> If you really think oval racing is just "put your foot to the floor and turn
> left" then you just proved your ignorance to me. The rest of the statements
> below don't have much in the way of fact either. Only Pagan's quote has any
> merit.
> TA
> >Hey, Superdave, real sorry for stealing your post, but, well, it's really
> >handy for me.
> >All these ding-a-lings in the Indy newsgroup think that 1) Oval racing is
> >so very difficult, 2) Computer sims are hardly a representation of true
> >oval difficulty, and 3) That since I don't race, I'm not qualified to talk
> >about the matter.
> >All points are bullshit, but your credentials will send them scurrying for
> >another pathetic means of justifying oval racing.
> >By the way, Mario Andretti recently said essentially what you wrote, so
> >you're in good company.
> >- You have another believer right here. NASCAR is not racing. Watching cars
> >- drive around on an oval seems very monotonous. I cannot see the sport in
> >- this at all. I say put them on a road course and leave them there. Just
> what
> >- is the sport in " put it to the floor and steer to the left " ?
> >-
> >- http://www.cushdrive.com/
> >> > First of all thank you for your input and congratulations on resisting
> >> the
> >> > temptation to call me names.
> >> > The point is FOR ME that every oval track looks VERY much like another
> and
> >> > if I remember well you have about 20 races per year in NASACR and about
> 10
> >> > of them on ovals, so the thing is :
> >> > Isn't it a bit the same to watch a nascar race on an oval track
> somewhere
> >> > and the next oval race 15 days later somewhere else.
> >> > Please don't tell me too much about "each oval is different because the
> >> > banking is different or because the tarmac doesn't have the same
> texture"
> >*************************************************************
> >"You really should try racing some in your lifetime (and not on your
> >computer ...). You would quickly discover how much easier a road
> >course is than an oval."
> >-Allan Pagan
I think the truth is this: road course racing requires every skill in terms of
set-up, car control, etc. that oval racing requires....however, road racing
demands additional skills that are never required in oval racing. For example,
do you think Jeff Gordon will ever deal with the sheer braking loads in NASCAR
like Schumie encounters every week in F1? I'm sure that other posters can
readily add to my examples. There's no doubt that driving a Champ Car, exposed
to the elements, at 235 mph demands large stones; and guys like Adrian
Fernandez have proven that you can win on an oval even when your car isn't the
quickest.
I remember the recent article where one of the major car mag editors sat behind
Mario in the 'ride along' car at Laguna Seca, and he commented that the sheer
brutality of the velocity changes and cornering loads were a revelation that
gave him newfound respect for the CART guys.
Brian R
