Tadej got a 2nd stage, a white jersey, and had a whole lot of fun though! Love that kid - he really just loves to race. Add to the fact that he raced a monster of a spring season while Jonas was prepping for the tour, and I don't think you can consider it a disappointment. Next for Tadej - another Lombardia and maybe even the rainbow bands??
I'm very curious to see how Jonas goes in the Vuelta. Will he ride in support of Mr. Vuelta himself, Roglic, or be team leader? My cope-hope is that they BOTH ride in support of our lord and savior Sepp Kuss. Either way, if they can send a team even close to as obscenely stacked as their tour squad was, it should be a cakewalk.
I've also been watching the ladies tour the past few days...what a crash fest. I don't want to rag on women's cycling as a whole because I wholeheartedly love watching women's XCO (even more than the men's) but damn if the road product isn't a massive disappointment. One uber dominant team that controls the races in the most boring way, a few other great riders spread out among the other teams, and seemingly a bunch of other talented but out of their league riders who seem to not be able to ride in a pack.
The young Spaniard who wrecked Sepp seemed to bounce back from grinding his face on the road better than Sepp, but Kuss still put up an admirable finishing time. I assume he'll be a domestique on Jumbo-Visma forever, until some other team buys him to be the cap'n.
Even though letour.fr and NBC are _desperate_ for me to watch the women's race, I haven't clicked on any of the video highlights, assuming it'd be boring. So they're slower than men but also, somehow, not as good as bike handling on descents or moving at 27MPH in the peloton..? I wouldn't have guessed that aspect of biking would be different.
Yeah, I dug up your review for the insurance company as I was making that comment. I'd recalled you rather impressed by it.
Still, that bike reinforces my belief that HD has become the motorcycle equivalent of Juszkiewicz-era Gibson. "Fixing" shit that didn't need to be messed with and producing endless cheesy special editions instead of focusing on the core products that made the brand and most everyone still wants.
Hell, the new "Nightster Special" even has an AMF-style tank decal, so I think they've reach the bottom of the heritage well. Just give me a real XL Sportster without the bullshit.
I would definitely put the Triumph ahead of the new “Sporty” in the looks department. That H-D engine looks like what you would see in a plastic toy— it doesn’t look real at all.
Except that horrible license plate holder. That started on the Diavel (I think) and has infected many— including the Ducati Scrambler, the Superveloce, the new Sportster, and the Indian FTR.
I've not looked at MV Augutas in quite some time, but one of my best friends has a 750 Brutale and it is the most batshit insane motorcycle I've ever ridden. It has a powerband like a hockey stick and a wheelbase that feels like a barstool. He's been riding since childhood, was an AMA club racer for many years, does a lot of off-roading and motocross and he says it is the only motorcycle that he's actually feared - yet he absolutely loves it because it demands absolute respect and attention. It is not for the weak or the stupid.
Iowa was hugely entertaining. Lotsa great battles. Some of those guys almost sideways through the turns had me jumping out of my chair a few times. Pado on opposite lock is fun to watch, but he hasn’t figured out that driving like that devours his tires.
Smooth is key, and the top finishers had that in spades.
Dr. Marko clearly wants to cut Lando a serious check and bring him over. Unlikely to happen. Lando's family has so much money and Lando would rather rule McLaren with an iron fist, waiting for a winning car to arrive, than be in a situation where his data is compared with Max.
Where's a Rubens Barrichello when you need him?
No way Danny Ric comes up to the top team, because he annoys Max with all his bullshit behavior and drama. Yuki will go wherever Honda goes, maybe.
Carlos Sainz is obviously unhappy. Maybe you get him while Liam Lawson seasons in the simulator.
Dr Marko is also courting one very frustrated Ferrari driver, arguably one of 3-4 who may be close to Max's caliber, or at least much closer to his performance.
Is this the same driver that continues to be shown up by his teammate on ultimate pace?
I have the utmost respect for his presence of mind in the race, but the single lap pace and making tires last seem to be second fiddle to his teammate.
