the blog only robots read. Are you a ROBOT????

So long as they are not taxable, I will keep on publishing them... Sooner or later it was going to happen. It was destiny. Writing for me is a need, I can’t help it, it is not an option. It is a bit like constipation. You can’t just eat forever, without evacuating. You will eventually burst, not a pretty sight. So it is with writing. Things just accumulate inside, and at one point they have to come out. The more cynical will not lose out on my comparing my own writing to excrement, but that is OK. That works for me, works for Shakespeare and Hemingway. So it goes. I decided to do it in English this time, as I wrote a lot of material in Portuguese already. It serves me two purposes. My mental attitude, style and thinking seem to be a bit different in English and Portuguese. And I suppose I need to exercise my “English” brain at this point. You want to call this my blog? I don’t mind. I don’t like labels, but that is OK. A blog it is, but I am not doing it to be fashionable, I just have to get these things out. Either enjoy or be bored.

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1973
I was 12 when I began to follow auto racing in earnest. I had been flirting with it since I was 8, and I visited the Alfa-Romeo team in Brazil (Jolly Gancia), and saw an Alfa P33 in its red glory. The car was driven that year by Carlos Pace.

So by 1973, Emerson Fittipaldi had won his first F-1 championship, and the Brazilian TV network began broadcasting several Grands Prix, sometimes live. This was also the year in which Brazil became a F-1 hosting country.

I must say my first real, heavy duty contact with the world of racing was a baptism of fire, of sorts. 1973 was a great motor racing year, but there was carnage everywhere, it seemed.

For one, there was the horrific accident befalling Roger Williamson in the Dutch GP. Brazilian TV showed it in a variety show called "Fantastico" and it was very disheartening to see David Purley trying to save his friend. Then, at the end of the year, Francois Cevert, a man surely destined for great things, died at Watkins Glen.

One of the drivers I appreciated the most, Andrea de Adamich, had severe leg injuries that ended his F-1 career once and for all at Silverstone.

Gerry Birrel died in Rouen, in a F-2 race. Indy claimed two victims, Art Pollard and Swede Savage. The 24 Hours of SPA claimed Hans Peter Joisten and Rene Dubos.

Even in Brazil, where motor racing fatalities were relatively rare, two Chevies crashed in a local championship in the South of Brazil, claiming two drivers, including a popular driver/broadcaster.

This didn't either desensitize or scare me, it just showed, from the onset, that racing was a dangerous game and that I had to live with that reality. This was no soccer. I am glad that some 34 years down the line, it has become that much safer, and Robert Kubica and Ernesto Viso were able to walk away unscathed from such terrible accidents.
A sad remark
I remember that many years ago a row evolved between soccer star Romario, who was the major Brazilian team star at the time, and Pele, the former Brazilian number 10. Romario said that Pele always said stupid things, and that he knew nothing about current soccer, so should shut up. Sure Pele does have a proclivity towards unusual predictions, but he is definitely entitled to his opinions, and if people seek him, it means that someone does value his beliefs and convictions.

In Formula 1 it is no different. Every once in a while people still contact Stirling Moss, who has not raced in the category since 1962. Other champions, and even non champions, in fact even drivers who had very poor performances in Formula 1, are also sought for comment here and there. It is also true that being an excellent Formula 1 driver does not make one a qualified commentator, or a manager. Witness Niki Lauda's poor performance at Jaguar, and Prost's at his homonymous team.

Enter Jackie Stewart. The Scot has retired from the sport in 1973, and for many years he was a successful comentator for American TV. Later on he got involved in team management, in fact ran his own team in Formula 1 from 1997 to 1999, which basically was the only modern age team, built from scratch, to win a race within three years of founding. Then he sold the team to Ford, for a good buck, too!

The other charcater in the story is Max Mosley, an unsuccessful race driver, mildly successful team owner, who found his true calling as motorsport politician, head of the FIA. The solicitor, who normally is quite careful with his choice of words, called Jackie Stewart a "certified halfwit", during a meeting with British reporters.

Mosley was obviously upset that Stewart, whose opinions are much valued, and who does have quite some weight in British motorsport politics, had been critical of the FIA recent handling of the McLaren Spy Saga. So he called him a halfwit, so what? Who does not call somebody a name every once in a while???

The real problem stems with the word "certified", hinting something more serious, diagnosed. It so happens that Sir Jackie Stewart, in spite of all his acoomplishments, has dyslexia.

Dyslexics are often, incorrectly, called "halfwits". In fact, although the condition can be debilitating to some, most dyslexics are anything but halfwits, case in point, Sir Stewart. The issue is more serious because dyslexics are often subject to all types of prejudice from society, which often views them as halfwits.

This one time Mosley did shoot himself in the foot. BIG TIME.

One last thought. I wish I had one hundreth of Sir Jackie's success, charisma, notoriety, popularity and money. For with my "fullwits", I have been unable to achieve even a minute part of what this man has done.

I do hope Mosley publicly apologizes, this one time, although I don't expect he will.
Allmendinger
I am not one used to rejoice upon other people's misery, it is against my nature, and in fact, I liked A.J. Allmendinger. Elsewhere I had prognosticated that A.J.'s move to NASCAR was a bit premature, and perhaps, he should stick around in Champcar for a while longer, and strenghten his reputation. Sure the NASCAR Toyota has not yet shown to be a brilliant machine, but at the end of the day, what will matter is that people will remember A.J.'s dnq's, rather than his Champcar wins. Christian Fittipaldi's move to Petty Enterprises in 2002 was also ill advised, and he ended up becoming a journeyman sports car driver after a very unsuccessful foray into stockcars. This might also be A.J.'s future. I don't believe there will be many offers from the single seater camp when he gets the boot off NASCAR. Another one might bite the dust.
Alonso is gone - what now?
As I pretty much expected, Fernando Alonso has left McLaren. What surprised me was the fact he was let go without any financial penalty, leading me to suspect he had grounds somewhere in his contract to do so, the agreement came too easily. Either that or Ron Dennis was very much fed up by Alonso's antics, realizing that he might have won the 2007 championship with a less expensive lineup.

The two million-dollar questions that remain are, where will Alonso go, and who will substitute him at McLaren.

Let us deal with the first issue. Alonso could do one of three things: a one year sabbatical, retire or go to another team. Sabbaticals no longer work in F-1. Lauda and Prost did them and were champions again, but that was many years ago, GP cars change at such a fast pace that once you are gone a while, you are no longer of much use in F-1. The only reason Alonso would consider a sabbatical would be to wait for a Ferrari seat to become available, an unlikely proposition at this point. So scratch that. As for retirement, Alonso is still very young, and hungry. He has not made a huge fortune yet, so scratch retirement. He will race next year. But where?

His name has been linked to Williams, Toyota, Red Bull and Renault. Let me go item by item again. Alonso seems to hold the belief that his very presence in a team is worth about a 6/10 sec improvement. He owes to himself the huge improvement made by McLaren this year. So, he likely believes that by leaving Mclaren, the team might sooner or later lose the 6/10 seconds it gained, and his next team will gain something like the 6/10 sec.

As I said before, Alonso is still hungry, and even though he seems to believe the 6/10 sec. factor, he is no miracle worker. If he were to go to either Toyota, Williams or Red Bull, the 6/10 sec would probably move the car up to 4th/6th on the grid, it would not be sufficient to make them possible winners. Toyota has the money to pay him, especially after disponsing of Ralf Schumacher, Williams is strapped for cash, and Red Bull does have money. The problem with the last two is they are engine customers. None of these situations would be a pleasant scenario for Alonso. So, the only reason that would prevent Alonso from going to Renault next year is if he fails to agree with his old team on contracual terms.

