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PRO MOTORSPORT - SEASON IN REVIEW December is a great month to choose to write an article on motorsport. It is, I suppose, the only month of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere, at least, with no organized professional motorsport events of any kind. Sure, everyone is busy testing their ‘98 equipment, if they have it yet, but there is not much going on otherwise. A great time to look back on the season that was, in other words. VILLENEUVE WINS IT As far as Formula 1 goes, I’m not sure where to start. Yes, Jacques Villeneuve won the World Drivers Championship for Canada, and there was joy in the streets, certainly in Quebec where this is a bigger thing than in far-flung outposts like Vancouver, where we write this. Our pride in Jacques’ achievement has unfortunately been somewhat overshadowed by all the controversy surrounding Formula 1 this season. Can anyone remember more of a soap opera in racing? I sure can’t. Everything has been pretty well documented, so we won’t go into great detail other than to express our opinion. Jacques is not the most popular champion ever, certainly not in the hallowed halls of the Federation International de l’Automobile in Paris. That august organization managed to silence his criticism of next year’s regulations by summoning him all the way to France from Montreal in the week of the Grand Prix there for a 10-minute hearing, but come the end of the season, he was back on his soapbox, complaining that next year’s cars will be like driving in Formula 3 (or Atlantic for those of us in North America.) And there is some basis for his complaints. I mean, grooved tires and reduced width? Sorry, I don’t think they will create better or safer racing, but I hope I am wrong. Anyway, we’ll see how that goes in a few months. Other highlights of the year? Bernie E. has been trying to “float” Formula 1 on the international money markets, and while I am not up on all the details, it apparently hasn’t been going as well as was planned. And now, he is being accused of trying to influence the new Labour government in Great Britain, via a large pre-election campaign donation. The government has tried to exempt Formula 1 from the impending European ban on tobacco promotion. While I am not trying to connect the two events, it does point out that racing in Europe would be in big trouble without the tobacco companies’ involvement. There is already talk of moving most of the European events elsewhere, like to the Far East. However, in the face of all the possible legal obstacles to racing as we know it today, and the furore over next year’s regulations, what is the biggest story to come out of the season? The events of about 30 minutes in Spain at the last race, of course. First, there was The Incident of Contact. We all know the story, so I won’t rehash it. Was Schumacher’s driving into the side of Villeneuve’s car as the Canadian attempted to pass him deliberate? Of course, but probably not pre-meditated. In any case, it was not only a questionable move on the part of Schumacher, whose reputation has certainly taken a big hit from his actions, but a needlessly aggressive move on the part of Villeneuve, who had plenty of time left in the race and didn’t need to force the issue then. If he had failed to finish the race with the car being damaged, I feel it would have been just as much his fault as it was the German’s. So Schuey would have to be punished, wouldn’t he? The media were alive with predictions. A multi-million dollar fine. A multi-race suspension. Beheading. Well, not that, of course. In the end, what does he get? His runner-up position in the World Championship removed. Not his victories, all well-deserved with the reliable but ordinary Ferrari. Nor whatever prize money might have come his way for them. Nor any of his retainer. Just the huge honor of being runner-up in the Championship. Sound like very stiff punishment to you? Not to me either. But there you go. It was inconceivable that the powers that be would keep the man who has been called the best driver in the world out of races next year just when they need his talent and popularity the most. The readers of F1 Racing magazine voted Schumacher their favorite driver. And Villeneuve? Number five on the list, with the question, “did he deserve his title?” It is pretty clear that many think he didn’t, what with some of the mistakes made by him and his team, Williams. But when all was said and done, he had the best car and won seven races with it, which is more than Mr. Frentzen can say. It might have been eight, as he led well into the last lap of the last race in Spain, but somehow Villeneuve managed to slip to third and allow McLaren teammates Hakkinen and Coulthard to finish ahead of him in that order. The Finn got his well-deserved first victory, but not in circumstances that most thought were quite on the up-and-up. Another furore for Formula One to deal with, but this one seems to have subsided. So the season is over, and time for everyone to rest and regroup, right? Well, not so fast, because there was one more bombshell for Formula One to catch. It was the two words that any major racing series in the world would rather not hear, “Goodyear withdraws.” Yes, the tire giant will be pulling out of F1 after 1998, citing the costs of developing the aforementioned grooved tires. What they aren’t saying in so many words is what must be their dissatisfaction with the instability in the sport, and how closely they are associated with it. Lucky for Formula One there is another tire company, Bridgestone, currently involved in the sport. