Do you follow auto racing? Which league?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jibaholic
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I follow F1 the most, although the constant politics and rule changes off track can become tiresome. Touring cars are the next best to watch, especially BTCC and V8's which tend to have close racing and good support races. Sadly these are very poorly represented in GT5 (2 F1, 0 BTCC and 1 V8 :/ )

As for all the comments about Jason Plato, I used to really like him as he seemed very knowledgeable and likeable. However when the turbo engines were brought in all he did was moan about how his previously dominant Chevy couldn't keep up and started doing more crashing than racing. He comes across as a spoilt brat now who could do with a slap.
 
Out of curiosity, what's the appeal of F1? From a newbie's perspective, there isn't much action. I did read about "passing in the pits" but that doesn't seem like a reasonable substitute for action on the track itself.
 
NASCAR, F1, and Le Mans. I follow them all and watch all the races I can.

And about the appeal of F1...it has history, and they are simply the fastest most advanced racing machines in the world with billions of dollars put into the industry.
 
Jibaholic
Out of curiosity, what's the appeal of F1? From a newbie's perspective, there isn't much action. I did read about "passing in the pits" but that doesn't seem like a reasonable substitute for action on the track itself.
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You've got the speed of the cars for a start. There is also a lot more overtaking than people give it credit for, although sadly the FIA has introduced overtaking aids in recent seasons which sort of ruin the spectacle a bit. You also get a fair few spectacular crashes, which (provided nobody is injured) we all enjoy watching. There are also some amazing tracks in the F1 championship, which have a lot of history such as Spa Francorchamps and of course Monaco.

My best advice if you want to enjoy F1 to it's fullest is to support a team and/or driver.
 
The Stig Farmer
What cars are they running?
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Nissan = Altima
Mercedes = E63 AMG (this is not a factory team)

Here is the Nissan:

ALTIMA07-620x394.jpg
 
Now I know where all those different liveries come from that people make on Forza. Really starting to get interested in this Supercar series.
 
Jibaholic
Out of curiosity, what's the appeal of F1? From a newbie's perspective, there isn't much action. I did read about "passing in the pits" but that doesn't seem like a reasonable substitute for action on the track itself.
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The 2012 season in F1 was one of the better seasons in while. A last race championship battle, Raikkonen's comeback, and Vettel's Abu Dhabi drive from last to third gave fans plenty to watch for.
 
rosckolove
Trans Am series is really cool.
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SCCA still runs the Trans AM Series? I must be out of touch but I swore they no longer ran it for over 9yrs now?

I did get to see them run in person for 4 yrs in Long Beach Grand Prix. You better have ear plugs is all I can say. Nothing beats the sound of a big V8 with no mufflers going past you :eek:.

Love F1, but not sure how 2013 is going to be after Speed lost the television rights to CBS?

I enjoy Nascar when I need a nap. Thanks to DVR I can watch the last few laps if I slept to long :p....but I do watch it every weekend that they do race :D
 
DiersZee1
SCCA still runs the Trans AM Series? I must be out of touch but I swore they no longer ran it for over 9yrs now?

I did get to see them run in person for 4 yrs in Long Beach Grand Prix. You better have ear plugs is all I can say. Nothing beats the sound of a big V8 with no mufflers going past you :eek:.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcxOFgm1MFg

Apparently there is only 5-6 cars in the series now, thats the way it looks atleast.

It was the best to watch though when it was big.
 
To the post bashing on NASCAR...I'm not the biggest fan of NASCAR myself, but a friend of mine once put it in perspective and since made me at least appreciate it. Try going on your local interstate and tuck up within 6" of another car at 60 mph....then imagine what thats like at 180mph keeping in mind there are no brake lights. It's a specialized series. Kuddos to those racers. Btw...my preference is curcuit type racing, specifically BTCC.
 
rosckolove
Apparently there is only 5-6 cars in the series now, thats the way it looks atleast.

It was the best to watch though when it was big.
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This guy's video says he starts 10th. :odd:


Anyways, I agree with a majority of this thread, actually. Watch WRC, BTCC, and V8 Supercars. Then, I watch every race of the season in Rolex Sports Car Series (somehow, as the schedule generally conflicts with my own race days...)
 
Jibaholic
Out of curiosity, what's the appeal of F1? From a newbie's perspective, there isn't much action. I did read about "passing in the pits" but that doesn't seem like a reasonable substitute for action on the track itself.
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For a few seasons it did get like you are saying, the more they reduce tyre grip and increase aero the harder it is to race closley, but there have been changes to the rules such as kers and DRS, last season would of been a very easy year for a newbie to get into watching formula 1, more world champions on track than ever before and something like the first 7 races had different winners, it was an awesome season with lots of high speed wheel to wheel action.
 
V8 supercars.

In my childhood my obsession was WRC. But with its dwindling popularity it's nearly impossible to find reliable coverage for it =/ so now I just watch V8 supercars and that's about it.
 
Here in Brazil I follow:

V8 Supercars
NASCAR Truck Series
NASCAR Sprint Cup
FIA WEC
DTM
Stockcar Brasil (500hp/steelframe silhouete cars, similar to DTM)
GT Brasil
 
GTP_CargoRat
Sorry, but there is more to it than that. Why do you think Dale Earnhardt was so much better at it than other drivers? Why do you think certain drivers are more successful at tracks like Daytona or Talledega? Its because they understand more how drafting works and how to manipulate it to their advantage. Its not as easy as you say.
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This. I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE NASCAR, I would rather flush the toilet after doing my business and watch the turds bump into each other as they go around and around, but even having said that, I can appreciate the technique involved. In drafting, not flushing the toilet. :lol:
 
I watch anything I can, time zone allowing, except US racing series that employ yellow flags to artificially close up the field.