Alonso probably also believes that the reason why Renault went down the pecking order was exclusively because he left the team. This is partially true. Renault Pat Symonds himself acknowledged there were shortcomings in the car's design, that no driver could make up for, including Alonso. So while Alonso's presence in the team will motivate it, the equipe might struggle for pace. Notwithstanding, I expect Alonso to sign up with Renault.

As for his replacement at McLaren, the team has three options: get a seasoned driver, do the inhouse approach, or go experimental. Two seasoned drivers should be available next year, none of which is likely to rock the boat with Hamilton. These are Fisichella and Schumacher. Having them in the team will bring experience, the one thing Hamilton lacks, and which, incidentally, caused him to lose last year's title.

The inhouse approach is likely to be inexpensive, and should create a good environment for Hamilton. Gary Paffett is contracted to McLaren, and Pedro de La Rosa would appease somehow the Spanish sponsors Santander and Mutua Madrilena. None of them is likely to create problems for Hamilton.

Lewis himself mentioned a short list of possible replacements: Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil and Heikki Kovalainen. Rosberg is still considered a young tiger, and I believe his dad Keke would not like to see his son in a number 2 position to Hamilton. Neither does Lewis dad want a driver like Nico paired against his son! Nico might actually be faster than Hamilton, and McLaren would again have huge driver problems. Plus, it will be quite expensive to extract Nico from his Williams contract. Adrian Sutil seems to be s fast driver, however, I do not believe he is worth one of the four best seats in the house. He might be a disappointment. I do believe that Kovalainen will be the number 2 McLaren driver next year. He has all the elements in place. He is fast, however knows his place, does not use the media to speak to his team, is good with sponsors and the press, not given to tantrums and was very much a team player at Renault. Plus Ron Dennis seems to like them Finns.

So this is my prediction: Alonso at Renault, Kovalainen at McLaren, a regular driver swap in the end.
Alonso retiring II
The rumours about Fernando Alonso's retirement have subsided, as expected, but the Spaniard will obviously not be a very happy camper if Lewis Hamilton does win the championship as a rookie. The result of today's race in Turkey does not help matters much, as Lewis still maintains a short lead over Alonso, and the Ferrari guys have tightened up the points score at the front. We have to look back to 1982 to witness such balanced victory share among drivers. It is now 3-3-3-3!

What would happen, though, if Alonso did take a sabbatical, move on to another team or retire?

One thing is for sure. Pedro de La Rosa would not be retained as number 2 to Lewis Hamilton. Sorry Pedro, you did well last year to finish second in a race, but you are not a top F-1 driver. That was as good as it is going to get. Plus, I don't think upgrading Pedro to a race drive would be sufficient to retain Santander sponsorship, which might be the only reason why McLaren would consider giving him the drive.

The other McLaren contracted driver, Gary Paffett, would not be a good bet at all. For one thing, I do not think McLaren would be too bullish with introducing rookie drivers two years running. The team would definitely seek a more experienced driver elsewhere, so that rules out any drivers graduating from GP2 or F-3. Also, forget about Mika Hakkinen coming back!!!

The Ferrari and BMW drivers seem to be all set, but that still leaves quite a few people available or theoretically hireable. I will give you a list of people which McLaren would definitely not hire: Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella, David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello, Mark Webber, Alex Wurz.

There are two options that might be intriguing. Jenson Button would be one. The only thing against this scenario is the very fact that Jenson is British. It is very unlikely that a team such as McLaren, which is very international, sponsored by companies of different nationalities, and carries German Mercedes engines, would the compelled to run an all British line up. The British tabloids would love this, though. So scratch this.

You might see where I am going... Nico Rosberg. He would be a 3rd year driver next year, is German, and a media and corporate darling. He is fast and has a lot of potential. Plus, although he would push Hamilton hard, he would likely accept being his number 2 for awhile. Don't forget that Keke Rosberg saw off his F-1 career driving for Ron Dennis.

I insist, however, that Alonso's alleged retirement is a bluff, and that we will definitely see the Spaniard at McLaren hext year, whether or not he wins this year's championship.
Alonso retiring????
One of the major obsessions in the USA is retiring early. However, with people entering the job market ever later, rising costs across the board in housing, health and kids college education, coupled with globalization and a possibly bankrupt Social Security system, I would not be surprised if my generation never gets to retire.

So much for social commentary.

Now the craziest rumor around is that Fernando Alonso might be retiring at the end of this year, at the tender age of 27. Graham Hill had not even began his Formula 1 career at that age!!! The rumor says that if Alonso wins this year's title for McLaren, he will retire. Apparently he does not feel too good at McLaren anymore. In other words, he does not want to compete with Hamilton in the same team for the next few years, until a good opportunity arises.

Because there are no good opportunities anywhere else for Alsono, at the present time. BMW has announced it will keep Kubica and Heidfeld, not surprisingly. I don't think BMW wants a top driver until they get their first win. Ferrari will keep Raikkonen and Massa. The only other possible option would be Renault, but for a number of reasons I discussed in other blogs, I don't think Alonso would go back.

The startling thing is that in the short space of less than a year, Alonso has displayed prima-donna behavior, highly reminiscent of Nigel Mansell's tantrums, and fought with two different teams. If he keeps this up, nobody will want him!

In fact, this might be the problem. I do believe he is the best driver out there, at the present time, but honestly, give and take, the foursome at the head of the tables is quite evenly matched at the present time. Maybe if Alonso felt the whole team backed him up he could have Schumi like performance, but apparently, Hamilton has, knowingly or not, played with Alonso's head bigtime.

This might be an unlike rumor, given the millions of dollars involved in personal and team sponsorships. I don't think Alonso is that bullish on going into a lawsuit spree that will dwindle his life savings. He is wealthy by now, but he has not been doing this at the top level for too long to be able to spare millions of dollars in legal costs.

I still believe Alonso will race for McLaren next year, whether of not he wins this year's title. I would call this a bluff. Time will tell.
Alonso, & Ferrari and a few other things
As I expected, the Alonso/Ferrari connection was nothing more than an invention by the Spanish press, as Felipe Massa was confirmed today until 2010. I don't believe they have confirmed him for either Kimi Raikkonen's or Luca Badoer's place, no sir. It is a race seat indeed.

Kimi is racing now as I expected him to do all year long. I predicted he would be world champion (just like 90% of F-1 fans, I guess), but he took some time to warm up at Ferrari, I suppose. The war is still not over, but it is quite a long shot, considering McLaren's great reliability. Unless Alonso and Hamilton drive each other off the road...What a finish. Massa wins Brazil, with Kimi second and world champion! Don't laugh.

I can honestly understand why Alonso is throwing so many tantrums. He has no choice, really. After all, Alonso was the only man in this millennium to comprehensively often outdrive Michael Schumacher. So he was considered the top banana. Suddenly a rookie comes and outdrives him? So does that mean that Lewis is better than MS as well? His only choice was to say he was not treated properly by McLaren, even if it might not be the truth...To save his and Schumi's face.

I was just thinking, though. Kimi Raikkonen is driving swell at Ferrari, but drove for McLaren last year, which had pitiful performance. Alonso comes in, McLaren becomes the best car. When Alonso was driving for Renault, it was world champion two years running. Alonso leaves Renault, the team goes down the dumps. Hamilton drove 1 million miles for McLaren last year, and it made no difference on performances come Sundays.

