Are you grateful for America?

[Irish Caesar]

Yeah not that I want to demean Nascar but it it somewhat easier to drive around a "circular" track as oposed to rallying, those uneven ground tracks really test a drivers skill, Formula 1 also at least has some seriously hard tracks to negotiate, with cars that'll spin you out instantly if you lose concentration. I mean as Senna said "Monaco is like riding round your living room on a bike"

Juan Pablo Montoya will be in NASCAR next year, we'll see what he has to say about the two series.

 

[GinandTonic]

Juan Pablo Montoya will be in NASCAR next year, we'll see what he has to say about the two series.

Be interesting to see how he does.

Has anyone ever shifted the other way? Not easy to get the wheel of a car worth tens of millions gbp (100's if you drive for ferrari).

 

[Sidhe]

Juan Pablo Montoya will be in NASCAR next year, we'll see what he has to say about the two series.

Yeah but to be honest it's an elephants graveyard of good racers. Oh I was only joking anyway. I'm sure the skills still there. But as Davo said it'd be interesting to see them go the other way.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Has anyone ever shifted the other way? Not easy to get the wheel of a car worth tens of millions gbp (100's if you drive for ferrari).

I don't know of any off the top of my head, most American stock-car drivers would probably have a bigger fan base and more money and stay closer to home by sticking with NASCAR.

 

[GinandTonic]

I don't know of any off the top of my head, most American stock-car drivers would probably have a bigger fan base and more money and stay closer to home by sticking with NASCAR.

Really! Schumacher makes 41 million us basic salary. I was under the impression F1 drivers were wildly the best paid in the world.

EDIT Acording to USA Today total comensation PA for a NASCAR driver car be 10 million us, so some way short of F1's 10-40 million basic. Notional search though on my part, tell me if Im wrong.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Really! Schumacher makes 41 million us basic salary. I was under the impression F1 drivers were wildly the best paid in the world.

Didn't realize it was that much, but Schumacher is also head and shoulders above any other driver in any series anywhere in the world, no?

I don't know what NASCAR drivers make in comparison; the information is generally kept private, although it's certainly millions upon millions. Earnings just for finishing races is here, and the points championship pays several millions more--11th place is worth a million dollars. Certainly a big chunk of change, and the ability to be back home in North Carolina shortly after the race is over is a pretty big plus.

Upon further review, it appears that Jeff Gordon made around $11 million in 2004 aside from race earnings of $8.3 million. Not even close to Schumi's $41M, but not a bad deal, either.

What's a capacity crowd for an F1 race?

 

[GinandTonic]

Didn't realize it was that much, but Schumacher is also head and shoulders above any other driver in any series anywhere in the world, no?

I believe he is twice the nearest or somesuch. Not in anyway the general rule anyho.

What's a capacity crowd for an F1 race?

Not sure. In the 100k's I believe but F1's never been my thing at all. To me it associates with being bored around saturday lunchtime, waiting to go out or what have you.

 

[Rik Meleet]

You'd never see a finish like this in F1

But to each their own.

You never get finishes like this one outside formula 1.

 

[Irish Caesar]

You never get finishes like this one outside formula 1.

Was that the actual commentary? The announcer just says "zut" in an uninterested voice?

 

[Mytigodess]

The great thing about the US is even if there are numerous problems within the system, the people are always in a position to fix it as long as they get off their butts and work for a solution. All this political division that has plagued the country for the past decade needs to stop. It is the people that make America what it is for good or bad. What Americans do can benefit or hurt others because of its superpower status. Americans may not do them directly, but the people we elect to represent us do.

The US is no angel, but it is not the world devil either. It is doing what it needs to do to survive like any other country is doing. If any other nation were in the same position, I don't see that they would do any differently.

All nations have a chance to rise and to fall. The US will one day fall, but it is a young country and is at a pivotal time in history where it could fall shortly or set foot on the road to even more power.

The US is great, but so are other countries. America doesn't own greatness. There have been many great things to come out of the country which has benefitted the rest of the world. There have also been some bad things which have hurt others. I guess one would be grateful to America if it has benefitted them, but would not be grateful if the American policies have crippled their country.

I am guessing countries like Iraq and Afghanistan have many people who are not grateful to the US while those in Western European nations may have some who are a bit more grateful, but think the US should be equally grateful to them in return.

 

[Smidgey]

I voted not sure. I love the founding ideals of the USA and the founding fathers and so on. America has certainly done the world a great service. However, there are plenty of hypocritical things too and plenty of bad things aswell.

Every country has them, and I could make a list of the pros and cons of any country. Some are worse than others. America is probably one of the better nations on this planet, but I really think you guys shouldn't have re-elected Bush.

 

[Phlegmak]

... I really think you guys shouldn't have re-elected Bush.

You have no idea how embarrassing it is that he got reelected. It makes me feel like this really isn't my country. I couldn't agree more that he shouldn't have been reelected.

 

[Smidgey]

You have no idea how embarrassing it is that he got reelected. It makes me feel like this really isn't my country. I couldn't agree more that he shouldn't have been reelected.

I feel exactly the same with Tony Blair...

 

[sonorakitch]

I love the CFC. How on earth a discussion from being grateful to the US turns into a NASCAR vs. F1 debate, complete with sideline commentary I will never know...

~Chris

 

[brachy-pride]

I am grateful, for example, because they helped beat the nazis,

but regarding latin america, I cant think of a single good thing the USA has done for Latin America, from their war against Mexico, to the spanish american war, to their influence in creating panama out of colombia to get the canal (well, that could be a good thing for the people of panama maybe?), to the pro american dictatorships in the XX century.

It is not that I want or demand that they treat as nicely or help us, if they dont pay any attention to latin america at all, like they have been doing the past years due to the war in the middle east/war agaisnt terror, thats enough and I am happy, because if the USA pays attention, it is to screw us.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

You never get finishes like this one outside formula 1.

Heh, nice.

Hey F1 is good. Im love anything racing. F1, A1, Moto GP, Champcars, Indy, Nascar. All have their own characteristics. Nascar is not about driving the track, it's about driving your oponents. There's lots of tactics going on I really enjoy.

And be fair, some F1 races I have seen where just about driving behind each other, because ovetaking was too hard, and the only overtaking that happed was in the pits. I saw a final lap in Nascar (or Indy ... not sure, it was an oval anyway) with 7 different riders overtaking the leader, in the final lap. They finished 4 wide.

Anyway, good going Nicky Hayden Never thought he'd pull it off

To each their own

 

[Bugfatty300]

I am grateful, for example, because they helped beat the nazis,

but regarding latin america, I cant think of a single good thing the USA has done for Latin America, from their war against Mexico, to the spanish american war, to their influence in creating panama out of colombia to get the canal (well, that could be a good thing for the people of panama maybe?), to the pro american dictatorships in the XX century.

Then again I can't think of a single good thing that Latin America has ever done for the USA.

 

[Lotus49]

America has plenty of history participating in F1 (though not as much in recent years), so I don't get the argument above.

 

[willemvanoranje]

Then again I can't think of a single good thing that Latin America has ever done for the USA.

Be the periphery and provide the developped countries with cheap resources and a market to dump the end-products made from those same resources...and effectively sending a netto flow of money towards the developped counties?