52 replies to this topic

[Risil]

Some drivers have names that aren't names; they're words you use in everyday conversation, emails to friends and co-workers, or hack journalism. I want none of your surnames that are like boring concrete nouns, there are too many. Damon Hill. Jenson Button. Mike Smith. Alex Café. Mika Salò. Bertrand Baguette's name might be funny, but it's just not relevant for this thread.

However, just a quick leaf through some racing entry lists could provide hours of fun for a Noam Chomsky or Ferdinand de Saussure. There are drivers whose names are adjectives, who make you think that their name reveals something about their character or essential qualities. I'm thinking Pete Lovely, Swede Savage, Scott Sharp. There are drivers whose names are verbs, who jolt you out of your high carb induced stupor by the sheer force of their name being a complete sentence. Like Boris Said, or Andy Rouse. Then there are the most precious of drivers' names -- indeed the most precious people -- with surnames that are also abstract nouns. These raise us out of our petty, foetid troubles and allow us to converse in the realm of ideas. Will Power. John Love. Piers Courage.

Please suggest them below and I will add them to the list.

Drivers whose names are adjectives
Pete Lovely
Swede Savage
Scott Sharp
Paul Smart
Gordon Smiley
Niki Lauda (comp.)
Hans Stuck
Peter Hirt
Art Cross
Kyle Petty
Slick Johnson
Dick Good
Dick Keene
Jamie Green
Sterling Moss
Norman Black

Drivers whose names are verbs
Boris Said
Andy Rouse
Chris Cook
Racin' Gardner
Dick Trickle
Jean Allez-y
James Hunt
Dick Passwater
Jenson Button
Dick Jostlin'
Dick Poling
Jamie Win Cup
Jackie Steward
Gary Hocking
Rodger Ward

Drivers whose names are abstract nouns
Will Power
John Love
Piers Courage
Jochen Mass
Andrew Hope
Mike Bliss
Scott Speed
Lake Speed
Desire Wilson
John Force
Elsie Wisdom

Edited by Risil, 20 December 2012 - 10:47.

[Diderlo]

Mika Salò.

This one is actually quite interesting. That grave accent doesn't belong there, so I think that you have something different in mind regarding the meaning of Salo.
However it's real meaning is also a noun. Salo is finnish and means wilds / deep forest.

[gm914]

Verbs:
Quite a common name, but I can't help thinking missed opportunity when I see NASCAR start'n'parker Chris Cook, er, starting and parking in a race.
He should find a BBQ sauce company to sponsor him, because the whole race all I see on the ticker is Cook Off or Cook Out.

[Risil]

Verbs:
Quite a common name, but I can't help thinking missed opportunity when I see NASCAR start'n'parker Chris Cook, er, starting and parking in a race.
He should find a BBQ sauce company to sponsor him, because the whole race all I see on the ticker is Cook Off or Cook Out.

Hmm. Have any drivers changed their name to help promote their sponsor's product before?

[Risil]

How could I forget?? Class of '96 Indy 500 illumnus, Racin' Gardner!

[gm914]

[Andrew Hope]

Flattered you have me on there, even though I don't even have a road license let alone a racing one. However I have been known to have such vivid dreams about car racing that I've woken myself up with a shout when in the dream I've smacked the wall or otherwise thrown it against the scenery.

An easy one would be John Love, who nearly won the South African GP of 1967 and finished 2nd, and then nearly made it his last race in 1971:



James Hunt comes to mind as well. Maybe you're only after last names, but I'd think Desiré Wilson is worth a mention.

Edited by Andrew Hope, 18 December 2012 - 21:23.

[Mila]

These raise us out of our petty, foetid troubles . . .

don't think of me petty, but I noticed something here . . .

Edited by Mila, 18 December 2012 - 21:35.

[gm914]

don't think of me petty, but I noticed something here . . .

Haha good spot. Although I'd say the name is more fitting to Kyle rather than Richard or Lee.

How about Dick Passwater? Not making it up.

[TheUltimateWorrier]

Some drivers from the 1950s.

Help! Hans Stuck!
Ouch! Peter Hirt!
Art Cross! Nay, angry!

Edited by TheUltimateWorrier, 18 December 2012 - 21:37.

[manmower]

Jean Alesi.

[fisssssi]

Jenson Button (as a verb)

[frp]

Hmm. Have any drivers changed their name to help promote their sponsor's product before?

Yes. The late John Batchelor, touring car driver, football club owner, alcoholic, and failed parliamentary candidate, changed his name by deed poll to John Top-Gear and then John B&Q in deference to his sponsors.

[InfectedPumpkin]

What?

[Ross Stonefeld]

Hmm. Have any drivers changed their name to help promote their sponsor's product before?

John B&Q in BTCC.

A driver with the last name Smith once pitched the crisp company for sponsorship. He got a very nice letter back from Walker's praising the idea but informing him he'd sent it to the wrong company.

[Les]

John B&Q? The mind boggles...

Anyway how can we forget Scott Speed (actually that's a silly question, it was pretty easy to forget Scot Speed)?

[halifaxf1fan]

Stirling Moss
Michael Shoemaker
Jack Newtown

Edited by halifaxf1fan, 19 December 2012 - 00:35.

[Rob G]

Lake Speed (noun/abstract noun)
Slick Johnson (adjective/"noun")

Edited by Rob G, 19 December 2012 - 04:39.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Slick Johnson usually comes after Dick Trickle.

