Our friends in the Oz section just posted this one: Watch: Lotus 49: First time out | Motor Sport Magazine Great era. (Specially for Bas n William)
Still remember being in the Chicagoland area, and listening with disappointment of the Lotus win. But in retrospect, the Ferrari didn't do all that bad.
What set F1 back was not being able to see drivers drifting cars or otherwise actually driving them. Did you see Rindt driving the Cooper-Maserati in the film? Handfuls of opposite lock trying to stay ahead of Clark & Stewart. Today's cornering as if on rails and calculating pit moves instead of overtaking tactics really devolved the gladiatorial aspect of the pilots, er, drivers.
Absolutely agree. The three most important laps are the first lap, and the in lap and the out lap. The rules makers are fixated on reducing lap times. But, these new cars are not faster on top end. They do brake in incredibly short distances and the enormous downforce lets them corner at high speed and like they are on rails. It's just not very exciting. None of the skill required, and there is lots of skill required, is obvious, largely due to downforce. With mechanical grip the driver has more immediate and obvious input. I like to know that my favorite driver is fighting to make the car lap as fast as possible.
Little fencing, people just standing next to the track, exciting times but a tad bit dangerous for both the drivers and fans. They had real balls back then.
Here's Rossi driving one recently. Very difficult car to keep on the limit: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opzzn9sl1kU[/ame]
I think this was the first year of proper Nomex race suits, all white with optional coloured stripes.. Red or black one stripe or two sir ? Had to wait quite a while for seat belts to come in though. This was the last year without wings etc, and of course the first for Fords Cosworth DFV which is still only second to Ferrari for F1 wins. For 1968 Lotus received sponsorship from Gold leaf ,and started to sprout wings etc...
Not quite as smooth as Jim Clark, is he? Of course, the 49 was never mean to drive over curbs either. And third gear appeared to be a mystery on a few occasions.
I'm sure he isn't. It's the hardest car to drive well in iracing. It's insanely fast in a straight line and you have to stand on the brakes to slow it. That's my only personal experience. I'm sure he is not in full race mode either not wanting to crash a priceless car or die in the process. Big balls required to just turn laps in that thing IMO.
Hairy and ball-sie if I may add....the part of the track(Flugplatz I believe) where they get airborne!!!!!.....only to come to a sharp drop downhill then immediatiely two right handers with all those undulations on the road!!!! so airborne then car is almost bottoming out then braking then yawing all happening almost all at once!!!!!!
