Unpopular Motorsport Opinions
- Thread starter Liquid
- 2,013 comments
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- 4,552
- Australia
In an ideal world, yes I would.
- 24,007
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
Might as well throw out those tyre walls and tecpro barriers whilst we're at then.
Tired Tyres
Premium
- 12,603
- West Yorkshire
- Tired_Tyres
- Tired Tyres
You saying they don't throw a yellow and put out the safety car on tracks with runoff tarmac?
- 24,640
- Anoka, MN
Get rid of those pesky seat belts as well. Let’s bring racing back to the days where the drivers were real men (right up to the point they died in a fiery crash that could have been easily prevented)!
Of course they do, but unless NASCAR is running the race it's far less likely.
- 24,007
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
They do if the car has been involved in an accident and is stationary in a dangerous position, but that has little baring on whether the run off is gravel, tarmac, grass or molten lava.
Tired Tyres
Premium
- 12,603
- West Yorkshire
- Tired_Tyres
- Tired Tyres
So in other words no need for run off tarmac then. My solution. Track then grass then gravel then run off.
- 13,078
- United Kingdom
Tarmac runoff isn't designed for clearing up and accident but making an accident safer in itself. Gravel turns a "safe" accident into an uncontrolled one. You just need to watch Hartley's suspension failure at Silverstone last season to see that.
Tarmac runoff is not there to make cars rejoin the circuit or whatever, it's there to allow an out of control car to slow down in a controlled manner. This whole track limits issue and lack of penalty is an unintended consequence that is either deliberately ignored or carefully controlled in areas of high abuse, such as the Sochi T2 arrows. We've moved on from gravel because it causes more problems than it solves.
As such, this is the solution which is needed in most places.
- 24,007
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
The Track - Grass - Tarmac Run-off is fine in theory, but not every area of every track has the space for it. Too little grass and you might as well not bother. Too little run-off behind the grass and you can't generate the friction required to slow a car down. Grass in itself is inconsistent anyway. When sodden you risk the same issues with tyres digging in that you get with gravel. When over dry it quickly wares down to hard soil so may as well just have tarmac/concrete.
An ideal solution would be if a material/surface could be developed where cars running over it cause so much friction that it naturally slows a vehicle down, so you have the safety of paved with the penalty of grass or gravel. Whether you could get that to still be safe with a spinning/sideways car is another matter.
An ideal solution would be if a material/surface could be developed where cars running over it cause so much friction that it naturally slows a vehicle down, so you have the safety of paved with the penalty of grass or gravel. Whether you could get that to still be safe with a spinning/sideways car is another matter.
- 13,078
- United Kingdom
- 24,007
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
- 261
- Lisbon
Electric isn't the one future of Motosport.
- 5,551
- Controls set for heart of sun
- GTP_RogerTheHors
I don't think the only really defining characteristic in terms of the correct number of corners for a circuit is the circuit's length, although elevation change definitely means you can do more with less.
Like, Spa has 20 corners but really relative to its length that's a fairly low number
Like, Spa has 20 corners but really relative to its length that's a fairly low number
- 16,529
- Melbourne
- ScottPuss20
- CheetahsMeow
I don't know if this is unpopular or controversial, but I think Lewis Hamilton is a better driver than Sebastian Vettel. Fight me.
- 5,551
- Controls set for heart of sun
- GTP_RogerTheHors
I'm really not sure if you're being sarcastic but I think that "Lewis Hamilton is a better driver than Sebastian Vettel" is a relatively uncontroversial opinion amongst all but the most dedicated Vettel/Ferrari fans.
Which isn't to say that Vettel is in any way significantly worse than Lewis, if anything it's more that Lewis only seems to have gotten stronger as his career has progressed while Vettel still has weaknesses that were present in his early career.
How much of that is to do with Lewis getting over half a decade of continuously driving for the best team on the grid giving him an easier time working through those weaknesses with less stress versus the immense levels of pressure for Vettel of driving for Ferrari while that team has never quite been at the top is hard to say
Which isn't to say that Vettel is in any way significantly worse than Lewis, if anything it's more that Lewis only seems to have gotten stronger as his career has progressed while Vettel still has weaknesses that were present in his early career.
