s found a white fire suit to saunter about Gasoline Alley…

No, Tony George is going’ somewhere… (Insert joke here?) Err, the Speedway is going’ High-tech as its just awarded another exclusive contract to Cha Cha, a Carmel, CA based internets start-up, which will provide official mobile answers services for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the month of May. As you can now ask Cha Cha any IMS related questions via your cell phone.

Q) How many cars will show up on “Boomp” Day?
A) Search results; Sorry, there were NO ANSWERS found matching your query…

And the service will also feature text alerts, which apparently were tried out this past weekend…

BUZZ- BUZZ- BUZZ!!! Ernesto Jose Viso; “You’re entering the WRONG Pit Stall (YOU NIMROD!) Continue to proceed 1,000 Feet FARTHER!!!

To which Eddie Carpentier sent EJ the following; Get the F%%K OUT of MY Pit you smarmy Brazilian…

FLASH: Whoa, Big Fella! Ease up Mr. Edwardo, Mezs un Ruukie…

BUZZ- BUZZ- BUZZ!!! Car #20, this is Brian Barnhart. Report to my office IMMEDIATELY!

HMM? Wonder if this is how Larry Curry got the memo on his dismissal?

Cinco de Mayo: Mexicali Gran Primo Piloto’s - Redux

Hector Rebaque at Speed...

Otay, I know Y’all are supposed to be hootin ‘N hollerin over the fact that it’s Cinco de Mayo… And don’t forget to eat the worm; Ariva-Ariva-Ariva…

Several years ago - when I scribbled this originally 'Wayback in 2008; (having modified it on April 30, 2012) this elspeciale day made me ponder just how many Mexicali’s had taken part in Formula 1 and did they ever host a Grand Prix? And of course some of you out there are probably way ahead of me, eh?

As yes indeed, Mexico once was a part of the Gran Primo Calendar, well actually it was part of the calendar twice, with all races being held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with the first race being run in 1962 as a Non Championship event. Yet, from 1963 to 1970 the Mexican GP played havoc with the then top flight Grand Prix machinery, as these carbureted beasts were extremely susceptible to the city’s notoriously thin air, since the track was at an elevation of 7,400 feet.

The 1963 Formula 1 World Championship race was won by Scotland’s Jimmy Clark, also the winner of the 1967 event, while America’s Dan Gurney claimed one of his four Grand Prix victories aboard a Brabham-Climax (1.5 liter inline four cylinder engine) race car in 1964.

The final season’s penultimate race of the 1.5 liter Normally Aspirated era (1961-65) was a watershed event, as American Ritchie Ginther scored his lone F1 race win and Honda Racing’s maiden Grand Prix victory aboard the Honda RA272 with a transversely mounted V-12 power unit. This would also be Goodyear’s very first Grand Prix victory.

Mexico City would remain on the F1 schedule thru the 1970 season, when it was dropped after the circuit was unable to control spectators from continuously hovering too close or being on the racing line…

The 4.421 Kilometer circuit located in Magdalena Mixhuca, a public park in the northeast of Mexico City was updated to FIA standards in time to return to the F1 Calendar in 1986, as high fencing and ferocious guard dogs kept spectators at bay. This event would see another surprise victor, as Gerhard Berger would score his and Benetton’s maiden Grand Prix victory, largely credited to their Pirelli tires outlasting the competition. The Autodrome would remain a fixture until 1992, when sadly once again the track would be dropped from Grand Prix competition, as the circuit’s bumps had finally outgrown the F1 Constructors welcome.

Interestingly, rumours first surfaced in 2003 about Mexico’s possible return to action with Bernie Ecclestone stating in 2006 that Mexico would indeed return to the GP limelight with a round of the 2009 season being held at a brand new $70 million facility built in Cancun, which now has fallen by the wayside.

Although CART contested a pair of races there from 1980-81, with both events being won by Rick Mears for Penske Racing, CART also turned its back upon the aging circuit which laid largely dormant until Gerry Forsythe instigated a massive rebuilding project in the new millennium.

