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October 27, 2003

Last Post...

for awhile (well, a week at least). We're packing for our big trip to Bishop. We'll be leaving behind the cold and rain for sun and warm temperatures. Woo!

How to Rebuild a Rally Car in 22 Hours

Here's a play-by-play of the rebuild of Petter Solberg's Subaru Impreza WRC after his shakedown shunt in Corsica. Amazing stuff.

Sports This and That

I haven't really written much about sports in general here, but a couple of things caught my eye this weekend....

First, Kobe Bryant and Shaquile O'Neal's relationship has turned icy again. It's been no secret that Shaq and Bryant have had problems sharing the spotlight in Los Angeles over the years, and that feud is starting again, with Shaq declaring (in the third person no less) that the Lakers are "Diesel's team" and that being a Laker is all about playing for a team. Translated, this means that the Lakers revolve around O'Neal, and if you don't feed him the ball most of the time, you're not being a good teammate. Much has been made over the summer about Gary Payton and Karl Malone joining the Lakers, and how they would gel with the rest of the team. It looks as if Payton and Malone won't have any trouble buying into Phil Jackson's team-first offense, and they'll be very willing to put aside personal glory for the title.

The Pittsburgh Steelers now have the dubious distinction of being in last place in the AFC North, one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals. That's right, not only are they in last place in the NFL's worst division, they are looking up to the Bengals. They lost yesterday to the St Louis Rams (Les Mufflounsfor Tuesday Morning Quarterback fans), and the score didn't relfect how bad it was. The Steelers secondary was so overmatched, I could have done just as well as the cornerbacks. Anyone can clutch and grab to prevent the receivers from catching the ball, and at least if I was out there getting burned on every down, you would expect it.

The Florida Marlins beat the New York Yankees in baseball's World Series. Should be an interesting offseason in NYC, as owner George Steinbrenner won't be too chucked about losing to a team whose payroll was roughly $158 million less than his.....

October 26, 2003

Rally Catalunya Wrapup

It was quite a weekend in Spain, and the championship table has a distinctly different look to it. It was generally a dry, quick rally, though the rains came early in the day on Sunday and benefited the boys from Subaru immensely, but more on that in a moment.

First. the surprise winner was Gilles Panizzi, finally finding his tarmac form from last season. Panizzi kept the leaders in his sights all weekend, and used a strong showing on the final stages to take the victory. Sebastien Loeb was very solid all weekend, holding the lead most of the way. His second place puts him atop the championship table, tied with teammate Carlos Sainz. Markko Martin took third place, just half a second behind Loeb. This was a rough rally for Martin, as he was suffering the effects of his shunt in Corsica. Francois Duval had another solid rally, turning in a fourth place finish.

Fifth place went to Petter Solberg, who now holds second place in the championship, only one point behind Sainz and Loeb. It was quite a rally for Solberg -- he was driving well on day one, keeping the leaders close despite the dry conditions (not where the Impreza excels). Then, a problem during the first service halt required extra time to fix (the bearing in his alternator went bad), and Solberg was assessed a 50 second penalty, dropping him from third to tenth. He never found his rhythm over the next day and half, but his prayers were answered when the rains came on Sunday. Solberg made up an amazing minute and half over just a few stages, and jumped from tenth to fifth. Teammate Tommi Makinen also took advantage of the conditions, jumping into the points in eighth place.

Rounding out the points were Marcus Gronholm and Carlos Sainz. Sainz really had a chance to distance himself from the field in the championship standings, but it wasn't to be. Fortunutely, he's still tied for the lead and he definitely holds an advantage over the lesser-experienced Loeb.

The biggest loser this weekend? Richard Burns. He was in the middle of the points all weekend until he smashed a wheel during SS19 on Sunday. Burns is still in the title hunt, five points behind the leaders, but he's got to rely on both his driving and his opponents driving to take the win in Britain. Colin McRae also had a rally to forget, finishing in ninth place. Though McRae didn't have championship hopes, his poor finish allowed Peugeot to claw back into the manufacturer's championship.

So it all comes down the muddy Welsh roads of the Rally Great Britain for the championship. The tactics should be quite interesting. Solberg won in Britain last year, but his strategy this year has been steady, controlled drives that build up speed as weekend progresses. I don't think Solberg will go on maximum attack from the start -- he will wait to see what the other contenders choose. Loeb may attack from the start, hoping that he can carry over his speed from the sealed surface events. Though he is the least experienced of the contenders, he's shown a great deal of maturity all season, and I wouldn't expect that to change. Sainz too will wait and see how things unfold. Markko Martin will no doubt be gunning for the win here (he took second last year), and I doubt that anyone will challenge him with the championship on the line. It should be quite a weekend!

October 23, 2003

Rally Catalunya Preview

With two rallies left in the season, the driver's championship is still very much up for grabs, and four drivers have a legitmate shot at winning the championship. Catalunya is a touch different than the previous two tarmac rallies, being a bit more wide open that Corsica and San Remo. Conditions will be trickier as well, as there's lots of corner-cutting, meaning lots of gravel and dirt pulled on the roads. The chances of a single driver pulling away from the rest in championship standings is pretty slim, as Carlos Sainz has only a six point gap between himself and current fourth place driver Sebastien Loeb. Loeb will no doubt be gunning for the victory, and he's got to be tipped as the favorite again (despite his spin in Corsica). But Sainz, Richard Burns, and Petter Solberg just need a good points score to set up an exciting season finale in Great Britain.

The team by team breakdowns:

Subaru
A suprise win for Subaru last weekend in Corsica, especially after Solberg's shunt during the shakedown. The team is hoping again for damp conditions, where their Pirelli-shod Imprezas seem to dominate. But even if the weather doesn't cooperate, Solberg was quick enough on the opening days in the France to keep the leaders in his sights, and that's all he needs to do this weekend if he wants a shot at winning the championship in Britain. Tommi Makinen had a solid drive in France, and he'll be looking to finish in the points again to help Subaru consolidate its hold on third place in the manufacturer's championship.

Citroen
Citreon is the new Peugeot. Just look at them. They are extending their lead in the manufacturer's championship, and they have two cars gunning for the driver's championship. It's been a good first full year for the team.

As I said, Loeb is again the favorite, and he seems strongest on these "mixed surface" tarmac rallies (he's won Germany and Monte Carlo this year as well). If he can stay out of trouble, he will be competing for the win come Sunday. This is Carlos Sainz's home event, and he's always done well in Spain, but I expect he'll be more interested in managing his lead in the championship rather than gunning for the win. Sainz, much like Richard Burns, has really benefited from the new points scale this year -- remember, he's won only a single rally this year, compared to Loeb and Solberg's three apiece. Colin McRae, who be forced to retire at the end of the season due to the lack of a drive next year, has been very consistent lately -- he's only missed the points on two rallies this year -- and he'll be critical piece in Citroen's attempt to win the manufacturer's title. McRae should have no problems finishing in the top 6.