This weekend it's the Dubai 24 Hours. It uses Code 60 so that the field stays spread out when an incident needs attending to. This is the best solution to me as it preserves the race as it has evolved.
 
rosckolove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcxOFgm1MFg

Apparently there is only 5-6 cars in the series now, thats the way it looks atleast.

It was the best to watch though when it was big.
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Thanks :cheers:

Sad but the bigger field was nice. Last race was back in 2003 I saw in Long Beach. I remember it specially since they brought out the body style of the '03 Cobra's. They still had the older Cobra's in the field. Think the Jaguar won that day, but dont quote me...memory is not as good as it used to be :ouch:.

CART or now known as IRL is boring. Too much internal drama killing the series. Cant wait for ALMS and Rolex Series Merger....that should be good.
 
lots of good leagues worth following posted in this thread. I'll have to throw a couple fun-to-watch series out on the table:

Global Rally Cross.
American LeMans (can't wait for that merger with Rolex Grand Am)
Traxxis Off-Road Truck series (or any sort of Baja-style racing)
Dakar Rally (now held in South America)
Late-Model dirt oval races (such as the Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway)

Red Bull Air-races :sly:
 
V8 SuperCars
American Iron/Extreme (NASA Series. I go to a lot of NASA Events in the SouthEast and they are always a good watch)
Spec E30 (Same as above)
F1
ALMS
WEC
BTCC
V8 Supercars (Did I say that already :))
Some NASCAR
Formula Drift
D1 Grand Prix
King of Europe

I love drifting, just not enough live showings of it. But racing, V8 Supercars and BTCC. They don't care about their cars or life. Makes some interesting races.



The sound from the V8 Supercars.......

 
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R1600Turbo
Nissan = Altima
Mercedes = E63 AMG (this is not a factory team)

Here is the Nissan:

ALTIMA07-620x394.jpg
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I used to always watch the V8 Supercars here in Australia but the last few years have felt lackluster(Damn Lowndesy going to Holden:lol:). This year i'm definitely watching again with Nissan and Merc. This is what has me thinking Australia could be seeing a GT Academy soon. One can only hope.👍 GO NISSAN!
 
I'll watch whatever I can get my mitts on.

This past season, I followed F1 closely and was able to attend the USGP in Austin. I also followed WRC a little bit, and had an interest in FIA GT and WTCC as one of the racers, Darryl O'Young, has strong ties to my local automotive community. Every year, I also make an effort to watch the 24 hours of LeMans. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the 2004 Super GT exhibition race as well, so that series is very near and dear to me. I have and still do enjoy a whole bunch of other series as well.

I don't care much for it now, but when I was a kid, I enjoyed NASCAR racing quite a bit. I haven't grown to hate it, but I don't go out of my way to watch any of it either. Don't know why.
 
I follow NASCAR and Formula 1. My favorite NASCAR driver is Matt Kenseth, driver of the number 20 Joe Gibbs Camry. GO MATT!!!!
 
Yeah I hear ya but I don't think FD is big enough and the teams don't really have the budget to travel a lot during the year.
 
I used to just watch Nascar, after playing this game for the last few years, I watch all kinds of different series on Speed Channel. In the last few years, I went to 2 ALMS races and 2 Indy car races in Baltimore. I would like to go to Austin next year to see F1. I also go to Richmond every year to see a Nascar race. I also regularly go to a 1/2 mile clay track where Sprints, late model modifeds, and pure stocks run. Those races are lots of fun to watch for a nice price. I also enjoyed watching many hours of the Le Mans race this year. Driving LMPs and GTs in the game has made me appreciative of all kinds of racing.
 
I'll watch whatever if it's on, but F1 is the only one that I actually follow.
 
Tired Tyres
I watch anything I can, time zone allowing, except US racing series that employ yellow flags to artificially close up the field.

This weekend it's the Dubai 24 Hours. It uses Code 60 so that the field stays spread out when an incident needs attending to. This is the best solution to me as it preserves the race as it has evolved.
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I totatly agree with you not liking yellow flag situations that cancel any lead a driver has managed to pull out, it may make the racing better for the neutral observer but when the guy in front has busted a gut and his tyres to pull a lead it never feels right that an incident nothing to do with him cancels it all out. Nevermind the fact that it means a teams stratagy can go down the toilet instantly with it.

Ive not heard of Code 60 though, could you explain it please?
 
Code 60 basically means that the moment the (for Dubai at least I believe it's purple) flag is thrown, all the cars are limited to 60mph until the incident is cleared and racing resumes. So no one can gain any ground, meaning no unfair advantage/good luck. It's nice for purity of competition, not so much for creating action. It's better than aggregate scoring at least, as you can tell who is in what position and how far behind without a page of notes and a calculator.

I personally like having different ways of resolving the incidents. The pure competition preserved by a Code 60 is nice but the entertainment of watching a race resume after a yellow is nice too(and a team can adjust on the fly to create a strategy to get back in contention using a yellow to their advantage as well). I'd hate to have every series and event do it the same exact way. Same with varying rules on whether pits remain open during yellows or the various wave-around rules. Variety is the spice of life, eh?

I'm not too keen on minimum pit-stop time rules however(can't remember if Dubai uses that one), or Dubai's minimum target lap time rule. Still, anything that helps keep a race somewhat unique isn't all bad. Some of those rules are there to help encourage lower-budget teams to participate, and I suppose that's rarely a bad thing.
 
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