[ViMaMo]

Grant Adcox (NASCAR)

Ryan Aho (5 times WISSOTA Super Stocks champion)

Edited by ViMaMo, 19 December 2012 - 01:30.

[nordschleife]

Slick Johnson usually comes after Dick Trickle.

You couldn't have said "follows"? Timing and Scoring report the order is reversed.

Edited by nordschleife, 19 December 2012 - 02:01.

[TurboF1]

Slick Johnson usually comes after Dick Trickle.

[gm914]

15-time NHRA champ John Force.

[Juggles]

I reject the idea that the Logos has intentions so I was forced to choose option four. That such names came into being without intervention is infinitely more majestic than the alternative.

[Gyan]

This might be a little bit immature, but Lauda means penis in Hindi. At least in daily Hindi slang, but there is a slight, very slight pronunciation difference, which again depends on the part of India you're in.

I'm sorry really, it's just that I've always chuckled since I first heard his name as a 10 year old kid.

[gm914]

That is pretty immature.

Alright so after Dick Trickle and Dick Passwater I returned to http://www.racing-reference.info and pulled up a search.
Ahem.

(Risil, apologies. I am taking this thread into the gutter)

Dick Belter
Dick Burns
Dick Good
Dick Joslin (dear Lord)
Dick Keene,
and
Dick Poling

There's even a Dick Ross. Hey, we got one of them!

Just as I suspected, NASCAR is full of Dicks.

[dexter311]

What about Jamie Whincup? He's been winning V8SC cups for a while now.

[ensign14]

Hmm. Have any drivers changed their name to help promote their sponsor's product before?

Not quite the same, but one driver changed his name to Skid Carrera to try to make him more of a sponsor magnet.

[TheUltimateWorrier]

Sebastian . . .



. . . anyone ?

[jonpollak]

Fandabidozzie

I canny believe we have nee Billy Boat.
Jp

[Mila]

Slick Johnson usually comes after Dick Trickle.

we might squeeze in Dick Seaman (noun) here.


also, Piquet (noun) is a card game.

Edited by Mila, 19 December 2012 - 19:34.

[Garagiste]

If we're allowed oft repeated mis-spellings then there's Jackie Steward.

[Risil]

Very interesting, thanks everyone. I think we're making progress. Some of them don't count. Abstract nouns, folks, abstract!

Ultimate Worrier, you raise an interesting point. Do we have any German-speakers who can tell us what a vettel is?

Gyan, what a coincidence. In English, with a slight pronunciation change, James Hunt sounds just like another genital!

[Callisto]

Slick Johnson usually comes after Dick Trickle.

[KingB]

what about Jamie Green?

[Tombstone]

Jim Clark (clerk - noun or verb)

Stirling Moss (Adjective followed by Noun)

Mike Hawthorn (Noun + Noun)

Gary Hocking (Noun - spear bearer - followed by Verb - the act of cutting tendons of the hock)

Edited by Tombstone, 19 December 2012 - 23:22.

[Deluxx]

My name on F1 games is Dick Hardy, does that count?

[Mila]

Derek Bell (noun)
Jochen Mass (noun)

LLoyd Ruby (noun)
Rodger Ward (noun)

Skip Barber (noun)

[nordschleife]

Guy Moll
Louis Gas
Kenneth Peacock
Elsie Wisdom
Norman Black
Arthur Marsh
R. R. C. Rob Walker

[apoka]

Ultimate Worrier, you raise an interesting point. Do we have any German-speakers who can tell us what a vettel is?

It's a derogatory word for an old woman with strange behaviour (similar to a witch). It's not that common anymore, but still frequent in books/movies playing in the Middle Ages.

But nowadays, Vettel is so popular that the word is luckily more associated directly with him.

[fisssssi]

Interesting thread, but one of the most useless polls I have ever seen

[OssieFan]

Will Power
Dick Johnson?

[Tombstone]

Interesting thread, but one of the most useless polls I have ever seen

Useless, but nonetheless brilliant - perhaps because it's useless.

[jonpollak]

Useless to whom?
I am getting a refresher in basic English, which as it turns out I am in desperate need of.

Jp

[Andrew Hope]

I wish more drivers would change their last names for hilarious sponsor reasons, that would be great. Hope is just a pen name and eventually a legal surname for me, I think changing your last name is one of the least-weird of all the weird things people do to themselves. If nothing else, it might solve that Vet-elle/Vettle debate once and for all if he gets a big fat cheque from the Kitchen Aid folks and goes by Sebastian Kettle for 2013. The helmet designs are endless.

[JRodrigues]

António Félix 'of the Coast'

[Risil]

It's a derogatory word for an old woman with strange behaviour (similar to a witch). It's not that common anymore, but still frequent in books/movies playing in the Middle Ages.

But nowadays, Vettel is so popular that the word is luckily more associated directly with him.

Hm. So if he were English we'd call him Seb Crone, then.

[jonpollak]

My goodness
This Sebastian Crone seems rather important.

http://www.obsidianp...sebastian-crone

I have no idea what it is all about however..
Jp

[GhostR]

Slick Johnson usually comes after Dick Trickle.

Combine the two and you get Dick Johnson...

[BRG]

Combine the two and you get Dick Johnson...

Or Slick Trickle.

Eurghh...