Barkat sounds almost Messianic!

If you are not too busy getting ready for the holiday, this week the Formula 1 Road Show comes back to Jerusalem.

Last year was a great show. I did not go to see the exhibit of cars in the Train Station complex, but I did go one day to see the Formula 1 drivers in the streets of Jerusalem, and it was a lot of fun.

The drivers performance in the streets of Jerusalem will be this week on Monday and Tuesday starting at 3:30 pm each day. The route will be David Remez st, to King David st to Yitzchak Kariv st to Jaffa Gate, and back.

Besides for that, there will be exhibits in the train station complex starting on October 6 for about 10 days.

For more details, see the Jerusalem Formula 1 website and/or the Jerusalem municipal website.

Enjoy

this is very cool.. the view of Jerusalem streets from the camera mounted on the Ferrari Formula 1 car of Giancarlo Fisichella

Formula One had some casualties as well as all the fun and excitement it generated... People's lives, specifically residents of Jerusalem, were disrupted with roads closed and the inability to cross certain parts of town. In some places you could not even cross the street - understandably so as not to get run over by a race car going too fast to stop in time.... I stood in a sunny spot because when I was there the shade was on the other side of the street, but standing on the other side would have prevented me from leaving when knew I would have to...

Channel 2 News reported on the story of a wedding that was being disrupted by Formula One. So much so that the bride and groom, the chattan and kallah, could not get to the wedding hall.

the wedding was booked long before bringing Formula One to Jerusalem was a twinkle in anyone's eye.. or at least before anything was publicized or finalized... and the wedding hall was located right along the track of Formula One - on the corner of King David Street.

Knowing they would not be able to get to the hall, they turned to the police who found a solution. The road performance would be stopped for a period of time, during which the police would drive the chattan and kallah to the wedding hall on police motorcycles.

I guess at least the bride and groom were able to be there. I don't know if the police helped the guests arrive, along with family members and the officiating rabbi or other people who needed to be there - caterer, photographer, musicians, etc.

And once this was being worked out, a police motorcycle is not all that exciting - they should have had Chris Pfeiffer give them a ride...

I went on Friday to watch some of the Formula One Peace Road Show in Jerusalem. It was pretty cool..

Here's a clip of some of the activity I saw from where I was standing. After a while I moved to down to the busier area. I did not have as good a spot for taking pictures and video, but was able to see more activity...

the Formula One drivers took a ride around the track waving to spectators before starting their performance..

we don't see a Maserati too often on the streets of Jerusalem, or anywhere else in Israel!

front and back wheelies in the motorbike shows... along with handlebar riding and plenty of other motorbike tricks

burning rubber. didn't smell too good

people were very innovative in their quest to get a good view. Some climbed up on top of the bus stop - until police told them to get down

the crowds were very diverse...  everybody was enjoying...

this guy put on a good show...

a variety of different types of race cars...

The cars have landed!

The Formula 1 Peace Road Show 2013 has arrived, and the cars are on display! This Thursday and Friday the cars will also be racing through the streets of Jerusalem.


I expect that as talented as they are they still won't be able to keep up with some Israeli drivers, but they should be able to pass most cars if they honk on their horns loud enough...

Actually, for much of Thursday and Friday, the roads in the area and along the route the cars will be racing on are going to be closed.

However, for the meantime, the cars are already here and are on display by the Old Train Station of Jerusalem until June 13, though the drivers will only be arriving in Israel on Wednesday, June 12. On June 13 and 14 they will be racing through the city streets..

Superstars car shows featuring cars with V8 motors will take place, with racer Chris Pfeifer starring in the show. In addition, there will be a first ever superbike motorcycle show.

The roads to be used for this show will be prepared special for the cars. The route to be used will be from the back of the Old Train Station, -- Kikar David Remez -- Derech Hebron st. -- Hativat Jerusalem st. -- Yitzchak Kariv st. -- David Hamelech st. -- and back to Kikar David Remez.



View Larger Map


I don't know what time exactly they will be driving this route on Thursday and Friday, but I suspect it will be a number of times throughout the day, as the roads are going to be closed to vehicles most of the two days.