Another thing: Red Bull is very hot on Lil Bro Oscar; Horner said in the recent past that they’d had an opportunity to bring him into the development program and he regretted not having signed him. Marko has praised him, too.
I think Lando is going to learn what “pressure” really means next year…
Outside of Max’s brilliance this year, Lewis’ pole lap at Hungary was one of the best moments of the year along with Alonso’s Q3 lap in Monaco. The Mercedes rear end was trying to snap every corner. The last two sectors were totally nuts, and he barely had any tires left in the last two corners. That driving style reminded me of the 2007-version of himself.
The World Rally Championship pulled an F1 and slapped a 5 minute penalty on Estonian driver and former World Champion, Ott Tanak prior to the start his home rally, Rally Estonia. He had issues with his new engine during shakedown and he’d already used 1 of the 2 engines you are allowed in a season. So engine 3 got him a 5 minute penalty, which in rally is worse than the F1 grid drops of a few seasons ago. Somehow, the governing bodies have to stop f-ing competition up with inflexible rules. Seems like he should have been able to make a case to the FIA for why he shouldn’t have had to take the penalty (I.e manufacturing defect of a supplier) vs. just shut up and take it.
0-I was confident that Max / Red Bull would win on Sunday, because it was much warmer in comparison with Saturday; recall that the cars are in parc ferme after qualifying. The Mercedes cars ran with aggressive (i.e., limited) bodywork cooling and so had to turn down the engines when it was warmer. That also meant that Max’s setup favored the race, whereas Merc’s favored qualifying. Max lost the pole by .003 seconds and beat Lewis by 39 seconds in the race.
1-Zhou Guanyu is likely set to lose his seat next year, as the Frankenstein monster of Sauber-Audi-Alfa is set to lose the Alfa Romeo sponsorship ($15MM / year), and the team will be owned 50-50 by Finn Rausing (Sauber) and Audi / VW. Rausing is reportedly unwilling to fund the shortfall from the departing Alfa Romeo sponsorship, coupled with the likely poor Constructors Championship finishing order. Which means a pay driver next to Valtteri.
2-Alonso / Aston Martin claim that the Pirelli tire change at Silverstone favored McLaren and Mercedes and disfavored Red Bull and Aston Martin…
3-Strong rumors that Otmar Szafnauer - coincidentally the subject of this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid podcast - will not be the Alpine team principal for much longer.
One would assume, but that is apparently not the case…
F1’s relationship with China has weakened lately - no race since 2019, although it is back on the calendar for 2024. There is a good chance that Zhou might not get to race in China (in an F1 car). Should China perpetrate an act of war against Taiwan, F1 would be forced to cancel the race, as they did with Russia IMO.
Motocross at Washouga Washington was interesting as usual. The track is tricky enough without having to go in and out of the shadows. A 19-year-old Jett Lawrence has gone 16 Motos for eight race wins this season. Fan favorite Aaron Plessinger went 7-3 for the day. another Midwestern boy, Chase Sexton was 2-2 on the day. El hombre, Jason Anderson number 21 was 4-4 for the day ending up in third overall.
In the 250 class, resident douche bag Haiden Deegan had his first 1-1. I'm sure people will get tired of hearing me and others comment on this but it's a little bit like watching late 90s Jeff Gordon or the last 10 of Lewis Hamilton but I don't care how talented or successful he is and will always be a little twat. I suppose there is the chance that he and Lewis Hamilton might be at a party and they get struck by lightning and it makes them be cool people that I could actually drink a beer with but I'm not going to hold my breath. Jett's brother Hunter had a decent day and was able to retain the red plate but he needs to be on his A game to make sure that the Deegans don't celebrate a rookie year championship.
The 250 2 strokes (in the 450 class) were out in force because a bunch of people got together and gave a big cash prize to the highest finishing two strokes on the day.
I have to admit I was rather excited to see AP lead a few laps, though Jett’s methodical style, ability to quickly recover from small mistakes, and to turn bumps into jumps is keeping him out front. I’m still not sure whether Sexton’s pace has really put any pressure on Jett or whether he still has some left in the tank.
