First, fewer visits from Doc over the past year......and now, no GP. Will Montreal be able to ever recover?
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Bad news for Montreal - 2009 Grand Prix is off the schedule!
- Thread starter Techman
- Start date
Wife can't stand greedy prick either & files for divorce
The Associated Press
November 20, 2008
LONDON — The wife of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone filed for divorce on Thursday.
Slavica Ecclestone, who has been married to Ecclestone for 24 years, will be represented by divorce lawyer Liz Vernon, who previously helped the wife of footballer Ray Parlour win a third of the former England and Arsenal player's earnings in a highly publicized case four years ago.
The 77-year-old Ecclestone, who is 27 years older than his wife, is worth an estimated $3.8-billion. He is the chief executive officer of Formula One Administration, which owns the commercial rights to F1.
The Associated Press
November 20, 2008
LONDON — The wife of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone filed for divorce on Thursday.
Slavica Ecclestone, who has been married to Ecclestone for 24 years, will be represented by divorce lawyer Liz Vernon, who previously helped the wife of footballer Ray Parlour win a third of the former England and Arsenal player's earnings in a highly publicized case four years ago.
The 77-year-old Ecclestone, who is 27 years older than his wife, is worth an estimated $3.8-billion. He is the chief executive officer of Formula One Administration, which owns the commercial rights to F1.
naughtylady said:So How will we know whey summer has officially started?
As soon as the Habs get eliminated from the playoffs, which will likely be at the very beginning of May.
The retired Grand Prix has hurt more than one....
Among the victims, including restaurants, hotels and nightclubs, not counting the many limousine services, the security company. In this vein, we must also recognize the case of many clubs nude dancers, massage parlors and other small or large activities in the world and domain like - prostitutes and escorts luxuries - is also in free fall since our GP will be presented elsewhere (Turkey).
clavie
Among the victims, including restaurants, hotels and nightclubs, not counting the many limousine services, the security company. In this vein, we must also recognize the case of many clubs nude dancers, massage parlors and other small or large activities in the world and domain like - prostitutes and escorts luxuries - is also in free fall since our GP will be presented elsewhere (Turkey).
clavie
As Formula One bought me to Montreal in 1987 ( how could it have been that long ago )...
It might have been soon after that, that one year's race was cancelled for a fight between Molson and Labatt regarding sponsorship rights...or something like that..
Fast forward to next weekend, and again.. no race
How has it financially affected the local economy and has the City compensated by attracting another " party substitute " to offset the huge losses of revenue ?
I fondly remember walking into Chez Paree the Saturday night before the race in 1989 ...We were sent there by a couple girls we met on Crescent Street.
We wondered why girls would be sending us to a strip club ?? Around 3 AM the next morning, I couldn't get my friend to leave as he insisted that a dancer was " in love with him " . I then knew why they sent us there !!!
What's Montreal without the GP and stripclubs ?? Chez Paree is declining, Cleopatra's is under attack.....
Best Regards
Smuler
It might have been soon after that, that one year's race was cancelled for a fight between Molson and Labatt regarding sponsorship rights...or something like that..
Fast forward to next weekend, and again.. no race
How has it financially affected the local economy and has the City compensated by attracting another " party substitute " to offset the huge losses of revenue ?
I fondly remember walking into Chez Paree the Saturday night before the race in 1989 ...We were sent there by a couple girls we met on Crescent Street.
We wondered why girls would be sending us to a strip club ?? Around 3 AM the next morning, I couldn't get my friend to leave as he insisted that a dancer was " in love with him " . I then knew why they sent us there !!!
What's Montreal without the GP and stripclubs ?? Chez Paree is declining, Cleopatra's is under attack.....
Best Regards
Smuler
Smuler,smuler said:
Thanks for sharing your memories of GP weekend. I miss it too and especially right now, since the GP weekend would normally be kicking off right now (Thursday, the first weekend in June).
