Donington Park in Leicestershire was the first permanent "road" type race circuit in the world; pre dating Indianapolis by a year Brooklands, where the majority of British motor races were held in the 1930s was a large banked oval track in Weybridge Surrey. It closed to motor racing in 1939 with the onset of the Second World War and would not open for racing again. Interestingly this is where the RAF WW2 bomber the Wellington was produced thus it is not a little ironic that Mercedes Benz now has a museum and test track there.
But Donington was also quite famous, not least for two major races(both known as the Donington Grand Prix) involving the German Mercedes Benz and Auto Union teams in 1937 and 1938. There was a bit of an outcry at the time because of course these two teams were used by the Nazi government as nothing more than propaganda machines. Indeed there was great play made of the fact that one of their drivers was a british man by the name of Richard Seaman. As with Brooklands, racing ceased in 1939 and the circuit was used as a vehicle store by the ministry of defence, eventually falling into disrepair. Which is why in 1971 the late
Tom Wheatcroft, a construction contractor and motor sport enthusiast who was born in Castle Donington, bought it and reconfigured the track into a 1.9 mile circuit. The first meeting of the new era was a motorcycle meeting in 1977. From then many motorcycle and car meetings have taken place, including major touring car events such as the Tourist Trophy (TT) 500km, GT and Sports Prototype races, Moto GP and Superbikes and famously in 1993 the European Formula One Grand Prix.
Moving forward to 2007 and the British GP at Silverstone, where the then President of the FIA Max Mosley, announced to what can only be described as general amazement, that from 2010 the British GP would be held at Donington. It seems that Bernie Ecclestone the supremo of Formula One had been in discussion with the leaseholder of Donington Park Circuit, a company known as Donington Ventures Leisure Limited (DVLL) and they had signed a contract to host the GP from 2010 for a period of 17 years.
We must Take nothing away from Donington Park as a circuit but if the location and logistical issues represented to anyone wishing to host an event where at least 70,000 people would turn up on one day a "difficulty", the amount of work required to re configure the track, build the necessary infrastructure, pits complex and grand stands, presented at the time what can only be described as a serious challenge. In particular the proposed method of financing the scheme was novel in its approach, involving banks and individuals who would buy debentures for rather large sums. Of course at the time of the announcement, very few people realised that the financial institues would be entering meltdown within a year, the feeling among many was that whilst a massive task the scheme was (just) possible.
That was 2007; by March 2009 the full effects of the worldwide recession were being felt and even if Gordon Brown felt it necessary to blame our American cousins, his stance made little difference to us in the UK or indeed anyone else in the world. By this time (20 months after the initial announcement) we had little indication of any work at the circuit other than the installation of an access tunnel under the track. This it turned out would prove a major headache for DVLL because the design of the tunnel created a dangerous section of the track and therefore resulted in the eventual removal of the track licence until such time as it was reconfigured. A further problem was the stability of the tunnel which lead to a collapse of the track surface and therefore remedial work in order to support it. An inauspicious start tot he 2009 season and a prtent of waht was to come. By now of course even staunch supporters were more than a little concerned.
I last raced at Donington on 23 August 2009, after it had been through a truamatic season associated with cancelled races and track licence problems due to that tunnel. To say it was run down would be an understatement but the general lack of enthuisiasm around the place was sad. Furthermore apart from the tunnel there was little evidence of any attempt to get on with the major work involved in the required improvements. Of course we were now 11 months away from the 2010 GP and worryingly DVLL had not yet announced the funding deal. But by end September 2009 the infield had been largely excavated and things did appear to be moving on apace! Indeed trenches for services have been cut across the track and barriers removed etc.
The skeptics among us (me included) just could not see how the miracle, at the time delayed by a year, could ever be realised. Well we know now that it cannot be realised because sadly DVLL has been put into administration, possibly owing many millions of pounds as we understand it, and of course the construction has ceased.
So what are we left with?
