Honda Takes Pole Position at San Marino!

I guess Honda is back at Formula 1. Button took the pole position in his BAR Honda, Ferrari no. 2, Williams BMW no. 3. Wow! This is really something.

And Ricky Rudd is on the pole at Talladega.

But DEI is out in front as usual...Waltrip and Jr are 1 2, right now.

Got the race on tape - don't ruin it for me.

Which one?

The ending at Talladega sucks...

i guess that all depends on who you are a fan of??

bigjohn

Races should not end under caution. There were 4 laps of racing left, Gordon would not have won if the race finished under green. You know that as well as I do. Did he have a storng car? Yes. Were the 2 DEI cars stronger? Yes, as usual, DEI's Restrictor Plate program is the best there has ever been. Jr was about a tenth of a second from going around him before the caution dropped anyway.

Anyways, its over...

so tell me how you REALLY feel!!

there are several aspects to the rules that i dont like.. ending a race under caution, STUPID.. and the new rule of no racing to the flag on cautions.. STUPID.

but bottomline is that it was pretty $hitty for those people to treat gordon like he didnt 'earn' the victory. he was in the right position, at the right time, and its not his fault the rules are the way they are..

its not the first, or the last time, that the best car on the track did not win the race. but thats just how it goes. i dont necessarily like gordon, but i dont hate him either.. he is an awesome driver, and he deserves more respect than what he was shown..

gordon has soooo many haters cause he has spent the last 7 years kickin' everybody elses a$$.. i guess its just more fun to hate a guy for being good, than to like him??

just my opinions..

bigjohn

1. No idea who "could have won" but it probably would not have been Jr., his car was not good on the restarts.

2. The "fans" started throwing cans on the track as soon as NASCAR announced that Gordon was ahead of Jr. it only got worse when Gordon won.

3. I hated the way the race ended but I don't think NASCAR had any real options, besides they bent the rules for Jr. last year (as he himself noted) so what goes around comes around.

4. Gordon showed a lot of class by going back and doing a burnout in front of the beer can throwing "fans".

5. In my book those people are as far as you can get from real race fans, no class at all. Cars bearing a number 24 on them in the parking lot were also a target of these beer damaged morons.

As for F1, Button did a great job and MS proved that he is still in his own league. What on earth is wrong with Rubins???????

Did I say anything disrespectful towards Gordon?

Just my opinions,
-too many full-course cautions in NASCAR and American racing in general.
-too many cars on the track for NASCAR.
-too many rules in NASCAR.
-Rubens is too conservative during qualifying and on the opening laps of the race.
-he isn't quite as good as the top drivers?

Hello Fordprefect

The Baracello issue is very interesting. If MS retires, then it looks like Ferrari will be battling for top spots with the rest!

I just saw this interview:

Q: (Olaf Bachmann – Koelner Stadt Anzeiger): Juan, can you explain your gesture on the last lap to Michael?
JPM: I just said ‘what happened, what were you thinking’. That’s all.
MS: I thought you were congratulating me.
JPM: I never do actually.

Linkage.

getoffb-

no, you did not bad mouth gordon.. i was just making random comments regarding the end of the race. i just made the assumption that you were a JR. fan, which would almost undoubtably, make you a non-gordon fan. i agree with you and will.. first off, they have toooo many rules, and half the ones they got are stupid and not fan oriented. NASCAR is one of the last truly 'fan friendly' sports, but they are doing their best to try and change that. i think they are going in the wrong direction.

i just cant get into the F1, or indy cars.. i dont know, or cant relate to any of the drivers.. plus, there not really 'cars'.. at least not in the sense that i consider a car to be a car. the single file racing is not near as exciting as NASCAR. and my biggest complaint is that the cars are not durable. if you barely nip one, the whole car is gonna be screwed up and will not be able to compete. but you can bang nascars off of each other, and they just keep on going.. i cant remember how many times i have seen cars WIN races with no bumper and a quarter panel missing. now to me, thats racing.

just for reference, i am a kurt busch fan.. and he got spun-out by tony stewart.. so it goes..

we all just need to get together with our 14X14 coolers, and go to a race together. we can hash all this out there..!!
bigjohn

Thanks for the link, getoffb. I usually watch the post race conference, but was pressed for time last night. Entertaining read.