Champ Car then began competing at the refurbished circuit from 2002 thru 2007 and could Tony George be pondering a future return to Mexico City as the Indy Car World Series? Presently, the only two major American sanctioning bodies venturing down South of the Border are Grand Am and the Nationwide series…

And while searching for Drivers, I was quite surprised to learn that only four Mexicans have ever contested the Formula One World Championship. (Prior to Sergio Perez’s F1 debut Down Under in Melbourne in 2011...)  

As you may be aware of the most notable Mexicali’s being the Rodriguez Brothers - who interestingly, their father Don Pedro reputedly made a small fortune as head of the countries elite Mexican Motorcycle Police force, thus his background of “Scooters” apparently rubbed off on his two sons, who would begin their racing careers as Motorcycle racers, as both brothers were National Champion multiple times before moving onto automobiles.

Although Ricardo was refused entrance into the 24 Heurs du Mans due to his early age (16) Ricardo and Pedro often competed in top notch machinery bought for them by their father, as the brothers contested several events for Luigi Chinetti's N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team)

“Pedro was just 20 and his brother Ricardo was two years younger when US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti dispatched them to Le Mans at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 "Testa Rossa." There the Mexican kids put the fear of God into all their rivals and would have won the race had the car lasted.”

Ricardo Rodriguez

Years: 1961-62

Teams: Ferrari

Races: 6 (Starts: 5)

Poles: 0

Wins: 0

Supposedly it was the younger (19yr old) brother Ricardo who sparked the Nation’s lust of hosting an International Grand Prix with his rise to prominence during his various Sports Car drives, having finished second at Le Mans and third at Sebring. These performances apparently caught the attention of Enzo, thus being invited to drive for the Scuderia Ferrari in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix before graduating to a full time works drive in 1962.

Although 1962 wasn’t a hugely successful year for Ferrari in F1, Ricardo did win the Targa Florio aboard a 246 Dino SP, while making five starts in Formula 1 (1961-62) and scored points in the Belgian and German Grand Prix’s before Enzo decided not to send his cars to Mexico City. Sadly Ricardo would perish during practice for the 1962 non-championship event while driving a rented Rob Walker Lotus 24 racing car.

Pedro Rodriguez

Years: 1963-71

Teams: Ferrari, Lotus, Cooper, BRM

Races: 54

Poles: 0

Wins: 2

While Mexico was deeply morning the loss of 20yr old Ricardo, elder brother Pedro was now contesting major Sports Car events, having won the 1963 Daytona Continental for Chinetti behind the wheel of an N.A.R.T. Ferrari 250 GTO. The Continental was the forbearer of today’s Rolex 24 and originally began as a three hour race. In 1964 Pedro would win once again, this time sharing the N.A.R.T. Ferrari 250 GTO with Formula 1 World Champion Phil Hill as the event had been lengthened to 2,000 Kilometers.

Pedro had also made his way into Formula 1 by 1963 and would blossom into Mexico’s most successful Grand Prix driver, ultimately contesting 54 Grand Prix’s for Ferrari, Lotus, Cooper and BRM, (1963-71) as Pedro would win two events, the 1967 South African GP for Cooper and the 1970 Belgian GP for BRM.

Pedro was also a gifted Sports Car pilot, having contested Le Mans 14times; Pedro was victorious for John Wyer’s Gulf Ford GT 40 effort in 1968 before signing a contract with the Englishman and winning the World Sports Car Championship aboard the all conquering Porsche 917 two years in a row.

Pedro also won the North American Ice Racing title in 1970 as well as finishing fifth in that year’s Charlotte World 600 RASSCAR event before his untimely death in a Sports Car event at the Nurburgring behind the wheel of a Ferrari 512 in 1971.

Moises Solana

Years: 1963-68

Teams: Cooper, Lotus, Scuderia Centro Sud

Races: 8

Poles: 0

Wins: 0

This is a long forgotten Formula 1 driver I hadn’t heard of previously. He was a journeyman driver who drove for Cooper, Lotus and Scuderia Centro Sud. (1963-68) along with limited forays into Formula 2 with Lotus and Ferrari, making a total of eight Grand Prix starts, primarily contesting the Mexican Grand Prix several years in a row.

