Bleacher Report - Articles by David DeGreef

Chicanes or Chickens: What Do You Think?

David DeGreef — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:47:20 -0400

Aryton Senna: God rest his soul, but I have to believe that he would cringe at what has happened to circuits since his untimely death at San Marino.

Great circuits such as Hockenheim, Nurburgring, and Spa have all undergone changes to slow down cars and, in my opinion, make them less than great. Look at any circuit and imagine a mechanical failure such as Senna's, and you would warrant putting in a chicane.

Remember, racing is an inherently dangerous sport, but great racers deserve great circuits. I have a top five of all-time non-altered circuits and would like to hear yours. In no particular order...

Hockenheim

San Marino

Road America

Monza

Spa

Lighten Up Francis, Diveristy Is a Good Thing

David DeGreef — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:43:19 -0400

Diversity should and shall makes us stronger not divide us. New markets will make us closer not alienate us. Rooting for an Englishman regardless of race but on character should be the criteria.

Why is it that the path to success should be of least resistance? Do you not want to succeed against the best of what is available?

Greed is not good, sustained profitability is the key and what F1 and in particular Mr's Eccelstone and Mosley should consider is the F1 fan that is the future.

Yes I am a little pissed off with what has been going on in F1 general, but why is it that no one seems to see the big picture as though this is all going to end in the near future?

Is Cost Really the Problem?

David DeGreef — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:36:59 -0400

Having been a fan of sports based in the USA I have to admit it has lost some of the luster due to salary caps. You get a player, watch him develop, and then you lose them to free agency. Granted you may pick up a player or two along the way, but its just not the same as watching them grow with your team.

I know this isn't exactly what Bernie and Max have in mind, but essentially the end result will be all too familiar. Parity. And for me parity stinks.

Sports is supposed to be about competition. Put together a plan and execute it. Formula 1 is the only sport that comes to mind that actually does this by making rules and allowing teams to plan to be the most competitive they can be.

I am not judging other racing leagues that have done similar programs, however IndyCar, CART, and NASCAR have seen or are seeing a diminishing return on these decisions. I applaud and support Ferrari, Williams, and Renault in their early responses in rebutting any such action by Mr. Eccelstone and the FIA.

Although teams such as Menardi, Jordan, and Super Aguri in recent years and Shadow, Terrell, and Stewart in years past have had limited or little success, they all contributed to a sport to make it as great as it is.

Now, I know that rules and regulations in this sport have changed, and recently quite a bit. I will leave that to another day. But, for now, I hope that because of the current economy they don't overreact and put this sport on a one-way road that will put all the greatness in the rear-view mirror.