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RE: European GP (not LBC)

To: "'Rocky Entriken'" <rocky@tri.net>, BillDentin@aol.com, 356drb@indy.net,
Subject: RE: European GP (not LBC)
From: Bill Babcock <BillB@bnj.com>
Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 11:59:43 -0700
>None of which would matter if she could not get the car around the track.

Exactly, and that's what makes the controversy so lame. As you say, there
are plenty of very light drivers with different plumbing. I don't have any
trouble imagining how the conversation starts "Well hell, sure it's possible
for her to beat me, she weighs a hunnert pounds less. Give ME a hunnert
pound advantage and I'd win too..." Of course it usually wouldn't get out of
the bar, but the media needs something new to talk about. Ain't it fun. 

Bill Babcock
Babcock & Jenkins

-----Original Message-----
From: Rocky Entriken [mailto:rocky@tri.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 11:16 AM
To: BillDentin@aol.com; Bill Babcock; 356drb@indy.net; spitfiresuz@141.com
Cc: jerrybarr@charter.net; fot@autox.team.net; vinttr4@geneseo.net
Subject: Re: European GP (not LBC)

IMHO, it depends a lot on both the weight and the power of the car involved.

Many years ago my friend Bill Noble got SCCA to begin weighing Formula Vee
with driver. Now Bill is a big guy, but he's racing a car weighing less than
1000 lbs and with a 55 hp engine (and that's in full-race mode). If Bill had
a car putting out 500-750 hp it would have been much less an issue, even
when the car is <1500 lbs. When a Nextel Cup car weighs 3200 it doesn't
matter much what the driver weighs -- ask Buddy Baker.

Then again, Danica is not the only tiny driver out there. Wheldon is no
physical giant either. Seen Jimmy Kite lately? Bourdais is like 135. 
Castroneves is slim. Even Mario, in his day, was a lightweight. Smallish
drivers have always tended to be the rule in open-wheel racing -- it is one
of the few sports where you don't have to be big to be good.

None of which would matter if she could not get the car around the track.

--Rocky Entriken

----- Original Message -----
From: <BillDentin@aol.com>
To: <BillB@bnj.com>; <356drb@indy.net>; <spitfiresuz@141.com>
Cc: <jerrybarr@charter.net>; <fot@autox.team.net>; <vinttr4@geneseo.net>
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 9:02 AM
Subject: Re: European GP (not LBC)


> In a message dated 05/30/2005 8:10:25 PM Central Daylight Time, 
> BillB@bnj.com
> writes:
>
>
>> Ridiculous stuff. No one says anything about featherweight guys. When I 
>> was
>> racing bikes I realized that the 125 pound guys I was racing against had
>> some advantages--like 87 pounds less weight (I was a svelte 212 pounds 
>> for
>> 30 years, then BOOM.) Didn't mean I couldn't beat them.
>>
>> Jeff Gordon says he weighs 200 pounds. What! That little weenie, does he
>> have his fishing weight collection in his pockets? Take a look at Gerry
>> Marshall, still racing tin-tops in the U.K. and thrashing everyone. He's 
>> got
>> to be pushing 280. Pretty much always did.
>>
>> There's a funny article somewhere on the web about all this--says that 
>> IRL
>> is going to have to test for doping now--looking for Phen-fen in driver's
>> blood.
>>
>
> Bill:
>
> As you can imagine, as a long time super heavyweight contender, I have
> thought about these matters as well.  Many years ago SVRA was going to 
> start
> 'weighing cars sans drivers'.  At the time I could still keep up with John

> Harkness,
> and we had great dices at most events.  In light of the fact that I weight
> twice as much as John, I thought weighing the cars without the drivers was
> ridiculous.  However, my wrench, Kevin Potter, says it is not critical, as

> even if
> they weighed the cars with the driver, lighter drivers would still have an
> advantage in that they would have an opportunity to place extra weight in 
> the car
> at critical positions to meet minimum weight.
>
> What'd think?
>
> Bill Dentinger
>
> PS
>
> I can't think of his name, but in the 1970s wasn't there a TR driver in 
> SCCA
> that was pretty much big as a house, and he did great.

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