Lewis Hamilton- discuss !

[Bonefishblues]

I guess that F1 drivers maintenance of a BPM of 170-180 for 2 hours or so is evidence of their lack of fitness, or perhaps they are just excited by such a crude non-sport.

If only the twitchers of feet and arms did a proper job. One hopes they see the error of their ways and get involved with a sport with a record of honest toil, like cycle racing.

Oh wait

[pete75]

Wristwatches that cost as much as a house
Grooming products
Vehicles capable of exceeding the maximum speed limit
etc etc

So basically they sell things you can't afford and that's wrong...

Cycle racing is sponsored by BMW amongst other makers of cars capable of exceeding the speed limit,a number of grooming product makers and Rolex amongst other watchmakers so I guess that's less than a sport.
The Olympics are sponsored by Toyota who make some very fast cars indeed, Omega who make some very expensive time pieces and Procter and Gamble who own a number of grooming product brands - so that makes athletics, boxing, gymnastics, rowing, weightlifting, most forms of cycle sport etc etc all less than sport using your logic.

[Cyril Haearn]

Wristwatches that cost as much as a house
Grooming products
Vehicles capable of exceeding the maximum speed limit
etc etc

So basically they sell things you can't afford and that's wrong...

Cycle racing is sponsored by BMW amongst other makers of cars capable of exceeding the speed limit,a number of grooming product makers and Rolex amongst other watchmakers so I guess that's less than a sport.
The Olympics are sponsored by Toyota who make some very fast cars indeed, Omega who make some very expensive time pieces and Procter and Gamble who own a number of grooming product brands - so that makes athletics, boxing, gymnastics, rowing, weightlifting, most forms of cycle sport etc etc all less than sport using your logic.

I can afford them but I cannae thoyle them
I agree with criticism of the TdF, it is a hundred cyclists plus hundreds of motor vehicles, not always driven legally, maybe it should be discontinued too

[pete75]

Wristwatches that cost as much as a house
Grooming products
Vehicles capable of exceeding the maximum speed limit
etc etc

So basically they sell things you can't afford and that's wrong...

Cycle racing is sponsored by BMW amongst other makers of cars capable of exceeding the speed limit,a number of grooming product makers and Rolex amongst other watchmakers so I guess that's less than a sport.
The Olympics are sponsored by Toyota who make some very fast cars indeed, Omega who make some very expensive time pieces and Procter and Gamble who own a number of grooming product brands - so that makes athletics, boxing, gymnastics, rowing, weightlifting, most forms of cycle sport etc etc all less than sport using your logic.

I can afford them but I cannae thoyle them
I agree with criticism of the TdF, it is a hundred cyclists plus hundreds of motor vehicles, not always driven legally, maybe it should be discontinued too

You can afford a £500,000 watch? So you're some sort of multi millionaire?

I'm not criticising any cycle racing events or the Olympic game, just pointing out that by using your logic of defining a sport by the sponsors it attracts they are all non sports.
If F1 was sponsored by Robin Reliant, Wrights coal tar soap and Timex watches that would make it ok would it?

[Hobbs1951]

the bike manufacturers aren't sponsoring and supporting racing for the love of the sport, they want to sell bikes and if that connection ever goes away they'll pull out of racing in a heartbeat.

FYI I passed my driving test in 1985 and am very experienced as I have a car that I drive everyday to work, and at other times when cycling or public transport isn't possible or practical.

Firstly I'd take issue with your first sentence, professional cycling isn't about selling bicycles, few cycle manufacturers are rarely tier one sponsors of pro teams. Pro team sponsorship is about corporate (global) branding and Team Sky is a good example = Team Sky aren't interested in cycle racing per se, for them cycle racing is merely a vehicle for their wider business ambitions.

As for F1, it has become boring and largely predictable (for years), bring back the 1970s, with characters like Jackie, James, Emerson, Ronnie et al when the drivers were individuals (not rock stars - give me strength).

Better still watch the WRC, driver's are humans, the racing less predictable. Final point, what has the length of time you've been driving/something, anything got to do with how good/skilled you might be at it ?

John.

N.B the age of romance is dead.

[CyclingGuy]

Firstly I'd take issue with your first sentence, professional cycling isn't about selling bicycles, few cycle manufacturers are rarely tier one sponsors of pro teams. Pro team sponsorship is about corporate (global) branding and Team Sky is a good example = Team Sky aren't interested in cycle racing per se, for them cycle racing is merely a vehicle for their wider business ambitions.

I never said that professional cycling was about selling bikes, what I said was the motivation for bicycle manufacturers to be involved with the sport was to sell bikes. To say that manufacturers rarely sponsor teams isn't that accurate. According to the UCI there are 18 Pro-World Tour teams for this year, four of which feature Bicycle manufacturers as title sponsors - Bahrain-Merida, BMC, Mitchelton-Scott, and Trek-Segafredo, so around 22%, and if EF-Drapac hadn't re-named from Cannondale it would be over 25%. It's a well known fact that the bicycle manufacturers also pay teams to use their equipment or provide it for free because of the good PR they get from it. There's nothing wrong with this, that's just the way it is.

