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U.S. Grand Prix organizers are shooting down rumors that the race will not happen in 2012 due to a host of local complications, including a lack of infrastructure.

In doing so, they’ve confirmed the power that is Martin Brundle.

Brundle mentioned after the Singapore GP this weekend that he’d heard the race wasn’t going to happen. There wasn’t much credible follows (from our lookings around), but it seems Brundle on the BBC is enough to warrant an answer.

The BBC has it:

But Formula 1 United States spokesman Adam Goldman told BBC Sport:”Tremendous progress is being made on the circuit in Austin, Texas.

“The project team and community look forward to hosting the F1 United States Grand Prix in 2012.”

[snip]

“We are working with the State of Texas, City of Austin and Travis County to break ground on the project by the end of the year,” he said.

The biggest issue at this point seems to center around a report by the Austin American-Statesman suggesting there is no way that needed road work could be done in time for the race. Here’s a bit:

Clearing fans from a planned Formula One racetrack southeast of Austin within three hours would take as much as $15 million in major road improvements which even in the best case could not be completed by the projected 2012 opening date, according to an analysis of the site performed by Travis County planners.

Consequently, for the first Grand Prix races, “we’re looking at minor improvements to the existing system” and “intensive traffic management,” said Joe Gieselman, manager of Travis County’s Transportation and Natural Resources Department.

The county’s presentation Tuesday coincided with local promoters’ second visit to the Travis County Commissioners Court seeking permits to site and build the estimated $200 million facility east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

During his initial presentation two weeks ago, Full Throttle Productions attorney Richard Suttle fielded sharp questions from commissioners about the F1 organizers’ lack of traffic studies and other basic information that county officials said they needed to make even preliminary decisions about the project.

On Tuesday afternoon, Suttle apologized for the slow start and promised to work closer with Travis County to get the plans approved.

“We heard (you) loud and clear,” he said. “The information flow is going to open up.”

[snip]

With an estimated 120,000 fans descending on the track on the race weekend’s busiest day, county officials said they anticipate 35,000 vehicles and an additional 15,000 people arriving by bus. To clear the facility after the race in three hours — the average time it takes race fans to get out of Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth — Gieselman said several lanes would have to be added to FM 812 and Elroy Road.

Taking into account the time needed to purchase rights of way, move utilities and lay pavement, “two years is not enough time to put in the infrastructure needed to get down to three hours,” he said. “I would not look for the major improvements to be done by the first race.”

So, there’s your current “best-case scenario.” Now, I suspect we all will be willing to deal with a three-hour exit (Negative Camber leads terrific sing-a-longs, so the F1B staff will be entertained), but what about the partially interested fan? I wonder how the worry of this traffic might affect the size of the crowd.

The Petit Le Mans in Atlanta Georgia is a terrific race…there’s really no other way to describe it. It has a cast of characters as long as your arm. If you are a Formula 1 fan and haven’t been following sports car racing lately, these character may be new to you. Drivers in the Le Mans and American Le Mans series are professionals who drive very well and handle some of the toughest tracks in the world. The talent and skill on this weekends Petit Le Mans grid is terrific but there is one man, other than former F1 driver Allan McNish, that you may recognize.

Giancarlo Fisichella is no stranger to many F1 fans world-wide. He is a fan favorite within the ranks of F1 and is rapidly becoming a fan favorite here in the ALMS series as a driver for Risi Competizione Ferrari. Teamed with another former F1 driver, Mika Salo, Fisichella is looking forward to this weekends race:

“It’s a good track.  I had a chance to drive Saturday and Sunday in testing.  Saturday was a full day and I did enough laps to learn the track and now I feel confident and comfortable here.  Today has been a very good day for us, we are second quickest and, considering the amount of laps on the tires when I drove, I was the quickest of the three of us so I am very happy with that.  The car looks good, has a good balance and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend.
 
“It’s a very challenging track, especially the first part of the circuit with a lot of high speed corners.  It’s going to be difficult I’m sure on Saturday with the traffic, but it’s going to be an interesting race to follow for sure.”

