buckaroo
Here kitty, kitty, kitty
Just watched the documentary about Ayrton Senna. Though I watched a lot of F1 racing back then, I learned a lot from this film. If you are a fan of racing, especially of F1 and aren't old enough to have witnessed this man wheel a car, I highly recommend this film.
On a side note...and I realize this might belong in the open wheel section, I just wanted to comment on the film and what happened. I have studied many different opinions of what happened that killed him. Of all the studies I've seen or read, I am of the opinion that it was technology that actually was the reason the car failed to make the last corner for him. As we all know, or should know, the technology of those F1 cars is second to none. The team Senna was driving for, Williams, was his first season for the team that had dominated the season before. The Williams cars had such an edge in traction that the series banned it, putting Senna in a car that was untested. He was very uncomfortable and during qualifying practice, one of his teammates was killed. Still, Senna managed to win the pole position with Michael Shumacher starting second. On the original start, one of the cars in the middle of the pack didn't move and another car slammed into it, bringing out what amounted to was a red flag, though the cars didn't actually come to a stop, circling the track behind a caution car. Here's where the evidence comes in that I agree with. The cars had gotten the tires up to racing temperature, but when they slowed down, they cooled off. Those cars are so sensitive that an eighth of an inch means a lot. Cool tires will lower the car. The argument is whether or not the tires had again reached racing temperature. It is said that even a rookie would not miss that corner and yet one of the world's best slid through that corner and the rest of history. With the car lower than usual, did Senna make the mistake? One thing for sure, we'll never know. Hard to believe it has been nearly 18 years.
On a side note...and I realize this might belong in the open wheel section, I just wanted to comment on the film and what happened. I have studied many different opinions of what happened that killed him. Of all the studies I've seen or read, I am of the opinion that it was technology that actually was the reason the car failed to make the last corner for him. As we all know, or should know, the technology of those F1 cars is second to none. The team Senna was driving for, Williams, was his first season for the team that had dominated the season before. The Williams cars had such an edge in traction that the series banned it, putting Senna in a car that was untested. He was very uncomfortable and during qualifying practice, one of his teammates was killed. Still, Senna managed to win the pole position with Michael Shumacher starting second. On the original start, one of the cars in the middle of the pack didn't move and another car slammed into it, bringing out what amounted to was a red flag, though the cars didn't actually come to a stop, circling the track behind a caution car. Here's where the evidence comes in that I agree with. The cars had gotten the tires up to racing temperature, but when they slowed down, they cooled off. Those cars are so sensitive that an eighth of an inch means a lot. Cool tires will lower the car. The argument is whether or not the tires had again reached racing temperature. It is said that even a rookie would not miss that corner and yet one of the world's best slid through that corner and the rest of history. With the car lower than usual, did Senna make the mistake? One thing for sure, we'll never know. Hard to believe it has been nearly 18 years.