Full Throttle

With all that’s going on within the F1 Circus over the last few weeks is this really how Reuters wants to headline a story?

“Fisichella penalised for red light infringement.”

It’s factual, that I’ll give them.

But you wonder if the Reuters staffer is completely oblivious to Max “The Littlest Perv” Mosley’s sexual escapades or he/she might be having a little fun with word play at the expense of the unaware?

Anyway, enough of the falderal, on to more [semi]important stuff.

Stuff like the price of gas, specifically the variety that powers NASCAR’s traveling circus of transporters.

“We’re really noticing it in credit card costs,” said Jay Frye, general manager of Red Bull Racing. “We’re getting bills back for thousands and thousands of dollars in diesel fuel that’s needed to get the haulers to the track each week. So every time gas prices go up, it affects our monthly budget because we’re paying a bigger gas bill than we did last month.”

At approximately 300 gallons a pop to fill up an 18=wheeler it costs more than $1,200 for a transporter that only gets between 4.5 and 7.5 miles per gallon.

I feel their pain, I guess, but didn’t come this way to sympathize. I mention it because it could be worse, much worse.

Rather than 18-wheelers criss-crossing the nation NASCAR’s best could be making the trip between Eastern Australia and a couple thousand kilometers west to Perth for a weekend of racing at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth.

Why would that be worse?

Funny you should ask, rather than 18-wheelers they would be making the trip at the wheel of a gas guzzling 34-wheeler!

Go ahead, click on that image I dare you to behold that behemoth. In fact throw caution to the wind and click twice to get up close and personal with the beast.

Those familiar with Australia are probably aware of the Road Trains that are the mainstay of cargo transport across the outback. I’ve seen enough of them in my time spent there, including a couple near Alice Springs and Darwin that were still adored with Kangaroo entrails flapping in the breeze and dust, but had never thought of race car transporters configured as Road Trains.

I’m thinkin’ Dale Jr. should have had one exported to the States after his visit to Australia this past winter. Talk about a statement rolling into Daytona with a 34-wheeler.

An illegal statement, but a statement non-the-less.

Technorati Tags: NASCAR, Red Bull Racing, Auto racing, Barbagallo Raceway, Jay Frye, Alice Springs