Who the hell is this kid? Well, c’mon in and find out. These are guys who will be tearing up NASCAR soon enough. Yeah, I said NASCAR and sports cars soon enough. Yes, NASCAR. What, you think the IRL is gonna hang on a couple more years?

To be fair, these are guys that are racing in the US open wheel formula style feeder series: F2000, Star Mazda, Atlantics, Formula BMW. and Indy Pro Series are the biggest out there to get into. Yes, that is too many. No, I can’t do much about that. But the economy sure will, what with Atlantics down to 12 car fields and IPS fast approaching that sorta number itself. The drivers won’t just be from the US, but also Canada, Europe, and South America. Maybe there will be an Asian talent too? READ AND FIND OUT MORE!

TOP NAMES:

Jonathan Summerton (pictured above)

Resume:

-A1GP (1 Win)

-Indy Pro Series (3 Top 5s in 5 starts)

-Formula 3 Euroseries (1 win, 3 podiums)

With more international experience at higher levels than other guys in the US, Summerton is always linked with USF1 efforts as a test driver and potential racer for 2010. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to garner enough sponsorship to make a dent overseas, forcing him back to the US in 2008 to start working on getting on a team here.

MY GUESS: F1 tester, perhaps a GP2 ride if lucky, eventually racing in GT sports cars

J.R. Hildebrand

-Indy Pro Series (5 wins)

-Atlantics (5 top tens, 2 podiums)

Another solid prospct destined to go into Grand-Am. Simply no one wants him in the IRL, and its unlikely to change with the only potential new teams for 2010 looking to be crossovers from ALMS with drivers like Pagenaud. If he’s serious about open wheel, he needs more sponsors and hope that Vision expands again with new Menard money.

MY GUESS: Grand-Am up until ISC folds it. Then off to second rate GT cars or whatever the SCCA rebrands Trans Am/Speed Challenge series as next.

Simona De Silvestro

-Atlantics (15 Top 5s, 8 Wins)

No surprise that the competition has fallen off significantly in the Atlantics. And yet, guess what? As the top drivers depart, her results went through the roof. Young, probably more capable than many of the GP2 backmarkers, and definitely on her way there next year. Doesn’t want to race ovals.

MY GUESS: GP2 career with lots of scrutiny given that she’s female. Lackluster results. Long tenure there, possible F1 ride if the sponsorship is there for a team such as Force India, Manor, or Durango.

John Edwards

-F2000 Eurocup (two seasons)

-Atlantics (1 podium, 3 top 5s)

-2008 Star Mazda Champion

On one hand, the results are not that stunning. He was solidly midpack in Eurocup, for instance. At the same time, he was 14 years old and was doing about as well as current F1 driver Jaime Alguersuari. He’s got a lot of talent, and Star Mazda’s been a jumping off point for IRL driver Raphael Matos and former NASCAR driver Michael McDowell. Its far too young to say what’s next.

MY GUESS: Beats me. No one in IRL is touching guys like this and he probably doesn’t have the funding for GP2. Perhaps a run in F2 next year?

MISSING THE CUT:

Richard Antinucci – Had his shot with the worn out 3G car. That might be it.

Peter Dempsey – Trying to get back to Europe.

Adam Christodoulou - Trying to get back to Europe.

ALSO:

Alex Ardoin, Jonathan Bomarito, Joel Miller, Ana Beatriz

asd

Playlist :

• Franz Ferdinand – Lucid Dreams
• The Raconteurs – Carolinia Drama
• Rodrigo y Gabriela – Tamacun
• Gorillaz – Kids With Guns
• Archive – Sane
• Rodrigo y Gabriela - Stairway To Heaven
• Sigur Ros – Gong
• Dead Kennedys – California Über Alles
• The Auteurs – Married to a Lazy Lover

• The Centurions – Bullwinkle Pt. II
• Dick Dale – Nitrus
• Atlantics – Aquarius
• Link Wray – Rumble

Quand j’ai commencé à écrire, j’écoutais les Wipers en boucle. “No Way”, la première chanson que nous avons enregistrée, est totalement dans l’esprit, comme si les Wipers était un groupe no wave” a déclaré Thurston Moore au sujet du prochain album de Sonic Youth, The Eternal, à paraître cet été sur Matador. Le guitariste évoque aussi “un paquet de refrains lourds et addictifs”, des textes inspirés par certains groupes black metal et une chanson, “Burning Shame”, en hommage au guitariste du MC5 Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith. “Nous sommes prêts pour un nouveau départ (…). [Le disque] est centré autour du rock, mais ça reste expérimental. Nous sommes Sonic Youth, je ne sais toujours pas comment jouer de la guitare.
Noise.

