The motorsports thread.

[sk_tle]

I thought it would be nice to set up a dedicated motorsport threads.

3 World championship rallyes already done and Ogier already won 2 and is leading the championship. Will this be the 15th year a frenchman called Sebastien will win the world rally championship ?

This week-end it is all about MotoGP with the opening race in Qatar. I love motogp. Andrea Dovizioso has been leading the free practice sessions, but you are never sure which rider is doing fast laps and which is focusing on race pace.



Rossi still in the mix at 39 and he just sign for 2 more years at Yamaha ! This guy is a legend.

[progetto]

I'm hoping a Ducati will take out Moto GP this year.

I find F1 as boring as bat shit these days, no overtaking and pit stop strategies. They need to simplify the aero and bring back the racing.

[Corso]

F1- I'm not a fan of the Halo. I think they should let the drivers choose to use it or not. I agree, the lack of passing is getting boring, But I still watch. At least the first corner is still exciting! I hope American ownership doesn't mess F! up.

Rossi: legend indeed. He flirted with F1 here and there, I always wished he gave it a full shot.

[sk_tle]

F1- I'm not a fan of the Halo. I think they should let the drivers choose to use it or not.

I disagree. Many drivers asked for some kind of head protection after the death of Henri Surtees and Justin Wilson, the injuries of Felipe Massa a few years ago. Is it perfect ? I don't know. Should we let the driver choose ? I don't think so. The Halo has so much impact on aero and everything that team engineers would have the last word and the safety of the drivers would have been put aside. F1 is not a driver's sport, it is an engineer's sport.

Back to motogp, things look really great : Zarco got the pole, smashing a 10y old record and 2 satellite riders in the front row, 4 different manufacturers in the first 6 spots and 12 riders in the same second. Losail is a very abrasive track which means the tire saving will be a critical factor and the fastest outright rider won't necessarily cross the finish line first. It can't get much better than that.

[pdxmech13]

Last year was a good one in terms of spectating. I was in Austin for Moto GP. Wasn't sure what was going to happen to Rossi contract wise and felt it a must to go see him race 1x.

The soft goods venue was literally as big as 1 of Yamaha's motorcycle tents and the line to buy his branded stuff was 1 hour just to pay for your goods. I still bought stuff.

Then it was up to Seattle to check out my first Supercross race. Saw Tomac and Tomac Jr. in the pits. Pretty rad. We sat on the first turn and walked the track. Super impressive the talent of those guys. There were rocks out there bigger than my head. Supercross is really entertaining and I feel way better to see in person than on tv.

Then it was down to Laguna Seca on the moto to see WSBK. 2 years of going down there. Was pretty epic as it was almost right after Hayden's passing. lot of love from the fans for him.

This year is Nascar, Indy Race in PDX and maybe a trip back up to supercross.

My goal is to be at IOMTT in 2020 and check out Le Mans while over there.

[Christian Fox]

Dad-brag time, apologies in advance:
Take this one off the bucket list - Rotax Karting World Championships. My son qualified to represent the USA by being vice champion at US Nationals. The race was held in Portugal last November, and it was an experience of a lifetime for a 13 yr old kid. He did great; finished 11th out of a field of 36 kids that were all national champions from their respective countries. Thousands of racers compete across the globe for a chance to compete in this race, so I am so grateful we were able to qualify. It was the most stressful, pressure packed race week of our lives, but the most rewarding as well.gf4.jpegdad.jpg

[72gmc]

How proud you must be (and how much time you and your kid must spend on karting!)

Thank you for sharing those pics.

[Christian Fox]

How proud you must be (and how much time you and your kid must spend on karting!)

Thank you for sharing those pics.

Thank you! We do spend A LOT of time karting, but it's worth every minute and penny. He's a good kid and he understands and appreciates the sacrifices it takes. It's fun for me as a dad; it's a nice competitive outlet for me, as I have to be on point with the machinery in order for him to do well. I get to tear apart engines, too, which I love.

[jscottyk]

...Back to motogp, things look really great : Zarco got the pole, smashing a 10y old record and 2 satellite riders in the front row, 4 different manufacturers in the first 6 spots and 12 riders in the same second. Losail is a very abrasive track which means the tire saving will be a critical factor and the fastest outright rider won't necessarily cross the finish line first. It can't get much better than that.

I really enjoyed that race. The front group was so tight for almost the entire race. Looks like we could have an exciting season. This year I decided to pay MotoGP for the iPad experience. The off season stuff, then tire test, and went ahead and purchased through all of the race season. All in all, I'm pleased with the content. The app has some interaction wonkiness, but it's useable.

