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V8 SUPERCARS: TELL ‘EM THEY’RE DREAMIN’

10. January 2013

With the wrangling over their television rights continuing, and faced with falling ratings and crowd numbers, you might think that V8 Supercars Australia might be keen to make as many friends as possible in the wider media. However judging by the new terms and conditions imposed on those requiring media accreditation for the 2013 season, it would appear that VESA is intent on making coverage even harder and more restrictive. With accreditation opening for the 2013 season, the updated terms & conditions make for some very interesting and sometime concerning reading. First cab off the rank is this gem: "V8 Supercars only accredits publications and agencies: a) with a minimum circulation of 20,000 for magazines and 50,000 for newspapers" That one is bound to send a few shockwaves through the ranks of those at Australia's longest serving motorsport publication "Australian Auto Action" With a ACB audited circulation of only "10,370" per issue, Foges and the AAA crew will have to get used to the somewhat less rarified air of the Shannons Nationals Media Centre, as by my very basic maths they fall about 9630 short of the minimum requirement. Oh and whose figures are we using here? The independent Audit Bureaux of Australia or the notoriously unreliable "publisher's estimate"? If we are looking for audited, independent figures, then that pretty much rules out all those publications who are not a part of the ABA system.

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WHO’S JOSEPH KONY ? AND WHY THE HELL SHOULD I EVEN CARE ?

8. March 2012

This story has nothing to do with cars, or the people that race them. It's not about new and advancing automotive technology or stunning works of imagination and artistry inspired by the automobile. No, this story is actually important. You may not have heard the name Joseph Kony, or like me, heard it in passing, read a story in a newspaper or on-line, and shook your head and then promptly forgot all about it as you focused your attention on how truly hideous the current crop of Formula One cars are. No, you want hideous? Want something really ugly to get upset about?

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THE RISE & RISE OF GREG LOWNDES: RACING DRIVER

28. April 2011

THE RISE & RISE OF GREG LOWNDES: RACING DRIVER

"Australians Warren Luff and Greg Lowndes contest fourth round of VLN endurance championship" Audi Media Release. Great news for Australian races fans as Audi announce the pairing of Warren Luff and the hitherto unknown Greg Lowndes as their drivers for the next round of the VLN at the Nurburgring. Lowndes, a 43 year old unemployed father of 7 from the Melbourne suburb of Frankston said that he was both surprised and delighted to hear the news. "It's fuX%&ng unreal mate" Lowndes said from the main bar of the Pier Hotel. " i mean I've never even driven a racing car or like, but the chick from Centrelink reckons if I knock it back I could lose me dole money." Mr Lowndes said the invitation came from out of the blue and was especially surprising seeing that he'd lost his road licence for 12 months after blowing 1.74 at a Booze Bus following Collingwood's win in last years Grand Final.

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MELBOURNE GP: So what’s to lose ?

22. March 2011

It’s this time of the year again, and the nanny state Grand Prix propaganda machine is once again in full swing on the eve of that F1 grand parade of Albert Park. As usual, the propaganda is singing the praises of F1 and the grand parade, even with the change of government late last year, [...]

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SENNA: A review and an unforgettable life experience

10. March 2011

SENNA: A review and an unforgettable life experience

A race against time, like the Great Man setting his pole position laps around the world, I race to arrange an opportunity hundreds of kilometres away in a different state. An opportunity I wouldn’t want to miss for the world. The opportunity to view the result of Asif Kapadia and Manish Pandey’s project simply [...]

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WEBBER: Welcome back to the nanny state Mark

10. March 2011

WEBBER: Welcome back to the nanny state Mark

In the wake of Lewis Hamilton's public flogging from the Melbourne media after last year's "Burnout" scandal, local hero Mark Webber described Victoria as "A nanny state". These comments provoked mock outrage from the talkback radio demi-gods of Melbourne and their loyal army of lonely housewives, bored loners and senile geriatrics. Now Webber is caught up in another controversy that again proves his original statement 100% correct. The Melbourne Grand Prix, and Red Bull want Mark to drive an F1 car across Melbourne's less than iconic Bolte Bridge.

