Railbird
04-15-04, 11:18 PM
With the crown jewel of the CART racing season about to kick off on the scenic streets of Long Beach this weekend we're about to witness both the historic roots and quite possibly the promised future of the CCWS. While street courses have always played a supporting part in this championship series it now appears that they will assume the lead roll for the foreseeable future.
What some view as little more than parades around a party others see as the circuits most demanding of the driver's skills. Flawless precision is the requirement with bullheaded bravado rewarding only those looking for a short day. While the wheel to wheel action one sees at the speedways may be missing at Long Beach or Vancouver, IMO, the pure driving skills of the Champcar brigade are far better tested in the concrete canyons than at any other type venue...Even with the hundred mph speed differential, the entry to turn one at Long Beach is much more of a challenge to get right than the entry into turn one at any superspeedway ...While the ovals, particularly the big ones, offer a variety of paths to negotiate their corners, the streetcourse lines are razor thin..One slip in a ten tenths lap can knock a corner off a contender at Long Beach while a huge push on the highbanks usually results in the rare throttle lift and a loss of a few positions..
The fact that the barrier height makes most of the turns at least partialy blind serves only to complicate the task of hustling 750hp down a straightaway that is essentialy a tunnel from the drivers point of view..The occasional suprise appearence of a stalled car or an errant wheel is bound to happen no matter how vigilant the corner workers may be...When heading from a 180mph straight to a mile a minute right hander, with the right front tire already smoking under braking, all the yellow flag waving in the world isn't going to do a h=ll of a lot of good...Couple that with the faith necessary to spool that bad boy up before you have an unobstructed sight line down the next straight and you're looking at a true test of courage and will...
Unlike the continual position swapping one sees on a superspeedway, a mid race pass for the lead on a street course is a nail biting drama that unfolds over several laps. and more than likely will have a impact on the event itself... Watching a driver stalk the leader with feints and bluffs until he is rewarded with his prey's slightes slip off line is far more intriguing to me than watching a pack out fumble each other in a drafting que.
While the preparation of the car and the cohesivness of the crew are often sighted as the most important part of any assault on the series title on the streets the driver and his ability to be quick while remaining squeeky clean are highlighted more than anywhere else..It does no good to have the quickest crew and the best prepared package if your car only has three corners attached when it arrives in the pits..
The streets tend to be a physical challenge as well....No permanent course on the schedule makes the demands on a driver like the tight and bumpy confines of the city courses...After 500 miles on a speedway most of the drivers step out looking like they might just be warmed up enough to be ready for some serioues exertion..After two hours in the streets most of them crawl out looking decidedly second hand..The physical pounding and mentaly draining aspect of Long Beach, Toronto, Vancouver etc. is uncomparable at any oval offering in the world...
Not wanting to knock the speedways, beautiful places like Laguna Seca, or even Cleveland's racey temp course, but IMO the demands of the concrete canyons are the truest test of pure driving skill in the CCWS.
Either that or I'm just jacked up for Long Beach this weekend.
Drop the Flag
Indy area viewing (http://www.offcamber.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3989)
What some view as little more than parades around a party others see as the circuits most demanding of the driver's skills. Flawless precision is the requirement with bullheaded bravado rewarding only those looking for a short day. While the wheel to wheel action one sees at the speedways may be missing at Long Beach or Vancouver, IMO, the pure driving skills of the Champcar brigade are far better tested in the concrete canyons than at any other type venue...Even with the hundred mph speed differential, the entry to turn one at Long Beach is much more of a challenge to get right than the entry into turn one at any superspeedway ...While the ovals, particularly the big ones, offer a variety of paths to negotiate their corners, the streetcourse lines are razor thin..One slip in a ten tenths lap can knock a corner off a contender at Long Beach while a huge push on the highbanks usually results in the rare throttle lift and a loss of a few positions..
The fact that the barrier height makes most of the turns at least partialy blind serves only to complicate the task of hustling 750hp down a straightaway that is essentialy a tunnel from the drivers point of view..The occasional suprise appearence of a stalled car or an errant wheel is bound to happen no matter how vigilant the corner workers may be...When heading from a 180mph straight to a mile a minute right hander, with the right front tire already smoking under braking, all the yellow flag waving in the world isn't going to do a h=ll of a lot of good...Couple that with the faith necessary to spool that bad boy up before you have an unobstructed sight line down the next straight and you're looking at a true test of courage and will...
Unlike the continual position swapping one sees on a superspeedway, a mid race pass for the lead on a street course is a nail biting drama that unfolds over several laps. and more than likely will have a impact on the event itself... Watching a driver stalk the leader with feints and bluffs until he is rewarded with his prey's slightes slip off line is far more intriguing to me than watching a pack out fumble each other in a drafting que.
While the preparation of the car and the cohesivness of the crew are often sighted as the most important part of any assault on the series title on the streets the driver and his ability to be quick while remaining squeeky clean are highlighted more than anywhere else..It does no good to have the quickest crew and the best prepared package if your car only has three corners attached when it arrives in the pits..
The streets tend to be a physical challenge as well....No permanent course on the schedule makes the demands on a driver like the tight and bumpy confines of the city courses...After 500 miles on a speedway most of the drivers step out looking like they might just be warmed up enough to be ready for some serioues exertion..After two hours in the streets most of them crawl out looking decidedly second hand..The physical pounding and mentaly draining aspect of Long Beach, Toronto, Vancouver etc. is uncomparable at any oval offering in the world...
Not wanting to knock the speedways, beautiful places like Laguna Seca, or even Cleveland's racey temp course, but IMO the demands of the concrete canyons are the truest test of pure driving skill in the CCWS.
Either that or I'm just jacked up for Long Beach this weekend.
Drop the Flag
Indy area viewing (http://www.offcamber.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3989)