Auto racing 2011

[Lady's Human]

Well, there's normally a NASCAR thread, but as there are a few of us who are into anything with engines that go fast (including King of the Hammers?.....watched a lap last weekend, very cool), I figured I'd start a general racing thread.

Thank god Indycar and F1 are back!

Very cool little piece of info from Indycar....

One of the rookies has diabetes. He controls it with an implanted blood sugar monitor. The data from the monitor is displayed on his steering wheel. VERY neat use of technology. If his sugar gets low, he takes a drink.

F-1 has reinstituted the 107% rule....

Sorry HRT, you're too damned slow, get off the track! (the 107% rule is that if your time in quals is 107% or more of the polesitter, you're out of the race)

[Karen]

That is so cool - a diabetes monitor in the steering wheel - excellent! My friend Eva, who has since passed away from old age, was wishing for maybe a wrist-watch which would check her blood sugar, and such things are now much more common now. I am sure she is tickled, from her spot in heaven, but a racecar that monitors blood sugar, no needle-stick required!

[Lady's Human]

THe one bad things about the Indycar race today..........the DVR clipped off the end of the race. Now I have to go look to see who won!

Now that I've seen the results, Congrats to Simona Di Silvestro........her highest finish in a race to date.

Not to TV coverage of Indycar: There are other women driving in the races, and doing better. Why not interview them for a change?

[blue]

Ive got 2 King of the Hammers DVDs and they are very impressive, guys with sponsored buggies worth a $100k to guys who spent years building a buggy that will take the abuse. I remember reading about the first unevent on Pirate4x4 as it was happening in 2002 when it was just a challenge not a race. Now its one of the largest and definitely one of the hardest off road races in the world. It officially started in 2007 with French Horn player JR, a Pirate, beating 12 other drivers to be the First King of the Hammers.

Link to highlights from KOH 2011. (http://pirate4x4.com/tv/live17.php)

ETA: Link for KOH 2010 Highlights. (http://pirate4x4.com/tv/live5.php)

The other Auto event I love watching is the Gumball 3000. 3000 miles in 6 days in some of the most exotic cars on the planet. Ridiculously wealthy people partying the entire trip, getting tickets, going to jail, and in an avoidable accident killing a motorist not part of the rally that ended the rally that year. Im actually amazed in the 12 years and counting the rally has been held only one death has occurred. The Gumball is a rally not a race.

The Paris Drakar Rally is also awesome to watch. Everything from motorcycles to semis.

Ive been reading about the Ladoga Challenge in Russia for several years now. Those Russians have never heard of Tread Lightly and they have some impressive cars and driving skills.

NASCAR and the like are impresive to for the engineering that goes in to the cars but I just dont find the driving exiting.

[kokopup]

I am a Fan of Nascar, Indycar, ALMS, Gran-Am, AMA Superbike and FIA World Rally Championship series. I am fortunate that I have events for all but the WRC Rallye right at my front door. I have volunteered at Barber Motorsport park for the last 7 years so I have seen some incredible races. The Indy Series was added to Barber last year so I will be Volunteering there again this year.
I was able to go out to the park last week while all of the teams were testing for the upcoming Indy race, and got to see all the drivers and Cars up close without the crowds, that will be there race day. I am really looking forward to the Races coming up next week Barber.

I really have a love for Rallye racing so I am anticipating Travis Pastrana coming to Nascar. IMO the man that can drive Championship wins at anything he tries, be it Motocross, X games, a WRC rallye car, etc, etc, will do well in Nascar.


http://www.barbermotorsports.com/indy/index.php?adnet=
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Pastrana

[Lady's Human]

SO did you have fun at Barber, Kokopup?

Watched the race (or tried to, I was wiped). I wis the media would wake up to what Simona DiSilvestro is doing, she drove one heck of a race.

I truly hope F-1 isn't going to be the Sebastian Vettel show, but the kid is quick, and so far untouchable.

