The Best Excuse Ever?

[woof]

Coppice worms - that's all i have to say on the matter

[HereBeMonsters]

moffspeed said:

Monaco 1984, a very wet race in which Nigel Mansell spins out of the lead in his Lotus and clouts the Armco.

True to form this wasn't Nigel's fault but, as he explained, was due to a "little patch of white paint" that some Monegasque road-worker had outrageously painted onto the tarmac surface...

I seem to recall him using that excuse in Monaco in 1988 as well. And Adelaide.

[Rude-boy]

There was also the celebrated excuse from the manager of a manufacturer backed endurance racing team in the '80 who gave a television interview following the retirement of their car. According to the team manager the car had retired due to low oil pressure. On the first take the, not so happy driver, could be heard in the background shouting "yes, all the oil fell out the F*****g great hole in the block."

[sheps]

A wet curb

[El Guapo]

mattikake said:

His peak was never there, IMO.

You don´t rate Schumacher then?

[turbo-ww]

sheps said:

A wet curb

Topical eh?

[a8hex]

Alfie Noakes said:

JH said that when Ferrari describe a failure as electrical what they mean is a con rod came through the block and knocked the distributor cap off!

I remember reading a column by a racing journalist (sorry no idea who) who had gone round to the pits to see if he could get any more information on a "small oil leak" and one of the mechanics showed him a destroyed block with a rod through the side. "I think the oil might have come out of here"

[Derek Smith]

a8hex said:

Alfie Noakes said:

JH said that when Ferrari describe a failure as electrical what they mean is a con rod came through the block and knocked the distributor cap off!

I remember reading a column by a racing journalist (sorry no idea who) who had gone round to the pits to see if he could get any more information on a "small oil leak" and one of the mechanics showed him a destroyed block with a rod through the side. "I think the oil might have come out of here"

Going back a few weeks now I know but I was at Clearways when the Ferrari breadvan engine expired in a two stage process. From chatting to the mechanics in the pits it would appear that a valve head had become spearated from the stem - those not mechanically minded must trust me when I say this is not a good thing. This caused the head to fracture on one bank. Something was catapulted into the air. The rear of the car started to slide and then the other bank, this time nearest us spectators, blew, with bits of engine dropping onto the track where, thankfully, there was a newly established oil bath so they wouldn't rust.

It was, to say the least, spectacular.

It seems it was a gearbox failure, at least according to the Ferrari 'press release'.

[groomi]

moffspeed said:

Monaco 1984, a very wet race in which Nigel Mansell spins out of the lead in his Lotus and clouts the Armco.

True to form this wasn't Nigel's fault but, as he explained, was due to a "little patch of white paint" that some Monegasque road-worker had outrageously painted onto the tarmac surface...

Edited by moffspeed on Wednesday 5th May 21:31

Wasn't that the race that there were about 8 different leaders who all crashed out at various stages?

[heebeegeetee]

mattikake said:

As for how he wasn't so outstanding at the start and end of his career and who this differs to; how about Fangio, Moss, Clark, Stewart, Prost, Senna, Hamilton (so far)... to name but a few? Albeit with a hetfy dose of subjectivity of course.

(Sorry, only just seen this.)

Nome of them were at their peak when they started. Well, I hope Lewis didn't peak. Fangio arguably still was when he retired, after a comparitvely much shorter F1 career, but Moss, Clark and Senna had their careers ended for them, as did Stewart arguably, after being so upset at the loss of Cevert. I don't think Prost's year at Williams was his best.

As for Schumacher being the best of the rest during the Senna-Prost-mansell-Piquet years - wasn't Schumacher in Formula Ford then?

[groomi]

heebeegeetee said:

As for Schumacher being the best of the rest during the Senna-Prost-mansell-Piquet years - wasn't Schumacher in Formula Ford then?

He had about a season and a half agains Mansell and Prost, two and a half against Senna and none against Piquet.

But he was at the beginning of his career driving a Jordan to learn clutch control and then then moving to Benetton who had at that point never really won anything, while Mansell, Senna and Prost were all battling to see out their careers in the dominant Williams.

[Tango13]

jt racing said:

Can't remember which two it was but i do remember one motorcycle racer calimimg he fell because he lost his contact lens, And then the following rider jokingly claiming he lost the front on the guys contact!!

It was Freddy Spencer who lost the contact lens and Rob Mac who claimed to have lost the front end on it!

My personal favourite is from the late Joey Dunlop, multiple F1 (bike) world champion and all round genuine bloke.He had alledgedly been using a spectator as a braking marker when he crashed, his excuse?

"The girl in the red dress fked off!"

[splodge s4]

Barrichello at last years Monaco was complaining at the end 'I had a grainy rear for most of the race'

Painful

[HiRich]

Tango13 said:

"The girl in the red dress fked off!"

Is there not a similar story involving Fangio and a large stone that turned out to be a tortoise?