Interview with Michael Valiante is up! - Page 2

Mags · 29 Dec 2003, 06:47 (Ref:822346)

Katie: yeppers. Hyphen-Boy .. BLAH.

Testure · 29 Dec 2003, 19:29 (Ref:822744)

I guarantee you that every other 7 or 8 year-old racing karts right now has a poster of Michael Schumacher on his or her wall. Give it ten years time and people won't be so angry at his dodgy races, same as Senna.

As for Valiante, I have to agree with Jay in that Dalziel seems to be a faster driver. Isn't he also 3 years younger? Actually, I sorta hate reading about young drivers testing cars but who never actually appear on the grid. I'm sure we could all name 20 drivers we'd like to see in CART or have heard rumours of, but for one reason or another it never happens. Best of luck to him, though...

Mags · 29 Dec 2003, 19:31 (Ref:822749)

7 and 8 year olds do not know any better!

Jay · 29 Dec 2003, 22:06 (Ref:822896)

I think Dalziel might have a bit more cash backing too... he has huge support from his parents, but I'm not sure how far they can take him. He'll also need sponsorship to get into CART. Still, I think he'd be a great addition - he was (IMO) the most fan-friendly driver in Atlantic for the past two seasons. Hopefully CART can snap him up, as if they don't I think he'd probably take an IRL ride if offered. He doesn't mind the roundy rounds. I heard Michael was fastest in the Champcar test though - as with all of them let's hope it's not the last they'll see of them. They all deserve rides.

Snrub · 29 Dec 2003, 22:08 (Ref:822900)

I don't like MS and I think he's a bit of an idiot, BUT...

I didn't see Prost or Senna race live, but I have watched some F1 decade on Speed from the '93 season. First thing that appears evidend is that while Prost is clearly the better qualifyer than Hill, you can't really make the case that Prost was faster than his inexperienced teammate.

Regarding Senna, sure he blew Andretti out of the water, but that was more Michael's doing. (he's much faster than his F1 showing) Would anyone claim from watching it that Senna was faster than MS? MS is in a slower car and passed Senna a number of times. At times he puts serious pressure on the Williams duo and even passes them sometimes.

My point is that Prost and Senna are "legends", but I think it was partially a product of their generation of competitors. No one would suggest that Fangio could run with most modern F1 drivers and if you look at the level of MS's competition I think you can see that he doesn't nessissarly stand that much ahead. My point is why is it wrong to idolize MS but it's okay with Prost who retired so as not to look poorly against Senna? I might be wrong, but Senna looked like he might have had a bit of a temper too.

Liz · 30 Dec 2003, 18:01 (Ref:823714)

Quote:

Originally posted by Snrub

I didn't see Prost or Senna race live, but I have watched some F1 decade on Speed from the '93 season. First thing that appears evidend is that while Prost is clearly the better qualifyer than Hill, you can't really make the case that Prost was faster than his inexperienced teammate.

Keep in mind that Prost had been completely out of racing for a year, and that he was at the end of a very long and distinguished career by that time. Comparing his speed to Hill's is rather like comparing TGF's speed to Kimi's I think. Or possibly Massa's.

Also recall that Prost never deliberately rammed (or even ran) anyone off the track -- and that he was the only driver of his generation who never needed the attention of Prof. Sid! In a generation of cars that really were dangerous machines, only Prost of the top tier of drivers was never injured in a race. That shows not only skill in a racing car but a very practical ability to drive the car within its capabilities and his own.

jjspierx · 30 Dec 2003, 19:11 (Ref:823769)

ummm...who is TGF?

GP Racer · 30 Dec 2003, 19:18 (Ref:823776)

TGF is no other than the greatest F1 driver ever, Michael Schumacher! It stands for "The German Fellow", and if I'm not mistaken, I think Liz was the originator.

Hope I didn't steal her thunder!

Mags · 30 Dec 2003, 19:23 (Ref:823781)

Quote:

Originally posted by GP Racer
TGF is no other than the greatest F1 driver ever, Michael Schumacher! It stands for "The German Fellow", and if I'm not mistaken, I think Liz was the originator.

Hope I didn't steal her thunder!

I can't wait to hear Liz's responce to THIS!

jjspierx · 30 Dec 2003, 19:28 (Ref:823784)

ahh...I thought it was Schumacher, but I couldn't make the connection somehow. As a side note, Senna always referred to Schumacher as "The German" and Prost as "The Frenchman". He never used there real names, until near the last days of his life. Some people speculate it was a sign of him reaching a new crossroad of maturity. - Sorry, I'm reading "As time goes by" The Ayrton Senna Biography by Christopher Hilton right now, so I'm full of Senna facts at the moment.

Liz · 30 Dec 2003, 19:49 (Ref:823795)

It was Prost's opinion that Senna referred to him as "The Frenchman" because he hated him too much to pronounce his name. I suspect he referred to TGF as "The German" because it was easier to say that than "Schumacher".

I did dub TGF with that moniker, but only because it's easier to type than his name -- and in memory of the race where he (from his garden in Switzerland) wished good luck to all the German drivers in the race, but not to his (Irish) teammate who, had little Gina kept her mouth shut, would have won the WDC for Ferrari that year ...

corkholio · 30 Dec 2003, 20:04 (Ref:823818)

Quote:

Originally posted by Liz
Also recall that Prost never deliberately rammed (or even ran) anyone off the track -- and that he was the only driver of his generation who never needed the attention of Prof. Sid! In a generation of cars that really were dangerous machines, only Prost of the top tier of drivers was never injured in a race. That shows not only skill in a racing car but a very practical ability to drive the car within its capabilities and his own.

Any motorsports journalist would know Prost was the whiner who started the ramming drivers off to win the championship at Suzuka 89 - especially since Prost admitted so himself. Of course Prost never paid Prof. Sid a visit, considering that he didn't even have the courage to race in the rain.

Snrub · 30 Dec 2003, 20:52 (Ref:823859)

Hill was very green in '93 so I don't think it is unfair to compare Prost to him. When MS is at the top of his game (which he wasn't in a few races in 2003), I don't think Kimi's maximum is better than MS's.

What I don't respect about MS is that I don't think he nessissarly races because it's fun. I think it's a constant ego trip. If Ferrari fell back he'd retire. A guy like Mario Andretti would have continued simply because he enjoyed it. Then again, I don't know that F1 drivers enjoy their jobs.

Dov · 30 Dec 2003, 22:05 (Ref:823929)

Btw, guys & gals, this is the CART forum....isn't it?

Mags · 30 Dec 2003, 22:13 (Ref:823941)

Quote:

Originally posted by Dov
Btw, guys & gals, this is the CART forum....isn't it?

Ooops.

Jay · 30 Dec 2003, 22:54 (Ref:823989)

So how's Valiante looking for that Walker seat?

MLM · 30 Dec 2003, 23:38 (Ref:824030)

Quote:

Originally posted by Mags
7 and 8 year olds do not know any better!

You'd be surpised...some of the smartest things I ever heard came out of the mouths of 5-8 year olds!

Some of them certainly made more sense than a lot of the things I heard from so-called "grown-ups"!

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