The best driver of all time ...

Then there was the time a Nurburgring, when Jimmy's car would not stay in gear. So he was holding the gear lever with this right hand, driving Nurburgring with his left, in the pouring rain and mist to win.

 

I usually respect (not necessarily agree with) your posts. 'Can't say the same about this one.

Clark, Donohue, and Senna, for instance, are not in that elite group of "best" simply because they died doing what they did better than so many others that didn't?
I have a feeling (and hope) that's not exactly what you meant.....

edit: Such a coincidence...... I only made this post as a result of a "conversation" (I prefer the term "private message") from another poster, and here it ends up under your latest.

 

Likewise, amd I agree. Jochen earned my heart with his drive in his chase of Brabaham at Monaco, lap record after lap record at the end of the race on those tired old worn tires on his tired old '49. A friend and I went crazy as we watched on TV.
I could not believe it either....I thought "He earned the unsurmounted points....what?, with 4 races to go? What in bloody 'ell is the question???"

 

This is actually pretty common with the old dog ring gearboxes. Especially with endurance racing, where the gearbox takes a lot of wear. By the end of the race (if you make it) you might find yourself holding the lever in place.

 

If empathy/symapathy for one's car was so common, where was Gilles'?

Why, with such awesome, exciting speed, and said empathy/sympathy, did he not have more finishes, and better results, to make him even one of "the greatsest of all time", rather than just someone's "favourite"....? Hmmm....????

 

Ouch... While I believe I understand your rationale, I can’t agree with this. Way too many variables.

I also believe this is impossible to answer as usual because... way too many variables of course. Statistical success always clouds these kinds of debates. The fairest respect we could give is to put people on tiers because you cannot control when you were born or your competition.

Senna - Talent (if I needed the fastest single lap)
Prost - Clinical (if I needed to race over multiple seasons)
Schumi - Development (but then I would want to give the car to Prost or Senna)

 

Lorenzo, please go outside and see if i'm standing there?

 

True, not really blamimg Mass but it was just unlucky and a bad move by Johen, even if he meant well, probelm was Gilles acted faster than mass coud think!

 

'Sorry, didn't hear you knock. Where'd you go? Ducked out of the rain, eh?
Door was open, you shoulda' come on in.....

We could have "watched" the bs 'Dega sim and "discussed" favourites versus actual best drivers. Next time....

 

Stewart tried that at Spa in '67 but couldn't hold off Gurney's Eagle. Still, it was the closest that BRM came to winning a Grand Prix with the H-16. (It's ironic that the engine did win a G.P. in a Lotus!)

 

The H-16--seriously what were they thinking?

 

Was it Louis Stanley at the time?.....anyhow....

"Hmmmmm....two flat eights might better than one than one."

That's what.

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Aaaahhhh. 'Sounds worthy of some Google time.

Have you any links handy, by chance?

 

Tazio Nuvolari was the best driver ever.

And Fon de Portago died too early to tell.

Matt

 

Too heavy too, but, we just can't get on the same page..... Image Unavailable, Please Login
I know the Owen owned, Stanley 'run' BRM history, again, 'lived it.
I was referring to links about the Napier H-16 Rapier and the H-24 Dagger. Found some; interesting.

 

It's interesting that Enzo Ferrari compared Gilles Villeneuve to his former driver Tazio Nuvolari, who said on his deathbed he wished he had died on the track.

 

Harvey Postlethwaite, who was hired by Ferrari to design the follow-on and much more successful 126C2 that won the Constructors' Championship in 1982, later commented on the 126C: "That car...had literally one quarter of the downforce that, say Williams or Brabham had. It had a power advantage over the Cosworths for sure, but it also had massive throttle lag at that time. In terms of sheer ability I think Gilles was on a different plane to the other drivers. To win those races, the 1981 GPs at Monaco and Jarama — on tight circuits — was quite out of this world. I know how bad that car was."

"Gilles was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing. But more important for me is that he was the most genuine person I have ever known." - Jody Scheckter

"Gilles was the perfect driver, he knew where to take advantage and how. He was the most talented, it didn't mater what car he was in, he was always fast." -Niki Lauda

"one day I had Niki Lauda, and the next, this maniac" - Carlos Reutemann

"Without a doubt, Gilles was very brave, racing against him was racing against the worst of all bastards, but he was clean, he had huge talent." -Keke Rosberg

"With all my rivals, I raced for Pole and victory, but Gilles was a driver with whom you would fight even for tenth place." -Alain Prost

 

It was also unusually heavy, requiring a heavy car. It was a stressed chassis member before the Cosworth V-8, which usually gets the credit for that. It had to be - the frontal area was so large that there was really no room for a chassis extension to carry it. But on the other hand it was no longer than the V-8.

 

V10. Perfect enough to get banned from F1.