It is currently uncertain as to who will take over the reins of this circuit, or indeed if anyone will at all! At best we can expect an uncertain race calendar for 2010 and at worst it means the loss of a major motor sport asset to the UK and motor sport enthusiasts far and wide. But let us not forget, this destruction of what was Tom Wheatcroft's dream has been perpetrated on the altar of greed, nothing more nothing less.
Rest in Peace Tom.
30 November 2009
28 November 2009
Ans: Beat it, but I prefer letting it stand for a day.
I twittered that to someone last night. As a double entendre it has a certain flare don't you think?
It is also a great example of how something perfectly normal may be misconstrued by many.
Unfortunately in this era of authoritarianism and political correctness, our lives are regularly controlled by people who are more than willing to take perfectly good situations and construe them in a way that suits the agenda of the day. Notwithstanding the current furore surrounding the "climategate" e mails, (why is everything perceived as "scandalous" now a gate?) there's the light bulb scam in the UK perpetrated by the EU and supported by the government (although that is a loose description of the bunch of nincompoops currently trying to run the country). The deal here was to reduce the use of energy by ceasing the production and sale of traditional tungsten light bulbs. These would be replaced by the low energy "long life" type of bulb. In turn this would mean people would have less need to replace the bulbs thereby providing two savings, energy for lighting and production of bulbs.
Of course the makers of these bulbs that are much more expensive than tungsten bulbs, are delighted because you see, they produce less light than a tungsten bulb, therefore people are going to install additional light fittings and of course light bulbs, thereby increasing the profit of the makers. We can also assume that the cost in energy terms for making these bulbs is increased due to quantity although I suspect (hope?) the energy required per bulb is lower. Here's a link to one article on the subject. And what about the risk of mercury from discarded bulbs? Pravda er sorry, the BBC had this report concerning the toxicity of these light bulbs in January this year. No doubt we can expect a "green" tax to be levied on individuals who try to dispose of these bulbs in future.
So the EU's environmental credentials are as ever questionable (along with its ethical and moral credentials) and indeed Gordon Brown and his mob have questions to answer, yet will never do so.
Anyway the question that elicited the answer in the title was "How do you tenderize beef?"
It is also a great example of how something perfectly normal may be misconstrued by many.
Unfortunately in this era of authoritarianism and political correctness, our lives are regularly controlled by people who are more than willing to take perfectly good situations and construe them in a way that suits the agenda of the day. Notwithstanding the current furore surrounding the "climategate" e mails, (why is everything perceived as "scandalous" now a gate?) there's the light bulb scam in the UK perpetrated by the EU and supported by the government (although that is a loose description of the bunch of nincompoops currently trying to run the country). The deal here was to reduce the use of energy by ceasing the production and sale of traditional tungsten light bulbs. These would be replaced by the low energy "long life" type of bulb. In turn this would mean people would have less need to replace the bulbs thereby providing two savings, energy for lighting and production of bulbs.
Of course the makers of these bulbs that are much more expensive than tungsten bulbs, are delighted because you see, they produce less light than a tungsten bulb, therefore people are going to install additional light fittings and of course light bulbs, thereby increasing the profit of the makers. We can also assume that the cost in energy terms for making these bulbs is increased due to quantity although I suspect (hope?) the energy required per bulb is lower. Here's a link to one article on the subject. And what about the risk of mercury from discarded bulbs? Pravda er sorry, the BBC had this report concerning the toxicity of these light bulbs in January this year. No doubt we can expect a "green" tax to be levied on individuals who try to dispose of these bulbs in future.
So the EU's environmental credentials are as ever questionable (along with its ethical and moral credentials) and indeed Gordon Brown and his mob have questions to answer, yet will never do so.
Anyway the question that elicited the answer in the title was "How do you tenderize beef?"
26 November 2009
Think before pressing send
You know that feeling you get when you've just texted your wife or girlfriend (or both?) and told her in explicit detail exactly what you're going to do her when you get home, then just as you press "send" you realise its gone to your mum's number? Then there's the moment when you've just written a wonderfully bile filled e mail to your boss and instead of pressing "save in drafts" you press "send........................."?
