[V8] Re: Fw: SPOILER: F-1 results. Complaints, anyone? (Michael Riebs / Audi V8)

[nicksimc]

>Speaking of NASCAR, I forced myself to sit and watch not only a couple
of
>NASCAR races, but also the CART and IRL series, thinking maybe I've
missed
>something exciting.

To begin with, I am not a big NASCAR fan.  I would rather watch racing that
doesn't involve only turning in one direction.  I have been watching the FOX
coverage though, and I have a new appreciation for NASCAR.  I will defend
NASCAR the same way people defend baseball and football to me:   It's
all about strategy.  I have learned a lot about pit strategy watching
NASCAR on FOX, and I while the racing itself can be boring, what goes on
behind the scenes is the important part.

Even though I love LeMans,  I can't (and don't) sit and watch it for 24 hours
straight.  Few do.  What I find more interesting is Team Joest's pit
strategy, and I bet this is the case with many fans of the race.  Would Audi
have won if Joest hadn't had a complete wet-weather aero package for the
crappy conditions? Quite possibly, but that isn't "exciting" racing.  It's
good
planning.  From a racer's standpoint, an "exciting" race is last thing you
want.  Frequent lead changes, are fine, but which team wouldn't want to
secure pole position, stay in front and leave the pack behind?  Very few.
But that's not "exciting" is it?

>Can someone explain to me please, how there can possibly be an
enormous
>amount of skill involved in simply keeping your foot in it all day, and
>going around in a circle? (OK, "oval"!). I mean, if the guys racing are 40+,
>and overweight, are they really "athletes"? Or just a bunch of guys that
>can't keep up with the *really* fast cars...

Hmm, not all of them are 40+, most of them aren't overweight, and one
could argue that any 'sport' that requires you to be sitting all day does not
require "athletes". (including ALMS, CART, F1, IRL, ProRally, DTM etc)
Also, many F1 drivers come from karting, and many still do to keep their
edge without risking million dollar equipment.  Last time I was in a kart, it
wasn't *really* fast, but I guess with an F1 driver it would be faster than
NASCAR spec.  Makes sense.

>Now, the CART and IRL, I can see perhaps a little bit more skill in,
>especially when they actually take these cars to places like Long Beach,
and
>do the road courses. Besides, a few of those guys have successfully
made the
>jump to F-1 (Zinardi, Villeneuve, Montoya, Andretti, etc.), and a few have
>gone the other way too (Takagi, Zinardi, Andretti, et.al.), but it seems
>that the guys moving from F-1 to IRL are the ones that couldn't quite
make
>it in F-1. Maybe with the exception of Andretti.
>
>Am I completely off my rockers here?

No, you just don't seem to like NASCAR.  That's your perogative.  NASCAR
has grown on me, but I don't mention it here because it is NAC, and most
of the list doesn't care.  Much like F1 is NAC, but more of the list cares
(including me).  I get tired of WOB on this list about how crappy NASCAR
is.  Not because I love NASCAR, but because it doesn't add anything new.
So the majority of the list doesn't like NASCAR.  Fine.  Don't talk about
then.

>Michael L. Riebs
>Grand Rapids, Michigan
>
>'90 V8Q
>'98 A6QA
>
>www.1stchoicegranite.com

Just my $.02/WOB

Matt

82 4ks
84 4ksq (RIP)