 

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Tamacun (a voir absolument)

SONIC YOUTH -Silver Rocket

It started innocently enough–as a simple effort to track down “Rebel Yell (The South’s Gonna Rise Again)” by the Pleasant Valley Boys, prompted by Alex’s post on the epic gore film Two Thousand Maniacs! What happened after that, dear reader…

I tried white-market means. I spent a dollar for a wretched cover version by Johnny Legend at Amazon. I remained unsatisfied. More Google. The lamp illuminating my fevered and perspiring brow was sputtering on the last remaining fumes of fetid kerosene when at last my efforts bore fruit.

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites contained the song I sought. But what was Lux & Ivy’s Favorites? More research yielded answers–answers to questions I ought not have asked in the first place…

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites is a compilation made by a fan of the Cramps. To be honest, I’ve always liked the Cramps better in concept than in execution–but Lux and Ivy are legendary record collectors and promoters of the obscure and bizarre, and I absolutely respect them for that. Would the awe-inspiring “Strychnine” by the Sonics even be remembered if it wasn’t for the Cramps? Perhaps not.

It’s nine volumes. All are readily available via Soulseek. The concept–compile every song Lux & Ivy have played before shows, mentioned that they liked in interviews, and so on.

It started as a way to keep track of some of the songs Lux , and or Ivy, mentioned in THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE MUSIC BOOK. It was never really intended as anything but a way for a friend of mine and me to have 2 really kick ass compilations.

So we went about the arduous process of finding all the songs mentioned in that interview. It took a loooong time. We used the file sharing program, Napster, as well as our own personal collections.

So, one thing leads to another and when word got around that these compilations were out there, they started being traded from fan to fan to fan. So at some point I decided to put them up on Napster and let anyone who wanted them have them.

As the years went buy, more interviews with Lux and Ivy kept popping up, and the list of songs they mentioned got longer and longer. This resulted in new volumes.

And what does it contain? Glad you asked.  It contains:

• Rockabilly (“Skull and Cross Bones” by Sparkle Moore),
• Surf music, (“War of the Worlds” by The Atlantics),
• Novelty songs (“The Mummy” by Bob McFadden and Dor),
• Classic blues tracks (several from Bo Diddley),
• Garage rock (“Green Fuz” by Randy Alvey and The Green Fuz),
• Legendary underground recordings (“(Let’s Dance) The Screw”) by The Crystals),
• Movie themes (“Beware the Blob” by the Five Blobs),
• Just plain weirdness (Porter Waggoner’s “Rubber Room”),
• Just plain awesomeness (the epic “Taboo” by Gene Summers),
• And, not least, “The Ballad of Thunder Road.”

And I’ve only made it through volume four!

Check it out–if your sanity can handle it.

(The compiler’s Soulseek username is nimereht. Proper respect.)

Update:  I made it through them all!  And I’m still perfectly sane!  Sane, I tell you!

Update 2: Volumes 1-11 can be acquired here. Volume 12 is here.

Video: “Green Fuz” by Randy Alvey and The Green Fuz

Below the fold is the complete track listing, with some corrections made to track listings I’ve seen floating around the Internet. I’m sure there are more corrections to be made, and I may have made an error or two myself–much of this stuff is very obscure, after all. But I’ve done my best. If you see any errors, let me know in the comments or e-mail me.

At the moment, this post only covers volumes 1-9, but I’ll add coverage of the next three when I have time to go through them in detail.