Peugeot
Oh how the mightly have fallen. Manager Corrado Provera went out his way this week to proclaim that the 206 is not dead yet, and the team still has a chance in the championship. The facts seem to speak differently however. Marcus Gronholm never found his stride this year (due mostly to mechanical problems), and Gilles Panizzi has been mostly invisible this month. If the team has any hope of staying in the manufacturer's race, someone is going to have to mighty quick this weekend.

Richard Burns has to hope for a good drive this weekend to stay in the title hunt. He had flashed of brilliance in France, but never found a consisten rhythm. He'd be happy to see the title fight come down to a win in Britain, but he's got to leave Spain with at least four points to stay in the hunt.

Ford
Lots of potential, but not a lot of results. Both Markko Martin and Francois Duval have been quick on the sealed surfaces this month, but mechanical problems and plain old inexperience got the better of the young guns. Martin is also a favorite for the win this weekend, but he would need the top four drivers to retire to have any shot at the championship. Should Martin take the lead at the any point, I expect that everyone will simply fight for points below him -- no need to put championship hopes in jeopardy fighting for a win with a non-contender. Duval isn't expecting much this weekend, as he has little experience in Spain, but he should wind up in the points with a solid drive.

Skoda
Yet another step in the development of the Fabia. Toni Gardenmeister had issues with the car's anti-roll bar during shakedown, and he expects it to be a problem during the rally as well. He had the same issue in France, but thanks to the immediate trip to Spain, the team had no time to work out the kinks. Didier Auriol is starting his 150th WRC rally, and he's the team's best shot at getting into the top ten.

My Top 8*
1. Sebastien Loeb
2. Markko Martin
3. Petter Solberg
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Colin McRae
6. Richard Burns
7. Tommi Makinen
8. Francois Duval

* Why top 8 all of a sudden? Well, that covers the championship points places.

October 22, 2003

The War on Terror -- A Report

Defense Memo: A Grim Outlook

Guess Donald Rumsfield isn't quite so optimistic about the results of the war on terror. The scary part -- he thinks perhaps our country needs a "new institution" to fight terrorism. Perhaps I need to take a political science course again, because my memory must be failing -- I thought conservative Republicans wanted limited government. The current Republican administration has already brought us the Department of Homeland Security and now they want something else? Yeesh.

General Boykin, Again

After reading a bit from General Boykin's "apology" regarding his comments about his role as God's warrior in the war on terrorism, I thought I'd better clarify my position a bit. Here's the chunk that caught my attention:

"I believe that God intervenes in the affairs of men, to include nations, as Benjamin Franklin so eloquently stated. Yes I believe that George Bush was placed in the White House by God as well as Bill Clinton and other presidents."

First, I need to be quite picky from a linguistic/theological perspective. His first sentence doesn't ring true for me theologically. God doesn't intervene in the affairs of men (*ahem* humanity) -- the affairs of humanity are all a part of God's grand plan. That's predestination in a nutshell (a very small, simple nutshell, but a nutshell nonetheless). God doesn't just stand by, watching the world passively, deciding to do something here and there. The affairs of the world are happening just as God planned them. But that's a whole other discussion, and one which I'm not sure I'm qualified to lead.

But what really made me do a double take what the second sentence. There is definite Biblical truth in his second sentence. Don't believe me? Here's Romans 13:1:

Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God.

Now, your interpretation of Boykin's first sentence will affect how you interpret his second sentence, and Romans 13:1. Personally, I read Romans 13 (see my previous post about the pledge) as saying "God is in control, and as long your ruler isn't directly asking you to go against God, don't you worry about a thing." I don't know what Boykin's personal theology is, especially regarding free will/predestination, but like I said, he hit on a kernel of truth. But I think he believes that Romans 13 means that his leader (GW Bush) was appointed by God to the leader of a holy war against terrorism, and the godless masses. And I can't really agree with that, though I've got no proof to deny his claims.

But I stand by my previous remarks about what Boykin said about his role in the war on terrorism. It had the sound of a crusade for God, using the sword. For me, that just doesn't mesh well with the concept of Jesus Christ, prince of peace. Certainly it has some resemblence of the wars of the Old Testament, but didn't Christ come to do away with those sorts of battles?

October 21, 2003

Before....

Here's an image of Petter Solberg's Subaru Impreza after the Corsica shakedown. This is same car he used to win the rally. Amazing work by his crew.

The Matrix Unloaded

We finally got around to watching the Matrix Reloaded last night. It's funny. Before Seb was born (right around the time the movie was released), we were very excited to see it. We had nearly worn out our copy of The Matrix. But then the boy was born and at least I suddenly didn't care about the movie. I had read a lot of the stuff people had written about it -- about how deep it was, how it further twisted our perceptions of how things were in the world of the movie. And to top it off, the action scenes were amazing. So the DVD was released last week, and we purchased it, and we watched it last night. So what did I think? Well......(beware of spoilers)

It was an entertaining movie. I enjoyed watching it. I didn't fall asleep (which, at 9:00pm on a Monday night, is a ringing endorsement). But....it wasn't as good as the first movie. Why? Well, the Wachowski set the bar pretty high with the first movie. Everything in that movie had a reason to be there. If you've watched the companion DVD to The Matrix, you learned that nearly every frame of the movie was carefully designed. Nothing was accidental. The dialog was smart (well, except when Keanu was talking), but not too smart. It wanted to play with our perceptions of reality (in the vain of the modern philosphers like Berkeley, Spinoza, and Leibnitz, and the post-modern Baudrillard, whose Simulacra & Simulation became a bible of sorts for the directors and the actors). And the action sequences were groundbreaking, but still "real." It was the actors doing most of the dirty work, and we appreciated that.

But The Matrix Reloaded lost some of that intellectual and directorial purity. It started for me with the first scenes in Zion, specifically the Stomp-esque party. I have trouble thinking the Wachowski brothers thought that this scene was important to the progress of the themes of the movies. It's easier to imagine a few studio execs pulling the brothers aside on day, saying "You know, this is great stuff, but maybe it's too heady? We need some sweaty, half-naked bodies grinding to some electronic music. That'll keep the kids more interested." I assume it's purpose was to show that humans are still human, and we can still RAWK! even when the hounds of hell are descending upon us.

That said, I thought the scenes in Zion were well done. The scene with the counselor and Neo in the engineering room was thought-provoking, but not in the heavy-handed way that other scenes suffer from. The concept of the symbiotic relationship between human and machine will no doubt be further pursued in Revolutions, and this scene was a good start.

I hope the brothers have big plans for Agent Smith in Revolutions, because I didn't think his presence did much for this movie. The "100 Smiths" fighting scene was cool for about 30 seconds. Then it just got silly. At first, we both thought the CG animations were sorta bad, but then I thought that maybe they were supposed to be that way. With the brother's interest in Anime (and the Animatrix), maybe it was supposed to look animated. The same goes for the highway chase scene.