I'm trying to figure who I need to pitch at MotoGP for our firm to build a trackside experience!

[jscottyk]

Dad-brag time, apologies in advance:
Take this one off the bucket list - Rotax Karting World Championships. My son qualified to represent the USA by being vice champion at US Nationals. The race was held in Portugal last November, and it was an experience of a lifetime for a 13 yr old kid. He did great; finished 11th out of a field of 36 kids that were all national champions from their respective countries. Thousands of racers compete across the globe for a chance to compete in this race, so I am so grateful we were able to qualify. It was the most stressful, pressure packed race week of our lives, but the most rewarding as well.

Super cool! Some friends and I are doing this soon.
COTA Karting - Circuit of the Americas

[pdxmech13]

I grew up with a kid that raced carts. Eventually got his ticket punched and raced the Indy 500 once. The time, money and energy to get him there was insane but it was a family thing and goal.

He used that experience and the family's business to get a contract building roll cages for NASCAR now.

I

[72gmc]

Super cool! Some friends and I are doing this soon.
COTA Karting - Circuit of the Americas

Took me a moment to spot the karting track below the main track on the map. I had visions of karts on that main straight, engines screaming, minutes going by, still not at the end ...

[jscottyk]

Took me a moment to spot the karting track below the main track on the map. I had visions of karts on that main straight, engines screaming, minutes going by, still not at the end ...

Ha! Yes. The Kart track is outside of the main track.
COTA_kart_track.001.jpg

[sk_tle]

I really enjoyed that race. The front group was so tight for almost the entire race. Looks like we could have an exciting season. This year I decided to pay MotoGP for the iPad experience. The off season stuff, then tire test, and went ahead and purchased through all of the race season. All in all, I'm pleased with the content. The app has some interaction wonkiness, but it's useable.

I'm trying to figure who I need to pitch at MotoGP for our firm to build a trackside experience!

Yes the race was great as were the last 10 laps of the moto2 event.

Karting is so fun as well as its offroad siblings (called kartcross here in europe).

[progetto]

Formula 1 is getting so lame. The only overtaking happens in pit lane.

[sk_tle]

These last few decades I have been following f1 from an engineer point of view, without really watching the races. It's neat to hear about the tricks some engineers find to exploit loopholes or grey area in the rule books. From a spectator POV races are always better on championships with low downforce/grip cars.

[Corso]

Also, from a spectator’s POV (and most certainly the racers), why F1 continues to hold races on courses where there are few safe passing zones. I get Monaco is Monaco and a great traditional race to keep, but after watching Australia, with all the brain-power involved, modify those tracks!
Congrats Seb! Yup, Ferrari fan here.

[Scott G.]

From a spectator POV races are always better on championships with low downforce/grip cars.

Things were more interesting with less downforce.

au.jpg

[Christian Fox]

Someone elsewhere made a good point regarding modern F1; the racers are no longer racing each other, they are managing their vehicles to specific deltas and targets (at least the contenders, back markers still scuffle a bit). Merc got their delta a bit wrong yesterday, and Lewis lost the race. These days F1 "passes" are increasingly taking place during pit stops. Managing your car is and always has been a big part of motorsports, but in F1 it seems extreme now. Now and then you will hear over the radio "okay, *driver*, you can race now"...isn't that what they are supposed to be doing the whole time? Other than the starts, there isn't a whole lot of racing going on up front.

[shorelocal]

Someone elsewhere made a good point regarding modern F1; the racers are no longer racing each other, they are managing their vehicles to specific deltas and targets (at least the contenders, back markers still scuffle a bit). Merc got their delta a bit wrong yesterday, and Lewis lost the race. These days F1 "passes" are increasingly taking place during pit stops. Managing your car is and always has been a big part of motorsports, but in F1 it seems extreme now. Now and then you will hear over the radio "okay, *driver*, you can race now"...isn't that what they are supposed to be doing the whole time? Other than the starts, there isn't a whole lot of racing going on up front.

And this is one of the biggest reasons why I love motorcycle racing more than any other motorsport ... esp at the MotoGP level. Sure, there are races where the leader checks out, but in those handful of races a season where there are 4-5 passes for the lead in a single lap, it's amazing and so entertaining. The days of Rossi making a last lap, last corner pass for the win were awesome.

Laguna Seca 2008 ... battle between Rossi and Stoner is one of my all-time faves.

Rossi is the GOAT.