Formula One Sucks!

I am disgusted with Formula One!

In case you haven't been following, Renault F1 boss, Flavio Briatore was booted this week ahead of a special hearing to determine if orders had been given to his driver, Nelson Piquet Jr to crash out allowing his team mate, Fernando Alonso to win a race in 2008. Turns out to have been true. Renault gets a suspended sentence, Briatore gets suspended 'indefinitely' and Piquet gets a slap on the wrist for putting his life in danger. http://www.thestar.com/article/698975

Disgraceful!

Contrast this to the previous scandal last year in which MacLaren Racing gets caught with hundreds of pages of Ferrari technical data. Their fine: $100 million.

Let me see if I have this straight: steal data get fined; endanger life get suspended sentence.

Both suck. But when the value of life is worth nothing, I'm out.

This race is over for me.

I can only dream about the all new Saab 9 5 ... for now.

Unless things change very dramatically within the next 6 months, driving this car in Canada will be just a dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxfW3krAIcE

I could wait until it gets launched in the US then find some willing importer to bring one up to Canada. The hassle of that sucks not to mention the extra cost on top of paying full retail. Oh, and no warranty or service.

I could flip to an Acura or Audi. Both make excellent driving cars. Hmmm...

I am considering buying out the lease on my current Saab. At less than the previously agreed upon figure. No warranty though and it would need brakes and tires.

Decisions, decisions...

I likely will drop down to a winter beater and decide next spring.

Irrational as it seems, I love Saabs and will wait-and-see...

My Last Saab?

This is my last Saab.

This could have been my next Saab: the new Saab 9 5
http://newsroom.saab-web.com/news/news/saab95signalsaneweraforsaab.5.2088ec0123b66135e27ffe38.html

Unfortunately this Saab 9 5 won't make it to Canada for the 2010 model year. The new owners of SAAB Koenigsegg have their hands full in managing their existing large markets in Europe, Asia and the USA. Canada falls under their radar. At least for 2010.

And the business relationship in Canada is 'complicated'. Saab does not export its vehicles to Canada. It does so through General Motors of Canada http://www.gm.ca/gm/. Koenigsegg will have to negotiate separately with GM in Canada to get the rights to distribute their vehicles. Not at the top of their to-do list I'm sure.

In the mean time, the existing Saab Dealers who will be taking down their Saturn signs at the end of December 2009 will continue to offer sales and service...but for how long?

I turn in the keys to my 2005 Saab 9 5 on November 18 when the lease is up. Great car. Fabulous ride and handling. Love it when the turbo kicks in. One final long drive next weekend: to Montreal to watch my son, Holden play football with his team, the Acadia Axemen. I will enjoy that run.

Until next time...

Questions I would love to have answered

I will NOT look like this on December 5 around 9 am at the conclusion of the Reggae Marathon in Negril. http://mykalsreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-donate-to-reggae-marathon-run.html

That's Mike on the right indulging me in a bit of vanity fun early last Sunday morning as we helped out in the Wasaga Beach 1/2 Marathon as members of the Wasaga Beach Road Runners http://sites.google.com/site/wasagabeachroadrunners/. Great time had by all.

On to what's been bugging me for the past week.

Questions, questions...

1. How do companies figure that laying off their employees will grow their business?
2. If this recession is over, why are people still cranky?
3. Why are our Federal leaders screwing around with election talk? It makes us look silly on the world stage.
4. On that note, wonder if Obama even knows who Harper is during their 'brief' meeting in Washington? (Long way to go for a 1/2 hour meeting).
5. Still on politics...Ontario politics this time: why did the government fire the head of OLG for no cause? They had to have known it would go legal.
6. Whatever happened to Tie Domi of the Leafs?
7. Will the Leafs win the Stanley cup this year? Oops...sorry about that one.
8. Will the Buffalo Bills ever win a game this year? Don't even ask about the Detroit Lions.
9. How does Usain Bolt run so fast?
10. Can the Argos make the playoffs this year?
11. Do traffic round-abouts really work? We have our first one in the area near the Blue Mountain ski resort outside of Collingwood. Lots of effort and money for...?
12. Will Americans ever buy small cars?
13. Why did GM sell Saturn again? Don't they sell great small cars?
14. Still on autos: will the 'new' GM ever show they have really changed by showing some humility for the fact that we OWN them?
15. Why do people ride bicycles on the sidewalk?

Would love your comments...better yet, answers :)

Until next time...