While we're here, let me talk about the action scenes a bit. Best scene? The fight between Neo and the Oracle's companion. Very artisitc. A dance, almost. Worst scene? Humm. Either the "100 Smiths" fight, or the highway scene. I think the "100 Smiths" scene wins, but the highway scene is a close second. It was just too long. The first minutes were good, because there was still a lot of live action happening, but by the end, it had degraded to CG, so it wasn't so groundbreaking anymore.

So what's the philosophy of this movie? Well, it begins with the discussion about free will/determinism between Neo and the Oracle. But, this discussion dovetails nicely with the whole "what is real" conundrum. Did Neo really make the choice to accept his responsibility of being the One? Or did choices make before he was even aware of the Matrix make him the One? Scratches head. It's vaguely akin to the Christian theological arguments about free will vs. predestination (and, by the way, I'm not in any way implying that the movie is dealing with this theological dilemma). Personally, I'm a believer in predestination, but because that concept is so beyond my comprehension, I live my live day to day making decisions. I don't sit around before lunch thinking "I wonder what God planned for me to eat today?" I decide to go and get a sandwich, or I decide to eat the burrito I made last night. Simple, right?

Neo rightly identifies this logical/philosophical dilemma (during his discussion with the Architect), and his response is to simply act. At that point, he can't be burdened with this existential dilemma, and he chooses to act. He saves Trinity, and he shoulders the responsibility for saving Zion. In fact, Neo identifies the same philosophical dilemma that Ludwig Wittgenstein does -- philosophy becomes mired in the discussion of unproveable facts. Early in his life, Wittgenstein's solution was simply: "Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must silent." But Wittgenstein had a revelation later in his life. We can talk about the things that we know -- the facts of the world. Neo comes to the same conclusion -- it doesn't matter what is real, and it doesn't matter what fate dictates -- he knows he can save Trinity, and all of Zion, so that's what he does.

Whoa! That was a bit much. I started to sound like the architect there. I thought that scene sounded like a bad philosophy paper. I don't doubt that there are important gems in there, but it was just too much. And as I said, Neo's response it quite simple. He's got no time anymore for philosophical discussions -- he's got people to save. That scene mirrors Neo's moment of existential decision in the first movie -- in the first movie, he doesn't necessarily believe he's the One, but he's compelled to leave the philosophy behind and simply act. The same thing happens. The Architect tells him it's actually quite cut and dry, but Neo, almost acting as if he doesn't know any better, simply does what he has to.

Sidenote: I thought the character of the Keymaker was a nice touch. And his philosophical ramblings are just ambivalent enough to keep us guessing ("I doing this because I'm supposed to be doing this") -- is Neo the One, or is the Architect telling the truth -- will this played out over and over again?

That's enough for now, methinks. I've still got write about the whole Gregg Easterbrook fiasco.

October 20, 2003

Umm...

I'm not sure who is crazier in this photo,
Markko Martin, or the spectators. This is from Rallye Monte Carlo, 2003.

More on the Pledge

I learned about an interesting bit of trivia about the phrase "one nation, under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance this weekend. Here's what I did know: the pledge was adopted in 1951. Here's what I didn't know: it was adopted to differentiate us from the swarms of godless communists trying to take over the world. It really had little to do with the belief that our nation was indeed a nation blessed by God, and it wasn't really an attempt to say "Glory be God our savior." It was nothing more than politics. Even more reason to just throw it away.

Here's another interesting tidbit. When the Supreme Court gets together to hear this case, they will begin that session with the following words:

"God save the United States and this honorable court."

Really? I wonder how the father that is pushing the pledge to be left out of our schools feels about that? I guess, however, that there is a bit of legal distinction to made. Forcing kids to say the pledge with the words "under God" may force them to say something they truly don't believe. If a Supreme Court justice has a problem with their little motto, well, they could always just not take part.

Other scary news....

Have you heard about the new deputy undersectary of the Department of Defense (whoa, that's a mouthful)? General William Boykin seems to believe that he is on a mission from God to protect our Christian nation from the scourge of terrorists guided by Satan himself. He is a well-decorated military officer -- his credentials for the position are not in dispute -- but he has managed to say things that make Bush's foreign policy gaffes leading up to the war Iraq look like good ideas. For a sampling of what the general thinks, follow this link.

I think I'm most troubled at his insistence that our nation is a direct descendent of the biblical nation of Israel, and therefore our "destiny" is linked to Israel. Scary stuff.

This and That

One more week til we go to Bishop. WooHoo! It's been about a month since we've bouldered out of doors, so we're more than ready to climb on the fine granite on the east side of the Sierras. In other climbing news, The Climbing Wall, Inc. officially opened their new swanky bouldering area this weekend. I'm really, really impressed with it. I managed to get a solid five hours of climbing in, and that was the best workout I've had in some time. I feel like I'm at least in decent enough shape for Bishop, so hopefully I might be able send some of my projects.

News about the boy. In the last few days, he's started to actually make letter-type sounds, like "bah, bah bah" or "mah, mah, mah". Pretty cool stuff.

October 19, 2003

More Rally Thoughts

There's been a lot of talk around the WRC about the rise of the "young guns" -- drivers like Sebastien Loeb, Markko Martin, and Petter Solberg. But I think it's unfair to lump those three together, as they've got very different levels of experience in the WRC.

Solberg's first full works drive was in 2001 with Subaru (the year teammate Richard Burns won the championship). Solberg started all fourteen rallies that year, and managed to score points for Subaru in every rally he finished (roughly nine, if I recall correctly). Highlights of the year included a second place at the Acropolis Rally and fifth place at Corsica (he was holding fourth going into the final stage, but he sportingly took a time penalty to allow Burns to overtake him, thus scoring more championship points). Last year, with Tommi Makinen as a teammate, Solberg won his first rally (Great Britain) and stood on the podium on several more. Solberg credits Makinen for his win in Britain, as Tommi was quick to share advice with the young Solberg. And with the master at his side again this year, Solberg has won three rallies so far this season, all in a very mature and composed fashion.

Martin was Solberg's teammate in 2001, though he didn't have a full works drive, and shared the third Impreza with Toshi Arai. Martin showed glimpses of brilliance, including a points score in Finland, but he was still a future championship. Last year he secured a full works drive at Ford besides past champions Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, and Martin learned much, but his only notable performance was a second place in Great Britain. Ford took a huge gamble with Martin, letting Sainz and McRae sign with Citroen. Martin has been quick this season, but erratic, thanks to a combination of his inexperience and the development of the latest Focus WRC.