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IS F1 REALLY WELCOME IN KOREA ?

18. November 2010

South Korea recently hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix race at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolea, turning on an entertaining race due to the unpredictable weather and conditions. Whilst it was commendable effort by the Koreans, beneath the gloss in the paddock of the Korea International Circuit there are very much [...]

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WEBBER FACES HIS TOUGHEST OPPONENT: HIS OWN TEAM

6. November 2010

WEBBER FACES HIS TOUGHEST OPPONENT: HIS OWN TEAM

As Mark Webber goes into this weekend's penultimate round of the World Championship his chances of taking his first ever title are looking increasingly slim. After a mistake in the wet at Korea Webber now sits behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and just in front of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel is in fourth but Red Bull team bosses are still hopeful the young German can leapfrog his team mate and challenge Alonso at the final round at Abu Dhabi. Should Webber get up to win the championship it will be one of the gutsiest titles ever. Not only does the Australian face the usual challenges of F1, but also the added burden of a team that would rather lose the championship than see Webber on top. From the time of their coming together earlier this year to his comments this week, it is clear that forces at the top at Red Bull have little time for the straight shooting Aussie, and would rather see Alonso take the title than their man Webber. One Red Bull insider has said that the feeling inside the team is not good. "Our side of the garage are 100% behind Mark" he said. "But the guys at the top, they want Vettel to win more than anything. If he can't win I think they would rather see Alonso win"

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AN INDIAN GP?… LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

11. October 2010

“Be prepared” is not only the Boy Scout marching song, but is also the mantra for anybody that is preparing and running a large event who would like to get it right. Clearly, the Indian Commonwealth games organizing committee has obviously demonstrated that the above phrase is not in their “to do” list before they got started on planning the games. With such unrivalled magnitude of preparedness as a nation for staging major events, could we really bear the sight of the staging of an Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix or a First grade Grand Farce? To be fair, India is not alone in major event disasters and being unprepared. Recently, a Red Bull F1 car was driven by Karun Chandok around the Korean F1GP track to demonstrate the track to the world. However, the track’s final surface has not been applied and paved; so the car was driven around at significantly reduced speed, the facilities are well behind schedule and the F1 event in only a matter of weeks’ time. As recent as the Singapore GP weekend, statements from no other than Bernie himself and other team principals not having confidence that the Korean GP will run smoothly hit the media. They have serious doubts the track and all facilities will be tested and working perfectly. It remains to be seen whether the Koreans will deliver or not, despite their national pride. This is very much a mirror image to the situation before the 1988 summer Olympic games, where Korean national pride ruled over all else, even if not everyone and everything is quite ready in time for the games.

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MEMO TO BERNIE: TAKE YOUR RACE AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR…

28. September 2010

The choice of holding the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in the modern era has always been a controversial one; since Jeff Kennett sensationally (or infamously, according to South Australians) announced in late 1993 that a deal has been concluded with Bernie Ecclestone to host the race in Melbourne’s Albert Park from 1996 onwards. Even before a wheel was turned there was  already strong opposition to the Grand Prix by environmentalists and the “Save Albert Park” movement; local residents and the usual NIMBY’s  affected by the construction of the track and the annual build up and tear down of fencing and facilities before and after each event. To add more fuel to the fire of opposition to the Grand Prix, the Victorian State government and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation is attracting the ire of ordinary residents and taxpayers of Victoria by posting a bigger loss to the Formula 1 Grand Prix each year since 1996. It has been announced recently that the 2010 event has lost $49.2 million dollars, which means, by my calculations, that over the past five years, the Australian Grand Prix has lost a total of more than $185 million dollars. That same $185 million dollars could be very well used in building desperately needed road, public transport or health infrastructure or to fund proper education of Victorian youths. Instead, taxpayers of the state of Victoria, have to line the pockets of one of the richest men in the world for the right to a frivolous activity and to pay the imbeciles who supposedly run it.

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