Racing Archives - Page 2 of 3

Monaco is Not a Racing Circuit

May 25, 2016 by Shane Walters

When was the Last Successful On Track Pass for the Lead at the Monaco GP?

Monaco is not a racing circuit. By definition a F1 racing circuit requires passes or at least some side by side racing. Following the leader, it’s more along the lines of a high speed traffic jam.

Monaco is a narrow stone-age, street circuit traffic jam. I think you have to go back to the 80’s or 90’s to find the last on track pass for the lead. In 20-30 years, we have not seen as pass for the top spot on the podium at the biggest event on the F1 calendar, that’s crazy.

Despite all the technology advancements to improve passing in recent years, it hasn’t helped at Monaco. We’ve added DRS, KERS and increased passing by some 300% at the other tracks, yet drivers still can’t get by at Monaco. In order to make a pass you need to touch, touching is a sin punished by fire in the world of F1.

It’s not just the top spot either. In the last 10 years I honestly don’t believe I’ve seen a single on track pass in the top 5 positions, not one pass. Sure, I’ve seen many passes during pit stops. I guess that’s the only way to pass in Monaco.

Qualifying is the peak of excitement for me this weekend. The race is won in qualifying. As a racing fan, I’m far less entertained from that point on.

You risk your car and your life to make a pass at Monaco. The barriers are right next to the track, “the drink” is just on the other side of that. Safety was brought to our attention in the last decade or two of F1, but Monaco has no room for improvements. It’s truly an unsafe place to drop in some rocket ships on wheels.

I’m not sure why F1 goes to Monaco. It’s not good for the sport. It’s the most watched race of the race, which means the Monaco GP catches the eyes of many people who watch casually as well as many first time viewers.

Monaco doesn’t help at all for retaining these viewers and converting them to fans. They must think we just watch cars follow each other in circles. I’m a huge fan but this race is my least favorite on the F1 schedule.

It’s more of an off track show. A-list celebrities walk the paddock with sunglasses. Camera’s flash as the celebrities gaze at the “Indycar’s”. Or so they think. After all, they aren’t racing fans, for all they know it’s an Indycar. Most of them are there for the press and the party.

The wow and glamour factor of the Monaco GP doesn’t impress me. I’m not into celebrities, I’m into motorsports.

Change or die. The track is a Dinosaur, virtually unchanged in decades. It’s time to move on. The track can’t by modified and F1 has no business on a one line hillside road.

I’m a racing fan, where’s the racing?

Written By: Shane Walters

Mercedes F1 Inspired Oil Painting 2015-4 (14)

May 22, 2016 by Shane Walters

Modern minimalist Mercedes F1 inspired oil on Canvas painting by St. Louis based artist Shane Walters. This large 30″ x 48″ oil on canvas painting features all the colors of the Mercedes Formula 1 car in the style of motion blur.

This artwork was created using only the highest level of oil paints and professional grade canvases available. The art should last more than a lifetime when handled, displayed and preserved correctly.

MEDIUM
Oil Paint

SIZE
30″ x 48″

DEPTH
1.5″

Click here to purchase or learn more about the modern triangle painting shown above.

Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55 Flood Water Photos

December 30, 2015 by Shane Walters

Flood Water near Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55

Get out the boats and lets go racing! I took some Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55 flood water photos for you to view. The water levels have been slowly rising near the fan favorite dirt track and now the track is surrounded.

Missouri and Illinois have been hit with record flood levels this week. The Mississippi River now surrounds the dirt racing track in Pevely, MO.

I took these flood water photos from outside Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55 just today. The album of photos from the flooded dirt track have been posted below.

Other than floating race tracks… A lot of crazy things have been happening regarding the St. Louis flooding. Today, I saw an entire house just floating down the river. On my way to the track I saw Meramec River water nearly swallowing the entire I-55 highway, just 1 foot short of it.

Valley Park which is 30 min from I-55 Raceway saw a mandatory evacuation as the waters reached 40 feet. The water levels were projected to reach 43 feet.

Valley park is near where I took most of these Fenton, MO photos in 2008.

Most of the water in St. Louis, near the racetrack, is at it’s crest point. Meaning this is the highest the water levels are planned to rise in the area.

It’s looks as though Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55 is safe from the flood waters. Track workers have already planned ahead. As you can see from the photos below all the I-55 Raceway vehicles and track excavating equipment have been moved. They are all placed at the highest level of the complex.

The dirt track itself has not been effected, other than the parking lot and pit entrance booth. However, The SLKA track is completely underwater. The St Louis Karting Association is located in a section of the parking lot of Federated Auto Parts Raceway. It’s a section of land rented for the karting facility.

The roads are buried in water in all directions entering the track. The only way to the speedway is directly from the I55 highway.

The track flooding photos were all taken from outside the facility. I called the track office to try and get permission to walk amongst the raceway grounds for some better photos. I was denied.

