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An Act Of Barbarism

FEATURE BY MIKE LAWRENCE
02/07/2015

The news that Monza may have to share the Italian GP with Imola shows how decadent F1 has become. Decadent is the only word.

Grand Prix racing without Monza hosting the Italian GP is unthinkable but then, I guess, so was the idea of Grand Prix racing without France or Germany. Or giving double points to Abu Dhabi.

As I write this Wimbledon has begun and I do not have to use more than the name of a pleasant suburb in South West London to say what that means. Wimbledon is only one of the 'Grand Slam' tournaments. In terms of prize money and how it affects a player's ranking, it is equal with other major tournaments, but it is actually the first among equals.

The deciding factor is history. There are some sports venues which imply 'through this gate, or down these steps, the greatest in the game have trod.' Monza is one such venue.

Monza is more than just history, it is one of the great circuits. The layout has changed over the years, and the experiments with bankings were abandoned, but there it sits in a former royal park, a majestic creation.

There was a time when a threat to Monza could not have been believed. But then Formula One was sold.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the stake CVC Capital Partners took in Formula One is the best-ever investment by a private equity company, They have recouped five times their investment and put not a penny into the sport.

The ever-increasing demands by FOM has put circuits in jeopardy on behalf of investors. It is hard to blame CVC, it is what they do. They do not create anything, they make money by shifting money around. The people to blame are those who allowed it to happen. The FIA, under Max Mosley, sold the family silver for a pittance.

Azerbaijan is an oil-rich country whose notoriously corrupt government wants to strut on the world stage and so is prepared to pay through the nose to subsidise a race. Monza, the world's oldest Grand Prix circuit, has to pay its way.

Azerbaijan, as a country, has shown no interest in motor racing, Monza has the tifosi. It seems that this counts for nothing.

In my last piece I commented how NASCAR and Indianapolis put on a show. Part of that show is celebrating their history. Talledega has a fine museum devoted to NASCAR (there is a display of a dozen or so photographs acknowledging the existence of Grand Prix racing). It is part of the American approach to sport which includes Halls of Fame that celebrate the achievements of past players. I bet every kid who follows baseball knows about Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson.

Then there is the superb museum at the Indianapolis Speedway. Both museums charge reasonable admission and neither tries to rip off the public when it comes to souvenirs. They understand that history makes the present important and so they promote it as widely as they can.

Monza opened in 1922; it predates Le Mans and only Indianapolis is older. Its importance to motor racing history cannot be over-stated any more than the Italian contribution. I defy anyone to visit Monza and not be aware of its spirit.

The contribution of Azerbaijan to automotive and motor racing history is easy: it is zero, zippo, zilch. Its cash contribution to FOM is another matter, but we are not allowed to know what it is.

There is an argument which says that racing should be open to all countries. It is, even Andorra has a track. The motor sport I have loved all my life begins with local car clubs running simple rallies and treasure hunts. It progresses via sprints and hill climbs. It involves marshals and medical teams, without whom motor sport cannot take place. It grows from the grass roots.

A marshal at a club meeting at Silverstone, Hockenheim or Monza hopes to be part of the show at a Grand Prix. They are part of a motor racing culture. Some countries have such a culture, most do not. I think that a country should demonstrate that it has a motor racing culture before it is allowed a Grand Prix.

No matter how much money I have, I cannot turn up at Wimbledon with a tennis bat and expect to play.

What rankles me is that countries can use the top level of the sport merely to promote themselves by writing a cheque. Countries like Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan and Bahrain did not create the technology to exploit the oil beneath their feet. Instead, they herded goats and traded slaves. In effect, they are lottery winners with the vulgarity of so many lottery winners.

History is important, it gives value to the present, and Monza represents history. To put it in jeopardy while promoting the like of Azerbaijan is an act of barbarism.

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READERS COMMENTS

 

1. Posted by 4-Wheel Drifter, 15/08/2015 22:55

"Hello Mike. I read through the comments before posting so I wouldn't bore you (or anyone else) by repeating what's already been said. I'd like to add just one thing. Years ago I found myself ranting on the injustice of the actions of some of my colleagues in my boss's office. His name, for the record, was Paul Stewart; he was then the Provost of Butler University and a friend. As was his wont, he waited for me to run out of steam. I had been demanding that we make a change in the rules to prevent such a travesty in the future. What he said to me then I think we should all consider. "jim," he said, "good men can get good results from the most crazy system and bad men can take the best system in the world and get terrible results." The problem, Mike, isn't the system; it's the S.O.B.'s in it. From Bernie to the team bosses to the manufacturers representatives the goal isn't racing; it isn't even winning. It's avoiding losing."

