Montreal Formula1 Race 2008

[Jeff247]

Watkins Glen

Je suis d'accord avec vous capitaine, the GP is not for everyone. I don't like crowds so that's a big part of my problem with the GP. I would like to thank you for arguing some of my points & I will consider your suggestions when i'm in town in a couple of weeks if i decide to head over to the GP. Who knows, maybe i'll like the experience more the second time around. Heck, i absolutely hated Mtl when i first went there 20 years ago & look at me today!

You should check out Watkins Glen ( www.theglen.com ) for the Indy cars on July 4th weekend. Great racing and a great crowd. By great I mean smaller and sober (relatively)!!! Watkins Glen is a beautiful course. Thousands camp in the infield. You can walk around in the wooded areas while the race is on. On a nice day, there is no better place to watch a race. And of course, plenty of jumbotrons!!

Here's some video I shot during a Daytona Protype 6 hr race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErhcle4G5Q

They also have a NASCAR race there. It's a ZOO!!! Takes forever to leave and it is jammed with people. Not recommended. I have been there but would rather watch it on TV than face the drunken rowdy crowd.

 

[Doc Holliday]

They also have a NASCAR race there. It's a ZOO!!! Takes forever to leave and it is jammed with people. Not recommended.

Sounds like the F1 race in Mtl. I'd like to know if Capt. Renault has found a solution to this problem. Capitaine?

 

[C Dick]

Which hotel has jacked up it's rates for you to pay that much?

Hotel du Fort? It appears that it is more like $200 regularly?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Hotel du Fort? It appears that it is more like $200 regularly?

I've stayed there in the past for half of that price.

 

[Jeff247]

I'll be staying in Plattsburgh NY for about $75 a night. Then drive into the Longueil metro to get to the race. I have a Nexus pass so the border Xing should be quick.

 

[Jeff247]

Thanks, I'll chesk it out. Anyone know what will be going on at the Bridgestone Open House Thursday June 6th?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Ecclestone says Mosley should resign as FIA president

LONDON -- Bernie Ecclestone called on Max Mosley to resign as president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for the first time on Saturday following Mosley's involvement in a sex scandal.

Ecclestone, 77, the commercial executive of Formula One, said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph he had been a friend of Mosley's for 40 years, but the time had come for him to quit.

It is the first time since the scandal broke in March that Ecclestone has publicly called for Mosley to quit. "He should stand down out of responsibility for the institution he represents, including F1," he said. "Everyone who I speak to in a position of authority across F1 rings me to say he should leave. It is regretful he has not made this decision."

Mosley, 68, hopes he will be given a vote of confidence to continue in his position at a meeting of FIA member clubs in Paris on Tuesday. "The last thing most people involved in the sport, including the clubs, would want to see is Max in a position where he could be forced to stand down," Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph.

"I don't want to see that. I've been a friend of Max for 40 years. I would hate to see him go this way after all he has done for the sport. Since the story broke I have been under enormous pressure from the people who invest in Formula One, sponsors and manufacturers, over this issue. They point out that as a chief executive or chief operating officer of a major company they would have gone either immediately or within 24 hours, in the same circumstances. They cannot understand why Max has not done the same."

Ecclestone described Mosley as a "strong man" and one that stuck to his decisions. "He feels there is still important work to do at the FIA. But in my view there is a way to accomplish this and retire at the end of the year at the FIA general assembly in November," he added.

Mosley has been fighting to save his job since the tabloid News of the World published details two months ago of what has been described as a Nazi-style orgy with prostitutes.

Mosley wrote to club presidents last week to explain his refusal to quit and why he should be allowed to see out his term of office. However, Ecclestone said Mosley could no longer represent the FIA worldwide because of the incidents. "The general feeling is that people would no longer be comfortable speaking to him in the same way. I have spoken to Max about this and advised him to stand down in November and not go to the vote next Tuesday."

