Quote:
Originally Posted by mirob
Yeah, that and a couple of other things...
This is coming from a guy who picked an Alpina D3 over an M3...so, like everyone else said...got to reserve your judgment with these so-called professionals...
|
Still the lap times dont lie. I mean he had nothing to do with professional factory test teams on the nordschleife I think?
Like I said I dont even think he'll risk his professional reputation by deliberately throwing results on a test track. It's more likely that they are consistent with what other drivers experienced, foremost as that was on the ring which like I said in my opionion should (or I'd expect) favor a higher powered cars having some long stretches. thus testing on a short technical track its pretty plausible that the civic R is faster than the m3.
So imho there is nothing that really points to him being a 'so-called' professional. His reputation is pretty firm I think. In that scope you can also question the reputation of Tiff Needell, Jason Plato and a bunch of others that were once professional drivers turned journalist and not journalism degree writers with a race training course.
I mean have you driven both and do you have a professional racing career? I dont, so why would I pick your opinion over someone that has earned merit?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outlaw 06
In my opinion, all of the technological gadgets, M logos and turbocharged horsepower in modern BMWs don't even begin to make up for the lack of balance or handling in the cars.
|
I dont know if that's the case. I mean look at the GT-R. Ok that has 800cc more volume, but that's very fast and I expected bmw to somewhat rival that car with new tech and an FI engine. But instead its 100hp down on that (even more to the current one) and seems to be outmatched, although lighter. I dont think lots of tech and a turbocharged engine makes a car slow, I think bmw isnt concerned anymore with making a really fast semi track oriented car anymore. I somewhat expected BMW setting a car like that as the benchmark.
For that matter I would love to see an era again for high profile race classes again where homologation was required (and then in a reasonable amount of production numbers). That way you get cars on the road that were developed for a sporting purpose, not a /Marketing purpose.
As for the fwd vs rwd debate, I wonder if the FWD's natural character to be more understeered and safer/easier to correct when things go wrong (spinning, thus driving on the edge) influences professional drivers. To what point is a professional driver holding back in a rwd to set a lap time thus not crashing the car and is that professional driver willing to push an fwd car further knowing that when he pushes it too far he has more chance of correcting that and resume the test?