Matt Cares Deeply About Sports

Sure he does.

Now, two things have really got my heart racing: the current Tour de California and the 2009 rule changes for F1. For the Tour, more than being excited that there will be a world-class cycling event for me to watch live when I return and all the economic good it will do the people of the towns it's rolling through, I'm just tearing out my hair that I'm not there to see it again! It's only, what, the second day and already Lance Armstrong's TT bike has been nicked, Floyd Landis was called out by the race announcer for the drug scandal and the Spaniards are kicking ass and taking names. I should be the one pilfering bikes! I should be the devil on Floyd's shoulder telling him to juice up! And I should be the one jamming a bike pump into the Spaniard's spokes yelling about Basque liberation! Am I cursed only to dream of such things?

As for F1, the rule changes are going to mean batshit insanity on the circuits this year. If you don't believe me check out this video by Team Red Bull Racing that's impressive in its own right. The breakdown is basically this: virtually no aerodynamic stabilizers allowed other than front and rear down force wings and some variable driver-controlled gadgets (more on that in a below); engines must last 3+ races; no tire warmers pre-race; slick tires allowed once again; and a braking energy recovery system like on a Prius that powers a small electric "boost" engine.

That last one is really exciting as it opens up a whole new universe of fast-paced overtaking action, the likes of which haven't been seen in twenty years. That, and it's also like a friggin' video game nitro boost! Whee! Oh, and the variable aerodynamic option is interesting as well. The driver can actually control parts of the bodywork to do their bidding for different track situations! Whether it's something like pressing a button and raising some vents or warping a wing for different handling effects I don't know, but it's an exciting avenue.

--Matt