I think Deegan is pulling from his dad’s playbook with what he said on the podium about hunter being the one supposed to win, he’s creating some manufactured drama for more press. I get it, but it’s lame, and though his riding speaks for itself I can’t say I’d want to hang out with that family. Glad to see El Hombre up toward the front of the pack, I hope he gets hungry to try and reel in Jett instead of looking to retirement.
Spa looks like it will get interesting, with rain predicted for all 3 days. Might see an Aston/Ferrari flash there; Seb was accusing Pirelli last year outright that their rain tires benefit the Italian équipe. _Plus_ rain affects F1 cars' aero heavily... I can't seem to remember who said it (might actually have been Schumacher) that "rain doesn't make a bad car good, but it makes good cars worse".
And yeah I voted George as driver of the day, but I very rarely get with the #DOTD crowd.
Not sure what I think of the Sprint Weekend format. I like the extra competition, but it doesn’t sit right with the traditionalist in me (I started following F1 in ‘82, just before Gilles died).
I don't get it either. Best I can think of Liberty wants to see more starts and first few rounds just for the excitement... get more of the casual viewer; not people like you and me, but people that buy an Ayrton Senna t-shirt or a Pirelli podium cap.
Where is the line between self awareness and self doubt?
It is a very strange Australian characteristic to be able to explain your problems in great detail but be unable to do anything about them.
In Ric's early days at McLaren people would get really excited as he would outline exactly what had gone wrong in the race and what he needed to do to win the next race. Meanwhile, I was cringing knowing exactly what would happen.
Best place on earth to live. Just don't ask us to get anything done.
"It is a very strange Australian characteristic to be able to explain your problems in great detail but be unable to do anything about them." Hilarious!
Also: "Best place on earth to live. Just don't ask us to get anything done." 🤣
I'm always fascinated by the Australian mindset. It's the odd combination of British genetics and a place that is almost deliberately inhospitable for whites.
i once thought with no experience that australia would be like the wild west, what with being composed of convicts to such a large degree at its beginnings. but their government seems to regard everybody like they were still convicts--their ridiculous speed enforcement in the middle of nowhere,their covid reactions, the way the people reacted to gun laws...you can have the place. seems like it's 3/4 canada
I always think that in time, Australian whites will be indistinguishable from the natives. As much as we'd like to think we've shaped the land, the land shapes the people.
Living here, the land doesn't seem inhospitable. The fires are 70kms away, or the floods are in the other part of the state or the drought was supposed to start this winter, but it's still raining. But the inhospitable landscape subconsciously affects the way people think. You know you're not going to win the fight with nature, so you put just enough effort in to be comfortable and no more. Our history is littered with stories of indefatigable Englishmen, firey Scots and stoical Germans that tried to fight the land and failed.
The land is rich and there are very few poor people in Australia. But there is also very few rich people. The bell curve is high and narrow. We take what we need and we live well because who knows if we'll have it tomorrow. But having excess is an encumbrance if we need to move fast and more to lose when we lose it. The white Australian is a modern form of hunter-gatherer.
This sounds very Zen and spiritual but an Aussie would laugh at those thoughts. It's just materialistic.
After Max finished ONLY three seconds up on Lando at Silverstone, and the Red Bulls suffering at the Hungaroring on Friday, I thought we might see someone else win a race this year. I neglected to consider the trajectory of Max’s improvement through Saturday’s practice and quali. That guy is something special.
Looking forward to a sprint weekend at Spa. Love that track.
“Aston Martin should, I don’t know, make the car better or something. This has ‘Brawn F1’ written all over it in terms of across-the-season performance.”
Here's the Le Mans Classic 2023 that my high school friend John participated in, although with 800 cars entered I wasn't able to pick out his #49 Porsche 910 in this excellent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NYzM0FRzXU
UPDATE: I'm pretty sure I see John's 910 at 23:21 in the video. It's white with a red panel on the nose. To the left in the scene is a yellow open-top prototype and the gaggle is led by a yellow coupe, possibly a Lola T70.