You see what I am getting at. Yes, maybe Alonso does make quite a difference in car performance, he might have a car development edge over both Hamilton and Raikkonen. Which leads me to think that if Alonso does leave McLaren (99% done at this point, against my predictions), don't expect the team to be as competitive next year as this season. Don't expect a performance drop like Marco Andretti's sophomore year in the IRL, but 2008 will not be a stellar year for Lewis.
Another ridiculous rumor
This Formula 1 season we have grown accustomed to ridiculous rumors initiated by the Spanish press. The latest, perhaps most ridiculous rumor of them all has been initiated by the German press, though. They say Michael Schumacher will be next year's Lewis Hamilton companion!!!!

The fact tha Schumi is German plus had ties with Mercedes in his early career, in the late 80's, early 90's, is the only part of the story that would make any sense. Nothing else in the story is rational, though.

Michael Schumacher is a very intelligent man. In the last two years of his career he did struggle to keep pace with Fernando Alonso. He was still fast, capable of winning races and challenging for the championship, but Alonso definitely had the upper hand and came out on top both years. That same Alonso moved to McLaren and had trouble keeping up with rookie Hamilton. Schumi would not jeopardize his image by driving in the same team as the man that beat the man that beat him!!! It is a simple as that. He would rather leave that an unanswered question.

On the other side of the equation, McLaren could probably be world champion, today, if Fernando Alonso were not in the team in 2007. Or if Alonso was paired with a weaker driver. The last thing McLaren needs now is to pair another strong driver of Schumi's level against Hamilton. Ron Dennis would be indeed a very silly man, if he did this, and would likely anger Hamilton's management (his dad), who feels Lewis has to be number 1 in the team.

Michael Schumacher would not come back to F-1 without being ensured number 1 status at his new team. Something McLaren will not do.

Add to that the expense of hiring Michael, a consideration for a team that still needs to pay a reported 30 mm fine, and I think the German press has picked up on the wrong Schumacher! I would not be surprised if the weaker Ralf were retained by McLaren, though.
Antivirus Pro 2009 Another Big Time Scam
I pride myself in being somewhat immune to scams. However, I fell for this so very hopelessly...I am sad to admit. I reckon I have been through a lot of stress in the last three or four months, and that is what scammers count on.

Well, one day I was working on my computer, and suddenly I get this message that I had spyware and virus on my computer. I noticed my AVG was not working, so I figure I let the license lapse while I was out of the country, and was somewhat glad I got that notice from the nice folks at Antivirus Pro 2009.

I readily clicked on the removal button, and was prompted to buy the darn thing. In retrospective, the site was very fishy, dare I say, veeeeeeeeeeery phishy! However, afraid I would get major destruction on my hard drive, I signed up for the download, ran a scan, and was a happy camper. There is a sucker in all of us indeed.

I was a bit suspicious, because I did not get an email confirmation of the order, and the receipt that appeared on screen had somebody else's name, rather than mine.

Well, every single day, the same message kept on popping up, saying I had the same 31 spyware items on my hd, prompting me to remove them. Which I did.

After a few days, stress and all, I realized I had been big time scammed, and bingo, it does not take much sleuthing to find out this is a scam. There is no software. All you get is a screen, the silly pop-ups and a US$75.00 charge to your credit card, in my case, from a company called "professional BD Soft! from good ol' Latvia.

I did what I needed to do. Apparently it does not phish anything out of your computer, and at least on my case, all they did charge was the 75 bucks to my card - there was no shopping spree. Plus I removed the silly pop-ups and screen from my computer.

However, you might not be so lucky. They might have different modus operandi for different countries

Thus, if you get a prompt from Antivirus Pro 2009, know it is a scam, not antivirus software. Don't pay attention to the apocalyptic message displayed.

They got me good, but I am done with them yet.
Asian F-1
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that Formula 1 is becoming quite an "Asian" category. With races in Japan, Malaysia, Bahrain, Turkey, China, and the upcoming Singapore GP, Asia's clout in the Grand Prix world is ever rising. So it may come as a surprise that in the first 25 years of Formula 1, a single Asian took part in Formula: Thailand's own Price Bira.

Having successfully raced voiturettes during the 30's, Prince Bira was still young enough to race in F-1 until 1954, in the post war period. He was not as successful as when he drove ERAs in England in the 30's, but nonetheless, made his mark as the sole Asian presence until Hiroshi Fushida attempted to qualify the Maki in 1975.

Motor racing was not a developed sport even in Japan until the late 60's. Even Africa, closer to Europe, had more racing activity in countries such as South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Lybia, Algeria and Morocco. In fact, motor industry itself was rather subdued in the continent, until the Japanese made progress in the 60's. The only Asian presence in F-1 during the 60's was the Honda team, from 1964 to 1968, which wisely employed European and American drivers. There really wasn't any Japanese driver with appropriate pedigree to drive in F-1 at that time.

Eventually, as Japan and its automakers progressed, racing in the country also evolved, to the point that it has one of the most important domestic scenes in the world today, with important single seater, sports cars and touring car championships.

The Japanese Grand prix was run twice during the 70's, in 1976 and 1977, and a few Japanese drivers took part. Masahiro Hasemi, driving a Japanese Kojima, with Japanese Dunlop tires, in fact posted the fastest lap of the first edition of the Japanese Grand prix. By that time, the Macao event had become a traditional event as well.

Now many countries in the region have their own racing series or international races, such as Singapore, Turkey, Malaysia, China, the Phillpines, Japan, India, Indonesia, South Korea, in addition to Bahrain. Additionally, drivers from these countries have tried to crack the top categories in racing, including F-1, A1, GP2,F3 and Sports Cars.

Whether an Asian will ever amount to anything in F-1, one never knows. However, there hadn't been a black man in the category until this year, and look what he has done already!
Asians moving up!!!
I suppose psychology has a lot to do with driver's performance, so it was not surprising that Karun Chandok, India's driver in GP2, took a deserving win in GP2 at Spa. The win comes on the wake of the recent anouncement that the Spyker team might become Team India in Formula 1, plus the fact that India will be in the calendar as of 2010.

Thus far Chandok had not displayed much speed, and the Indian seemed a revitalized driver at SPA, a tricky "driver's" track. Chandok might be one of the drivers considered for the new Spyker team, competing for the drive with the more experienced Narain Karthikeyan.

For Asians, the race had a special taste, as China's Ho Pin Tung finished 3rd. Tung had been very fast in Formula 3, but thus far had not shown much pace in GP2 either. Sure, many will say that Tung is more Dutch than Chinese, but that does not matter. What matters is that this is the first time two Asian drivers from different countries finish in the podium in a topline singleseater race in Europe.
Back in the old days...
The sabotage/spying accusations involving McLaren and Ferrari bring to question whether the free sharing of information in Formula 1 circles has been a new development in the category. The fact is that when Formula 1 was not a big buck business, team designers would often freelance outside the team, to make a few bucks, after all teams did not pay designers (or drivers...)much about 30/40 years ago. For instance, when Gordon Murray was already in Brabham's staff as a designer, he was commissioned to modify a former Brabham BT 33 chassis, owned by Ecurie Evergreen, into a Le Mans challenger, which became known as the Duckhams Special, and later on, as De Cadenet. Of course, we are talking about an era when Brabham's whole staff was around 35 people, and the company still manufactured customer Formula 2 and 3 cars, in addition to running a team of 3 cars in Formula 1. All was done in innocence, and Murray did not apply any improper design ideas to the prototype. This type of thing would obviously not happen today, an age where inventors almost no longer exist, and most patents are filed by universities or companies.
Bernie is one shrewd guy!!!
So, there is no more U.S. G.P., at least for the time being. To me, the US GP at Indianapolis had been concocted out of Tony George and Bernie Ecclestone's symbiotic need to contain CART. About 10 years ago, CART not only had the upper hand on the nascent IRL, but it also was making gains on Formula 1, and threatening to spread overseas like wildfire. It offered a better and less expensive show than Formula 1, had some charismatic drivers, four major auto manufacturers involved, so for both Bernie and Tony, something had to be done. Forward to 2007: both the IRL and Champcar, the successor of CART, are in trouble, while Formula 1 thrives. Bernie no longer needs F-1 in the States, where NASCAR totally rules, and besides, there are tons of countries willing to pay Bernie's astronomical fees to host Grand Prix. It does not matter that the crowd was always large at the U.S. GP: that did not bring in the real bucks to Bernie, who initially accepted a low fee from Indy to justify the huge investments to the infield of the IMS. And the face of F-1 is changing. Can you imagine a F-1 calendar without France in it? Just look at the 2008 schedule. Meanwhile, the British GP hangs in the balance too. Just like Holland, Portugal, San Marino, Austria, etc…