Well I'm guessing a bit here but those extremely clever peeps at the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) may just be having feelings somewhat similar to those I describe above. For it seems that the arguments for Climate Change may not be as compelling as the experts and Al Gore would have us believe. Take a look at this website where a number of e mails between climate change researchers have been hacked and published. It's a fairly extensive library which unfortunately includes examples of manipulation of findings in order to exaggerate the effects of climate change as we understand it to be. We are told that this information is really of little consequence and of course has been taken out of context. Oookay then. This release of information, whether it be out of context or not, is not what governments want to see for if there is contrary evidence to the scaremongering then it may well dent their ability to charge us for the use of our cars, central heating/air conditioning (delete as appropriate) etc. Of course you may call me a cynic but green taxes are not there to reduce consumption, they are there to make easy money for governments. Ergo there is little governmental energy devoted to actual reduction of usage because that would have a negative effect on the tax revenues.
But let us not be one sided or possibly cynical here because of course pumping CO2 and other substances such as unspent hydrocarbons into the atmosphere quite probably does have a bit of a negative effect on our lives. And of course we don't want to end those lives back in mud huts with no electricity but a nice view of the rapidly rising seas. So efficient use of resources may be a better answer than carbon credits (how do they work?) etc.
Some might say that motorsport is one of the worst forms of sport for burning hydrocarbans. It just will never be green. I tend to agree, however before people look towards motorsport for a relief from Climate Change I suggest they look towards the various governments who take our money but instead of making life more efficient, spend it on civil services and quangos, both of which in the UK are too big or too many or both! Surely if that cash was spent on transport systems there'd be a lot less unburnt hydrocarbons in the atmosphere because there'd be less traffic jams and therefore fuel efficiency would rise? And on that subject of course a racing car uses its fuel as efficiently as it can because it does not sit for hours in traffic jams!
So, I have a theory about Climate Change, which as we know can only be determined since records began (in around 1910 I believe) and my theory is this. The climate changes, live with it.
Well I'm guessing a bit here but those extremely clever peeps at the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) may just be having feelings somewhat similar to those I describe above. For it seems that the arguments for Climate Change may not be as compelling as the experts and Al Gore would have us believe. Take a look at this website where a number of e mails between climate change researchers have been hacked and published. It's a fairly extensive library which unfortunately includes examples of manipulation of findings in order to exaggerate the effects of climate change as we understand it to be. We are told that this information is really of little consequence and of course has been taken out of context. Oookay then. This release of information, whether it be out of context or not, is not what governments want to see for if there is contrary evidence to the scaremongering then it may well dent their ability to charge us for the use of our cars, central heating/air conditioning (delete as appropriate) etc. Of course you may call me a cynic but green taxes are not there to reduce consumption, they are there to make easy money for governments. Ergo there is little governmental energy devoted to actual reduction of usage because that would have a negative effect on the tax revenues.
But let us not be one sided or possibly cynical here because of course pumping CO2 and other substances such as unspent hydrocarbons into the atmosphere quite probably does have a bit of a negative effect on our lives. And of course we don't want to end those lives back in mud huts with no electricity but a nice view of the rapidly rising seas. So efficient use of resources may be a better answer than carbon credits (how do they work?) etc.
Some might say that motorsport is one of the worst forms of sport for burning hydrocarbans. It just will never be green. I tend to agree, however before people look towards motorsport for a relief from Climate Change I suggest they look towards the various governments who take our money but instead of making life more efficient, spend it on civil services and quangos, both of which in the UK are too big or too many or both! Surely if that cash was spent on transport systems there'd be a lot less unburnt hydrocarbons in the atmosphere because there'd be less traffic jams and therefore fuel efficiency would rise? And on that subject of course a racing car uses its fuel as efficiently as it can because it does not sit for hours in traffic jams!
So, I have a theory about Climate Change, which as we know can only be determined since records began (in around 1910 I believe) and my theory is this. The climate changes, live with it.
