Wow, what a freaking F1 race. I was absolutely shocked that Schumacher was unable to pass Alonso in the closing laps. Probably the best F1 race on TV in years, CBS lucked out. The one shot they had that gave a good view of the stands was great, you could just sense the fans' anticipation as MS started pounding out the quick laps on his way to Alonso's gearbox.
While I'm no Jack Newtown fan, it is good to see him get a respectable result for a change. He's always a fan favorite at Indy, so his presence will add to the atmosphere this year. Wurz also looked good. The big fella could open some eyes as he continues to fill in for Juan "Borg" Montoya while he is recuperating from his...uh, um, tennis injury, that's it.
Last night's NASCAR race was pretty interesting as well. Waltrip drove like a man desperate for the win, you don't always see that in the "we're driving for points" world that permeates the Nextel tour. Thought he had a chance with that high line, but as he said, he flat out ran out of talent. Fair assessment Mikey
PK, I couldn't stay away from spoilers this morning either. I guess it is ingrained in my head that I check for F1 quotes and reaction mid-morning of Grand Prix weekends.
I'm not sure why, but I felt like this was one of the better captured F1 races. It just had a different feel to it, let me know if you think the same thing. Maybe the track lends itself to better camera work, I don't know.
Hobbs, Varsha and Matchett each commented during the Speed telecast of practice Friday that they noticed some new camera angles this year that hadn't been seen before at San Marino.
So either the Italian broadcaster or Bernie finally are getting their TV up to 21st century standards. The new telemetry, showing throttle and brake pressure, speed, RPM and G forces, also is very nice. I also like that some radio communication between crews and drivers is going on-air.
Still, the quality of the production of international F1 broadcasts is a good 10 years behind that of NASCAR and a good five years behind that of the IRL or OWRS.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
An incredible race indeed. Michael's charge from 13th at the start was impressive. You still have to wonder about the overall Ferrari reliability with Barrichello going out pretty early. Alonso showed he's got the nads. Can't wait to check out the Speed delayed broadcast later in the week. CBS commentary was ho-hum.
Schumacher's pass of Button had me and my sister's boyfriend gasping and falling backward at a family gathering this weekend at which everyone else was confusing the race for NASCAR.
We shut the family out for the last portion of the race and enjoyed what had to be one of the best battles for a lead late in a race I've seen since I was a kid watching air-mailed tapes at my racing-fanatic friend's house.
The telecast was pretty good, too, although I've seen enough slow-mo shots of cars running over Daly's beloved, orgasmic curbs, I think I could pass myself off as a suspension tech in Ferrari's garage.
Anyway, best race in a long time. Now, if I could just turn on my XBOX and run an F1 race at Imola, I'd be happy. I guess I'll settle for MotoGP.
Dave wrote:I'm not a big Daly fan, so I agree on the commentary.
My favorite part was when they said turn it up and enjoy the sound of the start...then Daly started talking.
Without Daly, there is no Jenson Booton though.
Derek Daly? Oh, dear -- now my enthusiasm for the telecast has dropped. Has there ever been a more mediocre driver who has talked himself into having some people believe he was a good racing driver than Derek Daly? His ego far exceeds his talent.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Set your recording device of choice. From the Speed Web site:
Friday : April 29, 2005
Time Program Description Rating
12:00 am Formula One San Marino Grand Prix (Delay) NR
Not sure if that's midnight between Thursday and Friday or Friday and Saturday. AP style would dictate the former, but I'm not sure if the Speed Web editor is as anal about AP style as me.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
PK, I can't tell you how much I miss the 5p news broadcasting live from the Speedway in the month of May. It is only the thought of Derek Daly being in my living room for two straight weeks that gets me through that sorrow.
"It is booble day at the speedway"
With the contempt he holds for TG and the IRL, it amazes me that WISH-TV keeps him onboard.
If nothing else, Daly was involved in some pretty spectacular shunts on both sides of the pond. Maybe that's what's gotten him to where he is.
I always enjoyed his commentary from a CART race at Loudon where someone (maybe Scott Pruett) spun right in front of the in-car and he shrieked like a little girl.
sf - this race is definitely worth catching. Schumacher wanted this one baaaad.
I don't know how NASCAR and F1 racing can be in the the same post.
There is no way NASCAR should even be considered racing. Hell if you are lucky you win.
After watching that Indy race at Miami and this F1 race. I'm hooked on this type of racing. I can't wait for this year's Indy 500 and looking to watch some more F1 races this year.
Nascar is not racing its just a well marketed business. Hell Schumacher proved that. Laps matter. I can see why PK is hooked on driving games now. Its all about shaving off time. Nascar is about having a someone else crash so you can start close to the leaders. I wish we had F1 races in the Colorado so I could watch one.
And I wish we had an F1 game in the US. Geez I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm starting to walk over to the dark said and get more into racing and cars. Just the other day I serious thought about going to PPIR to watch the Indy Cars this year.
I'm hooked.
[url=http://sensiblecoasters.wordpress.com/][b]Sensible Coasters - A critique of sports games, reviews, gaming sites and news. Questionably Proofread![/b][/url]
I can't believe I'm going to defend NASCAR, but I guess I will. It is definitely well below Indycars and F1 on my motorsports list, but it to totally dismiss it as a marketing exercise is a bit overblown. Is it overly commercial at this point? Yes, but compare the number of true ride-buyers there vs. other forms of motorsports. I hope that one day Indycars have a similar problem.
Are the races too long? It depends on what you're looking for--they are too long to expect flat-out racing every lap, but they are also so long that strategy becomes very important.
My biggest problem is the cookie-cutter track syndrome. I know that, for a team and driver, all the tracks behave differently and require different set-ups, styles, etc. But too many races take place on a 1.5 mile or 2 mile track.
I will throw up a little Nascar defense as well. Nascar is well marketed, but it does take talent to win. There are some very talented drivers currently in the Nascar ranks that I wish were running in Indycars. Nascar is way overhyped these days, but it still has talented drivers and some good racing. My racing preference goes something like this: Indycars, F1, WRC, Nascar, LeMans/Sports Car Endurance racing, MotoGP/SBK/AMA, Sprints, etc, etc. The cookie cutter tracks in Nascar are what annoy me as well. I hated it when Atlanta changed to the current configuration. I still love to play the old config on my racing sims.