Most hardcore Formula 1 fans are based in Europe, but I suppose running more than 10 races in the continent has been overkill. Traveling distances are not that far in Europe, and a Dutch or Finnish fan can travel to Spain or Italy without much problem. On the other hand, there are several countries that want to raise their profile in the modern scheme of things, such as India, Turkey, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain, etc., who are more than willing to spend the millions required to hold races.

Sure, many of the manufacturers with vested interests in Formula 1 consider the U.S. an important market. But seriously, a one day crowd of a couple hundred thousand will not make a difference at the end of the day. BMW will continue selling well in America, with or without the GP. Fans who want will still continue to watch the races on TV, and it turns out, they are not that many to concern the Mercedes Benz board. Bernie is not really worried about fans in individual countries, not even his own country, for Pete's sake! He is more concerned with promoters being able to meet his ever increasing demands. The buck certainly stops at Bernie's desk.

On the other hand, Tony George must regret ever putting together the IRL. Yes, the racing is good, however, he has lost a lot of the value in his core business, which is the Indy 500. As a championship, IRL has failed to build a steady schedule, and in many places, the league has failed to draw crowds, and he does not really make money from it. He wanted to make money from F-1, but Bernie would not let him. Both Champcar and the IRL have thin fields, some of the drivers are of questionable quality in both camps, many with no charisma at all, and something had to be done to restore the Indy 500's importance. Guess what that was? Not holding the U.S. GP at Indy, for starters. Since beginning the IRL, George has managed to turn the Indy 500 from a one month event, to at best, a couple of weeks. Bump day? Only if the field is reduced to 25. Getting 33 cars to enter the race has been a tall order in the last few years, and the scenario is unlikely to reverse itself. One could say that the Indy 500 was no longer even the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's most important single seater event of the year, much less the world's premier event. Now Indy 500 pride is restored, thank you very much.

So, American fans, do you wanna see Formula 1, better get ready to travel to Canada. For the time being, that is. The Sultanate of Brunei might be the closest race in the calendar in ten years time…
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The FIA is definitely in a tough spot, with today's announcement that additional evidence has been unveiled in the McLaren/Ferrari spygate. A meeting on September 13 will surely determine the outcome of this year's championship, but in order to keep some of its credibility, now the FIA will have to punish McLaren, one way or the order, if the team is found guilty again. In the previous hearing on the case, the FIA's Sporting Council found McLaren to be guilty, but did not assess any punishment. McLaren was warned that this decision was contingent on no further detrimental evidence being found against the Woking team. Let us say it was sort of a probation.

Well, apparently additional evidence has been found, and now FIA will be in a critical situation. If it renders a verdict of not guilty, it might be very difficult for the entity to keep a semblance of order and credibility in F-1 (and perhaps other categories) in the future. If it does find McLaren guilty, then it will have to punish the team, one way or the other. The easiest way would be to assess a huge fine that will make Ron Dennis cry. Of course, the worst case scenario is a 1 to 2 year elimination of the team from competition. This does not sound too good for a company with an annual turnover of hundreds of millions of dollars, a partner the size of Mercedes Benz, plus the top two drivers in this year's championship, including the current world champion!!!

Of course Ferrari stands to gain the most, should McLaren be eliminated from this year's championship. However, I don't think even Ferrari would savor a championship with the donwright elimination of its strongest rival.

At the end of the day, I believe a "negotiated", more sensible decision will prevail, involving a substantial loss of points, that might still give the championship to Ferrari this year. I would not be surprised, though, if points are taken away from McLaren as a constructor, but the drivers get to keep theirs. That way, McLaren might get the driver's crown, and Ferrari the constructors.

Whatever the result, this is a sad state of affairs, as the first season of the post-Schumacher era has been rather entertaining and balanced sans the legal innuendoes.
BRAZILIAN RACING IN THE 50’s – A SUMMARY
By Carlos Paula

During the 50’s, Interlagos continued to be Brazil’s single race track, so most racing activity did take place in São Paulo. There was racing in other areas of Brazil, most notably in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The southern racing was, however, more influenced by Argentinean style than the racing in the other areas of Brazil, by that meaning Carreteras – more on that below. Rio continued to host races, including the Gavea race, until 1954. By and large, however, international racing disappeared from Brazil, and the last high level races were held in 1957, in Sao Paulo and Rio, with Fangio winning both.

In the early part of the decade, most São Paulo racing was done with pure breed sports cars, mixed with Brazilian racing specials, and the Mecanica Nacional category, which was basically a mixture of old GP cars, left over from the 30’s, equipped with American engines, and Brazilian specials – basically chassis from old cars or built in Brazil, with American engines. There was some racing for touring cars, most notable, a 24 Hour race for Mercedes Benz cars, held in 1951, which was won by Pascoalino Buonacorsa/Godofredo Vianna Filho, followed by Chico Landi/Sebastiao Casini. The race was contested by gasoline and diesel engined cars. Emerson Fittipaldi’s father, Wilson, was 4th in the race. Most of the races in the early part of the decade were short, but the 24 Hours showed that such racing could indeed be successful. This was the first long distance race in a close circuit in South America. So in 1956, Wilson Fittipaldi and Eloy Gogliano created the 1000 Miles race. However, given that most race cars used in São Paulo were pure breeds and specials that could not last 16 hours, the organizers got the Rio Grande do Sul (gaucho) drivers and their carreteras involved. Given that carreteras mostly raced on dirt roads, with some long races, they had to be, by definition, sturdy cars. They were basically American sedans from the late 30s/early forties, equipped with current high power American engines, such as Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Dodge and Studebaker.

