Remember how excited we got when rumors started flying about the short-list of candidates to host NBC's version of Top Gear? Well, the BBC's original version isn't about to change any time soon, but another motor-related program is coming to the Beeb, and racing fans over on the British Isles have been getting all hot and bothered as the BBC has won the contract to broadcast Formula One grands prix. And it's sure to be a star-studded cast.
For starters, David Coulthard won't be staying in retirement long. After having ended his long racing career at the end of this past season, Coulthard will be joining the BBC coverage team. He'll be joined by former team owner Eddie Jordan, alongside sports anchor Jake Humphrey. BBC's radio coverage of the races will be handled by former driver and longtime commentator Martin Brundle along with Jonathan Legard, while Ted Kravitz and Lee McKenzie report from the pitlanes. Veteran commentator Murray Walker will stay on through the BBC Sport website, leaving the actual coverage to the new crop of talent. Hopefully we'll be able to understand half of what they're all saying.
Given the relative scarcity of cars like the Ferrari Enzo (349 production units built, an indeterminate number destroyed), you're unlikely to encounter one. On those rare occasions when such a thing does happen it seems even less likely that said owner will say, "Hey, wanna go for a ride?" Given the improbability of such events, it seems even more bizarre that our friend Jonny Lieberman found himself in such a situation this past weekend at the inaugural 24 Hours of LeMons in Houston, TX. It turns out that Matt Groner is the owner of the Enzo best known for being cracked up by Eddie Griffin. We reported on the car being repaired and offered up for sale a couple of months ago and it's still available on eBay with a Buy It Now price of a mere $1.2 million. So what was Groner doing at LeMons? Why racing of course. According to Jonny, he rolled up to the track in the Enzo and hopped into a Neon to compete in the crap-can "race."
"Yo Jesus, you gotcher ears on, good buddy?" Cletus Snow has made his last crackly Tx on the CB. We know Jerry Reed best as The Bandit's Coors-hauling cohort, but Jerry Reed had a long and successful career that saw him rubbing elbows with greats such as Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, even Dexy's Midnight Runners (the great part might be debatable on that last one.) The star of music, film, and television passed away in Nash-Vegas on August 31st of emphysema-related complications. Tonight, we're going to break out the LPs, crack a Banquet Beer and watch all three Bandits as we lament another gone too soon.
When buying a used car, no matter what kind, a major crash is usually a big deterrent. In this case, however, it was its claim to fame. Try though you surely have to forget, you'll likely recall actor/comedian Eddie Griffin's lamentable crash of a Ferrari Enzo into a concrete barrier while promoting his then-new movie Redline. Most figured the exotic was a write off – or an accounted-for marketing expense, as some contend – but it has been given a new lease on life thanks to Matt Groner.The Texas broker deals in wrecked luxury and sportscars, and usually sells them as is. With the Redline Enzo, however, Groner decided to put in the effort to restore the vehicle. Since the Enzo's chassis is composed of separate carbon fiber sections bolted to the center tub, Groner had simply to call up the factory and order the replacement parts. Well, not so simply, as it turns out, because the parts cost $300k and took months to arrive. But the restoration has been completed, and the car is up for sale for a $1.3 million sum that's sure to cause as much whiplash as Griffin's crash did in the first place.Head on over to Jalopnik for more information, including photos (before and after), a first-hand account from the restorer and a video news segment detailing the saga. For our part, we'll be lobbying Hollywood to include "no exotics were harmed in the making of this film" disclaimers in the credits.
They often use the term "F1 circus" euphemistically, but sometimes there's just no other word to describe some of the ridiculous things that go on at the pinnacle of motor racing. In this week's episode, we have news that former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan has placed concrete blocks to barricade the access road leading to the headquarters of the Force India F1 team.
Jordan founded the team under his own name in 1991 and sold it to Midland in 2005, which in turn sold it to Spyker in 2006, who then sold the team to Force at the end of last season. Yet despite having been promoted at times as Russia's team, Holland's team and now as India's team, the actual headquarters has never moved from its location at the Silverstone race track in England. When Eddie Jordan sold off the team, he held on to some of the surrounding land through which the main access road leads. Jordan, who would now like to sell the land to the team but is claiming that Force India's management has refused to even discuss the matter, took things into his own hands recently and closed off the driveway. Just watch, they'll discover that the cinder-blocks he used were probably stolen from McLaren.
