"I walk around in the summertime saying, 'How about this heat?'"
—Denis Leary

The Explorers Club
No. CXXXVII - The first Transatlantic flight, by A. C. Read, W. K. Hinton, E. F. Stone, E. S. Rhoades, J. L. Breese, & H. C. Rodd, crew of the U.S. Navy flying boat NC-4, 8-27 May 1919.








My apologies, dear readers, that the flight of the NC-4 was not Episode No. CXXXIV of "The Explorers Club," I really should have featured this flight before Alcock & Brown's, the first non-stop Transatlantic flight. Only too late did I really decide to feature these aviation milestones in strict chronological order. Remember 1919 in aviation:

8-27 May: NC-4
14-15 June: Alcock & Brown
2-6 & 10-13 July: the R34
12 November-10 December: England to Australia

This Week in Motorsport
It doesn't matter if the races are run on oval tracks or road courses/street circuits, the IndyCar Series can't compare to the excitement found in a Formula One grand prix. Some, but not all, of the fault lies in the television broadcast. Though it might be irksome to seasoned fans, the commentators on SPEED go out of their way to explain the idiosyncrasies of F1 to the uninitiated: for example, explaining the differing characteristics of the hard compound "prime" and soft compound "option" tires, both of which each F1 car is required to use during every grand prix. The Versus crew discussed "red" and "black" tires—they were visually distinguishable as the reds had very visible red stripes on the tire walls—but did not once mention what particular advantage one type of tire might offer to a race car and its driver. (F1 "option" tires sport a bright green stripe on the tire wall. They offer better grip at a lower temperature than the "primes," but also degrade faster, especially if there is clag or other debris on the track.)

The paramount reason, though, must surely be that there simply is not enough difference between the series. There is a world of highly visible difference between an open-wheel, single-seat F1 car and a closed-wheel, two-seat Le Mans Prototype, and in the types of races run by each type; so, my new-found love for Formula One does not threaten my new-found love for the 24 Heures du Mans. An F1 car is massively different than an IndyCar, er, car, but when all is said and done both are open-wheeled single-seaters, replete with front and rear aerofoil wings and an air intake positioned directly above and behind the driver's head. The inevitable conclusion, considering both the technological sophistication of the cars and the presentation of the races, is that IndyCar racing is simply an inferior version of the same entertainment offered by Formula One. Call me unpatriotic if you wish, but I choose the international F1 over the mostly American IndyCar Series.

This does raise a question, however: Should I support the forthcoming Team US F1, due to join Formula One next year, simply because of the "Made in America" ethos? From sea to shining sealink. Certainly I'll "support" them, I say more-the-merrier, but should I adopt them as my team? To this point in my inaugural F1 season, I don't have a team. I haven't felt as if I know enough to favor knowledgeably one constructor over another, one driver over another. Will I regard the 2010 campaign differently, after I have a dozen grands prix under my belt*, after I have months and months to read up on F1 history and regulations? Is it necessary that I even choose a team? I have found that I have virtually no interest in the N.F.L. since abandoning my support for the Detroit Lions, but I don't imagine any meaningful comparisons can be drawn between this and F1; I was raised on the Lions, I bled Honolulu blue and silver, and even before I quit them I had grown increasingly disgusted by the year-round hype and mass media domination of the N.F.L. Is it in anyway morally objectionable to embrace a sport but not back any particular participant? Matters on which to ruminate in the months ahead.

IndyCar is a bust, but if I can find the time next weekend (we're going to have guests) I intend to watch the Road Race Showcase from Road America in Wisconsin, part of the American Le Mans Series, on SPEED. I also plan to sample the World Rally Championship when it comes to H.D. Theater in October; I can't know for sure until I've seen it, but I've got a good feeling about rallying. I'm a 24 Heures du Mans and Formula One fan for the foreseeable future; will I become a fan of motorsport in general?

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Michael Giacchino, "True Heart of Racing" from Speed Racer: Original Motion Picture Score (T.L.A.M.)

*A curious turn of phrase, that.