As for F1, it has become boring and largely predictable (for years), bring back the 1970s, with characters like Jackie, James, Emerson, Ronnie et al when the drivers were individuals (not rock stars - give me strength).
Better still watch the WRC, driver's are humans, the racing less predictable.

Agreed - as I said in an earlier post, I've been in the business for over thirty years and it seems to get more boring as each year goes by, I can't remember the last time I watched a 'race'

Final point, what has the length of time you've been driving/something, anything got to do with how good/skilled you might be at it ?

Again I agree, but as a previous poster had attempted to use this as a justification for his argument, I thought I would add some re-buttel.

[hondated]

Well this was a thread worth starting as its been interesting reading all of the postings to the thread. As I said I much prefer motorcycle racing particularly Road Racing as imo it takes more skill and nerve to control a high powered motorcycle along roads you can drive on yourself.
That said I agree that WRC is far more interesting to watch than F1 and requires more nerve to compete as well.

Whilst I am not a big fan of LH I totally agree that he is perhaps one of the best racers we have ever had but given the technology he literally has at his finger tips now to call him the greatest of all time GOAT might be stretching it a bit. Especially if you consider the cars his equivalent drove back in the 50s 60s which took far more skill to handle.
So Bryn its back over to you !

[Cyril Haearn]

When he has achieved immortality (next week?) he should upgrade to cycle racing
If he is as physically fit as suggested LH could be the new LA

Sir Bradley lives in Lancashire I believe, is he obscenely rich, has he paid a lot of tax?

What sort of childhood do the children of slebs have in Monaco?

[pete75]

Whilst I am not a big fan of LH I totally agree that he is perhaps one of the best racers we have ever had but given the technology he literally has at his finger tips now to call him the greatest of all time GOAT might be stretching it a bit. Especially if you consider the cars his equivalent drove back in the 50s 60s which took far more skill to handle.
So Bryn its back over to you !

Like Fangio for instance - a man who didn't start racing in F1 until he was 40 then drove for seven full seasons. World champion five times and second twice. Won 24 out of 52 races and never finished lower than fourth. Often he was racing against men young enough to be his son.

[youtube]F8GewTBczsQ[/youtube]

[Bonefishblues]

...and survived, which was some achievement in itself, and one that many, many of his peers couldn't emulate

[pete75]

...and survived, which was some achievement in itself, and one that many, many of his peers couldn't emulate

When asked if he was the bravest driver Fangio said he knew several drivers braver than himself but they were all dead. F1 drivers in the fifties had a higher death rate than front line infantrymen in WW2.

[pete75]

When he has achieved immortality (next week?) he should upgrade to cycle racing
If he is as physically fit as suggested LH could be the new LA

Sir Bradley lives in Lancashire I believe, is he obscenely rich, has he paid a lot of tax?

What sort of childhood do the children of slebs have in Monaco?

Obscenely rich - that's a bit rich coming form a man who says he can afford wrist watches that cost as much as a house

[hondated]

Whilst I am not a big fan of LH I totally agree that he is perhaps one of the best racers we have ever had but given the technology he literally has at his finger tips now to call him the greatest of all time GOAT might be stretching it a bit. Especially if you consider the cars his equivalent drove back in the 50s 60s which took far more skill to handle.
So Bryn its back over to you !

Like Fangio for instance - a man who didn't start racing in F1 until he was 40 then drove for seven full seasons. World champion five times and second twice. Won 24 out of 52 races and never finished lower than fourth. Often he was racing against men young enough to be his son.

[youtube]F8GewTBczsQ[/youtube]

Spot on Pete. Another great driver to me was Nuvolari, Can you imagine trying to tame the cars he and his competitors drove,

[661-Pete]

I know little about this topic, but it seems to me, shouldn't F1 be taking the lead in promoting environmentally-friendly travel, and going all-electric?

[Tiberius]

I know little about this topic, but it seems to me, shouldn't F1 be taking the lead in promoting environmentally-friendly travel, and going all-electric?

You may/may not already know this...

F1 cars have (currently) a hybrid 'power train'. That is, part internal combustion engine and part electric motor. The electric bit is powered by energy generated/harvested from within moving parts in the car itself.....I have tried to keep that simple, it's VERY clever and means that the power train produces plenty of power whilst reducing the amount of liquid fuel that it uses.

There is already is a Formula E racing series. Basically racing cars powered by electricity alone, and there is soon to be an all electric motorcycle Grand Prix class...'MotoE'

To add, there is already an all electric motorcycle race which is held on the legendary Isle of Man TT course, 'TT Zero'. I have seen it and it bored me to tears !!