James Phelps Discussion Thread (Merged)

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by peckstar

I just get bored of every time a Phelps article is linked posters go on a rampage about him rather than discuss the article. Yes we know people don't like his writing, but they dont need to tell us every time he gets linked. This is motorsport forum not an english teacher forum

Surely a journalist should be a master of the English language...

I read the article, so I'll discuss it and not it's author. If you had nothing to do with motorsport, you might actually think that was a good story, human interest, ambitious young women, going head to head against a horde of experienced and successful men, in equal equipment, throw in the burly mentor defending the young damsels against Dick Dastardly and the naysayers and it's looking like a Hollywood movie or at least a paperback novel.

But, if you know anything about the sport, it's a load of rubbish. No one is going to bully them in pit lane or the paddock and if they try it on track, there will be repercussions. As to "the Dude", offering to shirt front anyone who gives them grief, well check your CAMS Manual and refer to the part about offering violence or threatening fellow competitors. Motorsport people know the article is less than dishwater and would likely be embarrassed to see the sport shown in such ridiculous light.

A real motorsport journalist simply wouldn't write such guff and that brings us back to our original point...

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by DAVID PATERSON

Surely a journalist should be a master of the English language...

I read the article, so I'll discuss it and not it's author. If you had nothing to do with motorsport, you might actually think that was a good story, human interest, ambitious young women, going head to head against a horde of experienced and successful men, in equal equipment, throw in the burly mentor defending the young damsels against Dick Dastardly and the naysayers and it's looking like a Hollywood movie or at least a paperback novel.

But, if you know anything about the sport, it's a load of rubbish. No one is going to bully them in pit lane or the paddock and if they try it on track, there will be repercussions. As to "the Dude", offering to shirt front anyone who gives them grief, well check your CAMS Manual and refer to the part about offering violence or threatening fellow competitors. Motorsport people know the article is less than dishwater and would likely be embarrassed to see the sport shown in such ridiculous light.

A real motor sport journalist simply wouldn't write such guff and that brings us back to our original point...

No, an old fashion motor sport journalist would have reported the way you want, but times have changed fans want different things now, some want just the facts of the race, other want a human interest stories and still others want the gossip (which is why we have forums)

Lot of old timers just want the facts, where as the fans of v8s want more.
Lot of old timers think women don't belong in motor sport also, thus its good to see the dirty dangerous dude (Auto action wasn't it that came up with that) standing up for them.

[old fart]

Originally Posted by peckstar

No, an old fashion motor sport journalist would have reported the way you want, but times have changed fans want different things now, some want just the facts of the race, other want a human interest stories and still others want the gossip (which is why we have forums)

Lot of old timers just want the facts, where as the fans of v8s want more.
Lot of old timers think women don't belong in motor sport also, thus its good to see the dirty dangerous dude (Auto action wasn't it that came up with that) standing up for them.

As an old timer and an avid motor sport fanatic over the entire spectrum, competitor and official for most of my life I do not concur with some of your comments as per usual.I believe David has provided a well thought out comment.

Any competent journalist would at least use spellcheck and the sub/ or editor should peruse the article to make sure it did not contain spelling or grammatical errors. I don't mind how the article is presented as long as it is factual and rumours etc are acknowledged as such.

I don't know the evidence you have suggesting that old timers think women don't belong in motor sport however ladies of all ages have contributed very successfully to the sport as well as being very competitive indeed and have always been treated as an equal. In fact I met my wife whilst competing at Amaroo Park way back in the 70's and she was more than capable of holding her own against males.

IIRC Paul Morris had used 'Dude' for some time and it was from the ranks of fellow V8 competitors that the 'Dirty Dangerous' was added due to various ontrack incidents.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by old fart

As an old timer and an avid motor sport fanatic over the entire spectrum, competitor and official for most of my life I do not concur with some of your comments as per usual.I believe David has provided a well thought out comment.

Any competent journalist would at least use spellcheck and the sub/ or editor should peruse the article to make sure it did not contain spelling or grammatical errors. I don't mind how the article is presented as long as it is factual and rumours etc are acknowledged as such.

