The rumor is that Ferrari is taking advantage of the new, relaxed electronics rule to develop a clutchless transmission. It's pretty interesting. Here's the link:
http://www.speedvision.com/pub/articles/ra...a1/010905a.html

I watch F1 for the technology and CART to actually see racing that more than occassionally includes a pass for the lead.

Mark

Damn, I misspelled "clutchless" in the title. Sorry to the grammar and spelling police.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wickerbill
[B]
I watch F1 for the technology and CART to actually see racing that more than occassionally includes a pass for the lead.

 

I agree. The cars are much more important than the drivers in F1. Look at Jacques Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine now. They were always contenders when they were with the good teams and now they're lucky to finish in the points or let alone even finish the race. That's why I think Schumacher's new record for number of wins has been cheapened. It's obvious that Ferrari's total package (handling, speed, and especially reliability) is much better than any other teams and it's a surprise when he doesn't win. As long as they keep spending the kind of money they're spending in F1 right now, I don't think it will change. As soon as the bottom teams make an advance, the bigger teams will outspend them and put those teams back at the bottom.

Then there's CART, which has some of the best racing in the world but a bunch of idiots running it and Tony George doing his best to establish his version of open-wheel NASCAR with the IRL and put CART out of business. It was obvious which series has the better drivers and teams at this year's Indy 500 when CART teams took the top 6 spots and only started 7. What can you say in a country where Pro wrestling and NASCAR are as popular as they are.

Mark

 

Is it me or does that picture seem like a cult waiting for it's spacecraft? (I'm not in the photo )
[QUOTE]Originally posted by wickerbill
[B]The rumor is that Ferrari is taking advantage of the new, relaxed electronics rule to develop a clutchless transmission.

 

Sorry to say, but NASCAR is better racing then any of the other top level racing circuits - F1, CART, IRL, WOL - simply because the winner is rarely deteremined until the last few laps. The cars are insanely archaic, but that keeps costs down which makes for competetive racing, which is what most fans pay to see. The rest, the same small group of guys wins almost every race. IRL was supposed to be competetive, yet only 5 cars finish on the lead lap a lot of races. F1 isn't much better - the German grand prix was won by over 45 seconds. With CART there are some good battles but it's not to the level of NASCAR.

I can't explain the whole wrestling thing, but NASCAR has got the competition thing down.

Regarding the article - so, basically, they're eliminating the clutch, and replacing it with an electro-hydraulic switching system in the final drive unit? Great - yet another thing to eliminate driver skill as part of the equation, and another thing to raise the price tag of the cars even higher into the stratosphere.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WestSideBilly
[B]Sorry to say, but NASCAR is better racing then any of the other top level racing circuits - F1, CART, IRL, WOL - simply because the winner is rarely deteremined until the last few laps....With CART there are some good battles but it's not to the level of NASCAR.

 

I don't know. I find CART races boring and frustrating. I can never follow what's going on (call me simple). The biggest problem is the use of full course yellows at every opportunity. It's almost as if they want to use them, as opposed to F1 where they'll do anything they can to keep the race running. It completely takes away the incentive for a driver to put in some fast laps and pull away. There's just too much chance involved in the final outcome. That's not fair racing to my mind although it might be entertaining to some.

F1 would be better if the cars were better able to pass when behind a slower car but I quite like to see a faster car and driver combination exerting their superiority. There's something magnificent about a Schumacher or Hakkinen just demolishing the field. I think you have to be more into the season long rivalry of technology, team and driver skill to appreciate F1. I'll stay up at night to catch the Grand Prix, but I can rarely stay awake during a CART race. I don't watch motor racing to see a lottery. I don't understand why "you don't know the winner until the end" makes it any better. I could flip a coin over and over and get that kind of entertainment.

 

I went to MIS a few years ago and both the BGN and the NASCAR race were excellent. The BGN race was a runaway but the leader had to pit for fuel - ended up being a 7 or 8 car battle over the last 15 laps. How often do you see 7 or 8 cars fighting it out for position at ANY time in a CART race? The NASCAR race was similar, 4 or 5 cars duking it out over the last 30 laps.

Yes, NASCAR has their marketing down as well as the level playing field, and that helps a lot - knowing the names of the drivers, even the schmucks, makes it more enjoyable. The other thing is ovals, while being boring to drive on, make for a much better race from a spectator's perspective since you can see more. Most road courses, you're lucky if you can see a 1/4 of the track from any given spot.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by naishou
[B]I don't understand why "you don't know the winner until the end" makes it any better.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wickerbill
[B]

Actually, with that quote I think you described F1 to a "T".