Montreal 2011 - F1 race

Practice - Friday

I was out already at 6:00 a.m. It was cold! but i was wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. It was cold!

To my surprise i was the only one in the metro going to the track! Even that i know it was friday, i remember going like 10 years ago and it was pack! No today! I used to follow people, this time i really had to look where i was going! Adventure!

I went to get a ticket with no problem at all at their box office at the track!
Got to the gate at 6:45 a.m. not many people either, no line-up! It was cold! what a hell?!!

Gates open at 7:00 a.m. sharp! Went in looking for coffee!!! It was cold and cloudy!
After going to the usual places, that i knew, i realized were the wrong ones!
But finally i found coffee/cheese pie (greek), good one, plus I lost 10 dollars, i believe, as it was cold, and windy, and cloudy, and hungry!

It was nice to see the little changes around the track, less places for GA people to watch. Thank you GP Canada!

It was cold, cloudy and windy, but by 10:00 a.m. the sunshine was there to stay!

I have to admit Lewis' car sounded sooo sick! Specially when braking farted like there was no tomorrow! His engine sounded sick, really sick! Jenson was good!

The engine which killed my ears was the Renault, OUCH, seriously!!
Very smooth the rb, i have to admit! and the Mercedes, the rest . . . ok.
I'm still have a buzz in my right ear!

Nico's engine was really smooth, a pleasure!

But in all means, i missed to see those cars and listen in person those roaring engines! Just plain and simple: BEAUTY! Except, of course, that the rear wing is absolutely awful, still!

Hoping to see more fans going to the track, but not really, they really bather me! lol

FULL of ferrari fans! as usual, disgusting, specially kids, very few McLaren and almost none rb.
FULL of ferrari fans! I couldn't talk to anyone, as i have nothing in common with them. Made sure they could see my tattoo!! lol

I always have fun going to the track! Always! \o/\o/\o/ but not when it rains though! ;-)

My camera decided at the end not to work! but with a few hits, its working again! hopefully! ;-)

Another update tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Now hockey game!
ciao!!

Practice - Saturday

Bad weather plus i knew who was gonna be on pole, decided to do something else! Many things to do around Montreal, but needed to be inside as weather didn't collaborate through this whole weekend at all.

We went to the Beer World Festival!! They opened at 11:00 a.m. so Eric and I met at that time. It was very cold, windy but not rain.
We spent the day in there, drinking and drinking and drinking! Just a break to watch F1 qualy, which i couldn't resist plus we needed a break from the beer!
I was right about the pole position guessing person!

We had a beer glass, which appears in the pictures and 10 coupons each! To do the testing, some places you needed 2 coupons for 4 oz! or 3 or 4 for more!
Usually they were very "generous"! . . . we had fun!
Then, we went for a walk to downtown, passing by Crescent again and looking for a McLaren wine which Eric said he saw it but we couldn't find it this time at the liquor store. Maybe sold out?

We ended up having dinner at a nice restaurant after walking for hours! I had noquis! I needed some carbs or something that could absorb all the alcohol i had in me!

Race day - Sunday

I decided to wake up early and see how the weather was. I checked all kind of websites, apps, tv (english and french) and all said rain and thunderstorms, no good!
At 5:00 a.m. alarm went off! As i didn't have a ticket, needed to be there early as i did on friday!

The sky didn't look good, i checked again all the websites, tv, everything! It was cloudy, windy and cold. After thinking a lot, at 6:00 a.m. i said to myself, it's a NO go! :(
I wasn't happy!

By 9:30 i was in downtown walking through the malls as it was cold outside. What i really like about Montreal are their malls, they go forever and they are like labyrinths!! So i started playing if i remember my way back the same way! There were so many ways, it was fun!
Stores were closed, they open at 11:00 am.

At around 11:30 i left and went to a supermarket close to the hotel, got a baguette, old fashion ham and coca-cola, ready to watch the race!

To my surprise the tsn (RDS) french has a coverage before the race! It was good, didn't understand much but i least i was watching the track and their affairs!

The race came and stay for longer than expected!
Once again Lewis was the point of debacle to everyone. Everyone has different opinions and i won't try to convince others of my believes.
I like Lewis for his passion. I really think that he is "genuine". He is one of, or if not, the only one on the grid with a sense of just racing! Pure and simple racing!

If you race, you must take risks. Sometimes you are gonna be right, other times wrong, as, and i can believe i'm going to say this, Schumacher said, sometimes other drivers won't give in, sometimes they will, and that's the difference.

