[PARAM]

The greatest racing on the planet has started another season with two interesting races. In Australia, two weeks ago, the Mercedes Team finished 1-2 with their #2 driver winning and the their #1 driver second. In Bahrain yesterday, they did it again but reversed. Young Charles Leclerc had led the weekend...practice, qualifying and most of the race before a cylinder failure forced him down to third. If not for a safety car finishing the last 3 laps, he would have fallen farther. But this kid (21) is going to be a force with Ferrari. He out drove his 4 time World Champion team mate all weekend. Remember that name, Charles Leclerc.

Next race: China, April 11th - 14th
Race #4: Azerbaijan April 26th - 28th

[Horny Mcbae]

Holy shit you like F1 too.

I've been watching since I was 10yrs old. Ferrari fan through and through since the Eddie Irvine days.

I have never been as disappointed in the team as I have these last 2 years. Not even when we handed the championship to Hamilton in Abu Dhabi in the final race of the season. Just institutional mistakes over and over again. Our strategy is soooo much more hit or miss than other capable teams. Even when the car has been good (last season and this) we find a way to fuck it up. It's so disheartening to see a good car and good drivers wasted by strategic in race errors. When will we get the right people in there to sort it out.

I've been on the Leclerc train for a couple of years now. He's the real deal. Our Max Verstappen. Hyped for him.

[PARAM]

Holy shit you like F1 too.

I've been watching since I was 10yrs old. Ferrari fan through and through since the Eddie Irvine days.

I have never been as disappointed in the team as I have these last 2 years. Not even when we handed the championship to Hamilton in Abu Dhabi in the final race of the season. Just institutional mistakes over and over again. Our strategy is soooo much more hit or miss than other capable teams. Even when the car has been good (last season and this) we find a way to fuck it up. It's so disheartening to see a good car and good drivers wasted by strategic in race errors. When will we get the right people in there to sort it out.

I've been on the Leclerc train for a couple of years now. He's the real deal. Our Max Verstappen. Hyped for him.

I started going to Watkins Glen in 1973. It was to be Jackie Stewart's final race but his team mate, Francois Cevert was killed in qualifying on Saturday. Team Tyrrel hung on for a few more years with Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depaillier driving but soon fell off to nothing. In 1976 James Hunt won at the Glen and the Championship. That was the year Lauda crashed at Nürburgring but came back six weeks later. A miracle really.

My last year at the Glen was 1980. Of course little did we know it was THE last F1 at the Glen. Alan Jones won for Williams in just their fourth year as a team. Now Williams is the armpit of F1. Man I have so many good memories from Watkins Glen. I went 6 times the last 8 years they held a GP there. Camped at the same spot every time. Had a blast, a ball, a riot and never had a problem with anybody there. Good people those F1 fans!!

Leclerc is going to be a Champion, soon. I'll tell you another kid who's going to be good. Lando Norris with McLaren. BTW, the only time I rooted for Ferrari was when Jody Scheckter was driving for them. He won the title. He also drove the 6 wheel Tyrrell which was phenominal in theory. Just never panned out for Ken Tyrrell.

[TomSlick]

BTW, the only time I rooted for Ferrari was when Jody Scheckter was driving for them. He won the title. He also drove the 6 wheel Tyrrell which was phenominal in theory. Just never panned out for Ken Tyrrell.

Scheckter is one of my all time favorites. First saw him driving a 1,000 horsepower Can-Am Porsche at Laguna Seca. Jim Hall and Mark Donohue are high on my list as well as a bunch of others.

I thought the 6-wheeler got banned for some reason (too fast?). I thought the car was very quick.

[Horny Mcbae]

Cool stories guys. I've only been to races in Melbourne, Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Monza is my dream.

I think Leclerc and Verstappen are the ones who will fight for future titles. It's so good to see a genuinely top driver come through the Ferrari ranks. It always seems like other teams had those. Now if only we can fix the organizational issues...…….. sigh. With the new regulations coming it will be a crapshoot again so we might have missed our window for this particular cycle. Disheartening.

I am not sure about Norris but again I take anything said about a British driver with a huge grain of salt. They get hyped by their media SO much it's nauseating.

[PARAM]

I don't remember what happened to the 6 wheeler. I know the theory was with 4 front tires, they could be lower profile, therefore less wind resistance and still put more rubber on the asphalt than traditional sized front tires. They finished in the points (and back then it was only the top 6) 20 times in 16 races. They placed both cars in the points 6 times. They only won 1 race (Sweden) but they finished second 8 times. It was enough to finish 3rd in the constructors championship.

Here's what I found on the 6 wheeler.

The Tyrrell P34 (Project 34), commonly known as the "six-wheeler", was a Formula One (F1) race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer.[1] The car used four specially manufactured 10-inch diameter (254 mm) wheels and tyres at the front, with two ordinary-sized wheels at the back. Along with the Brabham BT46B "fancar" developed in 1978, the six-wheeled Tyrrell was one of the most radical entries ever to succeed in F1 competition and has been called the most recognizable design in the history of world motorsports.[2]

The P34 was introduced in September 1975 and began racing in the 1976 season.[1] It proved successful and led other teams to begin design of six-wheeled platforms of their own. Changes to the design made for the 1977 season made it uncompetitive and the concept was abandoned for Tyrrell's 1978 season. The other six-wheeled designs ended development and F1 rules later stipulated that cars must have four wheels in total. The existing frames have since seen some success in various "classics" race events, but today are museum pieces.

So it was banned but only after it became non-competitive and scrapped.

I loved those "old days". Sure it was more dangerous for the drivers but the racing was so much more competitive from top to bottom. I remember the Brabham team finishing 1-2 at the Glen in 1974. Carlos Reuteman and Carlos Pace were the drivers. James Hunt finished 3rd in his Hesketh. That was a classic car because when it hit the scene in 1974 it had absolutely no advertising on it. That same year, a couple American teams competed at the Glen. Gurney had a team with Mark Donohue at the wheel and Parnelli Jones had one with Andretti driving. Neither did well.

The Glen was such a great experience. You could watch practice on Thursday and Friday, then go to the Paddock area and watch the mechanics working on the cars. Many times the drivers were right there. I stood just feet away from Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jacky Ickx, Jody Scheckter (who in his youth was disliked by other drivers because of his recklessness; but we all loved him), Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Lafitte and many more. I remember the morning of race day 1974, as we were walking around the grounds, Graham Hill almost ran us over arriving at the paddock. It was a great experience.

Either of you guys ever hear about "The Bog" at the Glen?

[TomSlick]

Patrick Depailler's car. Pic taken about 2015 at Laguna Seca for the historic car races.
If you guys are ever in the mood for the oldster cars on track driven with somewhat modest (as opposed to extreme) prejudice, the historics are fun.

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[TomSlick]

The Bog...yeah, heard a few stories. Big mud puddle, burning old cars...
lol, breaks my heart...restore 'em, don't crush 'em...er...uh...burn 'em.

[TomSlick]

I have to admit the new cars, though way safer, just don't rev my motor as much as the older cars. Cigar shaped cars of the 60s, high-winged cars of the 70s then the big air scoop over the driver's head...

[TomSlick]

...and the cool factor of those big fat rear tires is off the charts. Pic taken about 2016 at the top of the Laguna Seca Corkscrew.

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