Remembering Jules Bianchi

The worst weekend in Formula 1 history will always be the weekend of the Grand Prix at Imola in 1994. The weekend nearly saw the end of Rubens Barrichello's career after a terribly accident. The circuit did claim the lives of Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying and Ayrton Senna during the race. For 21 years, that would stand as the last Formula 1 fatality relate to a racing accident.


On October 5, 2014, as the rains began to pour down during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Sauber driver Adrian Sutil crashed out around the Dunlop Curve (Turn 7). The race marshals issued double yellow flags for that portion of the track as workers moved out a heavy crane to lift Sutil's broken car.

As the track workers lifted Sutil's car from the run-off area, Jules Bianchi lost control of his Marussia car and speared directly into the back of the crane. His car essentially sideswiped the crane with enough force to lift the heavy machine off the ground, causing Sutil's car to drop back to the ground. The entire left side of Bianchi's car was demolished, including the roll bar. Bianchi's helmet struck the crane with great force.

He was reported unresponsive by both the team over radio and by track medical workers. Bianchi was treated and ruched to the on-site medical center before being driven to the Mie Prefecture General Medical Center, the nearest hospital to the Suzuka Circuit, which was nearly ten miles away. The rains from Typhoon Phanfone were making it impossible for helicopters to make the trip much faster. Bianchi's condition after the accident was not positive. He was comatose, suffering a diffuse axonal injury.

Bianchi remained in the hospital in Yokkaido for several weeks before being transferred to a hospital closer to his family in Nice, France. Bianchi remained in a coma from October 2014 until July 2015. His father revealed only days before that the family was "less optimistic" about Bianchi's chances for recovery. Only a few days later, after a nearly ten month long fight, Bianchi succumbed to his injuries. He was 25 years old.

Bianchi is the first Formula 1 driver to die of injuries sustained during an in-race accident since Ayrton Senna's death in 1994. Senna's death sparked a revolution in safety measures within the series. Bianchi's injuries have already brought about positive changes in Formula 1. Race times have been pushed forward to avoid dim-light situations like we saw at Suzuka. F1 also instituted the "virtual safety car," allowing the race director to essentially "freeze" the race field in order to account for driver safety during any situation that could potentially prove dangerous for drivers.

 Bianchi started 34 Formula 1 Grands Prix. He drove solely for the Marussia F1 team, though he was a test driver for both Scuderia Ferrari and Sahara Force India. At the Mocao Grand Prix in 2014, Bianchi scored the only points Marussia has scored in Formula 1. While he never got the opportunity to rack up impressive stats in F1, Bianchi showed huge promise. He was a driver on the rise, pegged by many to be a potential future title contender.

Formula 1 has lost one of its best up-and-coming drivers. Bianchi will be remembered by those who got to see him race. He was always in an inferior car, but he wrung every bit of performance he could out of it.

Forza Jules!

Mocking the 2014 NFL Draft

The 79th version of the NFL Draft comes to us May 8-10, from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Since 2010, the First Round of the Draft has been held on Thursday night, with rounds 2 and 3 on Friday and rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday. The prime time move for the first round really amplified the importance of the Draft.

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for any extended period of time, you’ll already know that I absolutely love the NFL Draft. It’s like a springtime version of Christmas to me. I’ll watch every minute of coverage that I can. I’ll read as many mock drafts as I can find. I know they don’t mean anything, but they’re often closer to the truth than we give them credit for.

And I like to make my own predictions for how I think things will go down once the Draft begins. As such, here’s my prediction for the top ten picks. I’m not mocking any trades in this round of predictions. If I were, I can name at least two teams I think are willing to move up after coveted players.

1. Houston Texans (2-14):

The Texans really need a quarterback. Matt Schaub is gone and there’s not really anyone else on the roster than can serve as a franchise guy. This draft is deep with QBs, but no single quarterback has distanced himself from the pack. Unlike a couple of years ago, when Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were, far and away, the top QBs in the Draft, this year’s class has several QBs that are now almost interchangeable on any team’s depth chart. The Texans have also, apparently, fallen in love with South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney. There really is such an embarrassment of riches in this class that it would be hard for Houston to make a bad pick.

With the first overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select…Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end, South Carolina.