I have to be honest, it’s a delightful image to see Fisichella, in classic Roman form, sitting on the pit wall watching the process. It is devoid of the F1 pageantry and maybe that’s what’s so compelling about it. He is a F1 transplant who seems as comfortable as he has ever been and as a fan, you wonder if “Fisi” isn’t a peace with his surroundings and more apt to enjoy his life behind the wheel.

The team look fiercely competitive this weekend for the championship and what a fitting way to say farewell the Ferrari 430. The team have a storied history with the F430, since its introduction in 2006, achieving 19 ALMS victories, two Le Mans GT2 titles and four Championships. With Fisichella at the wheel, relaxed, at ease with the calm surroundings, it may just net a championship for the Scuderia…except this Scuderia is not based in Maranello but in Houston Texas and this Roman driver is looking as competitive as he ever has.

Color me reactionary but it seems the only reason, and I stress the word “only”, the FIA inspection was called off on September 23, 2010 was due to a three-day Autumn harvest holiday. Hell if I’m Mr. Ecclestone, I’d think about backing the holiday celebrations instead of a F1 race there because clearly that’s where the hearts, minds and wallets of the people are! I mean, who needs the hassle and inconvenience of a F1 circuit construction when there is a Harvest Holiday to attend?

Yes, I understand that it’s a very important holiday and that they are an agrarian society but lest anyone forget, the US has a few farms too and we take that harvest thing pretty darned seriously, as we should, but that hasn’t stopped Tavo Helmund from ticking off the Travis County Commissioners office or the city of Austin with his desire to break ground in December for the purpose-built track has it? And that race isn’t until 2012!

Some rumors have seeped out into the F1 community about the lack of the final layer of asphalt being laid and that it takes three weeks to cure or it’s “epic fail” time during an actual grand prix. Now I haven’t been there to see that for myself but I suspect the asphalt layers union local # 23 had a booth set up for three days at the Harvest holiday taking donations for Mr. Kim Park Lang’s new prosthetic leg as the black beast known as asphalt took his left one last January.

I may seem insensitive to Mr. Lang’s left leg but maybe the fact that a grand prix is under a month away and the harvest holiday has probably been going on in some shape or form since the earth’s crust cooled would add a sense of immediacy to the situation. Seems a logical question at this point, “hey…Kim…think we should give the harvest festival a miss this year? I mean that Bernie guy and his loud machines will be here any day now right?”. like I said…color me reactionary but I’d hate to see the grand prix killed because they were attending a harvest holiday.

Yes! I get it…it’s their biggest holiday and it is ingrained in their culture but no one was begging Korea to host a grand prix and they committed to the date and when you aren’t on schedule, you work overtime and holidays to get it done. That’s the way things are done over here and I won’t make apologies for it.

Here is what the organizers said:

“We will have no problem in hosting the race on Oct 24 as we have almost completed work,” said Kavo spokesman Kim Jae-Ho.

Kavo claimed the inspection by the FIA was delayed only because of South Korea’s three-day autumn harvest holiday last week.

“We will rush to complete work and FIA officials will see a complete circuit when they conduct a final inspection in two weeks,” Kim said.

“We take Ecclestone’s remarks seriously as a message that we have to step up preparations for the race.”

The FIA inspection date is set for next month and yes, they should take Mr. Ecclestone’s remarks seriously. I hope that the National Foundation day, Armed Forces day or that wacky celebration of their alphabet (Hangul day) doesn’t get in the way or anything. Okay…enough for now, I’m off to the Oktober fest party.

The two titans of sports car racing prepare to square off against each other once more at this Saturday’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Audi missed the first race at Sebring this year which saw Peugeot take an uncomplicated victory. Those fortunes changed when the German marque returned for the the 24 Hours of Le Mans and swept the podium. The first shot across the bow hand been delivered and Peugeot were on notice.

Three weeks ago, Peugeot redeemed themselves with a victory at the Silverstone and served notice that Petit Le Mans was not going to be a easy race for Audi. Trading blows and bloody noses, this rivalry has been shaping up to be one fo the best in motorsport history. Both marque’s have combined to win the last seven 24 Hours of Le Mans and dominated the LMP category.

