In keeping with MMR’s tradition of supporting readers who
indulge themselves at every given opportunity, we remind all that this Sunday is
Father’s Day. A word to the wise man; if your plans include treating yourself
to a good book, good food, and affordable wine in copious amounts in the name
of Fatherhood, we urge you to
consider that in itself, fathering is not so much an accomplishment. The achievement
lies in surviving its byproduct, the children from whom you are expecting a
thoughtful gift. Don’t expect them to buy you a good motorsports book. It isn’t
going to happen. So take care of yourself. This week’s highlighted resources from our Goods and Services Directory feature
some interesting reads. And here is where you can really shine. After you have
purchased the book and just before you plunk down a C note for that box of backyard
cigars, see that some flowers are delivered to the Memsahib. She probably made
Father’s Day possible for you.
We review the Canadian GP in Montreal and preview Le Mans
which is this weekend. Several short weeks ago we changed over our winter tires
to summer and we were trying to figure out just how to read the code on the
tires that indicate when they were hatched. Denise McCluggage’s story about tires is a timely review about an important and expensive part of our drive
that some of us take for granted and most drivers completely neglect.
Our
featured photographer this week is MMR’s old friend Royce Rumsey’s Study in Silver.
Our Michael Furman image for this issue is the cockpit of a 1936 Delahaye 135
GP race car. It is probably not your resident mental image of a Delahaye, but
you won’t be disappointed in this basic racer version. See more of his work in his Gallery or at MichaelFurman.com.
F1: Canadian GP –
Montreal
By all accounts, neither the City of Montreal nor the F1
race disappointed. We didn’t attend and regret missing the parties but we did
watch it on TV and everyone seemed to agree it was an interesting race. Despite
their massive support in Montreal, Ferrari didn’t really have an impact and
neither did McLaren. But, Red Bull and Mercedes did. It is too easy to say that
the race was competitive because of the failure of technology at Mercedes. As
enthusiasts we learned a few new interesting aspects of these cars and drivers.
For one, we learned that the mighty Mercedes team were vulnerable, not only to
hardware failure but also from an engineering point of view. Everyone knew that
this track, with its long straight and relatively slow corners was tough on
brakes. The new hybrid power system calls on the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery
System) to slow the car through the drivetrain. Like downshifting. Mercedes
felt that would be sufficient and ran smaller than permitted rear brake discs
to save weight. When the KERS system failed, they ran out of brakes in the
rear. Larger discs would not have solved the problem but they would have
helped.
Full credit to Rosberg who out qualified his teammate, and then, from
the moment he had car problems ran hard and smart to salvage a second place.
Vettel, who finished third to Ricciardo and Rosberg also showed grace and
maturity in his post race interview. Next, we knew that drivers sometimes were
obliged to reboot the computers, or more likely reprogram the drive settings,
while they were racing. And we learned that some of them are better at it than
others. Force India’s driver Sergio Perez, for instance, is not particularly
good at it and it took him longer than others to change the necessary settings,
costing him time and positions on the track and possibly contributing to his
ill advised block on Massa that cost them both points-paying positions in the
race. And it could be a clue as to why McLaren dumped him. Who says F1 is
boring?
Le Mans: le 24 Heures
du Mans
Stake out the couch, pile up the heart arresting, life
shortening goodies, and a sleeping bag and tell everyone to close the doors to
their room. Coverage begins Saturday at 6:30PM ET and Sunday at 1:00 AM. WOW!
Will you be popular!
Le Mans: 24 Heures du Mans is the European equivalent of the
Indy 500. Both get weeks of hype and special
days to introduce the cars and the teams to the public. In the end, what was
once an endurance race, as in will this
bloody thing last is now a 24 hour sprint, as in foot to the floor for 24 race. Audi have dominated it in recent
years with only a few Peugeot interruptions, to the disappointment of the
French. Porsche had a stranglehold on it for years before they did.
The evolution of new engine and aerodynamic technology has
presented an opportunity for car manufacturers to showcase their engineering
talents and this year both Porsche and Toyota have joined the fray. Audi are
there but hardly mentioned. Toyota have won the first two races of this year’s FIA
World Endurance Championship and they are looking strong for Le Mans where they
qualified 1-2. Now begins the race of tactics.
Around the Newsstands
Classic and Sports Car did an interesting three-way
comparison between a ′66 327 Corvette, a ′63 Jaguar XKE and a Toyota 2000 from
the ′66 to ′70 period. Thought provoking read.
The June issue of Sports Car Market surveys some of the
better known participants in the auction/collection game expounding on current market
pricing and whether it is a justified trend or merely a bubble and when/if Chicken
Little Syndrome will kick in. As you know, we don’t cover auctions here because
so many people, like SCM, do it so much better. But because our MMR Goods & Services Directory deals daily with sales and repair outlets, (we have 2800
suppliers in the Directory) we can tell you that these quickly rising prices
are affecting several sectors. For dealers, buying cars is getting tougher and
tougher as nobody who can afford to wants to sell a car today that could be
worth appreciably more in several months from now. Correspondingly, major used
parts for older cars are also rising in price and being withheld from the
repair shops for the same reason. As with everything else, where you stand on
this issue depends on where you sit. For the average enthusiast, this is a game
being played way beyond their ability to compete. While there is some comfort
in seeing appreciation for the car you have been maintaining and enjoying for
several years, if you are not planning to sell it, you are simply a spectator.
Have a great
weekend.
Peter
Bourassa
