F 1 vs Le mans 24hour

If F1 is the highest form of auto racing were would that put endurace racing like the 24 hours of Le mans ?

 

A bit the wrong forum to discuss this. You might want to post this in the Racing section, where a bunch of people will jump all over it, basically shredding 24hours to pieces in comparison.

24 hours lost a bit of its glory in recent years and is not only different, but also on a different and lower level. Point in case is, that ex F1 pilots do well in endurance racing AFTER their careers are over in F1. Schumacher was a great endurance racer BEFORE he went up the ladder to become the F1 legend he is today.

 

Didn't Rally pass Le Mans in popularity in Europe lately? Im just guessing cause I really don't know nor care, just recall seeing it in various articles in the magazines F1 and Autosport.

If Im not watching F1, I would rather watch that cool guy on Speed talk about cars, ( skips my mind, he does many auctions. ) Heck, I would rather watch the European Semi Truck racing highlights on Speed than watch Nascar. If I want to see a Nascar race I would rather be in one by simply driving on the highway in Florida and Georgia with the various #3 stickers on pickups and "Death to Jeff Gordon" stickers on minivans as we all drive in a pack at 75 mph. Woo hoo, now where's my cuzin, Jim Bob? He aiken to show me Curly Sue Johnson at the county fair dance cause she's a big country singer now.

I don't dispise Nascar. I actually admire its fit to culture and fun, fun attitude. But next to the prestige of F1, LeMans, umm no.

My only fear is the appearance of snobby attitudes of highend European car owners/dealers that scare off would be fans. There is nothing worse than a kid reading up on Aston Martin racing, seeing an owner in his car and giving him a compliment only to hear back, " Its more than you can afford kid, " or have the owner roll up his window and ignore. I think this elitist persona actually helps odd ball series like Nascar, tractor pulls, and monster trucks.

RocketBoy

 

My bad won't happen again


Hey RocketBoy I remeber when the viper gts first came out and i pulled up next to this guy in a blue one with the white stripes down the middle and I looked at the guy and I said nice viper the guy looked at me with a face like if i was a piece of S*** rolled up his window and took off.....I was like someone is having a bad day.

 

I pretty much enjoy all types of Auto Racing. F1 being my favorite,as,there are all of the twisties and the Drama....Fuel,Tires,Strategy,when to pit,etc....NASCAR? All you really need to watch are the last 10-20 laps of any Race. I don't like the 'Round and 'Round and 'Round for 3 Hours....

If I had to pick a 2nd Fav. it would be Drag Racing. Those Funny Cars and Nitro Burning Dragsters are about the most powerful,incredible machines on any track. Thousands and thousands of pure,raw Horsepower! Constant action...Different Cars,one after another,right away.You guys wanna have some fun? One day this Summer lets all go out to Byron Dragway for the day. Now THAT is Fun...

Hey,I even like to go out to Sycamore Speedway on a Summer Saturday Night and watch a few of my Bud's Race their Cars on a Clay 1/4 or 1/2 mile track....Lots of Slidin',lots of Action,nice Family fun...

 

Next time you go to Sycamore Speedway im coming with you i've always wanted to see drag racing in person

 

Byron Dragway is the Drag Racing. Sycamore Speedway is Flat Track on either a 1/4 mile or 1/2 Mile Clay Oval. I know a few guys that race at both Tracks. Both are fun to watch.

 

As for the thread topic...

Personally I do not see LeMans as below F1 in difficulty, it is however QUITE below F1 in rewards. If anyone had the choice to concentrate on endurance racing or F1, you'd have to be daft to not go for the $$$ of F1, at least for a short time, even if you strongly preferred endurance racing.

Granted, F1 requires the sharpest of concentration and reaction times, but it "only" lasts 2 hours. (8->}

The difficulty in LeMans is:
1) Averaged over a longer period of time, allowing time to make up for small errors along the way.
2) Putting together a car, a team of drivers and a pit crew that can keep a car in competetive form for 24 hours. Well that is until the regulating body allowed Audi to come up with the "endurance car" that is totally replaceable by sections.
3) For drivers to maintain mental acuity and physical stamina, over repeated stints of driving for 24 hours.

Running down the Mulsanne Straight at 200+ in the DARK and sometimes accomanied by mist, fog or rain, presents a challenge that F1 never will.

Phil Hill (the 1961 F1 driver's champion with Ferrari) once said about the Mulsanne, when in conditions such as above (at a bit lower speed), he would have to listen for the dissident harmonic effect on the exhaust note of his own car to determine that he was quickly closing on a slower car. He could not see them!

They are two very different forms of racing, requiring similar but still differing sets of skills and discipline.

Regards,
Bill

PS - NASCAR SUCKS!!!

 

Good post Bill. I think we should differentiate between Le Mans of the sixties and the race of today. I don't think the Audi and Bentley drivers of today still have to rely on their exhaust notes to "see" somebody. Just as F1 of the sixties (the deadliest game at the time) is not comparable to today's carbon fibre crash tested cars.