should be doing work but blogging about F1 instead

I haven't been blogging much lately cos I've been saddled by TONS of work (although i know some people who definitely have more than me). I don't have that list of x assignments, y projects and z essays lah... I can only 'boast' 2 essays, 1 term paper and 1 oral presentation only but nevertheless, I can attest to the fact that McGill is no joke. If it is, I don't get it.

Anyway, i just HAD to blog when i saw this on the BBC. Singapore is preparing a bid to host a Formula 1 race! YESSssssss! Just what I've been saying for ages. It's good for tourism, no need to set $1000 entry for Singaporeans and just plain ol' heaven for racing fans like me!

Spanish city Valencia, Greece, Russia and South Africa have also declared their interest in hosting a race. Mexico had also made plans to return to the F1 calendar while an Indian Grand Prix and a second race in the United States had been suggested.

Without knowing any of the actual details regarding race track location and track design for example, I think Singapore will face tough competition in this bid. The FIA has always been eager to decentralizing the Grand Prix, especially since Formula 1 has always been very eurocentric. In the 2000 season, 11 of 17 races were in Europe. The 18 races of the ongoing 2006 season are slightly more dispersed: 4 in Asia/Australia, 3 in the Americas, 2 in the Middle East and 9 in Europe.

How un-europeanized Bernie Ecclestone will want his F1 kingdom to be, I don't know. But Europe has had a long affair with Formula 1, a long torid affair peppered with triumphs and deaths and raised the population on tyre scraps and fuel vapours. Europe is sure to remain a staple of F1 racing. I would count Valencia out of the race, since Catalunya has been the favoured track for the past 15 years i think, and even so, Jerez would be the hopeful runner-up as it's one of the most popular test tracks around. Greece and Russia, while European, are not Western European, and so stand a chance as the exotic bastard brothers. South Africa may be a strong contender as the only hopeful candidate of the African continent. Mexico and India, I don't really have an opinion as of right now and for USA, I think they prefer their NASCAR and Champ Car Racing to F1, so if FIA adds a second US race, it's purely for the sake of trying to break into the American market.

**to be updated when this #$%@ viro exam is out of the way... prions prions. i love prions. maybe if i keep repeating that, i'll believe it.*