I know that most people here, even those who experienced it at least once, do not miss the GP weekend. But it truly was the biggest, best weekend of the year in Montreal. To me, GP weekend was Montreal on steriods--all the girls of Montreal trying to look their hottest, all the restaurants and bars working at capacity, the hotels packed, the escort agencies with full lineups (but I never had trouble getting a date and I met some of my ATFs during GP weekend), the strip clubs running full blast, and Guy Laliberté's mega-party...which, of course, I never attended but it was fun just to know that there was such a party.
I hope and I think the race will return to Montreal. The teams want it, the city wants it, and it's quite possible that Old Man Ecclestone realizes he made a mistake in taking the race away from the city. When it does come back in a year or two, I'll be there for sure.
Hey Captain
I'm sure that I mentioned in one of my posts over the years, but the F1 weekend is fantastic in Montreal !!
I do agree that things have gotten quite crazy over the years ( Jacques years ), And I fondly remember the old days..
Being young, and having the experience of seeing Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Stefan Johansson sitting next to us on the second floor of Thursdays with some of their pit crew..
Walking out, leaning in and saying " good luck tomorrow , and being greeted with a smile, and a thanks "
Those were the days for sure...
Here in the USA, we have nothing !!!!
How is that possible ...
The closest in quality venue that we could come up with, was the course on Belle Island ( Detroit GP )...that was a great course..in " Motor City "
How much more American could that be..and look at the city in shambles now...
The controlled environment of having the race on an island will always work...
I hope the race will be returned next year, and somewhere we will get a race too...and not at Talledega either !!!!
Best Regards
Smuler
I'm sure that I mentioned in one of my posts over the years, but the F1 weekend is fantastic in Montreal !!
I do agree that things have gotten quite crazy over the years ( Jacques years ), And I fondly remember the old days..
Being young, and having the experience of seeing Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Stefan Johansson sitting next to us on the second floor of Thursdays with some of their pit crew..
Walking out, leaning in and saying " good luck tomorrow , and being greeted with a smile, and a thanks "
Those were the days for sure...
Here in the USA, we have nothing !!!!
How is that possible ...
The closest in quality venue that we could come up with, was the course on Belle Island ( Detroit GP )...that was a great course..in " Motor City "
How much more American could that be..and look at the city in shambles now...
The controlled environment of having the race on an island will always work...
I hope the race will be returned next year, and somewhere we will get a race too...and not at Talledega either !!!!
Best Regards
Smuler
You still have the great race of all races, the Indy 500, which i loved watching a couple of weeks ago. The glory of that great race has returned.smuler said:
As for the F1 race in Mtl, i personally don't care much about it, nor do i give a crap about F1 anymore (too much politics, etc), but i get what you & the Capt. are saying. It was a magical weekend in downtown Mtl when the race was on....it was great for the local economy & tourism....it put Mtl on the world map, and so on.....not having the race definitely must be a great blow to the city. Unfortunately. But i'm certain the race will return one of these days. There's simply too much interest going on for the race to disappear forever.
master_bates said:
What? There's no more partying going on in Mtl? No more hotties to be seen on St-Laurent?? Damn that sucks!!
Here is the starting grid for tomorrow's Turkish GP :
Turkish GP starting grid
1. VETTEL Red Bull
2. BUTTON Brawn
3. BARRICHELLO Brawn
4. WEBBER Red Bull
5. TRULLI Toyota
6. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
7. MASSA Ferrari
8. ALONSO Renault
9. ROSBERG Williams
10. KUBICA BMW
11. HEIDFELD BMW
12. NAKAJIMA Williams
13. GLOCK Toyota
14. KOVALAINEN McLaren
15. SUTIL Force India
16. HAMILTON McLaren
17. PIQUET Renault
18. BUEMI Toro Rosso
19. FISICHELLA Force India
20. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso
Look where McLaren is...
How high and mighty the cheaters were a couple years ago....
