Gary Hagopian, Shade Tree Mechanic
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forum user since

I wonder how F1 relates to selling road-going Jaguars. F1 is hot in Europe, but gets mostly yawns in the USA.

Jaguar might have been a lot better off having concentrated on Le Mans, where their heritage lies. At least you can lose only once a year! Or easier still, just give the money to Gentilozzi, a proven winner, and spend the savings on bally-hooing his wins! Lots cheaper, and more closely related to the cars we drive and dream about.

Pascal Gademer
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forum user since

you have a point about le Mans but on the other hand, F1 is really the top racing series.

Geographically, it's run around the world with races in Asia, south and north America, europe, and soon Russia.

Technically, it's also the most advanced series in the world... 850hp at our normally aspirated 3 litters engines reving at 18k ! Carbon brakes, etc.. I once read that per pound, an F1 car is most expensive device ever built, more pricey per pound than the space shuttle...

Historically, it's the series...over 50 years of heritage, the biggest names in motor racing history were made there... Fangio, Clark, Stewart, Hawthorne, Senna, and the list goes on...

F1 is hot not only in Europe but also in Asia, south america, Canada... and now it's starting to catch up here... this year 4 races will be on network TV, Indy has set attendance records for the past 2 years... I'd say americans are finally seeing that a real driver needs to turn right as often as left :-)

When you see the kind if duel that took place in Melbourne between Schumacher and Montoya, it's clearly no patch for the other open wheel series... and of course nascar...

but you're right, LE Mans is where Jaguar should have returned.

Pascal

: I wonder how F1 relates to selling road-going Jaguars. F1 is hot in

: Europe, but gets mostly yawns in the USA.

: Jaguar might have been a lot better off having concentrated on Le Mans,

: where their heritage lies. At least you can lose only once a year! Or

: easier still, just give the money to Gentilozzi, a proven winner, and

: spend the savings on bally-hooing his wins! Lots cheaper, and more

: closely related to the cars we drive and dream about.

Mike Frank
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forum user since

I have to agree, Gary. I feel that F1 has as much in common with street cars as motorcycle racing, or monster trucks. The day that I drive a nitro fueled engine with desmodromic geartrain, ceramic valves, and a carbon fiber hull, that's the day that F1 becomes interesting. At least there's a chance that I may someday drive something similar to a Le Mans car.

Mike

Daniel
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forum user since

Some wag remarked to me that the only piece on Gentilozzi's car that came from a Jaguar factory is the tail-lights. I'm sorry, it doesn't "turn my crank".

What I like about F1 is: you let 10 or 15 of the world's best automotive engineers loose with an (almost) unlimited budget, a highly qualified team and the world's fanciest technology. You tell them all to build the fastest car they can within a set of strict guidelines. Nobody even TRIES to pretend that it has anything to do with the car you drive.

Then they all line up in the spring of each year and, lo and behold, all the cars are within one second of each other!

LeMans has changed the formula so many times in the last 3 decades that I can't be bothered to figure out what's going on anymore. I find all the American racing series to be a yawn.

F1, even with all the politics, is still the summit of the sport.

And I love it!

I hope Jaguar stays in it and does it right.

Daniel

Pascal Gademer
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forum user since

Actually, there is another one... the growler badge on the fron bumper is the same as the one on my XKR... :-)

Actually, I think it's a green XK8 badge :-)

Pascal

: Some wag remarked to me that the only piece on Gentilozzi's car that

: came from a Jaguar factory is the tail-lights. I'm sorry, it doesn't

: "turn my crank".

dave collins
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forum user since

: Actually, there is another one... the growler badge on the fron bumper

: is the same as the one on my XKR... :-)

: Actually, I think it's a green XK8 badge :-)

: Pascal

Unfortunately, F1 does little for me. The television coverage shows only the front car and very rarely any of the racing going on behind it. The winner is predictable for the last few years. The pole sitter usually wins as he can usually get by the first turn smash up and by definition has the fastest car.

Schumacher said last year that racing wasn"t about passing! Oh, really. If there isn't passing, then all you are doing is showing that the fastest car in the time trials is the fastest car and it doesn't have any thing to do with the best driver.

Just some thoughts on formula 1.

Dave Collins