Hel

Am I the only one who thinks that the "writing was on the wall" from 3 weeks ago. As soon as they were down to the last 6 drivers and they got rid of the fastest drivers(eg Lars) because the had previous experience. It was all too predictable.

Problem for organisers(who obviously wanted Mark to win) - Mark is only middle of the pack in terms of speed - but he has the right image, nice irish accent blah blah blah.
Answer get rid of the fastest drivers to make Mark look better

Once they were down to 3 drivers I even told someone in work that the Irish guy was going to win because "his face fitted".

Tonight episode. Mark was fractionally faster than Mr JCB (although Mr JCB was obviously more in control - after all he didn't spin), but did they take into accounts that Mark has more experience than Mr JCB - NO. Double standards

Just goes to show that ability is not enough (I bet Lars is fuming with the organisers).

Why should previous experience count against you - When Michael Schumacher is racing they don't say that because hes got lots of experience they are going to penalise him do they.

When the organisers were picking winners each week only one thing should have mattered - speed/lap times etc

Still fancy trying it next year even if its just for the karting etc. Anyone know the tel number as I missed it

Paul(whose face probably wouldn't fit)

fast bloke

So if they were looking for a driver with a 'nice Irish accent' and previous experience was OK how else could they get rid of Eddie Irvine?

Diablo

Fair points, but you can't knock the fact that Mark went from last to eighth and won his class.

At Monza, in an '85 F1 car. Not a bad achievement by anyones standards, and a damn sight better than any of us could probably do.

D

Steve Hartland

Does anyone know if this is being repeated anywhere, as this was the only one I've missed.

Cheers Steve

TelBoy

Predictable, yes, but he *was* the best driver, no question.

Makes you realise just how good these top drivers need to be to keep their places...

Chip

As for the spin as Enzo Ferrari used to say
"if theyre not going off their not going fast enough"
Maybe he was finding his limits.

Chip.

J4MES

Mark is a friend of a friend and I reckon whilst he is a good driver, ok he has experience, his accent and personality did help. Why is that such a problem? They were also assessed on their media skills so he did well on both counts.

I thought he aquitted himself very well during the race all things considered.

Very amusing story behind the 'broken' hand too.

Fat Boy Slim

The writing may have been on the wall we all know that a 38 year old is not going to be given a contract to try and drive in Formula 1 they are too old! If he does make it they are going to want to make some serious cash out of him.

I think Mark did a great job in the race he could have stacked the car gone off or anything! I think he proved himself by making up so many positions I wish him the best of luck.

Markus

Assessed on thier media skills! Oh dear! It's a sad state of affairs where you have to access a drivers skills at being good in front of the worlds press. I don't think anyone ever asked James Hunt about his media skills!

It should be all about the drivers skills, not how 'nice; they are, ok, so if someone drives like a demon but has the attitude of a narked off rotweiler then fair enough, but come on, media skills.

J4MES

It wasn't such a big part of the show but it is part of the job. Likewise the first eliminations were based on fitness, before any of them even sat in a car or a kart.
Is fitness not part of it either? You can be a fat bloater who chain smokes and only eats fry ups, but as long as you are quick for a lap or two then you are the next James Hunt?

Modern rally/racing drivers are the face of the manufacturers, spokespersons, and what they say reflects on the manufacturers. If they admit to smoking weed and getting pulled by the Police whilst driving, like one candidate on 'Who want's to be an F1 driver' did, do you think the manufacturer would be pleased that they had invested millions of pounds into this person?

Hel

I'm not saying that mark isn't a good driver - he would definately beat me, its just that he was NOT the best "driver" of the series(emphasizing the driving aspect). Lars was almost certainly the best driver of the series.

If my memory serves me correctly I think that when they were down to the last 6 drivers, Mark only came 4th(?), and in that episode they got rid of 2 of the 3 fastest drivers - shows you how important speed is eh

In case anyone is wondering I don't know any of the drivers, its just that it gets on my nerves when image/looks/gift of the gab etc count for more than outright ability.

If Mark got to 8th position then think how far Lars would probably have got.

Paul

[Edited by Hel - 5/27/2003 8:03:21 PM]

Neil W

Usually repeated on Sunday afternoons along with Fifth Gear.

J4MES

My mate used to race against Lars in karts ans he says he is a bloody nice bloke, and quick. The judges reason for binning him was that they didn't think he was quick enough considering his vast experience.

If he is driving single seaters anyway, then why not give someone else a chance?