The Boys Are Back

This weekend marks the return of Formula One racing, the 2007 edition. The cars sound better than ever, especially when listened to very loud, look better than ever, and with the notable exceptions of Michael Shumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, the drivers are all back, too (even the one who most resembles a twelve year old girl).

This may also, because of proposed rule changes, be the last year I follow the sport. One of differences between F1 and any other motor sport is that the cars had to be constructed by the teams from scratch. The teams built the cars, hired the drivers, and tested them against the other teams. Starting next year, a proposed rule change would allow the teams to buy cars and race them, and I think that would render the Constructor's Trophy just plain silly. If they go that way, they may lose me as a follower, and I'm sure they're taking that into consideration.

This year, also, they've added a little light just in front of the cockpit that will indicate if the car and its driver has suffered excessive g-forces during a crash. This would alert rescue personnel about the wisdom of moving the driver, and I expect something like this to be on all cars in the future. It's a simple thing and could save many neck and spine injuries.

Of course, the little light would have blown up when David Purley set the record for survivable g-forces back in 1977 when he and his LEC experienced 178 gs (!!) when they went from traveling over 100mph to zero in about two feet. The fact that he lived through it prevents us from saying it came to a dead stop. Yeah, he was messed up and broke not a few bones, but he lived to race again. I've heard his car is on display somewhere, Doninghill I think.

So it may be a bitter-sweet season for me. I guess it's progress and all for the best, but it's also another indication that the world I grew up in and loved is the also past.