Motorsport...Thrill of it All.

[Dave Woody]

Indy, F1, Rally, Karting....?
Stories and pictures about Motorsport welcome here.

 

[Dave Woody]

I have painted about three images of Racing Cars.
One hangs in Sir Adrian Newey's Ascot residence....purely because I am a chancer
and got lucky.

We love motor racing in this house and are keen to chatter about it.

 

[Hermes2020]

....purely because I am a chancer
and got lucky.

Ha, I can relate to that.

 

[musket]

I was big into F1 when I was a teen, back in the mid-60s. I remember being truly sad when Jim Clark died. I was a Lotus fan.

I'll say this--the cars back then may not have been as fast as those now, but they were a helluva lot better looking.

 

[Dave Woody]

One of many moments I treasure....' Being Woken up, on a Sunday morning, in my tent in the Belgium forest by
the sound of F1 cars'.

 

[musket]

That must have been like waking up in a hornet's nest.

I really don't like modern F1 cars. They're ugly as sin. However, they're also safe. Been a long time since an F1 driver got killed in a crash, thanks mostly to Jackie Stewart.

I take it you've seen 1?

 

[Dave Woody]

We lost Jules Bianchi at Suzuka, 2014. The 'Halo' over the cockpit of F1 cars was introduced
as a direct result of his tragic accident.

 

[Dave Woody]

Motor racing on TV is a bit like watching a TV cookery show.
When you are trackside, you are then in the actual kitchen.

 

[Dave Woody]

 

[Dave Woody]

Me ( on the right ) with Sir Jackie Stewart. Monza 2008.

 

[Dave Woody]

 

[musket]

Me ( on the right ) with Sir Jackie Stewart. Monday 2008.

Way cool.

 

[Dave Woody]

In the Redbull garage, holding David Coulthard's steering wheel. Monza 2008.

Getting in the pits at Monza 2008 was pure fluke.
I posted a random thread on a motorcycle forum, saying that I was riding to Monza for the 2008 F1 race, does
anyone want to come along.
I got a reply from Phil ( Throttle ) Brown saying that he would be there as he was David Coulthard's
engineer and if I called him, he could get me into the pits.

It happened....
I recall he also told us that a young guy called Sebastian Vettel was going to be in the Redbull
racing team the following year. Vettel won the race in the Torro Rosso that weekend, his first
F1 win. It was wet and Hamilton chased and chased and chased, but couldn't catch him.

I am so lucky to own such history.

 

[Dave Woody]

Way cool.

Thank you. Monza...not Monday...ha haaaaa

 

[musket]

Motor racing on TV is a bit like watching a TV cookery show.
When you are trackside, you are then in the actual kitchen.

I never saw the appeal of watching racing on TV. To be honest, I think an awful lot of those who do are just waiting to see an accident, the worse the better. I followed F1 and sports car racing when I was a kid, but neither was televised. Lost interest when I was eighteen or so.

Still, I found 1 to be pretty interesting, and Rush wasn't bad either.

 

[Dave Woody]

Some have just never had the opportunity to go to a race, so even on TV, it is exciting for them.

I live a mile from Ascot Race Course ( Horse Racing )
we were there one weekend and my wife turned to me and said....
" they are a bit too quiet and slow for you, aren't they"?

Ha haa

 

[musket]

I remember being thrilled when Lotus kicked butt at Indianapolis in 65.

Btw, to cross talk a little with guitars-- when I worked at Martin in 69, nobody from Nazareth was really all that impressed with Martin having been there since 1837. What they were into was the Nazareth Speedway. Mario Andretti was born in Italy, but his family moved to Nazareth when he was a teenager, in the 50s sometime I think.

 

[Dave Woody]

I remember being thrilled when Lotus kicked butt at Indianapolis in 65.

Btw, to cross talk a little with guitars-- when I worked at Martin in 69, nobody from Nazareth was really all that impressed with Martin having been there since 1837. What they were into was the Nazareth Speedway. Mario Andretti was born in Italy, but his family moved to Nazareth when he was a teenager, in the 50s sometime I think.

Respect due...Lotus...You....1965? Thrills?
And ... you worked for Martin guitars?

If we could meet up for a pint of ale.....we'd be in the pub for days..!

 

[Maybenartist]

F1 is highly dependent who has the best chassis, engine and design at the time. There is barely more than seconds between the top drivers and whoever has the best car, the best engineers and the best setup usually wins.

Jackie Ickx was an example of a great driver with a substandard car and Jackie Stewart was an example of a lesser driver with a better car. All the cars then used the V8 Cosworth except Ferrari who have always had their own engines. However, engineering and chassis were paramount then.
Mercedes has better technology at the moment and until another team get a better engine Mercedes will win the majority of races in the near future.

The powers that be are talking of a handicap system where slower drivers are at the front of the grid, may seem crazy but a much fairer system than having the fastest car at the front with a higher chance of winning than those behind.

 

[Dave Woody]

Great reply, thank you. Looking at the bigger picture...I think that Schumacher and now Hamilton have been so successful
because they ( and the team ) have been 'allowed' to dominate.
I think that the FIA could easily limit domination by one team and one driver, contractually.