Loeb is in first year as a full works driver with Citroen. He spent 2001 with Citroen, but it was the manufacturer's first year in the championship, so they only ran the tarmac events, but Solberg showed flashes of brilliance then, scoring a second place finish in San Remo. In 2002, Citroen again ran a limited schedule, but Loeb made an even bigger splash with a second place in Monte Carlo (he finished the rally in first, but was assessed a time penalty, giving the win to Makinen) and a win at the debut of Rally Deutschland. And he's been even stronger this year with Sainz and McRae at his side, winning three rallies and scoring two other podium spots.

So, apples and oranges? Somewhat. Solberg has showed that he is the most experienced of the trio, winning rallies by being consistent and mature. He's been helped inmeasurably by his partnership with Tommi Makinen, and Makinen has been more than happy to help Solberg (in fact, when Solberg nearly destroyed his car in his shunt during shakedown this week, Makinen immediately stepped forward to offer his car to Solberg if the mechanics couldn't get things fixed in time). Martin has showed he can be very quick, but he hasn't been able to finish enough rallies to make a difference in the championship. Loeb has been much more solid than Martin, and has showed maturity in the cockpit beyond his years. And Loeb is still the hunt for the title, despite his mishap in Corsica. Oh, and forget all that talk about Loeb being a tarmac specialist -- he's taken podium spots on gravel rallies as well, so he will be a threat to score big points in the season finale in Britain.

Welcome Back and Rallye de France Overview

Well, we're back, albeit at a slightly different address. Currently, the site is running at http://ankle-biter.net. My current hosting provider seems to be having major, major DNS issues (our _real_ domain name, anklebiter.net, has been unreachable for nearly four days now), so I got this other domain name and set up the site elsewhere (thanks to Matt). I'm in the processes of transferring anklebiter.net to my name, so hopefully within the next few days, that address will up and running again. So, anywho, use ankle-biter.net for checking out the site and sending us email....

On to the rally.

Quite a weekend in Corsica. After day one, it looked to be a battle between Markko Martin and Seb Loeb, as they distanced themselves from most of the pack (Marcus Gronholm, Francois Duval, and Carlos Sainz kept it close though). It was typically day of tarmac rallying -- dry conditions and fast stage times. Petter Solberg, who nearly didn't start the rally thanks to quite a shunt during shakedown (the Subaru techs worked all night on Thursday to get the car ready for the start), was barely in the top ten. Richard Burns had a slightly better time than in Italy, but he was still just in the points in seventh place.

Then, on day two, everything changed. Overnight rain made parts of the roads wet, and it didn't take long for things to change. First victim -- Sebastien Loeb. He spun and got stuck on the side of the road, and had to wait for spectators to pull him out. After losing over three minutes, Loeb was out of the running. Next victim -- Markko Martin. The rains began to fall, and Martin had smashed a wheel. He was able to replace it and continue, but not without losing loads of time. The big winner in the all incidents was Francois Duval. He held the lead halfway through day two. Then it started to rain harder.

It's well known in rally circles that the Pirelli-shod Subaru Impreza is most at home in wet, rough conditions. So Petter Solberg saw his chance and took it. After the second service, Solberg put his foot down and climbed up the leader's table, and by the end of the day, he had a thirty-plus second lead on Duval. The big question was whether or not Solberg could hang on if conditions dried up on day three....

But, that question was never asked. The rains came again on day three, and thanks to his lead, Solberg didn't have to push the pace. Martin had quite a shunt, and he didn't see the finish line. Carlos Sainz did his championship hopes a favor by overtaking Duval for second place. The rest of point scoring positions went like this:

4th: Marcus Gronholm (his best result of the year on a rally he's not won)
5th: Colin McRae (a very solid rally from McRae -- he held his position most of the way).
6th: Gilles Panizzi (he has yet to find his form on the sealed surfaces)
7th: Tommi Makinen (a good effort from Tommi -- he took advantage of the poor conditions on Saturday and jumped into the points after a poor start)
8th: Richard Burns (the single point keeps him tied with Solberg for second place in the championship table)

There's no rest for the weary as the WRC heads directly to Spain for next weekend's rally. The championship is still wide open, with Sainz leading Solberg and Burns by three points, and Loeb trailing that pair by three points. Loeb is still very much in the hunt, and he'll be the favorite to win in Spain despite his problems in Corsica. Solberg and Makinen will be hoping for rain again. Subaru is hoping to just put Petter in the points next weekend if it's a dry rally to allow him to take the championship with a win in Britain. You've got to like Sainz's chances at the championship, though. He's had a solid performance at both Italy and Corsica, and if he can haul in four or six points next weekend, he'll be in good shape to take the championship.

October 15, 2003

Not Again....

Supreme Court to examine constitutionality of Pledge

It seems America today will never tire of the arguments about the separation of church and state. What I really don't understand is why Christians get so riled up over these issues. I challenge them to look around and tell me what they see -- the City of God? Or Babylon? More and more, the only Christians involved in the political arena that I still respect are those fighting to change the Constitution to claim that Jesus is the head of everything. I don't necessarily agree with their cause (generally because I think that Christians should stay out of politics, but that's a discussion for another day), but I respect the fact that they're going at their goal the proper way. They aren't trying to erode bits and pieces of the government and culture, they're attacking it head on. You know exactly where they stand, and they start with a very basic premise, which makes it easy to extrapolate their ideas on other subjects.

But I digress....

I ask that question again....where are we? The City of God or Babylon? From where I'm standing, it's Babylon. Our country is not Christian. How about some proof, you ask. Okay, here we go....

1. We are currently involved in combat operations in several countries. While many Christians have argued a theory of just wars, it's quite difficult to justify a war within the context of the New Testament. Again, a deeper discussion is for another day.

2. Millions of people live below the poverty level, and the government wants to scale back assistance for them (uh oh, has he gone liberal on us?).

3. The average political campaign is filled with lies and vicious attacks on other candidates.

4. I challenge anyone to call the social culture of America "Christian."

The list could continue. Please note, this isn't a critique of America -- a *tsk, tsk* finger pointing at everything that's wrong. It's just an observation. Thanks to the Constitution, we are given certain liberties to do as we please, and that's fine with me. The same Constitution that protects Hollywood's ability to produce films with violence and sex protects my rights to worship God.

So, back to the Pledge. Why are Christians in such an uproar over a single line "one nation under God?" Why, as Christians, would we want non-Christians to be forced to say this? Christ himself said he not interested in people who went through the motions of belief and faith:


"You are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of My mouth."