If Montreal had a race this year, I think that Vettel would have been my choice....
Us race veterans might hope for the old man Rubens to score the win in Montreal
alas, to dream.....
Best Regards
Smuler
Turkish GP starting grid
1. VETTEL Red Bull
2. BUTTON Brawn
3. BARRICHELLO Brawn
4. WEBBER Red Bull
5. TRULLI Toyota
6. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
7. MASSA Ferrari
8. ALONSO Renault
9. ROSBERG Williams
10. KUBICA BMW
11. HEIDFELD BMW
12. NAKAJIMA Williams
13. GLOCK Toyota
14. KOVALAINEN McLaren
15. SUTIL Force India
16. HAMILTON McLaren
17. PIQUET Renault
18. BUEMI Toro Rosso
19. FISICHELLA Force India
20. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso
Look where McLaren is...
How high and mighty the cheaters were a couple years ago....
If Montreal had a race this year, I think that Vettel would have been my choice....
Us race veterans might hope for the old man Rubens to score the win in Montreal
alas, to dream.....
Best Regards
Smuler
Various sources are reporting that, on the weekend that should belong to Montreal's Grand Prix, virtually no one showed up at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. So much for Bernie Ecclestone's strategy of moving races to countries whose governments are willing to pay the extortionate rights fees that he demands. What's next--an F1 race in Iran or North Korea?
Drivers: let them in for free at empty Turkish grand prix
Canadian Press
ISTANBUL — With all of the talk of cost-cutting in Formula One, somebody forgot to slash ticket prices for the Turkish Grand Prix.
F1 is in crisis over controversial team budget caps for 2010 yet empty stands were an unwanted backdrop at the Istanbul Park Circuit, with only 36,000 tickets sold for the three-day event.
"I am looking forward to Silverstone for many reasons because I think it will be a great atmosphere unlike here. There was no one here," Red Bull driver Mark Webber said on Sunday after finishing runner-up to race winner Jenson Button.
With tickets ranging from 95 to 700 Turkish Liras (C$69 to $509), drivers thought that organizers should have just opened up the gates to the public.
"We should have let them in for free at the end," Webber said. "Jenson and I spoke about this on the parade lap, that on the day maybe we should have made an announcement yesterday or even this morning to get some more people in here to let them experience our sport and that's a shame that it didn't happen."
The issue will be high on the Formula One Teams Association's priority list.
"We have concentrated too much about other things and it looks like we don't care about the public, about the show," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said. "It's like to be at a football stadium that is totally empty."
Empty seats have become normal at F1 tracks in China, Bahrain and Malaysia with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone branching out to find countries ready to agree to lucrative contracts.
Both the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and French GP were dropped this season after organizers failed to meet Ecclestone's money demands.
"It's not nice to not race in Silverstone or Imola or this type of circuit that has been in the history of Formula One. When we arrive in this category we all want to race in the best circuits that we saw on TV when we were kids and they are disappearing, one-by-one," two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said.
Drivers: let them in for free at empty Turkish grand prix
Canadian Press
ISTANBUL — With all of the talk of cost-cutting in Formula One, somebody forgot to slash ticket prices for the Turkish Grand Prix.
F1 is in crisis over controversial team budget caps for 2010 yet empty stands were an unwanted backdrop at the Istanbul Park Circuit, with only 36,000 tickets sold for the three-day event.
"I am looking forward to Silverstone for many reasons because I think it will be a great atmosphere unlike here. There was no one here," Red Bull driver Mark Webber said on Sunday after finishing runner-up to race winner Jenson Button.
With tickets ranging from 95 to 700 Turkish Liras (C$69 to $509), drivers thought that organizers should have just opened up the gates to the public.
"We should have let them in for free at the end," Webber said. "Jenson and I spoke about this on the parade lap, that on the day maybe we should have made an announcement yesterday or even this morning to get some more people in here to let them experience our sport and that's a shame that it didn't happen."