Alternate Pick: Houston could trade out of this spot and gain more picks later. The obvious choice to trade up is probably Atlanta. Rumor is the Falcons could move up by swapping firsts this year, a 2014 3rd Round pick, a 2015 1st Round pick, and maybe a lower pick this year or next. If the Texans decide to pick a QB first overall, the likely target is Central Florida QB Blake Bortles.

Jadeveon Clowney Delivers a Monster Hit

2. St. Louis Rams (7-9) (*pick from Washington, 3-13)

St. Louis has a lot of power in the Draft this year, seeing as they control a lot of picks. They could move around the Draft almost anywhere they wanted to go. However, they have several areas of need themselves, as evidenced by a 7-9 record. Sam Bradford needs more weapons if he is to ever be an effective quarterback. The defense could always use more strength on the edge. Depending on what Houston does, the Rams could trade out of the second slot. If Houston takes a QB, Atlanta and others may start quickly calling Rams GM Les Snead in an effort to trade up.

With the second overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select…Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson.

Alternate Pick: Barring the Rams trading out of this spot, one of the big Des is the likely pick. Clowney would be great for St. Louis, but the other option in mind here is Khalil Mack, DE, Buffalo. Some mocks have Mack as the actual pick, but I think St. Louis would rather upgrade Sam Bradford’s complement of WRs. 

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)

The options available to Jacksonville at this point are vast. Like Houston or St. Louis, trading down is a big possibility, as the QB Jacksonville reportedly likes will likely be a second rounder anyway. You can always take the best available player in this slot (which is what I’m mocking). Jacksonville needs so much help in so many places…they’re basically Cleveland South. Take the best player on the board and pray your QB is there in round 2, Jags.

With the third overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select…Khalil Mack, DE, Buffalo.

Alternate Pick: A QB has to come off the board at some point. Jacksonville needs to sell tickets. Why not kill two birds with one stone and draft Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel?

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12)

Oh, Cleveland…whatever did you do to deserve such horrid sports history? Here you are picking in the top ten again, as you have every years since 2008. I don’t think the Jets or Falcons will bail you out on a trade this year, unfortunately. The best thing you can do is try to draft a true franchise Quarterback. Of course, you’ve done that very thing twice in the last six years and it’s not really paid off yet. Still, give it another try, Browns. At some point you have to stop being a factory of sadness.

With the fourth overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select…Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida.

Alternate Pick: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State. Apparently Cleveland is not sold on Manziel or Bridgewater.

5. Oakland Raiders (4-12)

If Al Davis were still with us I would say that Kent State RB Dri Archer would go here, as he ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the combine and Al Davis loved him some speed. He’s fast. But that’s not happening. No offense to Mr. Archer. Oakland landed former Houston QB Matt Schaub, but that doesn’t mean the Raiders aren’t eyeing a QB at this spot. There are some big name QBs left on the board. The Raiders may just make the move that others are reluctant to make…

With the fifth overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select…Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M.

Alternate Pick: Keeping with the QB theme, Oakland may turn to Louisville signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater.

Johnny Football

6. Atlanta Falcons (4-12)

If ever there was a team with aspirations of moving up in the draft, this is it. Atlanta really loves Jadeveon Clowney, and they’re pretty enamored with Khalil Mack. Both are good choices, but neither looks to be available at #6. That does not mean the world is ending for the Falcons. In fact, it very well may be the best thing that could happen to the birds. Atlanta’s offensive line was terrible at times in 2013. If they can make that line better in one draft pick, why not do it. Word on the street is that they guy they’re getting might be the best all-around athlete in this draft, considering his position and size.

With the sixth overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select…Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn. (NOTE: Mel Kiper now has the Falcons taking Michigan OT Taylor Lewan. I happen to think Lewan has too many off-field issues for Atlanta to take.)

Alternate Pick: Seeing as the big DEs are gone, the alternate pick here becomes Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)

The Bucs traded away one of their better receivers in the offseason. So it’s easy to slot a WR into this pick. The best receiver in the draft, Sammy Watkins, is already off the board in this mock, so Tampa Bay takes the next best thing.

With the seventh overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select…Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M.