Hey man, can't we all just get along? All cars are the same anyway ...

trust me, nothing was ever the same as my '91 Lumina

Very good pmbuko! Yes, all cars are the same, just like all solid state amps are the same!

__________________________
Enjoy the music. Trust your ears. Laugh at people who claim to know it all.

Damn, bigjohn, we just can't agree on anything!

Formula One is the pinnacle of auto racing. The best of everything - including drivers. Granted, there isn't always alot of passing and the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher wins "too much", but what should they do? Give him a restrictor plate? Give some aerodynamic advantages to the competition?

I think Nascar needs to get off those small ovals, onto more road courses, and get rid of all the rules intended to make the cars all the same speed.

Ah BigWill, I think NASCAR needs more help than that. NASCAR is supposed to be STOCK CAR racing. What they race are purpose built, tubular framed freaks with OHV racing engines which bear no resemblance to anything offered to the public, special built rear ends, brake systems and suspensions, which bear no resemblance to anything offered to the public, etc.

I think they should have to race STOCK cars. Then put them on road courses. That way, maybe NASCAR would improve the breed.

i know, right?? we just need to do a

BATTLE ROYAL!!!!!!!!

i have no doubt that the F1 teams have better, more experienced drivers.. no question there.. i just think, in general, that the races arent as exciting as nascar races. and they dont do road courses very much cause the nascars just arent built for that. way tooo heavy..

now, i have never been to a F1 race.. who knows, i might really like it.. i always tell people that if you have never been to a nascar race, you are missing sooooo much.. the smoke, the smell, the sounds, the energy.. its just like a drug or something.

the main thing here, is that we love motor sports. so thats cool. i even like monster trucks and tractor pulls.. i guess theres just something about horsepower, in any form..

bigjohn

Of all the races that I have ever been, F1 was honestly the most broing race of them all. There was excitment for about 15 seconds at the start of the race, after that, nothing happened. They drove, they pitted, they drove, they pitted. Notice, no passing. there porbaly was, but the top ~7 positions stayed the same throughout.

The most exciting race that you will ever go to in my opinion, is either some form of dirt track racing or shifter karts. I used to race shifter karts with a buddy of mine back when we were 14-16. Going over 100mph 3 inches off the ground is quite the rush for anyone. Now we have an old 1st Gen RX7 that my buddy preodimately races now.

And I wouldn't say that I am anti-Gordon, I am just more pro-DEI. I hvae a cousin who went to high school with Jr. Another cousin went to school with Jimmie Johnson and Ricky Hendrick. I grew up an hour from some of the best garages in Nascar, DEI, Hendrick, RCR, etc, etc. I also grew up going to races at CMS/LMS, Rockingham, Darlington, Bristol and Wilkesboro. I know a thing or two about this whole racing business I guess. I went to Earnhardt Sr.'s funeral. To say I am not a little bit partial would be a lie.

when i was in the military, and stationed in NC in the early 90's, that was my first real experience with nascar.. got to go to richmond, charlotte, darlingtonx2, and rockinghamx2.. loved every minute of it.. i have been to the texas track in dallas several times, but it is probably my least favorite of all the tracks i have been to. i liked the rock and darlington the best. my wife and i wanna go to bristol.. of course, EVERYONE wants to go to bristol.. you cant hardly even find tix to the summer night race.. and if you find them, they are way tooo expensive.

dirt trackin is awesome.. V8 sprint cars on a 5/8 oval.. now that is some fun.

bigjohn

Nothing can compare to the action at Bristol. It is crazy every lap! Lots of fun...til you got to leave with everyone else

All my Dad ever took me to was sprint cars at Ascot (and one Nascar? race at the old Riverside Raceway). Sprint cars and karts are both awesome to watch (I heard the best karts lap Laguna Seca quicker than the Nascar cars!).
For pure racing thrills I like motorcycles. The big dirt track bikes on one mile ovals (like at Del Mar

) make for pretty harry racing. AMA road racing,too, of course.
But I just can't stomach NASCAR and their takeover of the programming on Speed. Always used to be some good racing on there, now it's all about Nascar.

