The Ferrari brigade needs hotel rooms for the Malaysian Grand Prix on March 30. No big deal, right? The Sepang circuit has hosted many Formula 1 races before, so it's not a new occurrence for the city of Kuala Lumpur and country.
But it's a bit of a tedious situation this year. The Cyberview Hotel that Ferrari is staying at for the grand prix next weekend is also the hotel that has been hosting the families of people on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the plane that has been missing for over two weeks.
According to NBC, more than a dozen Chinese family members of passengers on the flight were forced to switch hotels Friday because of Ferrari's arrival.
F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said he felt sorry for the family members forced to move because of Ferrari's bookings.
"I feel terribly, terribly sorry for these people," he told NBC. "But it is up to the hotel. What would happen if you told somebody that they no longer had a booking? You would get sued, I?d imagine.?
?If you have a booking at a hotel, what are you supposed to do??
It's a double-edged sword for sure, but let's be realistic for a moment. Wouldn't it have been possible to make arrangements for the "more than a dozen" affected?
We're not talking an exorbitant amount of hotel rooms here. Cyberview likely has connections and you could probably find some members of Ferrari's team who would be willing to stay at a nearby hotel so that the families could stay put. (Ferrari declined comment, according to NBC)
It's a tragic situation that looks less and less likely to have a happy ending after each passing day as an extensive search has found no conclusive results so far. It's a bit more important than a grand prix.
Yes, Ferrari booked the rooms far in advance and they have a right to them. There's no disputing that. But the good public relations move in this case would be to let those who are waiting for news stay put and for a team with vast resources to make other arrangements for some team members.
Who knew that Texas Motor Speedway's new big-screen television along the backstretch would generate such hate from Keith Olbermann?
The television host, now back with ESPN, named Eddie Gossage, the president of TMS, his "Worst Person in Sports" for one of last week's shows. The "Worst People in the World" segment is a carryover from when Olbermann had his own show on MSNBC and routinely lampooned world and political figures.
Gossage garnered the dubious distinction because of the track's recent unveiling of the "Big Hoss" screen along the backstretch. It's the largest HD screen in the world and will be in use for Texas' spring race on April 6.
"Here's the problem, you know what they show on it?" Olbermann asked in his trademark sarcastic tone. "Auto racing. Because seeing faceless guys in helmets and visors driving for a few hours can't really be appreciated unless you see them on a giant television two-thirds the length of a football field with you guys staring up at it like the way devil worshipers stare at fires."
Come on Olbermann, what the heck are you trying to accomplish here? Yeah, sure, Texas Motor Speedway gave the screen a very Texas-like name, but that's the schtick of Texas Motor Speedway. Nothing can be done without a name full of rhetoric.
The speedway is far from the first sporting venue to install a monstrous video board; look at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play and Darrell K. Royal Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns to stay in the state. And it's not even the first NASCAR track. Charlotte Motor Speedway installed one in 2010, which was the largest HDTV at the time.
NASCAR is fighting the same battles that other sports are when it comes to attendance. While attending a NASCAR race in person can be a thrilling experience, it's also one that's much harder to keep track of from the grandstands than on the couch. You can only see so much of a 1.5 mile track at a time, and without the benefit of a scanner to pick up radio traffic or race commentary, you can easily lose the storylines of a race.
Large video boards give another avenue to show the running order and provide close-up views of the racing and instant replays. Much like what happens at football, baseball, basketball and hockey venues around the country.
Hardly something to get angry over, right? Ah, but what likely pushed it over the top for Olbermann was the showing of "Duck Dynasty" on the screen at the official unveiling. In an important detail that he fails to mention in his segment, the April 6 race is the Duck Commander 500. You know, the company of the Robertson family, the stars of the show.
But the show still has a loyal fanbase and it doesn't take much of a stretch to realize that fanbase likely overlaps with a large segment of the NASCAR fanbase. And as ridiculous as the "Duck Commander 500" and subsequent Robertson overkill on race day could be to many, isn't that the point of sponsorship? To identify your target market and appeal to them?
Plus, Texas is no stranger to controversial sponsorships. Last year's spring race was the NRA 500, a race sponsorship that led NASCAR to say that it would take a closer look at each potential sponsor deal.
If Olbermann has an issue with the sponsorship, which was announced a little less than two months after Robertson's quotes were published, then that's one thing. But to take it out on a television screen that will enhance the race experience for fans all along the frontstretch is petty, cheap and misguided. Plus it makes Olbermann seem out of touch.
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(This post originally said the show aired on Monday, March 24. The YouTube clip was posted March 21. We apologize for the mixup.)
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Since 1999 the Sepang circuit in Malaysia has been a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar. It was one of the first circuits designed by Hermann Tilke, Bernie Ecclestone?s preferred circuit architect ? since then the German has also designed new layouts at Sakhir, Istanbul and Yeongam to name just three. The threat of [...]
The Monster Tech 3 team are producing a series of press release offering some background information on the practical side of MotoGP. The first in the series is a fascinating insight into what it takes to transport all of the bikes, tools, equipment and other paraphernalia necessary for racing around the world to allow the Tech 3 MotoGP and Moto2 teams to contest the world championship. It is an intriguing read. The press release appears below:
Insight - Part1: Logistical Organisation
As the lights on the starting grid turn green on a Sunday, a flurry of excitement descends upon the motorsport planet who become captivated for 45 solid minutes as adrenaline levels soar for everyone, watching the most entertaining two wheeled motorsport series on the planet. However, what needs to be undertaken ‘behind the scenes’ to ensure this happens 18 times a year?
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team aims to shed light on the actions and endeavours that take place for a Grand Prix race operation before a wheel has even been turned. This documentary series entitled ‘Insight’ will offer inside information, introduce key members of the team, cover various aspects of the business, and examine routines which have to be undertaken to race. There is no better way to begin this exciting and innovative series than illustrating the coordination required to move the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Teamd the Tech3 Racing Moto2 Team from one international race circuit to another, both inside Europe and for ‘Flyaway’ races.
The second week of knockout qualifying was quite similar to the first week.
Team Penske's cars will start 1-2 at Las Vegas on Sunday, but the order is reversed from Phoenix. Last week, Brad Keselowski was first and Joey Logano was second. On Friday, Logano took the pole and Keselowski will start second.
Keselowski had swiped the pole from Clint Bowyer with just over two minutes remaining in the final qualifying round, but with over a minute to go, Logano knocked Keselowski from the top spot.
Bowyer will start third while Austin Dillon starts fourth. Jimmie Johnson is fifth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is sixth despite smacking the wall with the right rear in practice earlier on Friday.
Landon Cassill, Joe Nemechek, JJ Yeley, Josh Wise and Dave Blaney missed the race. For Cassill, it's the second straight race he's missed after a good run at the Daytona 500. Blaney has missed all three races this season. How many attempts will his unsponsored No. 77 have left before it's forced to cut back and stop attempting races?
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg
