avonvilla

The thing is people seem to picking WRC becasue they can relate to it, ie it's like a quick road car, no question they are crazy but it is just a quick road car where as F1 is like nothing we know , unless your a fighter pilot, these guys are pulling 5g in some corners ! I think the nail was hit when someone said it must be F1 as there paid more, if a WRC driver was more skilled or better dont you think they'd switch ? at least one of them surely would have by now ?

messiah

For the majority of F1 races, the drivers only have to remember what gear they need for about 20 corners - Compare that with the pacenotes on any rally - not just WRC. The notes are given out about 3 corners in advance and the driver has to remember them in the order, or its brown trousers time.

I'm not trying to say that F1 is easy (unless you're a certain German) but Rallying has got to be more mentally demanding.

brickboy

This is an old story but a good 'un.

In the 50s when Stirling Moss was entered in the Mille Miglia in the Mercedes 300SLR, he and his co-driver (Dennis Jenkison) tried a helmet intercom system so that Jenks could give Moss "pace notes".

Moss says they tested the intercom a section of the route. At the end of it, Moss said to Jenks "this is bloody useless, doesn't work". Jenks said, "well, I've just heard you". Moss said: "And I heard you ...".

Apparently Moss was concentrating so much on the driving that he was blanking out the verbal pace notes.

So WRC drivers obviously DON'T drive at 100%, or they wouldn't take notice of the pace notes

messiah

...or maybe Moss is a bit thick...

Sorry Sir! only joking!

[Edited by messiah - 10/16/2003 11:16:42 AM]

Duck_Pond

I'd say overall, Rally drivers have to be more insane than their GP counterparts. Both Schumacher and Coulthard have admitted to thinking that Rally drivers have a screw loose.

As for the F1 drivers being better because they're paid more? Nonsense. Footballers are paid more than Rugby players, simply because their sport has more money involved overall.

And why Rally drivers haven't switched to F1? Because they love driving rally cars, same as Rugby players love their game. It's not as though any of the top drivers are poor, is it?

Difficult to say who is more skilled, because their sports are so different. Rally drivers have to face all manner of conditions and have to be able to adapt to them instantly, and they're also driving a car that is still basically, a "car".

F1 drivers are piloting cars that are nothing like anything else, so have to be skilled in different ways, in discipline, in patience, in reading the best lines on tracks etc.

So, if insanity is classed as a skill, then I'd have to give the nod to the Rally drivers, by a whisker.

messiah

Didn't Markko Martin take Fisichella out for trip in the Focus WRC not so long ago.

Fisichella was bricking it.

chiark

Skillwise, I personally reckon there's not a lot in it but as has already been said there's a hell of a lot of difference in the skills needed.

F1 needs to find the absolute limit and stick within it, and reproduce the same performance lap after lap. There are variables to deal with (fuel weight, downforce, tyres etc) and it is physically and mentally challenging with a large risk of getting it horribly wrong and hitting armco/wall/whatever at very high speeds.
Overtaking is an issue.

WRC dances all over limits and is about setting a car up to get it around corners beyond the limits of adhesion. Erm, I know what I mean but that probably isn't the right way of saying it. There's no way that you can "learn" the absolute fastest line for every stage in the same way that you learn a line at F1, so there's a broad analytical skill that's going on as well as actually driving the car. They've got to take everything in, from pace notes to every condition and obstacle that they can "process"...

Either one is massively talented, but I'd much rather be a WRC star
Cheers,
Nick.

RichardC

Do you think that if you put MS(or any other F1 driver) in a WRC event they would be on the pace. Similarly do you think that if you put Petter (or any other WRC driver) in an F1 GP they would be on the pace?

F1 drivers get more money because F1 is a bigger money spinner than WRC. Are footballers worth more than rugby players???

RichardC

TopBanana

They both require total concentration, and the drivers have to compete against the best in the world in both disciplines. I don't think you can say one is better than the other.

BuRR

When was the last time you saw MS have to deal with this at Silverstone?

Brit_in_Japan

WRC drivers have to cope with many more different surfaces than F1, just look at the battles that Petter and Seb and Martin have had all year.

And anyone who's seen the pictures of Markko Martin yumping in Finland this year will see that they've got ba!!s the size of spacehoppers.

Big talent needed in both sports, but my total respect goes first the the rally boys.

Gridlock Mikey

F1 dudes have to deal with these type of muppets sometimes. At least McRae is half expecting a cow or spectator or rock




Mikey

Dapster

Although I've already voted for the WRC boys (or more specifically the late 80's Group B chaps) you can't ignore the evidence from anyone who has done a tandem ride in the 2 seater F1 cars. Richard Meaden from Evo went in the Arrows whenever it was, and after 2 laps (that's TWO laps at a pace of about 70% race speed) nearly passed out from the g's and didn't have the energy to keep his head upright in the braking zone and corners. The F1 boys are amazing athletes.

A friend of mine has done a demo stage with Petta in an Imp and they don't drive at 100%. They drive BEYOND 100% - even the top boys finish stages thinking "how the f*kc did we get through that".

Food for thought.

Tiggs

some good points...WRC has cows on the road so they must be better.