TADEJ CRACKED AND JONAS WON THE WHOLE THING AGAIN.
Tadej got a 2nd stage, a white jersey, and had a whole lot of fun though! Love that kid - he really just loves to race. Add to the fact that he raced a monster of a spring season while Jonas was prepping for the tour, and I don't think you can consider it a disappointment. Next for Tadej - another Lombardia and maybe even the rainbow bands??
I'm very curious to see how Jonas goes in the Vuelta. Will he ride in support of Mr. Vuelta himself, Roglic, or be team leader? My cope-hope is that they BOTH ride in support of our lord and savior Sepp Kuss. Either way, if they can send a team even close to as obscenely stacked as their tour squad was, it should be a cakewalk.
I've also been watching the ladies tour the past few days...what a crash fest. I don't want to rag on women's cycling as a whole because I wholeheartedly love watching women's XCO (even more than the men's) but damn if the road product isn't a massive disappointment. One uber dominant team that controls the races in the most boring way, a few other great riders spread out among the other teams, and seemingly a bunch of other talented but out of their league riders who seem to not be able to ride in a pack.
The young Spaniard who wrecked Sepp seemed to bounce back from grinding his face on the road better than Sepp, but Kuss still put up an admirable finishing time. I assume he'll be a domestique on Jumbo-Visma forever, until some other team buys him to be the cap'n.
Even though letour.fr and NBC are _desperate_ for me to watch the women's race, I haven't clicked on any of the video highlights, assuming it'd be boring. So they're slower than men but also, somehow, not as good as bike handling on descents or moving at 27MPH in the peloton..? I wouldn't have guessed that aspect of biking would be different.
Still in a dry motorcycle road racing spell as I don't have the WSBK pass.
Sad Pablo Wscobar waiting meme.
I did test ride the new HD Sportster today and that bike ripped. When I think muscle cruiser this is much more what I imagine vs the Vulcan S.
The new Sportster is hideous, though. The Sportster S might be the ugliest bike I've ever seen.
Looks weird, rides VERY well.
I would need to change the settings on the rear which had preload and compression
Yeah, I dug up your review for the insurance company as I was making that comment. I'd recalled you rather impressed by it.
Still, that bike reinforces my belief that HD has become the motorcycle equivalent of Juszkiewicz-era Gibson. "Fixing" shit that didn't need to be messed with and producing endless cheesy special editions instead of focusing on the core products that made the brand and most everyone still wants.
Hell, the new "Nightster Special" even has an AMF-style tank decal, so I think they've reach the bottom of the heritage well. Just give me a real XL Sportster without the bullshit.
"AMF-style tank decal, so I think they've reach the bottom of the heritage well." 🤣
Except for the headlamp and taillights I like the lines.
I also think it's less offensive than the MT-10 or Speed Triple
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Ugly goes straight to the bone.
I would definitely put the Triumph ahead of the new “Sporty” in the looks department. That H-D engine looks like what you would see in a plastic toy— it doesn’t look real at all.
The angry eye and brow look I just can't get over with the triumph
Understood
Has anyone else looked at the MV Agusta lineup? Some of them make me not want to have eyes.
Yes, my dad and I saw some at the dealership where the Kawasaki demo day was hosted. I thought most of them were hideous - dad liked them!
I find the F3 and Superveloce quite lovely.
Except that horrible license plate holder. That started on the Diavel (I think) and has infected many— including the Ducati Scrambler, the Superveloce, the new Sportster, and the Indian FTR.
We're of the same opinion, those two MV bikes aren't bad at all to look at.
I've not looked at MV Augutas in quite some time, but one of my best friends has a 750 Brutale and it is the most batshit insane motorcycle I've ever ridden. It has a powerband like a hockey stick and a wheelbase that feels like a barstool. He's been riding since childhood, was an AMA club racer for many years, does a lot of off-roading and motocross and he says it is the only motorcycle that he's actually feared - yet he absolutely loves it because it demands absolute respect and attention. It is not for the weak or the stupid.