The struggle for dominance at the Petit Le Mans has an added element this year as the race has been included in the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup or ILMC. The series is an international competition that includes a handful of races including the Petit Le Mans, Silverstone , Zuhai. Audi and Peugeot have a keen interest in the cup and this weekend’s Petit Le Mans is the first act of a play that is sure to be dramatic.

The rivalry between Audi and Peugeot has been raging for a few years now with both marque’s evolving to a diesel engine technology built for racing. It has been a revolutionary evolution for both teams and provided ALMS and Le Mans fans some terrific racing. Audi’s Allan McNish, former formula 1 driver and Le Mans legend, said:

“I’m really looking forward to Petit – it’s a race that I love,” confirmed McNish. “The circuit suits my style because it is very fast and flowing and you need to be aggressive. It’s always an intense race which will see us [Audi] renewing our battle with Peugeot which gives us something to get our teeth into.”

Allan is no stranger to winning at Petit but last years rained-out race was a bitter disappointment and McNish is looking for redemption:

“Dindo [Capello] and I led for the opening four hours but I then spun and dropped to third moments before the race went in to a Safety Car period as the rain intensified. It was ultimately stopped with almost five hours run and we then waited for almost another four hours to see whether the conditions improved but quite rightly the organisers decided not to re-start the event which left us in third-place. It was a disappointing way for the race to end but I felt robbed and frustrated at the time.”

No matter the outcome, the race is proving to be a real battle with over 78% of the lap on full throttle and the weather slated for no rain. The big question remains––has Audi made the right tweaks and corrections on the R15 TDI car to deliver a blow to Peugeot or will the French team continue the dominance many believe they have?

Two competing views of Michael Schumacher are making the rounds on the Interweb today.

In one corner, Ross Brawn is adamant that Schumacher hasn’t lost it. In the other is BBC pundit Mark Hughes, who says the Schumacher of old has been replaced by an old Schumacher.

Which one of them is right?

Both do agreed on one point: This year’s tires are not friendly to Schumacher’s driving style. They do differ on just how much that is affecting him. Here’s Ross:

Michael’s driving style depends on a strong front tyre that can withstand his hard braking and the steering manoeuvres that he prefers. Nico has simply understood better how to handle these front tyres. I have to say that this year’s front tyre is very uncommon. That stems from the fact that the FIA wanted to promote KERS and had asked Bridgestone to develop tyres that would fit a certain weight distribution and thus create a specific tyre characteristic.

[snip]

Next year we expect the Pirelli tyres will work better for Michael’s driving style and only then will we know if Nico really is quicker than Michael.

[snip]

If you take the telemetry data in fast corners or his reaction time when the car breaks away, I don’t see any difference. There he’s still the old Michael. But in the slow corners he cannot make full use of the tyres as Nico can. Nico has put the bar very high in this respect. But I guess that’s okay for Michael as he clearly sees where he has to improve. I predict that in 2011 we will again see the true Michael – when we’ve delivered him a better car.

Here’s Hughes:

It is now accepted as normal that he qualifies a few tenths of a second behind team-mate Nico Rosberg, as he did here. But a scrappy, slow, incident and error-filled race underlined the fact that Schumacher has got worse, not better, as his first season back from retirement has progressed.

[snip]

Having stood trackside at some stage of every grand prix weekend for the last decade and a bit, witnessed Schumacher at his peak and in his comeback, the visual evidence of the dimming of his skills is obvious.

In his Ferrari years, to see his first lap out of the pits through a corner such as Spa’s Pouhon was to witness awe-inspiring genius that left you barely comprehending how what you had just seen could be possible.

He would commit totally to the blind exit, flat-in-top downhill entry corner, a down-change just after turning in and the car would be shuddering on the edge of adhesion, visibly faster than anything else – and Schumacher would make not a single further input because to do so would have sent the car off.

He would sit on this delicate knife-edge until the car was fully loaded up and pointed directly at the apex and then simply power his way out.

