Some of you may have heard the bad news...no Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain. The race has been postponed, probably cancelled, as Bahrain withdrew from hosting the Grand Prix due to rising unrest and Government protests in the small island country. If you are like me you need some type of motor racing to watch NOW since there won't be an F1 race until 25-March in Australia.
Here are some alternatives that can get you by for now:
One could argue that the WRC is the ultimate test of a driver, even more challenging than Formula 1. WRC Rally Racing dates back to 1973 and doesn't take place on traditional racetracks like other forms of motor racing. Instead, rally racing takes place on public or private roads on a number of different surfaces including: asphalt (tarmac), gravel, snow, ice, dirt, and could be a combination of them all! An international field participates each year and it's always enjoyable to watch. Like NASCAR there are usually some pretty horrific crashes so if that's your thing...you should enjoy WRC. Give it a watch if you haven't seen a rally race before, the next one is 3-March in Guanajuato Mexico.
Stock car racing is American history dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. During prohibition the drivers would run bootleg whiskey and evade law enforcement thanks to their smaller, faster cars. If that's not reason enough to give NASCAR a look I don't know what is! Now I know the perception that's out there and the thoughts that it's boring, they just drive in circles, and anyone could do it. Most of those assumptions are false. Coverage has gotten so good that it is like watching a video game rather than a televised sporting event. The cars travel at speeds at upwards of 200 miles per hour sometimes just INCHES apart from one another. Most people in the United States can barely drive 60 miles per hour on a multiple lane highway so I don't think it's fair to dismiss NASCAR without giving it one more chance. The first race of the year was yesterday and the next one to watch is 27-February in Phoenix Arizona.
Rounding out the top 3 isn't another four wheel auto racing outfit but instead is a two wheel motorcycle racing championship. MotoGP is the best of the best, a premier World Championship of motorcycle racing dating back to 1949. MotoGP motorcycles have rapidly evolved since then with current bikes topping out at 217 miles per hour! One could say that MotoGP is a Formula 1 class of motor racing only with 2 wheels instead of 4. It's always interesting to watch even if you are not into motorcycles because you will witness things that boggle the mind. The 2011 season is about to kick-off and the season opener is in Qatar on 20-March.
Hope this helps Formula 1 fans!
-M
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