If we try to take that passion away from Lewis it will be wrong. Mature? Lewis is mature already, he proved many, many times. Should i remind you about the Canadian GP in 2007? Safety car, many times and everyone was pondering Lewis? Well, what happen nowadays? It's just something to talk about!

My believe is that this season the cars are more doable of really racing, more passing and therefore more tempting to go for it, which is Lewis weaknesses! . . . or not! And the McLaren cars are not bad either!

As every race in the rain, the unexpected always happens! That's why i don't like them! I knew that something was gonna happen to Lewis as he was like a sandwich between a few other great drivers!
Saying that, by now, other drivers should be aware of his presence when close by and pay extra attention when Lewis is behind them. Not saying that they should let Lewis go easy, but check your mirror more often!
Lewis will not sit behind a car and just wait for some miracle presented itself and allows him to pass! eh, no! don't people know his history? didn't people read his book? don't people know where he's coming from? Well, they better learn, and fast! But i do understand the reporters, they have to talk about something!

I already said this, and i will say it again, i never liked Senna in his racing days, for many reason, but after reading his book, i understood him. I can see the same pattern in Lewis.

Drivers should know each other, they should know who could do what! and what i have being saying is: why not spotters as in Nascar? to advise each driver who and where is around them. How they will do that? No clue! i don't get pay to tell them everything. I'm not in the maFIA operations! So, they better think themselves.
They introduce so many stupid rules anyways!

To finish, after 4 hours of F1 racing, outrageous weather, Jenson Button wins in Canada!
I left the hotel with a huge smile, couldn't stop smiling, 'til i started seeing the people coming from the track. Of course most of them ferrari fans! It was a nice pleasure looking at them seen them with their heads down and quiet, very quiet! Priceless! I couldn't stop smiling anyway!

And did you know that there is a group of protesters against the Canadian GP?? I didn't know it 'til now i was watching some F1 news in french! Interesting! but they are crazy!

Ok, and that was my weekend! If wasn't for the weather could it been one of my best!

Until next time!
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Monaco 2011 - My view

It's time for another tiny blog.

Everyone says want passing in F1, but what they don't understand is that it's not easy as just saying it, you have to actually do it!

Lewis Hamilton is the ONLY driver on the grid in F1 at the moment that gives 100% at passing and take risks, of course.

How are you gonna pass someone, on a track, at 200 km/hour (+ or -) without taking risks? The same is to say, for example, hockey without hits!!! Hockey is not hockey without hits! Well, racing is not racing without risks! The risk taken is passing another car!

Monaco is always a hand full of incidents. Monaco is even more risky with the new car development and regulations.

Today, whoever thought that Lewis, starting in 9 position, was gonna set back and leave it to destiny to unfold in front of him; was a really innocent soul.

I knew Lewis was gonna go for it and a lot of controversy will unfold.

So here they are:

Lewis and the #6 car (i can't even write his name anymore) incident.

Car #6 KNEW that Lewis was after him for many, many laps. Car #6 was SLOWER than Lewis. Car #6 should it expected, with Lewis record, that passing. Car #6 didn't look in his mirrors. Car #6 closed the door. Car #6 was hit and out of the race. Surprise? NO!

Did Lewis close the door to car #7 at the start of the race? NO!

There are places to pass, relatively, at the Monaco track. Lewis didn't pass on a NON-PASSING zone. Any driver should be aware of other drivers behind them.

Other one, everyone is talking about Lewis experience.

Condemn Lewis in this race because he has experience compare to other backmarkers drivers it's just lame.

Lewis was penalized because another car situation was similar, therefore Lewis had the same. Wrong.

Kobayashi did the same to Sutil, and even worse after, a big crash happen consequence of that. Let's see if he will be penalized also.

Let's go back to qualifying for a bit. Lewis was blocked by car #6 in a fast lap, but because Perez's accident happen, that was forgotten.

Because Lewis is Lewis, and because everyone expect Lewis to go for it, he's always under the microscope! It's not his fault that he's in this sport for the passion, talent and knowledge of racing!

Car #6 must be furious with Lewis, understandable, but that's not Lewis fault, that is because car #6 is already in trouble with ferrari for not delivering all the time, plain and simple. Not really Lewis fault. Car #6 is an inept.

Lewis is very different than any other driver. He has talent. He has dedication. He has extreme passion for the sport. He takes risks. He is the dream driver.

What's the problem? Not everyone is ready to understand him. As happen with Senna in his days.

I didn't like Senna when he was racing, until i read the book by Christopher Hilton: "Ayrton Senna the whole story", and i understood where he was coming from and what he was thinking as a driver. Understood his passion and love for racing. A real lost for the sport.