Unfortunately, the filthy dirty lawyers of America have stripped that from you. I was told I could take photos from outside the complex but I couldn’t walk free from inside the fence. I understand completely, I was told they didn’t have the insurance for it if I was to somehow get hurt. Valid point.

I will say that Federated Auto Parts Raceway owner Ray Marler didn’t like the idea of me posting these. His concern was that if people see the photos they would think that the track was always like that.

So, in fairness to Ray… I’ll say I’ve lived in St. Louis my entire life. I can only remember one time where the waters were this high near the track. That was the Flood of 1993 and nearly everything in the midwest was below river current.

I can’t think of another time the track was closed due to water, usually it’s only covered in dirt late models and other things on 4 wheels. Though I could be wrong. However, it’s not closed today either, the dirt racing season ended a few months ago so it wasn’t open with proper cause.

I come from the school of thought that all publicity is good publicity. So, for the sake of dirt racing I hope you saw these photos and then circled a few of the Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55 events for 2016.

Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I55 Flood Water Photos

Photos: Shane Walters Twitter

Imaginary NASCAR Debris Cautions Are A Problem

November 30, 2015 by Shane Walters

Imaginary NASCAR debris cautions are a problem and the phantom debris caution chart below shows it’s a new problem

NASCAR debris cautions have spiked since 2005, more than tripled. It’s no secret that a lot of the imaginary NASCAR debris cautions have been used to manipulate the race. It’s purely a poor attempt to make the races more exciting via phantom debris that only the NASCAR officials can see. So, let’s fix it.

In 2000, the number of debris cautions thrown was .4 per race. Basically one debris caution every two races. 2015 is a much different picture. The average NASCAR debris cautions per race in 2015 was 2.0. That’s a massive increase to 2 debris cautions per race. So what’s changed?

In 2003, Brian France took over as chairman and CEO of NASCAR. Since that time debris cautions have more than tripled. As you can see from the NASCAR Debris Cautions chart posted below the caution numbers tell a story. There’s a certain shift in the chart right at the point Brian France took over.

Part of the increase in NASCAR caution flags for debris is simply a safety mechanism. All forms of motorsports have been pressured to make the sport safer. F1 driver Felipe Massa hit a 2 lbs spring in Budapest a few years ago. That put him in the hospital for quiet awhile. That was an open cockpit situation and NASCAR has enclosed cockpits.

Even with enclosed cockpits, debris on the track certainly isn’t safe. Especially a piece of actual physical debris. I understand that and I don’t really dispute it. The only exception being a yellow flag for a paper napkin or 200mph tape, which we see often.

However, what I do dispute is a consistent number of these cautions for debris coming toward the end of the NASCAR event. If the same piece of debris is laying on the track for half the race why are we waiting until 10 laps to go to remove it?

It’s simply an excuse for throwing a caution to bunch the field up. They want to create a short track shootout scenario. NASCAR Executives want to make the races more exciting. That’s fair enough but this isn’t the way to go about it. If there’s really debris on the track, remove it. Don’t wait until 10 laps to go to remove it.

Sometimes the plan for an exciting finish backfires entirely. Such as the case during the NASCAR finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Larson had been running inches from the wall, banging the right side against the wall.

Larson was faster and desperately hunting down Brad Keselowski for the lead and his first career NASCAR win. He had just passed Kyle Busch for 2nd, he was coming. It was going to get very exciting. Yes! This is what we all hope for, a great race at the finish… Caution for debris.

The certainty of a great finish was thrown out the window. The debris wasn’t anywhere close to the racing line either. So why? The answer is simply NASCAR wanted something different at the front of the field.

Kyle Larson was only fast on old tires, when the high grove was in it’s prime. With that caution the fast cars would transition back to Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. I’m not going to speculate on who NASCAR wanted to win that race but it wasn’t Kyle Larson.

This isn’t the right way to go about making the races more exciting. NASCAR shouldn’t be the one to dictate who runs up front via imaginary debris or debris way off the racing line. Days of practice and who tuned their car the best should be what determines who runs up front.

If that’s what they really want NASCAR officials have other options. I’m not just here to complain about the sanctioning body and point out the irritating and blatant race manipulation. I’m also here to offer a better solution.

The first solution… is to cut the races in half. A lot of fans will strongly disagree with cutting the race distance in half. They would be outraged, as they are now just reading the idea. Another NASCAR boycott wouldn’t help short term.

However, I could argue that by making the races much shorter we’d have a larger fan base in the future. Shorter races would strongly increase the chances of the younger audience giving their time to watch the event, becoming a fan. The future of the sport is under the thumb of NASCAR ability to grab the attention of a new generation.

These races are too long and people don’t have the attention span for 4 hour races anymore. The first 1/2 of these races the goal of drivers is simply to survive. We hear often, “It’s too early to be racing him that hard.” What? Why exactly aren’t we racing hard every lap. That sure sounds like things could certainly be improved to make the race as a whole more exciting.