I don't know the evidence you have suggesting that old timers think women don't belong in motor sport however ladies of all ages have contributed very successfully to the sport as well as being very competitive indeed and have always been treated as an equal. In fact I met my wife whilst competing at Amaroo Park way back in the 70's and she was more than capable of holding her own against males.

IIRC Paul Morris had used 'Dude' for some time and it was from the ranks of fellow V8 competitors that the 'Dirty Dangerous' was added due to various ontrack incidents.

Thanks Old fart for proving my point, your thinking of a media from a long time ago, Modern media is fast and punchy and because its not slow errors happen and most people move on because they understand the point.

Ive been reading a lot of comments regarding the girls and many are very negative becasue of there gender, Good on Paul (current Bathurst champion) for giving an opinion on this, Naturally some cranky old people get a bit upset by this and makes for a great story as well which is called promotion

[old fart]

Originally Posted by peckstar

Thanks Old fart for proving my point, your thinking of a media from a long time ago, Modern media is fast and punchy and because its not slow errors happen and most people move on because they understand the point.

Ive been reading a lot of comments regarding the girls and many are very negative becasue of there gender, Good on Paul (current Bathurst champion) for giving an opinion on this, Naturally some cranky old people get a bit upset by this and makes for a great story as well which is called promotion

There is no excuse for sloppiness, whether it be in journalism, driving or life itself. Laziness is often excused as sloppiness in current times - is this what modern media is based upon ?. I don't think lecturers in Media studies and communications would be happy with your assertion.!
Please show me where I have provided proof of your assertions-if you reread my comment I have clearly and concisely stated that I don't mind how the article is written as long as is factual and rumours etc are acknowledged as such.
I am not sure why you are so hell bent on denigrating the older generation as you tend to do in some of your postings. I was educated to believe that everybody has the right to an opinion whether it be correct or not so will not be worried by it all - but remember that sooner than you think you too will be a member of the older generation.

Oh by the way did I mention that spellcheck is a great often under utilised tool?

[racer69]

Originally Posted by peckstar

Modern media is fast and punchy and because its not slow errors happen and most people move on because they understand the point.

What happens when those errors are then used as reference for another story later on. Errors that people 'move on' from have a habit of becoming fact over time...

Originally Posted by peckstar

Ive been reading a lot of comments regarding the girls and many are very negative becasue of there gender, Good on Paul (current Bathurst champion) for giving an opinion on this, Naturally some cranky old people get a bit upset by this and makes for a great story as well which is called promotion

I think your very wide of the mark here, particularly labeling that alot of "old timers think women don't belong in motor sport"

Female participation in motorsport has been accepted & welcomed for many a decade, and I think you could lay a case that there is less female drivers competing in top-level motorsport now than in the 70s & 80s.

I'm sure the 'oldtimers' had just as much respect for the likes of Pat Moss, Michelle Mouton or Cristine Cole as they did for the blokes they were competing at the front of the field with at the time.

Is the negativity your reading about the "Supergirls" entry be perhaps more aimed at the hype behind the entry, rather than with the gender of the drivers who will be behind the wheel?

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by peckstar

Thanks Old fart for proving my point, your thinking of a media from a long time ago, Modern media is fast and punchy and because its not slow errors happen and most people move on because they understand the point.

Or to put it another way, sloppy, rushed, ill thought out and often off the cuff.

Which isn't really journalism, it's internet keyboard warrior.

Journalism is considered, well written, properly researched and informative. Anything that isn't those things isn't journalism. I don't know the gentleman who's the subject of this thread, but I have read one or two of the linked articles. Copywrighter, possibly, journalist? No.

[dsg]

[Starion13]

Big chuckle at above because so true. There's a fine line between good journalism and story telling. That said most mainstream paper journalists are jack of all trades. Good Journo's stand out.... for the right reasons. Knowledge and reliable sources.

