sebring

[rcutler]

Anyone know of any sports pubs in London or the South that might show it either as a repeat or live (live is a bit hopeful innit)

[Dave H]

Wotcher Dave!!

How's fatherhood going? I'll bet you're looking forward to a whole weekend without the sight or smell of full nappies. There is also the promise of a slobber-free shoulder, but I suppose that's not necessarily a dead cert.

Have a good 'un
H

Now then H.
Fatherhood is incredible.  The few trips I've had to make have been a bastard but I'm getting used to it, and am home still far more than I was before.  Got to a meeting last week with a healthy amount of puke on my shoulder.  Didn't realize he'd given me a goodbye gift that morning.

For those with bairns, it's interesting discussing your upcoming piss-up weekend in the sun with your bleery-eyed Missus at a 3 a.m. feeding.  Somehow, they become a little less excited for you at the prospect of your weekend fun.

[Dave H]

Dave,

I have a DVD recorder that can take DVD's burned from either NTSC or PAL broadcast systems (according to the manufacturer). I would welcome the opportunity to take a copy from you and try to copy it for the benefit of anyone over here in the UK that may want one.

Hi Pretzel:

Certainly can send you this if you'd like - depending on how much footage there is, it may end-up being on more than one DVD-R.  I'll get online after this and program taping of all the footage that's on this week if anything other than the race itself.
Dave

[Matt Harper]

I head to Orlando on Friday - Matt I get in around 5:45 so that could bode for a troublesome evening.

Yes, that had crossed my mind, I must admit. I've been thinking about this and I ask myself, "Why? Why should a race weekend accompanied by friends and loved ones always have to be BLIGHTED by horrendous, irresponsible alcoholic abuse? What law states that as soon as you are scooped up from the airport, you must report directly to a bar and commence liver and brain cell destruction, be assaulted by loud music and cigar smoke until the small hours and then be up before daybreak to head out to the circuit - only to start imbibing again, before breakfast and throughout the coming day?
Why don't we just have a pancake and a soda at IHOP, watch a little TV, make up our packed lunches and have a respectable nights sleep, before heading off to the track? Rather than take that huge drag-along cooler, full of beer, we could just pack a couple of bottles of spring water (which is jolly refreshing, when it's warm out) and have a sober and coherant day out at the motor races.
That said, Fax doesn't get into O'town until 8'ish, so I guess it's the beer'n'stogies run, followed by a couple of slotters in't Sho-Boat before picking him up - then more of same 'til 3.00am - then horror fart-fest drive to Hendricks - then renew acquiantences with soggy CA'ers - then hoist a few suds, then breakfast, then a few late morning beers, then celebrate the start with a couple of beers, then hike out to the hairpin, stop for a beer or two, get terrifyingly sunburned, muse, whimsically why Canada Phil carries that enormous flag wherever he goes, take the piss out of Smokey for his girly beer and Gesatapo moderating tactics, stumble to the Stumble Inn, drink, piss, drink, piss, drink, piss, watch a few cars honking around, have a couple more sherbets, circumnavigate the circuit, stagger back to the pit balcony, sit there drinking black beer, praying for it all to end, stagger back to carpark, miraculously sober-up instantly, drive to Denny's to satisfy beer munchies, leave in disgust when kitchen staff wipes his hands on his trousers having 'dropped the kids off at the pool", and pootle back home, have a Guiness nightcap and so to bed.  
Should be a great event and we'd better get organised for Le Mans, for fucks sake.

[Abs]

Just got off my arse and checked the motors tv listing on sky and it looks like 10 hours are being shown live. 4pm-6pm Saturday and 8pm-4am Sunday with Nascar in the middle. Thats the weekend sorted  

And the wife still won't understand why a 24 hour race becomes a 5-6 day event!!

[Fax]

Matt,
About pissed myself laughing when I saw that last post of yours.
Pretty well sums up every race I've been to in the last ten years.
However Daytona was a little strange this year without a grumpy, just woke up Dave yelling at me to get the f**k out of bed (or off the floor in the case of a couple of serious night before sessions)
John

[Dave H]

This may be as good a time as any to tell you I've given-up drinking.

[Matt Harper]

Good. All the more for us. You can drive home too.