It's also drop-dead gorgeous.
The Diavel is rather awful, as well. (This coming from a Ducati guy.)
Honey, I shrunk the V-Rod!
I love your conspiracy theories.
I watched the F1 TV Pro rerun on my iPad at JFK, returning home to Orlando from IMSA at Lime Rock. I still haven't watch IndyCar Iowa.
This week's thoughts and photos: https://bimmerfan739.substack.com/p/max-gets-a-replacement-trophy?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=827454&post_id=135440132&isFreemail=false&utm_medium=email
Iowa was hugely entertaining. Lotsa great battles. Some of those guys almost sideways through the turns had me jumping out of my chair a few times. Pado on opposite lock is fun to watch, but he hasn’t figured out that driving like that devours his tires.
Smooth is key, and the top finishers had that in spades.
Lewis’s pole made me laugh since those things can be rigged a bit. Cool drive, but max was winning the whole time. Lewis is insufferable
Checo is gone after this season, right?
I don't think they have a replacement lined up.
Dr. Marko clearly wants to cut Lando a serious check and bring him over. Unlikely to happen. Lando's family has so much money and Lando would rather rule McLaren with an iron fist, waiting for a winning car to arrive, than be in a situation where his data is compared with Max.
Where's a Rubens Barrichello when you need him?
No way Danny Ric comes up to the top team, because he annoys Max with all his bullshit behavior and drama. Yuki will go wherever Honda goes, maybe.
Carlos Sainz is obviously unhappy. Maybe you get him while Liam Lawson seasons in the simulator.
Sainz is also a Red Bull refugee - recall that he and Max were teammates at Toro Rosso all those years ago.
Virtually anyone on the grid would take Checo’s seat IMO.
Dr Marko is also courting one very frustrated Ferrari driver, arguably one of 3-4 who may be close to Max's caliber, or at least much closer to his performance.
There is only one driver who could potentially put up a fight against Max across a season, and that’s the Matador.
Is this the same driver that continues to be shown up by his teammate on ultimate pace?
I have the utmost respect for his presence of mind in the race, but the single lap pace and making tires last seem to be second fiddle to his teammate.
It’s Alonso…
As I mentioned in another Wednesday Racing Thread, I continue to pray, against all hope and logic, that Alonso gets that seat.
Another thing: Red Bull is very hot on Lil Bro Oscar; Horner said in the recent past that they’d had an opportunity to bring him into the development program and he regretted not having signed him. Marko has praised him, too.
I think Lando is going to learn what “pressure” really means next year…
Outside of Max’s brilliance this year, Lewis’ pole lap at Hungary was one of the best moments of the year along with Alonso’s Q3 lap in Monaco. The Mercedes rear end was trying to snap every corner. The last two sectors were totally nuts, and he barely had any tires left in the last two corners. That driving style reminded me of the 2007-version of himself.
OT- Sinead O’Connor RIP. May flights of Angels carry her home.
The World Rally Championship pulled an F1 and slapped a 5 minute penalty on Estonian driver and former World Champion, Ott Tanak prior to the start his home rally, Rally Estonia. He had issues with his new engine during shakedown and he’d already used 1 of the 2 engines you are allowed in a season. So engine 3 got him a 5 minute penalty, which in rally is worse than the F1 grid drops of a few seasons ago. Somehow, the governing bodies have to stop f-ing competition up with inflexible rules. Seems like he should have been able to make a case to the FIA for why he shouldn’t have had to take the penalty (I.e manufacturing defect of a supplier) vs. just shut up and take it.
0-I was confident that Max / Red Bull would win on Sunday, because it was much warmer in comparison with Saturday; recall that the cars are in parc ferme after qualifying. The Mercedes cars ran with aggressive (i.e., limited) bodywork cooling and so had to turn down the engines when it was warmer. That also meant that Max’s setup favored the race, whereas Merc’s favored qualifying. Max lost the pole by .003 seconds and beat Lewis by 39 seconds in the race.