To be able to sit immediately on this incredibly narrow balancing point was a skill beyond the reach of his rivals. It is now beyond him, too.

[snip]

Schumacher says it is to do with how the gripless control Bridgestone tyres do not allow him the front-end grip to be able to drive in his natural way. There is a logic to this.

With a grippy front end, he would previously get the car pointed early at the apex using his delicate feel to transfer the weight under braking and cornering, pivoting the car around so it changed direction early, with the minimum of steering lock.

The less steering lock, the less speed-sapping front-tyre scrub, the earlier you can get the car pointed at the apex, the earlier you can get on the power. These tyres do not allow you to drive in that way.

But in the past Schumacher has adapted brilliantly to understeering cars. He used to adapt his style corner by corner, lap by lap, to whatever was appropriate.

Hughes’ take is pretty harsh, but seemingly pretty well reasoned. He neatly answers the tire question, but I suppose it could be taking Schumacher more time to get that most superb quality back than we might have imagined it would. Or, at age 40-plus, there’s just no way to get that extra something he once had back.

It seems reasonable. He’s not 25 anymore.

I’m interested, though, if others think Michael has actually gotten worse this year. That strikes me as the most damning charge and as one that would play into any rumor about his choosing not to come back.

What’s your assessment of Schumacher’s season? And do you think a more suitable tire would make the difference between winning and… what he’s been doing?

Lotus Racing has extended its deal with technical chief Mike Gasgoyne until 2015.

That’s right, Gasgoyne apparently is going to finish a season at the same team where we started it.

Here’s Mike, via the BBC. I’m not seeing a Lotus release yet:

“Having started the team from scratch with Tony it was always my intention to finish my career here.

“So it’s great to have formally agreed a five-year deal. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the whole team.”

The 47-year-old added: “We’ve had a great start to our partnership together, and I’m looking forward to continuing that for the next five years, and even beyond that.”

The signing is being spun as a bit of positive news given Lotus Racing’s dust-up over the Lotus name with Lotus street-car producer Proton. Here’s Tony Fernandes:

“Mike’s five year deal is a major announcement for the whole Lotus Racing team,” he said.

“It shows just how serious we are, not only about how far ahead we are setting our aspirations, but also as a reward to Mike for the incredibly hard work he and the team have already put in to get us from literally four people back in September 2009 to our current position as a serious F1 player with a very bright future ahead of us.”

Tony keeps going on about how established the team is and what a bright future it has. Do you agree that Lotus is the most solid of the new teams? Do you have any worries about its future? And how much is the Lotus name fight worrying you?

And: Do you think extending Gasgoyne’s deal was a good decision?

Part 2 of Speed TV – behind the Scenes

The Race:

After the tour I set up my location in the studio just behind Steve, David and Leigh.  It was a perfect vantage point to see what they saw and with the supplied headphones, I could hear the broadcast feed.  The flow of the entire team was well coordinated and impressive.  From interaction, dialogue handoffs and key additive statements to bathroom breaks during commercial integration (David opted for the three-stopper while Steve chose the aggressive one-stop strategy, earning him the gold medal while David flew home with the bronze).  The replay lay-ins were terrific, and Steve is incredibly quick with the telestrator.  Even coordinating dialogue via ISDN line to Will Buxton was efficient and conversational.
 
The time of the race was paramount and was always being considered in real-time with contingency plans.  The NASCAR crew was standing by to go live at Dover and the F1 broadcast had to be over in time for the handoff.  The length of the Safety Car periods were being added to the total time and numbers were being crunched by the minute.  As it happens, the team made the handoff and completed the F1 podium coverage during the Dover broadcast.  Satellite time is bought, crews are staged and ready and it’s not easy to push an event.  The team could not just say, “hey, we’re going long… deal with it.”  Advertising is bought and timed and there are a host of reasons why they cut away from the interviews and it wasn’t because they had more NASCAR to broadcast.