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 1

1. Sheriff & The Ravels – Shombalor
2. Sid King & The Five Strings – Let ‘er Rip
3. Ersal Hickey – Bluebirds Over The Mountain
4. Ersal Hickey – Hangin’ Around
5. Ronnie Dawson – Action Packed
6. Ronnie Self – Date Bait
7. Vern Pullens – Bop Crazy Baby
8. Donald Woods And The Belairs – Death Of An Angel
9. Gene Maltais – Crazy Baby
10. Billy Ward and His Dominoes – The Bells
11. Bob McFadden and Dor – The Mummy
12. Forbidden Five – RFD Rangoon
13. Forbidden Five – Enchanted Farm
14. The Medallions – Behind The Door
15. Nervous Norvous – Transfusion
16. The Clovers – Crawlin’
17. The Penguins – Earth Angel
18. The Blenders – Don’t Fuck Around With Love
19. Sparkle Moore – Skull and Cross Bones
20. Versatones – Bila
21. Versatones – Tight Skirt Tight Sweater
22. The Tornados – Telstar
23. The Treniers – Poon-Tang!
24. The Clovers – Rotten Cocksuckers Ball
25. The Collins Kids – Whistle Bait
26. The Chips – Rubber Biscuits
27. Jan & Arnie – Jennie Lee

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 2

1. 13th Floor Elevators – You’re Gonna Miss Me
2. Ric Cartey – Young Love
3. Slim Harpo – Strange Love
4. The Champs – Train To Nowhere
5. Cozy Cole – Topsy, Parts One and Two
6. Zacherley – Dinner With Drac
7. Randy Alvey and The Green Fuz – Green Fuz
8. Jackie Morningstar – Rockin’ In The Graveyard
9. John Buck and His Blazers – Forbidden City
10. Marvin Rainwater – Hot And Cold
11. Blues Rockers – Calling All Cows
12. The Five Blobs – The Blob
13. Ric Cartey – Oooh-Eeee
14. June Wilkinson and Mamie Van Doren – Bikini With No Top On Top
15. Wayne Williams – Red Hot Mama
16. Boss-Tones – Mope-itty Mope
17. Keith Courvale – Trapped Love
18. The Storey Sisters – Bad Motorcycle
19. Lightnin’ Slim – It’s Mighty Crazy
20. Bob McFadden and Dor – Noisy Village
21. The Crescents – Pink Dominoes
22. Marketettes – Out Of Limits
23. The Chimes – Zindy Lou
24. The Crystals – (Let’s Dance) The Screw – Pt. 1
25. The Invictas – The Hump
26. Earle Hagen & The New Interns – New Interns Watusi
27. Billy Ward & The Dominoes – Jennie Lee

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 3

1. The Pretty Things – Come See Me
2. The Leather Boy – On the Go
3. Roy Brown – Butcher Pete, Pt. 1
4. Roy Brown – Butcher Pete, Pt. 2
5. The Carnations – Scorpion
6. The Imps – Uh-Oh
7. Doctor Ross – The Boogie Disease
8. Howlin’ Wolf – Smokestack Lightnin’
9. Polka Dot Slim – A Thing You Gotta Face
10. The Ventures – The Rat
11. Mohammed Rafi AKA Ted Lyons & His Cubs – Jaan Pehechaan Ho
12. Bo Diddley – Congo
13. Anton LaVey – Satan Takes a Holiday
14. The Symbols – Do the Zombie
15. The Scarlets – Stampede
16. Danny Dell & The Trends – Froggy Went A Courting
17. Johnny Kidd & The Pirates – Shakin’ All Over
18. The Kinks – You Really Got Me
19. The Strangers – Caterpillar Crawl
20. Porter Waggoner – Rubber Room
21. Robert Mitchum – The Ballad of Thunder Road
22. Duane Eddy – Ramrod
23. Dick Penner – Cindy Lou
24. The Ideals – Go Go Gorilla
25. Jack Nitzsche – The Lonely Surfer
26. The Johnny Burnette Trio – Honey Hush
27. Mickey & Sylvia – No Good Lover
28. Duane Eddy – Stalkin’
29. Bo Diddley – I’m A Man
30. Johnny Fortune – Dragster
31. The Gee Cees – Buzzsaw Twist