12 November 2009
Why Expats Become Racist
The Qatar Visitor Blog produced a list of 10 reasons to stay in Qatar. Interestingly it came up with 14 reasons to leave. One of those reasons was this:
5. You are becoming racist. It's a strange thing, a thing which my wife pointed out to me, but many people seem to become racist here. Perhaps its human nature that a melting pot of human culture can lead more often to mutual disrespect than to mutual understanding.
So why would a person who has traveled the world, met interesting people, caught interesting diseases (oops old joke sorry), worked with some great "foreign" colleagues, become racist?
Here's a few examples.
In Europe and the USA there are concepts of courtesy. Courtesy extends to road use and care for your fellow human being.
I drove into the City Centre shopping mall car park in Doha a few weeks ago and saw a spot conveniently located near to the entrance. The only problem was a shopping trolley parked across the space. I stopped the car, noted that there was a petrol camel (Landcruiser) in the space behind but failed to note that the engine was running and there was a Qatari behind the wheel. I moved the trolley and returned to my car, when I attempted to enter the space I found a Landcruiser moving into it. The Qatari got out gave me a disdainful look and walked away. I admit I found it funny and was laughing to myself. The fact that this guy considered his actions to be a) polite and b) legitimate made me think he was and probably is a complete lowlife. A sense of humour would have saved his reputation.
Then there's the reception in my apartment building. I have a problem with my floor tiles, they are marble and are lifting from the substrate. Not unusual in this part of the world. Anyway I asked for a maintenance man to survey the problem and report back. Tonight I approached the desk and had the following conversation:
Me. "Good evening how are you?" Filipino receptionist "Hi sir can I help you?".
Me. "Hi how are you?" Her. "Yes sir what can I do for you?"
Okay I decided to change my tack. "I have a problem with my floor ti............... " "yes sir I'll ask the maintenance manager to come to your apartment" she picks up the phone.
"Er no I asked yesterday for someone to come to my apartment to survey the floor tiles. I asked for them to come in today, did it happen?"
"I'll phone the maintenance manager and ask him to come up right away."
By now I'm running out of options and thinking how satisfying it would be to throttle the stupid tart and get a replacement who could a) comprehend English and b) tell me the news even if it was bad.
I walked away. for the record my tiles are popping as I type!
Other situations are just plain rude.
There is a tendancy to ignore road signs here. I've never experienced this anywhere else because the slightest wrongdoing leads to a bribe at the police bank, but here? I had occasion to confront a local who was driving north in a one way street that was south pointing. When I suggested he might consider other road users he turned to his girlfriend then back to me and said "when you are a policeman you can make me change, until then piss off.".
So you see there's every reason to dislike the locals in this part of the world. There is no courtesy and definitely no honour. Just a creed.
That said I was waiting to exit a junction recently and a Qatari in a Tahoe who had right of way, stopped, flashed his lights and waved me out.
Just that one act of courtesy made my day.
5. You are becoming racist. It's a strange thing, a thing which my wife pointed out to me, but many people seem to become racist here. Perhaps its human nature that a melting pot of human culture can lead more often to mutual disrespect than to mutual understanding.
So why would a person who has traveled the world, met interesting people, caught interesting diseases (oops old joke sorry), worked with some great "foreign" colleagues, become racist?
Here's a few examples.
In Europe and the USA there are concepts of courtesy. Courtesy extends to road use and care for your fellow human being.
I drove into the City Centre shopping mall car park in Doha a few weeks ago and saw a spot conveniently located near to the entrance. The only problem was a shopping trolley parked across the space. I stopped the car, noted that there was a petrol camel (Landcruiser) in the space behind but failed to note that the engine was running and there was a Qatari behind the wheel. I moved the trolley and returned to my car, when I attempted to enter the space I found a Landcruiser moving into it. The Qatari got out gave me a disdainful look and walked away. I admit I found it funny and was laughing to myself. The fact that this guy considered his actions to be a) polite and b) legitimate made me think he was and probably is a complete lowlife. A sense of humour would have saved his reputation.
