coops wrote:I think his sacking wasnt just about his performance as Toro Rosso have employed bigger donkeys than him since.
Well getting into a fight with your boss doesn't do your career any favours now does it?
No, but it should do. Im not referring to Speed here but I want to see racing drivers with a bit of fire in their bellies, a bit of passion and them not being afraid to cross the boundaries from time to time. Alonso irritates me with his petulance but when he does things like barge his way past Massa in China I punch the sky. Where F1 could be heading is a calm, grey world of PR where the only thing we see is cars going round a track only overtaking when its certain not to upset anybody.
Perhaps I should have posted all the above on the Rantbox page.
We need Juan Pablo back... now.
Biscione wrote:"Some Turkemenistani gulag repurposed for residential use" is the best way yet I've heard to describe North / East Glasgow.
captainhappy wrote:My experience in Canada, and I'm sure would be similar in much of the states, is this. It is an EXtreme rarity to meet a person who knows the slightest thing about F1 or open wheel racing. We (assuming I am not alone), basically need to turn to the internet to be part of a motoring community. The U.S. grand prix only has one shot; to have a SCHUMACHERESQE type champion with a cowboy hat and asskickin attitude.
That means Bernie will keep on wasting his money and effort, then.
Things happen, at times. I'm expecting MotoGP to become big in the US as soon as Rossi buggers off and the all-talented Ben Spies gets his bike and Jeremy Burgess. They even have 2 MotoGP races there...
I know this is probably a stupid question but why exactly can't MotoGP used the banked turns of Indianapolis? (I'm assuming it has something to do with safety)
Biscione wrote:"Some Turkemenistani gulag repurposed for residential use" is the best way yet I've heard to describe North / East Glasgow.
Wizzie wrote:I know this is probably a stupid question but why exactly can't MotoGP used the banked turns of Indianapolis? (I'm assuming it has something to do with safety)
I think they once used the bankings in Daytona. Barry Sheene's motor exploded at top speed and he went on sliding for about two hours.
Wizzie wrote:I know this is probably a stupid question but why exactly can't MotoGP used the banked turns of Indianapolis? (I'm assuming it has something to do with safety)
Considering how the bikes incline at turns, I don't think if that really would be good, but I'm only supposing.
Wizzie wrote:I know this is probably a stupid question but why exactly can't MotoGP used the banked turns of Indianapolis? (I'm assuming it has something to do with safety)
If someone highsided at full lean, top speed through a banked turn with a wall round...well its probably best not to consider the consequences...
Its the same reason the run-off at Woodcote at Silverstone is now massive because MotoGP are back there. Bikes need much more run off than cars because hitting the barriers in a massively strong saftey cell with a strong harness is much safer than flying through the air with just some leather, kevlar and padding to save you. Most of the Tilkedromes (Sepang, China, etc) have so much run off because of the MotoGP races there (though of course MotoGP doesn't even go to China now).
Wizzie wrote:I know this is probably a stupid question but why exactly can't MotoGP used the banked turns of Indianapolis? (I'm assuming it has something to do with safety)
I think they once used the bankings in Daytona. Barry Sheene's motor exploded at top speed and he went on sliding for about two hours.
Wow! Youtube clip anyone?
"Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines." -Enzo Ferrari
Wizzie wrote:I know this is probably a stupid question but why exactly can't MotoGP used the banked turns of Indianapolis? (I'm assuming it has something to do with safety)
I think they once used the bankings in Daytona. Barry Sheene's motor exploded at top speed and he went on sliding for about two hours.
Wow! Youtube clip anyone?
Not particularly brilliant footage of the crash itself, but you get an idea here:
coops wrote:Very cool. Sheene was a legend. My first bicycle (with stabilisers) had a number 7 on it. I thought I was Barry. It was 1977 at the time.
Utter legend. Of course, every year during the Daytona Bike Week, they still race there. The top category is a sort of tricked-out Supersports, and they go like stink down the banking; I think the reason Superbikes aren't allowed has to do with tyres. Michelin could have taken notice...
kostas22 wrote:Paul Tracy...much better. Or maybe Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs a career change.
Tracy is past it, a great driver, but he wouldn't cut it in Formula 1. A few years back maybe, but not now. Look what happened to Bourdais, who mopped the floor with Tracy for years.
Junior would NEVER stand a chance. I love the guy, but he is an oval man to the core.
I would even wager that Dale Junior isn't even much of an oval man judging by how bad he's been driving lately...
The F1 track in Austin had better be designed so that a passing zone exists literally right after the start-finish line and should actively try to get the NASCAR Nationwide series to support F1 in the same weekend. The Cup series wouldn't support F1 because the track is not owned by SMI or ISC, and thus the Sprint Cup tour would never go there. There would also need to be two very competitive American drivers in F1 for F1 to catch on in the States.
Cynon wrote:The F1 track in Austin had better be designed so that a passing zone exists literally right after the start-finish line and should actively try to get the NASCAR Nationwide series to support F1 in the same weekend. The Cup series wouldn't support F1 because the track is not owned by SMI or ISC, and thus the Sprint Cup tour would never go there. There would also need to be two very competitive American drivers in F1 for F1 to catch on in the States.