 
It is something to keep in mind when we complain about the NASCAR coverage on Speed or why the F1 coverage is cut short or the commercials seem egregiously long.  The insertion of a commercial is handled in Los Angeles and the producer makes the best call he can.  He isn’t doing this willy-nilly, folks.  I watched him first hand and saw how he calculated the time, determining when and where to place a commercial.  It is a best guess and can bite you back when you least expect it.  There is a logic and anticipation he used to out-think the live event… to anticipate how long the Safety Car period was, or when things would remain unchanged during live action.  It is a black art and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  He is a professional at his craft and I was impressed by how he calculated the math of commercial insertion and anticipated what reality would do in those two minutes of commercials.
 
Will Buxton:

Let me just say this about Will Buxton: he works his tail off, folks.  He was running up and down the pit lane several times, negotiating interviews and handling denial very well (it’s fiercely parochial in F1 news circles and on the paddock).  I learned that his task is not an easy one.  Many on the F1 grid haven’t the foggiest clue who Speed TV is and even though the microphone flag says “Speed,” I now understand why Peter Windsor, and now, Will Buxton have to say, “Felipe, it’s Will Buxton live on Speed IN AMERICA”.  Most of the paddock is still euro-centric and resonate with the BBC microphone flag or those from their home countries, but Speed is often foreign to them.  Will is a good guy who works very hard at his craft and while we don’t often see that from the vantage point of our sofa bunker, trust me when I say that Will is doing a fantastic job of it given the mountains he must climb.
 
Leigh Diffey:

Leigh Diffey is a singular voice in sports car racing and you would be forgiven for thinking he is a one-trick pony in that regards.  You would be forgiven, but you would be wrong.  He is as knowledgeable about F1 as a man who’d been calling the entire season.  His delivery was animated and engaging, and he is a professional in every sense of the word.  Personally he was very charming and conversational.  After the race he engaged us, the guests, and discussed the race and asked if we had any questions.  I now know why I have always enjoyed listening to Leigh—it is his personable nature and brilliant demeanor that is almost tangible coming from your television speakers.  He exemplifies that Australian stereotype of being a great, laid-back bloke who navigates all situations with a collegial spirit.
 
David Hobbs:

David Hobbs has always seemed like the kind of guy you’d love to have a beer with or be around… and guess what?  He is!  He is a legend of the sport and as personable and unassuming as your neighborhood mail carrier.  He shook my hand and remembered me from our interview on F1B Downshift.  His is hilarious in person and terrific to be around.  There is a charisma and magnetism that he exudes; you find yourself leaning toward him when he’s close by.  I have to admit one other thing about David Hobbs: he is as sharp as a tack.  He doesn’t miss a thing and it honestly took me off guard.  His persona on air is that of a humorous, former driver and chuckle-smith cast as the plucky comic relief, but I must say he is incredibly sharp and deceptively intelligent about the sport and broadcasting.  I found myself wanting to join him on his flight home to discuss the race and seek his wisdom and keen insight (who knows, maybe I would have gotten a good deal on a Honda too).
 
Steve Matchett:

Now, it is no secret that I have been a big fan of Steve Matchett since his first book was published years ago.  I have always found Steve to be a real professional in words and prose and have enjoyed his work immensely.  I can say, without reserve, that he is a singular man… the real thing. Charming, patient, kind, engaging and without a shred of pretense, he is a keen study of anything that he happens to be engaged in, and his insight and attention to detail is nothing short of brilliant.  Steve is a master of the detail and watched the race unfold, on ten monitors, with all the cunning and calculative skill of the amazing engineer, author and broadcaster he is.  He takes his job very seriously and pours his heart and soul into every minute of the race.  He is a gracious host and terrific lunch partner.  I am humbled by his ability and galvanized by his most endearing quality… his soul.
 
Sean Kelly:

Some people are born for certain things and I am convinced that Sean was born to be a statistician.  There are few in the business that can equal his ability to see numbers, in chaos form, and craft contextual meaning in real-time.  Grace and I have often mentioned Sean on our podcasts and he was as genuine and nice as he has always been to us at F1B.  Sean isn’t just searching the Forix database, he has his own!  He manages numbers and stats like a particle accelerator in France creating a vortex of information.  I honestly mean it when I say that he sees stories in numbers.  They speak to him and he crafts stats and critical information from raw numerical data.  It is beyond impressive, it is freakishly genius.
 