Then there's the reception in my apartment building. I have a problem with my floor tiles, they are marble and are lifting from the substrate. Not unusual in this part of the world. Anyway I asked for a maintenance man to survey the problem and report back. Tonight I approached the desk and had the following conversation:
Me. "Good evening how are you?" Filipino receptionist "Hi sir can I help you?".
Me. "Hi how are you?" Her. "Yes sir what can I do for you?"
Okay I decided to change my tack. "I have a problem with my floor ti............... " "yes sir I'll ask the maintenance manager to come to your apartment" she picks up the phone.
"Er no I asked yesterday for someone to come to my apartment to survey the floor tiles. I asked for them to come in today, did it happen?"
"I'll phone the maintenance manager and ask him to come up right away."
By now I'm running out of options and thinking how satisfying it would be to throttle the stupid tart and get a replacement who could a) comprehend English and b) tell me the news even if it was bad.
I walked away. for the record my tiles are popping as I type!
Other situations are just plain rude.
There is a tendancy to ignore road signs here. I've never experienced this anywhere else because the slightest wrongdoing leads to a bribe at the police bank, but here? I had occasion to confront a local who was driving north in a one way street that was south pointing. When I suggested he might consider other road users he turned to his girlfriend then back to me and said "when you are a policeman you can make me change, until then piss off.".
So you see there's every reason to dislike the locals in this part of the world. There is no courtesy and definitely no honour. Just a creed.
That said I was waiting to exit a junction recently and a Qatari in a Tahoe who had right of way, stopped, flashed his lights and waved me out.
Just that one act of courtesy made my day.
8 November 2009
Spa Francorchamps
The car you see in the picture is a Ford Capri 3.0s. It is built to replicate the car that won the Spa Francorchamps 24hrs race in 1978. I race this car and have done for around 15 years. In fact you could say that they'll have to surgically remove it from me when I die!Anyway Spa Francorchamps is a fantastic circuit set in the Belgian Ardennes. As a racing theatre it is second to none and for many reasons is the favourite circuit of nearly all racing drivers. We race there every year at around the end of September and this year was no different. The event is the FIA 6hrs of spa Francorchamps and as the name suggests the weekend includes a six hour race for cars built prior to 31 December 1965. These cars run as Appendix A which is a category specific to the FIA. For the last three years, not only have I raced my Capri in one or more of the support races, I have also shared an MGB in the 6hours race. This has led to a busy if tremendous weekend.
This is the MGB as it looked during the 2008 race. It is a lovely little car and a delight to drive. Not the fastest out there but certainly not the slowest. But you need your wits about you because cars such as GT40s and Cobras are also in the race and they are significantly faster.Anyway this year we decided to enter only one of the one-hour support races with the Capri and of course the 6hours with the MG.
It was somewhat disappointing to arrive at Spa on the Thursday to be greeted by rain, so any chances of practicing were washed away. It was therefore necessary to guess at the suspension settings for qualifying which would be dry the next day.
We qualified the car 24th out of 66, which was not too shabby. We were third in our class and had lapped 5 seconds quicker than any previous attempts. The race looked promising. This is a two driver race with a compulsory pit stop and we elected to stop at half way. My co driver would take the start. Unfortunately when we came to start the car before the race on Saturday morning, it refused to fire up until it was too late to leave the pit lane. The result was that not only would we start from the back, we'd have to catch up with the field that had already been warmed up! This incidentally is why the headlights are on. Get out of the way we're coming through!
My co driver performed brilliantly so that when I took over we were in 40th place. Every lap produced overtaking opportunities and the car felt fantastic. I could get on the gas so much earlier and of course I was able to drive through Blanchiment flat in top, something that previous years had required a lift to get the nose turned in. Due to the lappery we never got to beat our qualifying time but we did overtake the two cars in our class that started ahead of us and we finished 24th and first in class.
All was looking good for the 6hours.
I was due to take the start in the MG at 4pm and would run for 1 1/2 hours for the first stint. After that it would be another 1 1/2 hours for my co driver then I'd get back in for my second and final stint. I've spent around ten hours in the car and was looking forward to another good result for the weekend. Sadly it was not to be.