Or perhaps the Rolex Grand-Am Series.
And maybe Carl Edwards should replace Schumi. Not only is he faster, he'll probably get kicked out of NASCAR for being too Schumi-esque, so he'll need somewhere else to race. The perfect replacement really.
Novitopoli wrote:Everytime someone orders at Pizza Hut, an Italian dies.
Cynon wrote:The F1 track in Austin had better be designed so that a passing zone exists literally right after the start-finish line and should actively try to get the NASCAR Nationwide series to support F1 in the same weekend. The Cup series wouldn't support F1 because the track is not owned by SMI or ISC, and thus the Sprint Cup tour would never go there. There would also need to be two very competitive American drivers in F1 for F1 to catch on in the States.
Or perhaps the Rolex Grand-Am Series.
And maybe Carl Edwards should replace Schumi. Not only is he faster, he'll probably get kicked out of NASCAR for being too Schumi-esque, so he'll need somewhere else to race. The perfect replacement really.
As of recently, Edwards has been performing quite well on the road courses or well.
Cynon wrote: I would even wager that Dale Junior isn't even much of an oval man judging by how bad he's been driving lately...
He hasn't had a great season, but he still has a decent shot at making the chase. I think his seperation from Tony Eury Jr has a lot do with why he has struggled, particularly when compared to his teammates. Jr. probably would have kept driving the ALMS Corvette if he hadn't gotten burned in that crash.
"Sebastian Bourdais- he once was a champ, but now he's a chump." -Will Power
Bernie has suggested Danica Patrick as the next US F1 star (not USF1) which is pretty much a given. I read an interview where she was quite clearly not interested in F1, though. A pity as, right now, I think she is F1s best bet at cracking America. With respect to the other drivers listed here, they simply arent famous enough in the US outside of motorsport.
When Webber retires Deidre Matchstick should pay whatever is costs and put her in the Red Bull. (If that happened would she then name her car with a boys name? Oooer, that makes me feel funny in my tummy!)
"Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines." -Enzo Ferrari
coops wrote:Bernie has suggested Danica Patrick as the next US F1 star (not USF1) which is pretty much a given. I read an interview where she was quite clearly not interested in F1, though. A pity as, right now, I think she is F1s best bet at cracking America. With respect to the other drivers listed here, they simply arent famous enough in the US outside of motorsport.
When Webber retires Deidre Matchstick should pay whatever is costs and put her in the Red Bull. (If that happened would she then name her car with a boys name? Oooer, that makes me feel funny in my tummy!)
Danica Patrick is practically useless on right-handed and unbanked corners. Like, she's back of the IRL field bad. And her only IndyCar win came when there was a split field.
thehemogoblin wrote:Danica Patrick is practically useless on right-handed and unbanked corners. Like, she's back of the IRL field bad. And her only IndyCar win came when there was a split field.
Irrelevant.
Name me a driver who is fantastic at all of the above. They will not get America interested in F1. In fact, we're already had the superstar drivers (Bourdais, Da Matta etc) and they have failed in F1 and no-one cared at Indy when they raced.
"Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines." -Enzo Ferrari
thehemogoblin wrote:Danica Patrick is practically useless on right-handed and unbanked corners. Like, she's back of the IRL field bad. And her only IndyCar win came when there was a split field.
Irrelevant.
Name me a driver who is fantastic at all of the above. They will not get America interested in F1. In fact, we're already had the superstar drivers (Bourdais, Da Matta etc) and they have failed in F1 and no-one cared at Indy when they raced.
She would be so bad that it would kill her career. It would be suicide for her to do it. She's not hurting for money either. She's actually in the perfect situation right now, where she gets to play NASCAR and IndyCar against each other to leverage better contracts from Lucky Bastard extraordinaire Michael Andretti. And since Michael was in the same scenario as Danica nearly two decades ago and flamed out gloriously, I would think he would advise her against doing so on a personal level.
thehemogoblin wrote:She would be so bad that it would kill her career. It would be suicide for her to do it.
What career? She's a NASCAR driver!
Look, the above is probably why she always plays down talk of racing in F1 but if, just if, she got a drive in F1 the US would take notice and watch. Will Power and Kevin Harvick wouldnt have the same appeal.
"Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines." -Enzo Ferrari
thehemogoblin wrote:She would be so bad that it would kill her career. It would be suicide for her to do it.
What career? She's a NASCAR driver!
Look, the above is probably why she always plays down talk of racing in F1 but if, just if, she got a drive in F1 the US would take notice and watch. Will Power and Kevin Harvick wouldnt have the same appeal.
Patrick would get everyone's attention, but it would be for the wrong reason in the end. And the hell she would get from everyone else in the paddock about her being there for her gender and her looks would make it untenable. At least she has enough talent to be competitive in the IndyCar series.
