I'm annoyed about the "greatest" race of the world

The greatest race in the United States perhaps but that's it. I was driving around noon today and heard something about Indy being a Memorial Day weekend tradition and they went on to say it was the pinnacle of open wheel racing. I almost barfed.

It's always puzzled me how something basically only done or performed in one country can be called "World or best in the World". Like the World Series for instance. How can it be called World when all the teams only play in North America? Any North American sport for that matter we crown the champions as 'World' champions.

 

I totally agree with you as to the obscene over-use,
mis-characterization, and crass commercialization
of the term "world". Well done!

 

Gee, you are right. The Indy 500 is boring and not fun too watch. There were only a few changes in the leader in the last ten laps. In Formula One the pole holder should win.

How many passes are made in Formula One?

I love it when there are many changes in the standings. If you go to the bathroom at Indy, the field will be different when you come back. In Formula One ???

Only drive 12 cylinders

 

Bart, how is your beautiful 550 doing? You have about 60,000 miles on it yet?

I watched and was rooting for Danica, she is a very good driver, for once I agree with Imperial, I don't think she is F1 Material, but a very good driver nevertheless.

In my humble opinion the Indy 500 before the split was one of the greatest races in the world. Although I don't feel that is true today, it is still exciting to watch.

I personally would pick Monaco or Spa right now. But again to each their own.

 

That's the problem. Anyone can pass in IRL, just draft and go left or right before a turn. Do that 500 times and the winner will be random each time. F1 takes more skill to pass and to remain in first. That's why I watch F1.

 

This part's a joke, right? LOL

 

Come on, Tifosi, lighten up ! This "greatest race" business is just understandable hyperbole. It's like a beer maker claiming their beer is "the best in the world". I don't take that seriously, and I wouldn't take this idiot commentator's boast seriously either. It's just to make Indycar (American) fans feel better. Nothing to get too worked up about, it's not a slam on F1 or anything.

 

Well, I said it takes *more* skill (than IRL) to remain in first. I said nothing about having a lot of skill, LOL. Poor Kimi...

 

From the on screen graphics, it seems like the Indy cars were pulling as many lateral G's as F1 cars. Don't know about braking G force...

 

For the lateral, they have that piece between the cockpit wall and the helmet, so the neck doesn't have to work as much. For braking, there is nothing in front of your face to stop you. The HANS device might help a little, but a lot more of the muscles are used for keeping your head from going forwards instead of resting on the side.

Edit: You can see in this picture how her head is basically tucked in between the side pieces: http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/img/large/52824_pv_167958.jpg

 

As most of this seems to be pure opinion, here's mine. As a boy, I listened to the 500 on an AM radio, tearing the grid out of the newspaper sports page and keeping track of the cars out of the race, scoring it like a baseball game. My parents took me to the first Long Beach Grand Prix. In the 80s, I followed both CART and F1. Now, after the split, I don't regularly watch either the IRL or ChampCar (is that what it's called this week?). Just don't really care, it all seems to me to be "F1 Lights." As for Danica - nice layout in FHM, by the way - the fuss over her and her willingness (eagerness?) to cheesecake her way into the larger pop culture makes me long for Sarah Fisher.

Think I'll just stick with F1.

 

Why wouldn't she be able to build her neck muscles? As long as she hasn't sustained any permanent injuries to prevent the exercising of the neck area, I have to believe that she could build these muscles.

 

Well, if she was 5'7"+, I think she could withstand the G's during braking, but she's basicaly 5 flat. That's a tiny person and not that much testosterone in her to build the muscles. Blame the estadiol. Again this is all imo, she could very well get into F1 and succeed, I hope she proves the masses wrong.

 

You got a point.

BTW: I would take offense if the Speed TV guys would eg call Monaco the greatest race of the world. Maybe the jewel in F1, but I'm not even sure about that. Anyway, nuff said.

 

Indy 500-single greatest American open-wheel race.
Monaco-greatest F1 race
Daytona-greatest NASCRAP race
Long Beach-greatest CART race, 3rd greatest open wheel race in USA (behind Indy and USGP)

LeMans, Monaco and Indy 500 are all about equal in terms of how much they mean to their respective series and respective continents.