- 29 Jul 10, 04:25#209293
This quote by Stirling Moss was taken from ESPNF1
"Just to give you an example, at Mercedes - which was the finest team in the world when I was driving - we were free to fight our team-mates until we had a 30-second lead on the rest of the field. Then they would hang out a sign with REG on it, which was derived from the Italian word regolare, and that meant hold position. But we knew what the procedure would be before the race and the whole system was structured."
30 seconds??!!! Sorry Stirling, but I'm glad I wasn't around in your day to watch motor racing cause it sounds like it was a boring spectacle of watching your team just drive off into the distance. I know one team dominating continues in F1 today, Ferrari 04, Williams 92, McLaren 88, etc, but this whole romantic image that drivers are different or team owners were different in the 'good old days' is something I don't believe. The only major difference I would have love to have seen is how they had to take their hands off the wheel to change gears, etc. Less technical aids the better cause then the skill really comes into it. Just watching Senna at Suzuka in 91 vs Schumacher in 2002 on Youtube demonstrates the difference in skills. I don't know about you guys but I find driving a manual car compared to an auto much more racier and a test of skill when getting that need for speed. Thank God for the F duct cause now we're seeing these guys go fast around a corner with one hand on the wheel, again.
P.S. For all you historic lovers, I'm not anti Stirling (I think he's great actually and an absolute legend), but motorsport has a philosophy that will never change, drivers will always be egotistical maniacs and team owners will never give a damn when it comes to their overpaid jockeys, especially their number two jockeys haha.
"Just to give you an example, at Mercedes - which was the finest team in the world when I was driving - we were free to fight our team-mates until we had a 30-second lead on the rest of the field. Then they would hang out a sign with REG on it, which was derived from the Italian word regolare, and that meant hold position. But we knew what the procedure would be before the race and the whole system was structured."
30 seconds??!!! Sorry Stirling, but I'm glad I wasn't around in your day to watch motor racing cause it sounds like it was a boring spectacle of watching your team just drive off into the distance. I know one team dominating continues in F1 today, Ferrari 04, Williams 92, McLaren 88, etc, but this whole romantic image that drivers are different or team owners were different in the 'good old days' is something I don't believe. The only major difference I would have love to have seen is how they had to take their hands off the wheel to change gears, etc. Less technical aids the better cause then the skill really comes into it. Just watching Senna at Suzuka in 91 vs Schumacher in 2002 on Youtube demonstrates the difference in skills. I don't know about you guys but I find driving a manual car compared to an auto much more racier and a test of skill when getting that need for speed. Thank God for the F duct cause now we're seeing these guys go fast around a corner with one hand on the wheel, again.
P.S. For all you historic lovers, I'm not anti Stirling (I think he's great actually and an absolute legend), but motorsport has a philosophy that will never change, drivers will always be egotistical maniacs and team owners will never give a damn when it comes to their overpaid jockeys, especially their number two jockeys haha.