Precisely. I think they should pick up their cars from the local dealership a couple weeks before the race -- just so they have time to break-in the seals and such before torturing them on the track.

Maybe we let them put in a roll cage, pmb.

In reply to:
now, i have never been to a F1 race.. who knows, i might really like it.. i always tell people that if you have never been to a nascar race, you are missing sooooo much.. the smoke, the smell, the sounds, the energy.. its just like a drug or something.

Bigjohn, you forgot little bits of rubber floating in your beer. Can't leave that out!

God, I love the smell of hydrocarbons in the morning...

Sure. And I suppose they can tear out the seats, trim, stereo, and A/C as well. But that's it.

Gotta change their own tires with the included spare as well?

I wonder how those little spare tires handle in the corners at 200mph....

I'll bet that would make for a fun ride. Lots of pucker factor.

Do you know of any American sedans that can reach 200 MPH? No worries...

Hell, virtually no major manufacturer American cars (currently in production, or recently out of it) can reach 200. I think it would be the Ford GT, and that's about it.

I drove a friend's Corvette Z06. That thing was pretty damn fast! Had acceleration like big bore streetbikes. Super impressive, although the front window was too low for me and the bodywork always seemed like it was wigglin' and shakin' under duress.

pinto?

In reply to:
Hell, virtually no major manufacturer American cars (currently in production, or recently out of it) can reach 200. I think it would be the Ford GT, and that's about it.

Get Buick to revive the Grand National/Regal GNX - 18 years later, see what they can do with it and the tech available to them now.

Bren R.

I think Buick gave up the ghost many many years ago...

Just to riff further on 2x6/Peter's proposition:

If NASCAR were to go to this formula, you can bet that American auto makers would start making much, much faster sedans (high end, limited production, major $$$). In addition, if they had to use the spare, you can also bet that the spare tires in said high end, pricy machines would be up to the task...

Psst... by the way, that all does exist - it's "Street Stock"... available at your local community race track.

I should get out to a race this year.

Bren R.

The corvette Z06 (405hp @ 6000rpm) has a listed top speed of 171mph. I'd bet that with a chip switch (to defeat the most likely installed "kill switch") this car would top 200mph.

Without restrictor plates, NASCAR would be hitting 200 at the big tracks - thus the restrictor plates. And NASCAR is far from what it was - a car you could go purchase at a dealer.

Formula 1 doesn't even represent a "real" car even in the guise of a sheet metal body...it's a rocket with wheels.

Either way, we aren't comparing apples to apples - more like apples to oranges to kiwi.

Very few cars are capable of 200mph directly from the show room (especially American - and my guess is that it doesn't have as much to do with the manufacturers as it does the insurance companies and the American Way - a.k.a. sue everybody for your own dumbassedness)

As for me, if I had a car that went 200mph, I would go 200mph and would have been dead long ago...I'll stick with my toyota 4x4 - it's blazing top speed of 85mph is dangerous enough in Atlanta...hell Atlanta intimidated me into selling my motorcycle - too many close calls.

When I retire I'm moving out west with a corvette, a Harley and a ivory handled set of six shooters and I'm gonna fly through the desert like sh*t through a goose with guns a'blazin - cursin' and spittin'...and er, uh...what was the question...

my 2.

^billy

Funny stuff.
I ran out of gas out in the Nevada desert once on my bike. Along came the guy that killed Jimmy Hoffa (so he said). He offered to give me a ride to the next gas station. I declined very politely. Made me wish I had my six-guns handy.

In reply to:
Along came the guy that killed Jimmy Hoffa (so he said).

No, no... I've met the guy.. he killed a "six" one night WITH Jimmy Hoffa.