After it was all over, I had a chance to sit down with Frank Wilson and Steve Matchett.  We discussed some of the nuts and bolts of the process as well as whatever else sprang to mind.  I think you will enjoy hearing from Steve and Frank, and it is a real treat to offer you this special edition F1B Downshift episode.
 
Steve, having been up since the darkest crevice of morning, still found time to join me for lunch afterwards.  That conversation was as wonderful as any I’ve had and will remain personal.  Suffice to say, it is an honor to have spent time breaking bread and discussing life with a man who exemplifies what is best in life, what is best in men and what is, for me, best about the American broadcast of Formula 1.
 
The Speed TV production of F1 is a phenomenal operation.  Their dedication to the sport is terrific and second to none.  There are limitations with commenting on a live feed from FOM but I was amazed at how close to real-time they were working.  Imagine that your every move, from a production stand point, is reactionary instead of proactively creating the show.  That is what it is to be the broadcaster of F1 in America.
 
Astoundingly, they were moving at a speed that was measured in fractions-of-seconds from the real-time feed and managing to fashion it into a full production with replays, live commentary and key statistics.  It is one thing to do this with your own camera crew and production oversight but imagine trying to do it to someone else’s cameras, production and replays.
 
We have all scoffed at times when commercial breaks miss on-track action or NASCAR encroaches on our cherished snob-sport of F1 or we think one of the commentary team isn’t up to snuff.  After visiting the production, I don’t care who you are or what you think you know… your criticisms are simply the bravery of being out of range.  You cannot control a world feed from the FOM and make a production like you can when you control the process (i.e. Monday Night Football).  Everything you do is in reaction mode, and not proactively creating the show you’d like to have.  The Speed TV crew has honed their production to fractions of seconds off of live TV and it is incredible to watch.
 
The Speed TV Formula 1 crew are terrific and what they do each race is an amazing feat by anyone’s measure. If you don’t believe me, then go and see for yourself… just don’t let Frank catch you wandering around the Dish Farm.

Thank you again to everyone at Speed TV who made this possible.

Stay tuned to this space for updates, stories and features of the final round of the ALMS Petit Le Mans from Road Atlanta. The final round has everything to play for with championships on the line and the return of Audi and Peugeot to American soil for the last time in their generation prototypes. Audi took victory in this years 24 Hours of Le Mans but at the first round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at Silverstone, they had very little for the Peugeot 908′s. Can Audi rebound in Atlanta?

The LMP 2 class is down to two with Patron Highcroft Racing and Muscle Milk Team CytoSport battling for the championship. A reduction in fuel capacity is the biggest change for this class but with Audi and Peugeot participating, they would need more than just fuel for an overall win.

The GT2 class is the most fiercely fought class in ALMS with seventeen entries that represent seven manufacturers, this series is down to the wire. A class win in this category is rewarded with an entry to the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Don’t miss live coverage of the race this Saturday on Speed TV and keep watching here for updates. It should be a very exciting week ahead and I am honored to be covering it for F1B.

The United States of America views F1 with a jaundiced eye.  This has always been the case, and not without justification.  Between the USGP of 2005, the Euro-centric nature of the grand play and off-color comments of the theater’s master puppeteer, it’s no wonder there is such a cavernous distance between 300+ million people and the world’s most advanced form of motor sport.  NASCAR has assimilated a majority of the motor sport fans in America by pressing their marketing machine ever further into our homes, work spaces and lives.  It is the 800-pound gorilla that many Americans can’t ignore, or do so at their own peril, rendering them useless on Monday mornings at the water cooler.  It is all-consuming and home-grown, which makes its appeal even more deeply rooted and difficult to dislodge.
 
