[LM24] TGF thinks Le Mans is too dangerous!

[paul-collins]

"...{there} were questions concerning his refusal to enter either the Indianapolis 500 or the Le Mans 24-Hour races, considered to be the other two jewels in open-wheel racing's triple crown.

"Other drivers who have tested victory in all three races include Mario Andretti, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and Jimmy Clark.

""But I will not do Le Mans (or the Indy 500) because it is simply too dangerous," Schumacher said..."

-Toronto Sun

(Never mind the errors:
1. Le Mans open wheeled?
2. on the phrase "tested victory":
a. Mario finished 2nd in 1993
b.i. Jackie finished 10th in 1965
b.ii. Jackie finished 6th in 1966 at the 500
c. Jim finished 3rd in 1960.)

[Osella]

The concept of sharing the controls of the car at least isn't alien to him

[paulzinho]

Strange thing is he's already done Le Mans, when it was even more dangerous than it is now.....

[SL]

Mario has tasted victory at Le Mans, it was in 95. 2nd overall and 1st in WSC class behind the GT1 McLaren.

TGF did not seem to mind too much driving the Merc, I think he was one of the faster drivers as well. Perhaps it is because he would not be the No1 driver

[paul-collins]

Whoops. 95 is what I meant.

But I don't think the triple crown means "best in class."

TGF set the fastest race lap in 1991 in the C9 - 3:35ish - on his way to 5th place.

[EliseGT1]

Sure it wasn't the # 31 Sauber C11, together with Kreutzpointner and Wendlinger?

[paul-collins]

Cripes, I gotta read more closely.

For the same race that trio failed to qualify a Merc C291. I'm sure there's a story, there.

I get my data from www.wspr-racing.com .

[Fab]

Except the fact that the thread is about Schumi, what means TGF ?

[SL]

It is a name for Schumi, the elder, used mainly in the F1 forum and means, among other things - That German Fellow - It was started a few years ago before the younger started making a name for himself.

Simon

[Fab]

Originally posted by SL
It is a name for Schumi, the elder, used mainly in the F1 forum and means, among other things - That German Fellow - It was started a few years ago before the younger started making a name for himself.

Thank you, Simon, you made my day !

[Aysedasi]

At the risk of sounding completely dismissive, I'm trying to think of a reason why I should care what TBGF thinks.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by paul-collins
Cripes, I gotta read more closely.

For the same race that trio failed to qualify a Merc C291. I'm sure there's a story, there.

I get my data from www.wspr-racing.com .

At the risk of sounding picky ( ), my records tell me that Schumacher never drove the C291 at Le Mans. Neither did Wendlinger. Kreutzpointner did just 2 token slow laps in Wednesday qualifying and they put the thing back in the truck.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
Kreutzpointner did just 2 token slow laps in Wednesday qualifying and they put the thing back in the truck.

Any idea why?

[Aysedasi]

As far as I recall, paul, Mercedes never had any serious intention of racing the car at Le Mans. They knew the C11 was a far better bet (as it almost proved). I think taking the car there and doing a couple of token laps effectively honoured some unwritten PR agreement with the ACO. That's my guess, anyway.

[Nivola]

it tells you that he not got a brain.
1 every sport is dangerous
2 he has a tendancey to put others and himself in dangerous areas.

The world idiot comes to mind

[Gt_R]

"the world idiot comes to mind"???
i guess you've got a brain huh?

Yeah...i guess Mr Schumacher hasn't got a right to voice his quite correct opinions without being blasted has he? Strangely, many do feel that running around inches away from the wall in oval at insane speeds is dangerous... and FIA recently said there is a dangerous risk of a bad accident due to a flaw in the car's design...

Not too bad for a bad brain though~

[AllonFS]

Hmm Gt_R, not quite sure what you mean with this.

1."Yeah...i guess Mr Schumacher hasn't got a right to voice his quite correct opinions without being blasted has he?"

-Err they are his 'opinions'. Opinions by their very nature are not correct or incorrect, they are merely personal views. Many here would disagree with them, especially from someone who has deliberately tried to ram rivals off the track and regularly swerves across other drivers at the start of races.

2."Strangely, many do feel that running around inches away from the wall in oval at insane speeds is dangerous..."

-Yes, as are all forms off motorsport. Unfortunately drivers are regularly hurt and sometimes killed in everything including motorbikes, historic cars, sportscars, saloons and yes also F1. While I am not a huge fan of oval racing I wouldn't like to compare the relative dangers of lapping an oval and breaking from nearly 200mph to 40mph for a hairpin corner with limited run-off as in F1.

3."and FIA recently said there is a dangerous risk of a bad accident due to a flaw in the car's design..."

-No surprise that. The FIA has regularly released negative stories about Le Mans just before the event. They don't like a very popular event which they don't control and which has threatened in the past to rival F1 for popularity. The legendary sportscar era of the 1980s was killed off partly by FIA interference, strangely just as it was beginning to rival F1's popularity. Interestingly they release this report, (3 years after the event they refer to, the Mercedes flipping at Le Mans - note one manufacturer not all cars) at a time when F1 is getting lots of negative press.

These are of course just my opinions.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by AllonFS
Interestingly they release this report, (3 years after the event they refer to, the Mercedes flipping at Le Mans - note one manufacturer not all cars) at a time when F1 is getting lots of negative press.

Well, to be fair, the next year at P'tit Le Mans, another flat-bottomed car flipped - but it was designed by an F1 team...

[Jordi]

Oh, oh, it's dangerous... Motor Racing Is Dangerous, isn't it?

F1 is also very dangerous... you should back an F1 car into a concrete at 220 mph... If the ovals were so dangerous, there'd be a lot of deaths and there aren't.

[Nivola]

damn that typo!!!!!
we all been there done it!

[The Beer Baron]

Sounds as if Schumi wont do anything that isn't F1

Bernie has him by the ********!

[Liz]

I am interested in very little about TGF but the fact that he uses the word "dangerous" so frequently is interesting to me.

When he was given the opportunity to drive Tambay's Ferrari, he took about 3 laps and then came in shaking in his bootees (by his own admission) and squawking that the car was "dangerous". Tambay, who is my age, laughed at him and said basically, "You babies don't know anything about driving real racing cars."

Considering TGF's driving style of ramming other drivers, I envision him on a superspeedway, think of Alessandro Zanardi, and thank G*d that TGF considers that kind of racing "too dangerous" -- as it is for his idiotic banzai tactics and lack of principle.

[Big Stu]

Just out of interest, how long ago did TGF drive his F1 car into a wall at Silverstone and break his leg??? Yup, sportscars are FAR more dangerous.........