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened. Already, McLaren has announced their defection to Bridgestone. Will more top teams follow? That was certainly enough controversy for a few seasons, much less one. Not since the days when two or three drivers were getting killed each year has there been so much negative to talk about in F1. Maybe Messrs Mosley, Ecclestone and the rest need something like all the tobacco money to go away to make them get back towards the basics of racing, where the sport is more important than the politics. CART IN FRONT OF THE HORSE Meanwhile, the PPG-CART World Series continued to provide the best major-league open-wheel racing in the world, with very few controversial incidents to talk about. The competition amongst the various chassis and engine manufacturers was fierce, with just about every possible combination that didn’t involve a Lola or Toyota winning a race. The 1997 CART PPG Champion, Alex Zanardi of Italy, made most of the headlines, win or lose, with his forceful driving. His charge up through the field, twice, at Vancouver, certainly polarized observers’ opinions of him. His move on Bryan Herta, trying to unlap himself by passing the leader, was audacious to say the least. Herta called it something else, and most people seemed to think that Zanardi was in the wrong by taking him out. But some thought the way I did. Herta should have seen him coming, but apparently didn’t. It was clearly Zanardi’s corner by the apex of it, as his front wheels were ahead of those of Herta. That Herta ended up in the tire wall was more a function of the design of the track at that point - uneven pavement, sudden narrowing into the chicane - than anything Zanardi did. Zanardi was the best driver in the best car all year, and that was just one example. He was my pick before the season to win the title, and he didn’t let me down. But then I also had Paul Tracy as a favorite. And that looked like a good call when he led the points in May following three straight victories. But then the short ovals ended, and with them the dominance of his Penske car. Tracy had a hard time hiding his frustration.... But Roger Penske had no difficulty in deciding that Tracy was history with his team, unceremoniously dumping him after the season. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, considering he kept the thought-by-many over-the-hill Al Unser Jr, his new driver would be Andre Ribeiro. Tracy was shocked, too, of course, since he still had a year to run on his contract, but the timing was right for him. Kool was talked into putting up the money to run a second car for the proven winner, to partner new hire Dario Franchitti on Barry Green’s team, and Tracy has landed on his feet with as good a chance as any at the 1998 title. Tracy wasn’t the only Canuck dumped from a team, as Rookie of the Year, by default, some would say, Patrick Carpentier, was let go by Bettenhausen in an amicable parting. The hot rumour was that Player’s money had hastened the departure, and that was confirmed in November when it was announced that Carpentier would partner Greg Moore at Player’s Forsythe racing in ‘98. Moore said all the right things, but nobody believes he will be entirely happy with having to share the attentions of his team and the Canadian fans. Not a lot of other changes to report in CART for next year. JJ Lehto moves into the Hogan Racing seat acrimoniously vacated by Franchitti. There will be two new races, in Japan and Houston, Texas. And a completely new layout for the Molson Indy here in Vancouver. Oh, and a new sponsor for the series, if reports are to be believed before the news is officially announced. Look for Federal Express to be the new title sponsor of the CART FedEx Championship Series, and the cars to be known as Champ Cars, with the “I” word to be officially excised from the series for once and for all. Hopefully, the propensity of the uninformed to call the cars “Indy CARTs”, a la go-karts, will disappear at the same time. AND ALL THE REST..... There was more of course, in the wide world of motorsport. Jeff Gordon had a dream year in NASCAR Winston Cup, winning ten races including the Daytona 500, the Winston Million, and the Cup itself. This guy is a major talent, and there are rumours circulating that he might eventually find his way into an open-wheel car. Drag racing saw a Cinderella story, as rookie Gary Scelzi, driving for the Johnson family who lost their son Blaine in a crash last year, won his first two races in the car and stayed consistent all year to scoop the NHRA Winston Top Fuel title. And in Funny Car, it was John Force winning the World Championship for the seventh time, although nine other drivers managed to score victories in an off year by his standards. 1998..... With the start of the new season in February, we intend to keep you up to date with the news from all of the above series, with particular emphasis on Champ Cars and Formula One, due to the heavier Canadian participation in them. We don’t see the need to publish news releases or report on specific races; other people do a, mostly, good job of that. Instead, we intend to delve a little deeper into the sport and all its happenings. We’ll try to provide some insight into what is happening and why, and to ask questions. We will look forward to hearing back from you with your reactions. |
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Unless otherwise noted Article and Photographs ©1997,
1998Gerry Frechette. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted the INFOSTUFF! pages and their contents ©1996,
1997, 1998ad.net international. |
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