Like many besieged countries, there is a partisan group of militant fighters intent on liberating their country from the tyranny of NASCAR oppression.  These partisans comprise of a large group of F1 fans that are ardent in their love of the sport and fiercely loyal to the concept of open-wheel, European racing with a history as rich as any moonshiner-turned-oval-legend could ever be.  Their racing junta is fueled by their own version of Voice of America Radio, and it’s called Speed TV.  While Speed TV has its own penchant for NASCAR, there exists a band of professionals inside the operation sending Formula 1 signals to this partisan force and I heard the key message: “Blessent mon coeur d’une langueur monotone…” and I responded.
 
When Speed TV’s Steve Matchett invited me to visit and observe a live broadcast of the Singapore Grand Prix, I couldn’t resist––it was like inviting a moth to a bonfire. Yes, please! I was expecting a nice studio with a competent production crew, direction, talent and control room… I didn’t see that. What I saw instead was nothing short of miraculous.

 
The best way to describe my experience is piece by piece.  When you visit Speed TV, it’s a lot to take in and absorb in its context and overall scope–like trying to visit all of Disney World in a day.  When I think about my visit, I remember each place and person I encountered along the way.  I think of the insight gained by witnessing how everything affects the broadcast—each individual, each bit of technology, each second of the race.  It is an organization that adds their skills and talent to the collective cauldron, and when heated to the right temperature and stirred briskly, it produces the most amazing result: we call it the F1 broadcast in the United States of America on Speed TV.
 
The morning started early for me and even earlier for the Speed TV crew (crew call is at 4:30am).  I am unclear on just how much coffee it takes to properly wire these people but I doubt Juan Valdez will be out of work anytime soon.  I was met by Vice President of Production, Frank Wilson (after he found me aimlessly wandering around his parking lot near the Dish farm), and given a full tour of the facility.  Frank couldn’t have been more genuine and gracious as he explained the details of each area.  He was incredibly accommodating and seemed more concerned about what I needed than how my attendance may have been disrupting his morning.  I later realized that Frank was not just putting on a happy face for a random visitor, but this is who Frank truly is––a terrific guy with a passion for what he does and a professionalism laced with genuine kindness that permeates his character.  I’ve met a lot of producers in my day, but I haven’t met a lot of Franks.
 
While touring the facility, the “talent” (Steve Matchett, Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs and Will Buxton) were finishing up their Production meeting.  They covered notes, scripts and details of the broadcast along with timing issues and the usual elements of a broadcast (to my knowledge, no one mentioned how nice Will’s hair looked in all that Singapore humidity).  While they discussed their plan of attack, Frank and I continued the tour into the studio.  As we walked the halls, Frank introduced me to each person we met.  Every one of them was as pleasant and kind as Frank and I found myself wondering if they had all been secretly replaced by Folgers Crystals. This isn’t the usual production crew folks, this is a sort of “Welcome Center of North Carolina” with smiles, platitudes and humor all mixed into the most amazing covered dish anyone has ever brought to a picnic.
 
The Studio:

The studio is large and multi-functional, which means the arrangement, lighting and equipment can be changed to accommodate just about any potential production need Speed TV has.  It was dimly lit to promote better viewing of the wall of monitors on which the commentary team views the race.  The wall consisted of ten monitors containing broadcast feeds, and as I walked in, the F1 drivers parade was displayed on a few of them.  Live FOM world feed, highlight/video playback feed, timing & scoring, iPhone F1 app video, and a real-time statistics program among other feeds combined to give the wall a kind of liquid-crystal-heaven-on-a-wall vibe.  It must be said that from a video subject matter expert’s point of view, the resolution from each feed was excellent, as was the use of HD-SDI.
 
The Control Room:

The control room is both the brain and central nervous system of Speed TV.  It consists of a phalanx of monitors with the FOM world feed, the commercial integration channel from Los Angeles, the other live feeds Speed was preparing (in this case the NASCAR program in Dover) as well as live timing/scoring.  There were several rows of work area (think NASA desks in the control room sans Ron Howard’s freaky brother) with a production intercom system at each station.  No less than 20 people work diligently to bring us the F1 race but these aren’t just any 20 people.  I thought they would be standard issue broadcast people fashioned from polyester and Old Spice aftershave with a penchant for NASCAR and an unyielding sense of numbness about their job.  I couldn’t have been more wrong if I was Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone’s safe.
 
