Wouldn’t it be just great if there was an Olympic Grand Prix? Imagine, a race around the Olympic park for the fastest, most sophisticated racing cars in the world, driven by the sport’s top athletes including six World Champions, representing 12 nations. Gold, silver and bronze medals, and bunches of flowers, for the top three. And maybe a gold for one of the Brits, adding to our rather meagre total so far.
And how about Bradley Wiggins setting the pace with a couple of flying laps on his sprint bike before the warm-up lap? It is many years since a British athlete captured the imagination of the wider public in the way that Wiggins has done. There are lessons to be learned from his approach to his media commitments and public appearances, while remaining fiercely focused on his job.
Maybe I am missing something, but surely this would be great for the image of a sport that is so often tarnished with ill-informed comments about the environment, the extravagance and the elitism. The cars at the front are driven by some of the best athletes in the world, the truly talented, and they would be on a truly global stage, in London, alongside the greatest from almost every other sporting arena. Sounds great to me.
So, yes, I support Bernie Ecclestone’s vision for London, whether he really meant it or not.
As it is, Formula One is on holiday until the end of August when they return to the fray at Spa.
Speaking of Spa, last weekend’s epic 24 Hours, run under Blancpain Endurace Series regs, was a joyful reminder of what a wonderful place for racing cars is Spa-Francorchamps. Improved safety has, to an extent, emasculated the fearsome old circuit we remember, but it remains a huge challenge. On Saturday night, about five hours into the race, there was a dramatic storm. Torrential rain, thunder and lightning, rivers of water on the track, all so familiar from visits to the Ardennes over the decades. Familiar maybe, but always spellbinding to watch as drivers follow that fine line between staying on the asphalt and powerboating over the grass into the barriers. Unlike modern F1 cars, GT cars can be raced in a monsoon. Through the darkness, in virtually zero visibility, the skilful quietly made up time, judging the lakes and rivers to perfection. Spa at night is very dark, the only overhead lights being into, and out of, La Source past the pits and paddock.
I will tell a longer story in my Dispatches column next month. Meanwhile let’s admire Audi Sport for allowing their two factory cars to race each other to the flag when it would have been safer to rein them in. In the end Stippler/Piccini/Rast won from 29th on the grid, while Kristensen/Lotterer/Fassler came back to sixth from 63rd after a collision with an errant McLaren. Extraordinary performances both. BMW chased the Audis down but it wasn’t to be their day, allowing the men from Ingolstadt to celebrate their third 24-hour race win in less than three months. But it’s never the bare statistics that tell the whole story. McLaren, with their beautiful MP4-12C GT3 have much work to do if they are to get on terms with the German teams. The speed is there, but not the reliability. And we all know that to finish first – well, you know the rest.
If you haven’t been to a Grand Prix this year, you can do no better than Spa at the end of the month. Despite modernisation, it remains a gripping place to watch motor racing. So, while I applaud Mr Ecclestone’s ambitions for London, I trust he will never take the Belgian Grand Prix from the calendar. That would be a sacrilege.
FIA should deny to give their World Championship title to any series that skip the Spa :-)
i think they should revitalise A1GP for the olympics and have a race in the host nation once every 4 years for it.
motor racing f or the Olympics, whatever next mewonders? MOTO GP vs superbikes on the North circular, now we’re talking
but a GP style around Hyde Park [as previously mentioned would have been awesome- ah well ce la vie, given the recent history of F1 the least heard people seem to be the fans so that won't happen will it|?
i normally go to the friday qualifying at Silverstone but fortunately this year decided against it, and bought a lap top instead - it roughly worked out the same expense, talking of which I had started to plan to go to the Belgium GP this year and then [a] the sheer complications of trying to find the best deal, is it me or all the travel companies trying to baffle me? and then the expense, so working out it would cost me the best part of lot of money decided on a two week holiday instead, and i’ve gone to a GP nearly every year since 1976 – oh in case Mr E hasn’t noticed there is also a recession on, priced out of attending GP’s refuse to kowtow to Mr Murdoch’s empire t’is no wonder MOTO GP is fast becoming more interesting – oh and of course the sponsors, sorry forgetting who you are as i don’t see you
I knew I should not have written about “our rathermeagre total of medals”. Soon as I wrote that, Britain started winning a hatful of golds, silvers and bronzes. Last I heard we were third in the table behind China and the USA. Incredible. And I ‘m sure that either Hamilton or Button could win the Olympic Grand Prix. If it ever happens………………
Cheapest way to Spa is by ferry and car plus tent. If camping does not appeal, then a cheap B&B, of which there are many at GP time. Takes 3 hours by road from Calais. But yes, visits to GPs are expensive, especially with a grandstand seat. At Spa you can stand on the bank at the top of Eau Ruge. Great view. Anyway………………
A1GP? Not so sure. I think you need Grand Prix cars for an Olympic race alongside all those athletes who are, after all, the best in the world.
RW
slightly less tongue-in-cheek Rob, yes you are quite right re Belge GP and actually worked out less expensive than Silverstone, trying to make an obvious point about greed pricing out fans, and i don’t mean the circuit owners, and maybe i’ll go next year – booked a motorbike trip instead to the Balkans,
how have you been? you seem to have been away or something
off to Croft today for their nostalgia day – hope the weather is at least reasonable -
No, sadly, I have not been away! Just been very, very busy which, considering my advanced years, is really rather remarkable. And encouraging!
We are recording the new podcast today. No star guest this time but it will, I hope, be entertaining as the full crew will be there and, as ever, there’s lots to talk about. Make a change from the Olympics anyway……….
RW