Speed Secrets

Truth!

Hey now, they could be lapping him.

TuxTshirt wrote:Hey now, they could be lapping him.

Truth!

I was "Truth!"-ing the Experience > Money aspect.

It's true this could be a lapping scenario though if you've seen track days (or even auto-X) some smug asshole usually comes out in an expensive sled thinking the car is going to put him on top. Many times said smug asshole gets their ass handed to him by a Spec Miata or Honda Challenge level vehicle.

The other side of it: said smug asshole could be pussy-footing their ride because it's too expensive to wreck. For that they should understand this advice, "Don't track anything you're not prepared to write off."

Experience+Money > Experience>Money FTW OMG MFer

Often those with $ are too busy earning $ that they don't have (or choose not to make) the time to gain experience. On the flip side, those with jobs they could ditch at a moment's notice buy cheaper vehicles and can more easily make time to become better drivers.

Want to become a better driver? Start with go-karting and escalate from there.

I argue with Scott Tucker, Patrick Dempsey and Paul Menard.   They are richer than hell and have proven richies can race too.

Those guys also made proper time to learn how to drive. Those guys are at a point where a talented driver in a 1980s Suburban wouldn't embarrass them at a track day [Jerry Kunzman, NASA's Executive Director, has been known to do exactly that.]

Many of those who don't make time to learn are the type to be "married to their job." These are the guys who think their $$$,$$$.¢¢ [hundred-thousand dollar] car that they bought with their $$,$$$,$$$,$$$.¢¢ [tens of billions] is going to make them the fastest on the track.

Rick Sutherland (started, then sold what would become Wheel Works, now the founder of ClickAway) also raced in the ALMS for a few seasons. He bought his way in to a team. My friends and I called him Rick Slow-therland. Rich guy. Not fast.

Im just saying its to easy when you dont have money to slander those that do just because they do and also participate in a form of motorsport.   There are JUST as many "poor" racers out there that are also horrible but since they dont have a shiny vehicle you overlook them.   Really money has nothing to do with it.  It comes down to those that have it and those that dont.

Without a doubt there are talentless drivers slotted in every fiscal category. If we're staying within the context of a club-sport track day, the biggest douche bags are those who come with a super car on a trailer, with the attitude that they're going to set the TTOTD [top time of the day], thinking it's the expensive car that's going to earn them that distinction.

Professional level drivers are well beyond a club-sport track day being their highest level of driving. The rich douche bag mentality sticks out the most when the club-sport track day is as high as one can go.

On the flip side, there are rich-as-shit guys who are willing to drive anything (crap bucket or super car) and want to learn how to become a better driver. It's not how much money they have that gets me, I'm focused on their attitude.

I think this whole debate is quite simple.  Money has nothing to do with talent.  Dedication, attitude, adaptability, willingness to learn, and focus to name a few have more to do with it.  Let's face it boys, there are douchebags in every class.

Talent isn't directly connected with money though having "enough money" is nice to learn/acquire more talent. Enough being an amount to afford racing school(s), a good learner's car, safety gear, etc. Enough money and an open mind are two keys.

I can summarize it this way: Extract the most out of what you have. If you have more, you'd better extract more. It's also sort-of the foundation to SABRmetrics / Moneyball. We could extend it into Forza with the PI system, and is where I came up with a bonus points structure for cars with fewer PI points.

New tangent:

This is an event at Thunderhill in Willows, CA. The Cyclone turn looks like the Corkscrew though it has its own twist; Thunderhill's Cyclone is off-camber. That is, the turn is to the right and the track slopes down to the left. It's a funky feeling at race pace.

I like how this driver takes his time with some cars and immediately seizes the opportunity with others. It appears he quickly reads differences in speed and geographical location situations, which are two key components to being a good, clean racer.

Thunders "screw" is less dramatic... and you know I likes me some dramatics on track haha.   Dude got away with one on exit of a left sweeper with the silver Miata on the outside.  Mostly textbook but that move was asking to get wrecked... YOU KNOW FORZA AI WOULDA BRAKE-CHECKED HIM!

Not saying the guy in the video isn't a good driver, but it appears he has a capable car. He's passing people on the straights and in the turns. He is out-powering nearly everything out there.

And yeah he is a bit risky in some of his overtakes at 2:06 and again in the same turn at 4:15. The one at 2:06 was damn near Harlen status.

As for money, if I won a bunch of money somehow, I would totally buy my own off-road team and buy my way into the Lucas Oil series or similar. I probably won't be any good at first, but I would learn and figure it out over time.

Money may not equal talent, but it makes it a hell of a lot easier to get it!

Good bit on performance braking. Short too, three ¶, three columns.
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