Wet & wild Qualifying Down Under for the first race of the 2014 season and the first test in anger for the new equipment. See how the boys did in Melbourne below the fold…
Monthly Archives: March 2014
A quick briefing on the new F1 technical regs…
…from the new Red Bull #2 and some guy named Vettel (h/t Michael):
So the cars are heavier but have less fuel and produce more torque with 2 KERS-type devices and also have an 8-speed gearbox. The engines are a throaty V6 Turbo rather than that old familiar high-pitched screech of the normally aspirated V8. Revs are also capped at 15k instead of 18k, the DRS slot is 20mm wider for better overtaking, the front wing is smaller so less downforce and the tire compounds from Pirelli have also been changed (and will hopefully be less prone to catastrophic delamination).
As with any major change in F1 — and these are fairly huge — there is a massive amount of grumbling up and down the paddock and from fans, with special vitriol reserved for the new safety-mandated lower noses (“Ugly!”) and the loss of the screaming engine note we’ve come to know and love (“It doesn’t sound like Formula 1!”). But with everyone starting from a clean sheet of paper it should shake up the field and perhaps limit Red Bull’s easy dominance of the last few years. In fact, it looks as if Mercedes has the jump on its competitors with many more testing hours than anyone else. Reliability will be a major issue, especially as regards overheating, and so will fuel management because there is still no refueling in F1 despite the reduced capacity. Therefore, tactics and excellence in engineering may outshine the individual brilliance of the drivers. But the cars themselves seem at this early stage to need to be “driven” more with throttle application coming off the corners particularly important as they are quite squirmy, so in the end the pilot will probably still have a great percentage of the responsibility for his team’s success.
While Red Bull and especially their fellow Renault-engined team Lotus seem to be particularly behind the 8-ball, it is never a good idea to make judgements this early in the season. If any team has the monetary, technical and driver resources to dramatically improve as the season progresses, it’s Adrian Newey, Sebastian Vettel and their very commited energy drink company. The truth will out after the summer break when the technical improvements really come into play. With these radical new regulations it will be fascinating to see if Red Bull and Vettel can again outpace the field as the season wears on or if it will finally be a different constructor and driver’s time to shine for the first time in 4 years.
Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix has already happened overnight (more on that later) and the race will air at approximately 2AM EST Sunday on NBCSports here in the States.
A little Friday comedy — The Trip (2011)
Just cannot get these funny bits from 2011’s Steve Coogan/Rob Brydon mockumentary, The Trip, out of my head. This movie is so damn funny in such subtle but uprorious ways, I could watch it once a month. Or maybe more like once a week — it’s that obsession-worthy.
Two Bonds for the price of one as a game of one-upsmanship between world class impressionists? So much win. And let’s not forget dueling Michael Caines.
The Trip is not only hilarious but also at times touchingly melancholy and always feels grounded in the real and complicated relationship between these two guys. Throw in some fancy food, lovely ladies and stunning North England scenery and it makes for a fantastic comedy. And don’t even get me started on the insanely long DVD outtakes for “Gentlemen, to bed!”…
What we’re listening to today — Do It Again by Steely Dan
I admit that I blow hot and cold on Steely Dan. There is something just so… L.A. about them, so very arch. Their lyrics are so damn in-the-know that they come across like the guys in the private room in the back doing blow. And you’re not invited behind the velvet rope. They legendarily named their band after a sex toy from Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, for chrissakes. That said, you can’t argue with their sterling musicianship. Before Steely Dan became a huge success, the core members Walter Becker (bass) and Donald Fagen (guitar) worked as a backup band for Jay and the Americans. And those two, who were really the only constant through the years, always had a special knack for picking ace talent to make up the rest of the band with a particular affinity for Jazz influences. A song like “Do It Again” from their 1972 debut Can’t Buy a Thrill shows their chops off to subtle perfection.
With its loping beat and intricate raga-like guitar and percussion, I associate “Do it Again” with palm trees, warm sea breezes and a cold rum drink. Or maybe a drug deal gone bad. Famously averse to live performance, here’s an early live version of the band with David Palmer singing lead for the unwilling Fagen.
The singing isn’t much to write home about — Palmer soon left the group and Fagen found his courage shortly thereafter, although he and Becker would always prefer the studio. But that magical groove is something else again.
