Brandon Newey Onboard Footage

[Bob Wright]

We should go back to the regularly scheduled program about how good the kids were in F1600 this year...

My parents have never been to one of my races; they don't want to know, don't own a car , don't have driver's licenses, and are not sure I'm even their son...

[racinray]

I have to say that I have to be one of the luckiest racers out there. Although my parents thought I was crazy for wanting to quit college to become a professional race car driver (which they didn't allow and it is a good thing that they didn't!), they come to all the races that they can. I don't think they have seen a wreck that I have been in as it happened but they have certainly seen the aftermath and have always been very supportive -- concerned but supportive.

On top of that, my wife is my crew and she has seen the car come back on the hook many times (unfortunately). She doesn't freak out when things go wrong (she even saw the 6 car wreck that I was in at WG this year) and knows that it is just part of racing. She understands that there is a risk of being out there but supports me anyway. Plus she does a great job as crew!

Ray

[Tiago Santos]

Every time my wife has been to the track to watch me race (maybe 5 or 6 times?) my car has DNF'd. She hasn't seen me finish a race, ever.

[stonebridge20]

[QUOTE]

We should go back to the regularly scheduled program about how good the kids were in F1600 this year...

I'm not sure I would call them good. Fast? Yes,.....crazy fast! I think by some of the video posted that the driving was very poor. If some of the "kids" spent more time looking in front of them and less in the mirrors and actually arrived at a corner on the proper side of the race track, that they would be able to gap the guy that they work so hard at taking away the inside line from.
Drifting across a strait and running a guy into the grass or sticking your nose half way up the side of the car that has the line into a corner and "hooking" him or even bump drafting someone that your attempting to pass at the end of a long strait, wouldn't be defined as good driving in my book.
What they need is some geezer like me that could run fast enough to stay with them (which will never happen) and teach them how to actually race someone. I would think any driving coach worth half his weight in salt could sit down with some of the "kids" and their video and make them MUCH better drivers in about 10 minutes.

My fees are reasonable

[Mike Scanlan]

Late 90's, Lime Rock, left rear stub axle breaks on my DB-1, in the Downhill in qualifying, couple of barrel rolls and a couple of endos and I'm over the berm hanging from a tree above the creek, no bodywork, no corners. The cornerworker yells down at me and I tell him I'm ok and he hollars back to the stand 'he's alive'. The only thing left on the car was the radio, still working, my 16 year old son comes on (he saw it all from the pits) and asks if we can fix it, I say 'no I don't think so' and he asks if we should go up the hill and tell Mom (who was thankfully out of view). She hasn't seen me race since.

[iamuwere]

[QUOTE=stonebridge20;365573]

I would think any driving coach worth half his weight in salt could sit down with some of the "kids" and their video and make them MUCH better drivers in about 10 minutes.

My fees are reasonable

That might be the problem. This year I have heard more from driver coaches harassing why a young driver let someone up the inside or didn't take a dive pass. That is the coaching in professional driving. If you are not aggressive, you are not winning.

[Tracy Simmons]

As we watch these videos, we need to keep in mind that these kids are on the way up, not down like most of us. The driving is for one purpose, to win at all costs. Most of them dont have to work on monday and are not paying for the car. They can wad the car on Saturday, race on Sunday in a new car and then fly home and back to school on Monday. I envy them in that respect. The mind is clear and focused on one thing. This is a Pro series and not a SCCA regional. I wouldnt expect or appreciate this kind of driving in a regional race where it is all about fun and bringing home the car and yourself in one piece.

These kids are aggressive though. Good to see out of our future F1 pilots.

Being new to the FF scene, how would these kids stack up at the Runoffs? Would they run off and leave the current field that shows up, or do you think they would just battle the current guys running up front? Do any of the runoff regulars run the FF1600 series?

[TimH]

Being new to the FF scene, how would these kids stack up at the Runoffs? Would they run off and leave the current field that shows up, or do you think they would just battle the current guys running up front? Do any of the runoff regulars run the FF1600 series?

Tomorrow (or the next days) you'll get a chance to race with Cameron Kaminsky. He was competitive but not dominant in the Pacific F2000 series, hopes to go to Europe next year. He may be a tick faster or slower than Jim, Will, Bill, and Jens, runs hard but as far as I can tell always races clean.

Too nice a kid to make it big time, IMO, which is a sad commentary on where motorsports has gone in recent decades.

[LenFC11]

seems the down hill at LRP is not the place for mom's.. i had a big off in '07 was knocked out a few mins.. mom as never come to a race since.. somehow she assumed i was done with this "ridiculousness" even offered to put a pool in my back yard if i didn't rebuild car.. but i know that would have been for her anyway