Racing in the Rain
- Thread starter drdrdrt
- Start date
LOL.... How true.....
I remember when NASCAR raced in Japan and had to fit the cars with wipers in case of rain as they were bound by contract to race rain or shine... What a bunch of whining and blubbering by a lot of these "men"... All the Cup teams were scrambling to get the best of the road course drivers as substitutes... This is one of the key reasons that NASCAR has lost me as a fan..
I remember when NASCAR raced in Japan and had to fit the cars with wipers in case of rain as they were bound by contract to race rain or shine... What a bunch of whining and blubbering by a lot of these "men"... All the Cup teams were scrambling to get the best of the road course drivers as substitutes... This is one of the key reasons that NASCAR has lost me as a fan..
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
That, and the seemingly automated delivery of a yellow flag between the last 4 and last 2 laps of each race.
Really, Randy/Dr. D? Drivers who don't race in the rain aren't "men"?
Remember the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji wherein Niki Lauda 'parked' his Ferrari because he thought racing on a rain-soaked circuit was "stupid"? HE's a sissy?
In a Sept '13 interview he said this about that:
"To me it was clear. It was simple. The circuit was flooded. Flooded," he said. "The rain did not stop for two hours and this idiot Japanese race director came and said the race is on now... this for me was the most stupid decision ever. I did one lap so that Ferrari gets the money and off I went...For me it was logical. I think I would do the same thing again today."
...and then, of course, we also have those wimpy drag racers. They don't do the H2O thing either.
Come on, guys... :sad:
("Rules of the road" say we're all supposed to slow down when driving in the rain...I'm told there's supposed to be some kind of 'safety thing' behind that dictum. Are y'all sayin' we ought to be steppin' on it instead? Or maybe that rain on a track somehow isn't as wet?)
I've always been of the opinion that racing in the rain is nuts 'cause it flies in the face of common sense.
I'm goin' to my room now...:square:
Remember the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji wherein Niki Lauda 'parked' his Ferrari because he thought racing on a rain-soaked circuit was "stupid"? HE's a sissy?
In a Sept '13 interview he said this about that:
"To me it was clear. It was simple. The circuit was flooded. Flooded," he said. "The rain did not stop for two hours and this idiot Japanese race director came and said the race is on now... this for me was the most stupid decision ever. I did one lap so that Ferrari gets the money and off I went...For me it was logical. I think I would do the same thing again today."
...and then, of course, we also have those wimpy drag racers. They don't do the H2O thing either.
Come on, guys... :sad:
("Rules of the road" say we're all supposed to slow down when driving in the rain...I'm told there's supposed to be some kind of 'safety thing' behind that dictum. Are y'all sayin' we ought to be steppin' on it instead? Or maybe that rain on a track somehow isn't as wet?)
I've always been of the opinion that racing in the rain is nuts 'cause it flies in the face of common sense.
I'm goin' to my room now...:square:
Has your room got padded walls
.... Actually racing in the rain has a lot going for it, tire & mechanical wear is a lot less, your driver skills are enhanced. Problems only start when the drivers go beyond there respective abilities...... there is a you tube video somewhere of Darrel Waltrip being taken for a ride around Mt Panorama/Bathurst in an OZ V8, while his narrative is a bit over the top I was reliably informed that he was literally crapping himself first time around..... and that was on a dry track.... guess nascar ovals don't have hills either!
.... Actually racing in the rain has a lot going for it, tire & mechanical wear is a lot less, your driver skills are enhanced. Problems only start when the drivers go beyond there respective abilities...... there is a you tube video somewhere of Darrel Waltrip being taken for a ride around Mt Panorama/Bathurst in an OZ V8, while his narrative is a bit over the top I was reliably informed that he was literally crapping himself first time around..... and that was on a dry track.... guess nascar ovals don't have hills either!
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
I enjoy watching the rain races more than the dry races due to the increased skill level required to maintain a line in a now severely overpowered car. Actually racing in the rain versus in the dry is another thing...intolerably exhaustive.
Has your room got padded walls
Yeeeeeup! How'd you know...?
No...but, their road courses do. 'Have left and right turns, too.
Rain is the great equalizer... While I never really enjoyed racing in the rain the way I did the dry, I was pretty good at it... I remember one race in particular where I was racing in the lowest/slowest of 6 classes in an enduro. One hour of racing in conditions ranging from sprinkle to downpour. They got 3" of rain that afternoon.. I got second place overall and with that I had clinched the 2003 Championship.
Your skills in the dry need to be dramatically readjusted for racing in the rain. The dry-line is generally the last place you want to be when the track is wet..
Your skills in the dry need to be dramatically readjusted for racing in the rain. The dry-line is generally the last place you want to be when the track is wet..
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
I agree Randy, rain is the great equaliser where the young guy with the low budget can make a name for himself. However sometimes when the circuit is flooded and there is standing water and rivers running across the track I'd agree with Mr. Lauda.
Don't fully agree with this, some comes down to poor drainage provision around the circuits [ we have a track here in NZ-pukekohe- that now turns into a virtual swamp due to concrete barrier placement every time it rains], but a lot can also be apportioned to the attitude of drivers not slowing down in poor visibility or track conditions and relying on radio contact from pits plus flag signals. The old adage of being able to stop in the clear distance you have visible in front of you has been ruined by the placement of so called concrete barriers and safety banks/ fences, just think of how many tracks that you used to race on where a quick sideways glance allowed you to see trouble looming ahead, hell the Hans device , Seat & roll cage design virtually prevent you from seeing a fellow competitor alongside let alone the next section of track your about to race on. Perhaps Larry's Liberal mates have a 'silent' hand at work behind the scenes in motorsport as well- whats the agenda, cant fix it, so lets f*** it!
As I recall Lauda parked his car because he couldn't see or hear properly (in the rain) It was literally only weeks after his fiery crash and appalling burns that left him partially blind and pretty much deaf with the loss of one ear. It was a pretty hollow WDC for James Hunt to be honest...
marc
Lifetime Supporter
If you have ever driven that fast in the rain you would be dead pretty quick. Look at the tires F1 and those others use, even Indy when they run in the rain. F1 and other open wheel have someplace for the water to go. Indy cars don't do ovals at 200mph in the rain either. guess how much downforce F1 has compared to 1 1/2 ton stock car. and compared to Aussie V8 they don't go as fast compared to the Nascar vehicles. there must be 3-400 hp difference between the two. Plus do you really want to watch cars go around in a circle in water? you only see a few if you did.
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
There is a terrific book called racing in the rain. I forget the author but it's about a dog called Enzo and his master. I commend it to you.
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
Marc I don't want to watch cars driving in circles wet or dry.
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Racing-Rain-Novel/dp/0061537969]The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel: Garth Stein: 9780061537967: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
Garth Stein - The Art of Racing in the Rain...
Absolutely a wonderful book that is supposed to be made into a movie produced by Patrick Dempsey..
Charlie Farley
Supporter
It's also the title of a book , most would be interested in here.
The Gulf Racing Years. GT40, Mirage & 917.
Written by John Horsman, Chief Engineer John Wyer Racing.
Possibly the most informative and educational of all GT40 publications.
It was also available signed by Derek Bell, Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman & Vern Schuppan.
I was lucky to get a real early book signed by John, as well.
Well worth the read.
The Gulf Racing Years. GT40, Mirage & 917.
Written by John Horsman, Chief Engineer John Wyer Racing.
Possibly the most informative and educational of all GT40 publications.
It was also available signed by Derek Bell, Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman & Vern Schuppan.
I was lucky to get a real early book signed by John, as well.
Well worth the read.
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Okay...here's a prime example of why I oppose racing in the rain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC0neNIEueM
If the above doesn't convince you it's an unnecessarily risky proposition, I doubt anything will.
(An aside: Do you think anybody could see those yellow flags being waved immediately post-crash?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC0neNIEueM
If the above doesn't convince you it's an unnecessarily risky proposition, I doubt anything will.
(An aside: Do you think anybody could see those yellow flags being waved immediately post-crash?)
