Discuss the sport you love with other motorsport fans
I have been watching Formula1 for a year.And i love it.Since i am a 15 year old girl,these mechanic stuff really doesnt interest me.But i have seen that much of you are really wise so i want to become wiser.I think i can become wiser by watching races and reading comments after races.So,how did you become wise or if you are a starter whats your plan to become wiser?
To become wise, first u must become wiser...
I have been watching Formula1 for a year.And i love it.Since i am a 15 year old girl,these mechanic stuff really doesnt interest me.But i have seen that much of you are really wise so i want to become wiser.I think i can become wiser by watching races and reading comments after races.So,how did you become wise or if you are a starter whats your plan to become wiser?
The easiest way to understand mechanical things is to roll up your sleeves and get in there. Back when I was a teenager I bought a motorcycle called a Hurricane 1000. Every time I took it to the dealer they managed to screw something up....which meant another trip back. I was a Marine stationed in North Carolina at the time and the nearest Honda dealer was an hour ride away so it got old pretty quick. One day I walked back into the service department while they were fixing a tight valve that they had goofed when they adjusted it the week prior (it was ticking) . The guy working on my bike was a moron in a mechanic shirt who couldn't put a full sentence together or read without sounding out the words. He would read the service manual, go remove a bolt..go back to the service manual, pull the next bolt...repeat until finished...the manual gives step by step directions written for a 8 year old. As I watched him, it occurred to me that not only was I smarter than this guy...but I could certainly read that manual better. So, I went to the parts department and said, I want the book that the mechanic in the back is reading from. Over the course of the next few years, I learned everything from valves to complete engine strip down and tranny dis-assembly from that Honda factory service manual. That was a bunch of years and an engineering degree ago and in that time I've gone through quite a few motorcycles, boats, cars and airplanes (I built an RV-4) by opening a decent service manual and walking my way through it. Haynes manuals etc have their place, but the factory manuals are typically better.
My point is...if you really want to learn the mechanics of how things work...then never let an opportunity to learn pass you buy. Neighbor changing his oil...ask if you can help. Dad working on the lawnmower...get in there. These days working in the garage on the race car or other toys is relaxing for me. There is a triumphant feeling when you fix it yourself...topped only by the feeling when you build it yourself. You will make mistakes along the way and blow things up...but lessons learned in that manner don't fade like those from your books at school. The internet, back in the stone age when I first picked up a wrench, did not exist like it does now ....now you can find a youtube video on rebuilding a campagnolo ergo shifter easier than you can put the bike in the truck for someone else to do it. Step by step instructions on how to rebuild everything from a Porsche transmission to a Lycoming IO-360 are on the net these days. There will come a point where you don't need the manuals anymore...would that be when you can call yourself wise? Doesn't matter....its an enjoyable journey.
I'm far from a mechanical wiz; but I learnt most of what I know about F1 by reading newspapers, pre-race and post race interviews and segments; in recent years F1 coverage has become better with in depth articles and TV sections; explaining many aspects of F1.
TV is the reason after only a few seasons of watching F1 that I can grasp some of the mechanical stuff. The segments on the latest technology are really good.
You will over time gradually pick things up on the mechanical side of the sport just by watching Formula One, read any articles that come your way through the magazines, newspapers and when tv pundits give you a brief picture of how certain things work.
You don't need to know how a clock works to tell time.
A lot of the concepts that drive F1 are often conveyed in a simplistic manner so the masses can acquire the general idea of how stuff works. For example, Steve Matchett on SpeedTV does a great job of "dumbing things down" for non-mechanical sorts like myself during his RPM (Racing Per Matchett) and Chalk Talk segments. It's just a matter of how detailed you want to become in your understanding.
Here's an example:
http://www.speedtv.com/video/popup/?bcpid=1797019236&bclid=647737970&bctid=326085717001
This is a sweet thread
Well, i think you are at a good age to start learning about... anything really.
1. Don't be afraid to ask. Anything. And when an answer doesn't fully satisfy you, just look around in books or the internet for more information.
2. Watch other categories of racing. You'd be surprised how much you can learn from 'simpler' categories.
3. Like Bill said, try and learn from watching people do mechanical stuff. Anytime somedoy is fixign something... go on and offer help, or at least go and watch how its done. I actually learned the most about playing with my car, when i had an Alfa Romeo. Nobody knew how to work with it, so i had to print out the technical manual for whenever there was a problem with it. I had to look for parts and the procedures all by myself and then show them to the mechanics...
4. Pay attention in school. Specially for physics... you may not need to be a whiz and be able to solve the most complex problems, but do try and learn the basic principles well. Pretty much everything revolves around a couple of key principles.
5. The rest... just watch the pre-shows or specialised shows. Like GP on track and so on... they give a lot of insight on things that they dont normally focus on in the races. Also, some magazines do have very good F1 articles.
With all this, you may become WISER... but not necessarilly WISE
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