When did it all die?

[LeonOfTheDead]

if i had 2 guys deciding the fate of a 100 million dollar exercise, id want them staying out of danger while they were away from the race weekend

roberts crash is even more frustrating considering how good this years non-lotus-non-renault is (or at least seems to be so far)

Well, the Belgian (seriously, which song would play if they won?!) Renault did allow him to race a rally car as much as Ferrari did with Raikkonen, along with other cases. I'm all for in if it's the driver wants that.

CEOs don't hide themselves in their basements.
Would be like not driving your Ferrari in traffic to avoid a small fender-bender.

I can see avoiding risky irrelevant activities, I don't know like climbing, but he was racing, just a different type of car. He could have had another equally dangerous accident in F1 or driving home from the groceries stores.

What's next, do not dive in waters where there could be a shark?

[pimento]

What's next, do not dive in waters where there could be a shark?

My uncle was paddling at the beach when a guy's leg was chomped off by a shark. He still paddles there.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I just remembered about a huge Crash Adrian Newey had at a Le Mans Classic I think with his Ford GT40 (even if the chassis it was more of a replica, to my understanding). The car was totaled and he was relatively fine, yet it was quite a risk.

Maybe Henk can help me out on this. I think it was 2007 or 2008?
Found it, it was 2006: Adrian Newey unhurt after big crash at Le Mans Classic

Regardless, he is a valuable figure at RBR as much as Vettel if not more, so, should we consider him stupid for enjoying driving a vintage racing car on a wonderful racing track?!

Senseless stuff.
On a different website, I found a link to a very old video of Senna, in 1984, dominating a race made basically for fun with road cars:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swlgR4BB8ZA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swlgR4BB8ZA[/ame]

That's John Surtees, another fool who risked his life both on bikes and cars...
Dramatically, his son's death shoudl remind us there is no absolute safety in motorsports (as in life, from a general point of view), and that we should just enjoy what we like the most.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgE24ZhcIfQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgE24ZhcIfQ[/ame]

[Wouter Melissen]

I just remembered about a huge Crash Adrian Newey had at a Le Mans Classic I think with his Ford GT40 (even if the chassis it was more of a replica, to my understanding).

That car was nothing of the sort. It was a highly original specimen. How much of that has been preserved I do not know.

[LeonOfTheDead]

That car was nothing of the sort. It was a highly original specimen. How much of that has been preserved I do not know.

I remember reading on a motorsports magazine that the chassis was a replica (and the original kept safe somewhere else), so I assumed other components were of the same sort.

[henk4]

I remember reading on a motorsports magazine that the chassis was a replica (and the original kept safe somewhere else), so I assumed other components were of the same sort.

the current chassis is the replica....

[LeonOfTheDead]

the current chassis is the replica....

Googling more more, I've found the chassis suffered minor damages.

Anyway, I've also found about the other worse accident he had with a Ginetta.

[henk4]

Googling more more, I've found the chassis suffered minor damages.

Anyway, I've also found about the other worse accident he had with a Ginetta.

the inside story was that underneath the current bodywork is a CAV chassis, while before the crash it was the original chassis. Now it can be that Newey has become aware of the value of his car in comparison to his racing ability and now chooses to race with a replica chassis, while at the same time the original chassis is hanging on the wall somewhere, or the original chassis was beyond repair.

[FastDriver]

Id say the peak of motor sports was sometime in the early 1990's since then they have progressively started trying to slow cars down instead of making them faster, and also have worried a lot more about safety than ever before. New rules and new strategies are comming faster than ever, but its not dead, just modernized

[Matra et Alpine]

Each year in Sprint and Hillclimbs for this last 2-3 we've beaten records on most of the events ! Year on year faster

The "media-centred" sports had definately hit their limits of "acceptable" probably since the days of the GroupB rally and Turbo F1 in the 80s

[FastDriver]

I was thinking more along the lines of F1 and NASCAR taming down their cars to make the races safer.

[Matra et Alpine]

^^^ as per my second sentence.

National and international sprints/hillclimbs however continue to get faster and maybe time for them to be recognised as the "peak" There is as much aero in a Gould and Pilbeam as an F1, ground effect included along with smart clutchless changes up AND down ( mate has that in his OMS and Caterham ) and power per litre even higher than F1 ( engine only has to survive about 90 secs at full revs per run ) and our top Scottish driver just beat the records at Prescott in his full carbon fibre, bike engined rocket beating the bigger "more powerful" V8s

[FastDriver]

Hilclibs are fun, I don't have much time to watch tv, but ive seen a few and they are rediculously fast!

[f6fhellcat13]

^^^ as per my second sentence.

National and international sprints/hillclimbs however continue to get faster and maybe time for them to be recognised as the "peak" There is as much aero in a Gould and Pilbeam as an F1, ground effect included along with smart clutchless changes up AND down ( mate has that in his OMS and Caterham ) and power per litre even higher than F1 ( engine only has to survive about 90 secs at full revs per run ) and our top Scottish driver just beat the records at Prescott in his full carbon fibre, bike engined rocket beating the bigger "more powerful" V8s

Aren't the Gould cars based on F2 or F3, though? I would doubt that their chassis would be as highly developed as an F1's.

[Matra et Alpine]

Nope. The GRs are custom designed for hillclimbs.
The first GR37 was derived from Ralt F3 dimensions tho'nainly to utilise the Judd or Cosworth power plant
So partly true.

EVERYONE is now doing carbon fibre tubs and the Graeme Wight designed Raptor ( Scottish designer/builder ) just took the records at Prescot on Lee Adams first ever run there Well impressed but expected as it has been blowing away the Scottish records since it was built last year.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpJ-Y-9otO8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpJ-Y-9otO8[/ame]
F1 wont do that


and cars liek the Force you can see the swing away from metal and to carbon fibre mounting for suspension and engine