Indeed, the gauchos dominated the first editions of the 1000 Miles, winning all editions held during the 50’s. By the closing of the decade, however, the São Paulo drivers were creating carreteras of their own, and racing on even terms with the gauchos. A notable achievement in the first edition of the 1000 Miles was the second place earned by Christian Heins/Eugenio Martins, who drove a Porsche engined VW Bettle. Heins would race with great effect in Europe, winning a few races, but dying in Le Mans, in 1963.In 1957, another traditional race was created, the Interlagos 500 KM. Although this could be considered a long race as well, the 500 KM’s forte was speed. The race was run in Interlagos outside track, which was almost an oval, and it was contested by Mecanica Nacional, Sports Cars and Mecanica Continental cars. Celso Lara Barberis achieved much success in this race, winning the first edition, with Ruggero Peruzzo, in a Corvette engined Ferrari, followed by Luiz Valente, Rafael Gargiulo, with the Duchen Especial (an old Alfa Romeo chassis with a Ford engine), and by Godofredo Vianna Filho/Eugneio Martins, in another Corvette engined Ferrari. The second edition was held in 1958, and won by Fritz D’Orey, also in a Ferrari/Corvette, followed by Camilo Christofaro (Ferrari/Corvette) and Luis Margarido/Celso Lara Barberis, in a Talbot-Cadillac. This was a Talbot 26, brought to Brazil in the early part of the decade, then equipped with a Cadillac engine. This was D’Orey’s major victory in Brazil, and then he was off to Europe and the USA, in 1959, winning a Formula Junior race in Messina, trying to qualify a Centro Sud Maserati 250F in France, and racing the one-off Tec Mec in the USA. D’Orey would have a terrible accident in Le Mans, in 1960, and was reported dead. Indeed, some F-1 books list him as dead in 1961, but the fact is, he is still alive and kicking, driving his Audi in Rio de Janeiro. Information about championships in this era is at best spotty. While it seems there were official championships in most years, with different categories, these seemed anything but organized, so I dare not include such results, until I get some type of official confirmation.

So while the São Paulo racing, Interlagos based, resembled more the racing practiced in Europe, the Rio Grande do Sul was more Argentine-like. Among other things, the style of racing ensured that races were held in multiple venues: some were held in roads, resembling the long distance Argentine carretera races, while others were held in closed, street circuits, in a variety of cities, all over the state, and others resembled long hill climbs. That meant that not only the capital Porto Alegre was seeing racing action, but also country-side cities. The gauchos would show the rest of the country how they practiced their racing, with the Prova Getulio Vargas, held in 1951. This was a road race, linking cities in three States, including the two major cities in the country, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The gauchos and their carreteras ran 1-2-3, (Julio Andreatta/Aristides Bertuol/Diogo Elwanger) showing they were the strongest in this category. In 1952, a Gaucho Championship was held for the first time, and for all intents and purposes, Rio Grande do Sul racing was very strong in the 50’s.

The face of Brazilian racing was changing towards the end of the decade. Several car manufacturers began making cars in Brazil, with high degree of nationalization, starting in 1955. Indeed, the first car was an Isetta, and there were some Isetta races held in São Paulo. By 1959, the companies manufacturing cars locally began to show interest in racing, starting with the Vemag team involvement in the 1000 Miles of 1959. Vemag built German DKW’s in Brazil, and would pioneer works involvement in Brazilian racing.
BRAZILIAN RACING IN THE 60’s
By Carlos de Paula

The 60’s would be a decisive decade in terms of evolution of racing in Brazil. The decade began pretty much as the 50’s ended. Interlagos still ruled supreme as a race track, the gauchos were still on top of their game with their carreteras, and racing specials/pure breed cars would duke it out every once in a while.

The major change was the high volume of participation of Brazilian made cars in racing, which eventually would mean that the public, who was accustomed to watch races featuring large 4.5 liter, 200 HP V8 engined race cars, would have to get used to watching myriad DKWs and Renault Gordini saloons on the race tracks. The historic victory by a Brazilian made FNM JK in the 1000 Mile race of 1960, with Chico Landi and Christian Heins, would show that Brazilian made cars could indeed beat the American horses. The FNM would win many other long distance races in 1960 and 1962, and all of a sudden, long distance races became more common than sprints.

FNM’s success meant further commitment from Vemag, and two other works teams: one from Simca, and the other from Willys. FNM was a government owned factory, always on the urge of bankruptcy, so although it had the most powerful and modern car around, licensed by Alfa Romeo, the “works” team would soon disappear from the tracks (some privateers would continue using the car until 1974). The latecomer Willys team, created under the influence of Bino Heins, would soon bring to the tracks a car called Interlagos, which really, was an Alpine design, built in Brazil. It would soon win everything in sight, until Simca got tired of being beaten, and brought 3 Simca Abarth 2 liters to Brazil. These basically dominated the 1964/1965 seasons, and were returned before the end of the latter season. By then, Vemag had built the Malzoni GT, which although down on power, had the advantage of great torque and front wheel drive, which came in handy in street circuits. However, the days of factory teams were counted, as the three factories that had works teams would be taken over in 1966/1967, and the racing programmes either cut down or downright abolished. Ford took over Willys, which showed some interest in racing, fielding Bino prototypes in the 67 and 68 seasons, while Chrysler took over Simca, and VW, took over Vemag, both teams being closed.

The Interlagos 500 KM continued to feature Mecanica Continental cars in the early part of the decade, some of which dated back to the 30’s. They began to show their age, and by 1965, had been abolished from this race, having been considered unsafe. Racing had changed in Europe as well, and the current breed of racing car in the old continent was not suitable for large American engines, there was no renewal in terms of chassis. It is noteworthy that Formula 1 cars had 1.5 liter capacity in those days. In 1962, there was an attempt by Chico Landi to implement Formula Junior racing in Brazil, and while the ten or so cars were not enough to fill out a grid, eventually the cars were used in Mecanica Continental races. Above all, they were more modern, rear engined designs, and being nimble, even DKW and Gordini engined cars were able to face off Corvette engined dinosaurs. It was in one of Landi’s Juniors, albeit FNM engined, that Celso Lara Barberis died in the early part of the 1963 500 km race. In 64, there were no continentals in the race, only GTs, prototypes and touring cars, so it looked as though the old GP cars would be once and for all retired. The last Mecanica Continental races took place in Interlagos in 1966.

As for the carreteras, they continued to appear in large numbers, especially in the 1000 Mile Race, and in Rio Grande do Sul and Parana. Carreteras would win the 61, 65 and 66 1000 Mile Races, but by 1967, were pretty much outclassed. The only carretera to see off the decade competitively was Camilo Christofaro’s 18 numbered Chevrolet Corvette. Even in Rio Grande do Sul, the carreteras started to give way to Simcas and JKs, and street racing was being considered dangerous and a nuisance, as Brazil’s fleet grew, and road usage became essential.

Rio de Janeiro opened its first proper track in 1966, Curitiba also had its own autodrome, and Brasilia held races around its streets; Guaporé and Cascavel got dirt tracks. Races were held in a number of cities during the decade: Salvador, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Campo Mourão, Lages, Cascavel, Piracicaba, Araraquara, Petropolis, Passo Fundo, Santa Maria, Goiania, Pelotas, Vitoria, Fortaleza, etc. The use of locally built cars popularized auto racing, as never before, although it was still considered a rich man’s game.

There was an attempt to implement Formula Vee racing, in 1966, which basically was unsuccessful. Two championships were run, the first in 1967 won by Emerson Fittipaldi, but VW was not too bullish about supporting the series. In addition to that, Interlagos was closed for major repairs in 1968 and 1969, so, without any racing in Brazil’s major race track, it appeared a little dangerous to race the fragile Vees in street circuits.

Street racing would also take a major blow, with the Petropolis debacle in 1968, and it seemed that if racing were to survive in Brazil, race tracks would need to be built – period. Local authorities were becoming ever more reluctant to open their streets to race cars. Another major consideration was that several very powerful race cars were being brought into Brazil, by the late 60’s: an Alfa P33 and a Lola T70 were two major additions in 1969, and more was to come. Gone were the days of humble DKWs and Gordinis.
Starting in 1968, Brazilian race drivers were trying their hand in European racing, and it became clear, with Interlagos closed, that unless other race tracks appeared around Brazil, racing might die. The Brazilian drivers achieved quite a bit of success in those two first years, Ricardo Achcar winning a F-Ford race in 1968, and Emerson Fittipaldi winning several Formula Ford and F-3 races (and a championship) in 1969, and Luis Pereira Bueno winning in F-Ford as well.