[cassiesmom]

Very cool little piece of info from Indycar....

One of the rookies has diabetes. He controls it with an implanted blood sugar monitor. The data from the monitor is displayed on his steering wheel. VERY neat use of technology. If his sugar gets low, he takes a drink.



Wow, I wonder how the display gets the information. Is it attached to the wheel somehow? Or some kind of a chip? Does he have to go to the pit for fluids, or is there some sort of a super-high tech Indy car cup holder? I'm just wondering how he would take a sip going 200 miles per hour. That is very neat use of technology.

I saw on the Indianapolis 500 Web site that you can drive your own car for a lap on the speedway! How cool would that be?! My mom, dad and I went there for the tour, and you can take a lap around the track in a bus. They show you the starting line, the grandstands, the infield, the pits, and they give loads of neat information and facts about the Indy 500, cars, technology, and how the Indy 500 races have contributed to the safety of cars and drivers over the years. My dad absolutely ate it up!

[pomtzu]

Any bets on if they get the NASCAR race going today? Sure doesn't look too promising weather-wise right now. I'm about 10 miles NW of the track, and it's damp and foggy and looks like it could rain at any minute. Showers and t'storms forecast for this afternoon. I'm surprised they got yesterday's race in - with it's slam-bang ending too! Son and DIL are headed down to Dover, with the rain gear packed. :p I'll watch it from the comfort of my dry house - if they do race! :)

[Lady's Human]

Wow, I wonder how the display gets the information. Is it attached to the wheel somehow? Or some kind of a chip? Does he have to go to the pit for fluids, or is there some sort of a super-high tech Indy car cup holder? I'm just wondering how he would take a sip going 200 miles per hour. That is very neat use of technology.

Most drivers have fluids of some sort in the car with them (However, gone are the days of the allison boys with a cooler full of coke in the car)

Charlie Kimball (the driver who has diabetes) has a continuous glucose monitor which sends the blood sugar info to the display on his steering wheel through rf.

[Cincy'sMom]

Any bets on if they get the NASCAR race going today? Sure doesn't look too promising weather-wise right now. I'm about 10 miles NW of the track, and it's damp and foggy and looks like it could rain at any minute. Showers and t'storms forecast for this afternoon. I'm surprised they got yesterday's race in - with it's slam-bang ending too! Son and DIL are headed down to Dover, with the rain gear packed. :p I'll watch it from the comfort of my dry house - if they do race! :)

That was an interesting finish yesterday. Wow!

Don't know about today. I was thinking about going to the ARCA race here in Toledo today, but it has been raining non-stop since about 6 am. It would be nice if the waether would cooperate either here or in Delaware so that I can see some racing somehow!

[pomtzu]

That was an interesting finish yesterday. Wow!

Don't know about today. I was thinking about going to the ARCA race here in Toledo today, but it has been raining non-stop since about 6 am. It would be nice if the waether would cooperate either here or in Delaware so that I can see some racing somehow!

Okay - looks like we'll be racing afterall, Amy. The sun is trying to come out - for now anyway. I wonder if Kyle and Kevin will behave themselves??? :eek:

[Asiel]

Okay - looks like we'll be racing afterall, Amy. The sun is trying to come out - for now anyway. I wonder if Kyle and Kevin will behave themselves??? :eek:

We have nothing like that here. We have the horse races so just the track every Wed. and Sat. nights. Probably too cold for car races here anyway. Last week we had two days of 26 and today we're back to -2 when we got up...it's gone up to 6 degrees but with a gusty north wind so it might as well be winter again.:mad:

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I thought Mark Martin really was a "crazy old man" for not taking any tires, glad it worked out for him:cool:. Great run by Marcos Ambrose too!

[pomtzu]

I thought Mark Martin really was a "crazy old man" for not taking any tires, glad it worked out for him:cool:. Great run by Marcos Ambrose too!

