Random Thoughts... (Motorsports Edition)

Speaking of NASCAR crashes at Watkins Glen: Jimmie Johnson in 2000, I think... :shock:
[YOUTUBE]1YPvPgNxZaA[/YOUTUBE]
One of the most amazing walk-aways I've ever seen.


I remember watching that...it was indeed in 2000 during the Busch (now Nationwide) Series race at Watkins Glen. Both wrecks look pretty bad, but Johnson had that foam-type stuff to run into; Hornish and Gordon didn't. There's some sites reporting that the Watkins Glen people are willing to listen to NASCAR pertaining to track changes after this weekend's wrecks.
 
Why does Nascar postpone races due to rain ?
 
Why does Nascar postpone races due to rain ?

Probably on ovals due to running water on the banking, and on road courses due to lack of proper suspension set-ups and rain tire compounds and constructions.


Random thought... Apparently, in the 1990 Le Mans 24h, a mechanic commited suicide by hanging after the car he was working on caught fire in the pits and retired. Also, the team he was working for went out of business after the 1990 WSPC season.
 
Traditionally people do not race on ovals in the rain. It's just too dangerous. In the Glen, however, I don't know why they postponed the race. After all, the first ever NASCAR sanctioned race was held last year (Nationwide at Montreal) and it worked, so it's a surprise that the Sprint Cup did not go for it.
 
Traditionally people do not race on ovals in the rain. It's just too dangerous. In the Glen, however, I don't know why they postponed the race. After all, the first ever NASCAR sanctioned race was held last year (Nationwide at Montreal) and it worked, so it's a surprise that the Sprint Cup did not go for it.

I saw on another forum that the Sprint Cup cars weren't tested so far with the rain tires that worked on the Nationwide cars, and they're two different chassis with different suspension settings and aero characteristics. The COT chassis hasn't yet been tested in the rain, and it would need a different construction of wet tire.
 
I'm sorry, but not racing in the rain is so stupid it makes me once again proud not to be a NASCAR fan. I mean, if F1 cars can do Monaco (or Indy) in the wet, NASCARs can do ovals.
 
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Official confirmation... Johnny Herbert is back to racing! Replaces James Thompson in the Team Dynamics' Civic in the BTCC, due to James' clashing commitments to Bathurst and the WTCC, among others.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77647

Herbert confirms Silverstone debut

By Jamie O'Leary Friday, August 14th 2009, 08:17 GMT

Johnny Herbert has confirmed that he will race one of Team Dynamics' Honda Civics in the final three rounds of this year's British Touring Car Championship.

The 45-year-old three-time grand prix winner will replace team leader James Thompson, who is already committed to the WTCC and Australian V8 Supercars, at the Silverstone, Rockingham and Brands Hatch GP rounds.

Herbert, who also won the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours with Mazda, tested a for the team at Rockingham last month but says he needs more time behind the wheel to get up to speed for his debut.

"It will be a challenge, I have no doubt about that," Herbert said. "Guys like Fabrizio Giovanardi and Jason Plato just have so much experience in touring cars, but I'm very much looking forward to it.

"I haven't raced a front-wheel drive car since I did a round of the Spanish SEAT Cup about seven years ago, and the Rockingham test, which was only an afternoon really and didn't give me too much opportunity to really get down to business, so hopefully with a bit more track time I can be competitive."

Herbert will spend this weekend's Knockhill BTCC round with the team, although he will not drive.

I wonder if the BTCC paddock will see a worrying escalation in the number of practical jokes...
 
I'm sorry, but not racing in the rain is so stupid it makes me once again proud not to be a NASCAR fan. I mean, if F1 cars can do Monaco (or Indy) in the wet, NASCARs can do ovals.

They really can't, not on an oval. They weigh so much and go so fast and have so much power and relatively so little downforce, even the hardest rain tires in the world wouldn't last for more than 10 laps before it became a slick and you'd have entire fields of cars flying around on skates. Very, very bad.

But yeah, for road courses, there is absolutely no reason to postpone. I suppose they could cite cost, since there are only a couple races with right turns in the year, but the cost of postponing a race is also high.

Speaking of grip, today in practice with my kart I had none. Those freaking supermoto junkies keep holding their little motocross events and they bring great dunes of sand out onto the track. But, at least the IndyCars were down below testing, so we got to hang around the garages a little bit afterwards.


3cargarage.jpg



^Helio, being a passionate Brazilian, passionately dislodged a couple suspension bits over some curbs. He needed an alignment job.
 
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Herbert confirms Silverstone debut

By Jamie O'Leary Friday, August 14th 2009, 08:17 GMT

Johnny HerbertJohnny Herbert has confirmed that he will race one of Team Dynamics' Honda Civics in the final three rounds of this year's British Touring Car Championship.

The 45-year-old three-time grand prix winner will replace team leader James Thompson, who is already committed to the WTCC and Australian V8 Supercars, at the Silverstone, Rockingham and Brands Hatch GP rounds.

Herbert, who also won the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours with Mazda, tested a for the team at Rockingham last month but says he needs more time behind the wheel to get up to speed for his debut.

"It will be a challenge, I have no doubt about that," Herbert said. "Guys like Fabrizio Giovanardi and Jason Plato just have so much experience in touring cars, but I'm very much looking forward to it.

"I haven't raced a front-wheel drive car since I did a round of the Spanish SEAT Cup about seven years ago, and the Rockingham test, which was only an afternoon really and didn't give me too much opportunity to really get down to business, so hopefully with a bit more track time I can be competitive."

Herbert will spend this weekend's Knockhill BTCC round with the team, although he will not drive.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77647
 
I saw on another forum that the Sprint Cup cars weren't tested so far with the rain tires that worked on the Nationwide cars, and they're two different chassis with different suspension settings and aero characteristics. The COT chassis hasn't yet been tested in the rain, and it would need a different construction of wet tire.

Actually, the Nationwide cars and the Sprint Cup cars were on the exact same slicks this past weekend, so there probably wouldn't have been any variation for the rain tires either. BUT, Goodyear brought a brand new rain tire for the Nationwide series that they wouldn't have had enough of for the Sprint Cup race even if it had been tested on the COT - the 600 rain tires they brought for the Nationwide cars are all that currently exist of that new code.
 
James Nash is missing the next round of the BTCC. Thank god.
 
Posted this in the original Random Thoughts thread, but was buried.

Sunday the wife and I are heading to Road America to watch the ALMS race, then staying the night at the legendary Siebkens hotel, and getting drunk at the even more legendary Siebkens bar. Last time I drank there I sat next to the son of a preivious owner of Road America (the stories!) and, I shit you not, P.D. Cunningham, famous for his Real Time Racing team. Oh yeah, we pounded down Pabst Blue Rbbons in memory of Augie Pabst, road racing hero and all around good guy.

First time I have had a day off since late May. I need it!
 
Damnit! I got pole today in my sprint kart race, but I blew it with overzealous driving and a touch of red mist. I finished third. Not happy.

In other news, one of my coaches (Mike Hill) is debuting his 2009 Indy Lights effort next Sunday at Infineon with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Watch and root for him!
 
Damnit! I got pole today in my sprint kart race, but I blew it with overzealous driving and a touch of red mist. I finished third. Not happy.

In other news, one of my coaches (Mike Hill) is debuting his 2009 Indy Lights effort next Sunday at Infineon with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Watch and root for him!

:lol::lol::lol:That has such a different meaning in Aussie.
 
Great drive by Plato in BTTC Race 1 today...
 
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