Just Add Water...

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JohnBM01

JohnBM01

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If it is one thing I love about auto racing, it is the ability to challenge the elements. This motorsports thread is about rain racing. Whether it is World Rally, Formula One, sportscar racing, kart racing, or whatever, this thread is about performance under wet and inclement weather. This idea came about as I wanted to discuss wet weather situations and racing. Okay, that idea didn't sound as dull. This one will REALLY state my point. Earlier tonight on "Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain," one guy got a patented Bobblehead for going against Robin Miller. Miller talked about it was a shmae for NASCAR to not use rain tires. The dude in the city of Kannapolis, NC, USA (home to guess what NASCAR legend) basically said that rain tires are a waste of money and time. Being the critical jackass I can be sometimes, I disagreed. As much as I admire a mostly oval racing series to challenge road racing, some people just need to shut up about things. You all can talk about racing in the rain by making a reply now.
 
Racing in the rain prves nothing -- ok light rain i very entertaining to watch but torrential rains usually shut the race down for a short period.

Look at the Indy 300 in Queensland -- the Champcars come down from America for some great racing on a great track and what happens? Almost every year it gets rained out! Last year they had to red flag it for about 30 minutes and the year before they ran over 90% of the race under yellows, I mean hell, it never rains any other day in the year but it always rains on the Sunday afternoon that Champ Cars are running. A smart idea would be to run the race a couple of hours earlier.

Anyway, there goes my steam about indy...
 
It was pretty scary watching some of the guys sliding off the track in the Rolex sports car race at the Glen not long ago. That said, I still like the versatility of racing on both dry and wet conditions. It separates the men from the boys.

Senna managed more than one awesome drive in the wet.
 
:scared: that was crazy, I saw the clip on Windtunnel with dave dispain... Correct me if I'm wrong but the race officals didn't let them bring rain tires?? WTF?!?

edit: Damn if anyone knows where to get the vid of that crash please notify me!
 
I believe those cars got caught out by the sudden change in the track's surface, by the time they were coming around to the last turn of the course it was adios for anyone on slicks.

I'm not sure that the officials didn't let the teams bring rain tires, you might be thinking about NASCAR. Beats me if the video is available somewhere. I wouldn't want it at any rate, some of those hits looked pretty nasty.
 
I remember in 1987 when the Bathurst 1000 was a round of the World Touring Car Championship and it rained toward the end of the race. Peter Brock and a few others took a gamble and put slicks on as the track was drying out because it coincided with their fuel stop. Brock was racing for a podium finish and was chasing down the Eggenberger Sierras (who crossed the finish line 1st and 2nd but were eventually disqualified for using illegal fuel). It was great watching Brock manhandle the V8 Commodore around as it slid sideways around every corner. Brock inherited the win when the Sierras were disqualified.
In 1992 the race was red flagged near the finish after a downpour. The stewards counted one lap back from when the race was red flagged and gave the win to the car that was leader on that lap. The car in the lead on that lap was the Jim Richards Mark Skaife Skyline. It was awarded the win despite the car being in the wall at the top of Conrod Straight when the red flag came out.
More recently, Craig Lowndes was having a good race in 2001 when it started to rain. Between Pit Straight and Skyline there is an elevation difference of about 200 meters. It was dry at the bottom of the track but wet at the top. Lowndes came across the top of the hill as he did the lap before and came down toward Forrests Elbow at the top of Conrod Straight only to find hail on the track. Driving on hail is like driving on marbles and the car still had slick tyres on. The car slid straight off the track and got stuck under the tyre barrier. Lowndes and others lost a few laps as the marshalls worked to get all the cars back on the track.
 
I remember that Lowndes incident, stuff like that's ahppened a fair bit, when there's weather it's always differant at the top of the mountain.
 
Holy crap! I thought that Surfer's Paradise race in the wet (with hail, mind you) was insane, but this is obviously worse. I think it rained at Surfer's in 2002 with a massive 7 or 10 car accident, but last year (Speed Channel's did commentary for Champ Car at the time), the red flag came out as hail came down. The race did get finished, though. I'd like to see a race from sunset to night at the course, like in... I hate calling this game this, but, "Jarrett and LaBonte Stock Car Racing."
 
Its interesting, at the Mitty a couple of years ago we had an incredible downpour which was worse then the WGI downpour. There were about 25 cars on course when it came down, from total dry to incredible downpour starting from turn 7 and moving inwards. Despite this only one car managed to put themselves in the gravel. Rest of the cars came to stop in various positions but no one hit a wall, no one else off course and bunch made it into pit lane. Ya know who was out there.. VINTAGE STOCK CARS. Yep, a bunch of amateur stock car drivers on slicks managed to not hit anything in a huge downpour, rather ironic.
 
That is pretty funny. What about that huge crash at Spa in the rain a couple of years ago, that's always amusing to see how many tires come flying off and to think noone was seriously hurt.
 
yeah i got that spa crash on video...it was insane. most of the field was taken out. the surfers paradise rained out races....well lets just say that THEY SUCKED, mainly cause i was in the grandstands getting hailed on waiting for the cars to dribble past. mother nature is EVIL. a couple of drops would be better than a whole bloody rivers worth of rain.

i was also out at QueenslandRaceway that year when the qld500 (v8supercars) got rained out witha few laps to go.....cars sliding off everywhere. eventually paul radisich and steven johnson won in their ford falcon, but the car was beached in the sandtrap...he won because u go back 2 laps to find a winner after a red flag. it was mad....the "rat" jumped out of his car, celebrating, and 2 drunk guys invaded the track to celebrate.......it was awesome.
 
Yeah, I have that crash on my PC (spa), a fair few others too.

Has there been an indy in the recent past (say 5-6 years) that hasn't been interupted by rain?
 

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