1-Zhou Guanyu is likely set to lose his seat next year, as the Frankenstein monster of Sauber-Audi-Alfa is set to lose the Alfa Romeo sponsorship ($15MM / year), and the team will be owned 50-50 by Finn Rausing (Sauber) and Audi / VW. Rausing is reportedly unwilling to fund the shortfall from the departing Alfa Romeo sponsorship, coupled with the likely poor Constructors Championship finishing order. Which means a pay driver next to Valtteri.
2-Alonso / Aston Martin claim that the Pirelli tire change at Silverstone favored McLaren and Mercedes and disfavored Red Bull and Aston Martin…
3-Strong rumors that Otmar Szafnauer - coincidentally the subject of this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid podcast - will not be the Alpine team principal for much longer.
I always thought Zhou brought bags of Chinese sponsor money.
One would assume, but that is apparently not the case…
F1’s relationship with China has weakened lately - no race since 2019, although it is back on the calendar for 2024. There is a good chance that Zhou might not get to race in China (in an F1 car). Should China perpetrate an act of war against Taiwan, F1 would be forced to cancel the race, as they did with Russia IMO.
Motocross at Washouga Washington was interesting as usual. The track is tricky enough without having to go in and out of the shadows. A 19-year-old Jett Lawrence has gone 16 Motos for eight race wins this season. Fan favorite Aaron Plessinger went 7-3 for the day. another Midwestern boy, Chase Sexton was 2-2 on the day. El hombre, Jason Anderson number 21 was 4-4 for the day ending up in third overall.
In the 250 class, resident douche bag Haiden Deegan had his first 1-1. I'm sure people will get tired of hearing me and others comment on this but it's a little bit like watching late 90s Jeff Gordon or the last 10 of Lewis Hamilton but I don't care how talented or successful he is and will always be a little twat. I suppose there is the chance that he and Lewis Hamilton might be at a party and they get struck by lightning and it makes them be cool people that I could actually drink a beer with but I'm not going to hold my breath. Jett's brother Hunter had a decent day and was able to retain the red plate but he needs to be on his A game to make sure that the Deegans don't celebrate a rookie year championship.
The 250 2 strokes (in the 450 class) were out in force because a bunch of people got together and gave a big cash prize to the highest finishing two strokes on the day.
we have a weekend off and then on to Unadilla
I was out of town and didn’t get to watch the race. Who won the 2 Stroke challenge and where did they finish?
Carson Brown won the two stroke challenge and finished just outside the points in 21st
I have to admit I was rather excited to see AP lead a few laps, though Jett’s methodical style, ability to quickly recover from small mistakes, and to turn bumps into jumps is keeping him out front. I’m still not sure whether Sexton’s pace has really put any pressure on Jett or whether he still has some left in the tank.
I think Deegan is pulling from his dad’s playbook with what he said on the podium about hunter being the one supposed to win, he’s creating some manufactured drama for more press. I get it, but it’s lame, and though his riding speaks for itself I can’t say I’d want to hang out with that family. Glad to see El Hombre up toward the front of the pack, I hope he gets hungry to try and reel in Jett instead of looking to retirement.
I agree with all this
I would not want to have dinner with Brian's ignorant clan
I looked up the race start data: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F13sGzoaQAAVTR7?format=jpg&name=large
Lewis didn't even have a sluggish start or bad reaction time, just that Max had a marginally quick launch and has the inside line to Turn 1
That in and of itself is unusual. Max and the RB have been poor starters this year while both Mercedes have been excellent.
Spa looks like it will get interesting, with rain predicted for all 3 days. Might see an Aston/Ferrari flash there; Seb was accusing Pirelli last year outright that their rain tires benefit the Italian équipe. _Plus_ rain affects F1 cars' aero heavily... I can't seem to remember who said it (might actually have been Schumacher) that "rain doesn't make a bad car good, but it makes good cars worse".