[old fart]

Today's Sunday Telegraph has a story scribed by our favourite hack entitled 'Supercar WAGs make fashion pit stop' in which he writes "The trio of ladies will be joined by grid girls, revheads and, of course, the bearded, bonfire-burning bogans at Australia's most colourful race....".
I don't think Supercars will be happy with that after all their efforts to eradicate the bogans over the years and promoting the safe family spectating aspect.

[peckstar]

Seems to be a lot of discussion going on in multiple threads about James and his writing on Australian motorsport.

Thought we could bring it all together here so as not to be off topic in those threads

[Mixer]

My mother told me if I didn't have anything nice to say, to say nothing....

[Axeman444]

Get News to replace him with someone, Foges, Noonz, Branners? and get him off of our TV and Internet capable screens

[redesp]

Originally Posted by Axeman444

Get News to replace him with someone, Foges, Noonz, Branners? and get him off of our TV and Internet capable screens

+1

[ford71]

Originally Posted by peckstar

Seems to be a lot of discussion going on in multiple threads about James and his writing on Australian motorsport.

Thought we could bring it all together here so as not to be off topic in those threads

Giving him his own thread will make it easier for him to find it

[Axeman444]

So Chris Pither has given him a spray. The two most recent Inside Supercars I have seen he has been responded to with obvious distaste by guests - Garth Tander, Tim Slade and Barry Ryan. Does anyone in the motorsport industry actually respect the guy?

[Langers]

Originally Posted by Axeman444

So Chris Pither has given him a spray.

Where?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by Axeman444

So Chris Pither has given him a spray. The two most recent Inside Supercars I have seen he has been responded to with obvious distaste by guests - Garth Tander, Tim Slade and Barry Ryan. Does anyone in the motorsport industry actually respect the guy?

Given that he is sort of an "inside man" I am not sure his position is tenable if he keeps on upsetting stake holders in the business.

[TSR]

Good on you Chris Pither, would love to see other driver speak there mind on this grub Phelps and other topics

[m00neelee]

Originally Posted by Langers

Where?

https://www.facebook.com/icebreakrac...128240075805:0

good to see one of the 'battlers' standing up for themselves, their team, and the sport as a whole.

<quote>Yes, Phelps comments disappointed me. Not the fact he had a shot at my team and I by saying the race we started on pole looked like a reverse grid race. More the fact, his negativity to the sport that we all love. Does the sport do anything he likes?</quote>

[Umai Naa]

Yeah, full credit to Chris Pither for not making it just about himself, which others might have.

Incredibly poor taste from someone who is meant to be the mainstream media representative of the sport, given what had happened with the team at the time.

[peckstar]

What i love about some of the people who post about James Phelps is that their posts prove they have no idea and shouldn't be listened too

If he writes something positive they blast him as a V8S stooge, if he writes something negative the same posters blast him for writing something negative

Posters on here who were negative when Chris went to SBR now suddenly come to his defense

the lesson to be learnt, for James, dont listen to the posters on here James, they have no idea what they think

[Umai Naa]

Anything for an argument you might think you'll win, yeah?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by peckstar

If he writes something positive they blast him as a V8S stooge, if he writes something negative the same posters blast him for writing something negative

I don't like the guy for the most part, we have much more qualified and respected people who could do what he does, but at the end of the day he is who he is. People can call him a V8 stooge because sometimes he is, just prints PR drivel, and there's never any analysis or expert comment.

Then he comes out and prints quite aggressive stuff about Erebus, some of which is proven to be untrue, some of which was disputed by Barry Hay but nobody really knows the truth.

I think Chris is fair in his comments, I don't think his pole deserved to be described in the way that it was. I also agree that Phelps does not have the cred that one of the racing commentators had, and he perhaps should watch his mouth a little.

[peckstar]

James Phelps has been writing about v8 supercars for over ten years, he has the cred

and he can say what he wants.

The previous Newscorp Motorsport journalist struggled to see pay HRT, James on the otehr hand covers the whole field

wonder how many people have just gone to Pithers FB who have never been there before. Goal achieved