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 4

1. Gene Summers – Taboo
2. Roland Janes – Guitarville
3. The Citations – Moon Race
4. Electro-Tones – Ghost Train
5. Hank Davis – Woman Train
6. Jack Nitzsche – Rumble
7. Gene Gray & The Stingrays – Surfer’s Mood
8. Charlie Feathers – In the Pines
9. Ric Cartey – My Babe
10. Reverend Charles Jackson – Wrapped Up and Tangled Up In Jesus
11. Les Baxter – Lust
12. Harley Hatcher – The Chase Is On [From the movie Satan's Sadists]
13. Jan Davis – The Time Funnel
14. The Atlantics – War Of The Worlds
15. Clyde Stacey – Hoy Hoy
16. Electric Prunes – Dr. Do Good
17. The Five Jones Boys – Mr. Ghost Goes To Town
18. Jackie & The Starlighters – Valerie
19. Musical Linn Twins – Rockin’ Out the Blues
20. Hugh Barrett & The Victors – Fungus Among Us
21. Cannibal & the Headhunters – Zulu King
22. Charlie Feathers – She Set Me Free
23. Portuguese Joe – Teenage Riot
24. Gene Maltais – Gang War
25. The Musical Linn Twins – Indian Rock
26. Jimmie Rodgers – Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No.
27. Ron Thompson – Switchblade
28. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy – Paralyzed
29. Vernon Green & The Phantoms – Sweet Breeze
30. Davie Allan & the Arrows – Theme from the Unknown
31. The Stooges – 1970

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 5

1. The Swamp Rats – Louie, Louie
2. The Trashmen – Bird ‘65
3. Link Wray & The Raymen – The Fuzz
4. Peanuts Wilson – Cast Iron Arm
5. Bo Diddley – The Story Of Bo Diddley
6. Homer Denison, Jr. – Chickie Run
7. Curley Griffin – Got Rockin’ On My Mind
8. The Isley Brothers – Nobody But Me
9. Ron Haydock & The Boppers – 99 Chicks
10. Bill Carter & The Rovin’ Gamblers – Baby Brother
11. Andre Williams – (M M M M Andre Williams Is) M-M-Movin’
12. The Quotations – Imagination
13. Carl Perkins – Let The Jukebox Keep On Playing
14. The Sparkles – Oh Girls, Girls
15. Julie London – Yummy, Yummy, Yummy
16. The Lifeguards – Everybody Out’ta The Pool
17. Ken Nordine – Strollin’ Spooks
18. Ken Nordine – Fliberty Jib
19. The Ramones – Beat On The Brat
20. Betty McQuade – Tongue Tied
21. Ronnie Ray & The Playboys – The Vulture
22. The Revels – Midnight Stroll
23. Ray Anthony – Dragnet
24. Link Wray – Genocide
25. Don Charles Presents The Singing Dogs – Oh! Susanna
26. The Deadly Ones! – It’s Monster Surfing Time
27. Edwin Bruce – Sweet Woman
28. Ted Weems & His Orchestra, with Elmo Tanner (whistle) – Heartaches
29. Vito & The Salutations – Unchained Melody
30. Jack Eely & The Courtmen – Louie, Louie ‘66

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 6

1. Earl Wade – I Dig Rock ‘n’ Roll
2. The Ran-Dells – Martian Hop
3. The Saxons – Camel Walk (Part 1)
4. The Nitecats – Jungle
5. Charlie Gracie – Guitar Boogie
6. The Flamingos – I Only Have Eyes For You
7. Kenny Owen – I Got The Bug
8. The Phantom – Whisper Your Love
9. Moses Longpiece – Slide Her Under the Door
10. Ray Harris – Come On Little Mama
11. The Cables – Choo-Choo
12. The Charades – Flamingo
13. Ronnie Isle – Wicked
14. Andre Williams With The Gino Parks Quartet – Pass The Biscuits Please
15. Gene La Marr and His Blue Flames – That Crazy Little House On The Hill
16. The Innocents – I’m A Hog For You
17. Thee Midniters – Jump, Jive and Harmonize
18. Bob Taylor & The Counts – Thunder
19. Mad Magazine – (She Got a) Nose Job
20. The Five Sharps – Stormy Weather
21. Booker T. & the MG’s – Green Onions
22. Jack Nitzsche – The Last Race
23. Elvis Presley – Milkcow Blues Boogie
24. The Fleetwoods – Unchained Melody
25. Mad Magazine – When My Pimples Turned To Dimples
26. Grace Tennessee and The American Spirits – Pow Wow
27. Phil and the Frantics – Say That You Will
28. Pasquale & The Lunar-Tiks – Moon Madness
29. Arthur Lyman – Taboo

