Comfirmation that we were all BS'ed by MS possible return, etc.

I know that. But don't tell me there is no chance of hitting something head on at 50 mph. Because there is. Remember one of the recent ROCs the impact forces of the jumps alone (without hitting anything) were strong enough to crack the windshield on the Ferrari.

Earnhart's Atlas was rock solid before the impact. MS' isn't. So what if his barriers give more way? Taking that chance for...?

What he said.

 

Off topic, but the SAFER barrier was developed -after- Dale's (and three or four others') death.

 

As were the HANS device.....(and the other one that wasn't as popular)....

 

Thats just your opinion which is contrary to most. One of my good friends was one of his best friends back then and also his main F1 mechanic and he traveled the world with Mike and spent much time with him 1 on 1 including designing the F430. I always liked Mike but when I hear the stories about him from my friend now I like him even more. He is a kind compasionate man that cares for others as much as himself. Unfortunately there were some back in his early years that were green with envy and put out all sorts of crap about him. It had a good effect on Mike because it made him work even harder. So you can say all you want about him but knowing what I know I feel sad for guy like you because you missed out on enjoying cheering on the best driver F1 has ever seen and possilby will ever see. Is it coinicidence or not that the few who dont like Mike seem to love Alonso who is the complete opposite in every way. His career is only tarnished in the minds of those that dont know any better.

 

Andreas, do you have a link to that interview with the doctor? I thought I had it but I can't find it now. IIRC, the weakened condition of the bone wasn't permanent but August was too soon for him to risk it. Once properly healed it would be fine. Not sure if the December ROC is enough time but it's been 8 months already since the crash.

 

Including those who saw him run into Damon and Jacques, park his car on the track during Monaco quallifying, try to run others to the track walls, etc...?

Not quite Fangio or Moss in terms of character, IMHO...

 

Earnhard slow speed????
You must have watched that thing in Slo-Mo my friend. That was a high speed impact. As a result HANS became mandatory to many organizations including most that I have raced in. He hit that all in severe speed.

 

Tillman and you are actually both incorrect.
HANS was developed a lot earlier and was worn by several drivers at that time already. Earnhard chose not to wear one since it was not mandatory then. He paid for that with his life and saved countless others from the same mistake.

The Safe Barrier was developed also before but was not mandatory in NASCAR. Only after various crashes did they decide to force the tracks to retrofit them which came at an extreme cost.

Although the essence of your statements is somewhat correct, the facts is that they were available but a the driver and b the organizer did not use them at the time. In Earnhards death it is also questionable if the Safe Barrier would have helped him without the HANS.

 

If every race would have been televised like it is today and analysed and overanalysed then maybe you would find that Moss and Fangio are just as good/bad as MS was and so many others were and are.
Racing is a sport that does not take prisioners. It is about intimidation and blinking. Out of two equal cars one has to make to to the end first. Like it or no. Blocking and running someone into the grass are just parts of that.

Damon and Jaques know it and I remember Damon having used the same MO. Jaques just never made it far. Lucky the first year and then in the back of the pack.

 

Martin:
True - the death of Earnhardt made a lot of chnages mandatory. (as did Senna's death);
thx for the clarification...
kevin

 

This is quite simple. At 40 he jumped in the car after several years off and though he may be fit I am sure he did not have the same training routine as in his racing years. So at 40 no matter what, you will not get back into shape (although I am proving that round is a shape...) as when you did this as a job and had to years before.
The simple facts of life.

No Michael would never be competitive again. Neither would have any other driver that retired. Today F1 is different than what it was 20 years ago.

They looked for an easy way out, and I am sure that was a Ferrari decision, when allthey had to say was what we all know is true. When you are 40 you cannot drive an F1 car competitively anymore. PERIOD

Had nothing to do with he car but all with the man and his physical condition. He has proven in his time that he can make a crappy car fly.

Personally never liked the man, but his skills were incredible.

 

It is a curse that people have to die before changes are implimented. Technology is available but is not made mandatory because the threat is not high enough. How many drag racers died because of engines and transmissions exploding, killing them instantly. Now you have to build them with shatter blankets.

Sad thing about racing.

 

I seriously doubt that. Ethical and thorough journalists like DSJ and Cahier let very little get past them.

 

Now you're really going to upset the fanboys.

 

Good point, not to mention Rob Walker and Nigel Roebuck.

 

Moss and Fangio doing what Michael did? Not that I've ever read, and Moss himself (and Phil Hill) have said otherwise.

Jack Brabham was somewhat notorious for being difficult to pass. Some were wild (think Mariesse, or early Bandini). That's about as bad as it got back in the golden years.

 

This suggests MS may race again:

http://www.karttechnik.com/news/?p=480

 

Pete, everybody has regrets. MS definitely has a few in F1, but thats life. What would his grandkids think? Well, if there was still F1, he'd be their hero, no doubt!

I genuinely think thats the last type of person we'd ever seen. Eversince he retired, Ferrari have been in shambles. Silly mistakes, silly strategies, etc. But out of 10 people, ask them between Stirling and Michael, and you will have your answer.

 

MS in the cockpit and outside the cockpit are two different people. Many folks have said that. I agree that outside the cockpit he is for the most part a nice guy (unless when asked about the Rascasse incident or the Monaco tunnel incident etc). Once inside the cockpit, he flips a switch which allowed him to drive straight into Villeneuve (for which he was stripped of all points that year) and squeeze his own brother in Nuerburgring and his own team mate in Monaco to the wall to get by.

Sorry no. However I did read an article where a doctor stated that this fraction can heal within at least 9 months. So back in August, common sense would have already told you that he wouldn't be perfect and sure enough he wasn't. With some luck he'll just have the 9 months from accident to ROC. That said 9 months is a minimum, could easily take longer or as the doc said at the press conference never heal completely.

For once we're in total agreement.

He is over the hill. In "the good old days" some champs were able to go beyond the 40 mark. Not today anymore.

Personally I would have actually liked to see him in a Ferrari alongside Alonso and/or Kimi duking it out. But the reality of that would have been probably rather embarassing for MS. Quit while you're on top. The right decision he made.

 

I think you must have watched it in FF. The speed on track was high, but the impact into the wall, relatively, was not. Drivers would walk away from crashes FAR worse than that before HANS. That is exactly the reason why it was so shocking, because the collision itself appeared so benign.

 

I wouldn't go that route.

Kovalainen once won the ROC and I thought the world of him. Turns out he is pretty average in F1. Odd things can happen at ROC.