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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I first read the 8/10ths comment, I assumed it
related to some kind of vintage rule about slowing by that amount in the
proximity of an off-course car, or something similar. It simply never
occurred to me that there is an assumption that vintage racing is to be
carried out at a such a reduced level. I suppose the fraction
refers as much to effort as it does to speed, but using our usual
measure of speed, 8/10ths means you are adding around 20 seconds to a
typical 90 second lap time. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I know that some of us (in our younger
days) have been known to be susceptible to the dreaded "red
mist," but at the other extreme, if I were driving at anything resembling
an 8/10ths pace, I'd be a little concerned that I could
potentially overlook something like a yellow flag. I'm
a firm believer that for myself, as my speed and adrenaline go up, so does
my focus, awareness and attentiveness to the serious task at
hand. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Obviously there is a point (and this is the red
mist territory) where the desire to get past the car
in front of you can preclude the ability of one's brain to see much
else, but I'm clear that vintage events are not the place for
that. Not many racing venues today are for that matter, although
there have been a number of drivers (Nigel Mansel comes to mind) who've been
richly rewarded for just such behavior. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>DT</FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Billb@bnj.com href="mailto:Billb@bnj.com">Bill Babcock</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=william.tobin3@verizon.net
href="mailto:william.tobin3@verizon.net">WILLIAM TOBIN</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=fot@autox.team.net
href="mailto:fot@autox.team.net">fot@autox.team.net</A> ; <A
title=susank@141.com href="mailto:susank@141.com">susank@141.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, September 22, 2008 7:57
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Fot] Sad news from Road
America</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">Nextly, as far as I know, nobody has gone
from vintage to F1. Are we getting too serioius about winning? Just
a
thought. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Geez, so my planned career path is probably a bust?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I know it doesn't make sense, but when you get behind a wheel you race.
End of story. I honestly never have really understood this eight tenths stuff.
Sure, we don't jam our cars into a chicane five across and get all chesty, and
we back off rather than make that low-percentage pass that would be just part
of the game even in your basic SCCA regional race, but we still all push it,
and try to pick up a little more mid corner speed in that long sweeper, event
though the car is bucking a little and the back end is stepping
out. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I'm KNOW there's some people out there that don't think of winning, they
think about their car's history, and they just enjoy being on the track.
I know because I usually lap them, sometimes several times. It's not
a parade. I don't drive it that way, and neither do the vast majority of the
people I know. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
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