Motorsports Trivia Thread!
- Thread starter Cap'n Jack
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- nail-27
Sir Stirling Moss has 10 or more (guess...but its a pretty good number...I'll actually check it tomorrow) as he changed cars like a Prairie Dog jumping from hole to hole, often buying a car and racing it. Not an uncommon occurrence in the 50's and pre 3.0L 1966 Formula.
DesertPenguin09
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- DesertPenguin09
Maybe this is the wrong thread but can someone explain the history behind Formula cars or Grand Prix racers not having headlights or brake lights? That's one thing that always bugs me when doing open wheel racing in Project Cars or Assetto Corsa is you can't tell when the cars ahead are braking. You have to just trust what they're gonna do and be tentative with your braking points. It's frustrating when I brake a little later to go for a move and instead just end up in the back of a car or my car working like a ramp and it going right over me. Basically, bad things happen.
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Some did in the pre and after war but as we got into the modern era if they were not required by the Tech it was considered as a silly thing to have as F1 cars don't drive at night and relying on someone else's brake lights was being a bit optimistic. Not to mention the drag and weight.
In fact the Trans/Am cars were required to have them (operational brake lights) and there is a great quote from Dan Gurney to Parnelli Jones that he, Gurney, didn't understand how late Parnelli could brake in a certain turn. As it turned out Parnelli's team (Hollman and Moody?) had inserted a delay into the brake lights. Which illustrates why they aren't in F1....you simply can't trust the bastards.
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DesertPenguin09
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Modern F1 has a system that flashes when they let off the gas so you know they're gonna hit the brakes soon, and it turns where you have to let off a little you know when they are. It would be nice so we could have more night races
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- TheSweeney_
Also believe the light flashes when the car "de-rates" as the car ahead runs out of electrical energy and thus will start harvesting more energy under braking, which is usually when it flashes. Basically warning the driver behind that the car ahead will be suddenly slower as a result.
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Didn't know that..,prevents raming when his acceleration reduces but still has no interconnection with brakes. Is there a different flash frequency for de-rate vs low vis.
Damn,can't we go back to Gasoline engines and let EPrix have all the electrons. I miss, in no particular order the different sounds of :the scream of the Matra V-12, the very technical howl of the Ferrari V-12s ( both flat and V), the almost American sound of the DFV V-8, the BRM and Honda and Westlake V-12s, and even all the V-10s which were very different. Now the techno "motors" are all are very hollow by comparison. I remember sitting on the Patio of the Hotel de la Source at Spa and being able to tell which car was going to emerge from the trees just by the sound echoing round the valley. Its all too technically boring now. The passion is gone. Sad.
Rant over. Sorry.
If you look over the Fina circle I'm there. The sound was GLORIOUS. La Souce.McLaren in M7A.Ickyxx in 312. '68
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DesertPenguin09
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The bigger story is dude, NAIL, where have you been?!
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Not to sure on the differentiation on flash frequency, if there is I certainly haven't noticed. Best example I can think of straight away is Rosberg in Spain last year, as you could tell by the sudden drop of speed when it started to flash.
With regards to the engines, I agree, and see your point. For me it's just the howl of those V10's that did it, especially at their peak in the 2000's. Especially the Mercedes F0110J and the Toyota RX-05 for me, they just have a certain uniqueness to the tone of their V10's.
Anyway I digress, I was quite skeptical of the new hybrid V6's when they were introduced in '14, but I must admit they have grown on me quite a bit (no V10's granted but still), as they seemed to have marginally improved in sound each year. Plus one thing is that each unit is very distinguishable from one another, more so than the V8's they replaced IMO.
Dotini
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Could Jody Scheckter's win at Argentina in a Wolf be considered a privateer? That, to me, is very blurred. Hunt's win at Zandvoort in the Postlethwaite designed Hesketh 308 was far removed from the purchased Surtees and March cars the playboy team started off with.
To my mind, maybe last true privateer winner was Siffert with Rob Walker's Lotus?
To my mind, maybe last true privateer winner was Siffert with Rob Walker's Lotus?
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No
No
Don't remember
At the 2000 German Grand Prix a disgruntled ex-Mercedes-Benz employee invaded to display his dismay at being let go; he did cost (McLaren-)Mercedes the win because Häkkinen was leading when the safety car came out.
At the 2003 British Grand Prix a deluded Irish preacher who deliberately makes a fool of himself by "spreading the word of the Bible" at big events ran up the Hangar Straight towards the oncoming cars. Trulli in the Enstone was leading at the time and Barrichello overtook him at the restart.
Can't say I remember the 2015 Singaporean GP too well but if recent seasons are anything to go by the race winner probably did lead the entire race.
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Not the race itself, but a man ran across the Shanghai circuit in 2015 to get into the Ferrari garage. Lewis Hamilton won for Mercedes though, of course.