Alternate Pick: I wouldn’t be shocked if Tamps took a QB at this point, but there are good QBs to be had in almost every round of this draft. Considering what is still on the board in this mock, the QB most likely taken here is probably Teddy Bridgewater, out of Louisville. As the draft wears on, don’t be surprised is someone in the first round stretches for Easter Illinois QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

8. Minnesota Vikings (5-10-1)

If the draft does in fact shake out the way I’m predicting, then from the moment the commissioner calls out Mike Evans’s name on Tampa Bay’s pick, Minnesota should already be heading to the podium. The Vikes, more than almost anyone else, are dying for a franchise QB. In my mock, they can stand pat and not have to trade up and still land the guy who, just a few months ago, was being projected as the first overall pick.

With the eighth overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select…Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville.

Alternate Pick: If this draft goes as I’m predicting, there isn’t another alternate here. Basically, for Minnesota, the first round pick has to be a QB.

9. Buffalo Bills (6-10)

Buffalo would love for one of the big DEs to fall to them, but that doesn’t look likely. Barring that, they’d love one of the big OTs to fall to them. Also unlikely. So they are stuck looking for the best player available to fit their needs. They could go after the next best OT or they could settle for the draft’s best TE. They needs weapons for QB EJ Manuel, so the TE option looks most likely.

With the ninth overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select…Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina.

Alternate Pick: Should Buffalo decide to take the next best OT, then the name called will be Michigan’s Taylor Lewan.

10. Detroit Lions (7-9)

What in the world is Detroit going to do? Some mocks have them trading up to #2 to land Sammy Watkins (imagine Watkins opposite Calvin Johnson with Matthew Stafford slinging it to them…scary, right?). Now, I’ve seen just about every possible combination of mocks out there, but there is one move I’ve not seen anyone mocking. So I’ll go out on a limb and do it. Detroit needs some help in the defensive secondary. They could take a cornerback here and be happy, as Bradley Roby (Ohio State) and Justin Gilbert (Oklahoma State) fit the bill. But what about the Safety position?

With the tenth overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select…Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Safety, Alabama. (NOTE: I honestly have not seen anyone mocking this until the time of this writing, and I've now learned that ESPN's Mel Kiper is making this pick in his latest mock draft.)

Alternate Pick: Detroit supposedly is okay at cornerback. A monster like Clinton-Dix on that defense means good things. If they did go CB, I could only see them taking Okie State’s Justin Gilbert.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Adds Insult to Injury Against Notre Dame

Australian Grand Prix 2014: A Race in Review

The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix took place over the weekend. It’s the kick-off to the F1 “season,” although like many other sports, there isn’t much downtime in F1 these days. The Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne is probably my favorite “street” circuit. It’s comprised of the city street around Albert Park Lake, in the heart of downtown Melbourne.

Qualifying

Qualifying was spectacular, as the rains came and went, constantly shifting strategies. Most pundits had pegged the Mercedes AMG Petronas factory works team as the favorite heading into the season, and that form showed true in qualifying, and Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg swapped the top spot back and forth for much of the session. Defending Constructor’s Champion Red Bull Renault was stymied in everything that Sebastian Vettel tried. The reigning Driver’s Champion failed to make Q3.

Anyone following Formula 1 knows that the V8 engines are now relegated to history, and we now have turbo-charged 1.6-liter V6 engines. The noise level difference is appreciable. When Vettel failed to get out of Q2, and was posted in P12 for the start, you could actually hear the crowd cheering for his failure. I think Vettel is falling into the same place that Dale Earnhardt once occupied in NASCAR. Either you love him or you hate him. There is no middle ground. (Personally, I’ve been on the anti-Vettel bandwagon since Brazil 2008, when his actions nearly cost Lewis Hamilton the Driver’s Championship.)

The surprise of qualifying was a toss-up between two drivers: Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen is a rookie who was hired on to pilot the second McLaren, behind Jenson Button. He was able to manage a qualifying slot of P4. Ricciardo, as you know, was brought on by Red Bull Renault to replace the retired Mark Webber. The Red Bull RB10 has been notoriously unreliable in testing. So of course it was a huge surprise when Vettel couldn’t get out of Q2 while his teammate not only made Q3, but ended up posting a time good enough for P1…until Lewis Hamilton finished his flying lap about fifteen seconds later.