Wouldn't the government, by forcing someone who doesn't believe in God to claim that their nation is under God, be putting God's wrath on that person? Of course, that assumes that the people actually reciting the Pledge are paying attention to what is being said. Quick question: when was the last time you recited the Pledge? Grade school? And how many times did you earnestly recite the Pledge? When did you last _really_ mean it? Or perhaps an easier question: did you ever really mean it? It's like the whole "In God We Trust" motto on our currency. Do you think that tears down the wall between church and state? If you do, I say take it off the currency. I say take it off the currency even you don't. Why? Well, here's what Jesus had to say about that (from Luke 20:21-26):

And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:
22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

So why are so intent on putting God's name on the currency? To declare that it really belongs to God, since it's under His power? Well, that's redundant. God knows what's His. Does it glorify God to have "In God We Trust" printed on our currency? Well, maybe, but does it glorify God to use that currency to buy crack? Sure, as Christians we should try and serve God in all aspects of life, but within politics many Christians are only serving their interests. They're pushing a socially conservative agenda that aligns with Christian morality, but they're missing something -- the law isn't going to change anyone's heart. Wasn't that Christ's beef with the Jewish religious leaders? They were so focused on the law that they missed the whole point -- faith in God. And so here we are again. Instead of spreading the word about Christ, they're using the bully pulpit of legislation to make America a "Christian" nation. It's almost as if many Christian politicians would be happy if abortion was illegal, the blue laws were re-inacted, there was a sculpture of the Ten Commandments in every public place, and kids recited the Pledge every morning, but didn't mind that culture of America didn't change, and not one person accepted Christ. Image is everything.....

But I'm still not convinced that Christians should bother themselves with politics. Why? Read Romans chapter 13. Now, this passage means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but when combined with the "render unto Caesar" passage, I read it as saying "don't be too concerned with what happens in politics, unless your leaders ask you to sin." And if you're a faithful Christian, your government will let you be, because how they can punish someone for loving God and their neighbor? And note verses one and two:

Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God.

Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.

Note, there's no qualifiers in there. No "as long as your leader is a conservative." No "liberals are the anti-Christ." Authority is established by God, and therefore you should be subordinate to it. Now, in verse four there's some talk of the "servant of God" to inflict wrath on the "evildoer." Many theologians see this as an opening for an "avenger" -- someone appointed by God to take down the evil leader. But I see it differently -- God says if your leader is truly evil, He will take care of it...don't you worry about it. And that's how I see America today. We as Christians have the freedom to worship and live how we please. If we're so concerned about the degradation of American culture, why aren't we out there in the trenches doing something about it, rather than sitting on the steps of a courthouse protesting the removal of a chunk of stone or the removal of two words from an often-said but rarely thought about pledge (by the way, isn't there something in the Bible about oaths and pledges?)?

Yeesh. That was quite a post. This isn't a simple topic, even though a lot of people would have you believe it is. But in another sense, it is. The removal of the words "under God" in the Pledge won't break back of Christianity. The lack of an image of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse won't either. But we're in trouble if Christians forget about helping those who need it (and serving Christ in the process) for political gains.

Lowering the Bar

In the past couple of days, I've discovered that my personal standard for Weather Conditions I Won't Ride My Bike In has been considered lowered over the past year. I rode home from work yesterday in pouring rain, and didn't mind all that much. Sure, every bit of clothing I had on was soaked through (but my trusty messenger bag kept my stuff nice and dry), but it really wasn't all that bad. And it makes the slog up Stanton Avenue a bit more manageable. And then this morning, despite Jen's offer of a ride to work, I took off again on my trusty fixie to ride through the cold and wind (which nearly blew me over several times). Perhaps it was all those cyclocross training rides last winter, leaving the house in sub-freezing temperatures to ride and run around Schenley Park in ankle-deep mud....

October 14, 2003

Rallye De France Preview

After one week's rest, the World Rally Championship heads to Corsica for another tarmac round. Corsica is considered to be the classic sealed surface rally, with rough old tarmac roads, and loads of tight corners. It's a visually stunning rally as well, with the roads cut into high mountainsides, with deep ravines waiting if the drivers make a mistake. Tommi Makinen had a terrible shunt here in 2001, coming within inches of a huge drop.

The championship race is still wide open, with Richard Burns carry a narrow two point lead of Sebastien Loeb. Loeb is another two points ahead of Carlos Sainz, with Petter Solberg still in the hunt, nine points behind Burns. Loeb is an obvious favorite to win in France, and Burns has to work very hard to avoid the disaster that befell him in Italy two weekends ago. Burns has shown flashes of brilliance on tarmac in the past, but he's struggling with obviously substandard car in the 206 -- the Citroen Xsara and Ford Focus are by far the quickest cars at the moment, and that puts Burns at a distinct disadvantage.

Now, a team-by-team analysis:

Subaru
Solberg and Tommi Makinen are hoping to put Italy behind them as well. Solberg struggled, then retired, and Makinen never found a good rhythm, and just barely squeaked into the manufacturer's points for Subaru. The Impreza's new suspension and differentials were touted before Italy, and both Solberg and Makinen looked quick during shakedown, but they couldn't find that pace during the rally. Solberg can still fight for a podium spot in Corsica, though he honestly can't expect to fight for the win. He can keep the championship leaders in his sights with a good performace, and hope the fight goes down to the last round in Great Britain, which he won last year.

Peugeot
There's been much grumbling from Burns, Marcus Gronholm, and Gilles Panizzi about the state of the 206. The team has decided to scrap the car at the end of the season, and testing has begun on its replacement, the 307. This means there has been little to no development work done on the 206, and that shows it in its pace. Panizzi said during Italy that he had the pace he had this year during last year's rally (which he won easily), he could have won by over five minutes. As it was, though, Panizzi struggled to keep up with the Focus and the Xsara, and snuck into second place after a tyre gamble before the final stage. Burns will have to work hard to keep the championship lead, and he will probably leave Corsica in second place. But he can walk away with four or six points, he'll be in good shape going into the final two round.

Ford
The Focus is quick. If it wasn't for some mechanical issues, Markko Martin would have given Loeb a good run on Sunday in Italy. And Francois Duval also looked quick in Italy, and he's hoping to build on his fifth place finish there. Martin does have a legimate shot at winning Corsica, though his lack of experience could tip the scales in Loeb's favor. Martin is still a longshot for the championship however. Even with a win, he'd have to hope that Loeb and Burns retire to give himself a chance at the title.

Citroen
Loeb is a legimate title contender, and he is the marked man in Corsica. If Burns falters, Loeb could pull away in the points table. This is a home event for Loeb, who cut his teeth on the French junior championships (which, by the way, are all tarmac rallies). But Loeb isn't the only championship contender on the Citroen squad. Carlos Sainz had a solid performance in Italy, and he's currently in third place in the points table, and much of the media seems to have forgotten this. If Sainz can put in another solid performance this week, he can keep his title hopes alive. And Colin McRae had a solid rally in Italy as well, and though he won't be contender for the title this year, he will be the key to Citroen extending their lead in the manufacturer's championship.

Skoda
The team made some changes to the new Fabia after Italy, and hopefully Corsica will be another step forward for the development of the car. If Didier Auriol can score a few top ten stage times, this will be a successful rally for the Czech outfit.