This is why, after being a huge F1 fan for the past 30 years, i'm now one of its biggest bashers. TOO MUCH POLITICS!!! Internal politics & teams squabbling against one another is ruining what was once a great sport, in my opinion. For years, it's always been a handful of racers that had a chance to win a GP since there is absolutely zero parity in F1 racing. I'm no big fan of NASCAR either. I guess my loyalty has switched over to Indycar, which i've barely watched since Greg Moore's death. As far as i'm concerned, Montreal could lose the F1 race & i wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[smuler]

Hi Everyone

Due to the horrible USD vs CDN, I have bailed on my trip today to MTL, and will watch the race with my bong at home.

Between driving, expenses (hotel and Escorts) it would have cost me around 1000-1250 USD....

Quite a street party for days though!

I will save it for Amsterdam, FKK Germany, or Buenos Aires in October



Prediction- Kubica will score his first victory


Have fun this weekend everyone..even though some of you hate the race,and the crowds it brings...I wish we had something like this in NYC

( PS- I will be happy if Marie Eve from Asservissante does not appear to be working this weekend..as that would have been my Number 1 reason to visit !!! )


Best Regards

Smuler

 

[Jeff247]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions from fellow MERB's for an F1 race fan visiting Montreal!!! I am commuting from NY to Montreal. Parking at Longueil and taking the metro to the track has been great. Plus, between practice sessions and qualifying I have won enough at BJ and craps to pay for the trip!!! Looking forward to a great race tomorrow. Thanks again!!!!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Falling apart: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is an amazing disgrace, F1 drivers complain

Skating some and driving some, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes best survived the disintegrating asphalt to snatch pole position for today's 40th Grand Prix of Canada. His blistering lap of one minute, 17.886 seconds in the final seconds of afternoon qualifying, at an average speed of 201.571 km/h, pushed sentimental favourite Robert Kubica of BMW-Sauber onto the outside of the grid's front row for today's 1 p.m. race start.

But post-qualifying discussion yesterday was much less about the performance of the pilots than it was the condition of the track they scorched, the oft-repaired 4.361-kilometre circuit coming apart dangerously at the seams in at least three places.

The track, Raikkonen said, is "a joke."

It is, Kubica said, "a disaster."

That this refrain is heard almost annually is embarrassing.

"I lost so much time in Turn 10, I couldn't turn around and went straight on," Raikkonen said. "We had the car to fight for (pole). We will see how it is going to be in the race and whether it is going to be a nightmare when we do 70 laps and it breaks up after two laps. It is going to be quite interesting. ...

"The problem is black patches. They redo it every year and every year, they break down. It's been the same the last three, four years. They always promise to fix it and the same happens again. Maybe they should find some other people from somewhere else to fix it."

Your words exactly, right, when you hit the same pothole every blasted spring? Most of the circuit held up under 708 laps run during the day, not counting those of cars in support series. Raikkonen had the most, at 45.

The real problems were at Turn 2 (the Senna Corner), which is a hard right at the end of the start/finish straight; Turn 7, a sweeping, hammer-down right on the way up the backside of the track; and the hairpin that is Turn 10, both the hard-braking entry and heavy-acceleration exit.

Kubica suggested that if a driver misses his line by just 10 centimetres, he'll lose one second. Worse, if he gets into dirt or sand off-line or into the marbles - the accumulated bits of rubber that crumble off the tires - the track will turn nearly to ice, greatly increasing odds of a high-speed wreck.

Fears last summer were that the surface would turn to gravel under the weight of NASCAR's 3,500-pound stock cars, which return to race here on Aug. 2. But those behemoths go into road-course corners braking from another area code and come out with much less force than the Formula One machines, which are more than a tonne lighter.

Grand Prix of Canada vice-president François Dumontier said that the situation at the hairpin "is under control." He explained that different specialists facilitated repairs for this race, but that changing technical regulations in F1 have increased loads and stress on the asphalt. "We will correct the problem as soon as the last car leaves the track today, and everything will be rectified for (today's) races," Dumontier said.