Moises also contested road racing in the Northern Hemisphere, in the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) forbearer of the Can Am championship and was the first driver to score points in an USRRC International event aboard a McLaren.

Solana was killed in 1969 when he lost control of his McLaren Can Am car in a Hill Climb event upon smashing into a bridge.

Hector Rebaque

Years: 1977-81

Teams: Hesketh, Rebaque, Brabham

Races: 58 (Starts: 41)

Poles: 0

Wins: 0

A final, lesser known driver would emerge from the shadows of the Rodriguez Brothers. Coming from an affluent Mexican family, Hector bought his way into the Hesketh team in 1977, of which he had mix results at.

For 1978, Hector decided he needed better equipment and bought a used Lotus to run under the Rebaque banner. The following year he bought another used Lotus, but bbecame increasingly frustrated with his perceived lack of support from Colin Chapman. He then decided to build his own chassis and hence commissioned Penske Racing to fabricate what would become known as the HR-100, largely based on his old Lotus.

Hector made a total of 58 starts for Hesketh, Rebaque and Brabham (1977-81) and upon shutting down his languishing Rebaque team, Hector moved onwards to Bernie Ecclestone’s F1 team alongside teammate Nelson Piquet at Brabham in 1980.  While vastly overshadowed by World Champion Piquet, it’s reported that Rebaque’s insistence to fly home between Grand Prix’s was a contributing factor to his lackluster Formula 1 career.

Being left without an F1 ride for 1982 after Bernie had hired Ricardo Patrese as his replacement; Hector took up residence in CART for Gerry Forsythe and inherited a lone Champ Car victory in 1982 for Forsythe Racing when Al Unser Sr ran out of petrol while leading the inaugural Road America race. Rebaque then had a major shunt on the high banks of the Michigan International Speedway and decided to retire from motor racing...

F1 Returns

Meanwhile,  during the resurrection and second coming of Grand Prix racing at Mexico City (1986-92) the events date was shifted to the spring in 1989 to coincide with the reborn USGP. (Phoenix, AZ)

(1989-91) During this time, Mexico also began hosting a round of the World Sports Car Championship and a young German named Michael Schumacher scored one of his earliest career victories co-driving an all conquering Sauber-Mercedes with Jochen Mass in 1990 at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.

Most wins at the venerable Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez are split between three drivers, having two wins apiece: Jimmy Clark, 1963, ’67; Alain Prost, 1988, ‘90 and Nigel Mansell, 1987, ’92.

Mexican Grand Prix winners

1963) Jimmy Clark; 1964) Dan Gurney; 1965) Richie Ginther; 1966) John Surtees; 1967) Jimmy Clark; 1968) Graham Hill; 1969) Denny Hulme; 1970) Jacky Ickx.

1986) Gerhard Berger; 1987) Nigel Mansell; 1988) Alain Prost;; 1989) Ayrton Senna; 1990) Alain Prost; 1991) Riccardo Patrese; (1992) Nigel Mansell...

Radio Czech

Although I’ve tossed it around previously with a fellow motorsports enthusiast, apparently we weren’t alone as Radovan Novak dropped his little bombshell during a recent interview on Radio Impuls being broadcasted over Czech Republic airwaves…

Messer Novak managed to hint that perhaps McLaren was responsible for the divulging of Sir Maxxum’s Helga be a good prisoner sex-capades…

After all, the Ronster and MAD Max have never been drinking buddies and Mosley was instrumental in seeing that Ron’s fabled racing team was lightened of $100m large from his wallet along with loosing all Constructor’s points and, Egad! Having to line-up at the very tail end of the grid in P11; as in BEHIND Force India. To which Dennis could be heard muttering all the way from the top of the Paragon motor palace; “You’ve got to be BLOODY JOKING!!!”

