Car or Driver

[martine]

I'm sure I could go as fast. It'd be the straight line bit I'd have a problem with. Not the mention the bravery (stupidity?) of getting in it in the first place.

Yes - I'm still trying to work out if he's mad or brave or a litle of both. Worrying thing is, his day job is RAF fighter pilot...finger on the button and all that.

For those people that think driving a land-speed record car is just point and shoot, on the last record run in 1997 Andy has full lock on the steering at one point (> 600mph) in an attempt to keep the car straight. His commentrary includes the priceless sentence: "barely under control....keeping foot down..."

Probably not something you want to say on the IAM test.

[Standard Dave]

Stick the same driver in a less capable vehicle and it won't go as fast in a straight line, so yes.

Stick a less capable driver (not Andy Green) in the same vehicle (Bloodhound SSC) and it won't go as fast in a straight line...

I'm sure I could go as fast. It'd be the straight line bit I'd have a problem with. Not the mention the bravery (stupidity?) of getting in it in the first place.

I doubt your average motorist could, but I expect there are hundreds if not thousands of fast jet pilots and racing drivers who could do the same job. The list is somewhat shorter to beat the current F1 or WRC champions who have to turn corners also.

[TripleS]

Post deleted.

[Silk]

Just as a matter of interest, which group of drivers do we most admire? Is it the F1 drivers, or the WRC drivers?

For me, it's good road drivers. I don't really care for motorsport of any description.

[Silk]

I'm sure I could go as fast. It'd be the straight line bit I'd have a problem with. Not the mention the bravery (stupidity?) of getting in it in the first place.

Yes - I'm still trying to work out if he's mad or brave or a litle of both. Worrying thing is, his day job is RAF fighter pilot...finger on the button and all that.

For those people that think driving a land-speed record car is just point and shoot, on the last record run in 1997 Andy has full lock on the steering at one point (> 600mph) in an attempt to keep the car straight. His commentrary includes the priceless sentence: "barely under control....keeping foot down..."

Probably not something you want to say on the IAM test.

Does it have winter tyres?

[TripleS]

Post deleted.

[waremark]

I'm sure I could go as fast. It'd be the straight line bit I'd have a problem with. Not the mention the bravery (stupidity?) of getting in it in the first place.

I doubt your average motorist could, but I expect there are hundreds if not thousands of fast jet pilots and racing drivers who could do the same job. The list is somewhat shorter to beat the current F1 or WRC champions who have to turn corners also.

I am not sure you are right. I think Andy Green's task requires a very exceptional level of ability - and that he would be promising material for a WRC driver.

[martine]

...I expect there are hundreds if not thousands of fast jet pilots and racing drivers who could do the same job.

Probably correct but Andy Green did come top of many 10s of thousands of applicants to a Times Advert in the mid 1990s (to drive Thrust SSC).

Apart from the undoubted skill of controlling such a beast and apart from the calculated bravery there is his ability to keep super-cool under pressure both in and out the car. Every run of Thrust SSC (c. 40 at various speeds) was different and clearly high risk.

[jcochrane]

Just as a matter of interest, which group of drivers do we most admire? Is it the F1 drivers, or the WRC drivers?

For me, it's good road drivers. I don't really care for motorsport of any description.

But you are overlooking the fact that some of the best/safest road drivers come from the realms of motor sport. No doubt it has helped hone their skills of observation, anticipation and concentration. Very importantly they tend to keep a cool head in an emergency, stay emotionally detached, are very disciplined/restrained and they are far more likely to have better handling skills and sharpened awareness of balance etc. than most drivers.

Maybe it is of little wonder then that our much loved "system of car control" was the product of a committee comprising of some experienced in motor racing and not just its chairman, Lord Cottenham.

I don't think you should be so quick to dismiss them or what their sport has taught them that can be transferred to road driving.

If I am driven by someone involved in motor racing I expect a very high standard of road driving and I'm not usually disappointed.

Difficult to decide between F1 and WRC drivers but rally drivers just might have a slight edge but almost to close to call.

[ScoobyChris]

For me, it's good road drivers. I don't really care for motorsport of any description.

I suppose everyone has different definitions of "good" - can you say what the attributes are that you would aspire to?

Chris

[knighterrant]

I don't think you should be so quick to dismiss them or what their sport has taught them that can be transferred to road driving.

If I am driven by someone involved in motor racing I expect a very high standard of road driving and I'm not usually disappointed.