Race Results

More than anything in 2014, we’re going to see reliability be a huge issue for at least the first few weeks. As the race got underway it was apparent that Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes was lacking power. He drifted further and further back in the field until the call came on lap 6 to retire the car and try to save the engine. Teammate Nico Rosberg, however, had a brilliant day. He would go on to win the grand prix by a margin of 22+ seconds, which could’ve been even worse, considering the race did see an extended safety car period.

Australian Grand Prix Podium

Rosberg was followed across the line by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. The roar from the crowd was outstanding, as it was the first time in F1 that an Australian driver had reached the podium of the Australian Grand Prix. The excitement, though, was to be short-lived. The FIA called Ricciardo’s RB10 in for inspection, and determined that the car has “consistently exceed” the maximum allowed fuel flow rate. Ricciardo’s P2 was scrubbed from the books. The third place driver, McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen, was moved into P2, and McLaren teammate Jenson Button moved into P3, giving McLaren Mercedes the initial hold on the Constructor’s Championship. As an aside, Magnussen’s podium finish was the first time in F1 history that a Danish driver had finished on the podium.

Red Bull has announced they plan to appeal the decision of the FIA. There is a lot of talk about how the fuel flow sensor the FIA recommends is faulty, but they couch the argument by saying it is “less faulty” than the alternative sensor.

Felipe Massa, Kamui Kobayashi, and Crashing

Felipe Massa’s career at Williams got off to a shaky start, through no fault of his own. Massa held a good line going in to turn 1 on the first lap of the race. From behind him a puff of white smoke indicated that someone had forgotten how a brake pedal works. That someone was Kamui Kobayashi. Within a split second, Kobayashi’s Caterham had plowed into the back of Massa’s beautifully-colored Williams, sending both drivers spiraling into the gravel trap and ending their respective races early.

Crashing in the First Curve at Melbourne

Massa called for Kobayashi to receive a grid penalty akin to the one handed to Romain Grosjean after the Belgian Grand Prix in 2012 (when Grosjean took out roughly half the field at the La Source hairpin). 

Kobayashi took to Twitter and accepted blame, apologizing to Massa and Williams. However, the FIA and the race stewards determined that Kobayashi’s Caterham suffered a KERS failure that led to the car losing all rear brakes. They further determined that no one was at fault on track, and Kobayashi’s Twitter page withdrew the apology. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out over the rest of the year.

Coming Up Next…

In a little less than two weeks time we’ll see the Malaysian Grand Prix from the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur. I personally really enjoy this circuit…especially driving it in any one of the Formula 1 video games in which it appears. I’m not a huge fan of the slow-as-Christmas turn complex at the beginning of the lap, but otherwise there is just enough elevation change to keep things interesting. As we get closer to race day I’ll offer up a more in-depth preview of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Traffic Laws and the People Who Don't Understand Them

Speeding.

We’re all guilty of it. Every single person who gets behind the wheel of a car has gone faster than the posted speed limit from time to time. Most of us do this when we’re teenagers and we think we’re bullet-proof. My first car was a 1992 Ford Escort. I got when I was sixteen, drove it for about six months, and proceeded to try and park it underneath a pick-up truck that was waiting to make a turn.

1992 Ford Not-In-Focus

Yep, crashed it…totaled it. But I was sixteen, I didn't yet know any better. That was the car that truly introduced me to speed. I’d been in the car with my parents when we’d had to hit 80-plus miles per hour, and once or twice we probably touched 90. I’d heard stories from my Dad about how he used to ride motorcycles and regularly top out over 100 mph.

But I never felt the rush that came with being behind the wheel and going faster and faster. That surge of adrenaline as you pushed the car to go faster than it probably should. I've said before that, when driving, life doesn't start until you hit triple-digits. That Ford Escort is responsible for introducing me to triple-digits*. It registered 120 mph. The peg was set at 125, or thereabouts…I figured it to be about 5 mph beyond the 120 limit.

