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Insanity Highway: More Madness in Motorsport
Many of my posts can be quite high on the old word count, but this one I will keep short and sweet. I have been yet again delving into recent news and I have come across some rather curious updates from the motor sport world. It has come to my attention that some individuals have started down a dangerous path. They have ignored the road signs for logic, level headedness and maintaining the essence of motor sport and turned onto ‘Insanity Highway’ which passes through the city of Cockyville and descends into the famous Slam-Your-Head-Against-A-Wall tunnel.
The first of these pieces of new comes from Formula One, which is just my utter favourite form of motor sport ever… Yes…Really… Anyway, news has reached my ears that the governing body of F1 have announced that the final round of the motor sport will offer double points in the championship. One can only imagine that it is an attempt by the sport to stop the domination that has been the case by Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel and bring back the competitive aspect. What a great idea, I mean while they’re at it why don’t they make in mandatory for all drivers during pit stops to jump out the car, perform the macarena while reciting a monologue from Shakespeare. I am sorry but it just seems completely and utterly ridiculous to me. Has the sport really got to this point where they are having to try and force competition and good television. Next they might even try to extract blood from a stone. It would be just as stupid as the final round of any league based sport offering double points. It is no different to any of the other rounds. And as many of the drivers have pointed out, it is punishing the drivers who have done well across the season.
I am aware that other regulation changes are to be made. But seriously, if you want to make the sport more competitive, you need to address it at the basic level. If you want the sport to be a commercial success, maybe it is time to bring about changes to this massive focus on tyres, fuel and general pit strategy. If you want to make F1 more entertaining to watch, one must address the racing itself and look at ways to make EACH ROUND more competitive.
Some suggestions could be to introduce a reverse grid start to some rounds, while also offering points for qualifying to save drivers setting purposely bad times to make sure they remain at the front of the grid. On top of that, the reverse grid can be random and chosen only on race day to add an element of unknown. Further suggestions would be appreciated!
And now to move on…
The BTCC used to be one of the worlds top touring car championships. And then with the regulation changes in the early 00s the sport came tumbling down into terrible-ness. And over the last few years it has found itself recovering, with the number of entrants increasing by the year, and the racing getting closer. However, one of the massive problems that is still plaguing the sport is the lack of manufacturers. The manufacturers that are there are clearly have a much larger budget and better technology, as has been seen by the last season dictatorship by Honda and MG. This brings me onto the news that I have discovered. The Honda team have announced their 2014 car. And well… there is not really any other way I can say this so just have a look at the picture for yourself..
The new Honda for the 2014 BTCC Season…
Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is indeed a Honda Civic Estate that has greeted your vision. It is an insult to my eyes. If my eyes could throw up, now may be the time that it will happen. The Honda team have said that they wanted to add a new challenge into the mix in next years championship. Is it just me or is that statement just filled with blood curdling arrogance? Honda have been the Red Bull of the BTCC for the last few years. They know too well that they are the dominant team and it would seem that it is now getting to their heads a little bit. I really do hope that the team suffers next year and it gives chances to other teams to compete for the title. Chances are this will just hand MG the title on a plate. This move by the Honda team might imply a sense of hierarchy in the BTCC, which may break apart the lovely family feel of the sport.
Come on Honda. Don’t become THAT GUY.
Until next time my lovely readers,
If you have any comments please feel free to contact me on Twitter @lewisglynn69
Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
Driving with Dad
I am not usually someone to point out the obvious, but there are times where necessity overrides my nature. Driving is one of the great pleasures of the modern age. Nothing compares to the liberation and joy we feel behind the wheel of our very own dream machine. We may not realise it, but driving gives us all a surge of confidence. We have the control. We have the power. We own the road.
…well I thought I did. When I am behind the wheel, I am the Lord of my machine. Until of course, the form that materialises in the passenger seat is that of my dad.
It would only now seem fair that I provide some context to this seemingly confusing statement. At the end of the day, this is either a problem suffered by us all, or it may just be me living in my own world of eccentric dazzlement. First, it is time to take a holiday into the dark depths of the past.
When I was a young lad, my father defined what life was for me. As with any child, he was my dad, friend, hero, you know, all that classic cheesy stuff. One of the most important things however was the fact that he was my ticket to the rest of the world. Wherever I needed to go, he was my ride. He was my taxi driver, my fountain of driving knowledge, and of course my ride home. As much as I have always been an independent little so and so, there were times when a bus just would not cut it.
When the ripe old age of 17 came and slapped me in my confused little face, the time had come for me to learn to drive. But that is another story. A year later I had my own license and very quickly, my own car. And with that, my dad’s services were no longer needed. It was at this time that everything began to change. A deep grumble in the very fabric of my family. A power shift turned everything I once knew on its head.