On my 6th lap a Lotus Elan approached me at very high speed as I was entering Pouhon, a double apex left hand bend. You enter in third gear and accelerate through taking top gear at the second apex. Anyway I saw the Lotus approaching and waved him down the inside and prepared to follow him through. That's when it went wrong. The driver of the Lotus slowed as he pulled in front of me, I saw he was struggling to control the car which was sliding sideways and over the kerbs. I had little choice but to move back on line and take the corner as normal. Sadly the other driver was still struggling and speared back on to the track, into the rear of my car.
Here is the result.
I spun into the barrier, then spun around and rolled, returning to what was left of the four wheels.
Without giving away names I can tell you that the other driver is a well known ex touring car and F3000 driver. I went to see him in the paddock afterwards to shake hands and commiserate. As far as I was concerned it was a racing incident. The only thing we did wrong was enter the race, yet this lord of all he races, took it upon himself to berate me and suggest that it was all my fault. I decided to walk away and went for a beer.
So, unlike previous years the unsporting behaviour of another competitor dampened what could have been a great weekend. Even the crash hadn't taken away the satisfaction of our class win earlier in the day.
But, that's not the end. The car is being repaired as I write and will return to the tracks next season. In the meantime there's a weekend of historic motor sport planned at Abu Dhabi 21 to 23 January 2010. 60', 70's and 80s, Sports Prototypes and Formula 1 cars will be heading out from Europe and we may even try to get them to Qatar later next year.
7 November 2009
Friends
What is it with people these days? Or could it be me? I'm forced to consider whether I continue with my current input to various organisations and websites simply because I seem to be moving away from the consensus on many areas.
Take the recent events in the Formula 1 Championship.
I have been a fan of Jenson Button since he arrived in the category. Being away most of the time, he hadn't appeared on my radar prior to that. It was the same with Kimi. I observed his arrival then the Benetton/Renault years when Flavio, blatantly in my opinion, used Button to enhance the reputations of his contracted drivers, Fisichella. Flav made money but history tells us that Fisi has very little fizz and as for Trulli? The perceived wisdom is that Flav was aggravated when Button rented a yacht and moored it in a prime location in Monaco for his first GP there. That was also the "playboy" period and Jenson was living the dream. Possibly incorrect but not a hanging offence.
Then he moved into a team that had been built around its star driver Jacques Villeneuve, who proclaimed that Jenson was an also ran. That was the turning point for many, because the also ran creamed his illustrious partner and went on to lead the team. If people didn't know it then, I suggest they were either blind or biased because we were witnessing a talent in the making.
Along the way, and let's not forget he is still only 29, he made some mistakes. Jerking Sir Frank Williams around is not a good thing to do so, like many, I was critical of his actions at that time. Indeed I couldn't see any good reason to stay at BAR (nee Honda) which was sadly under performing. But stay he did.
Moving on, he scored his and the team's first and indeed only, win at Budapest in 2006. Certainly he was mildly lucky to win when Alonso broke down but he was applying sufficient pressure in second place to make Alonso push harder than he might. All of which lead to the circumstance I described. But all through that season he was consistently in the top six. More evidence that he was no "also ran".
Last season (2008) was a year to forget. The car was a dog and although he was being beaten by his team mate he remained loyal to the team and made very little complaint.
Then, when things were looking good for 2009, Honda quit. Not only did this impact the team, it had ramifications all through the grid that would continue to this day with the retreat of the under performing Toyota just this week.
So what is the point of this post? Well, I've seen some good reasons for disliking a person and let's face it, anyone who is famous is there to be critiqued but surely the following is just plain daft?
Apparently Jenson Button is not worthy of being the World Champion because;
"He wants more money next year and yet loads of people in his team were downsized last year."
"He's already trousering shed loads of money yet there are people who have no work."
"When he was nine he had a crash in a Kart race and his dad berated the marshal."