If Jeff Gordon were to do take on Formula One, it would turn heads. But right now he can't even get sponsorship in NASCAR, so I can't say how much money he'd bring; plus, he's well past his prime. Jimmie Johnson isn't good enough on road courses. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., isn't good enough. Anyone else doesn't carry enough of a cachet to capture American race fans' collective attention.
thehemogoblin wrote:If Jeff Gordon were to do take on Formula One, it would turn heads. But right now he can't even get sponsorship in NASCAR, so I can't say how much money he'd bring; plus, he's well past his prime.
So basically he couldnt do F1.
I doubt Patrick would be that bothered about paddock gossip and people dismissing her, thats the world we live in whichever field we inhabit.
Sounds like theres no American drivers capable of making it in F1. Shame really.
"Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines." -Enzo Ferrari
thehemogoblin wrote:If Jeff Gordon were to do take on Formula One, it would turn heads. But right now he can't even get sponsorship in NASCAR, so I can't say how much money he'd bring; plus, he's well past his prime.
So basically he couldnt do F1.
I doubt Patrick would be that bothered about paddock gossip and people dismissing her, thats the world we live in whichever field we inhabit.
Sounds like theres no American drivers capable of making it in F1. Shame really.
He's the closest NASCAR driver in my opinion. The only American drivers who could make it are not drivers in the American conscience (Jonathan Summerton, Alex Rossi).
Keep in mind that there's a lot of motivation for drivers in America to not go over to Formula 1. Remember that a good deal of the F1 drivers that came to American open wheel racing weren't very competitive with the exception of Nigel Mansell (well, he had the best car in the field FFS... and then once he didn't have an uberdominant car he left) and Emerson Fittipaldi. Both of whom, incidentally, excelled more on oval racing than at road racing -- getting religiously thrashed by Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, and later, Paul Tracy, on road courses.
Mario Andretti is an example of the reverse -- a driver who started in America, won in Europe, and then kept winning after he retired from F1.
As JPM and JV have shown the world, NASCAR is a very tough nut to crack, and harder if you're not American. A foreign-born driver succeeding in NASCAR is a much more noteworthy than an American succeeding in Formula 1. The only non-American other than JPM that I can imagine being a success in NASCAR is Canadian JR Fitzpatrick.
I'd wager to say succeeding in NASCAR is much more difficult than succeeding in F1, and while the current NASCAR field isn't exactly the strongest ever, the fact that Jeff Gordon was able to step into a Williams on a track he never saw before and not having any open wheel experience and still looking like he could whoop all comers if he went to F1 the very next day says enough....
...also, keep in mind that the feeder categories in NASCAR are inhabited by some of the "top" Sprint Cup drivers, who then take all the sponsors and all the best people, and guess what, all the race wins. You basically need a shit-ton of money to jump to the Sprint Cup level, resulting in Kevin Conway, who is NASCAR's equivalent of Chanoch Nissany, locking up Rookie of the Year by default.
Cynon wrote:the fact that Jeff Gordon was able to step into a Williams on a track he never saw before and not having any open wheel experience and still looking like he could whoop all comers if he went to F1 the very next day says enough.
He did two tests with Williams and set decent times, so did Scott Dixon. If I had the time I could list several drivers who perform well in tests and cant translate it into race pace.
"Aerodynamics is for those who cannot manufacture good engines." -Enzo Ferrari
Cynon wrote: Jeff Gordon was able to step into a Williams on a track he never saw before and not having any open wheel experience...
This wasn't the first time Jeff had driven an open wheel car. About a decade before, Jeff was given a test in a Formula Super Vee and within a handful of laps was equaling the qualifying times of seasoned veterans. In fact, Nascar was a never Jeff Gordon's intended final destination, his hero is Rick Mears. You do the math.
"Sebastian Bourdais- he once was a champ, but now he's a chump." -Will Power
thehemogoblin wrote:If Jeff Gordon were to do take on Formula One, it would turn heads. But right now he can't even get sponsorship in NASCAR, so I can't say how much money he'd bring; plus, he's well past his prime.
So basically he couldnt do F1.
I doubt Patrick would be that bothered about paddock gossip and people dismissing her, thats the world we live in whichever field we inhabit.
Sounds like theres no American drivers capable of making it in F1. Shame really.
He's the closest NASCAR driver in my opinion. The only American drivers who could make it are not drivers in the American conscience (Jonathan Summerton, Alex Rossi).
I don't know what this "American conscience" you speak of is, but if those two aren't in it, I bet J.R. Hildebrand isn't in it either, and I bet drivers in the "American conscience" will never succeed in F1.
thehemogoblin wrote:He's the closest NASCAR driver in my opinion. The only American drivers who could make it are not drivers in the American conscience (Jonathan Summerton, Alex Rossi).
I don't know what this "American conscience" you speak of is, but if those two aren't in it, I bet J.R. Hildebrand isn't in it either, and I bet drivers in the "American conscience" will never succeed in F1.
By the "American conscience," I mean being well-known to the average American motorsports enthusiast. None of those three is anywhere close to it.