Hyundai
Sadly, Hyundai has pulled out of the championship, and won't return until 2006. Budget problems and contract disputes with the team's sporting unit prevented the team from doing any real testing this year, and the team has finally decided to pull the plug on the program until things can be ironed out, and the team can truly compete again.

My Top Five
1. Sebastien Loeb
2. Markko Martin
3. Gilles Panizzi
4. Petter Solberg
5. Carlos Sainz

October 10, 2003

Meme Time

A Little Perspective on $87 billion

October 09, 2003

California Politics

Should the Dems Attempt to Recall Arnold?

Generally, I like what Joe Conason has to say. I may not always agree with him, but I still enjoy reading his journal. But I think he's missing something here -- this is a chance for Democrats to take the high road. The "fight fire with fire" approach is eventually going to lead to a political landscape where only radicals at the far ends of the political spectrums will vote. The average citizen won't care anymore because the average citizen is a centrist.

Personally, I only care about what happened in California because of the effect it could have on the political system nationwide. I understand that the California constitution allows for a recall, but the voters in the state have to realize they have to live with their decisions. Of course, the recall was driven by republicans, but did you notice how many democrats lined up to become the next governor too? Sure, was Davis driving the state into the ground? Well, yeah, but you voted him governor, remember? Did he lie about everything during his campaign? Was he a really great actor, that you couldn't tell that he wouldn't work out?

I wish I could find it, but somewhere on the web (gee, that narrows it down) there was an opinion piece about how someone, either Republican or Democrat, has to break the cycle of political warfare. Someone needs to step above the fray of namecalling and mudslinging and tell the truth, and, more importantly live the truth. If the Democrats attempted another recall, that would give Arnold exactly four months to turn around the world's fifth largest economy. Four months. There's a reason why most elected officials have four year terms -- to allow them the time to get things done. I don't know if Arnold will turn California around, and really, I don't care, but at least give him a fighting chance. Remember, you elected him.

October 06, 2003

Hi....We're Adults Now

Jen and I took a step tonight that we feel pushes us into the mystical realm of adulthood -- even more than having Seb. We purchased a station wagon (a 2000 Subaru Outback) this evening, and traded in the Impreza. It took us months to finally decide that a coupe was not the ideal vehicle if you have a child, and after numerous stops and starts, we got a car. A station wagon. Only one step higher on the food chain than a minivan. Several steps lower than the Impreza.

We've fought hard over the years to not be adults...we've done the psuedo-climbing bum thing, living out of our car at crags in the South and Colorado. We've lived in sparse apartments that were roughly as clean as college dorm rooms. When I finally got a *real* job we moved up in the world, and bought the Impreza, a little pocket rocket that could zip around town, and to the crags. Who cared that it barely fit bouldering pads and camping gear -- we were young and free! Whee! Now, before you think this is some rant about how I (we) miss the "good ol' days," let me assure you, it isn't. Change is a good thing. This is a really good change. Actually, that might be an understatement. If given the chance to take it all back and be a carefree youth again, I'd pass. Things are too good now. And I don't mean because we're better off financially (heh).

But I digress....

Now, we own a dapper navy blue and khaki wagon (Yikes! It even matches my clothes. How embarrassing.). It's a nice car, and perhaps I feel like I have to look nice to be able to drive it. I feel like the car came with a contract that says "you will try and act more like an adult now." But then I realize, we'll still be listening to lo-fi music in it, and within a few weeks, the back will be cluttered with climbing gear and covered with chalk, and it will be ok. We'll still be ourselves, and we'll still be clinging to every last bit of our youth. We will not be "adults" because we've got a station wagon and kid, and we're looking for a house. We'll still rather go climbing on the weekends, and we'll still have piles of laundry (both clean and dirty) in our bedroom. And our furniture won't match.

So there...I'm a kid again! Wheeeeee!

Rally San Remo Day 3 and Rally Wrapup

So much for a ho-hum third day of rallying in Italy. The first half of the day was standard fare for day three -- drivers simply looking to maintain their positions in the points table, driving just fast enough to keep it interesting, but not fast enough to make a mistake. Then, things got really interesting. As the cars were leaving the day's only service stop, the skies opened and the so far unseen rain come down in buckets. Nearly every works car was fitted with dry tarmac slicks, and without time to change them, the drivers were forced to deal with the now treacherous conditions. Only three works cars left service with wet weathe tyres: Gilles Panizzi (who simply bet that the weather would turn sour), Tommi Makinen (who was simply testing tyres since he was out of the points hunt), and Marcus Gronholm (who wasn't actually using wet weather tyres -- he simply had cuts make in his slicks). The results for the final two stages reflected tyre choice, and Panizzi nearly stole the rally from Sebastien Loeb.

On SS13, Panizzi stole 20 seconds back from the leaders as the roads were beginning to get soaked. Loeb mananged to keep things close, taking the third fastest time, but Panizzi managed to leapfrog Carlos Sainz into fourth place overall. On SS14, the day's final stage, things got even more interesting. The roads were quite damp, and even Gronholm on his cut slicks couldn't keep it together, as he crashed and destroyed a wheel, ending his rally. Panizzi took advantage of his tyres, and absolutely blazed through the stage, cutting nearly a minute and half of Loeb's lead, and jumping ahead of Markko Martin into second place. Loeb ran just fast enough to take the rally by 23 seconds. How bad were the roads? Panizzi was the only works car in the top six for the stage. Look at the results table and you probably won't recognize a name until seventh place -- Rchard Burns. He, Loeb and Makinen were the best of the rest on the final stage.

So, the top five looked like this:
1. Seb Loeb
2. Gilles Panizzi
3. Markko Martin
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Francois Duval

Richard Burns narrowly maintained his lead in the championship by squeaking into seventh place and scoring 2 points. The top of the points table is still fairly cluttered, with Burns leading Loeb by those two points, with Carlos Sainz and Petter Solberg still within striking distance. Burns has got to be worried at this point, with two more tarmac rallies left, and the Citroen Xsara looking to be the fastest car at the moment. Every one of the Peugeot drivers felt that the 206 just couldn't keep up with the Xsara or the Ford Focus. Petter Solberg also has to be a bit diconcerted with his title hopes, but if he can keep it close over the next two rallies, he's one of the favorites to win the season-ending Rally GB, so he's still got a chance.

The teams get one weekend off before Corsica, and given the quickness of Loeb and Martin, this could be Panizzi's best shot at a win. The tight, twisty roads will favor the tiny 206, so perhaps Peugeot's fortunes can change. Loeb has become my pick for the title though. Even if he doesn't win Corsica or Spain, he'll still end up on the podium, and the chances of Sainz, Solberg or Burns winning one of the tarmc events is slim. Carlos Sainz probably has the best shot at giving Loeb a run for the money, as the Xsara keeps him competitive on the sealed surfaces, and his skill and experience will give him a shot at winning Rally GB. If Sainz can walk away from Spain with 16 or 18 points (over the course of the three tarmac rallies), he's got a shot in Britain.