How much of that is to do with Lewis getting over half a decade of continuously driving for the best team on the grid giving him an easier time working through those weaknesses with less stress versus the immense levels of pressure for Vettel of driving for Ferrari while that team has never quite been at the top is hard to say
- 16,529
- Melbourne
- ScottPuss20
- CheetahsMeow
So an incorrect assumption on my part I guess. I thought it was controversial. Obviously not.
Barra333
Premium
- 6,542
- London, ON
- barra333
It would have been more controversial a couple of years ago I think. It would be great to see them in the same car with equal support from the team.
- 2,216
- Isle of Wight, UK
It would be great to see any form of competition in which the guys who are "the best drivers in the world" (I don't doubt that they are, but I'm not sure all of the best drivers in the world are in F1) only have their skills to separate them because everything else is equalised, but unfortunately we have this thing called the constructor's championship which is supposedly an incentive for brands to take part but most of the time seems to be more of a deterrent.
Roo
Premium
- 7,444
- Hampshire, UK
- GTP_Roo
The issue would be the car. Do you design a car to be inherently understeery, neutral, or oversteery? Whatever you choose you end up making it harder for those whose driving style doesn't fit the car, so it's not equal. Design a planted, neutral car, put Ferrari-era Gilles Villeneuve and Renault-era (the first time) Fernando Alonso in it and they'd be beaten by Jenson Button. I like Jenson a lot, he's one of my favourite drivers, but I wouldn't suggest he's the best ever by a long way.
Then there's the weight, and the amount of downforce, and the type of circuits, and and and...
I agree it would be great if such a series could exist, though.
die996
(Banned)
- 387
- Spain
Most forms of "sprint racing", both with and without an engine, only exist because a longer format would show their incredible lack of actual action. Here are some examples:
· Rallycross
· Arenacross
· Short course offroad racing
· Some forms of short track oval racing (both on asphalt and on dirt)
· Fourcross (DH MTB racing with, usually, 4 riders on track)
· BMX supercross
· Snowboardcross/Skicross
· Rallycross
· Arenacross
· Short course offroad racing
· Some forms of short track oval racing (both on asphalt and on dirt)
· Fourcross (DH MTB racing with, usually, 4 riders on track)
· BMX supercross
· Snowboardcross/Skicross
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It's time for formula racing to go closed cockpit and accept that open cockpit racing is an ancient relic. If the Halo truly is the best solution to what the FIA believed to be a problem, that's a sign that open cockpit racing should not exist anymore, since the only solution creates as many problems as it solves. Closed cockpit is the answer, and the sooner motorsports in general realises this, the sooner they can put the Halo debacle behind them and start winning back alienated fans like myself.
die996
(Banned)
- 387
- Spain
Rallycross is only famous because some people are unable to recognize actual action (instead of just powerslides). The amount of passing is laughable, reminds me of F1 most of the time. I'm sure F1 would also be "hip" and "trendy" if the races were 6 minutes long!
Can you imagine the pain of a 90-minute rallycross race? Even with like 12-15 cars it'd be such a boring experience...
- 29,967
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
Rallycross is only famous because some people are unable to recognize actual action (instead of just powerslides). The amount of passing is laughable, reminds me of F1 most of the time. I'm sure F1 would also be "hip" and "trendy" if the races were 6 minutes long!
Can you imagine the pain of a 90-minute rallycross race? Even with like 12-15 cars it'd be such a boring experience...
You miss the point @mwoodski made though. Rallycross was specifically created with television in mind. It was designed to be short and that is why it is popular.
You're saying it being boring "if it was longer" as though rallycross was longer in the past and was reduced in length when TV came along, or should be longer to be considered a true sport, when it has always been designed with a TV audience in mind, hence its popularity despite a lack of any action as you put it.
You could describe it as a sport "not for racing purists" given that rallycross is supposed to be cheap, short television for easy selling to broadcasters and advertisers, if you wanted to critique the sport, but you were criticising rallycross for doing the thing it was designed to do and succeeding at it.
die996
(Banned)
- 387
- Spain
I know it was made for Christmas television in the UK (with Minis and Cortinas IIRC), I'm just saying that most sprint racing sports including rallycross would show how boring they actually are just by doubling the race distance (90 minutes was just to make the comparison with F1). I've always found silly how people go watch rallycross and basically don't notice that nothing much changed between turn 1 and the checkered flag.
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