[Fax]

Oh dear!.....I was only kidding about Grumpy Dave in the Morning.  Do I still need to bring R2?
Fax

[gibberish]

Matt...............brilliant.  have a good time  

[pretzel]

Dave,

I have a DVD recorder that can take DVD's burned from either NTSC or PAL broadcast systems (according to the manufacturer). I would welcome the opportunity to take a copy from you and try to copy it for the benefit of anyone over here in the UK that may want one.

Hi Pretzel:

Certainly can send you this if you'd like - depending on how much footage there is, it may end-up being on more than one DVD-R.  I'll get online after this and program taping of all the footage that's on this week if anything other than the race itself.
Dave

OK Dave, I'll PM my details.

[Matt Harper]

Matt...............brilliant.  have a good time  

That's kind of you Gibb - the storm clouds have passed and hopefully Phil has dried out. They should be at the circuit today. God alone knows how folks tent it for 3 days prior to the race - I'm way too old for that malarky any more. I'd be ready to go home by the time the race started. Same with Le Mans, really. I simply do not have the endurance to rough it for several days prior to the event. The earliest I ever arrived at the circuit was Thursday afternoon, with the benefit of a quite luxurious RV - and even then, I was total dogshit by the time the race started.
How all you guys, who arrive on the preceeding Monday, actually make it through to race day impresses and baffles me.

[Steve Pyro]

How all you guys, who arrive on the preceeding Monday, actually make it through to race day impresses and baffles me.

Stamina, training and French beer  

Also, having driven 450 miles in one day in an open, 2 seat sports car with little or no creature comforts, believe me, you'd sleep anywhere!

[Fax]

A few St. Paddy's Day pints tonight at the pub then home and its time to break out The Speed Merchants.  This is an old pre-Sebring tradition for me.  For those unfamiliar with this film it recounts the 1972 World Championship for Makes from the perspective of the factory Ferrari and Alfa Romeo teams and is narrated by Mario Andretti and Vic Elford with help from Brian Redman, Jacky Ickx and Helmut Marko.  Great footage from Sebring,  Le Mans, Watkins Glen, the Nurburgring and the Targa Florio.  The Targa footage being especially mind boggling.  Vic Elford's account of Jo Bonnier's fatal accident at Le Mans is very sad though.  The Sebring stuff is alot of fun to watch, amazing how much remains the same there.  Mario testing the 312PB and describing how horrendous the bumps are and what their like to hit at 180 mph.
John

[Matt Harper]

How all you guys, who arrive on the preceeding Monday, actually make it through to race day impresses and baffles me.

Stamina, training and French beer  

Also, having driven 450 miles in one day in an open, 2 seat sports car with little or no creature comforts, believe me, you'd sleep anywhere!

Hmmm, not so sure, Steve. Ricrardo and I drove down in 85 in a Dax Cobra (and got seriously rear-ended by a dufus in a Range Rover) and I drove my Corvette down (with the roof off, all the way) in 2001, and I've done the trip by all manner of vehicles in between - so I don't think the drive is the issue.
French beer is poisonous. Period. During our early excursions to La Sarthe, we used to buy very large quantities of Export 33, Kanterbrau and Kroney - it's all utter piss. There is only one thing worse than drinking utter piss and that is drinking warm utter piss, which we also did for a few years until we got our act together. We used to meet up with a crowd of German lads in late 80's/early 90's who introduced us to Warsteiner, Dab and a couple of other German 'cooking' beers - nothing outrageous, but tasty and not full of the sheott that fucks you up with cheap French beer.
Regarding practice, I've had quite a lot. I'm not proud of the fact that I drink more than I should, but it is a fact. I just refuse to buy crap anymore. It costs a little more, but does not result in barfing/tipping. (The subject of 'beer tipping' has been covered on this forum extensively in the past - for those unfamiliar with this despicable and jeuvenile activity, it usually involves loud, irritating morons who act like they are pounding the suds, but are really surrepticiously tipping 50% of it in the bushes, because they are beer pansies). They are a common sight at Le Mans.
So it all comes down to stamina - and here, Steve, you have hit the nail squarly on the head. I have neither the inclination or tolerance to endure 3 or more days under canvas/car roof, scary toilets, theives and being surrounde by dickheads, who's idea of humour is throwing water at strangers - and all this before the frickin' race even gets under way.
It does worry me that maybe I'm turning into an old fart, but then I'm heartened by many thousands of people like me at Le Mans, who look and act like they share my humble opinion - i.e. have a great time, without being a total pain in the arse to others.
You said it right, Steve - stamina, is what I lack.