October 04, 2003

Rally San Remo Day 2 and Other Car News

Despite a clean sweep of stage wins today, Markko Martin couldn't overtake Sebastien Loeb for the lead in San Remo. Loeb held tough all day, and kept Martin in his sights, taking four straight second place times. Martin could have chipped away more time on Loeb, but he took a twenty second penalty after spending too much in service. In a testament to how far the Citroen Xsara and Ford Focus have come, Marcus Gronholm (currently third) and Gilles Panizzi (currently fifth) have said they feel they are going flat out, and simply can't match the pace of the leaders. This must be extremely disheartening news to Richard Burns, who has to watch his championship lead disappear knowing there are two more tarmac rallies left.

Carlos Sainz will keep his championship bid on track if he can hold fourth place tomorrow. That would leave him three points behind Burns and Loeb (assuming Loeb hangs on for the win). Petter Solberg can feel fortunate that Burns has also run into problems, as he won't lose any ground to the championship leader.

Unless Loeb or Martin run into trouble tomorrow, we shouldn't see much change in the leader's table for the rally, with only roughly 90 kilometers of competitive driving left. Loeb has proven both he and the Xsara are fast enough to drive comfortably and maintain the lead over Martin.

The other car news....

We've got a new car! Well, not yet, we pick it up on Monday, but it's a 2000 Subaru Outback Wagon. We went to a local dealer just to see what they had, and we loved the car, and after much haggling, we got a decent price for a trade-in on the Impreza. I'll post photos as soon as we get it...

October 03, 2003

Rally San Remo Day 1 Wrapup

Not much has changed at the top of the results table at the end of the day, but there's been quite a bit movement in the middle, and some big news for Subaru. First, Petter Solberg was forced to retire (from the rally) after SS6 (the final stage of the day) when his Impreza lost fuel pressure 1.5km from the service park. In a vain effort to get his car to the service within the allotted time, Solberg and co-driver Phil Mills attempted to push the Subaru to service, but failed to make it in time. While this will hamper Solberg's championship campaign, it won't put an end to it, since even with a win, Sebastien Loeb would only pull two points ahead.

Loeb does still lead the rally, taking four of six stage wins on the day. He leads Marrko Martin by just over 30 seconds, and Martin has a 20 second cushion over Marcus Gronholm. Gronholm has all but conceded the rally (and the championship) but saying the Peugeot 206 has fallen behind the Ford Focus and Citroen Xsara. Gilles Panizzi (holding a disappointing sixth place) confirmed Gronholm's observations, saying if he held today's pace last year, he would have won by 5 minutes. Instead, Panizzi is just hoping to finish in the points, nearly a minute and half behind Loeb.

Carlos Sainz is keeping his title aspirations alive, holding fourth place at the moment after a fine run on SS6. Francois Duval is also putting together a nice drive for Ford, currently holding fifth place. If Duval can keep it together over the next two days, it should be a good rally for Ford, and they can reclaim third place in the maker's championship from Subaru. Speaking of whom, Tommi Makinen is trying to finish in the points, currently holding 8th place. Richard Burns will drop in the championship standings, as he is having a terrible time of it at the moment, currently three minutes off the leaders' pace.

Tomorrow should be an exciting, with two long, 56km stages to challenge the leaders. Those stages are long enough to have effect on the leaderboard, and no doubt Martin and Loeb will be pushing the pace.

Recipes

We had some friends over for wine and cheese last night, and there were requests for a couple of my recipes, so here they are....

Pizza Dough
3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve the yeast in the water, and let sit for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well (I use a KitchenAide with a dough hook, but you can do by hand). You can let it rise for 30 minutes or so, but I've also used it immediately with good results. Be sure to measure the flour and water well, as it makes a huge difference.

Italian Peasant Bread
2.5 cups warm water
2 packages yeast (roughly 4.5 teaspoons)
6.5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Unlike the pizza dough recipe, the measurements here can be less precise (in fact, the recipe calls for you to measure out the flour by weight instead of using measurement cups -- if you've got a good kitchen scale, let me know, and I'll send you the weights). Put roughly 4 cups of the flour and the salt solution in the yeast/water mixture and mix (I use a mixing paddle on the KitchenAide). Mix til the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Add the remainder of the flour (and use a dough hook if you're using a mixer) and knead well. Add more flour and/or water as necessary. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let it rise for 2 hours, then punch down the dough, and let it rise for another 2 hours (you can also just let it rise all day, and push down the dough every so often).

When you're getting ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 450 degrees (btw, it's absolutely necessary that you have a pizza stone/baking tiles in the oven). Cut the dough in half, and make round loaves (or batards, for you cooking geeks). Don't worry too much about the shape. Lightly flour a dish towel, and put the batards on the towel. Dust the tops with flour, and cover with another dish towel. Let rise for another hour. After that hour, put a bit of cornmeal on your pizza peel (paddle), take off the top towel, and flip (yes, flip) the batards on the peel (downside is now up). Slide the batards off the peel and onto your cooking stone. Now comes the fun part. Get some water, and sprinkle a few teaspoons of water on the bottom of the oven -- this will create some steam, which leads to a nice crispy crust.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown, and the batards sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

Rally San Remo Day 1 Updates

The Rally San Remo is four stages old, and the teams are in service until this afternoon, but so far, this rally promises to shakeup the championship standings. Seb Loeb is currently in the lead, with a 21 second cushion over Markko Martin (who won stages 3 and 4), and 28 second cushion over Marcus Gronholm. Francois Duval has been surprisingly quick, and he holds fourth place at the moment. Gilles Panizzi is currently in fifth place, 40 seconds off the pace, and quite unhappy with his Peugeot at the moment. Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae are in sixth and seventh, and Petter Solberg rounds out the top 8, just over a minute off Loeb's pace.

Absent from the points at the moment is Richard Burns. He had a rough time on SS1 and SS2 (this rally has never been kind to Burns), and he's fighting to stay in the top 10 at the moment. Solberg was quick on SS1, but some suspension issues caused him to lose time on SS2, but he's back on pace at the moment, holding his position and gaining on Sainz and McRae. Expect him to charge at some point.

October 02, 2003

I Will Buy a Pump...I Will Have Spare Tubes

Meh. Somewhere on the hill on Stanton Avenue, there is something that causes flat bicycle tyres. At least once a month, I get to the bottom of the hill, cross over Negley Avenue and discover my rear tyre is losing air. At least this month, I got it out of the way early. So, I thought maybe, just maybe, I had a spare tube at home, and I could still enjoy the fine weather. No such luck. I had one tube, but it was for the cyclocross bike, and therefore just a bit too wide. Needless to say, today during lunch I'm going to stroll down to the LBS and get a frame-type pump and a handful of tubes. Yeesh.

And by the way, if you're a commuter in Pittsburgh, please check out this site:

Bike Pittsburgh. I met the guy who runs the organization last night on my ride home.