Of course, Mr. Novak has since gone into full denial mode over his recent comments, to which the Ronster issued the following statement;

"We have written to Mr. Novak and are currently considering the appropriate route via which the remarks that have been attributed to him may be withdrawn or corrected."
Dennis went on to deny Novak's suggestion in no uncertain terms.
"As I have consistently said whenever I have been asked about this, I categorically deny that I have anything to do with the News of the World investigation into Mr. Mosley," he said. "Neither does anyone connected with the McLaren Group or the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, and neither does any agent or any other party acting on behalf of myself or anyone connected with the McLaren Group or the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team."

It is worth noting that Mr. Novak is a longtime member of the FIA as well as a staunch supporter of Mr. Mosley, and currently holds the posts of General-Secretary of the Autoclub of the Czech Republic (ACCR) and President of the FIA's Central European Zone. (CEZ)

Thus it seems a tad odd that an FIA member is floating “Trial Balloon” statements upon public airwaves, unless he was inspired by his close ally Sir Maxxum? Novak has also claimed that the World Motor Sport Council held a straw poll towards whether or not Mr. Mosley should remain in office, claiming that there were six undecided, with nine each for and against Mosley with Sir Maxxum and Emperor Bernardo not being present…

But one must indeed wonder… HMM? McLaren Mercedes, isn’t Mercedes Benz a German firm? Is it possible that Norbert Haag could be able to contact some very nice Frauleins and ask: Meine Freunde kleine Wurst, Frau bitte finden!

It’s just a thought, since Mosley seems to have unfairly gone after McLaren while letting Flavour Flav and the Reggie slide.

Super Aguri’s lifeline?

While the Super Aguri F1 team struggles mightily to retain its position on the grid, with Big Brother Honda having anteed-up $2.0m Euros in order for the Super Best Friends outing at the Spanish Grand Prix, there is now apparently some talks going on with a previously spurned bidder.

Franz Joseph Weigl, a former “Scooter” racing pilot, whose Weigl Group AG provides mechanical parts to several major auto manufacturer’s, has reportedly offered to throw Aguri Suzuki a lifeline, by offering to fork over $6.5m to keep the little team afloat and thus, this will hopefully allow Honda to save face and keep Takuma Sato racing for the foreseeable future.

While it’s not believed that Weigl has the necessary funding to obtain the team outright, the move to transfer a major shareholding of the Honda “B-Team” is seen as a way to keep Super Aguri racing while other bidders or sponsorship is sought.

Now the hard part will be getting the team’s race cars to Istanbul, as everybody else has already taken the safer route via ferryboat, instead of running the gauntlet between either the Balkans or Southern Italy which are prone to truck hijackings.

Good Luck Super Best Friends, hope to see you on the telescreen next week…

Visions of Grandeur

I find this announcement a bit ironic, as originally Danny B informed me about Larry “MOE” Curry’s (Where’s Curly, eh?) embezzling of dinero from Edward Carpenter’s title sponsor, who’s just been released from his post, as according to Indystar’s intrepid reporter Kurt Cabin;

“Curry's hiring was controversial given that he went to prison for defrauding Team Menard, a former IndyCar Series team, of $1.5 million from 1994 to 1998.
"Larry has been an asset to the growth and building of Vision Racing," Tony George said in a statement released Friday. "However, after full review of the facts surrounding the disallowance of the team's qualifying runs at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Larry and I agreed that a breach of what amounts to the team's code of conduct had occurred and as team manager he was expected to uphold a very high standard, but in this instance fell short."
Now as we cue-up that ever popular tune ‘O Alanis Morissette; “ISN’T IT IRONIC?” Me thinks Tony has just found himself a convenient way to throw Curry UNDER THE BUS… I mean with Davey Hamilton bringing sponsors of the cloth, was George feeling the heat… (To atone for Larry’s sins?) Or did John Menard have a vision of NOT wanting MOE anywhere’s near his equipment?

