18 replies to this topic

[Buford]

http://www.globalser...es/Dijon79.mpeg

[Don Capps]

Let us be honest: Today they would have been brought before The Blazers and banned for several races, the many fora would be bellowing in condemnation of such driving tactics, and then there would be those very few with silly grins on their faces....

[Bernd]

I disagree. Today racing of this calibre simply would not/could not happen in the first place.

[Buford]

Originally posted by Bernd
I disagree. Today racing of this calibre simply would not/could not happen in the first place.

Because the cars suck and so do almost all the drivers.

[Arturo Pereira]

Originally posted by Buford


Because the cars suck and so do almost all the drivers.

Absolutely

[David Birchall]

Originally posted by Buford


Because the cars suck and so do almost all the drivers.

Didn't the cars suck then? As in downforce, skirts, tunnels etc?

That should be played at every driver's meeting, F1, CART, F Ford, you name it-THAT is racing.

The only guy to show IM not-so-HO that Canadians are not all conservative wankers.

His son is now in the middle of a political scandal. A national sports star has claimed he was paid $12 million by the Canadian Government to wear an advertising patch on his driving suit...
David B

[Mac Lark]

Brings a smile to the face

[Bernd]

Originally posted by Buford


Because the cars suck and so do almost all the drivers.

Indeed.

[Frank S]

Originally posted by Mac Lark
Brings a smile to the face

Well, sort of a bemused grin with raised eyebrows. Still there, by golly. I do remember it was like that. Even accounting for the filter of time, I don't think there is the slightest chance it'll come right again. Grin. Eyebrows. Tears. Submit.


--
Frank S

[Ross Stonefeld]

Originally posted by petefenelon
Should be played before every three-stop strategic bore-a-thon at an rubber-stamp Tilkedrome to remind the youth of today what racing is.

Originally posted by Bernd
Today racing of this calibre simply would not/could not happen in the first place.

Originally posted by Buford
Because the cars suck and so do almost all the drivers.

You guys should watch road racing *other* than F1. Catch a British or European F3 race next time its on TV. There's more "oh!....dear....how did he do that" on the first lap than in an entire Grand Prix. And thats including the wild Grands Prix.


As for Dijon, didnt Mario brush it off with words to the effect of "it was just two kids clawing at each other"

[Ruairidh]

Yep, I used to love this sport - who'd have thunk it, it was better before Bernie, even under Balestre?

[jj2728]

Originally posted by Buford


Because the cars suck and so do almost all the drivers.

i'd be willing to guess that in 10 years time people will be saying the same thing about that year's current f1 and how they longed for these present days.....i'll never tire of grand prix racing, it is still the pinnacle of motorsport and after 40 years and many many races i still get as excited as ever come a grand prix weekend....

[oldtimer]

Originally posted by David Birchall


Didn't the cars suck then? As in downforce, skirts, tunnels etc?

David B

As the saying goes, 'Many a true word spoken in jest'

Did anyone else notice that in the opening laps of the Malayasian GP, when conditions were slippery and full downforce was not available, there was lots of overtaking? As the conditions became faster, the overtaking on the track stopped, and we were again hearing commentary on the difficulties caused to following cars by the airflow from wings and diffusers. I am one of those who believe that aerodynamics have too big a role in F1.

As to the son of G, examine the news reports, and you will see that that he is the victim of gossip, rather than being in the middle of a political scandal. If you enjoy the gossip and what goes with it, there is a thread at the Other Place.

[schuy]

Originally posted by Buford
http://www.globalser...es/Dijon79.mpeg

Gorgeous

[Mallory Dan]

Interesting comments, I've just finished reading all A/Sports from Jan-March 79. A load of Editorials and letters are on this very subject, ie how boring Grand Prix are compared to the 'good old days'. And remember these were about 3 months before that Dijon race...

There's also a very good article by Chris Nixon called "The Death of Grand Prix Racing". He infers that GP racing died with Peterson the previous year, that the rot set in in 1968 with sponsorship and wings, and that by 1978 there was too much money/politics involved. Also that drivers had too little influence over their cars, and that the circuits of the time, 1978-79, didn't present much of a challenge to the best of them. He goes on that things must be really bad when a GP novice (I think he cites Cheever, maybe Bruno, I've forgotten now) can lap within half a second or so of an established 'ace'.

Of course the article was followed for the next few weeks by many letters supporting his views and a few disagreeing with him. Just shows I guess that little changes in life, though I'm sure many of us would be quite happy to swap GP racing 2004 for that of 1979.

As an aside, a separate article with G Ducarouge following Ligiers great start to 79, quotes him saying that he felt F1 would suffer if 'big manufacturers' held too much power. He went on that he felt GP racing was much the better for having the likes of Merzario around.

Very nostalgic reading, and extremely interesting 25 years on - thanks Roger !

[Vitesse2]

Cor! Real racing! They actually passed each other on the track!

Interesting how restrained Murray Walker sounded, compared to his well-remembered "pants on fire" style of the Mansell/Senna era. Almost as if passing and racing like that was commonplace then ......

Ahhhhhhh ..... right ..... it was, wasn't it?

[p de vos]

Mallory Dan wrote:

He infers that GP racing died with Peterson the previous year, that the rot set in in 1968 with sponsorship and wings, and that by 1978 there was too much money/politics involved. Also that drivers had too little influence over their cars, and that the circuits of the time, 1978-79, didn't present much of a challenge to the best of them.

A start to bring back motor racing to the Grand Prix scene would be to get rid of the chicanes and pit stops. The chicanes are invariably placed at just the point where somebody would otherwise be in a position to sneak past, but now he simply has to get back in line. If they didn't have pit stops, they would have to overtake on the track.

[SEdward]

... and the circuits suck too!

I gave up on F1 in the mid-eighties. My last GP was Belgium 1987. And I can only echo thoughts mentioned earlier about junior formula. I went to see my first F3 race in ages at Le Mans last summer. It was a round of the European championship.

Two things struck me:

First: the motorhomes and transporters in the paddock were more luxurious that their equivalent in F1 in the 70s. I clearly remember saying this to my young lads. There was obviously a lot of cash sloshing around.

Second: the race was a yawn, just like F1. A couple of laps of reasonably close racing and then everyone seemed to be established in their respective positions and just held on till the flag.

A far cry from what I used to see at Silvers (five abreast into Stowe and all that...), Brands or Snetters (side-by-side finishes, Brise/Williamson, Vandervell/Bev Bond).

Edward.

[Jesper O. Hansen]

Each new racing season is always in the present. It's the on-lookers that grow a year more out of fascion. Personally I "died" around 1990 (with a few exceptions).

Jesper