"He spent a lot of time saying "I'm the World Champion" and didn't acknowledge the team."
I could go on but the above quotes are paraphrased from various conversations and my answer to them in order was:
He took a massive pay cut to support the team at the beginning of the season and having done everything he could, surely it isn't unreasonable to expect a pay rise?
Like many people I am fortunately working, I'm sure those who are out of work would be really grateful if I took a pay cut or indeed resigned in order to give them employment. No it doesn't work does it? Likewise why should Jenson be punished because he is a success?
If you are that bitter about something after twenty years, you lead a really sad existence. Furthermore as deplorable as berating a marshal is, it was his dad not Jenson doing the berating.
I guess his rendition of Queen's "We are the champions" and his interview where he thanked the team don't count then? Although I do think he should retire from his singing career.
So, what to do? I'm currently reconsidering my list of friends because for the record I never knew they were so small minded.
You live and learn.
Take the recent events in the Formula 1 Championship.
I have been a fan of Jenson Button since he arrived in the category. Being away most of the time, he hadn't appeared on my radar prior to that. It was the same with Kimi. I observed his arrival then the Benetton/Renault years when Flavio, blatantly in my opinion, used Button to enhance the reputations of his contracted drivers, Fisichella. Flav made money but history tells us that Fisi has very little fizz and as for Trulli? The perceived wisdom is that Flav was aggravated when Button rented a yacht and moored it in a prime location in Monaco for his first GP there. That was also the "playboy" period and Jenson was living the dream. Possibly incorrect but not a hanging offence.
Then he moved into a team that had been built around its star driver Jacques Villeneuve, who proclaimed that Jenson was an also ran. That was the turning point for many, because the also ran creamed his illustrious partner and went on to lead the team. If people didn't know it then, I suggest they were either blind or biased because we were witnessing a talent in the making.
Along the way, and let's not forget he is still only 29, he made some mistakes. Jerking Sir Frank Williams around is not a good thing to do so, like many, I was critical of his actions at that time. Indeed I couldn't see any good reason to stay at BAR (nee Honda) which was sadly under performing. But stay he did.
Moving on, he scored his and the team's first and indeed only, win at Budapest in 2006. Certainly he was mildly lucky to win when Alonso broke down but he was applying sufficient pressure in second place to make Alonso push harder than he might. All of which lead to the circumstance I described. But all through that season he was consistently in the top six. More evidence that he was no "also ran".
Last season (2008) was a year to forget. The car was a dog and although he was being beaten by his team mate he remained loyal to the team and made very little complaint.
Then, when things were looking good for 2009, Honda quit. Not only did this impact the team, it had ramifications all through the grid that would continue to this day with the retreat of the under performing Toyota just this week.
So what is the point of this post? Well, I've seen some good reasons for disliking a person and let's face it, anyone who is famous is there to be critiqued but surely the following is just plain daft?
Apparently Jenson Button is not worthy of being the World Champion because;
"He wants more money next year and yet loads of people in his team were downsized last year."
"He's already trousering shed loads of money yet there are people who have no work."
"When he was nine he had a crash in a Kart race and his dad berated the marshal."
"He spent a lot of time saying "I'm the World Champion" and didn't acknowledge the team."
I could go on but the above quotes are paraphrased from various conversations and my answer to them in order was:
He took a massive pay cut to support the team at the beginning of the season and having done everything he could, surely it isn't unreasonable to expect a pay rise?
Like many people I am fortunately working, I'm sure those who are out of work would be really grateful if I took a pay cut or indeed resigned in order to give them employment. No it doesn't work does it? Likewise why should Jenson be punished because he is a success?
If you are that bitter about something after twenty years, you lead a really sad existence. Furthermore as deplorable as berating a marshal is, it was his dad not Jenson doing the berating.
I guess his rendition of Queen's "We are the champions" and his interview where he thanked the team don't count then? Although I do think he should retire from his singing career.
So, what to do? I'm currently reconsidering my list of friends because for the record I never knew they were so small minded.
You live and learn.
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