The Best Current Non F1 Driver

[entropy]

For his first NASCAR race SVG just qualified P3 for the inaugural Chicago street race after previously headed practice.

No clips of Gizzy in the highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zaCXSUVCYk

[hammo19]

Another vote here for Harry King and Ash Sutton both similar drivers, blisteringly fast and fearless.

[LukeBrown66]

Yes, but what else have they done??

[MissChief]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPFJWoCILmY

Live stream of SVG in car at the Nascar race.

[Dan BSCS]

Dan BSCS said:

Yeah, as I said, Scott is an exceptional driver but so far we have only seen him in single seaters and V8s. SVG has excelled in V8s, Single seaters, GT3, LMP2 and WRC2. It’s difficult to think of another modern day driver with that level of diversity.

To add to the already impressive list above SVG has just won his first ever race in the Top Tier NASCAR Cup series. First driver to do that in 60 years. Not only did he win but he looked totally dominant. Some boy!

Edited by Dan BSCS on Monday 3rd July 13:28

[ArnageWRC]

Yeah, for me he's the current No1....quick in everything. Being good in one car is one thing, he's proved it in many different cars.

[LukeBrown66]

That is the key to being considered a true great and it does not happen often enough sadly.

Not enough drivers or riders for that mater or even allowed to try other things.

I would suggest Romain Dumas as one, he has done a fair few things, you have to stick Nando in there for what he did during his time out, I know he is a huge star and doing things coz you are being paid is different to wanting to do them on your own, but he still did them and was largely a success.

I also have massive respect for Jenson trying as much as he is trying. And for that matter Jimmie Johnson too, not all of it successful, but at least he is trying.

I would also stick Valentino Rossi in this chat, he has done a fair bit of rallying, obviously bikes to the highest level and now trying to carve himself out a career in GT and maybe prototype racing, he is doing well, doing it the right way and improving.

[WonkeyDonkey]

Dan BSCS said:

Just to give this a bump. To add to the already impressive list above SVG has just won his first ever race in the Top Tier NASCAR Cup series. First driver to do that in 60 years. Not only did he win but he looked totally dominant. Some boy!

He even got caught out by strategy and ended down in P18 with about 20 laps to go!

I tuned in to the nascar last night to see how Jenson got on but I ended up glued to the TV and am now a SVG fan!

Puts another nail in the coffin for me watching F1 when Nascar can be more entertaining round a street course with no DRS or other gimmicks.

[mat205125]

Kevin Estre

[TO73074E]

amongst some others already mentioned I'll throw Sebastian Ogier in there.

Edited by TO73074E on Monday 3rd July 12:56

[LukeBrown66]

F1 is in a weird place, the racing and output does not in any way match what is being said and the hysteria from fans and the media about it, it is Emporers New clothes in a perfect model.

Those with some intelligence will not be force fed this tripe and for a long time have sought racing elsewhere and thankfully found it in many other places.

As for best non F1 driver I would say there are hundreds, literally hundreds who race more, pass more people, take more risk, display their skills, engage with more fans, are less petulant cretins, do more for their teams and fans, there are hundreds if not thousands of drivers out there who are doing more for the sport than ANY current f1 driver is.

And I might add being paid considerably less, whining less, and driving better.

It is up to fans to find that out for themselves, sadly most race fans are seemingly being offered up the utter garbage that is modern f1 currently and happy with it, which means they in reality do not really understand what race driving is truly all about.

I saw more skill displayed in about half an hour at Le Mans int he rain than I have seen in f1 for about 10 years.

And being brutally honest I am happy that the media, and fake fans dont care, because I KNOW the difference, I an gloat about that knowing I am right! lol

[ArnageWRC]

TO73074E said:

amongst some others already mentioned I'll throw Sebastian Ogier in there.

Edited by TO73074E on Monday 3rd July 12:56

As a rally driver he's up there; but he doesn't have the versatility of some of the others - in fact he was pretty average in the LMP2 car last year; and cut short his programme.
And it has to be said, the WRC top class has a small number of competitors....a bit different to taking on 20-30 others in similar spec machines.

