gregstevens

Yea, so you know what I'm talking about. And I forgot to mention that the passengers only were able to stand about 4 laps before they said they had to stop. And I will reiterate, it was NOT my driving! And one of them is someone that many here know.

And since you know the "feeling" and how tired you are after a simple track day, you can get a glimpse into just what how difficult an experience it is for an F-1, CART, Indy, and even for the fatass NASCAR driver.

lol

Sorry, just thought that was funny...

I can only imagine how difficult it is on the racecar driver.

It's totally awesome...

matrix

oh ya...nothing but respect for F1 and CART drivers...not a NASCAR fan at all though .

Oh if only I could try an F1 car...just for even 15 minutes....

Ferrari , what do you say? just 5 minutes??? Please.....

smyroad

The athlete's body type definitely is not a good example for sport. Some of the oldest most overweight folks play professional Baseball. I don't think too many other sports pit your skill against your life. Sure you can die in Olympic style sports, if you have a heart attack or heat stroke, but danger is not an integral part of the sport.

smyroad

Oh and as far as NASCAR goes, I'm not a big fan but once I had a chance to take a few laps as a passenger at 160mph around Atlanta Motor Speedway. I don't know how those folks deal with 200mph with 30 some cars battling for 1st place. I was in the suit for about 5 minutes and the car for 2 minutes and I was already uncomfortably hot. The driver had to wrestle with the steering wheel during the turns. The experience gave me a lot of respect for the drivers. I've got no idea how the F1 and CART drivers can do it.

Cheetah

The answer on cotton

CG

It's a sport and the drivers are athletes. If you don't believe it try doing a bunch of laps in a real racecar. You had better be in damned good shape or you are going to hurt like hell for a few days. It takes a great deal of concentration and strength. Ever gone through a long sweeper pulling so many G's that you felt like your head was going to fly off of your neck?

JonBoy

Ayrton Senna had a sustained heart beat rate of 180+ beats per minute during his races throughout his driving career in F1. That is on par with sprinters and hockey players (after a full shift) and above most football players! Pretty much every racer I've ever met or been around (myself included) will get out of a car quite sweaty and wet after a mere 10 minutes of driving, much less after an hour or two or three (literally soaked after 15 or 20 minutes). It's quite brutal. I can't imagine what it's like in rally racing, F1, CART, etc, etc. Karting and ice racing are tough enough!

The Unabageler

go to the track and answer your own question. I have a feeling you'll take a beating and eliminate the doubts in your mind. Of course, you'll have to train before you can go out there at the limits of you car going 2-wide into a corner, trying to get ahead while trying not to swap paint...real life sure as HELL ain't like GT3. And when you forget to drink a case of bottled water and get dehydrated you'll realize it's a sport. and when you close your eyes to sleep and can only see turn 1 approaching at 120mph. and when you wake up the next morning unable to move your limbs.

if racing isn't a sport i'm a flying pig.

matrix

Then you will know you are addicted ...cuz I am .

The Unabageler

I love that dream The one I don't love is the one where the track is spinning around me with the wall getting closer every revolution