Bren R.

billy-

with out restrictor plates, i think the nascars could be going 215-220 mph.. the highest recorded nascar speed is 212 mph by bill elliott in the early 90's at talledega. at that speed, the cars were starting to literally fly off the ground, the wheels were losing contact. with no other way for nascar to provide greater downforce, the only logical answer was to slow them down. its all about safety, but it would still be really cool to have a pack of 15 cars, 3 wide, come flying by at 220 mph.. now that is a pucker factor!!

i dont know if this is true, but i was told that the F1 cars have soooo much downforce, that at 180 MPH, they could actually drive upside down on a ceiling.. like if you had a BIG tube/tunnel, and they could drive to the top, and be flipped over? i dont know if i am explaining this correctly.. that there is enough downforce that at that speed, it could stay up, and not fall?? dont know if thats real, or an urban legend?

bigjohn

bigjohn -

yes. thanks for the NASCAR stats...these are things I should be more knowledgeable on (for myriad reasons), but I am not. Awesome Bill from Dawsonville. Friends of the family (lived down the street, churched together, etc) knew Bill Elliot. In fact, the Dad, Jim, used to build engines and race around the dirt tracks with Bill - this was early '70's. No point really.

I haven't heard about the F1 driving upside down. As you know, there are some banks on the NASCAR circuit that are damn near 90 degrees...I'd bet that in a tube, with the right speed, one could at least do a poopty-loop - but it'd probably have to be a really big tube...

Sorry - I'm just babbling...it's been nearly 48hrs since I started depriving myself of that fine, sweet, chemical of the gods - NICOTINE.

^billy

If you're quitting, congratulations. If you're just broke and can't afford a ciggy, well, hang in there...

thanks man.

yes, I'm quitting. About four years ago I quit for a year...one whole freaking year (BTW - my name is Billy and I'm a Copenhagen addict - I started when I was 20 and I'm now 31 - I blame it all on Southern Polytechnic University). I dreamed about dipping. I would wake up in the night with a mouth full of spit, or a wet pillow from having spat on it while dreaming about dipping. Very attractive, I know - you'd be surprised, but I've been able to date women (some for a year or longer) and they never knew - granted, some of them smoked and I'd have a ciggy now and then to take the edge off). Actually, some people have been surprised that I've been able to date women, period. HA.

At any rate, I was cutting some pecan trees up (a friend's wife demanded that he have the trees removed - they were over 100 yrs old - I'm still sore over that issue) and a friend offered me a dip...I was running a chainsaw, I had to get a dip. That was the end of just over a year of being clean. Now, I'm doing it for good. Taking it in threes - three minutes, three hours, three days, months, etc. Just gotta make it past three honest days and I'll be set.

Rambling again, but it's become an obsession - quitting. I'd kill for a bottle of that nicotine water. That would be perfect...I drink 1 to 2 gallons of water a day - why not throw in a few bottles of nico-water. Damn that Surgeon General...

^billy

Hey, good luck, man. It sounds like it's pretty tough.

I just read your bio on the website linked in your profile. I like your writing style.

thanks, pmbuko, that's kind of you to say.

After he mentioned I couldn't help but visiting it as well.

I agree, I enjoyed reading your writing as well. You seem like a pretty interesting individual.

What kind of video editing are you into if you don't mind me asking?

hey getoffb,

thanks for the comment. What I edit is rather boring - but here it is: I work for Georgia Quick Start...QS is part of the economic development innitiative for Georgia (we are structured under the Dept. of Tech and Adult Ed) Our (the "video guys") main job is to provide training/marketing videos for QS clients - manufacturing and service industries like GM, CIBAVision, Pitney Bowes, Caterpillar, etc. We are part of an incentive plan to attract and retain industry - QS provides training - our dept provides the video/audio/photographic needs. We shoot and edit everything digital betacam, uncompressed - everything is broadcast quality. Aside from that, we also provide for the video needs (marketing, etc) of the agency and the state - right now I'm working on a project for the G8 Summit that will be held on St. Simmons this year (near Savannah).

It's not as glamorous as it sounds (or as Spiffnme's job) but it's interesting in that I get to see many different things that most people never see - like how contacts are made or how beer cans are made and filled (I know how they're emptied).

Basically, I'm part of a plan to create jobs for Georgians and train Georgians for better/higher paying jobs...and from time to time, that makes you feel pretty good about going to work.

More babbling than needed...but thanks for the interest.

^billy

If you're still having trouble with friends offering you toxic substances, do like I did when I was 21 and tell them, "If you come by with that s**t again, I'm going to kill you."
Say it like you mean it and it's pretty effective.