Lewis has the right to become angry, he is human, he is not a hero or superman; but he feels like a trap animal sometimes, with the world against him, and he reacts. Is he right? no, not all the time, but understandable.

I really admire Lewis Hamilton commitment and passion to a very danger sport . . . racing a car in F1.

Big thanks to Ron Dennis for giving him an opportunity at McLaren.

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So much to say, so little time . . .

I'm trying to put some of my thoughts together, but there is so much out there that i can't handle it all at the moment.

I would like to have a typewriter in my head or a tape recorder, maybe i'm way too much into the future. Kinda like taking my thoughts without doing nothing.

That's why i like "Star Trek - The Next Generation" counselor Deanna Troi, she didn't need to speak much, it was all through thoughts. I wanna do that, maybe i'll avoid the next 2 centuries and come back by her time.

Although, i can do something like her, i'm getting there.

McLaren / Mercedes, soon to be only "McLaren", as it should be!

This is not news.

We knew something was gonna happen since the starting of the season with Mercedes supplying engines to the Brawn team.

We really thought that McLaren was gonna be buyout many, many years ago, but the brilliant mind and vision of Ron Dennis is making it possible to the name "McLaren" always to stand up straight and high.

F1 will always be the pinnacle of motorsports. Doesn't matter what.

I would like to add Ron Dennis' words from the McLaren site:
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Ron Dennis (Executive Chairman, McLaren Automotive; Founding Shareholder, McLaren Group) said:

“This is a win-win situation, for both McLaren and Daimler.

“I’ve often stated that it’s my belief that, in order to survive and thrive in 21st-century Formula 1, a team must become much more than merely a team. That being the case, in order to develop and sustain the revenue streams required to compete and win Grands Prix and World Championships, companies that run Formula 1 teams must broaden the scope of their commercial activities.

“Nonetheless, all of our partners will of course continue to play a crucial role in our Formula 1 programme. For that reason, and because the engines they produce are very competitive, we’re delighted that Mercedes-Benz has committed to continue not only as an engine supplier but also as a partner of ours until 2015 – and perhaps thereafter.

“The next few years will be a very exciting time for McLaren, during which period we intend to become an ever-stronger technological and economic force. Formula 1 will always be a core activity, for sound business reasons as well as for historical sporting reasons: to be clear, our Formula 1 business has traditionally enjoyed great financial security, largely as a consequence of the longevity of our contracts with our partners, many of which have exceeded 15 years of continuous involvement with McLaren. Indeed, two of our partners have been with us for more than 25 years.

“We’re risk-averse by design. Over the past two years we’ve analysed in great detail the challenge of entering the high-performance production sports car market. In the MP4-12C, which will be introduced to market in 2011, we have a car that has inherited the genes of the iconic McLaren F1 of 1994 and has already been the subject of much global media acclaim. It is proposed that it will be produced in a new state-of-the-art production facility adjacent to the existing award-winning McLaren Technology Centre at Woking [Surrey, UK].”
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Ron's commitment to the sport and to the McLaren name, it should make us all proud, fans around the world and to all at the MTC.

Now on the drivers side, hard to say what McLaren wants.

Kimi, a World Champion, thanks to ferrari cheating, doesn't have much to probe in F1.
Saying that Kimi deserved that title many years ago, at least since 2003, when he lost it by 1 point!
We all wanted Kimi to win his first championship in a McLaren car. Didn't happen.
That's why i feel that McLaren owes him something, it's not over yet.

But the question is: will McLaren produce 2 competitive cars for 2010 season?

I'm sure that Kimi doesn't wanna waste his time, and he knows how the team works.
The other thing is that Kimi doesn't like to do PR, and McLaren has a lot of those.
It has been brought to my attention also that Kimi and Ron didn't get along well, which is hard to believe to me, but i don't know for sure either way. It must be because of Kimi's life style and the whole sponsors deal, i guess.

And then is Jenson. I like him as a person, the same as Heikki, but as a driver to get in a McLaren car, to me, he is too soft. Jenson did play already a second fiddle at BAR to Jacques Villeneuve, and now that he won the championship won't push much. In my humble opinion, of course.
I won't be totally disappointed if Jenson goes to McLaren, but not happy either. Just a flat line.

So, depending which driver they will choose, is how we'll know the season will go for McLaren.

I don't believe that money is an issue for any of those drivers. And either of them will make history as 2 World Champions at McLaren.

I don't know how much Mercedes can say about the drivers at this point.

McLaren is on the way to have their own engine and that makes me happy.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs true mystery . . .

I have been watching hockey continuously since 1999/2000 season, after i was immerse in the WWW already with motorsport so wanted to continue the thrill and I re-found hockey. And by default, I'm a Toronto Maple Leaf fan.