During the works cars years, the factories did attempt to go racing internationally. Willys would every once in a while cross the border to Uruguay, and race in Rivera (a stone’s throw from the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento) and Piriapolis, with a high level of success. Privateer Gaucho drivers would also visit Rivera often. A major undertaking was the building of an Alpine based Willys F-3 car, which was called Gavea. Luis Greco, Willys’s boss, had the vision of creating a Brazilian Formula 3 category, which came to nil. It would actually be a Formula Renault of sorts, which turned out to be Formula Ford in the 70s – that is another story. The Gavea ended up running in the Formula Libre Interlagos 500 of 1965, finishing second to the all conquering Simca Abarth of Jaime Silva, and was fielded in the International F-3 Temporada in Argentina, in 1966. Driven by Wilson Fittipaldi Jr., one could not say the outing was successful, although it was a first time try. This was the last action the car saw. Simca attempted to crack the Grand Prix Standard in Argentina, with EmiSul powered sedans, but all 5 cars broke down.

The 60’s were also the last attempts to hold hill climbs in Brazil, in fact, a Brazilian Hill Climb championship was created in 1967. Not surprisingly, this was the last edition of this championship. Races on roads were also about to fade: the Rodovia do Café race in Parana, in 1968, was basically the last major race on a highway in Brazil, won by Ubaldo Cesar Lolli in an Alfa GTA, a car that won many races in Brazil between 1967 to 1971.

Long distance racing reigned supreme during the 60’s, although São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro championship races were always sprints. The latter carretera and mecanica continental races were all sprints, given the machinery was obviously unable to withstand several hours of racing. 2 hour races, such as the IV Centenario race in Rio de Janeiro, were not uncommon. This race was won by a Ferrari engined Ferrari!

The Chevrolet Opala, which would be widely used in racing in the 70’s and 80’s, was used for the first time in racing in 1969, winning right from the bat. VW Beetles, which in the early 60’s were very slow and shamefully beaten by cars with smaller engines, had began to feature strongly in results, some of them equipped with 2 liter engines. Another new generation car to be used in racing was the Ford Corcel, which basically was a Renault design left over by Willys. Alfa Romeos features strongly during the 60’s, and BMWs reached the scene in 1968.

Another important fact of racing in those years, which had a negative impact on international racing in Brazil, was the fight between the Brazilian Automobile Club (Automovel Clube do Brasil) and the Brazilian Auto Racing Confederation (CBA). The heart of the question was, who had the authority to sanction races in Brazil. The Brazilian Automobile Club would often threaten drivers of suspension, when they ran in its nemesis-sanctioned races. To make matters more complicated, a number of racing clubs got involved in the mess, which threw Brazil way out of the international racing calendar during the 60s. Apparently, peace had been achieved by 1969, but the whole decade had been lost, as far as international racing was concerned.

THE 60’s in names
DRIVERS

Local Scene
Camilo Christofaro, Ciro Cayres, Jaime Silva, Chico Landi, Christian Heins, Emerson Fittipaldi, Wilson Fittipaldi Jr., Emilio Zambello, Piero Gancia, José Carlos Pace, Luis Pereira Bueno, Bird Clemente, Mario Cesar de Camargo Filho, Marivaldo Fernandes, Anisio Campos, Francisco Lameirão, Rodolfo Olival Costa, Jan Balder, Antonio Carlos Aguiar, Luis Valente, Celso Lara Barberis, Catharino Andreatta, José Asmuz, Vitorio Andreatta, Aldo Costa, Eduardo Celidonio, Jose Fernando Martins, Altair Barranco, Angelo Cunha, Norman Casari, Bob Sharp, Pedro Victor de Lamare, Roberto Galucci, Luiz Greco, Justino de Maio, Eduardo Scurrachio, Ubaldo Cesar Lolli, Anotnio Carlos Porto, Ricardo Achcar, Caetano Damiani, Nelson Marcilio, Jose Ramos, Mario Olivetti, Antonio Mendes de Barros, Ismael Chaves Barcellos, Orlando Menegaz, Ítalo Bertão, Nactivo Camozzato, Ailton Varanda, Alvaro Varanda, Carol Figueiredo, Ludovino Perez, Luis Fernando Terra Smith, Jose Maria Giu Ferreira, Ettore Beppe, Walter Hahn, Nathaniel Townsend, Alex Dias Ribeiro, Marcelo de Paoli, Roberto Dal Pont

International
Emerson Fittipaldi, Wilson Fittipaldi Jr., Christian Heins, Celso Lara Barberis, Fernando Barreto, Antonio Carlos Avallone, Luis Pereira Bueno, Ricardo Achcar, Bird Clemente, Fritz D’Orey

CARS

Touring: FNM JK, Simca, DKW, Gordini/1093, VW Sedan, Opala, Corcel, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Alfa Romeo Zagato, Alfa Romeo GTA, Fiat-Abarth, Renault R8, Mini Cooper, Chrysler Regente, Ford Escort, Saab

Singleseaters: Fitti-Ve, Aranae-Ve, BRV, Sprint, Tubolare, AC, Amato, Landi Jr (JK, Simca, DKW and Gordini), Ferrari-Corvette, Alfa-Corvette, Maserati-Corvette, Willys Gavea Formula 3

Prototype/GT/Sports: Willys Interlagos, Simca Abarth, Simca Tempestade, DKW Malzoni, Brasinca Chevrolet 4200, Carretera Chevrolet, Carretera Ford, Alpine, Prot. Bino, Fitti-Porsche, AC-VW, Alfa Romeo P33, Lola T70, Prot.Elgar VW, Lorena Porsche, Puma-VW, VW Bi Motor, Porsche 356, Karmann Ghia Porsche, Ferrari GTO, Maserati 3000, Maserati 4500, VW-Porsche, Porsche 911, Lotus Europa, Karmann Ghia Corvair

CATEGORIES: Touring Cars, GT, Protoypes, Mecanica Continental, Carreteras, Formula Junior, Formula Vee
BRAZILIAN RACING IN THE 70s
By Carlos de Paula

By far, the most important development in Brazilian racing in the 70’s took place out of Brazil: namely, Emerson Fittipaldi’s achievements in Formula 1. Due to this very fact, the face of Brazilian racing changed fast, and racing was transformed from a niche sport, to a mass sport. All of sudden, great media attention was devoted to racing, not only international racing, but local racing as well. Such attention translated into commercial sponsorship, factory involvement, more organized championships, completion/construction of new race tracks, which basically set the scenario for racing in years to come.

The opening of new permanent tracks was a major feature of the new decade. Not only was Interlagos reopened in early 1970, with the finale for the International Formula Ford tournament, another important race tracks was inaugurated that year Tarumã, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Cascavel’s paved track was open for business in 1973, Brasilia and Goiania were inaugurated in 1974, Guaporé’s paved track opened in 1976, and the new, international level Rio de Janeiro track began operations in 1978. As a result, the last of Brazil’s “street” races, took place around the Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, and Salvador’s streets, in 1972. After that, the only racing events on open roads were rallies, until safer, modern street racing resurfaced in the 90’s, in the streets of Florianopolis and Vitoria.

