Auto Racing is not a sport, it's a Passion! OK, I'm not a professional race car driver. I don't really aspire to be one either... not that I don't like a little speed now and then. But for a spectator sport, nothing, but nothing beats auto racing for me, especially when it comes to open-wheel racing. For the uninitiated, open-wheel racing is IndyCars, Formula One, IndyLights, Formula 3,000, etc. NASCAR Racing, those stock cars going round and round in circles, is not open-wheel racing. Neither is the 24 hours at LeMans. Nor is the Baja 1000. Not to say these kinds of auto racing aren't fun either - I just like open-wheel racing, especially when it is on a road course. In Formula One, my favourite driver is, without a doubt, Jacques Villeneuve. He stands an excellent chance of winning the entire championship this year, seeing as he's the number one driver for the number one team (Williams). I really like Formula One racing because it is the best on the planet, is on all road courses (no ovals here, thank you), and features races from all 5 continents. NEWS FLASH!! Jacques Villeneuve won the second race of the 1997 Formula One championship. After a red flagged start that saw JV go offroad a bit, the second start of the race saw Michael Schummaker jump to a great start, only to have JV pass him with authority on the start of the second lap on the main start/finish straightaway. Jacques never relinquished the lead for the rest of the race, giving him 10 points in the driver's championship, tying him for first place with David Coulthard, who won the Australian GP, but finished tenth in this race. This doesn't mean I'm an F1 snob when it comes to IndyCars. I love IndyCars too, and I think that the level of competition and technology is just as high as F1. Again, my favourites in Indycars are the Canadians - Greg Moore (from BC!), Paul Tracy, and this years possible rookie of the year, Patrick Carpentier. I look for big things from both Moore and Carpentier this year, and I hope that Tracy rebounds from a terrible year last year. I have to make my opinion known on one thing concerning auto racing in Canada. The Canadian government is about to pass a law saying that no tobacco advertising will be allowed at public events, including auto racing. This is bad news because, not only does it mean we could lose the Indy Vancouver, Indy Toronto and Canadian Grand Prix, but it also means that broadcasters like CBC and TSN may not be allowed to broadcast any sporting event from a different country, when that event features tobacco advertising. If I lose my right to see an auto race on TV, I will scream long and hard to my member or parliament, that's for damn sure! Click here to get to sweat some more.

| Home | Stuff I Do | Sweat | Tales | Secrets | All the Rest | E-Mail |   This page was updated on April 10, 1997. All contents are copyright, ©1997, Mark Prince. Want a cutting edge web page? Visit WebMotif today!