I learned a lot, i believe, through all these years. Thanks to my many friends and many hockey forums (Thank you Stebro for your patience! :). First i really fell in love with the sport, then i realized that it was bad as any other sport; and now for sure i know it's as bad like any other sport or worse.
Of course, no sport can top the F1 circus, at this point.

Let me explain.

The Toronto Maple Leafs under Forbes NHL Team valuations has been the most profitable team in the NHL for awhile. How? why? what do they do that the others ones don't do? For sure is not having a good team. For sure is not having a good management. For sure is not having a good marketing program. For sure is not having the best arena in the NHL. For sure is not the most accessible team in the NHL. For sure is not for their cheapest ticket holder in the league. And i could keep going on and on.

So, what is it that it makes the Toronto Maple Leafs so successful, money wise, and so harsh as hockey team; with no Stanley Cup on the horizon any time soon?

Simple, they already did it long time ago! They already made history and now we just live in it.
I'm not saying that we live in the past, what i'm trying to say is that the team had so many good players, and good sesasons on their back, in a Canadian city that is embrace by the entire world of hockey, that it's very, very hard to top.

The Toronto Maple Leaf is one of the original NHL six hockey teams. (New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens)

Every sport fan knows Toronto, and how most of them knows Toronto by? HOCKEY!

I went to England in 2001, and in a very little town, i found some people wearing t-shirts of the Toronto Maple Leafs! I was amazed!

So, what's wrong with this current team, 2009/10?

Easy.

It doesn't matter who you bring to the team.
Let's make an experiment for fun.
I would like to bring the entire Pittsburgh Penguins team and change their jerseys to the Toronto Maple Leaf. Then, make them play an entire season, with all the players healthy, and then let's see if they will be able to win the cup.
NO, they will not!.
Why?
Because every team that plays against the Toronto Maple Leafs plays even harder than against any other team in the league.
Why? Exposure!
First, because if they are at the ACC on a Saturday night, they know for sure across Canada will be watching. And the most important one, their families and friends will be watching them.
Second, because how motivated are you gonna be playing against a team like Phoenix? instead, if it's the Toronto Maple Leafs! everyone is following, most people are a fan of!
Third, because even that Gary Bettman doesn't want to a admit it, hockey is follow by Canadians more than USA fans.

I remember the Roberts, Mogilnys, Sundins, Cujos seasons! Going to other arenas was even better than playing at home! Those arenas were half full with leafs fans! (Reminder, going to play against the Senators was really fun!)
Why?
It's just a legend, a legacy that can't be change.

Now i do understand Mats Sundin.

As soon as you get in the players payroll, as soon as you wear that Toronto Maple Leafs jersey you don't need anything else. You've done it!
I'm sure that even Gretzky regrets not having the chance to be a "Leaf" once in his life time.
When you are a "Leaf", you are for LIFE!
That's your career highlight.
You can go and play for another teams, and be successful, but being a "Leaf", it doesn't compare to anything else.

To be a Leaf is not easy. A leaf player has to play harder than any other player in the league EVERY NIGHT! It has to give 100% EVERY NIGHT! There are not easy games for them. The Toronto Maple leafs players have to play 82 HARD games, and there are not freebies.

Every player in the league wants to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs every night. And those players are gonna play ONE GAME as hard as they can. Only ONE GAME!! maybe 4 in the whole season; depending for how many games they meet.
Why?
Exposure.

Leafs fans care. In good or bad. Unconditional hockey fans. Live or die, white and blue blood. Forever.

If you are a Toronto Maple Leaf player you are gonna give up the dream to win the Stanley Cup, but instead, your name will be forever in the Maple Leaf history book.
So, what do you choose?
Being attached to a team for your entire career (or some years), that you know you are gonna be remember by fans, or the Stanley Cup and disappear after that?

There is not doubt, and if you do, you are in denial; that Toronto is the Mecca of hockey.
Everything happens in Toronto around hockey.
The Hockey Hall of Fame is here.
The Battle of the Blades is here. May remind you is at the Maple Leaf Gardens arena.
The NHL office headquarters are here.
The Hockey Night in Canada headquarters are here.
Every tourist wants to get to a game, doesn't matter if they like hockey or not; they know about the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.

Saying all that, do not expect anyone to admit that, ain't gonna happen.

The question is:
One season and win the Stanley Cup or your entire career and being a Leaf for life?

Your choice.
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Honday Indy TO was NO picnic!

I was so excited about the Indy coming back to TO! and so thankful to Andretti Green for bring it back!

