F1 coming to Vegas !

[Southwest Dave]

I'm not sure how big an impact Formula1 motor racing has had so far in the USA but it's a huge global sport/brand and it's coming back to Vegas after many years of trying to get a deal done ! I'm pretty sure that(in true Vegas style) this is going to be a massive event. I hope it doesn't cause too much disruption to our resident Las Vegans !! Its scheduled for November 2023.

If you want to book a table at a local bar/restuarant, here's the proposed lay out of the track ! ;-)



Who knows, might see you there !! Haha

Dave.

[AZBuck]

When I was younger and living on the East Coast, I would make an annual pilgrimage to Watkins Glen, NY for the Formula 1 races there. It was an experience to say the least. Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, Phil Hill and other racing legends competing in open-cockpit, open-wheeled vehicles on a real road circuit. None of this all-left-turns confined oval nonsense, but real racing. Indeed the track is what makes F1 unique. While there were stands near the start/finish line at The Glen, many fans simply wandered back and forth between the infield and outfield(?) through a tunnel under the raceway and saw the race at different points and from different angles. There were corners such as 'The Toe' where well-timed hard braking rather than simple pedal-to-the-metal was part of finding the best line through. This ain't NASCAR but for those who enjoy racing there are few formats that top F1. If you get a chance, go.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, Phil Hill

Some great historic names there that helped put F1 on the map and at a time when they put their lives on the line everytime they climbed in the cockpit with the limited safety procedures and run off areas todays racers benefit from. I must say that this years new regulations have really shaken things up so far, with closer fought battles and much more overtaking than we have seen in recent years, they are racing again !(The aim was to alter the aerodynamics and get rid of the dirty air that was making it hard for cars to follow and overtake those in front)

[Mark Sedenquist]

Photo credit: formula1.com

Can you imagine what this might be like.

Yes, I think we'd better have a significant RTA Contributors viewing section someplace.

and a bunch more renderings of the Strip here.

Wow.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

Very hard to imagine these machines going past the Bellagio at 200mph !! Great image.

Yes, I think we'd better have a significant RTA Contributors viewing section someplace.

Now that would be something !

Dave.

[Southwest Dave]

What an exciting Silverstone GP this weekend. Some great racing towards the end and nice to see the Mercedes starting to get to grips with the new regulations and Lewis Hamilton getting 'Racey' near the front of the pack once again.

There was a huge crash at the start that you wouldn't want to repeat at anytime, never mind a street circuit with little run off areas. Thank goodness for the introduction of the 'Halo's' to protect the drivers head.



Dave.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Good lord -- that looked like a bad crash.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

The 'Halo' was only introduced in 2018 and wasn't much liked by many drivers. The photo below shows how it seperated the drivers head from the tarmac !!



The car at rest !


The driver was checked out and released with no harm done !

Dave.

[Mark Sedenquist]

The driver was checked out and released with no harm done !

Dave.

sheesh, looking at how that "cab" crushed around the driver -- hard to believe that he wasn't hurt. I bet he wasn't able to self-exit from that scene?

So, since I made this original post, I have seen this scene a few times on the Netflix series. Remarkably, he was OK and is doing fine.

Mark

[Southwest Dave]

sheesh, looking at how that "cab" crushed around the driver -- hard to believe that he wasn't hurt. I bet he wasn't able to self-exit from that scene?

Mark

He was extracted in a concious condition by medical experts and taken on a stretcher to the medical room and then flown to hospital to get fully checked where he was declared 'fit and healthy' !! It has been described as a miracle but it's a big pat on the back for all those that take care of the design and construction of all the safety features in the car and around the track ! (Plus a bit of luck!!) I think the outcome would of been different if this had been at a street circuit such as Monaco, Singapore or (coming soon) Las Vegas.

Dave