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 7

1. Marvin & Johnny – Vip Vop
2. The Original Starfires – Fender Bender
3. Ronnie Kae – Drums Fell Off a Cliff
4. Young Jessie with The Flairs – Lonesome Desert
5. Andre Williams & The Don Juans – Pulling Time
6. Joe Clay – Did You Mean Jelly Bean (What You Said Cabbage Head)
7. T. Rex – Rip Off
8. Tony Allen and The Champs – Nite Owl
9. Betty McQuade – Blue Train
10. Sparkle Moore – Tiger
11. Stan Freberg – A Dear John and Marsha Letter [I think the compiler meant to include "John and Marsha," but this is the song that is included.]
12. The Dynamic Dial Tones – Boss
13. The Vocaleers – Cootie Snap
14. The Tokens – B’wanina (Pretty Girl)
15. Mississippi Mud Mashers – Moonglow
16. John & Jackie – Little Girl
17. The Falcons – Now That It’s Over
18. Mr. Undertaker – Here Lies My Love
19. Andre Williams – The Greasy Chicken
20. Roky Erickson – Red Temple Prayer (Two-Headed Dog)
21. Kay Martin and Her Body Guards – Swamp Girl
22. The Grey Stokes – The Legend of Tarzan
23. Mac Rebennack – Storm Warning (Long Version)
24. Charlie Feathers – That Certain Female
25. Ronnie Self – Bop-A-Lena
26. Jaynetts – Sally Go ‘Round the Roses
27. The Sensational Nightingales – Standing in the Judgment
28. Stan Freberg – St. George And The Dragonet

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 8

1. Richard Strauss [composer] – Also Sprach Zarathustra – Fanfare
2. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put A Spell On You
3. Love – My Flash On You
4. American Teens – Shake Shake Baby
5. The Gamblers – LSD-25
6. Unknown Artist – Unknown Song
7. Lee Chandler & The Blue Rhythms – Tree Top
8. The Strikes – If You Can’t Rock Me
9. Buddy Miller – Teen Twist
10. The Tides – Midnight Limbo
11. Homer Denison, Jr. – March Slav Boogie
12. Chaino – The Pigmy Song (Tikky Tikky Boom Boom)
13. Johnnie Honeycutt – Blue Song of Love
14. Kitty & Sheeny Lanier – Do The Whip
15. The Dirtbombs – I Can’t Stop Thinking About It
16. Betty Smith With Johnny Maxwell And The Rhythmmasters – Yeah, Baby
17. Rudy Thacker and The Stringbusters – Black Train
18. Stacy Bengal & His Six Outfielders – I Come To Demolish Cleveland
19. The Gamblers – Moon Dawg!
20. Unknown Artist – Unknown Song
21. The Viscounts – Harlem Nocturne
22. Billy Lee Riley – Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll
23. David Seville – Witch Doctor
24. Freddie Cannon – Palisades Park
25. Kay Martin and Her Body Guards – The Heel
26. Sheb Wooley – The Purple People Eater
27. The Pleasant Valley Boys with Herschell Gordon Lewis – “Rebel Yell (The South’s Gonna Rise Again)” [Theme from Two Thousand Maniacs] [IMDB credits this to H.G. Lewis, but I've seen the movie twice and I swear it's credited to the Pleasant Valley Boys.  It's definitely Lewis singing, though, so I'm crediting it to both until I find out otherwise.]
28. Unknown Artist – Unknown Song
29. Mad Mike & The Maniacs – The Hunch
30. Sparkle Moore – Flower Of My Heart

