Ballet on dirt

The Supercross season is two weeks old already. The progression of younger riders is happening. In a sport where fear is the enemy and quick reflexes are the cure, older riders just start to fade away. The winner in the 450 class at the first round in Anaheim, Davi Millsaps has been around a while,... Sign in to see full entry.

The Monster Energy Open in Las Vegas was a most interesting race. The track layout featured a few things never tried before. First, the starting gate was split. I was afraid when the two sides of the track joined, it would be like an old-fashioned figure-8 race, but they separated them far enough... Sign in to see full entry.

The track in India is a wild thing. Two long straights featuring DRS zones and then turn after turn torturing the tires. Car setup there has to be the ultimate compromise. Vettel won from pole while all the action took place behind him with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso sneaking past Vettel’s Red Bull... Sign in to see full entry.

Formula One and NASCAR races are rather long, involved events. Races last for hours and cover as many as 500 miles. But there is one form of racing that covers 1,000 feet and lasts between 3 to 4 seconds. Top fuel dragsters aren’t meant to go around corners. They aren’t meant to negotiate jumps.... Sign in to see full entry.

When I first coined “Ballet on Dirt” I was thinking of the grace of dirt bikes as they arc through the air then return to earth in a most graceful manner. Lately, I have strayed from the dirt and wandered into any form of motor sport that strikes my fancy and most of them do. Watching the race at... Sign in to see full entry.

The big left turn or spindly open wheel cars? For many race fans such as myself, its not even a question. The answer is: both. NASCAR venues are dominated by ovals. This is seen as “easy” to some people, all they have to do is turn left. Formula 1 races feature long elaborate tracks with very little... Sign in to see full entry.

Ok, so the race has already been run and whoever won, won. Only, I haven’t watched the race so it is like Schrödinger’s cat right now, the outcome is unknown to me until I observe the results. A little philosophy to go with screaming exhausts. Qualifying was once again, a guessing game of tires and... Sign in to see full entry.

Lately, it seems every round of Formula 1 has been the site of a major deluge. Hockenheimring could be another round of will it or won’t it rain venues. This played out in qualifying. Round one was wet and promised to get wetter, so everybody went out early. That paid off since lap times slowed as... Sign in to see full entry.

Spain, the venue for the European Grand Prix saw the city of Valencia play host to the boys in screaming cars. After practice and qualifying, many had set fast times, but the final fast time went to Sebastian Vettel for the pole. The hot weather played a role in making it a tire war. Vettel jumped... Sign in to see full entry.

Once again I found myself at the Radio Control race track and foolishly signed up to race my modified truck again, the one that gave me fits last time I drove it, or attempted to drive it. A pre-race inspection revealed I had a problem in my steering. A device called a servo-saver was doing it’s job... Sign in to see full entry.