I'm just thankful that it wasn't another Jimmy Johnson win! :D

[lizbud]

Now that I've seen the results, Congrats to Simona Di Silvestro........her highest finish in a race to date.

Not to TV coverage of Indycar: There are other women driving in the races, and doing better. Why not interview them for a change?


Di Silvestro had a nasty wreck today at practice for the 500. I think
the car flipped twice and burst into flames.

http://www.theindychannel.com/indy500/27952293/detail.html

[kokopup]

lizbud
Di Silvestro had a nasty wreck today at practice for the 500. I think the car flipped twice and burst into flames.

From the looks of that crash she is lucky that a hand burn is all she recieved from the crash. It looked like burning fuel was running right where she would have been after the crash. Her hands may have been the only part of her body that weren't properly protected by a fire retardant suit.

I watched Danica putting on her garb in the hot-pits at Barber, and I wondered how in the world could they see, to drive, with all those layers of fire suit.

[RICHARD]

:eek:The world is going to end before the All Star Race....:eek:

[Karen]

:eek:The world is going to end before the All Star Race....:eek:

Or not, the guys saying it is going to end this time for sure has said so in 1977, 1978, 1987, 1988 - and many more times. Dunno why its getting so much air time this go 'round!

[pomtzu]

:eek:The world is going to end before the All Star Race....:eek:

Yup - tomorrow (5/21) is Judgement Day, and the world will come to an end at 6 p.m. - that's what I heard on the news this a.m. :rolleyes::eek: Guess I don't need to bother deciding what to fix for Sunday dinner! :p

[kokopup]

Originally Posted by RICHARD
The world is going to end before the All Star Race...


I don't guess it will do much good to setup my DVR to record the race, now will it. If the world doesn't end on May21 then I'm sure the 2012 thing with the Mayan's Calendar will get us for sure.:D

[RICHARD]

I don't guess it will do much good to setup my DVR to record the race, now will it. If the world doesn't end on May21 then I'm sure the 2012 thing with the Mayan's Calendar will get us for sure.:D

At least we will be able to finish the season and get some football in? :cool:

[RICHARD]

If you gathered 500 Indian maidens with no nipples, what would you have?












The indian nipple-less 500.

[kokopup]

Richard
If you gathered 500 Indian maidens with no nipples, what would you have?

Being a racing thread I assume you were talking about Indian Motorcycles. Thats right isn't it Richard.;) I thought all Indians motorcycles were names after some kind of Chief, but maybe they made a model, for the squaw, that I wasn't aware of.:D

[kokopup]

The Biffal spoiled the All-star race for me when he put Kasey in the wall. I'm not a big Biff fan, so that just jelled my opinion.

If that had been any other drivers involved they would have made a big deal of it, but I noted they down played this one to the hilt.

Nascar is saying that there wasn't anything in the grassy area that caused the damage that Edwards got on his car. The media guys were saying he must have hit a manhole or something. Nascar says it is just grass and dirt no manholes. Its pretty bad when the most exciting part of the race is the victory race car demolition by Edwards.

[Cincy'sMom]

If you are a racing fan, is there a better day then today?

F1 Grand Prix of Monaco
Indy 500
Coke 600

what a day of racing!

(Go Smoke!)

[RICHARD]

I wonder if things would have been different if they ran the Indy 499.7?

I screamed I was so surprised at the end of the race.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

How the heck did that happen? I thought when he hit the wall and it brought out the caution, the race order stopped. So he was still in the lead but the other driver passed him after the caution and won????? :confused:

[RICHARD]

Twice in one day?

:eek:

[Cincy'sMom]

How the heck did that happen? I thought when he hit the wall and it brought out the caution, the race order stopped. So he was still in the lead but the other driver passed him after the caution and won????? :confused:

I don't know Indy car rules, but in NASCAR, when the caution comes out, the field is frozen, HOWEVER, you must maintain a reasonable speed. So, if you wreck and can't continue, or slow way down to where other cars pass you, you loose those potitions.