Lux & Ivy’s Favorites, Volume 9

1. Jess Franco – Sex and Mystic of M. Sade (edit) [No idea what Franco movie this is from or what the cut is actually called]
2. The Kinks – Until the End of the Day
3. The Vi-Kings – Desert Boots
4. Jimmy McConville – Scorpion
5. Bo Diddley – Mona
6. Wendell Smith – Nashville, Tennessee
7. The Crystals – He’s a Rebel
8. T. Rex – Baby Strange
9. All Women Are Bad [movie trailer audio]
10. The Wailers – Dirty Robber
11. Charlie Gracie – Butterfly
12. Chuck Ranado and The Electronaires – My Baby’s Gone
13. Lonnie Johnson – Tomorrow Night
14. Flamin’ Groovies – Teenage Head
15. Howlin’ Wolf – The Red Rooster
16. The Dantes – 80-96
17. The Chantays – Pipeline
18. Gene Gray & The Stingrays – Surfer’s Mood [repeated from volume 4]
19. The Deadly Ones! – Surfin’ Dockside
20. Gary & Larry – Garlic Bread
21. The Shangri-Las – Out in the Streets
22. The Tempests – Rockin’ Rochester USA
23. Spike Jones – Chloe
24. The Vampires’ Sound Incorporation – The Lions and the Cucumber
25. The Duals – Wait Up Baby
26. Rodger & The Tempests – Bad Bad Way
27. The Dixie Cups – Chapel of Love
    
28. Jimmy Scott – Unchained Melody

WTF? Just what does one have to do to watch some live racing up here?
It is beyond me why one would choose to run the identical programming as the other channels, instead of branching out and running something different.

I wanted to watch the Kentucky race last night. Hell, I would have been happy with tape delay. (which is basically what I’ve been getting all season anyway) But no, I don’t get to watch the Kentucky race in any way, shape or form on my television this weekend.

Instead I could watch a reairing of the PGA rounds, Baseball, Poker (?!?!) and 14 channels worth of Olympic programming. (I DON’T CARE ABOUT OLYMPIC KICK BOXING!! I just don’t and if I did, I would tune into CBC, cause they have the best coverage of the Olympics, all of you other wannabe’s are just that, wannabe’s, hangers on, greedy fucks who instead of playing to a different audience are splitting the one and pissing off the rest…)

Today I would love to be watching the cup race from Watkins Glen. It’s a shitty, cold, rainy afternoon here and a little racing action (ya, even Nascar) would brighten my day. Again, I am, by virtue of being Canadian and not owning an illegal satellite dish set up, being held hostage by the (insert really nasty, ugly word that shouldn’t be said or typed by a lady on a Sunday afternoon) (no really I had about 4 horribly descriptive nasty 3-4 syllable words just itching to be typed….) assholes at TSN, relegated to watching Live timing on my teeny tiny computer.

Speaking of timing and scoring, there are two other races I would love to know what the fuck is happening with today too. The CTNS race that was rain postponed till today at Mosport. (sorry Meesh, you lose, there is no live timing/scoring for that series. Sucks to be you. Read about it online after the fact…) and the 2nd round of the Atlantic double-header at Road America. (yesterday we got about 8 mins of the qualifying and NONE of the race) Maybe today, with the ALMS circus done for the weekend, there will be enough left over signal to actually send some information out to the interweb.

Bottom line of this mini rant… If someone were to step up and do some radical racing programming on television up here or in the US or Worldwide, it could really open up the opportunities for teams and drivers and race venues to market themselves and work on sponsorship. I don’t know how anybody expects to develop drivers or teams north of the border, or anywhere, in any form of racing, when the coverage is so ridiculously random and afterthoughtish. (my word, deal with it)
Hell, even SPEED TV, which at least used to air racing (delayed or otherwise) has become the VH1 of motorsports coverage. Lots of shows about racing, very little actual racing.

Again, I think this is where VERSUS will be an asset to the series if they put into play everything they put onto paper.