Not everyone was so sure. Red Bull's Mark Webber, who qualified 10th, suggested that a motocross bike might be a more useful way to tackle the Grand Prix, and that steering through the grass might not be a bad alternative.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=04773231-2599-40f9-9363-b1f6e54071c1

 

[Doc Holliday]

Tourism during GP weekend down according to local merchants

(edited & translated in english from a La Presse article)

Tourism during GP weekend is down as compared to last year, according to business owners from the main streets where some of the festivities are held.

One of the main streets feeling this St-Laurent boulevard, which has no big showcases & car expositions this year. Outside of the superb terrasses installed by the restaurants, there are few people.

"We do see tourists who came for the GP, but i'd say they're half of what they were a year ago", says Maria, owner of DEX.

"It's not like it used to be", adds Eva, owner of Euro Deli. A stylist from hair salon Tonic states that for the first time, she has a shortage of clients & things are slow even in the middle of GP weekend.

Downtown, things are not any better. "There really is less action than last year. This week, on Crescent street, I could extend my arms & not even touch anyone", complains a tourist from Belgium wearing the Ferrari's colors.

A waitress confirms that she sees less people walking on the street as compared to last year. She also sees the difference in her tips collected: at least 25% less.

Even the stripclubs are attracting less people. "We have two times less clients than last year, and they all arrive late, after midnight, instead of 9 or 10pm", claims Eric, a doorman at Club Downtown on Ste-Catherine street. "Who ever said that the sin industry couldn't be affected by the recession?"

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080608/CPACTUALITES/806080501/6730/CPACTUALITES

 

[Doc Holliday]

Tourism during GP weekend is down as compared to last year, according to business owners from the main streets where some of the festivities are held. Even the stripclubs are attracting less people. "We have two times less clients than last year, and they all arrive late, after midnight, instead of 9 or 10pm", claims Eric, a doorman at Club Downtown on Ste-Catherine street. "Who ever said that the sin industry couldn't be affected by the recession?"

Yesterday, i spoke to a few sps who mentionned that they were surprised that they weren't busier than usual. One even added that she was bored & waiting for the phone to ring, that she's busier than this on regular days. I replied that i was surprised that so many agencies were still posting their schedules daily since i figured they'd be too busy to do so or even have to.

 

[rollingstone]

The commentators on FOX said it was a sell out crowd. So that does not seem consistent with people saying business was slower than usual for F1 Weekend. I guess perhaps it could be explained by most of the spectators being locals this time. Or maybe most of the business comes from people who don't make it to the circuit?

I don't think its a reflection in any decline in F1's following. This has been a spectacular season so far.

 

[Jeff247]

I am from Syracuse NY and had a great time. I have been to Montreal a couple times before, but did not head down to Cresent because of the HUGE crowd reported. I took the metro in from Longeil and sat in section 33 (turn 6&7). The Budweiser concert after the race was a lot of fun!!! Enjoyed my trip to Canada and the help I recieved in planning from MERB's. Thank you!!!!

 

[smuler]

Hey Jeff..glad you had a good time..Did you go back to your home directly after the race ??

Just curious, as I used to drive home to NYC directly after the race years ago..this involved leaving the race about 15 minutes before the end, and hoping I got a head start to the border...

Did you park your car in the adjoined Metro parking lot to the Sandman hotel ??

Best Regards

Smuler

 

[Jeff247]

Hey Jeff..glad you had a good time..Did you go back to your home directly after the race ??

Just curious, as I used to drive home to NYC directly after the race years ago..this involved leaving the race about 15 minutes before the end, and hoping I got a head start to the border...

Did you park your car in the adjoined Metro parking lot to the Sandman hotel ??

Best Regards

Smuler

I stayed in Plattsburgh NY and commuted every day. I parked in The Longueuil Metro parking lot. Very easy in and out. Crossing the border after the race was VERY quick. I was the ONLY one in the NEXUS line. It looked like lines 20-30 cars deep in the regular crossing. I love that NEXUS PASS!!! I left monday morning. Very nice weekend with no hassles. And the weather cooperated too!! It was about 5 hrs to home.

 

[Jeff247]

This is a video of the Bud girls at the F1 race in Montreal (after 20 seconds of cars). Anyone know who the red head is with the black skirt?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTaGc4GHeu0

She is HOT!!