I had the speedometer bouncing off the peg. By my best guess, I had that car over 125 mph. Like I said, I was all that was teenager. I was bullet-proof. It was two months later before I tried parking under the truck, which taught me a valuable physics lesson. The seatbelt on a 1992 Ford Escort can lock up so tight it will actually compress your ribs and fracture your sternum. To this day I struggle to listen to the album “Let’s Face It” by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. That’s what I was listening to when I crashed. Call it a weak version of PTSD.

Kinda Looks Like My Old S-10

But ever since I first reached triple-digits I’ve loved finding out what a car can do. My next ride was a 1996 Chevrolet S-10, with a 4.3-liter V6 Vortec engine that could produce upwards of 175 horsepower, which was manic in a vehicle as light as the S-10. The Escort would only make about 88 hp. The S-10 had far better acceleration than the Escort, but the S-10 was governed. While only registering 100 mph, the fuel flow would shut off once you hit 96 mph. Why? Who knows? Probably an auto manufacturer being pressured by some bureaucrat to make the choices for the user that keep the user “safe.”

Now I drive a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt, which has a 2.4-liter Ecotec engine. The Cobalt registers 120 mph, and I know it will touch 115. I had to make a business trip to Huntsville, Alabama a couple years ago, and on my way north on I-75, between Atlanta and Chattanooga, I hooked up with three other cars and we basically drafted off each other the whole way, regularly changing who was in the lead. I knew it felt as though we were making good time, and when I glanced at the speedometer I realized why. I was running 90. So were they. It was a good Sunday afternoon drive for all involved.

Yes, I like driving fast. So do a lot of other people. I regularly drive I-985 on my way to work. The average commute on I-985 happens at about 80 mph or better. Of course, you get outliers on both sides. There’s always one guy driving 55 mph on the interstate, being passed by the guy driving 95 mph. Which brings me finally to my point: on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s web page, they have an article called “The Vent,” in which any reader can offer a quick quip about what’s bugging them.

A Venter recently wrote: “What's wrong staying in the left lane if you are driving 10 mph over the posted speed limit? It's the dummy running 30 mph over the limit that causes serious accidents. If I can slow them down by staying in the left lane, I will do just that.”

The “wrong,” Mr. Venter (assuming the writer to be male), is that you don’t know why someone is speeding. Yeah, I’ve driven fast just because I wanted to, but I’ve also had several instances where driving fast was necessary. That person coming up behind you doing 30 mph over the speed limit just might be on their way to the Emergency Room. They may have a loved one on the brink of death. And you think it’s your job to stop them because you’ve appointed yourself traffic police…

Even if the person coming up behind you doing 30 mph over the limit is doing so for fun, you still have to move. Every interstate I’ve ever been on has a wonderful little sign along the side of the road that reads “SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT” or “KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.” If you’re driving 80 mph in the left lane, and someone doing 100 mph comes up behind you, then an interesting dynamic has taken place. While you were, just moments before, passing slower traffic, you have now become slower traffic. Get over. Get out of the way.

Truthfully, more often than not, it isn’t the “dummy running 30 mph over” that causes serious accidents…it’s the “dummy running barely the speed limit in the fast lane, thus impeding the flow of traffic” that cause accidents. Too many people think they can just drive in the left lane whenever they want, so long as they go the speed limit. A good friend of mine thinks he can drive in the left lane whenever he wants simply because he is a tax payer.

All it takes is a basic understanding of traffic laws, people. The left lane is often referred to as the “passing lane.” If you are not passing another car, then stay out of that lane. If you are getting over into that lane, then use your turn signal to let other drivers know. Contrary to what is apparently popular belief, simply sitting behind the steering wheel of a car does not make one psychic. If you are getting into a turning lane, then get all the way into the turning lane…don’t remain halfway out into the traffic lanes, slowing everyone else down.

Perhaps as a nation we need to better invest in driver’s education. We could learn a lesson or two from Finland and how they teach their young people to drive. We could also stand to be more courteous on the roads. Doing the things listed above (turn signals, better driving practices, etc.) can greatly reduce instances of road rage. Also understand that it is not your job to police other drivers. I don’t believe in ‘karma,’ per se, but I do believe that people get what they give (that whole Golden Rule thing)…

* - I know the car is not responsible. I'm definitely not one of those people who blames the car, or the gun, or the fast food place...people are responsible for their own choices. *