Racing drivers today are a bunch of wimps...

[Streetrod]

I posted this video in the classic section but then realised I should have posted it here. I would have loved to find out what the racers mindset was back in the day. Were they brave or just plain stupid? You decide......

http://devour.com/video/vintage-race-car-crashes/

[28jaguar]

I wonder by how much the current nature of racing would be different, particularly in F1, if the drivers knew they were a good chance of getting hurt if they got involved in an accident? And whether that would affect the type of driver teams choose to drive their cars?

[Skii]

1:40 - he's come to rest sitting upside down in the drivers seat !

[CocoUK]

I don't agree with the thread title - but what a fantastic video, those boys really put their balls on the line, incredible.

[Life Saab Itch]

But racing drivers today are, more often than not, alive.

Quite a few of those crashes resulted in deaths.

[ChiChoAndy]

Do you want it to go back to those days? Men killed for entertainment week in, week out? I don't, and the suggestion that current race drivers are a bunch of wimps is very far of the mark.

[CDP]

ChiChoAndy said:

Do you want it to go back to those days? Men killed for entertainment week in, week out? I don't, and the suggestion that current race drivers are a bunch of wimps is very far of the mark.

Maybe the OP would like to see the re-introduction of gladiators hacking each other to death too?

[ChiChoAndy]

CDP said:

Maybe the OP would like to see the re-introduction of gladiators hacking each other to death too?

Indeed... Those chaps were far from wimps also.

[pixelpimp]

Morbid.

[Eric Mc]

No particular interest in watching the linked video but it wasn't a question of older generation drivers being braver, it was more an acceptance of danger being part of what they did. It's the same atitude that still affects those who take part in extreme sports/activities like base jumping, mountain climbing or pot-holing. Space Shuttle crews also had the "I know this is a highly risky activity but the reward is worth the risk" atitude.

[GAjon]

I don't think the mind set of drivers of any era differs, they're niether stupid or brave, they're not doing it for our entertainment, they do because they want to, its thier passion and thrill.

[SamAlien]

28jaguar said:

I wonder by how much the current nature of racing would be different, particularly in F1, if the drivers knew they were a good chance of getting hurt if they got involved in an accident? And whether that would affect the type of driver teams choose to drive their cars?

They still DO have a good chance of getting hurt. They're travelling at over 200mph!! I really don't understand how people think modern drivers don't have guts.

Go down a steep grassy hill at full pelt on a bicycle. You're probably not going to get killed, but you might get some serious hoppers. It still takes guts. Now multiply that by 100 and maybe you're close to F1.

[Al W]

I can't believe some of those weren't fatal.

Wasn't it Frank Gardner who said something like: I don't want to be the fastest racing driver, just the oldest

[Streetrod]

ChiChoAndy said:

CDP said:

Maybe the OP would like to see the re-introduction of gladiators hacking each other to death too?

Indeed... Those chaps were far from wimps also.

Wow! Wow! Chaps, that was never my intention. I just wanted to illustrate the difference between then and now. The drivers back in the day did what they did because it was a personal challenge. They new the risks but were still willing week after week to get into those cars knowing that there was a high chance they might not be alive by the end of the race. I have a huge admiration for what they did.

Racing by comparison today could almost be regarded as a safe sport, but as we all know that is not the case.

The title of this thread was meant to be ironic and nothing else....

[Jame5]

28jaguar said:

I wonder by how much the current nature of racing would be different, particularly in F1, if the drivers knew they were a good chance of getting hurt if they got involved in an accident? And whether that would affect the type of driver teams choose to drive their cars?

Of course no one would ever want to return to drivers getting killed every season but it would teach a fair few of today's F1 drivers the art of race craft...

When that genuine chance of death was present drivers had the upmost respect for each other when going wheel to wheel on the race track. It would make ''sending it up the inside and hoping for the best'' a serious life choice!! Whereas in modern motor racing there is little to no risk in silly moves like this.

[28jaguar]

Jame5 said:

28jaguar said:

I wonder by how much the current nature of racing would be different, particularly in F1, if the drivers knew they were a good chance of getting hurt if they got involved in an accident? And whether that would affect the type of driver teams choose to drive their cars?

Of course no one would ever want to return to drivers getting killed every season but it would teach a fair few of today's F1 drivers the art of race craft...

When that genuine chance of death was present drivers had the upmost respect for each other when going wheel to wheel on the race track. It would make ''sending it up the inside and hoping for the best'' a serious life choice!! Whereas in modern motor racing there is little to no risk in silly moves like this.

So, you're saying it would greatly affect the nature of the racing?

[SteveJA360]

CDP said:

Maybe the OP would like to see the re-introduction of gladiators hacking each other to death too?

Well thats one solution to the jail population crisis

[28jaguar]

SamAlien said:

28jaguar said:

I wonder by how much the current nature of racing would be different, particularly in F1, if the drivers knew they were a good chance of getting hurt if they got involved in an accident? And whether that would affect the type of driver teams choose to drive their cars?

They still DO have a good chance of getting hurt. They're travelling at over 200mph!! I really don't understand how people think modern drivers don't have guts.

Go down a steep grassy hill at full pelt on a bicycle. You're probably not going to get killed, but you might get some serious hoppers. It still takes guts. Now multiply that by 100 and maybe you're close to F1.

I was posing the question, not questioning whether or not the current drivers have guts. Also, they don't go at 200mph that often, and if they do they're going straight, and with three, four tonnes of downforce I'd imagine they'd be "relatively" comfortable.

[Jame5]

28jaguar said:

Jame5 said:

28jaguar said:

I wonder by how much the current nature of racing would be different, particularly in F1, if the drivers knew they were a good chance of getting hurt if they got involved in an accident? And whether that would affect the type of driver teams choose to drive their cars?

Of course no one would ever want to return to drivers getting killed every season but it would teach a fair few of today's F1 drivers the art of race craft...

When that genuine chance of death was present drivers had the upmost respect for each other when going wheel to wheel on the race track. It would make ''sending it up the inside and hoping for the best'' a serious life choice!! Whereas in modern motor racing there is little to no risk in silly moves like this.

So, you're saying it would greatly affect the nature of the racing?

For sure...

[Alfanatic]

Streetrod said:

Wow! Wow! Chaps, that was never my intention. I just wanted to illustrate the difference between then and now. The drivers back in the day did what they did because it was a personal challenge. They new the risks but were still willing week after week to get into those cars knowing that there was a high chance they might not be alive by the end of the race. I have a huge admiration for what they did.

Racing by comparison today could almost be regarded as a safe sport, but as we all know that is not the case.

The title of this thread was meant to be ironic and nothing else....

What those old brave drivers did, really, was to help change the sport into the far safer version that we see today, and considering the resistance they got to this, it could be argued that the drivers' campaigns for safety required almost as much bravery as driving their cars.

While they may have been able to teach the modern crowd a thing or two about racing with some respect, I wonder if they are more likely to look at the modern sport and think "thank God they now have more chance of retiring than dying."