OT: Racing 2011 (Spoiler Alert)

[DChaps]

Does any other Nascar race bring in 138,000? What is the attendance for Daytona or Talladega?

[toonarmy]

Does any other Nascar race bring in 138,000? What is the attendance for Daytona or Talladega?

Daytona 500 this year was 182,000, up from 175,000 last year. Best I could find for Talladega was an estimate of 110,000-127,000. It holds up to 175,000.

[Smurfy]

Another fun race from Hungary today. It appears that McLaren have caught up to Red Bull going into the break. Button drove a great race. It was too bad that Hamilton suffered from some unlucky strategy and a boneheaded move on his part that resulted in a penalty.

I found the first quarter of the race to be a nail-biter. You can't ask for much more than what Hamilton and Alonso were doing. Sure, Alonso made his share of mistakes, but it was worth the watch.

I'm finding Martin Brundle to be a bit too much of a horn blower for Button. Anyone else find that?

[GB_Simo]

I'm finding Martin Brundle to be a bit too much of a horn blower for Button. Anyone else find that?

I'm not sure I am, which is something I didn't expect to ever find myself saying. Even when Jenson won his title, I wasn't especially keen on him, but there have been times over this last couple of seasons when he's driven absolutely beautifully. I don't think Brundle's shy of giving him a kicking when it's deserved - the Silverstone weekend being a good example - but I do feel that those occasions are much, much less frequent than they once were, which is bound to affect the commentary.

I also feel a little unclean about having written that.

Something else that's taken me by surprise is how good David Coulthard is in the expert role. There's much more passion, enthusiasm and expression in DC's voice than I'd ever expected and he clearly knows his onions too.

[Rodster]

I don't like Martin at all in his new role. He was better served as an analyst rather than someone who calls the race. While calling the race is like part of him is calling the race and the other half morphs into the analyst. What the hell is David for?

[GB_Simo]

I don't like Martin at all in his new role. He was better served as an analyst rather than someone who calls the race. While calling the race is like part of him is calling the race and the other half morphs into the analyst. What the hell is David for?

There aren't meant to be two clearly defined roles. It's not intended to be set up so that Martin sticks to calling the race and DC does analysis. The idea is to have two friends with an enormous amount of knowledge and experience, capable of putting that experience into words and adding some colour to what you're seeing.

If DC's in the middle of something and spots an overtake, he calls it, just as he calls cars flying off the road while Brundle's looking elsewhere - see Alonso whistling into the scenery at the start on Sunday. (I'm assuming he only did it once, at turn 2. He went off the road so many times that after a while they all kind of blurred together.) In a similar vein, Martin isn't expected to forget that he drove F1 cars for 10 seasons, won Le Mans and claimed a pair of World Sportscar Championships, so if he can adopt the expert role, he's free to do so.

I like conversational commentaries - Eurosport's Martin Haven is a fine exponent of the art too, though he often forgets the commentary and just does conversation instead - so this setup works for me. I fully understand why it wouldn't for someone else, though. I think I would also sooner MB did a little less analysis and DC was left to do a bit more, simply because David's experience is more recent. The fundamentals of driving a single-seater haven't changed since the rear-engined revolution, but the little details (like David's nugget about tyre sizes and how teams have a switch in the cockpit to recalibrate their fuel gauges when they go from dries to inters) definitely have.

[GB_Simo]

Just for you, Rod: visit this link and go to the bottom of Simon Arron's first set of pictures:

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?s ... &start=440

[toonarmy]

Unreal finish at Iowa in the Nationwide race. Teammates Edwards and Stenhouse went at each other earlier in the race, then at the end it is Edwards that couldn't see through the smoke of Stenhouse's blown engine and pushed him across the finish line for the win.

[Gurantsu]

My son and I are watching the Indycar race, both on TV and with the live timing on PC down in the man-cave:



May as well throw a few pictures of my New Jersey race weekend in also!

This is Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli at the drivers meeting:


The 10 car in the garage:


Not sure what model it is, but it looks like it's going 200mph:


And no it has nothing to do with racing. Whats your point?:

[GB_Simo]

I'm still lamenting my failure to get any decent shots of the WTCC grid girls at Donington, particularly the one with the bright red hair and legs about 2 feet taller than she was. I should also have captured the two Monroe promotional girls who tried to sell me something or other on the exit of Redgate, happened to be going my way all the way down to Old Hairpin and yet somehow, Heaven only knows how, resisted my charms throughout.

I mention that mainly to prove that I did look at the ladies on display there and here, because it'd be pretty desperate if this post had only said "it's a 458 Italia".

