Tradin' Paint - Gordon and Montoya

PrinceE30 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 11:38 AM

Well, just got done watching the special on SpeedTV with Montoya and Gordon trading cars for a day. I thought it was and excellent show and really showed something special. They did do the GP course btw.

Montoya did pretty well on his first run, but his second he was locking up the tires something fearce and eventually burned through to the cording. But it was great to see how excited JPM was to be in the Monte Carlo. He seemed like a kid with a new toy and that's great to see coming from F1 to a NASCAR.

Gordon was great in the FW24 and I was suprised how well he did. Sitting and driving a car that'll do 200+MPH for the first time would make me either laugh uncontrolably or shit my pants. But he really pushed it around those turns of the Brickyard. His only complaint was getting used to the helmet trying to be ripped off his head (something unique to open cockpit racing).

It shows that just because he's a NASCAR driver doesn't mean he's any less of a compeditor than JPM (or any F1 driver). They even talked how most of the NASCAR guys watch the F1 races the morning of their own events and that F1 drivers do follow NASCAR too. When you're a racer, it doesn't matter what car you're in.

-Prince

CMT · #2 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 11:42 AM

I Tivo'd it for tdc.

PrinceE30 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 11:44 AM

I'm gonna watch it again tonight. The show this morning was the full 1.5 hour with interviews and stuff like that. I have a feeling the evening show (1 hour) is going to be more driving and only the times when they get to talk to JPM or Gordon for a decent time.

-Prince

Alex Mc · #4 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 12:36 PM

Rob and I have a theory..

First session out in the Winston Cup car JPM was only a second off of Gordan's time! However, he was complaining about its loose setup and feel.

Second session, though he did lock up coming into turn 1, he looked much faster, and following the session he commented on how much better the car was. They did NOT say what his lap times were the second session though they did say Gordan's times both sessions.

Why? Maybe because he was faster than Gordan!

Who knows.. but i'm sure there's a sponsorship contract clause that would not allow them to say that someone turned faster laps..

Either way, Gordan did very well, almost good enough to qualify in an F1 race! But he was in a contending car, not in a slow Minardi. Great event!

Duke · #5 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 02:07 PM

what time is it showign again? I cant seem to find it on the guide.

PrinceE30 · #6 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 02:13 PM

7:00PM-8:00PM EST, 12:00AM-1:00AM ETST, SpeedChannel

-Prince

Duckydos · #7 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 05:33 PM

Wow, that's actually pretty cool. Prince, you commented that it was Gordon's first time driving a 200mph car. In reality, Nascar's can do in excess of 210mph on fast tracks like Daytona and Talledaga(sp). But the racing was too fast for the cars (which obviously lack the aerodynamics and handling of F1 cars and such) and restrictor plates were put into place.
Anyway, I thought that was a really cool TV program. It would be neat to see a rally driver switch with an F1 driver for a day as well.

-Ducky

tdc · #8 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CMT
I Tivo'd it for tdc.

And it is much appreciated!!

I plan on watching it when I come up there in a couple of weeks!!

If you can keep it for that long, that is.

PrinceE30 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Duckydos
Wow, that's actually pretty cool. Prince, you commented that it was Gordon's first time driving a 200mph car. In reality, Nascar's can do in excess of 210mph on fast tracks like Daytona and Talledaga(sp). But the racing was too fast for the cars (which obviously lack the aerodynamics and handling of F1 cars and such) and restrictor plates were put into place.
Anyway, I thought that was a really cool TV program. It would be neat to see a rally driver switch with an F1 driver for a day as well.

-Ducky

You're very correct, and I guess what I should have said was, "get up to 200mph and back down to 50mph in a matter of seconds."From what Gordon said, it seemed like he was most impressed with brakes (something I've heard over and over again).

As to what Alex said, if you were listening to the first run of Gordon in the BMW, he was only about 1 second behind JPMs times earlier that morning. And that was only 6-7 seconds behind F1 race time. Give him a few weeks testing and I don't doubt that an experianced racer like Gordon would make it in F1 (at least as well as guys like Weber, for example).

-Prince

bmwm3n528 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 07:40 PM

supposedly montoya's best time(which he posted this morning) was 1:17, later that day Gordon's best time was 1:20!!! thats pretty impressive

///BimmerPower · #11 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 07:50 PM

I found the show to be very entertaining. Heh, Gordon had the biggest grin on his face when he came out of the cab of the F1. I will admit that I was on the edge of my chair when both Gordon ran off the track a couple of time and when JPM locked the wheels on the stock car. I was afraid that JPM would keep skiding forward into a wall and that Gordon would 360 out of a turn into a hay bail... two VERY expensive machines. Wish I had Tivo... and where can I pick up one of those steering wheels the F1 had??

MrPayne · #12 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bmwm3n528
supposedly montoya's best time(which he posted this morning) was 1:17, later that day Gordon's best time was 1:20!!! thats pretty impressive

I have yet to see the program, but I am extremely doubtful that something like that could happen. There MUST have been extenuating circumstances between both of those runs. I mean, how exactly can you cut 3 seconds off of a track time? Where would this magic time come from?

bmwm3n528 · #13 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 08:39 PM

im in no way saying gordon is half or even a 1/4 the driver JPM is with these cars, simply stating how impressive that is, for him to jump into this car and post times like this...

...but you guys have to give Gordon credit, where credits due... hes no oblivious to open wheel racing, he started racing open wheel, with plans to race F1...though it proved to be too challenging...so he lowered his standard and jumped into a stock car... atleast thats what i've heard

PrinceE30 · #14 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MrPayne
I have yet to see the program, but I am extremely doubtful that something like that could happen. There MUST have been extenuating circumstances between both of those runs. I mean, how exactly can you cut 3 seconds off of a track time? Where would this magic time come from?

Gordon is not a F1 driver. That's where the time came from.

The point of this (at least to DTMers) is to show people that NASCAR drivers are GOOD drivers. It does take skill (a lot of it) to drive in a NASCAR race. You can't count them out as random schmos that just go 'round and circles. Gordon shows that they really they are excellent drivers and that when you're a good driver the car doesn't matter!

-Prince

MrPayne · #15 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 08:44 PM

Here is some food for thought.
http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/v...tentId=1460960

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The amazing thing about each driver is how similar were their their fastest lap. In the stock car, Gordon's best time was 1 minute, 38.8 seconds around the 2.606-mile course and Montoya's was 1:39.9. In the Formula One car, Montoya's best time was 1:15.2 and Gordon's was 1:16.5.
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Very interesting.