What a finish to the NASCAR race. Wow!

[lizbud]

I don't know Indy car rules, but in NASCAR, when the caution comes out, the field is frozen, HOWEVER, you must maintain a reasonable speed. So, if you wreck and can't continue, or slow way down to where other cars pass you, you loose those potitions.

What a finish to the NASCAR race. Wow!


I believe officials were a few seconds late on the yellow flag,from
what others reported. I didn't know what "spotters" were before reading
their role in the race. This Sports report explains the race details.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110531/SPORTS15/105310312/Kravitz-Where-were-Hildebrand-s-spotters-final-lap-?odyssey=mod|mostview

[wombat2u2004]

I wonder how many US races the Aussies will win this year.
Maybe all of them.
We love enriching ourselves at the expense of your slow drivers :p:p

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I would :love: to see Marcos Ambrose win a NASCAR race:cool:

[kokopup]

aTailOf2Kitties
I would to see Marcos Ambrose win a NASCAR race

This is probably Ambose Road Course year if not a short track. He has the skill, and it looks like he has some good equipment also.

[RICHARD]

Wom,

When I first heard Ambrose being interviewed before a race, I really had to 'listen' to what he was saying.;)

Usually, the drivers drone on and on-that interview was actually entertaining.

I was hoping he'd throw in some 'Dundee-isms'!:cool:

[Lady's Human]

I loved the interview Wheldon gave with ESPN the morning before Carb day. He said he's tell AJ to take his compensation (for Bruno Junqueria stepping out of the car he quald and letting Ryan Hunter Reay have the seat) and stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

However, that comment probably doesn't endear him to sponsors.

[Cincy'sMom]

I would :love: to see Marcos Ambrose win a NASCAR race:cool:

Marcos is such a nice guy! Got to meet him last year at MIS. I too would love to see him win a race.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d833b3127ccefa0d0c815faa00000040O00AbM3LVi3cuG IPbz4U/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

[Lady's Human]

I know racers will do anything to race, but THIS as a sponsor?

http://indycar.cdn.racersites.com/prod/photos/329758/NEWS_DETAIL.jpg

I'd like to thank the Huggies/Ganassi racing team for giving me a really good car and helping us keep poop under control? :p

[Killearn Kitties]

Woohoo! Good job, Jensen. Six pit stops and still won!! :D

[kokopup]

While Ferrari's Le Mans' GT class drivers manage to totally destroy two Audis P1 class cars, because of poor judgement, Audi's remaining car managed to pass Peugeot and win Le Mans by a 13.8 sec margin.

In both crashes the much slower Ferrari's made lane changes just as the Audi's were passing clipping the cars causing both devastating crashes. It is incrediable that both drivers will be OK.

[wombat2u2004]

Wom,

When I first heard Ambrose being interviewed before a race, I really had to 'listen' to what he was saying.;)

Usually, the drivers drone on and on-that interview was actually entertaining.

I was hoping he'd throw in some 'Dundee-isms'!:cool:

Like ......"THAT isn't a car. THIS is a car." :p

[aTailOf2Kitties]

If you didn't watch the NASCAR Nationwide race @ Road America, you just missed one helluva finish! :eek:

[kokopup]

aTailOf2Kitties
If you didn't watch the NASCAR Nationwide race @ Road America, you just missed one helluva finish!

There were a few upset and happy people over the way it all shook out. It looks like Jacques Villeneuve made a few enemies over his over aggressive driving in the first and the last Green white checker.

[wombat2u2004]

Here's a couple of our boys fooling around at Bathurst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toLPTjE1GZk

[RICHARD]

I passed by a bar the other day and the marquee/sign out front had this offer....

It said something like.....

NASCAR Racing on Sundays.

All Bud longnecks 1.50 during yellow flag caution laps.

I laughed.