And speaking of Davey Hamilton, it has now been confirmed that he will indeed pilot the third Vision Racing entry, as the #22 will carry backing from Hewlett Packard and a ghost of others, while I’ll leave it to you to decide who’s who in the current Vision line-up…

May Day

It’s hard to believe that 14 years have slipped by since that HORRIFIC weekend in Imola, Italy… Where not one but two Formula 1 drivers met their fates, while even stranger yet, is the fact that I once stood nearly three feet away from one of these stricken heroes, none other than Ayrton Senna.

And it’s funny to me what we keep indelibly locked inside our memory banks, as I can still clearly see four of the seven Grand Prix drivers that passed thru my gaze that wonderful day in Phoenix, Arizona.

You see, this was my very first foray of attending a real honest to goodness Formula 1 race, having only been introduced to this magnificent form of motor racing two and a half years previously. Thus I found it excellent fortune for the state of Arizona to have miraculously landed a five year contract to host a round of the F1 circus beginning in 1989.

Being a stranger to the Downtown streets of Phoenix, nevertheless mi Madre dropped me off promptly first thing Friday morning, prior to the gates being opened at 7:30AM in order to spend the entire day watching these fabulous racing cars…

Yet, where to purchase my Admission ticket, Having made my way past the various persons trying to forcefully hand me free samples of Marlboro and Camel cigarettes, I approached the ticket booth. Yet, when I got to the window the lady told me; No, you can’t purchase a General Admission ticket here, you’ll need to go to the other ticket booth around the corner… Which was several thousand meters away…

So off I went in search of this mysterious second ticket booth and having found it, was somewhat bemused to be told; NO! You need to go back to the first ticket booth Sir. So, back I went, where I started to become somewhat incensed as I was informed that I indeed needed to go back to the ticket booth I’d just come from… And thus now knowing this stretch of the Grand Prix circuit quite well, made my way back to the other ticket booth, only to be told you know what!

Yet, this “Whose on First” routine had a silver lining in it for me, since said second ticket booth happened to be mere meters away from the open, non-administered entrance into the Formula 1 paddock. As these were the days of Pre-Qualifying when 37 F1 drivers were jockeying for 28 grid spots, with the lowest drivers on the grid being forced to fight their way into the day’s qualifying show.

Yet, just moments before turning around to go back again, I was simply blown away as the first of several of these modern day Gladiators approached. Thus, while standing in the entryway into the F1 paddock, I stood motionless, as the sports “God’s” walked towards me…

Transfixed in total disbelief, the reigning World Champion and future Three Time World Champion Ayrton Senna was walking straight towards me; “Oh My God!!!” Of course not having anything on me, i.e.; writing utensil, scrap of paper, race program, etc, HELL! I didn’t even have a Grand Prix ticket at the moment… I simply stood there dumbfounded watching this maestro of Formula 1 walk directly past me. Where he then stopped to sign an autograph…

Thus I can still vividly see him standing in tan Gucci loafers, blue jeans with an half inch silver belt and an orange sweatshirt with his credentials tucked inside… And as he turned his brown leather briefcase upside down to sign the request, I noticed a hurkin’ large bright gold watch on his left wrist, which looked like a Rolex to me… Yet, the part I found most strange about this whole encounter of frenzied autograph seeker’s was that absolutely ZERO attention was being paid to Senna’s compatriot, who was none other than Japanese F1 driver Aguri Suzuki. (But sadly, nobody bothered Aguri-san for an autograph!)

Then even more bizarre, I watched an Good ‘Ol Boy American who must of weighed nearly 350lbs BEAR HUG “The Professor,” while gleefully having’ his picture taken with the French racing ace Alain Prost.

Next, the scene became even more surreal, as I witnessed another Formula 1 driver seemingly primp himself in the midst of a crowd, which seemed totally unaware of who this overdressed European gentleman was? As I noted to myself that he was also adorned in Gucci loafers, tan slacks, a blue polo shirt with a gray cardigan sweater tied around his neck while striking a pose and looking very sheik. The man was none other than current Three Time World Champion Nelson Piquet!