If the junior formula series, who are getting little to no coverage were smart, they would be speaking to the VERSUS folks as well. Especially if their events piggy back on an IndyCar event. (wherein the production crews would be there and set up)

You can’t grow a series airing their races a week later on a Wednesday afternoon. You can’t grow a fanbase if they read about everything after the fact. It loses it’s impact. The whole joy of following racing is watching racing and not knowing the outcome! Sitting on the edge of your seat wondering who will cross the finish line first, and all the other things that happen on track in the meantime. It’s the same with any sport. That’s why there are *spoiler alerts* on fan forums. That’s why people go to great lengths to avoid the news and the internet if they have had to tape a sporting event. Once you know the outcome, it loses something.

ok… that was all very disjointed. It’s that kind of weekend. I’m frustrated by a lot of things. I’m venting. I guess I’ll go back to reading about the cup race…

Lap 11
Tony Stewart swaps positions with Jeff Gordon and now runs fourth. Farther back, Matt Kenseth has fallen from 13th to 17th.

wow… with scintillating descriptives like that, why would I want to actually watch it live??

:bangsheadondesk:

Busy busy day in the racing world today.

The yet-to-qualify gang have taken to the the track for their final hour of practice before qualifying gets underway at noon. 50% chance of rain between 3-6pm, so look for a flurry of activity early on in the session.

Also today, final qualifying for Altantics, qualifying and race #1 for Formula BMW at Laguna Seca, qualifying and race for Star Mazda in Utah, and the Grand Am race marking Cristiano DaMatta’s return to the track.

Oh and can’t forget the cabs. It’s All-Star weekend.

I’m tired just thinking about all the timing and scoring and video and radio feeds I will be following on my sad little computer this afternoon.

As Quentin Tarintino said- “Of course I like surf music! It’s like rock and spaghetti westerns mixed!”…Well here is some surf music, and some Spaghetti Western music too.

…by the way has anyone actually seen “Psycho Beach Party?”

Ok…so technically Duane Eddy is not surf rock…but it is damn close, The Ventures talk about him all the time, and this is badass.

hmm… just dawned on me that I’ll be saying that pretty much every weekend this season. What a refreshing change. (of course there is no down time to regroup and catch up)
Another refreshing change? Live cameras and commentary for practices! Who knew!? And, because of the scrolling sponsor logos, I’m learnin stuff too! LOL. (hey! Homaltro! are they with the series now? or just a race sponsor… hmm… I’ll have to research that)

Ok… so a week between posts?? What the hell? It’s not that I didn’t have anything to say. I’ve just been trying to keep up with everything on the site, so not much time to rant as well.

So what’s been happening…

Lots of announcements! Coca-Cola and DirectTV jumped on board as series sponsors. (not presenting) I love how the delusionistas (thanks Indy) are ripping these apart.  You know they would be falling all over themselves if these were CC announcements.

Already you can see the presence of DirectTV all over the website. It will be interesting to see how both of these companies practically activate these sponsorships in a way that gets the word out to the fans and general public. Hopefully this won’t be another “McDonald’s” type sponsorship.

Atlantics: Bomarito signs with Mathiasen, and Wirth is back in the saddle at Brooks. And the series finally released their schedule. 9 events, 11 races. Better than nothing I guess.  Hopefully they can build on that for next season and gain a little stability over the season. Kudos to Vicki O’Connor and her team for hanging tough.

St.Petes: Well this is a little more palatable. For some reason the cars don’t look as hideous on the streets. (don’t get me wrong, they’re still ugly as shit) Are they as wide and flat in person?? gah.

The first practice is on now. “our guys” are holding their own and looking pretty good actually, with a handful in the top ten, and Wilson in the top spot!  (and yes, the other top drivers are on track!) Of course they ran him out of gas, which means they wer really running him light.

There are quite a few spectators milling about too. I would think we will see a bump in attendance and probably viewership again. We in T.O. are tape delayed to Sunday Night. Guess I’m gonna bite the bullet and purchase Race Control (apparently it will run in Safari on a mac)

oh and last but not least, Paul is not only out of a seat in the unfied series, but it doesn’t look like he will be in the Forsythe car for Long Beach. I hope someone else puts him in a car (Maybe Minardi?) and he kicks Forsythes ass. Whatever iota of respect I had for Forsythe is pretty much gone now. To hold a driver hostage until his options are so limited that his season is fucked is beyond pathetic. Principles and integrity my ass. Pettiness and petulance more like it.