[TO73074E]

ArnageWRC said:

As a rally driver he's up there; but he doesn't have the versatility of some of the others - in fact he was pretty average in the LMP2 car last year; and cut short his programme.
And it has to be said, the WRC top class has a small number of competitors....a bit different to taking on 20-30 others in similar spec machines.

Very true, I used to think of rallying as the pinnacle of motorsport for any driver. If you can win a WRC you could win any other track based competition but it's clearly not the case. I think the variables in rallying are much higher though which increases difficulty, track constantly changing, quality of pace notes etc. Rally drivers have beaten other competitors at Race of Champions, Ogier beat Tom Kristensen in 2011 for example. Although I cannot think off the top of my head of any rally drivers who have succesfully crossed over into track racing and been hugely successful?

On the other side, which ex-F1 drivers have had success in rallying? Former F1 world champion Raikkonen certainly wasn't. Robert Kubica had more success in rallying so on an equal playing field is he a better driver than Raikkonen?

Van Gisbergen undoubtedly stands out above other drivers who have crossed over to other motorsports.

[Genuine Barn Find]

Lotterer has to be up there, but for outright pace Estre edges it for me.

[ChevronB19]

TO73074E said:

Van Gisbergen undoubtedly stands out above other drivers who have crossed over to other motorsports.

Not in the current period, but John Surtees must surely be the most successful as world motorbike champion then becoming F1 champion?

[MissChief]

ChevronB19 said:

TO73074E said:

Van Gisbergen undoubtedly stands out above other drivers who have crossed over to other motorsports.

Not in the current period, but John Surtees must surely be the most successful as world motorbike champion then becoming F1 champion?

Best Non-F1 driver though?

[freedman]

ChevronB19 said:

Not in the current period, but John Surtees must surely be the most successful as world motorbike champion then becoming F1 champion?

Surtees and Hailwood are the only two true bike/car successes

Jacky Ickx is head and shoulders above anyone else as far as cross car discipline, surely

Twice world sports car champion
6 x Le Mans winner
Paris Dakar winner
Can Am Champion
Bathurst 1000 winner
Spa 24 Hours winner
F2 Champion
Twice F1 runner up with 8 wins

[LukeBrown66]

Yes but that was 40 bloody years ago, hardly the point, a lot of drivers did a lot of different things back then.

I think SvG is right up there currently.

But there are thousands of guys who race more, pass more people, deal with more than any current F1 driver does, and most get paid a pittance in comparison!

[Ahonen]

freedman said:

Surtees and Hailwood are the only two true bike/car successes

Jacky Ickx is head and shoulders above anyone else as far as cross car discipline, surely

Twice world sports car champion
6 x Le Mans winner
Paris Dakar winner
Can Am Champion
Bathurst 1000 winner
Spa 24 Hours winner
F2 Champion
Twice F1 runner up with 8 wins

Ickx would be behind Vic Elford though, of course - the most versatile ever. Vic was competitive and successful in:

Rally
Rallycross
Circuit racing (Sebring 12, Daytona 24 winner, multiple lap records in sportscar racing etc etc)
Targa Florio
CanAm
Nascar (Daytona 500)
Touring cars
And came 4th in his F1 debut in a terrible Cooper.

Not bad for a bloke who only raced full time for about six years.

[freedman]

Ahonen said:

Ickx would be behind Vic Elford though, of course - the most versatile ever. Vic was competitive and successful in:

Rally
Rallycross
Circuit racing (Sebring 12, Daytona 24 winner, multiple lap records in sportscar racing etc etc)
Targa Florio
CanAm
Nascar (Daytona 500)
Touring cars
And came 4th in his F1 debut in a terrible Cooper.

Not bad for a bloke who only raced full time for about six years.

Quick Vic was of course awesome, but nowhere near as successful as Ickx in F1 or sportscars overall