Classic Movies We’re Watching — Seven Days in May
When it comes to paranoid film thrillers, the 1960s and 70s were the golden age. And John Frankenheimer’s 1964 classic Seven Days in May was perhaps the grandaddy of them all. Now, you can argue that Frankenheimer’s undisputed masterpiece The Manchurian Candidate, released two years earlier, was actually the prototype for the cinema’s soon-to-be omnipresent conspiracy-minded neurosis. But while Candidate does involve a horrifying plan to bring down the US government, the key difference is that in Seven Days in May that threat is coming from inside the country.
Burt Lancaster as General James Mattoon Scott & Kirk Douglas as Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey
Spoilers below the fold…
The Allure of Military Watches — Dodane Type 21
Aviator’s chronographs are among the most attractive of vintage military watches, as they tend to come in larger cases and have distinctive dial configurations for easy reading during missions. And hey, who doesn’t like a chronograph, right? Among the most storied pilot’s chronos are the Type XX and Type XXI, originally designed by Breguet in the 1950s for the French naval and air forces. Today, issued versions of those original watches, which Breguet produced in very limited numbers despite over a decade of manufacture, are among the most highly prized MilWatches out there and can routinely fetch $20k or more.
Early Breguet Type XX (Image from the excellent ablogtowatch.com)
But the “Type 20” and “Type 21” designations were more of a military specification than a proprietary one, so Breguet was not the only manufacturer to produce these watches for the French armed forces. Which is a good thing for the collector because the “off brands” that were supplied are just about as attractive and can be found in the $2500-3500 range give or take, a helluva lot easier on the wallet. Among the other suppliers (or at least producers) of “Type” aviator cronographs were Auricoste, Vixa and Dodane (Mathey-Tissot also produced what is essentially a Breguet clone but these are both super scarce and damn expensive in their own right). Click here for an excellent overview of French Military Type chronographs hosted over at FinerTimes.com.
Since I am the proud owner of a Dodane Type 21, I figure I’ll show it off and go into detail on this model in particular, although it is no better or worse a choice than any of the others in its price range. First off, one of the things that makes a Type 20 or 21 is a flyback feature added to the chronograph mechanism. Continue reading
What we’re listening to today — Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys
Seeing as we here in the Northeast and much of the rest of the US are locked into a seemingly endless cycle of winter, the only thing one can do is dream of warmer days and hope they’re not too far away. And what more summery music is there in the Rock canon than that of The Beach Boys?
One of Brian Wilson’s archetypal pocket symphonies, “Good Vibrations” is perhaps The Beach Boys best song and arguably one the greatest tunes ever recorded in any genre. It was certainly one of the most expensive songs in its day, costing an estimated $50,000 in 1966 dollars in studio and musician fees and took roughly 6 months to be completed to Brian’s satisfaction. It captures the group at their artistic peak and before Brian became completely lost in endless tape loops and overdubbing and psychotropic drugs. Released directly after and somewhat mysteriously left off of the Beach Boys’ masterpiece, Pet Sounds, it seemed to point the way to limitless possibilities as the band and their artistic leader vied to out-duel the Beatles for pure sonic invention. But the rivalry and visionary music in Wilson’s mind could not be reproduced to his satisfaction with the studio technology of that time and the legendarily messy and drug infested recording process of Pet Sounds’ planned follow-up, SMILE, led to confusion and musical cul de sacs. The sessions and tracks became so expensive and chaotic that eventually they had to be pared down and released as the bastardized Smiley Smile, on which the single “Good Vibrations” was finally included but clearly is not really a part of. Smiley Smile was, therefore, an ambitious yet truncated album of beautifully produced but oddball compositions with limited commercial appeal. The old Surf Rock fans didn’t like the new impressionistic vibe and the Rock intelligentsia, while appreciating the technical ambition and mastery of such tracks as “Heroes & Villains” and “Wonderful”, were decidely unimpressed by an overall sound that Jimi Hendrix derided as “psychedelic barbershop quartet.” The coup de grace for Brian Wilson came with the release and massive critical and popular success of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band just after the original SMILE was being shelved. Wilson conceded the concept album competition to the Liverpudlian champs and began his rather rapid decent into drug-fueled madness and artistic decline.
But what music he and the Boys made before the crackup! And it’s just what us polar vortex-blasted souls need to carry us through until the crocuses sprout, the days grow really long and warm, the barbecue is fired up again and the baseball season starts. Wouldn’t it be nice to strip down to our shorts, crack a beer and get some sun? You’re damn right it would.