Commercial sponsorship had been present in Brazilian racing since the 30’s, but given the niche status of the sport, it was never taken seriously by sponsors. It was more a case of driver friends who happened to be business owners giving a few bucks to race drivers, who in exchange painted a company’s name on a car. In some cases, the driver owned a business, and used the race cars as a moving billboard for the few people around the race track to see (sometimes quite a few thousand). In other words, sponsorship lacked the branding aspect, sports marketing of modern sponsorship, which really began in Formula 1 in 1968. By 1969, some Brazilian race cars featured well painted logos, and by 1971, two major companies, Hollywood cigarettes and Brahma beverages, had initiated a new phase in commercial sponsorship. Hollywood would sponsor a team in local racing until 1976, and it won many championships, in several categories. In spite of the long lasting economic crisis that began in 1974, by the closing of the decade, hundreds of companies, had at one point or another sponsored race teams, at various levels of commitment. More important, companies began investing in the international careers of racing drivers as well.

The decade began with Brazil’s opening up to international racing, for the first time since the 50’s. The driving factor for this was Emerson Fittipaldi’s success in Formula Ford and Formula 3, in 1969, and the resolution of the ACB and CBA dispute. As a result, a number of international tournaments were held, for different categories, with the ultimate goal of achieving a steady Formula 1 Grand Prix date for the country. In 1970, a Formula Ford tournament was held in the early part of the year, a Sports Car tournament called Copa Brasil held in the latter. A couple of Italian teams also took part in the 1000 Mile Race, with current sports cars, an Alfa T33 and a Ferrari 512. In 1971, a Formula 3 tournament was held in the early part of the year, and a Formula 2 series at the end. In 1972, the goal was almost reached: the first Formula 1 Grand Prix proper was held in Brazil, although without championship status. During the rest of the year, another, last F-2 tournament was held, a second Copa Brasil for sports cars, and, for the first time, an international Interlagos 500 KM race was held in September, won by Reinhold Joest. By 1973, Brazil got its first official F-1 GP, which has been on the calendar ever since. The Brasilia race track was inaugurated by a one-off non-championship F-1 event, in 1974, won by Emerson Fittipaldi.

As for local racing, 1970 was a buffer year. Long distance races still seemed to prevail in that year, but there was a change of mentality in race promoters. The lesson learned in Europe, mainly England, was that a number of short events for different categories, held in heats, provided more bang for the buck for spectators. A successful experience in Interlagos, in early 1970, paved the way for the future. By 1971, three national championships had been organized: one for Sports Cars, mostly comprising long distance events contested by a number of Porsches (908, 910), Lola T210, Ford GT40, Royales, Alfa GTAs, mixed with locally built prototypes, and assorted Pumas (a Brazilian VW engined GT), touring cars, and an odd 50’s vintage Maserati for good measure, etc; a Touring car championship, which in its first edition also comprised of long distance events, but would shift to a sprint format in coming years, and a Formula Ford championship, with locally built cars, called Bino. These were in fact, a continuation of Willys’ Luis Greco’s idea from the 60’s, and the power plant was the Corcel engine, which began life as a Renault. So this was more of a Formula Renault, then Ford, I suppose. At any rate, Ford decided to invest in the category, something that VW did not do in Formula Vee’s case. The 1971 Touring car championship had many scheduled rounds, in Curitiba, Fortaleza, Salvador and Belo Horizonte, that were cancelled, so it was a troubled first year.

By 1972, another championship was added, for locally built sports cars, called Division 4. These took over sports car racing in 1973, by which time the Sports Car with foreign cars had been canned. In 1973, Division 1 (Group 1) events were run for the first time, in long distance events that caught the fancy of the public, basically due to the fight between Ford x Chevrolet. By 1974, a Group 1 championship was organized, and Formula Super Vee was implemented in Brazil. The local scene seemed healthy enough, until the Government stepped in 1976, initially deciding to prohibit racing as of 1977, and then declaring the prohibition effective immediately . The reason was that racing was supposedly a waste of precious fuel, that cost Brazil so many billions of dollars a year. The racing authorities proved to the dictators, however, that the entire fuel spent in the Brazilian racing calendar corresponded to only 15 minutes of fuel use in the City of São Paulo, hardly putting a dent on the country’s recalcitrant balance of trade! The government reversed its decision, however, long distance races were banned from 1977 on.

In Rio Grande do Sul, with the opening of the Tarumã race track, street/road racing was no more to be. The carreteras were by the beginning of the decade gone, in fact the last driver to race a carretera in Brazil was Camilo Christofaro, with his famous number 18, in 1971. However, regional racing in Rio Grande do Sul remained healthy. Among other things, most of the 25 Bino Formula Fords were bought by gauchos, enough cars to justify holding a regional Formula Ford championship that was run for many years. There was also a healthy regional championship for Touring cars, run during the course of the decade. São Paulo had some regional racing as well, most notably Super Vee and Formula Vee regional championships in 1975, which were contested by dozens of cars. Also noteworthy was the Division 3 championship of 1974, which was won by a retiring Ciro Cayres, one of the mainstays of Brazilian racing since the 50’s. The decade would also witness the retirements of Camilo Christofaro, in 1979, and Chico Landi, in 1973. Division 1 (Group 1) was also hotly contested in São Paulo in the mid 70’s.

As we saw in previous articles, race cars had been built in Brazil since the 30’s, but basically they made use of existing racing/street car chassis/components, and were mainly equipped with American V8s. Chico Landi attempted to launch Formula Junior in the early 60’s, building about 10 purpose made chassis without great effect, and Formula Vee was equally unsuccessful, in spite of several chassis being built by Fitti and Aranae, and other constructors to be announcing programs. Starting around 1967, several one-off prototypes sprung here and there, including the Fitti-Porsche and the Bino, among others, and most were VW powered. Anisio Campos first attempted to actually manufacture race cars a a business with the AC in 1969. By 1970, the fever caught on. First with the Furia, which built only 3 cars, then with Avallone, Heve, Manta, Polar, Kaimann (under license from the Austrian manufacturer) in addition to 25 Bino Formula Fords. Many of these racing car manufacturers built cars for several categories, until about 1975. That was the last year of the prototype series, and race car building in the 70’s simply did not prove to be good business. Chassis would be used for many years, so there was no market for new cars, or money for development of updated models. So most race car building during the 70’s stopped after 1975, and the cars used were simply revamped chassis.

The Super-Vee series was the major series for the rest of the decade, and two of drivers that took part in it actually reached F-1: Ingo Hoffmann and Nelson Piquet. The new Group 1 championship with short sprints began in 1977, by which time Chevrolet’s Opala had surpassed the Ford Mavericks in performance. In that same year, Fiat began its racing activities in Brazil. There was a strong migration towards single make championships, and in fact, Division 3 (highly prepared touring cars) pretty much collapsed before the end of the decade - first the top category, in which Mavericks and Opalas raced, then the up to 2 liters category. By 1979, the top Group 1 class had been transformed into the Brazilian Stock Car championship, which has been well organized from the beginning, and still exists today, in a highly prepared form. Formula Ford and Super Vee still continued, the latter suffering from dwindling grids. There was a series for VW Passat Group 1, and one for Fiat Group 1 cars, in addition to the dying Group 3.

Brazil also joined the exclusive club of Formula 1 manufacturers in 1975, when Wilson Fittipaldi Jr. started the Argentine Grand Prix in his own Fittipaldi FD-01. However ambitious the venture, there was an element of naiveté about it, namely insisting on building the whole car in Brazil in the first years, and using a designer with no top level experience, Brazilian Richard Divila. Such naiveté reached the pinnacle with the signing of brother Emerson as number 1 driver for 1976. In spite of a fair 1978 season, with the Caliri revised Fittipaldi F-5, the Fittipaldi Formula 1 experience was by and large a disappointment, and pretty much ended Emerson Fittipaldi’s F-1 career on a sad note. Starting in 1977, the number of Brazilian drivers trying their luck in Europe grew considerably, starting the trend that continues to this day. By the closing of the decade, Nelson Piquet looked like a future world champion, and so did Chico Serra, to a lesser extent.