I still am, but for the future they better change a little bit or they will be in trouble easily.

What i'm about to tell you is the story of my own adventure through the weekend.

I ordered the tickets at the end of May. I bought only GA as i didn't know what was gonna happen, so i wanted to see before spending money on a grandstand. As i saw the plan and didn't see many of them. And yes, i was skeptical, but optimistic it was gonna be great!.

My usual friends didn't wanna make it, so i told them it was ok, i was gonna go and then give them my report.

I must say that i have been going on to this race since 1996, every year, and i'm also a F1 fan, which i have many trips to Montreal.

Friday, i was watching practice through the IndyCar.com and twitter. I must say it was very good the quality of the stream at the site. I took the chance to ask through twitter if they knew about the radio station at the track, which AM or FM we could listen it when in there. Did you get an answer? me neither.

Ok, i let it go!

I printed the schedule at the same time that i bought the tickets, but looking at it again had changed. So i printed again.

Saturday - In the past they opened the gate at 7:00 a.m. to the public, gave me time to grab the Toronto Sun, get a coffee/muffin at the Caffe at Hall "A" and then go out and watch the cars. Not this time!
They open the gate for to the public at 8:00 a.m., at the same time that qualify for the Vintage GT starts, smart eh?

I passed by McDonald and grabbed a coffee, thinking i'll get my muffin inside. Was not the case. The line up was so long, and when i looked at the muffin tray were only 4 left!. What were the chances after 20 people in front of me i could still have one? none!
I wasn't happy!

Sunday - Went to McDonald grabbed a coffee and a McMuffin, yummy! Well, when i got to the gate, they didn't let me in!!! because i had my little McDonald bag! I was really pissed off by then. To the point that i thought to go back home. But as i'm Italian, i calmed down eating my breakfast standing up, at the outside of the gate!! Disgusting!

The day didn't run smoothly, many other things happen!!
The only good thing was that Tim, gave me his pass to the pits, and before the race i went in and took pics! Of course they kicked me out from there too!

I was so upset that they cut off the view at Turn 3 from the west side!! the most important point on the track! That was mean, and a slap on the face.

I'll send an email to Michael Andretti's organizers.

I won't go next year if they don't change their insane track rules. There is no way!

Ok, I won't let it go!
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The Big Apple trip - June 19 - 23, 2009 - Day 4

Last day cloudy but not rain expected.

Everything ready by 9:30 a.m. pay $2.00 each for luggage storage and there we went for last trip in the Big Apple.

Just a quick breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts which i couldn't finished, passed by the pharmacy as i needed some bandit for my hurting feet. Keep walking to 86 St to take the subway.

We got off at 50 St. and walked to our double deck tour bus (citysightsny.com) to continue the downtown to Trade Center, market at Union Square and Brooklyn.

Took a few pictures around Trade Center (i'll post them later) and we went for another little shopping at Century 21 which i liked very much.

The weather was good and a little bit sunny, took the tour to Brooklyn and OMG! the tour guy was obsessed with Brooklyn, he told us though. He was comparing everything to Manhattan and of course Brooklyn has more of everything. He was funny but like reading a book, sometimes i wanted to tell him "just SHUT UP!".

Something that i learned with those buses is that you have to tip them, i knew that something like that was gonna happen so i was prepared. I bought before the trip 5 canadian pins to give them away, smart eh? well, not really, i forgot them in the luggage, never made them to my daily purse. Also i brought bandits and fastwipes, never made it to my purse either, sigh.

We ended up around 14:30, took the tour back to Time Square and look for a place where to eat. We went to T. I. Fridays but too expensive for lunch, so we ended up at this place which i can't remember the name, I'm sure Kathy will.

We walked a little bit more and around 17:30 took the subway back.

We didn't wanna get to the hotel, as we had a lot of time still to 21:30.
We chilled out at our regular bakery spot, but we were sooo tired that went to the hotel and waited another half hour there.

I changed to my long pants and shoes, and made it to the bus stop actually just at Madison Square Garden! where there is also the Penn Station there.
We lined up and waited.

The trip was very good and i had that chance to sleep for around 2:30 hours! which it was very good! Getting into TO was a hassle as it was rush hour! but i made it to work by 10:00 a.m. as i had to wait for the streetcar at home for 15 minutes! at that point i wanted to go back to NYC transit system!

I had a great time in NYC and i hope Kathy had it too! I believe i wasn't much a pain in the butt, just i didn't know where the east, south, west or north was and i got frustrated with myself consequence of that.

Now i'm studying the NYC maps, and i believe i'm ready for the next time! if i have a next time!

'til next trip!
thank you!
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