Cooper Straight

The four pages of coverage that Michael Jordan received was a good reminder as to why F1 faces such a hard task in building any kind of profile in America. Outside its hardcore base in the south, even NASCAR struggles to make an impact in a land dominated by balls.

But at least we've got a start, and it's great to be back home in Indiana. A couple of weeks ago the prospect of the US GP going ahead unhindered seemed a little unlikely, and I must admit that I thought the risk of problems - such as tyres or fuel not getting through the cargo chaos - would be insurmountable. And at that stage, of course, we had no idea if WW3 was about to kick off too.

But the predicted travel chaos didn't happen. There were no extra security checks when I boarded my flight, and with only 40 people on board the 767, it was an unusually comfortable run. Changing planes at Philadelphia involved a frustratingly long wait at the X-ray machine, but that was pretty much it. Everything was on time.

The terrorist attacks still dominate TV and the papers, but apart from the many US flags flying outside private houses, there were few signs that anything was different. It was business as usual.

And that of course is what George W Bush asked the American people to do last week - return to their normal lives, get back on planes. The recurring theme in the media is that people don't want to forget about what happened, but they need distractions. They want the comedy shows back on TV, and their sporting events to go ahead. The US GP is part of that healing process. Enough time has passed for it to be a welcome diversion without offending anyone with the frivolity of driving round in circles.

Bernie Ecclestone and Indy boss Tony George made the right call. Indeed the golfers who forced the postponement of the Ryder Cup - motivated I suspect more by fear of flying than thoughts of what would have been appropriate - now look a bit silly. With patriotic fervour now being stirred, what better time to have a US team competing in a high profile international contest?



What we'll never know is what this weekend would have been like had there been no problems. The low-key atmosphere in the paddock and less-than-capacity crowd expected on Sunday can easily be blamed on what happened on September 11, and I suspect that Indy will escape any major criticism.

But even before the disasters, ticket sales were well down, relative to last year's sell-out. In contrast to the 500, where the vast majority of punters live within easy reach of Indianapolis, most spectators at the GP are from overseas or the far reaches of the country. Last year many were put off by the scarcity of accommodation and the rip-off prices by those who provided it. The interesting thing now will be what happens next year. An event like this needs to maintain momentum and interest, and the US GP has lost a lot of both.

Having said that, quite a few people have made the effort. Driving in on Saturday morning there was a great deal of activity outside the track as people milled around by the souvenir stalls. I'd say we've got the biggest Saturday crowd of the season, and Sunday will very probably be the same. The problem is that empty spaces in those awesome grandstands are all too obvious...



Murray Walker's final fling might have captured more column inches, but Indianapolis is also the final race for veteran McLaren team co-ordinator Jo Ramirez.

Jo left his native Mexico in 1962, and arrived in England on the Queen Elizabeth with a couple of suitcases and US$300 in his pocket. He linked up with his close pal Ricardo Rodriguez, and soon found a job as a mechanic. He's been a part of the sport ever since, working with the likes of Dan Gurney, Ken Tyrrell and Emerson Fittipaldi before joining McLaren some 17 years ago.

As mechanic and later team manager, he formed close relationships not only with many of the greatest drivers of the era, but just about everyone else in the paddock. That's what we celebrated in a party held in his honour at an Indianapolis museum on Thursday night - it's not just the end of a 40 year career in the business, but the departure of a genuinely nice bloke, who retains the wide-eyed enthusiasm for racing that drew him to Europe all those years ago. Representatives of most of the teams joined in the fun, along with past and present drivers.

You'd struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say about Jo Ramirez, and in a paddock full of backbiting and intrigue no one has ever heard him put the knife into anyone else. Although there was one driver who managed to exasperate even Jo's remarkable patience. Bloke with a moustache who struggled to fit in back in 1995...



Murray Walker wanted to bow out quietly at Indianapolis, but there was no way the paddock was going to allow that to happen, so a farewell function was held in his honour late on Friday afternoon. It was supposed to be a surprise, but as Murray revealed, four people had come to him during the day to apologise for not being able to make his party. Spoilsports!

So the surprise element was gone, but when Murray walked in and saw who was there, he was genuinely taken aback. Michael Schumacher was at a table at the front with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jos Verstappen and Eddie Irvine, while David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and half a dozen other drivers were also in the room, along with the likes of Bernie Ecclestone, Eddie Jordan and Flavio Briatore and Ross Brawn. Everyone had other places they could be, or meetings to attend, but they all made the effort.

As ever, attention was focussed on the mistakes, something that Walker has had to put up with over so many years. I guess the piss taking must have annoyed him at times, not least because Murray is a fastidious researcher and fact checker.

By my calculations, since the BBC began regular F1 broadcasts in 1978, Murray has done some 800 hours of live coverage - the equivalent of talking non-stop for 33 days! But unless you've been in the booth watching him (which I've done) or done a bit of TV yourself (ditto), you don't have any idea how hard it is to get it right - never mind do it with the enthusiasm and colour that Murray contributes.

Some years ago Murray shrewdly realised that he might as well capitalise on his hapless image, and he's made himself into a national institution whose fame spreads far beyond the world of motor racing. And he's laughed all the way to the bank...

It was a fun session, with some amusing tributes paid and Murray on top form. At the conclusion no one would have been surprised if he got a little choked and just said a hurried thank you, but instead he produced a brilliant speech that really hit the right note.

"I don't know if you have all stopped to think about it, but we are terribly lucky to be a part of F1," he said. "There are literally millions and millions and millions of people out there who live, think, dream, eat and sleep F1."

He was right. And so many of them, and not just in the UK, have been drawn to the sport by Murray Walker. He's a hard act to follow...