In other news...

Rush Limbaugh's tenure on ESPN's Sunday Countdown is over thanks to his comments about Donovan McNabb and the "liberal media." Well, it took four weeks, but Rush did manage to be controversial. Personally, I think I'm more knowledgable about football than good ol' Rush, and could probably provide more insight on that show (I do not, however, have the suit collection to match Michael Irvin, Tom Jackson, and Steve Young) than he did. Perhaps Rush's comments about McNabb were in fact racist, but his conclusions were so, well, stupid, that the discussion doesn't even have to go that far. Why would the media care about what Donovan McNabb is doing? And if they care so much about McNabb, what about Kordell Stewart? No one comes rushing (heh) to his defense because he's black. Heck, the media has no problem saying that Stewart is a plain old bad quarterback.

McNabb may not be same type of quarterback as someone like Peyton Manning (a precise passer), but everyone on the Philadelphia Eagles (did you hear that, Howard Dean? The Philadelphia Eagles) believes that McNabb's athleticism and leadership more than make up for up.

Of course, I'd to like to ask Limbaugh why he took the job in the first place. Wasn't he going to work for the same "liberal media" he frequently derails. I mean, ESPN is owned by ABC, right? I bet some of the very same people sitting next to Limbaugh on the show thought that McNabb was an MVP quality quarterback (and McNabb was spot-on when he asked why Limbaugh's fellow panelists didn't call Rush on his stupidity).

October 01, 2003

Rally San Remo Preview

This weekend begins a hectic month for the World Rally Championship, with three tarmac rallies in the course of three weeks. With a tight race for the championship, this should make things really interesting, as the factory teams won't have time to make little (and big) tweaks to their cars' setups based on the previous rallies. Many of the drivers aren't happy with the schedule, as they get about one day's rest between the races.

San Remo is held in the mountains of Italy, near the coast, quite close to the same roads used for the Rallye Monte Carlo. It's a classic tarmac event, with twisty old asphalt roads, and potential for very changeable weather. The teams should expect a bit of rain, and due to the nature of the roads, the course should stay wet for some time. It's also an exciting rally, with the same feel as Monte Carlo and Corsica, with roads cut into the mountainsides, meaning dire consquences for a mistake. This will be final year for San Remo, at least for a time, as it will likely be replaced by a loose surface event in next year's championship (Sardinia).

First, a quick review of the championship standings. Richard Burns holds first place by seven points over Carlos Sainz and Petter Solberg. Sebastien Loeb is another three points adrift of Sainz and Solberg, and Marcus Gronholm is another seven points behind Loeb. Though he's ten points behind Burns, Loeb is going to be the marked man this month since he's a tarmac specialist (though it's hard to label him as such since his result last month in Australia), and he can win any or all of these events. Sainz can win on tarmac as well, but I think he'll be looking to not lose any ground to the leaders, rather than use San Remo (or any of the tarmac rallies) to grasp the lead. Burns and Solberg have also shown quickness on the sealed surfaces, though I expect measured drives from both of them, as they'll be looking to finish in the points unless they feel they can really challenge for a rally win. Of course, the favorite for all of these events is Gilles Panizzi. He's far enough behind in the overall standings that he can't sweep into the lead even if he wins all three events, but he can certainly upset someone's title hopes.

Anyway, on to the teams....

Subaru
Petter Solberg has an excellent shot at winner the driver's championship, and to do so, he really just needs to score good points in the next three rallies. He'll be a bit happier if the weather goes south, as the Impreza (and especially the Pirelli tyres) perform better in the wet. But I expect a measured, mature drive from Solberg this weekend, and he'll only push if he sees a chance to gain more points. He's done well on sealed surface events in the past, so while he can't be tipped as a favorite this weekend, he'll be gunning for a spot on the podium. Tommi Makinen seemed re-energized in Australia after the announcement of his retirement at season's end, so expect him to push the pace a bit this weekend. A spot in the top six isn't out of the question.

Ford
The Focus has been the quickest car in the championship thus far, and there's talk in the media circles of Markko Martin stealing one of the next three events from the tarmac specialists. It's not out of the question, but Martin still lacks the experience on sealed surfaces to truly compete. He will be scrapping for a spot on the podium however, if all goes well. Francois Duval will be looking to finish, and perhaps find his way into the top ten. If Duval doesn't do as well as the team would like, Subaru will cement its third place in the manufacturer's championship.

Peugeot
First, Gilles Panizzi is the man to beat, regardless of his performance in Germany and Monte Carlo. He owned these rallies last year, and he can do it again this year. What's really of interest is how the rest of the team performs. Richard Burns is in control of the championship lead at the moment, and he'll be looking to stay there with a solid, consistent drive. Even if Loeb wins all three rallies, if Burns can stay on the podium, his championship chances look quite good. But Burns has mixed results on tarmac, and he will have to finish in the points to maintain his chances. Marcus Gronholm has seemingly given up on defending his title this year, so it will be interesting to see if Gronholm puts forth the effort this weekend. If he's not nipping at a podium spot by the end of day Saturday, I see a rash of retirements in his future. Gronholm has never won a sealed surface event, and he's quite capable of doing so, but I don't think it will be this weekend.

Citroen
What a spot Citroen is in -- two potential championship winners in Seb Loeb and Carlos Sainz. And they'll be fighting with Peugeot for the make's championship as well. Quite a first year in the WRC. Loeb is the obvious challenger to Panizzi tarmac dominance, and if he drives well, he puts himself in a fantastic position for the championship. While Loeb lacks the experience on these events (since he's only been driving in the WRC for a few years on a limited schedule), he's quick, and the Xsara is sealed surface machine. This rally will come down to Loeb and Panizzi. Sainz needs a solid drive to maintain his spot in the championship. He's won here in the past, but look for King Carlos to simply maintain a steady pace and not drop many points to Burns.

Colin McRae is in an interesting position. He's without a factory drive for next season, and it's doubtful he'll find one. The media has speculated that perhaps McRae and his brother Alister (displaced at Mitsubishi by Panizzi) may start a privateer team for next season. So, does McRae go all out for the remainder of the season and exit in a blaze of glory? More and likely, he'll be scraping for points in the tarmac rallies, since he just recently got comfortable in the Xsara on gravel.

Skoda
This is a critical month for the Czech outfit's new car. It will be hard to make improvements from rally to rally, so don't expect too much from the Fabia. But, Didier Auriol is a quick tarmac driver, and if the car is at all up to the task, he will set top ten stage times, and potentially fight for manufacturer's points.

Hyundai
Unfortunately, due to a contract dispute with their racing unit, the team will not compete in San Remo.

My Top Six
1. Sebastien Loeb
2. Gilles Panizzi
3. Petter Solberg
4. Marcus Gronholm
5. Richard Burns
6. Markko Martin