For your information, the Jerusalem Municipal website has announced that there will be seats for viewing in a special area, for which tickets can be purchased. On the entire route there will be standing-only viewing stations  all around that will be free of charge.

On Thursday the roads will be closed from 12:30 PM until 20:00 PM, and on Friday from 7:30 AM until 16:00 PM..

The closed roads will be:

• Tzanchanim st., from the corner of Zaks going south
• the Kikar Tzahal tunnel
• Hativat Jerusalem st.
• Jaffa Gate
• Derech Hebron st, from Hachashmonait going north
• Yitzchak Kariv st
• David Hamelech st
• Agron st, from Paris Square going east
• David Remez st
• Keren HaYesod st from Shalom Aleichem going south
• Jabotinsky st, from Flumer Square until Yitzchak Elchonon st
• Derech Beit Lechem, between Emek Refaim and David Hamelech

certain parking lots will not be available during these times. cars parked in these lots will be towed. (see Jerusalem Municipal website for details)

The City encourages people to use the Jerusalem Light-Rail and/or special shuttles to come to the area for viewing. Shuttles will operate, free of charge from the parking lot of Teddy Stadium and from the Kiryat Leum parking lot.

Another exciting event brought to Jerusalem by Mayor Nir Barkat, bringing Jerusalem to an even greater international stage and attracting an expected hundred thousand tourists to the city.. If they don't get their act together in Jerusalem and decide to support other candidates, I think he should consider running for mayor of Bet Shemesh. I personally will ask Eli Cohen to step aside if Barkat agrees to run...




------------------------------------------------------

this video is an intro to the Formula 1 event that will be coming to Jerusalem in June...



Interestingly, the accompanying article says that Mayor Nir Barkat is himself a race car driver and has participated in race sin Israel and around the world... So, he runs marathons and brings a marathon to Jerusalem  He drives race cars and bring F1 to Jerusalem. What else does he do and what else will he be bringing to Jerusalem???

Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat has been talking for a long time about this grand idea of his to bring Formula 1 (F1) race-car driving to Jerusalem. It looks like Barkat's plan is actually becoming reality.

While I could not find it yet on the F1 calendar (it could be it is not considered a "World Championship Race", to be on this calendar, or maybe details just have not yet been worked out completely), Mynet is reporting that it is a done deal.

According to the report, the Formula One race in Jerusalem will take place on June 13-14 of 2013. This past Thursday Mayor Nir Barkat announced the race. Barkat said that for the first time Israel will be hosting in Jerusalem the Formula One race, which will be going through a series of international performances, racing in capital cities around the world, drawing in hundreds of thousands of visitors. Besides for the importance in the motor sports world, this event is one that is image shaping that will place Jerusalem among the few cities in the world hosting such a high level international event."

The entire route is not defined, but Mynet says the route of two races will bring the racers past the walls of the Old City, going through Mamila, the old train station complex and by the King David hotel. The roads in the areas of the races will have to be closed for 3 hours to allow for the race and safety. Barkat is still hoping to persuade racing legend Michael Shumacher to come to Israel for the event as an honorary guest.

Viewing will be along the route, for free, with special areas designated with seating for VIP guests.

2.5 million shekels has already been included in the 2013 budget of Jerusalem for the preparation for Formula One.

Of those present at the announcement, City Councilman and Deputy Mayor Pepe Alou of Meretz, likely to be unrelated to the great baseball family Alou family (Moises, Felipe, Manny and others), was the only one to state opposition to the plan, saying this is not appropriate in any way to the city of Jerusalem. Alou said it would be better for the municipality to invest the money in an "Adeloyada" parade for Purim, or something else the city residents can actually benefit from.

I agree with Alou that Formula One is not appropriate for Jerusalem, but Barkat has worked hard to bring Jerusalem into the status of international tourism and entertainment. Barkat, to that end, brought the marathon to Jerusalem, and Formula One is another step in that direction. I like that it will give Jerusalem added recognition and appeal throughout the word, which will translate into tourist dollars. And just because Jerusalem is a holy city with high concentration of religious meaning and symbolism, but that does not mean it cannot also be a fun place to live, with clean recreational activities.

I can see it now - the cars whizzing by, flying over the Jerusalem speed bumps, rounding the traffic circles, with protesters of all types trying to throw wrenches into the plans.