I tire of Erik Nielsen's cynicism and pervasive need to denigrate people and teams. It always strikes me as a cheap way to cover for substandard journalism skills, by way of focusing on the shortcomings of others. If done well, it might be mildly entertaining; as it is it's annoying to no end. Just because television shows like "The Weakest Link" enjoy high ratings, it is foolish and insulting to gauge motorsports enthusiasts by that demographic.

Please dispatch Mr. Nielsen to the trash-racing or County Fair Demolition Derby circuits; as racing's counterpart to the WWF, they may be more receptive to his brand of smackdown journalism. You might then give an up-and-coming journalism student/summer intern a break by assigning him Mr. Nielsen's position. Have him study every one of Rob Walker's benchmark F1 commentaries in Road & Track (this publication is now known simply as "Road"). Mr. Walker's work is the pinnacle of gentlemanly and technologically rich racing commentary. I'm sure that even a novice so schooled would be a 100% improvement over the amateur currently in this position.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Ted Gomulka
Detroit

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Dear Mr. Gomulka,

Thank you very much for your interest in VeloceToday, and your comments regarding Erik Nielsen's Formula One coverage. We take all such letters seriously, and discuss them amongst the staff prior to responding.

Admittedly, Mr. Nielsen has an acerbic wit and has been particularly critical of the performance of both Jaguar and BAR, as well as some of the drivers. As the editor, however, I give my correspondents a free reign, as long as their opinions are justified. On the other hand, we do not condone nor promote "smackdown journalism" and are careful to keep crass "opinions" to a minimum.

Personally, I have been reading Formula 1 reports since 1955, via not only Road & Track but foreign journals as well. While I think highly of the reports of the late Mr. Walker, Formula 1 racing has changed significantly, as has the overall trend of journalism. More to the point, Grand Prix racing today is far from Grand and the emphasis is on the Prix. Unlike the days of Walker's "gentlemanly and technologically rich racing commentary" Formula One today has presented itself as a media circus, with a distinctly WWF flavor. Billions of dollars are poured into the "sport", in which few "gentleman" exist today. When the teams fair badly (witness the performance of the Williams team at the British GP), they stand to be criticized. The bigger the money, the greater the criticism. If Jacque Villeneuve screws up, he screws up--opinion based on fact is easy to justify.

We fully support Mr. Nielsen's contributions (he is also our technical editor), as brash as they may be. We think that his commentary reflects the times and the nature of Formula One today, and his reports are both youthful and enterprising.