The productions staff are as knowledgeable about F1 as any ardent fan you can find (and you thought you knew a thing or two about racing… guffaw!).  They know the politics, nuances and actors in the F1 play.  They understand what is wheat and what is chaff.  They get the plot and were calling out events as they unfolded in real-time.  I was astounded at just how much they cared about the sport, how in tune they were and how efficient they are at digging under the rocks to find the story lines among the peat moss.  Very impressive indeed.  Every single one of them, man and woman alike, knew what they were looking for and what was important to every aspect of the series including race performance, mechanical issues, politics and general interest.  It was producer Dan Schutte who caught the LED number 2 on Vettel’s steering wheel on his pit stop!

Join us tomorrow for the second part of the Speed TV – Behind the scenes part 2. We hope you enjoy the F1B Downshift interview podcast and story and would like to thank everyone at Speed TV for their kindness and consideration.

I doubt I’ll get my wish, but nevertheless here goes:

I wish there are monkeys involved in the Indian Grand Prix.

Now, before you go thinking I’m crazy, hang on a second. Or should I say, “hold your bananas?” (You’re right, I probably shouldn’t.)

Before I prove I’m not bananas (ah, that one works), remember a post from a few days ago about a bridge collapse at the Commonwealth Games site in New Delhi? How it had raised concerns about the safety of the venue and I wondered, at the time, if the Formula 1 site would get any spill over. Here’s the link and a quick excerpt:

New questions were raised about India’s preparedness for the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday after a footbridge collapsed outside a Games venue, injuring dozens. The accident occurred the same day that visiting officials called athletes’ accommodations “uninhabitable.”

Representatives of the dozens of countries participating in the Commonwealth Games, a quadrennial competition among members of the Commonwealth of Nations, started arriving in Delhi in recent days to look at facilities and conduct security checks. The athletes’ village, built for the Games, is not ready, they say, and questions linger about security after an attack on tourists in Delhi on Sunday.

OK, so my premise is that sporting events in India between now and the grand prix might offer some sort of window on how the race might go and could give us a sense of what challenges organizers face. At least, I hope that’s the case because of this!

Trained monkeys guard athletes at Commonwealth Games
Trained langur monkeys are being deployed by organisers of the Commonwealth Games to prevent wild animals infesting sporting venues in Delhi.

The highly intelligent primates have been patrolling stadiums and accommodation blocks to scare off other wildlife including wild monkeys, dogs and even snakes.

Handlers from miles around the Indian capital have been drafted in to patrol the athletes’ village as the final preparations are made for the games.

Some teams threatened to boycott the competition after complaining that the accommodation was inhabitable and overrun with animals.

One shocked South African competitor even discovered a deadly cobra snake in his room.

Heavy monsoon rains have caused flooding near the Games Village causing many snakes to seek refuge.

Commonwealth Games organisers have also been particularly concerned by the arrival of packs of wild monkeys which have been creating a nuisance around the venues by stealing food and attacking humans.

Langur monkeys are noted for their intelligence but also their aggression and are highly effective in deterring other animals from taking up residence.

The Commonwealth Games are due to get under way at the weekend and will be officially opened by the Prince of Wales.

I’m giving you the whole piece because it’s that awesome.

I mean, think about it. The possibilities are endless. For instance:

• The obvious one: Monkeys driving the cars.
• The fact that monkeys couldn’t make worse on-the-scene decisions than the stewards do, right? “We’re giving Michael a 20-second penalty, plus, he must pick the fleas off of us.”
• Bernie versus a monkey. Who’s taller?
• Monkeys harassing Nicole.
• Could the Monkees perform at F1 Live?
• Monkeys! Just monkeys!

So, with this information, I now ask you the most important question ever posed here at F1B: How do you think monkeys could add to a race weekend?

Note: I’m not implying a certain Hindu Flying Monkey god in anyway be involved, although the new teams could use a little of his prowess about now.