Interesting times

By DAVID GREEN

There's scholarly debate over its origin, but there can be little argument that the expression "may you live in interesting times" is apropos for those of us who inhabit the world at this point in time. "Interesting times," indeed.

How bad things are, how bad they're going to get, how to counter or minimize or just how best to deal with it are all topics that are of some importance to most of us, if not all.

If there are places of refuge -- genuine refuge, I mean, not just hiding in a literal or figurative cave and pretending it will all go away -- none of them has to do with auto racing. The social and cultural turbulence surrounding motor sport these days diminishes the aerodynamic effects of a modern racing car to a zephyr.

From NASCAR to Formula One, it seems that panic buttons are ready to be pushed. The protective guards have been flipped out of the way and fingers are ready to press. Most of the angst is about manufacturer support -- specifically, about whether there's going to be any.

In America, the problem is the distress U.S. automakers are experiencing. Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge all have been deeply involved in NASCAR racing for at least the past decade. Parent corporations Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler LLC are struggling mightily to survive.

In F1, it's less about financial stability, although BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes, Renault and Toyota are not immune to the present economic situation. It is more about dissatisfaction with FIA President Max Mosley's push for standardized pieces. NASCAR fans can relate; Ford, Chevy and Dodge (along with Toyota) have been less than enthusiastic about the new spec-bodied Sprint Cup car.

All forms of auto racing survived the Great Depression of the 20th century. World War II brought an intermission, but after 1945, racing quickly resumed and steadily grew. Its upward spiral has only recently peaked.

U.S. open-wheel racing had its crisis a dozen years ago. Except for today's state of the world economy, the Indy Racing League might be poised to make great strides. Given the economic problems, it might instead be the most vulnerable.

It's hard to foresee a miraculous recovery from the present economic dilemma. We'll see just how resilient we all are in the coming months and years. We'll see how various sports, entertainment and recreational endeavors fare, and how savvy or clueless their leaders turn out to have been. And we may find out that things have been so radically altered that we won't have much concern to spare for such trivialities.

Interesting times, for sure.