But it'd be interesting to know how you'd feel if driven by such a professional without knowing of their skills. A few years ago whilst working for a car dealership, a salesman asked me to accompany a prospective buyer on a test drive in a BMW M3 E46 CSL. I drove him out to a quieter area then we swapped places so he could try it. Bloomin eck! He left a fair chunk of rubber on the road before attacking a corner at a speed that tested the M3's handling approaching its limit. He admitted to not being familiar with the area, but still drove the car faster than I would have done. He demonstrated keen handling skills, but I didn't feel I was able to relax (not sure if that was fear for my life or fear for my responsibilty for the expensive car!) We returned safely to the garage. It was a few weeks later that I found out he was the Stig at the time! (No need to give his name.) With the knowledge of who he was, I think I would have felt more comfortable in his ability to handle the car, but I still wasn't too impressed with his speed in the conditions on a public road.

So his ability to handle a car was beyond question. But would I class him as a good driver? Clearly not, because I didn't feel comfortable whilst he was driving. He failed to convince me that he was sufficiently taking everything into account. I doubt that even the Stig was able to see round blind bends!

[jcochrane]

I don't think you should be so quick to dismiss them or what their sport has taught them that can be transferred to road driving.

If I am driven by someone involved in motor racing I expect a very high standard of road driving and I'm not usually disappointed.

But it'd be interesting to know how you'd feel if driven by such a professional without knowing of their skills. A few years ago whilst working for a car dealership, a salesman asked me to accompany a prospective buyer on a test drive in a BMW M3 E46 CSL. I drove him out to a quieter area then we swapped places so he could try it. Bloomin eck! He left a fair chunk of rubber on the road before attacking a corner at a speed that tested the M3's handling approaching its limit. He admitted to not being familiar with the area, but still drove the car faster than I would have done. He demonstrated keen handling skills, but I didn't feel I was able to relax (not sure if that was fear for my life or fear for my responsibilty for the expensive car!) We returned safely to the garage. It was a few weeks later that I found out he was the Stig at the time! (No need to give his name.) With the knowledge of who he was, I think I would have felt more comfortable in his ability to handle the car, but I still wasn't too impressed with his speed in the conditions on a public road.

So his ability to handle a car was beyond question. But would I class him as a good driver? Clearly not, because I didn't feel comfortable whilst he was driving. He failed to convince me that he was sufficiently taking everything into account. I doubt that even the Stig was able to see round blind bends!

Sounds like a bad experience. There are always going to be exceptions. There is, in my view, more to a good drive than handling ability. I admire a drive that is smooth, precise, controlled, flowing, seamless, balanced, superb transition work, lots of light and shade and of course very safe. I've been driven by racing drivers and advanced police drivers that failed to impress, particularly, as you mentioned, cornering on blind bends at too high a speed and usually unbalanced as well. Most though are very good and some exceptional.

Usually one can get a fairly good idea from the first gear change from 1st to 2nd as to how the rest of the drive will go. Of course it's not always the case but it usually is.

[Silk]

Just as a matter of interest, which group of drivers do we most admire? Is it the F1 drivers, or the WRC drivers?

For me, it's good road drivers. I don't really care for motorsport of any description.

But you are overlooking the fact that some of the best/safest road drivers come from the realms of motor sport. No doubt it has helped hone their skills of observation, anticipation and concentration. Very importantly they tend to keep a cool head in an emergency, stay emotionally detached, are very disciplined/restrained and they are far more likely to have better handling skills and sharpened awareness of balance etc. than most drivers.

Maybe it is of little wonder then that our much loved "system of car control" was the product of a committee comprising of some experienced in motor racing and not just its chairman, Lord Cottenham.

I don't think you should be so quick to dismiss them or what their sport has taught them that can be transferred to road driving.

If I am driven by someone involved in motor racing I expect a very high standard of road driving and I'm not usually disappointed.

Difficult to decide between F1 and WRC drivers but rally drivers just might have a slight edge but almost to close to call.

I'm sure there are many things to be learnt from good racing drivers, but I suspect the cracks start to appear once they're away from the twisty B roads. Once that happens, they'd have many more things to learn from good road drivers.

[Silk]

For me, it's good road drivers. I don't really care for motorsport of any description.

I suppose everyone has different definitions of "good" - can you say what the attributes are that you would aspire to?

Chris

In a word, "uneventful".

[Silk]

Actually it doesn't really matter to me. I know I'm the best there is, regardless of category. So there.

Prove it!