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2. Posted by gturner38, 20/07/2015 0:21

"We don't need to run campaigns to dismiss Azerbaijan's suitability for hosting a grand prix. We only have to look at the circuit they used for GT3, which was not fit for purpose. One short section wasn't wide enough to park two cars side much less actually pass. Other sections weren't much wider and had people in the very small gap between the catch fence and housing that sat just 5-10 feet off the track. "

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3. Posted by Max Noble, 10/07/2015 13:50

"As BAR so gloriously stated... "a tradition of excellence". If the coin has Ceasar's head on it I guess you owe the tax to Ceaser. Now if we could only work out who Ceaser was and what the tax benefited it would all be good..."

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4. Posted by Jigsaw, 03/07/2015 22:57

"It won't matter where they race F1 if it continues on the way it's headed. No competiveness makes it where no one will watch anyway. One team runs off and laps almost every team that has entered really doesn't really equate a race. When Merc turns up the power setting for qualifying and the race then leaves everyone in the dust be it in Monza or Azerbaijan people will just turn off the tv or tune to motocross or moto gp and there goes the ratings. No tv viewers do more damage to sponsorship money than just about anyplace they decide to hold the race. No money. No racing. Too bad."

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5. Posted by Rock Doc, 03/07/2015 17:03

"And we all thought Blatter and FIFA were doing a bad job of hiding the bribes. Bernie is up front and doesn't care who knows that F1 can be bought for the right price. And when the money runs out then so does the show (Turkey, India, South Korea).

If anyone had suggested Azerbaijan a few years ago they would have been laughed out of the place. How did we get here?"

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6. Posted by White Lightning, 03/07/2015 16:45

"Seems that Pitpass is not just read in the corridors of motorsport power - even the Azerbaijani propaganda ministry is logging in!"

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7. Posted by Rubaba, 03/07/2015 13:34

"Please don't mislead the people with your partial articles. Azerbaijan is developing country able to organize great events as the first European Games, Islamic Games, Eurovision Song Contest and etc. The other countries shall respect and support Azerbaijan in organizing such valuable events. Despite the black campaigns againsts Azerbaijan on purpose, nothing can impede the success of our country."

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8. Posted by Rashid, 03/07/2015 13:22

"Azerbaijan has been given a right to implement this event not because of any bias. But because it is a great country specialized in event planning and other countries are jealous of this. As more as Azerbaijan continues its success in international sphere, such type of misleading articles are published by special orders."

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9. Posted by NigarIskandar, 03/07/2015 11:21

"I think your problem is that there is no oil beneath your feet :)"

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10. Posted by RY, 03/07/2015 8:37

"Mike, I can't agree with you more.
You have hit the nail on the head as usual."

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11. Posted by MrSums, 02/07/2015 15:48

"Mike,

I so often agree with you and on this too (mainly). We were at Barcelona this year and it struck me how little razz-a-ma-taz there is nowadays, compared to say 10 years ago. I can only put this down to the fact that the circuit owners are paying so much for their FOA fee, that they can no longer afford the extras, or have priced them out of the market. The circuit, other than for a couple of hours on Sunday, was a dismal affair.

Contrast to the Isle of Man for the TT, where the whole place is just rocking - and at prices (cheap) that would make an F1 fan weep.

So other than the jingoistic comments, which I thought mis-placed and offensive, another good article."

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12. Posted by Carugatese, 02/07/2015 13:27

"A circuit like Monza is not a commodity like smartphones or clothes. It is not a simple product to sell, it has a meaning, a cultural value. Entering the Autodromo it is not simply buy a ticket and go, just like going to the cinema and watch a movie. Monza is a theatre. "

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13. Posted by MKI, 02/07/2015 13:00

"koko, with respect I wonder if you are missing the central point; the issue is not about where events are run, but how the country selection process works. When a governing body is cut out of that process, which in motor sport's case it has been, it is a sport sanctioning system change of fundamental importance, the consequences of which need to be properly examined. I am not aware of any other globally recognized sport that uses this model."

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14. Posted by koko, 02/07/2015 11:32

"The reason F1 is moving to "exotic" countries is simple. Take a moment. Go to the bathroom and check the labels on all your clothes. I can bet on more than half of them is written "Made in <some-poor-country-here>". How many western countries with clothing-tradition there are out there? Now, look at your smartphone. Check the labels inside of it. I'm sure there is no western country written there as well. Should I bring in discussion the computer you're using to write this article? So, you are allowed to buy articles from "exotic" countries without tradition in clothing/electronics/automotive, but F1 is not allowed to do the similar thing for races ... because?"

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15. Posted by ligier26, 02/07/2015 10:17

"Motor racing is all about competition between teams and drivers each striving to be fastest. F1 cannot expect to survive when all engine manufacturers, except Mercedes, have their hands tied behind their backs because they aren't allowed to develop theirs. Addressing F1's problems by artificial means to "improve the show" through DRS etc is burying their heads in the sand. The current funding arrangements place most of the teams and the circuits at risk. "

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