The issue will be high on the Formula One Teams Association's priority list.
"We have concentrated too much about other things and it looks like we don't care about the public, about the show," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said. "It's like to be at a football stadium that is totally empty."
Empty seats have become normal at F1 tracks in China, Bahrain and Malaysia with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone branching out to find countries ready to agree to lucrative contracts.
Both the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and French GP were dropped this season after organizers failed to meet Ecclestone's money demands.
"It's not nice to not race in Silverstone or Imola or this type of circuit that has been in the history of Formula One. When we arrive in this category we all want to race in the best circuits that we saw on TV when we were kids and they are disappearing, one-by-one," two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said.
Considering that there were about 35,000 participants in the Tour de L'Ile today that was one pathetic turnout in Istanbul. But I doubt it will make the slightest bit of difference for Bernie. All he cares about is getting his money. He would run a GP in front of totally empty grandstands as long as he gets his ransom.
I've heard somewhere that they are planning to move back, in the near future, a F1 race in North America....in Tutoyatuk. According to their analysts they expect to sell a lot of tickets!
BMW pulls plug on F1
BMW is pulling out of Formula One at the end of this season, the second car maker to leave the series within a year.
The German company announced the decision at a news conference Wednesday, saying it wanted to use its significant F1 budget in other areas. It will remain involved in auto racing.
Since entering F1 as a team by taking over the Sauber team ahead of the 2006 season — it had previously acted as an engine supplier — BMW had posted just one race win, at last year's Canadian Grand Prix.
Touted as a championship contender for the 2009 season, BMW lagged well behind the pace of the leading teams.
“Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment,” BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer said at the news conference.
He said the Munich-based car maker would use the resources previously spent on the F1 team to advance “sustainability and environmental compatibility.”
Klaus Draeger, the board member responsible for development, said the team was “unable to meet expectations in the current season.”
BMW's withdrawal followed that of Japanese car maker Honda ahead of the 2009 season, illustrating the growing pressure upon car makers to cut costs amid a global economic downturn that had hit new car sales.
Their withdrawal also lent credence to efforts by the FIA to significantly reduce F1 costs in order to retain existing teams and attract new entrants.
FIA, motor racing's world governing body, said it hoped BMW was the last manufacturer to leave the series.
“The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW's intended withdrawal from Formula One, but is not surprised by it,” it said in a statement.
“It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis. Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer. This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically.”
BMW's decision to end its involvement on Formula One only came Tuesday and the company was still considering what to do with the staff involved with the team, Draeger said.
“Of course ... would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years,” BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said.
“But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula One racing.”
Mercedes, the other major German car maker involved in Formula One, said it regretted BMW's pullout, “but it will have no influence on our F1 engagement.”
The decision by BMW comes at a time when auto makers worldwide are reporting lower sales amid the global economic slowdown. Consumers are reluctant to open their wallets for big-ticket items and companies are trimming costs.
Georg Stuerzer, an automotive analyst with UniCredit in Munich who follows BMW, told AP that he estimated that the company was spending approximately $280-million (U.S.) a year on its Formula One involvement.
Draeger said it was not yet clear if the decision would result in job losses in Munich and Hinwil, Switzerland. The operation counts some 700 workers.
“Since we only made this decision yesterday, we cannot provide any more precise information,” he said. “We will develop and assess various scenarios and do our best to find a solution for the employees in Hinwil and the staff members involved in the Formula One project in Munich.”
The withdrawal will prompt speculation about the future of drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld. Kubica will be in strong demand for next season and will likely remain involved in F1.
The future for Heidfeld is less certain, though his long stint in the sport could make him an attractive option for the new entrant teams next season, who will be looking for an experienced driver.
In its debut season in 2006, BMW Sauber wound up fifth in the constructors' championship. In 2007, the German-Swiss team came in second after McLaren-Mercedes' exclusion from the points standings.