A major technological development took place in 1979, when the government again prohibited racing, due to fuel considerations. In little less than 1 month, racing car teams converted their cars to run on alcohol, a fact that was actually quite welcomed by the government, which faced some opposition to its alcohol fuel program.

The 70’s In Names
MAIN DRIVERS

Local Scene – Paulo Gomes, Antonio Castro Prado, Francisco Lameirão, Luiz Pereira Bueno, Lian Duarte, Camilo Christofaro, Ciro Cayres, Abilio Diniz, Alcides Diniz, Mauricio Chulam, Marcos Troncon, Clovis de Moraes, Francisco Feoli, Amedeo Ferri, Pedro Carneiro Pereira, Marivaldo Fernandes, Jan Balder, Antonio Carlos Avallone, Pedro Muffato, Francisco Artigas, Amedeo Campos, Ingo Hoffmann, Alex Ribeiro, Leonel Friedrich, Arthur Bragantini, Milton Amaral, Edson Yoshikuma, Alfredo Guarana Menezes, Luis Moura Brito, Toninho da Matta, Ronaldo Ely, Alencar Junior, Raul Boesel, Affonso Giaffone, Jose Giaffone, Bird Clemente, Nilson Clemente, Celso Frare, Edson Graczyk, Mario Pati Jr., José Pedro Chateaubriand, Pedro Victor de Lamare, Lino Reginatto, Claudio Mueller, Enio Sandler, Fernando Jorge, Eduardo Celidonio, Alfredo Guaraná Menezes, Bob Sharp, Edgard Mello Filho, Reinaldo Campello, Vital Macahdo, Adu Celso, Julio Caio, Clovis Ferreira, Ricardo Oliveira, Julio Tedesco, Jose Carlos Palhares,Atilla Sippos, Jose Travaglini, Antonio Freire, Luis Schaffer, Fernando Dias Ribeiro, Walter Soldan, Luis Paternostro, Alexandre Negrão, Mario Olivetti, Angi Munhoz, Luiggi Giobbi, Emilio Zambello, Piero Gancia, Luis Landi, Roberto Fiuza, Camilo Christofaro Filho, Aloisio Andrade Filho, Jose Rubens Romano, Arialdo Pinho, Jose Moraes

International Scene – Emerson Fittipaldi, José Carlos Pace, Nelson Piquet, Wilson Fittipaldi Jr., Ingo Hoffmann, Alex Ribeiro, José Maria Ferreira, Norman Casari, Francisco Lameirão, Luis Pereira Bueno, Tite Catapani, Ronald Rossi, Fritz Jordan, Leonel Friedrich, Jan Balder, Marivaldo Fernandes, Marcos Moraes, José Pedro Chateaubriand, Pedro Victor de Lamare, Mario Pati Jr., Lian Duarte, Rafaele Rosito, Chico Serra, Mario Ferraris Neto, Aryon Cornelsen, Paulo Gomes, Mario Amaral, Placido Iglesias, Luis Siqueira Veiga, Fernando Jorge, Julio Caio, Luis Carlos Moraes

MAIN CARS

Singleseaters: Bino, Fitti-V, Polar, Avallone, Heve, Kaimann, Mueller, Newcar, Rio-V, BRV, Pati, Govesa, Cianciaruso, Aranae, Pateco, Squalus, Manta, Feca

Touring cars: Chevrolet Opala 2500, 3800 and 4100, Maverick 4 and 8 cylinders, Dodge Charger, Dodge Dart, Chrysler GTX, Alfa Romeo 2300, FNM 2150, Simca V8, Dodge 1800, VW 1300, VW 1600, VW 1600 4 doors, Chevette, Ford Corcel, Fiat 147, VW Passat, Alfa Romeo GTA, Alfa Romeo GTAM, BMW 1600, DKW 1000

Sports/Prototypes/GTs: Porsche 908/2, Porsche 910, Porsche 907, Lola T70, Ford GT 40, Lola T210, Alfa Romeo T33, Avallone (Chrysler, Chevrolet and Ford), Berta-Hollywood Ford, Polar (VW and Ford Turbo), Heve (VW), Manta (VW, FNM, Chrysler and Chervolet), Fúria (FNM, Chevrolet, BMW, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Chrysler), AC-VW, Fitti-VW, Casari-Ford, REPE-Ford, Snob’s Corvair, Prot. Pato Feio, Prot. Camber VW, Prot. Bi-Motor VW/DKW, Newcar-VW, Sabre-VW, Puma-VW, Lorena-VW, Meta-20(Chevrolet Turbo), Royale (Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Ford), Carretera Chevrolet, Interlagos

CATEGORIES: Touring Car (Division 3 (highly prepared), HotCars (replaced Division 3) Division 1(basically showroom stock), Stockcar, single make championships for VW Passat, Fiat 147 and Ford Corcel, Formula Super Vee, Formula Vee, Formula Ford, Division 4(Prototypes), Division 6 (Foreign prototypes)

INTERNATIONAL RACES/TOURNAMENTS: F-1, F-2, F-3, F-Ford, Prototypes/Sports
Briatore is upset too!
The outspoken Flavio Briatore, Renault's GM, is very upset at the outcome of the FIA hearing yesterday, which found McLaren guilty of violation of the sporting code, yet failed to impose any type of sanction, financial or otherwise. Briatore obviously has some ax to grind wih the FIA, as back in 1994 his team at the time, Benneton, was famously suspended from two races due to sporting violations. Many felt at the time that the intention behind the suspension was to allow Williams to close the huge gap Michael Schumacher had ammassed in the championship, and create the simulacrum of a challenge.

This is an important fact, as some believe Briatore might be Bernie Ecclestone's replacement, once the 77-year old F1 boss retires or finds himself unable to fly about all over the world to mind the business. So when Briatore talks, the world listens.

Briatore likened the FIA's actions to Pontius Pilate, a textbook sitting on the fence.
Bridgestone on the way out
The fact that Kumho or Hankook might be the F1 tire manufacturer starting next year is to me a bit troublesome.

I am not 100% sure these companies are up to the task.
Britain vs the rest of the world
Increasingly, it seems to me that a lot of the discussion involving McLaren this year has to do with a war between Britain and the rest of the world. This becomes clear in statements published in the British press, and the reason is that a real British team has not won the world championship during the new millennium!!! Yes, it has been a long eight years since McLaren won it last in 1999. Sure, some will suggest that Renault is in fact a British team, but I suppose the French will beg to differ...Very strongly.

This is quite amazing considering that British teams won every world drivers championship from 1980 to 1999!

This speaks volumes for the current make up of Formula 1, where once British teams were hegemonic. Renault's situation is not that peculiar. Is Toyota a Japanese or German team? Is Honda Japanese, or British? How about BMW - is it German or Swiss (Sauber)? Are both Red Bull teams Austrian, or British (RBR) and Italian (STR)? Is Spyker Dutch or Indian?

One fact remains. While for many years the field was predominantly British, the only two teams one can for sure call British, at this point, are McLaren and Williams. A third one, Prodrive, is meeting plenty of difficult to become part of the F-1 `fraternity`.

This is where a lot of the politics in this case hinges.

Misc

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Bad luck

05/28/10

Bad luck

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