Will I hold a grudge about it? no. Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other guy dies.

Success will be my revenge. Success of the unified series. Success for Paul in whatever avenue he pursues.  Success for anyone and everyone that has taken the unification leap of faith.

As someone said earlier this week: we are making lemonade from the lemons we have been served. It’s not the best tasting beverage, but it sure as hell beats going thirsty.

Ok… off to get on with my day…

Frankie Muniz is not only in 11th spot (with 18 cars still running) but he’s on the lead fricken lap!!

Go Malcom Go!

no one depends on the official Champ Car website for things like event schedules or something…

I feel sorry for all those expecting to tune into Qualies at 5pm as listed on the site, only to discover them done. (they are running right now)

*shakes head, rolls eyes…*

oh ya GO HINCH GO!!! On pole for Race 1!!! woohoo!

“it never rains on the Molson Indy”

That was the mantra for years. Well kids, name changes bring weather changes I guess.

It dumped down buckets of water on the track, which considering not one session this week was wet, threw a wrench into the situation.

Lets hope the weather is more cooperative for the big boys…

Off to find my rain gear.

Oh, look for my article on Junky and Kat sumo wrestling to be highlighted by DCR pr in their fan letter.

Day one at the track. Always a bit of an adjustment, as there seems to always be a few little tweaks here and there. Last year the tweaks were definitely for the worse, and it left me feeling rather trepidacious about the weekend. I promptly sent a three page post-mortem to the powers that be after the race with the good, bad, ugly and horribly wrong highlights of the weekend. Well it would seem that we were listened to. (and kudos to the GPAT for being open to the suggestions)

The paddock area is 100% improved over last year. Much more accessible, and the back marker teams aren’t tucked down some back alley, hidden away like the ugly step child. The fan forum has been moved indoors this year, which will vastly improve the quality of the presentation and therefore the fan experience.  And while I personally don’t like it, I can see the reasoning behind moving the podium. (although the pro-photog’s are NOT impressed)  Even the layout of the media centre is better this year.

More stuff to talk about, but must run to check out the Street Party. It already looked leaps and bounds better than the last few years, and the rain doesn’t appear to be a damper this year, so it should be pretty good.

Cheers!

Oh YA baby! This is the week that makes all the other weeks in the year pale by comparison. Of course I usually haven’t been to any races at this point in the season, so my anticipation is second only to the adrenaline coursing through my blood.

This year it’s a little different. I’ve got two races under my belt already. My affiliations are different this year, and therefore my commitments at the track are different. I’m much more relaxed and really enjoying the racing and the writing, without all the other bs cluttering up my mind and my time.

As the transports roll into town, there is an honest to goodness points challenge happening right now, along with the all important “drama” of driver vs driver tensions (for ONCE not centered around PT!) for the media to glom onto. Our rookies this year are spectacular, even that Gommendy guy (who??) And our backmarkers are so damn likeable, you can’t help but cheer them on!

I’m going to try to update often from the track like I did last year. Whatever little tidbits of info I can track down I will place here. The more formal articles will go on CCW.net.

Ok… must start preparing my gear for the week as it gets started tomorrow with a few pre race events and the transport parade.

Hinch on the podium!!!! Happy Canada Day!!! Woohoo!!!!

Rookie win for Franck Perrera and 2 & 3 for Sierra Sierra! Nice!

(feel bad for Ricci though)

someone needs to pull you aside and tell you how to pronounce Circuit du Mont Tremblant. It’s making my ears bleed every time you say it!!!

Circuit = sir-qwee

Mont = Mo – Money without the ney

Tremblant = Trom bla

“Sir qwee doo Mo trom bla”

EDIT: Oh thank GOD! they just switched to Jeremy Shaw and he said it beautifully!

EDIT: GAH… back to Rick… “Sir kit du mont trem blant” bwahahaha… damn… too focking funny.