don
Ferrari
> laptop (well, it's actually a backmarker Acer in Maranello livery, but
still
> the most beautimous laptop I've ever beheld) coming up soon in Car and
> Driver, and later a story on the DARPA robot-car race (L.A. to Vegas; a
cool
> million to win!).
> > Steve, it's posts like this one that make me wish you were writing for a
> > major mainstream motorsports publication...except then we'd have to pay
> for
> > these little pearls!
> > :-) don
> > > Mild disagreement. I think one of the reasons we don't have CART to
> kick
> > > around any more (unless you like abusing dead horses) is that its
> > > jack-of-all-trades orientation didn't hunt. I don't detect much
> crossover
> > > interest between dirt-track trailer-trash, oval-track low-lifes, and
> > > road-racing cogniscenti (ahem). Long after CART's oval races stopped
> > > putting asses in seats, road races like Mid-O were still packing 'em
in.
> > At
> > > its best, IndyCar Racing (as it was then known) was Can-Am with
fenders.
> > > The one-size-fits-all approach lacks focus, interest, and (this is why
> the
> > > marketing-savvy sponsors deserted the series in in droves) actionable
> > > demographics. Otherwise, triathalons would outdraw baisbol, fussbol,
> and
> > > horse-track betting. After being shepherded by 3 alledged marketing
> > > geniuses (Stokkan, Heitzler and Pook), CART is all but dead. Q.E.D.
> > > And I can tell you from personal experience that Mario Andretti can't
> draw
> > > flies any more. Brock Yates gave wine from Mario's vinyards the place
> of
> > > honor in The Cannonball Pub (which is heavy on bench-racing types
> swilling
> > > brewskis amidst automobilia like the steering wheel from Fangio's
Chevy)
> > and
> > > never sold a single bottle. Sic transit and all that....
> > > > On Wed, 07 Jan 2004 20:32:37 GMT, "Steve Smith"
> > > > >You forgot the Greatest *** Franchise of them all: Can-Am!
> > > > Oh yeah, I wasn't really going historic. Historic Can-Am, Trans-Am,
> > > > 80's IMSA, etc. There's a ton of great simulation material out
there
> > > > waiting for people to use it.
> > > > How about late 60's champcar? Those few years before USAC butchered
> > > > the sport when we had Andretti, the Unsers, Foyt, Leonard, etc
driving
> > > > turbo open wheelers with primitive aero around classic road courses
> > > > and ovals. Not to mention the dirt tracks that were still part of
the
> > > > championship. It would appeal to fans of dirt track racing and
grand
> > > > prix legends in one fell swoop, not to mention the near hysteria
that
> > > > a good sim with the Indy 500 would cause.. I'm salivating thinking
> > > > about running a league where one week I'm sliding an Offy dirt car
> > > > around Langhorne, the next I'm piloting a turbo Lotus wedge car
around
> > > > indy, the next I'm in a Brawner-Hawk at Mosport and St Jovite.
> > > > It's surprising to me that after a game like IL-2 became such a
> > > > success, no one has had another go at a proper historic racer. We
all
> > > > know GPL was a commercial failure, but I think it would be naive to
> > > > assume it was due to either the subject matter or the difficulty.
The
> > > > racing sim community in 2003 is, imho, a lot larger and more
dedicated
> > > > than it was in 1998. Hell, in 98 I had been simming for most of the
> > > > decade and still hadn't even purchased my first wheel.
> > > > I would love to see Papy take another chance with a sim that isn't
> > > > nascar. In fact, I think now would be the best time in their
history
> > > > to do it as they've garnered so much respect and attention with the
> > > > last 3 nascar titles. You know as well as I do if they released a
> > > > half-horsepower lawnmower sim that every *** review site on the
> > > > planet would be going nuts over how great it was and that there
would
> > > > be a huge online community for it. If Sierra spent a little cash
> > > > putting kiosks and nice displays for it in wal-mart and electronics
> > > > boutique and slapped a fat "FROM THE MAKERS OF NASCAR RACING"
sticker
> > > > on it I'm sure it would sell. Throw a big picture of Mario Andretti
> > > > on the cover and you're all set, at least in the US.
> > > > Jason