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Rikky Alessi (Ralessi)
Junior Member
Username: Ralessi
Post Number: 169
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 9:56 am: | |
Speaking of JPM and shifter carts, did you see the thread on some message board last year that detailed him being at a race?
Apparently he was very nice and professional about the whole thing, and apologized when missing a drivers meeting etc. (was working on his kart) and even did all of the work on his kart himself. Really improved my opinion of the guy. |
Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Member
Username: 95f355c
Post Number: 708
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 9:44 am: | |
Actually his comment before he drove the car was that "...monkeys could drive them" then he made a bunch of excuses about not undestanding how the brakes worked. Said something about De La Rossa not being clear about how to apply the brakes.
Derek Bell has never announced at a NASCAR race, what you likely saw/heard was a NASCAR rerun from the early 80's when UK F1 commenator and racer David Hobbs anounnced NASCAR for a few years.
What I get sick of hearing is all the bullshit about how NASCAR is nothing but "turn left, turn left" and that none of those guys could cut it anywhere else.
On the BMW forum there were all sort of silly predictions about Gordon putting the FW24 into the wall. Some predicted he would be at least 5-10 seconds off PJM's pace (he actually beat JPM"s morning warm up time).
Then I saw a post in "General Discussion" on this board about someone's wife doing 170 mph at a NASCAR Experieince (Richard Petty Driving or something like this) and that it was easy driving a stock car. Bullsh*t !!
Just because you can drive a detuned stock car or Indy car (Petty Experience, Driving 101, etc) doesn't prove that NASCAR is easy. The cars you drive at these events are setup for maximum grip and not maximum speed. they crank so much downforce into those cars and dial in a bunch of understeer. Most people are driving those cars at 160 or 170 at 7/10's the cars potential were it set up right.
There is a difference between slowly working your way up to 150 on an open track at 7/10ths of the cars potential AND running in a pack of 43 cars many of whom are grafted onto your rear bumper pushing you donw the track at 170-190 mph.
I have a friend who piloted a MIG 27 for 30 minutes through one of those adventure comanies in Russia that lets you fly a MIG. Doesn't mean he could engage in airial combat with a bunch of F16's at Mach2.
Many of these comments come from people who don't race or have never been on a race track except for the bleachers.
I am not a die hard NASCAR supporter but some folks need to shut the &%^% up about something they know nothing about. Many of the people in NASCAR have boat loads of talent and have won at every level of racing on the lower ladders (Sprint cars, dirt track racing, off road racing etc. and even open wheeled cars).
If it's so damn easy how come many accomplished road racers can't cut it there. Look at John Andretti, Scott Pruett, Ron Fellows, and now Christian Fittipaldi. None have done well. Look at how Dale Snr. got into a Corvette CR5 at Daytona and ran lap times that were on par with Fellows and the other regulars. Then he proceeded run fast laps at Daytona in the pouring rain at night. Kyle Petty a sub par NASCAR racer has done some good racing in a 996 GT3RS at Daytona and other tracks in Grand Am.
I can undestand if some don't like NASCAR purely from an interest standpoint (i.e. cars are old tech and don't look cool, you don't like oval racing etc). But to constantly bash them as something other than real racers with no talent is stupid. Kind of like someone who never made it past high school basketball acting like an expert on the NBA.
I guess it boils down to ignorance of many who think they know racing because they spend a few hours a week with their Playstation II or X-Box.
There was also a general consensus that JPM was bored to death driving Gordon's car. Might be true but he didn't say so and I don't think any of the people making these comments were there. Just because you drive the world's fastest and most technologically advanced car doesn't mean you can't enjoy something else.
JPM still enjoys driving and racing his shifter karts down in Florida and even works on them himself at the track.
Whatever floats your boat but I don't get much of an adrenaline rush whacking a small white ball with a stick much less watching others do so on TV. Doesn't mean it doesn't take world class skill just that it doesn't interest me.
Jon
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Kendall Kim (Kenny)
Junior Member
Username: Kenny
Post Number: 129
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 9:04 am: | |
I'd rather watch golf...
I still hate NASCAR.. A couple months ago, I think I heard Derek Bell's voice commentating a NASCAR or some WINSTON cup race.. Hearing a brit commentating a NASCAR race was the icing on the cake, ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH..
and what your racing friends say is BS.. Nikki Lauda two time world champion tried to drive one of his Jaguars last year and couldn't even finish a lap without spinning out 3 times... His comment was boy these cars changed a lot since I raced...
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Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Member
Username: 95f355c
Post Number: 706
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 8:54 am: | |
When it was announced back in the fall of 2001 that FOX was buying Speedvision (now called Speed Channel) no one was more disappointed and weary than I was. Fox home of NASCAR was going to turn Speedvision into an all NASCAR channel.
Until recently I hated NASCAR and pretty much shared the opinion of many on this board and a bunch of other boards (BMW boards, Porsche boards) that NASCAR was a bunch of southern tobacco chewin' hicks who couldn't drive a lick.
It seems that most people on the message boards mentioned still hate NASCAR, still make NASCAR jokes, and think that FOX ruined Speedvision.
In the past year and half I have gotten interested in NASCAR to the point where I watch about half their races and also occasionally watch a Busch Series race or heaven forbid even a Truck Series Race.
Don't get me wrong if CART/F1/ALSM/GrandAm/WRC/IRL is on I watch those instead but if nothing else racing related is on I watch NASCAR. It beats watching bowling and golf.
I also don't agree that FOX screwed up Speed Channel. I will agree that their is too much NASCAR (I don't watch any of the dozen or so NASCAR shows nor am interested in them) but this has allowed other shows that were not on to be aired.
Since FOX took over we get:
1) F1 practice
2) Now live F3000 racing
3) More touring car racing (even Japanese Touring Cars)
4) Shows like "Trading Paint" with Montoya and Gordon
5) F1 Decade (airs older F1 races)
6) SCCA racing such as Formula Mazda, Pro Spec Miata, Toyota Atlantics, and Barber Dodge Pro
My view of NASCAR has changed over the past 18 months. While their are still many old geezers who don't belong in racing, NASCAR has brought in new young racers that have real talent (Newman, Johnson, Harvick, Busch etc) that makes the racing exciting in my opinion.
Given the great performance of Jeff Gordon in the Williams F1 car I would think that some people might change their minds about the talent level in NASCAR but talking with some of the people I race with they all say that traction control meant any one with some racing experience could drive the car at 9/10's.
Just wondering what other's think.
Regards,
Jon P. Kofod
FLATOUT RACING
Website: http://neverlift.homestead.com/flatout.html
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