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The Daddio factor, or how can anyone be that fast?

To: autox@autox.team.net
Subject: The Daddio factor, or how can anyone be that fast?
From: Darren Madams <darren@madams.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 11:06:27 -0700 (PDT)
Ok, this has been bugging me for a while, and I'd like everyone
else's thoughts... can you tell work is boring today?

How can anyone (by anyone I mean Mark Daddio, John Thomas, etc.)
be so far ahead of the rest of their class?

Theoretically (mathematically), a certain car should only be
capable of a certain time on a certain course.  To pick a random
variable for this let's use the Geez term "usage" and say that
theoretically at usage=100% you turn a 60 second time.  In order
to achieve anything faster than that something special must be
happening...

Now, obviously it is possible to get more than 100% usage out of
a car.  Not only from peaks in each of the axises but also from
making the car do things outside the limits such as rotating the
car to travel around a turn without losing as much momentum.

But honestly, how much can that be worth??  Surely not 1 second
per day in basically a spec car against other drivers likely
doing the same things.  If it were Daddio vs. a computer I could
accept 1 second no problem (take that, Deep Blue) but we're
talking about some of the best drivers in the country.

So, theory number two, and I'm sure a component of #1 anyway but
for arguments sake let's seperate them... those top drivers are
coming closer to the 100% usage (or greater) sooner and more of
the time.  Because they are more consistently faster from the
get go they can spend more time figuring out the little parts.

Anyone got any thoughts?  Are us mortals just doomed to follow
the leaders? :)

        --Darren


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