Athletes or not?

[Dov]

LINK

[Kicking-back]

There is no credible argument to say racing drivers are not athletes.

It needs a huge amount of fitness.

[Amar7605]

Anyone who has ridden a go kart for ten minutes on a twisty circut knows how physically draining it can be. Now multiply everying by 50 and you have a CC experience.

Race car drivers are not traditionally considered athletes because all the average person sees as the level of physicallity is turning the steering wheel. But we all know how rigorous the physical preparation is when it comes to racing. It's brutal!

Puttinng on the hot G suits, racing at 200 MPH, and within close proximity of each other - not to mention the 130 degree heat and enduring that for over 2 hours - no wonder the drivers lose 7 pounds per race!

Not only is auto racing physically draining, but mentally draining as well. You have to constantly know where you are on the track so you can prepare for what's ahead, and worry about the drivers around you. Yep - drivers are definitely athletes.

[sr230772]

from what ive read else where schummacer one of the best natural athlets in the world i think cycling had the best results

[JohnSSC]

Jody Scheckter won ABC Television's "Superstar" competition in 1978 or '79. Not sure of the year, but he beat all of the other athletes (baseball, American Football etc) fair and square.

[dubby99]

It's hard to convince people most of the time just how serious of a sport motor racing can be.

Not only does it require huge amounts of fitness as K-B pointed out but also alot of courage and determination to drive a racecar more than most other sports require in my biased opinion.

[marcus]

great article Dov , thanks for the link , just proves everything I have been saying for 15 years

[N I Tram]

Amar really took the words out of my mouth there. People who've tried it at any level should never regard it as easy. 90 minutes of racing is surely tougher on the body than 90 minutes of soccer or basketball, considering the speeds, G-Forces and low margins for error.

On the other hand (and not directly ChampCar-related), most of the teenage drivers who get a sponroship-driven F1 test come out of the car sayng its easy, often comparing it to a videogame. This really isn't right, and to me says a lot for how the excessive driver aids are scuppering that series as a test of driving skill.

[BootsOntheSide]

For sheer fitness I don't think many athletes in other sports can match Michael Schumacher, although (if the stories are true) I don't think Montoya would be fit enough to compete at the top in some other sports. As Tram alludes to, more physical forms of racing such as ChampCars and DTM (bigger and heavier cars with less driving aids) are probably even tougher to drive than F1 cars.

[topwelshman]

We're all athletes

[Dov]

Originally Posted by topwelshman

We're all athletes

Trust me, i'm no athlete!

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by N I Tram

On the other hand (and not directly ChampCar-related), most of the teenage drivers who get a sponroship-driven F1 test come out of the car sayng its easy, often comparing it to a videogame. This really isn't right, and to me says a lot for how the excessive driver aids are scuppering that series as a test of driving skill.

They say it's easy after driving it for a few laps and a second or more away from the ultimate pace.

Driving it consistently on the limit lap after lap after lap is not easy.

[N I Tram]

I'm aware of that distinction KB, but you have to admit that it's still a frightening state of affairs, especially as you can often be 1 second a lap off the car's ultiamte pace and still score points (occasionally even a podium if you're in a Ferrari).

Maybe Paul Stoddard should get some of these journalists a ride in his 2-seater Minardis? Could be great publicity for the team, and would certainly adjust their perspective