h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Air Canada Canadian Grand Prix will be June 10 on the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve, on an island in the Saint Lawrence river at Montreal, Quebec, built originally (the island not the track) for Expo-67.

Alesi's only win came here. Olivier Panis almost died here.
In one race a couple years ago 'three former world champions' (Schumi, Hill, Villeneuve) crashed at the same spot, on different laps. For Jacques it's always poignant because the race date often coincides with 'Father's Day'. Right now most Quebecois are mad at him for giving his new Montreal restaurant an 'english' name. His 'uncle Jacques' (Gilles brother) already hates him anyway.

Oo-oo-oo I can feel those big jumbo jets flying overhead on their way to Montreal! Welcome to Canada folks!

The big news so far is:
.. the Jaguar fight with Mercedes over Adrian. If Ford thinks they have a legal contract this could get really ugly. Ford has very deep pockets and is about to bankrupt Firestone in the courts over the Explorer rollover issues. They won't hesitate to take on Daimler-Benz and Ron Dennis if they think they have the legal high-ground.
.. Kimi got to keep his points and BAR lost their protest.
.. Montreal will be a tire war.
.. The Williams boys have the grunt for this track, now if they only have the tires.

Prediction: Weather will be a factor.

Change the 'might be' to 'will be' a big legal fight. Newey signed the Jaguar contract on the first of June, several hours later Ron Dennis released a statement saying they'd signed Newey til 2003 for F1 cars with a 2 year extended contract for 'other' projects i.e the yacht racing cup which they also have interests in...

Also as for predictions I reckon McLaren will have the edge on Ferrari and if they're reliable would expect to see both McLarens on the podium and a Schumacher... I'd also say to watch Frentzen

She got through an entire post without waving a red flag.

*grins*
Well see I have a feeling that the McLarens (Mika) are going to win it this weekend...

Ah so.. in the mind's eye you see white cars running up front. I bet they have Honda engines this time.
Olivier Panis was almost killed here a couple years ago in a Prost. He'll be overdriving!
And Jacques is high on the media attention for his new 'Newtown' restaurant. The Canadian general media - all the usually-not-into-autosport media - is playing him up the way they did back in 97. They are using phrases like 'set foot again on his native Canadian soil' - the kind of grand hype style thing usually reserved for royalty or the Pope or World Champions.

*looks as mildly annoyed as she can*
He IS a World Champion!!! And he does deserve the media's praise, he's one of the top three drivers today, in fact I still think he's the second best driver today... Although having said that he doesn't tend to do very well in front of his home crowd, well he does but then reliability strikes or something so hopefully this year he'll take 4th place

At the press conference yesterday DC said he'd gone to Jacques official restuarant opening. Said something like "It looks like a nice place, but I didn't try the food. I called for a reservation and was rejected."

(Darn Montoya has done spoiled Jacques weekend already.)

You may be right Tink, the McLarens have been looking good in the first practices ..but now (in about 5 minutes) the real 'qualifying' begins.

Wha'did'edo? Wha'did'edo?

*Having seen the qualifying results suspects that maybe she could have miscalculated but still has a suspicion that the McLarens will win*

JW, we don't get the coverage broadcast til later tonight I don't think... at least I didn't think...oh wait it may have been 11.35am...ooops... anyway I presume you've had more coverage over in Canada than us so do you know if the rumours about the incident in the drivers briefing are true?

In practise Montoya nerfed Jacques' rear end, later claiming Villeneuve brake-checked him. Jacques went off a few laps later, when his rear suspension failed, and he publicly and officially blamed Montoya for the incident.
At the driver's meet just prior to qualifying, Montoya "looked the wrong way", as we say in Canada, and Jacques started helping him re-arrange the expression on his face, first grabbing him by the throat and then pummeling him repeatedly with his free hand.
Both suffered only in grid position, the result of decaying adrenaline. Or else there'd be three Honda engines in the top six.

We won't be getting the ITV audio feed here this week. The national host broadcaster (CTV) will announce our national feed, so if there are any good Murrayisms I'd love to hear them.
[You'll also notice there are 'too many' cameras, something like four or five at every corner all trying to get close up shots. The director takes the camera giving him the tighest shot, not realising (bloody amateurs ) how confusing that is to the viewer trying to orient the cars and their relative positions around the track.]

That's because it was Montoya's fault...

Although that wasn't the reason for the incident in the drivers briefing as far as I was aware?

And any classic Murrayism's wil be dutifully reported back JW

Oh it was Montoiya's fault! And he came up to Jacques at the driver's meet with that smirky, Columbian stud, toothy grin on his face and was saying what a wimp Jacques was for complaining and trying to blame him, so Jacques let fly at him!

Race starts shortly. May the best man win, and the best technology fail.

PS: Juan may also have made reference to Jacques' driving skills in regard to the Australia accident that killed a marshall.

PPS: Now I'm hearing there were two incidents. The real fisticuffs occured Friday night. The Saturday morning driver's meet was a rematch. And it's this second round the FIA is officially aware of and reacting to. Rumours are flying, our media is speculating, but one, Gerry Donaldson, witnessed the Friday night fracus.

On a lighter but not unrelated note, Nicolas (Nicholas?) Cage is a guest in the BAR area today.

Oh remember I predicted weather would be a factor? It is. The best weather yet for an F1 race this year!

Hondas first and third in warm-up.

Nick Cage Yes Brundle vaguely made a mention of him on his grid walk but went to talk to Tom Walkinshaw instead.

Well I was wrong about both McLarens being on the podium but I was right about Schuey Jnr doing so well

Seems I was also right about Montoya, poor Jacques. I don't know if you got the interview with "Louise Allen" ("Murray Brundles" only mistake) but after Jacques went out she asked him about the tracks seeming jinx on his racing and he said that it'd been his worst racing weekend he could remember as things kept going wrong

We got John Watson doing the grid walk. As a former racer he commands the attention of most current participants and he had brilliant interviews with Ron Dennis, Eddie Jordan and even Jaun Pablo who first looked at him as if to say, 'who the hell are you' before flashing his smile at the camera.

Great race - Yay Rubens. Good on Kimi. You were right about Mika doing well too.
Ralph is King!
Did you get the shot of the marshalls at the Casino hairpin kneeling on the roadway and bowing to the winner on his victory lap?

I missed most of the race . Damm TV channel keeps shifting the times around, live or not. Can't keep up at all.

Still, I was chuffed that Ralph won.

And wow, get that Montoya. I must admit to a sneaking feeling of satisfaction everytime he fails to finish. Wonder why?

*grinning happily*
Tralala...
Never guess where I was today! And who I met!
*grins*

You went rallying with Richard Burns...?