Full Throttle

Via Bloomberg:

Dubai may spend as much as $1 billion during the next seven years setting up the first independent Formula One motor-racing team since 1997, for which McLaren driver David Coulthard may race, Arabian Business reported.

The team, to be called Team Dubai F1, will start building a technical center and a wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing in the U.K. next year at a cost of more than $100 million, the Dubai, United Arab Emirates monthly magazine reported in its December issue.

The team, which will be based in Dubai, will have a budget of about $150 million a year and run its first race in the 2006 world championship, the magazine said, without saying where it got its information. Coulthard may be the lead driver for the team, which may use Mercedes-Benz AG engines, the magazine said.

There are a lot of “mays” in this story. Coulthard “may” drive, Mercedes “may” supply engines, and the UAE magazine provided no source for it’s information.

Let’s just call this developing….. and wait and see.

The success of NASCAR’s recent moves into prime time television hasn’t gone unnoticed. V8 Supercar boss Tony Cochrane has also seen the [non] light, so to speak. The V8 Championship is coming to a close with its last event, and also Championship deciding a la NASCAR, scheduled for December 4^th.

The Ten Network will broadcast the race from Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway live in Sydney and Melbourne from 6pm-7.30pm, with delayed telecasts in the same timeslot in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth because of time differences and daylight saving.

It will be the first time Australian motor sport has been shown on prime-time television, entering a timeslot that only AFL, rugby league, rugby union and swimming occupy regularly on commercial TV.

Christian Jones in the Asian Formula Three Corporation TME Dallara TOM

I assumed it wouldn’t be long before various “protectors of children,” think tanks and those prone to be anti-everything weighed in on NASCARS recent decision to allow hard liquor advertising on it’s race cars. But I did expect more lag time. As the date on this Dallas Morning News article shows, it took only 24 hours.

“NASCAR’s cute Web site headline about the new deal with liquor ["Liquor's Quicker"] suggests that NASCAR is already adopting a cavalier and irresponsible approach to liquor promotion,” said a news release by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “The point of this deal is to sneak rolling liquor ads onto network television, where millions of NASCAR’s underage and impressionable fans will see them.”

Jim Copple, director of the International Institute of Alcohol Awareness, agrees.

“The issue around alcohol and the sports industry has a direct effect on youth and youth consumption,” he said.

Oh well, the deed is done as they say. But I expect sometime during, say.., mid-season 2005 to start seeing various “studies” that “prove” the increased alcohol consumption of teens as a result of having Smirnoff Ice plastered all over Kurt Busch’s Ford.

Memo to the Center for Science in the Public Interest
From: Full Throttle editorial staff (that would be me, Marc)
RE “The point of this deal …”

Contrary to your assertion this isn’t some nefarious, underhanded way to “sneak” anything on the public airwaves, It was purely a business decision. Nascar big-wigs aren’t making surreptitious raids like Cold War spies attempting to turn your kids into drunken drooling slobs. That outcome is a result of spending more time researching and publishing worthless “studies” than being an actual parent.

Cheers,

Signed:
Full Throttle editorial staff

PS: Just so I don’t leave you with the idea that NASCAR is all beer swilling, shot drinking, idiots looking for the nearest “Two fer Tuesday” I remind you NASCAR did outlaw “Happy Hour.”

Bottoms-up
The Staff - again!

While I would never question Bobby Labonte’s desire to race any time any where, this does raise the possibility of altering a relativly close point race.

STATESVILLE, N.C. — Bobby Labonte will make his third career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the No. 47 Chevrolet Silverado at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19. Labonte will team with 2004 NCTS championship contender Dennis Setzer in a Silverado fielded by Morgan Dollar Motorsports with veteran crew chief Randy Goss. The Ford 200 is the final event of the 2004 NCTS season.

Just for the sake of arguement: Setzer is trailing current points leader by 70 points and the list of “what ifs” could be a mile long with Labonte now in the field as his teammate. The modern era of multi car teams has provided many opportunities at all three levels to “assist” a teammate.

I’m just saying…. may the best man win, or get help!

It sounds like it, he claims to be very happy with the new “Chase” point system. He states NASCAR will keep the new points system in place for next year, satisfied that the closest championship race in history is proof that the 10-race playoff structure works better than expected.

The Australian, who took the 1980 F1 title with Williams, will be behind the wheel in the proposed Grand Prix Masters series and also masterminding the Australian effort in the A1 GP series.

Not too many details have emerged about the proposed Grand Prix Masters series which is designed to pitch former top-level drivers who have been out of single seater racing for at least two years in identical Zytek designed cars.

Despite the fact that he is now fifty-eight years old, Jones is excited at the prospect as he explains in a column in Australia’s Motorsport News.