In 2008, the team was in the hunt for the world championship until the end of the season, winding up third. Kubica had the only GP victory in Canada.
So far, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has taken one pole position (Kubica in Bahrain in 2008) and 16 podium finishes. It is eighth in the constructors' standings in the current season.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/bmw-pulls-plug-on-f1/article1234744/
BMW is pulling out of Formula One at the end of this season, the second car maker to leave the series within a year.
The German company announced the decision at a news conference Wednesday, saying it wanted to use its significant F1 budget in other areas. It will remain involved in auto racing.
Since entering F1 as a team by taking over the Sauber team ahead of the 2006 season — it had previously acted as an engine supplier — BMW had posted just one race win, at last year's Canadian Grand Prix.
Touted as a championship contender for the 2009 season, BMW lagged well behind the pace of the leading teams.
“Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment,” BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer said at the news conference.
He said the Munich-based car maker would use the resources previously spent on the F1 team to advance “sustainability and environmental compatibility.”
Klaus Draeger, the board member responsible for development, said the team was “unable to meet expectations in the current season.”
BMW's withdrawal followed that of Japanese car maker Honda ahead of the 2009 season, illustrating the growing pressure upon car makers to cut costs amid a global economic downturn that had hit new car sales.
Their withdrawal also lent credence to efforts by the FIA to significantly reduce F1 costs in order to retain existing teams and attract new entrants.
FIA, motor racing's world governing body, said it hoped BMW was the last manufacturer to leave the series.
“The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW's intended withdrawal from Formula One, but is not surprised by it,” it said in a statement.
“It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis. Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer. This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically.”
BMW's decision to end its involvement on Formula One only came Tuesday and the company was still considering what to do with the staff involved with the team, Draeger said.
“Of course ... would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years,” BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said.
“But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula One racing.”
Mercedes, the other major German car maker involved in Formula One, said it regretted BMW's pullout, “but it will have no influence on our F1 engagement.”
The decision by BMW comes at a time when auto makers worldwide are reporting lower sales amid the global economic slowdown. Consumers are reluctant to open their wallets for big-ticket items and companies are trimming costs.
Georg Stuerzer, an automotive analyst with UniCredit in Munich who follows BMW, told AP that he estimated that the company was spending approximately $280-million (U.S.) a year on its Formula One involvement.
Draeger said it was not yet clear if the decision would result in job losses in Munich and Hinwil, Switzerland. The operation counts some 700 workers.
“Since we only made this decision yesterday, we cannot provide any more precise information,” he said. “We will develop and assess various scenarios and do our best to find a solution for the employees in Hinwil and the staff members involved in the Formula One project in Munich.”
The withdrawal will prompt speculation about the future of drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld. Kubica will be in strong demand for next season and will likely remain involved in F1.
The future for Heidfeld is less certain, though his long stint in the sport could make him an attractive option for the new entrant teams next season, who will be looking for an experienced driver.
In its debut season in 2006, BMW Sauber wound up fifth in the constructors' championship. In 2007, the German-Swiss team came in second after McLaren-Mercedes' exclusion from the points standings.
In 2008, the team was in the hunt for the world championship until the end of the season, winding up third. Kubica had the only GP victory in Canada.
So far, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has taken one pole position (Kubica in Bahrain in 2008) and 16 podium finishes. It is eighth in the constructors' standings in the current season.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/bmw-pulls-plug-on-f1/article1234744/
The maestro is back (temporarily)
I'll have to start watching the races again.
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/story/?id=286113
I'll have to start watching the races again.
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/story/?id=286113
I whole-heartedly agree!! It seems, however, that the odds will be piled up against Schumi since he'll only be driving the new Ferrari a couple of days before the race during practice. What a great breath of fresh air he is to F1 racing!
Bernie Ecclestone says F1 will return to Montreal in 2010.
http://www.rds.ca/f1/chroniques/279745.html
http://www.rds.ca/f1/chroniques/279745.html
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