My brother (the Aerospace Genius) is branching out into race engineering consulting.

Think Fast Engineering is his effort, and if you want to go fast, you’re looking for the right fellow. (If you are rolling your eyes in a ‘what’s he done’ mode, have a look at his ‘about page‘, and then pick your jaw up from your chest).

I’m biased, but aside from my Dad he’s the best engineering brain I know. (Dad’s not for hire).

“Speed is money: how fast do you want to go?”

A multitude of factors on Oct. 16 combined to kill popular IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, series officials announced Thursday during a news conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

via IndyCar: Dan Wheldon killed by multitude of factors in Las Vegas crash – Autoweek.

Terrible.

Very cool. Good for all involved.

A Formula One fan has had his wish of a new bionic hand fulfilled after a plucky letter to boss of the Mercedes GP Petronas team, Ross Brawn.

via BBC News – F1 team grants teenager hand wish.

Yes, he’s my brother, the smart one. Here he gives an interview to GoRacing TV (new to me) about his book, and why you should definitely buy one for Christmas. Oaky, he didn’t say that, but it’d make an appreciated gift to an aspirng racer…

The interview starts at 1:10

The book can be ordered through the web site or through Amazon. (I get nothing from the book sales except satisfaction that my brother the Aerospace Genius has achieved his career dreams).

I’ll hold my breath for this to last 10 years.  I hope so, but…it’s a business deal with F1.  Ask Indy how that works out.

Formula One World Championship Limited and Formula One Administration Limited together, the F1 Commercial Rights Holder and Full Throttle Productions, LP, promoter of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, announce that a historic agreement has been reached for Austin, Texas to serve as the host city of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ for years 2012 through 2021.

“We are extremely honoured and proud to reach an agreement with the F1 Commercial Rights Holder. We have been diligently working together for several years to bring this great event to Austin, the State of Texas and back to the United States. All parties involved have a great amount of trust and confidence in each other and are committed to establishing the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ in Austin, Texas as a prestigious global event,” stated Tavo Hellmund, Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions, LP.

via Formula 1™ – The Official F1™ Website.

That’s cool!  An F1 race within easy driving distance.

Then the BS begins to flow toward the end (it’s BS anyone making a pitch this scale has to make but…)

- over 250,000 hotel rooms within 180 miles;
- desirable year-round climate, with an average annual temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius);

Heh.  San Antonio has a lot of rooms, and they’re withing a typical F1 driving range, so…okay.

And, yeah, Austin’s year round average temp is 68, but in the F1 season it’s going to be summer in Central Texas.  Ick.

All that said, I’m going to go, and look forward to F1 being back in the US.

My brother, the Aerospace Genius, has written a book!

Here’s just part of the description from his web site:

Think Fast is not about the technology, but about WHY TO use some technologies and avoid others in your quest to WIN races. Think Fast can help any race car driver or race engineer tackle the big challenges and cross the finish line FIRST.
Think Fast is a professional racing industry insider’s detailed description of his unique process that makes racing drivers and race cars faster and work together more effectively. Both driver and car development techniques are covered, including very cost effective approaches to problems faced by every motorsports competitor.

So, if you’re in the market for a how-to go-fast book, here’s the one I recommend (nepotism works).

Available on Amazon.com!

VIDEO: Red Bull Racing gives a virtual tour of 2009 F1 rulebook – Autoblog

Very neat overview of the major rule changes in Formula 1 racing this year; let’s hope they work for better passing.