And yeah I voted George as driver of the day, but I very rarely get with the #DOTD crowd.
Not sure what I think of the Sprint Weekend format. I like the extra competition, but it doesn’t sit right with the traditionalist in me (I started following F1 in ‘82, just before Gilles died).
I don't get it either. Best I can think of Liberty wants to see more starts and first few rounds just for the excitement... get more of the casual viewer; not people like you and me, but people that buy an Ayrton Senna t-shirt or a Pirelli podium cap.
Where is the line between self awareness and self doubt?
It is a very strange Australian characteristic to be able to explain your problems in great detail but be unable to do anything about them.
In Ric's early days at McLaren people would get really excited as he would outline exactly what had gone wrong in the race and what he needed to do to win the next race. Meanwhile, I was cringing knowing exactly what would happen.
Best place on earth to live. Just don't ask us to get anything done.
"It is a very strange Australian characteristic to be able to explain your problems in great detail but be unable to do anything about them." Hilarious!
Also: "Best place on earth to live. Just don't ask us to get anything done." 🤣
I'm always fascinated by the Australian mindset. It's the odd combination of British genetics and a place that is almost deliberately inhospitable for whites.
i once thought with no experience that australia would be like the wild west, what with being composed of convicts to such a large degree at its beginnings. but their government seems to regard everybody like they were still convicts--their ridiculous speed enforcement in the middle of nowhere,their covid reactions, the way the people reacted to gun laws...you can have the place. seems like it's 3/4 canada
They DO love their centralized control. The behavior during COVID was positively dystopian.
This has me really confused. I'm an immigrant of 15 years vintage and I get shouted down for being a socialist and for being libertarian!
3/4 Canada is about right!😄
Desperate to be the US but not prepared to commit.
Also California if it was a southern state.
I always think that in time, Australian whites will be indistinguishable from the natives. As much as we'd like to think we've shaped the land, the land shapes the people.
Living here, the land doesn't seem inhospitable. The fires are 70kms away, or the floods are in the other part of the state or the drought was supposed to start this winter, but it's still raining. But the inhospitable landscape subconsciously affects the way people think. You know you're not going to win the fight with nature, so you put just enough effort in to be comfortable and no more. Our history is littered with stories of indefatigable Englishmen, firey Scots and stoical Germans that tried to fight the land and failed.
The land is rich and there are very few poor people in Australia. But there is also very few rich people. The bell curve is high and narrow. We take what we need and we live well because who knows if we'll have it tomorrow. But having excess is an encumbrance if we need to move fast and more to lose when we lose it. The white Australian is a modern form of hunter-gatherer.
This sounds very Zen and spiritual but an Aussie would laugh at those thoughts. It's just materialistic.
My hand is up.
After Max finished ONLY three seconds up on Lando at Silverstone, and the Red Bulls suffering at the Hungaroring on Friday, I thought we might see someone else win a race this year. I neglected to consider the trajectory of Max’s improvement through Saturday’s practice and quali. That guy is something special.
Looking forward to a sprint weekend at Spa. Love that track.
“Aston Martin should, I don’t know, make the car better or something. This has ‘Brawn F1’ written all over it in terms of across-the-season performance.”
Wish I’d said that.
He's in the pool of people that might be able to compete with Max.
Better late than never.
Here's the Le Mans Classic 2023 that my high school friend John participated in, although with 800 cars entered I wasn't able to pick out his #49 Porsche 910 in this excellent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NYzM0FRzXU
UPDATE: I'm pretty sure I see John's 910 at 23:21 in the video. It's white with a red panel on the nose. To the left in the scene is a yellow open-top prototype and the gaggle is led by a yellow coupe, possibly a Lola T70.
We visited his shop on our drive to Lime Rock: https://bimmerfan739.substack.com/p/max-gets-a-replacement-trophy?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
I'll eventually post Lime Rock weekend photos to Instagram, including John's shop: https://www.instagram.com/bimmerfan739/