[toonarmy]

Got around to watching the IndyCar race at New Hampshire from yesterday. Wow, what a major mess up by race officials at the end. Will Power is usually fairly reserved but threw a double bird on live TV on ABC and allegedly was cursing like a sailor at the decision to resume the race on a slick track. Michael Andretti and others were livid as well. Not sure how race officials didn't get word from the drivers that the track was too slick because the drivers were all saying the track was treacherous on their radios. Barnart at least was man enough to admit he screwed up and made the wrong call. The manner in which they sorted things out in terms of finishing order after the wreck was very fair and calmed down the people who wrecked.

I read where the previous IndyCar race at NH had only 7,500 people attend. Looked like there were not many, if any, more than that yesterday. Kind of odd that attendance would be that crap considering IndyCar ticket prices are more than reasonably priced.

[DChaps]

....... Will Power is usually fairly reserved but threw a double bird on live TV on ABC and allegedly was cursing like a sailor at the decision to resume the race on a slick track......

Just watched it on the DVR as well. Crazy finish and Tony Kanaan's wreck was a little scary too. Look out for the port-a-potty.

I read where the previous IndyCar race at NH had only 7,500 people attend. Looked like there were not many, if any, more than that yesterday. Kind of odd that attendance would be that crap considering IndyCar ticket prices are more than reasonably priced.

Granted it was almost 20 years ago, but the stands were pretty packed for the Indycars at New Hampshire when Nigel Mansell took it to Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy in the final laps. That was a great race. Still have it on a VHS tape somewhere.

[F308GTB]

Not sure what model it is, but it looks like it's going 200mph:

It's a 458. The early ones were prone to spontaneous combustion. Beautiful car but a bit out of my price range at the moment

[Smurfy]

Fantastic post there Don. I watched the race but missed the port-a-potty bit

Nice photos Grant. It's nice to know people can truly enjoy a race weekend beyond just the view from the stands.

[Smurfy]

[edit] Repeat post.

[Smurfy]

[edit] stupid repeat posting.

[GB_Simo]

Granted it was almost 20 years ago, but the stands were pretty packed for the Indycars at New Hampshire when Nigel Mansell took it to Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy in the final laps. That was a great race. Still have it on a VHS tape somewhere.

Ah, Nigel. A daring, brave, committed, exhilarating driver who would have been the racer's racer had he only thought to remain permanently strapped into his car with his lips superglued together.

[GB_Simo]

People with whom I've been mightily impressed this afternoon:

- Jaime Alguersuari. Where on Earth did that come from?
- Jenson Button, purely for resisting the temptation to lob the entire McLaren organisation under a bus when interviewed. During his BBC appearance, I genuinely thought he was going to cry.
- Bruno Senna would have had every excuse if he'd stuck his Renault into a fence during qualifying. He outqualified Captain Morgan instead.
- Casey Stoner. When I watch him dominate a qualifying session like that, being visibly faster and more committed than anyone through that final corner, I wish I could find it within myself to like the whining little sod.

As an aside, has anyone else noticed that the post-event F1 reports on autosport.com now consist almost entirely of snippets from interviews broadcast on the BBC's coverage? Between that and the sudden decline in editing and proofreading standards, the website is sinking to the same sort of level the magazine currently occupies.

[pk500]

Casey Stoner. When I watch him dominate a qualifying session like that, being visibly faster and more committed than anyone through that final corner, I wish I could find it within myself to like the whining little sod.

Stoner is the sort of prick whom could be given an all-night orgy with twins and be disappointed they don't have a triplet sister.

But Lord, that boy can ride a motorcycle. His speed and controlled commitment are stunning.

[Rodster]

Nothing doubles the pleasure like seeing Capt. Morgan not make pole and 4 slots down from his teammate.

[EZSnappin]

Enjoyed Spa today. Some great passing, boneheaded maneuvers, tire drama, and more.

[Gurantsu]

Great race for Team Penske at Sonoma yesterday. Can't get much better than 1-2-3! Nice to have Will power inch closer to Franchitti, should make the coming races more exciting.

Speaking of which, I'll be at the Baltimore Grand Prix this weekend. Anyone else going?

[toonarmy]

Great race for Team Penske at Sonoma yesterday. Can't get much better than 1-2-3! Nice to have Will power inch closer to Franchitti, should make the coming races more exciting.

No kidding. Those Penske cars and drivers were dialed in. Sonoma is not an easy course, so a 1-2-3 is even that more impressive. Will probably needs to win at Baltimore and then Motegi to have a chance at catching Dario since the final two races are on ovals. Should be a fun final four races.

[pk500]

Scary crash this morning in IndyCar warm-up in Baltimore. Almost miraculous that neither Castroneves nor Kanaan was hurt:

[Rodster]

Wow that was a scary crash. It reminded me of the F1 crash where DC flew over Alex Wurz car in Australia. Good thing Wurz had the wherewithal to take his hands off the wheel or would have broken his hands.