Three Questions

[macdaddy]

1 - In the paddock, how do the mechanics stay so clean? I'm watching a homevid from Detroit right now, and it reminds me of how white everybody's whites were. Myself, I get filthy dirty just by checking my oil dipstick. These guys are tearing engnes apart, and yet they look like they've just walked out of a Tide commercial!

2 - Ever wonder how many drivers went off because of something as simple as a sneeze? I would've hated to be racing with hayfever, in Michigan in July!

3 - How can he be leading when there's someone in front of him?
(My friend's wife asked me this at MIS one year)

My apologies if I've wasted your time. But I've been ever-curious.

And a don't hurt!

[brightline]

Three Answers:

1. Don't wipe your dipstick off on your shirt

2. Drivers don't make mistakes like that, the car was loose in the corner.

3. Always leading...Always chasing. I believe this is what Timon and Pumbaa referred to as the circle of life in the Lion King. Well kind of, sort of, ok...not at all.

[marcus]

the eternal motorsport questions there macdaddy

I love em.

Havent got a clue about the answers but I still love em

[jjspierx]

1. Simple, the cars are torn down and throughly cleaned after every race in the confines of the teams shop. There, the mechanics wear greasy, oily, dirty coveralls like every other mechanic. When the car gets to the track for race weekends, it is so clean that there is little grime to rub off on the mechanics team uniforms.

2. This one is simple too. All the good drivers are actually robots. Robots don't suffer from hey-fever.

3. No comment

[KC]

It took us a few months to get the race boat to the point that we could change the oil or reset the valve lash and stay clean. It makes it nice. It can be done, but it requires everyone in the team making cleanliness an effort. One person doesn'ty wipe off a dirty part or clean up a leak and that will spread and attract dirt and soon its on everything the mechanics touch and work with.

[codename_47]

Originally posted by macdaddy
3 - How can he be leading when there's someone in front of him?
(My friend's wife asked me this at MIS one year)
[/B]

Because, if you look closely dear, that car that's in front of the leader is slightly different. It has a roof, flashing lights on the top.....and look, it's peeling off into the pits now, so there you see

*Rest of sentance obscured by huge amount of noise of cars gaining full speed*

[Snrub]

As for the dirt question, jjspierx answered it pretty well. Also race cars don't drive that many miles like your street car getting junk all over the engine bay and they most certainly clean them. A guy I met who races in the CASC series put his car in car shows (just from the perspective of seeing a nice car, it looked stock) and the show room of the dealership he works at.

[cartpix]

1. These ARE professionals, DON'T try this at home.

2. Same as above.

3. Silly girl.

Jeff

[Dov]

(1)All ChampCar mechanics are supplied with "Stain Repellant" clothing from Mark's Work Wearhouse!

(2)Most people don't know this but todays visors are equipped with small wipers (like winshield wipers) just in case the driver(s) may sneeze! LOL

(3)Cartpix is right.....only a woman would ask such a question! *runsandducksforcover*

[Snrub]

3? Seeing as three of our most hardcore and knowledgable members are women...

[Dov]

Boy, people are so serious these days!!

[Liz]

(1) They have overalls that they take off before being seen by the public, much like the pinafores we girls wore as children. Don't look too closely at the overalls.

(2) A really good driver can sneeze with his eyes open. (Notice that Marcus Gronholm never blinks while driving. Even non-Finns can learn this.)

(3) Because his contract specifies that no matter where he may appear to be on the track, he is always leading the race. (a) Because good boys take turns; it's his turn. (b) It's an oval, dear; nobody is leading when everyone's driving in a circle. The guy wins is the one who doesn't crash.

[Tailwind]

[QUOTE

(2) A really good driver can sneeze with his eyes open. (Notice that Marcus Gronholm never blinks while driving. Even non-Finns can learn this.)

(QUOTE]


My aunt told me when I was little that if I sneezed with my eyes open, my eyes would pop out of the sockets. Thinking that would be neat, I tried many times after that to hold my eyelids open when sneezing to see if it was true. Never got it to work. These drivers must be real good to be able to handle all that while rounding a curve.

[drewdawg727]

they put on a see-through plastic sheet before they clean the car
then they rip off that layer of skin and VOILA! there you have a nice clean mechanic

...you know i fudged that right?

[Dov]

Originally posted by Liz
(2) A really good driver can sneeze with his eyes open. (Notice that Marcus Gronholm never blinks while driving. Even non-Finns can learn this.)

Even if they keep their eyes open while they sneeze, how can they see through the residue left on their visors?! As I mentioned in one of my earlier threads, all ChampCar drivers are now outfitted with miniature windshield wipers on the inside of their visors!! LOL

[enemy-ace]

I race karts and also suffer from seasonal allergies. I have never felt the urge to sneeze while racing. I think the adrenaline coursing through my system may over-ride the allergies.

[cartpix]

Even if they did sneeze, it wouldn't make it through the Nomex belaclava.

Jeff

[Amar7605]

1) Whenever the crew goes in the trailer, they have a new set of clothes waiting for them. Also, in the trailers are a full-service laundromat and dry cleaners.

2) I think that Adrian Fernandez sneezed with 30 laps to go at Fontana 2001 to cause him to crash into the Turn 3 wall

3) If you don't know already, then I can't explain it to you