Automobiles, music, and reading are my three lifelong passions. I am extremely proud to be a friend, volunteer, and patron of Kansas City's Friends of Chamber Music. This is one of the best reasons to live in Kansas City.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Blowover!
These accidents are known as 'blowovers' a quirk of dirty air, a bit of a ramp in the racing surface, and high speeds. Since the advent of aero in racing, the times when the downforce comes off the car can be frightening!
After Indy comes LeMans!
After Indy comes LeMans!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Well, It's a Little Early for the Silly Season, but . . .
. . . Ferrari never fails to fulfill the fun factor by throwing a true hissy fit. They've decided to withdraw from F1 next year, because the governing body wants to limit costs.
More in this article from one of my favorite sites: MotorAuthority
More in this article from one of my favorite sites: MotorAuthority
Snooze in Spain
I love Formula 1 - it's been a soap opera extraodinaire these past couple of years, with rules changes, scandals, pouting drivers, the whole kit and kaboodle - but the race this last weekend in Spain was, baring an early wreck fest, a snoozer. Watching Indy practice and qualifying has been much more fun!
What a Spin!
During practice this last weekend at Indy, John Andretti smacked the wall hard coming out of turn 1. The impact spun the car and drove it down the track, but as it spun it had its nose pointed back up track and it headed back to the wall.
Graham Rahal came up upon this scene at full throttle, backed off, decided as Andretti's car was going low that he'd go high only to have the wreck start closing the gap between Graham and the wall.
That was a spin! Haven't seen anything that good (and lucky) since 1985's 'Spin to Win'
Graham Rahal came up upon this scene at full throttle, backed off, decided as Andretti's car was going low that he'd go high only to have the wreck start closing the gap between Graham and the wall.
That was a spin! Haven't seen anything that good (and lucky) since 1985's 'Spin to Win'
GM: The News Isn't Good
Looking at a number of articles concerning GM over the past two days make it clear that things are not going as well as hoped. The notion that GM is going to abandon Detroit as it's headquarters is deeply disappointing. (GM has been ensconced in the Renaissance Center - previously a Ford building - for over 10 years.)
Detroit is fast becoming a third world city, abandoned commercial property and depressed home prices coupled with massive unemployment. And that's a real shame.
Detroit is fast becoming a third world city, abandoned commercial property and depressed home prices coupled with massive unemployment. And that's a real shame.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Got Gold?
This doesn't bode well.
Seems that an auction of 30 year treasury notes didn't yield the sales they anticipated. People are voting with their pocketbooks, or in this case possibly, countries are voting with their pocketbooks.
Plus word that the Chinese are buying gold, and using it as a reserve, not as a tool to facilitate exchange.
Basically they're saying they don't trust us to protect the value of our money, and the way the current congress is spending, I can't say that I blame them. ; -)
Seems that an auction of 30 year treasury notes didn't yield the sales they anticipated. People are voting with their pocketbooks, or in this case possibly, countries are voting with their pocketbooks.
Plus word that the Chinese are buying gold, and using it as a reserve, not as a tool to facilitate exchange.
Basically they're saying they don't trust us to protect the value of our money, and the way the current congress is spending, I can't say that I blame them. ; -)
The Indy 500
Practice is underway for the Memorial Day weekend Indy 500. The fastest speed so far is a 225 mph (~362 kph) lap by Marco Andretti in yesterday afternoon's session.
Qualifying for the race starts on Saturday, May 9. Indy is a bit different than F1 in that you qualify the car, not the driver. In addition, thanks to a very old AAA Contest Board rule - that set a ratio of cars to track size - only 33 cars can make the race.
On the first Saturday of qualifying, the first 11 spots on the grid will be filled by the fastest 11 cars. The car with the fastest time will be the 'pole-sitter', or the car closest to the inside front of the grid (nearest the scoring pylon - or pole).
On the first Sunday of qualifying, the cars that didn't qualify on Saturday can attempt to fill the next 11 slots. Depending on track temperatures and ambient temperatures, the times on Sunday can be faster than the times from Saturday. Too bad. Indy rewards the teams that can optimize their cars for the conditions at hand. Teams that are known for meticulous preparation are always a threat to capture the pole.
The final 11 spots are filled on the second Saturday of qualifying. But there still is a glimmer of hope for those that haven't made it. The second Sunday is known as 'Bump Day' and cars that have yet to qualify can attempt to displace the car that has qualified for the 33rd spot, or, as it is commonly called, the car on the 'bubble'. The next slowest car of the bottom 11 will be on the bubble, if the car previously on the bubble is bumped.
There are 40 entrants for this year's 500 (as of late last week). They represent 77 cars, some of which are 'spare' cars - there is always the chance of smacking the wall at Indy. Anytime there are more than 38 or so cars with the speed to make the field, bump day can be exciting.
The Indy 500 is truly a spectacle and it's an month long affair. It's neat that the car counts are finally great enough to add to the drama. I'll be there for bump day this year.
Oh, BTW, you can watch practice at http://www.indycar.com
Qualifying for the race starts on Saturday, May 9. Indy is a bit different than F1 in that you qualify the car, not the driver. In addition, thanks to a very old AAA Contest Board rule - that set a ratio of cars to track size - only 33 cars can make the race.
On the first Saturday of qualifying, the first 11 spots on the grid will be filled by the fastest 11 cars. The car with the fastest time will be the 'pole-sitter', or the car closest to the inside front of the grid (nearest the scoring pylon - or pole).
On the first Sunday of qualifying, the cars that didn't qualify on Saturday can attempt to fill the next 11 slots. Depending on track temperatures and ambient temperatures, the times on Sunday can be faster than the times from Saturday. Too bad. Indy rewards the teams that can optimize their cars for the conditions at hand. Teams that are known for meticulous preparation are always a threat to capture the pole.
The final 11 spots are filled on the second Saturday of qualifying. But there still is a glimmer of hope for those that haven't made it. The second Sunday is known as 'Bump Day' and cars that have yet to qualify can attempt to displace the car that has qualified for the 33rd spot, or, as it is commonly called, the car on the 'bubble'. The next slowest car of the bottom 11 will be on the bubble, if the car previously on the bubble is bumped.
There are 40 entrants for this year's 500 (as of late last week). They represent 77 cars, some of which are 'spare' cars - there is always the chance of smacking the wall at Indy. Anytime there are more than 38 or so cars with the speed to make the field, bump day can be exciting.
The Indy 500 is truly a spectacle and it's an month long affair. It's neat that the car counts are finally great enough to add to the drama. I'll be there for bump day this year.
Oh, BTW, you can watch practice at http://www.indycar.com
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Weather Report
It's been a fairly wet, cool spring so far and the grass is growing thick and fast. Looks like about an inch a day. Mowing every third day is not fun.
Drag Racing at One Thousand Frames a Second
Received a 'tweet' from John Force Racing pointing to this video:
Drag Racing Filmed at 1000 fps - Watch more Fast and Furious
Drag racing has a lot more tech going on in it than most people give it credit for. The forces and physics involved are tremendous and a lot of extremely violent things happen in an amazingly short time. I like it!!
Drag Racing Filmed at 1000 fps - Watch more Fast and Furious
Drag racing has a lot more tech going on in it than most people give it credit for. The forces and physics involved are tremendous and a lot of extremely violent things happen in an amazingly short time. I like it!!
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