P134
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
T
hey always said that
Britain is a country that
doesn't have a climate.
Just weather. This was no
excuse for the cancellation last
year of the British GP. It hap-
pened on the day, to the chagrin
of fans and organizers, because
heavy rain flooded a brand-new
surface that couldn't provide suf-
ficient drainage.
No sooner had Silverstone
announced that it was to com-
mission a complete resurfacing
to save this year's and future
British GPs than the same thing
happened to WorldSBK at Imola.
Although far apart, the two inci-
dents had depressing similari-
ties.
There was a lot of arguing,
but in the end, the riders' view
prevailed, and safety was pre-
served. The race was canceled,
and soggy spectators had to go
home disappointed. Unlike at
Silverstone, however, they had
at least seen some racing that
Sunday.
Weirdly, however, it was the
second Superbike race to be
hit by crazy weather this year. A
late-season snowstorm in mid-
April stopped Saturday racing at
Assen, though they could catch
up again on Sunday.
Call it climate or call it freak
weather, there are still certain
conclusions to be drawn. One
WHY WE MUST LOOK FORWARD
TO THE SILENCE OF THE AMPS
Is racing contributing to
climate change?