The worst part was how it crept up on me. My innocence shattered forever. Suddenly he asked me for a lift. Everything I once knew had changed forever.
The only way I can attempt to explain just how terrifying this felt is by means of a comparison. Let us just take a second. Imagine if you will your ultimate music hero. Whether it is your Beatles, your Queen or your Rolling Stones does not matter. But imagine if you will performing for them. The very thought of that sends a pang of terror to my bones. And driving my dad absolutely anywhere is that exact same feeling.
I would like to think that 99.9% of the time that I am actually a very good driver. But as soon as my dad sits down next to me in my car, I turn into a pile of brain dead bone and tissue. There was one time where I literally forgot how to drive for a good few minutes. How he did not notice I will never quite know. But for that I am massively grateful.
…yet here I am writing this very blog with the full knowledge that he will get to reading this. I really did not think this through at all now did I?
I really wish I could explain it. But there is something about driving a man who I respect so much that does bring the nerves in the truck load. I have been having to do this now for around 4 years and even now I still struggle to keep my cool. There are times when my dad does actually compliment my driving, but even so I still feel that he is just being nice.
I really hope that it is not just me who has these feelings. Where better to share my thoughts than somewhere as great as Private Fleet.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any thoughts!
Follow me @lewisglynn69
Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
Private Fleet 2013 Driving Survey
2013 Private Fleet Driving Survey
Following on from the success of our previous driving surveys, Private Fleet has once again quizzed Australian drivers from across the country to get a real sense of the current issues motorists are experiencing.
Some 3500 respondents participated in the anonymous survey- which identifies participants by gender, state, income, car and driving history- and the results are enlightening; some adding strength to old adages, others shattering them into oblivion. For example:
Money doesn’t buy happiness: Respondents earning over $200,000 per year are 60 per cent more likely to get angry behind the wheel than those on under $40,000.
Texting and driving: 58 per cent of 26-40 year olds admit to texting while driving, making them more likely to offend than the 18-25 bracket (51 per cent). Only 2 per cent of those over 75 years of age text and drive.
At-fault accidents: While 35 per cent of respondents reported an accident in the last three years, only 17 per cent admitted fault for a minor incident…that number dropped to only 4 per cent when admitting fault in a serious accident where police were called.
Women Drivers: Sorry ladies, after carefully analysing 2403 responses from men and 988 responses from women, it appears that women are actually around 40% more likely to be involved in an accident per kilometre driven.
Additionally some 1980 respondents added commentary on the standards of driving in Australia and our worst offenders. From Holden drivers’ aggression through to ‘distracted’ P-Platers, through to the age-old argument of undertaking versus those hogging the right lane, the comments have sparked no end of debate.
The true beauty of the Private Fleet Driving Survey lies in its interactivity. We invite you to peruse the results yourself, combine them how you want and create your own conclusions…with around 55 million possible combinations, we are sure there are many intriguing results to be discovered, so make sure you share your findings!
The best Australian cars
Over the years, both in print and on-line, many a discussion has been generated around Australia’s worst cars. But with the Aussie car industry on its knees, I thought it was time to introduce some positivity to our home-grown motoring story, and ask our readers: What are your favourite Australian cars?
From the advent of the first Holdens in the 1940s through to today, there have been some wonderful Aussie cars, designed locally for local conditions. There were hardships of course, particularly in those early years where the content was largely inspired by America; indeed, early Falcons were positively flimsy and could simply fall apart, until Ford got serious with the legendary XP’s Aussie development program.
Personally, my list of solid Aussies includes what is generally perceived as a lemon: the Leyland P76. With its light, all-alloy V8, big body and nice ride, I think the concept was right; it’s just a pity the execution (and subsequent reliability jibes) hampered its sales.
Of course, the massively successful HQ-series Holden (485.650 produced) personifies what Aussies (used) to want in a car; space, robustness, power and a semblance of style.
I also love the American-influenced ‘muscle car’ era, back when racing at Bathurst in production-based cars was actually beneficial to sales. Think Ford Falcon XY GT-HO, Chrysler Charger R/T E49 and Holden Torana A9X.
Of later machinery, the Falcon EcoBoost was an on-trend alternative for modern times, retaining the sense of size, power and reliability that the best Aussie cars have but combining it with ultra-modern mechanicals which provide that power with economy. It’s a great drive, too…it’s just a pity that Ford didn’t have the marketing capability to really sell the product.
We could argue forever about why we no longer buy Australian (fuel costs affecting fleet sales, extra competitive market, lack of investment/’feel’ for the market…the list goes on) but let’s instead try and gain inspiration from the past: What are some of your favourites?
Level 2, 9 Help Street