Elistan

I agree with mikegarrison on this one - given a particular track and a particular car, there is certainly some lap speed for which it can be deemed "unsafe." Doesn't mean it'll be the same tomorrow, doesn't mean that everybody will agree on what that speed is, but the concept does exist. (Consider Michellin's statement that otherwise normal speeds at Indy were unsafe for their tires.) FOM seems to be operating under the belief that F1 cars have reached FOM's idea of a max speed at which the cars can safely circle a track. Either the tracks or the cars will have to significantly change in order to raise that speed. Maybe some years down the road there'll be some technical innovation that in FOM's mind will allow F1 cars to run 1500hp, but we're not there today.

Based on my reading, FOM rules are directly linked to forcing the cars to go slower in order to promote a safer environment. Consider grooved tires - they're not a cost-saving item, they're designed to provide less grip while still maintaining a high aero drag factor, hence a reduction in speed.

So, given that F1 cars supposedly have the best safety equipment possible for a formula car, it stands to reason that they represent the maximum possible speed for which FOM is comfortable allowing. This is entirely an artificial restriction - unfettered, F1 cars could be significantly faster. In other words, they are NOT in any way "the cutting edge or race car engineering." Certainly there's lots of high-tech shenanigans going on in those vehicles, but that's mostly to maximize their potential within the rules. Some other formula series, which have very different technical regulations, can (and is, we're starting to see) achieve the same speed through different means, assuming the management of that series is comfortable with the "safety" of that speed.

Triple-H

Well I too agree there is a speed that is the maximum at any given point in time and technology. The ONLY thing I was saying is that over time that maximum speed is going to change due to advances in technology.

Elistan

True, and as time goes on we'll see faster and faster racing from that. Well, given the limits of the human body of course - remember when CART cancelled their race at Texas Motor Speedway? The cars were going so fast and generating so much acceleration that the drivers were starting to black out.

Is the future of racing full-size radio controlled cars?

Triple-H

Come on man, think outside the box.
Just suit them up in one of these anti gravity babies.