[lizbud]

The prayer by a Baptist Minister at this NASCAR event was a riot.
I loved it. Soooo funny. :D

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/video/pastor-joe-nelms-wild-nascar-prayer-14159123

[Lady's Human]

That "prayer" was abhorrent.

I have no issue with humor in church, that, however, wasn't appropriate in any way, shape or form.

[lizbud]

That "prayer" was abhorrent.

I have no issue with humor in church, that, however, wasn't appropriate in any way, shape or form.


What ? Do you think God has no sense of humor? He made humans didn't he?

[Lady's Human]

God bless ford and goodyear? Give me a break, it sounded like a bad cross between Jimmy Swaggart and a NASCAR driver interview.

[Grace]

That "prayer" was abhorrent.

I have no issue with humor in church, that, however, wasn't appropriate in any way, shape or form.

That wasn't "in church". It was at the track. My husband and I agree with liz. It was delightful.

[Lady's Human]

Meh, whatever. It's just another in a long list of reasons I no longer watch NA$CAR racing. It was on for a few minutes in the bleedover from another program. I really wish I hadn't heard it.

[pomtzu]

That wasn't "in church". It was at the track. My husband and I agree with liz. It was delightful.

I have to agree. And with the laughing and smiles from those at the track, it appears that they agreed too. It probably got a chuckle from above, too. :D

[Cincy'sMom]

Count me in as another who liked it. Sometimes your blessings are a "Smoking Hot Wife". Nothing wrong for thanking God for that.

[RICHARD]

Count me in as another who liked it. Sometimes your blessings are a "Smoking Hot Wife". Nothing wrong for thanking God for that.

I'd prefer her not to smoke, but to smoulder.

Women are even sexier THAT way. ;):eek::D

[kokopup]

The selection of this individual to give the invocation was probably not an accident. "Have at it boys" , "Smoking hot wifes", and "double wide restarts" are doing exactly as intended. People are vocal for or against whichever one floats their boat. Everything is going exactly as planned. DANIA is doing well and now we have Travis Pastrana doing his threesome for the Indy weekend. The more contraversial things are the more the boys upstairs like it. Even Kasey's crash during his off weekend was Nascar PR made in ....Nascar NOW

[Lady'sOtherHuman]

It was suppose to be a prayer for the safety of the drivers and other folks at the track be they workers or fans. I could have done without the "Booggity, booggity, booggity."

[kokopup]

I agree that the "Booggity, booggity, booggity" is a little over the top especially in the context that it was used. Every Nascar fan there related to that phrase either in a positive of negative way, since this has become Darrell Waltrip's nonsensical phrase used every week that he is the color commentator for Fox sports. This one phrase will now add more color to the already colorful Waltrip. I guarantee that there will be "in Jesus name Amen" added the next time Darrell says "Booggity, booggity, booggity lets go racing boys".

[aTailOf2Kitties]

If I didn't just watch this race and asked someone else who won, and they told me Paul Menard, I'd probably say "fine. Don't tell me, then"... and just walk away.

[kokopup]

aTailOf2Kitties
If I didn't just watch this race and asked someone else who won, and they told me Paul Menard, I'd probably say "fine. Don't tell me, then"... and just walk away


This just proves that with enough money and time anyone can win. It appears this is the year of the under dog.:)

[Lady's Human]

NICE drive at the Hungaroring. Button managing on slicks and Hamilton had to pull in for inters?

Who's the better driver?

[kokopup]

Lady's Human


NICE drive at the Hungaroring. Button managing on slicks and Hamilton had to pull in for inters?

Who's the better driver?

I think Luck was on Button's side more than driving skills. He took a chance and it paid off.

I would say Hamilton showed more skill to overcome 2 tire changes and a penalty.

[Lady's Human]

Button has always been good at managing tires under slick conditions, whether chassis (Honda....it WAS a pretty car...) or weather induced.

[RICHARD]

Yea!

Way to go Marcos!:D