BigWill -

I think you and I would hit it off nicely...I wouldn't have to do anything but say it, and most of my friends would believe it just to be on the safe side (seems that hyperbole is lost on most people these days - that or 140lb Scot/Irish guys are scary???).

^billy

Cool stuff.

So are you going to get to film the riots that are going to ensue this summer?

I hope not...I've been secretly praying that no one gets the wise idea to send us into that mess. I doubt it'll happen since everyone was kind of tentative about even getting a press kit ready to send down with the Dept of Industry, Trade, Tourism.

^billy

I was just getting back here to recant that advice. Try a Nic patch or something. Cigars work well as big pacifiers, not much nicotine but the flavor is all there.

In reply to:
Our (the "video guys") main job is to provide training/marketing videos for QS clients

What do you shoot and edit? DV on Final Cut? Beta on AVID? 1/2" quad on linear?

Bren R.

BrenR -

We have two Sony 790WS digibetacams and an oldie but goodie Sony 7 with a BetaSP back (forget the model) that doesn't get used much anymore...and an array of Fujinon lenses (and the essentials - lighting packages, cam support, grip gear, etc...probably a meduim sized production house worth of gear)

We have an AVID MC9000 (OS9 - no budget to upgrade yet) and an AVID MC Adrenaline (OSX) whith a half terabyte raid on each - both are fully digital (SDI) suites. Everything is onlined at 1:1. When we have to off-line, we use AVID DVexpress (OSX) on G4 Titaniums (it's a pain to dump to DV - but it works when the suites are full) - other than a few side weddings using FCP and borrowed DVcams, I've never really worked with DV or DVC.

We deliver on VHS or DVD. We have the Sonic DVD Fusion that encodes real-time from a Sony DVW-500A (SDI). This thing does a jam-up job on encodes.

Unlike most in the biz - our producers (me included) are basically jacks-of-all-trades with a strong specialty. We have a great LD, Cam operator, etc...but everyone performs everything if need be. I'm most utilized for editing, after effects, and still photog - resident editor, I guess you could say.

Normally, if you have a project, you'll write the script, hire a crew (usually, LD, grip, cam op) shoot 3-5 days and come back and post/finish. It's a rare type job in this business (as you know - especially as a staff position) and I enjoy it more than the days of freelancing.

^billy

BigWill -

I've tried some cigars and didn't much care for the after taste (I know that sounds weird from someone who enjoys putting what my dad calls "worm dirt" in his mouth - but that was a while ago, maybe I'll try it again - he aslo likes the term "mouth-turd" - twisted yet loveable little bastard)

I've never tried the patch, but have given some thought to the gum - non-stop nicotine chewing.

Nonetheless, it's been three days now and no outburts, or blood-lettings. Manic behavior, inability to pay attention, overwhelming sense of anxiousness, and blabbing on and on about nothing have all seemed to increase ten fold, though.

I can live with that.

^billy

Hang in there, Billy.

I was a smoking junkie off and on all my life. First cigarette at 7, started regularly at 15 (never dipped though) I was so addicted there were times I was tempted to wrap my lips around the tailpipe of any car with a running engine.

I've been totally smoke free for 12 years now, and believe me it is well worth the suffering to get off any weed to which you are attached. I no longer have any physiological urge to light up, but I still remember the psychological pleasure it gave me, and I miss (though not urgently) the ritual.

Though I will NEVER go back again, when the doctor gives me the "you've got six months diagnosis," I'm goin' right out and buy a pack of Camels. Problem is, when they tell me the price of a pack, I'm gonna have a coronary on the spot and I won't even get the chance for my last cigarette. RATS!

You CAN do it.

Ajax,

Thanks for the laugh...that was great. My grandfather started smoking around that age and I remember when he finally quit - what a mean bastard he was for a few months...then it was over.

Congratulations on 12 years, that's really fantastic. We share the same view - when I get that "six months to live" prognosis, I'm gonna make "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" look like a 4 year old's Christmas Play. Until then, we life-long single guys have to stay healthy and in shape.

^billy

In reply to:
"Until then, we life-long single guys have to stay healthy and in shape."

Amen! Can't attract all those lovely widows & divorcees unless we do!

Don't rule out the life-long bachelorettes! Unless you think there's a good reason for their single-hood, of course.