As Obviously Almost Everybody in Attendance will be
rooting for Verstappen to win…
Thirty-six years is a long time to go without a
Motor Race. Since I know I gave up on Portland ever returning to the IndyCar
calendar before it had been ten years since the final Champ Car race Wayback in
2007. As we All know that Indy Cars did indeed return to the Pacific Northwest
after an 11yr Hiatus. But I also know I read in Robin Miller’s final Mailbag?
That he was worried about Portland remaining on the schedule…
The Dutch Grand Prix has been held 34 times
beginning in 1948, but not being part of the Modern Formula 1 Championship
until 1952, being won by Alberto Ascari. And then was held annually until 1985
with the exception of a few years, as Niki “the Rat” Lauda is the circuit’s
latest winner in a Marlboro McLaren MP4/2C TAG Porsche during the 1.5-liter Turbo
era. Followed past the Chequered Flag by
team-mate Alain Prost and some Dude in a Black and Gold John Player Special
Lotus 97T Renault named Ayrton Senna.
Have No idea what the circuit lends itself to
along the Seaside, other than perhaps we’ll have to worry about sand making the
track’s surface gritty or slick? Or what the weather will be like in general?
But Zero Clue what type of Aerodynamic Set-up
it favours, and whether the Red Bull of Max Verstappen or Silver, Uhm Black
Arrows’ Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton will have the upper hand?
Although just having read a good Racer article by
Chris Medland on the track’s current upgrade, which includes two “Signature” areas
being the Turn 2-3 complex and Turn 14.
As these include two novel Banked Corners,
i.e.; Turn 3 and turn 14, with the latter leading onto the Pit Straight which
isn’t as steeply banked as Turn 3. While the aforementioned Turn 3 which had to
be moved to accommodate the traveling Circuses Trucks features a whopping 18
degrees of “Progressive” Banking, Youza!
As this compact 4.25 9km (2.646 Mile) 14
turns Circuit carved out of the Dunes west
of Amsterdam sounds a bit like the Hungaroring to Mwah, especially with Zanvvoort’s
longest straight only being 600 meters. (0.37 mile) Traditionally a High
Downforce Point ‘N Squirt circuit, but then again what do I know?
And although I know it’s not a brand new circuit,
nevertheless it feels brand new to Mwah, since
the last race was a year before I began following Formula 1.
Yet I’d Arse-sume the pressure will be immense
upon Young Max to deliver triumph for his Sea of Adoring Orange Army members,
with nothing more than victory from Pole being satisfactory!
As Verstappen wil try to etch his name into the
record books at Zandvoort alongside the likes of El Maestro’, aka Juan Manuel
Fangio, Jimmy clark, The Wee Scot’, Sir Jackie, JYS or just plain ‘Ol Jackie
Stewart and Niki Lauda. Along with “The Professor,” aka Alain Prost and Sir Black
Jack’, nee Jack Brabham, Jochen Rindt, James Hunt, SuperMario’, (Mario
Andretti) Nelson Piquet, Alan Jones and the aforementioned Alberto Ascari, All
being former F1 World Champions…
G-O MAX!