Ballet on dirt

Racers say it a lot. The car blows the engine on the first lap. When he is interviewed the driver shrugs, “that’s racing.” Indeed, motorsports will always have that mechanical aspect and there is nothing the driver can do about it. It amazes me how they can appear so calm, so accepting. I had a hard... Sign in to see full entry.

Monaco, 19 turns, elevation changes, narrow streets, cranes at every corner to lift damaged cars out of the way. Average speeds, around 100 mph. Indianapolis motor speedway, 4 turns, wide, no elevation changes, flat out racing at nearly 200 mph. Both are signature races of the new season and both... Sign in to see full entry.

The scenic seaside town famous for gambling, the high life and the wildest street race of them all will once again stir to the shriek of racing engines. With its turns emblazoned into the minds of drivers and fans, this is a track like nothing else. Take turn six, the famous Grand Hotel Hairpin.... Sign in to see full entry.

Bhrain wasn’t without controversy, but one thing was certain at the end of the day, Sebastian Vettel had returned to the top of the heap. Amid political turmoil and swirling desert sands the fastest race cars in the world sped through it all. The sands weren’t the only things up in the air. The... Sign in to see full entry.

Ryan Villopoto probably waited all season to be at his “home” track at Quest Field in Seattle. He had already secured the championship in Houston, so it should have been all gravy from here on out. He did win in New Orleans, so no one suspected him to encounter any troubles on his home turf. But, as... Sign in to see full entry.

Racing results are hard to predict. The most expensive form of motor racing invests lots of time, money and cash into making their cars do what they want them to do. TV analysts study what they know about the cars, drivers and engineering efforts in order to present an informed view of the... Sign in to see full entry.

In Toronto, that is. I know it’s an old joke as everyone who knows me will attest, I use it whenever I can. But it was no joke when Ryan Villopoto tamed a difficult track and with five rounds in the series left, solidified his points lead standing. So solid in fact, that he could clinch the... Sign in to see full entry.

The dust has settled, bellowing exhausts are now silent and the crews, riders and drivers are focusing on next weekend. In Supercross, James Stewart is recovering from a horrible first lap crash that saw him hit by not one but two riders as he landed sideways off a jump and went down in the crush... Sign in to see full entry.

Supercross and the dirt bikes have been at it since January. NASCAR is circling its, er, wagons again and this weekend sees the return of Formula One to the airwaves. That’s what I call March madness. Australia is the venue for this weekend’s Grand Prix, which is probably live at this moment due to... Sign in to see full entry.

Or – the Villopoto oh-oh. Mud, the most variable of all the variables of racing a dirt bike turned the Daytona track into a quagmire. Sections of the track had to be rebuilt, whoops bladed flat and rhythm sections de-rythmed all in the name of safety. The main events were shortened as well. Points... Sign in to see full entry.