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Car racing monkey ??

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
For you auto racing fans of any stripe...

Just what is the attraction? I cant stand any of it, feel that it is wasteful, pollutes the world unneccesarily and is boring to watch (Even the crashes...they rarely get seriously hurt, wheres the fun in that?).

I know some of you out there love it, why?

I do like the race bunnies, but thats another story...
 

Rip

Mr. Excitement
Feb 3, 2002
7,327
1
Over there somewhere.
Bunny Racing is kind of hard to pull off since when rabbits run they zig zag all over the place.

I'm more into the sports car racing pretty much becasue I like the strategy used.
 

wreckedrex

Monkey
Feb 8, 2007
137
0
Fremont, CA
How do you answer when a non-cyclist asks the same question about riding? This is the best I can come up with:

a.)I like going fast and race cars do that

b.)I'm into pretty much all things mechanical, from watches to super tankers. Sports cars slot in there somewhere.

Watching on tv is boring though, I can't bring myself to actually really follow any racing series. It's almost as bad as golf, which itself is very nearly as horrible as basketball.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,513
7,056
Colorado
you get behind the wheel of a powerful well handling car in a controlled location (track) preferably a road course. Spend a day doing it, then come back and talk to us. It's the closest rush to DH that I have ever found. The only thing that beats it is hot laps on a superbike and rally/rally-x..
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,931
13,129
Portland, OR
you get behind the wheel of a powerful well handling car in a controlled location (track) preferably a road course. Spend a day doing it, then come back and talk to us. It's the closest rush to DH that I have ever found. The only thing that beats it is hot laps on a superbike and rally/rally-x..
I think the idea is more "why do people WATCH racing" as in NASCAR. I can't watch NASCAR, but I do enjoy rally from time to time.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,513
7,056
Colorado
oh... nascar is silly. The drivers are good, but turning left all day... *boring.
The road courses are pretty good, and I hate to admit it, I do like watching those the same way I like watching Pro DH races. You will learn something (if you are also tracking your car).
Rally is just awesome to watch.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
i don't watch racing unless i'm at home and my parents have turned on MotoGP or F1 (or the America's Cup), but then i'll stare raptly at the screen. :D

why is it interesting? personally, i like the concept of all of those disciplines representing the pinnacle of human engineering and driving/sailing achievement. the vehicles are all carbon, engineered to the hilt, and that's cool in its own right, and the drivers are the best of the best, having earned their marks in every league including the big show.

it helps that i like doing it on my own small/personal scale with both autox and recreational sailing: although i know i'll never be a F1 driver it's still inspiring to watch to see what's possible.

green/techy note: F1 is using flywheel systems for energy recovery, a technology which could conceivably trickle down to passenger cars in 20 years :D
 

Bushwhacker

Turbo Monkey
Dec 4, 2003
1,220
0
Tar Effing River!! NC
Icould care less about nascar...but the local dirt tracks on a Friday night are a lot of fun. I've been messing around, building chassis, bodies, bumpers and motors since I was around 17. The wealth of knowledge I gained from being a small time crew chief/ head fabricator can't be taught in any school.

This is the last car I built way back in 96 or so...just before I moved south.





We never did real well...racing is an expensive sport. We ran virtually unsponsored for the most part. We always had a good time though and made some life long friends while running the Canada/ NY DIRT circuit.
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
hmmm... I just like to go fast and racing is just another way to do that...just like bikes....I say spend all day at a track and then come back with an opinion...as others have suggested. I used to be a a street racer and once I did that I never went back to the street...only problem now is there no tracks on this island that aren't Nascar ovals:rant:
 

CRoss

Turbo Monkey
Nov 20, 2006
1,329
0
The Ranch
Racing you cannot explain it to people. They have to experience it. Once you have seen a race in person and look at the strategies behind it then watching it on TV can be enjoyable.

I used to think road bike racing was stupid and boring to watch on TV. After working in a roadie shop and learning the mechanics of a peleton I love watching the tour every year.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,931
13,129
Portland, OR
Racing is worse than golf, on TV. Participating is a whole different story, though.

But I guess it's the same as poker? Sucks on tv AND as a participant (unless played with female strippers for clothing).