But the next three drivers I witnessed are a bit hazy, as I think I saw Ivan Capelli and Martin “Billy Bob” Brundle saunter by individually, while last but not least to pass by my unbelievable vantage point was the Belgian Thierry Boutsen on his way into the paddock to prepare for the morning’s qualifying session…

Not being able to pick out any further F1 pilotes, I made a bee-line back for the original ticket booth with an air of urgency as I was positive Pre-Qualifying would soon be getting underway and I still had not been granted admittance into the track! Where I was finally able to purchase my $50 Three Day General Admission pass and scurry inside to watch the day’s activities, later thinking how cool is this? Standing in the middle of Downtown Phoenix in the middle of summer with an ice cold Fosters “Oil Can” in hand and the siren song of 28 Formula 1 land rockets shrieking past me!

Saturday would be even better as Hall convinced me to explore some more of the circuit and we luckily found ourselves watching about one half of the day’s morning qualifying session from the Press grandstand situated at the end of pit lane, until we were finally asked to leave since we didn’t have NO STINKIN’ Credentials… Thus we went off further exploring the tracks circuitous layout, and suddenly found ourselves face to face with the wailing Grand Prix machinery as I quickly snapped a few pic’s from an unauthorized vantage point behind the myriad of chain link fencing, as Ayrton Senna’s McLaren screamed past me.

Ironically that Sunday’s race held on June 4, 1989 in 104 degree heat was sadly the same day as the tragic and UNNECESSARY killings taking place in Tiananmen Square, while China is set to host this year’s Summer Olympics...

Unfortunately I decided NOT to attend the following year’s event, I mean C’mon, it’s gonna be there another four years, right? Thus, the last time I’d witness Ayrton Senna in the flesh, would be the 1991 USGP, which by now he’d become a source of unadulterated angst! Being known to anybody asking me about him as Arrogant! Although this would be the year of his final World Championship, the Brazilian was not in favour with myself, having taken my then favourite driver Alain Prost out of title contention multiple times and being very difficult to beat!

Thus unknowingly, I would be in “Los Wage$” that fateful weekend of 1994, dubiously known as Black Sunday, where I was attending the final Pantera Owner’s Club of America (POCA) Car Show to be held on Freemont Street and totally unaware of the tragedies that would befall the Motor Racing world…

The weekend would begin ominously by Rubens Barrichello monstrous crash on Friday, with his car rolling over and the Brazilian having swallowed his tongue while unconscious… As Barrichello would spend the rest of the weekend in hospital, But things would become even graver, as Roland Ratzenberger would loose his life during qualifying Saturday, as he was the perilous victim of a front wing failure at 200mph, hitting the (Gilles) Villeneuve wall at approximately 180mph… Before coming to a rest slumped over inside the cockpit of his Simtek Ford/Cosworth, being officially pronounced dead upon arriving at a nearby Bologni Hospital.

Yet, as we all know, this wasn’t the final tragedy of the weekend, as renown Triple World Champion Ayrton Senna would meet his maker on Sunday, May 1st, 1994 whilst leading the San Marino Grand Prix, from fierce rival Michael Schumacher.

The race had begun with JJ Letho’s stalled Benetton being struck by Pedro Lamy’s Lotus, as Lamy was unaware of Letho’s troubles until arriving at full speed and clipped the stationary Benetton, sending wheel and suspension components high above the catch fencing and landing upon four spectators. Thus the safety car was sent to fetch Senna while debris was removed from the track before Senna went straight off at Tamberello corner on lap six while being stalked by Schumacher…

Senna was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby Bologni Hospital where he’d also be pronounced dead later that evening and its been said that Senna’s stricken Williams was discovered to have an Austrian flag inside it in order for Senna to dedicate his perceived victory to the fallen Ratzenberger…

Having been fortunate enough to be entrusted to share the driving duties of transporting my good friend Roberto’s gorgeous 1984 De Tomaso Pantera GT5, while convoying with fellow Pantera enthusiast Bud, we’d been making a non-stop beeline North via the I-5 Super-slab and were totally unaware of the weekends tragedies. Upon having stopped to have breakfast in Portland, Oregon, Roberto’s wife Kimberly would break the news to us and Roberto and I were simply dumbstruck…

God Speed Ayrton!