The other problem with the first solution of shorter NASCAR races is TV advertisements. Networks will have less time to air the precious commercials that we fast forward through, like really fast.

The problems don’t stop there with solution one. Another issue is the high priced sponsorship dollars put into these teams. The ROI with racing sponsorship is dependent on TV exposure. The NASCAR team sponsors will suddenly have their TV exposure cut in half, that’s an issue. Teams are already scrambling for sponsorship dollars, shorter races might mean a sharp decline in their rate cards.

Short term, shorter races would certainly hurt the sport. However, I believe shorter races would pay dividends 10 years down the road. Brian France has discussed the idea previously. While I think this is one solution it doesn’t exactly mean the end of the race will be exciting. What we want is the final ten laps to be nail biters, all the time.

The second solution… is to issue a mandatory caution with 10 or 20 laps to go. This idea I really like. It’s basically what NASCAR has been doing on a regular basis since 04-05 anyway. The difference is it’s not a caution for imaginary items on the race track. NASCAR also wouldn’t be giving one driver or another an unfair advantage. Every driver would know a caution is on the way, it’s fair.

It would create the exciting shootout scenario NASCAR is looking for. It would certainly make the end of the 4 hours races more exciting. It would also lift NASCAR criticism of phantom debris cautions. NASCAR officials could get back to throwing debris cautions for actual real life debris, as they should be.

Author: Shane Walters

Caution Data Source: PitRHO

Ferrari Not a Circus Act During COTA Rain Delay Activities

October 28, 2015 by Shane Walters

Ferrari Not a Circus Act in Regards to Pit Road Play During USGP Rain Delay

Ferrari not a circus act this is Formula 1 says Ferrari Boss. Ferrari recently released statements in regards to the COTA pit lane play that teams took part in during the rain delay of the USGP. Cars could not enter the racing surface as Hurricane Patricia brought storms inland and halted the show.

Teams took to creating their own show via custom rowing boats, rain dancing and other forms of horseplay. The spontaneous form of entertainment was to entertain both themselves and the crowd who opted to stay and wait out the rain delay as rain filled their shoes. It was a nice spin to see the high tension sports of F1 suddenly become a free-spirit atmosphere. A new side of the real pit lane personalities that we don’t usually see.

Click here to view other rain delay photos

However, Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene is upset that others are having fun and is here to put them all in timeout. He has critiqued the other F1 teams saying this was not good for fans.

However, myself and the freezing but cheering Circuit of the Americas fans would very much disagree. That quote to me sounds like Ferrari might just being taking themselves a bit too serious. They come across, as usual, as the overly strict parent with a stick up their ass about everything.

Click here to read about the time Ferrari stopped DJ Deadmau5 and his Nyan Cat Ferrari

The following quotes are every bit of why I hate Ferrari, with a passion equal to those who love them. These pompous quotes and others like it are regularly spoken from the mouths of both Scuderia Ferrari and the auto maker themselves. It makes my blood pressure rise when I see Scuderia Ferrari step on the toes of the other teams and ask why are they having fun?

Here’s what Scuderia Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene had to say about rain activities at the USGP.

We are a Formula 1 team, not the Cirque du Soleil,” said Arrivabene. “It’s fine if somebody entertains the public, it’s absolutely fine.

But we signed autographs for all the people that were waiting, and we took some of the children in wheelchairs into our pit box.

We prefer to do these things, rather than simulating fishing and doing funny things for the TV. That is not really doing something for the fans.

– Maurizio Arrivabene

Well Mr. Maurizio as their asses are freezing on the soaked metal grandstands I’m sure it took a lot to convert their pain to laugher and cheers. Fans braved the lighting to watch the show. I sat comfortably from my living room and I’m here to tell you it was the most exciting part of the rain broadcast. I would like to say thank you to Sauber, Red Bull and the majority of the teams for entertaining me and millions of fans and fuck you to Ferrari who now shames people for having fun. I guess they are just upset that for once the cameras were not on their pit stalls and had to share the attention with the peasant teams.

Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari is Not A Circus

Even Kimi Raikkonen hopped in on the pompous dialog. When asked why he did not take part in any of the pit-lane antics, Raikkonen said:

You want an honest answer? I think this is F1 and not the circus.

The people are obviously not happy when we’re not running but we cannot make them happy with whatever we do apart from running [on track] and we couldn’t give it because of the weather.

Sometimes, it’s no wonder when people start thinking about what F1 is, when these kind of things happen.

This was everyone’s choice but, for me, we are here racing and doing our work.

– Kimi Raikkonen

This comes from the same man who got drunk and fell off a boat at the Monaco Grand Prix several years ago. I love how Raikkonen speaks his mind, it’s my favorite part about him, there’s no filter. However, in this case his thoughts are just wrong.

This is exactly why I hate Ferrari as if I needed a new reason. I’ve decided to spend half my morning bashing them for putting all the other teams in timeout. I hope it goes viral and we all get to laugh at Ferrari together.

Written By: Shane Walters

Photos: F1