Lewis Hamilton does it again

[Mikey uk]

At the latest Autosport Annual Award Ceremony in the uk, Lewis became the first person to pick up three awards in one night.
1/ International Racing Driver,
2/ British Competition Driver,
3/ Rookie of the year.

We know the guy's good but what I like is he is so unassuming. He looks and acts like he's having fun.
Last night on BBC's 'Top Gear' programme he made an appearance. For those who haven't seen the programme they have an improvised circuit on an airfield where the programme is made. They have a resident Racing Driver they call the 'Stig' and he teaches guest celebrities who drive a basic Chevrolet Lacetti sedan around a timed lap of the circuit.
Now obviously the 'Stig is an expert around the circuit as he regularly tests all kinds of supercars around it for the programme.

His fastest lap in the Lacetti around this track is 1m 44.1secs in the dry.
A small number of F1 drivers have agreed to try the lap in the past including Nigel Mansell (ex World Champ), Jenson Button and Mark Webber.

Mansell did it in 1m 43secs in the dry.
Hamilton did it in 1m 44secs in the wet and with an oil spillage on the track!!!!
He was faster than Button and Webber.

He requested an invite back on another occasion when he can try it in the dry.

Bet we won't see Alonso having a go!

I can't wait for next season.

Mikey uk

[rskrause]

Yes, he is going to be one of the greats. But I bet he turns into a whining bitch like the rest of them in F1. When he moved out to avoid taxes is when I started to see the writing on the wall. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised? I hope so.

Richard

[SStrokerAce]

Rich, that's great.

He is intersting to watch but man oh man did he throw the World Championship out the window at Brazil. All he had to do is finish high enough to NOT give it away. Nothing a few years is not going to solve.

Bret

[DavidVizard-GFN]

Originally Posted by rskrause

Yes, he is going to be one of the greats. But I bet he turns into a whining bitch like the rest of them in F1. When he moved out to avoid taxes is when I started to see the writing on the wall. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised? I hope so.

Richard

On somthing like this Richard I would normally agree but I have a feeling that in this case you could be way off the mark and it's good to see you hope your are wrong. Let's see in say 3 years - and if im wrong I will donate a cam for your favourite hot rod project!

Moving out to avoid taxes is a legitamate move as none of us are in business to give money to the government to waste. If I had enough money to be in that situation I would pour it into worthwhile charities and a race team long before I paid it willingly to the feds.
DV

[rskrause]

Originally Posted by DavidVizard-GFN

On somthing like this Richard I would normally agree but I have a feeling that in this case you could be way off the mark and it's good to see you hope your are wrong. Let's see in say 3 years - and if im wrong I will donate a cam for your favourite hot rod project!

Moving out to avoid taxes is a legitamate move as none of us are in business to give money to the government to waste. If I had enough money to be in that situation I would pour it into worthwhile charities and a race team long before I paid it willingly to the feds.
DV

Now you're talking! But we now need an independent 3rd party to judge.

Somewhat more seriously, I was wondering why I found the move to Switzerland so disappointing. I wonder if Americans are different in that respect than "Europeans"? The "quotes" are because I know some Britons do not consider the UK part of Europe. David: you are English? Is it more like an American who moves to a different state for a more friendly business/tax climate? The taxman is no friend of mine. But there is something in me that sees the story like this: you are raised in a country that gives you the opportunity to get very rich and when you succeed, you leave to avoid paying anything back. That occurs but is not common among Americans. Maybe it's because the US is large and where are you gonna move. Canada has higher taxes and Mexico (no offense) is somewhat Third Worldy. Even a Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, etc. still reside in the US, not Monaco or Switzerland (which are the home of the sucessful drivers in F1).

Still, no matter what Lewis is a phenom. Let's let SStrokerAce decide if he becomes a whiny bitch or not. I wil get those engine specs ready for you David and you can cracking on the cam specs.

Richard

[DavidVizard-GFN]

Richard

I see you based your arguments on what has gone before and some cold logic so it would make some sense to you but - and here is the kicker, it's now United States of Europe and all can move around as they please. Add the that the beauty of the Swiss Alps and the reletivley more serene life style and I can say it's not a bad move. Let's put that into prospective here. A friend of mine's uncle lived on the outskirts of London about 5 miles from Gatwick Airport. His office was in Berne Switzerland. He commuted on a daily basis!

If I were still living in that part of the world I would have a house in Switzerland and party in Italy!

Mind you LH's ancestrial home of Grenada is also a fun place to live as it is pretty much a paradise island. (and it's crawling with racers on very tight budgets - which means we would all fit in well there).

DV

[Mikey uk]

Hi guys,
I'm glad my post got you talking and I thought I had better reply to some of your points,
1/ Did Hamilton throw away the championship? Sure he made a couple of errors, as did McLaren, but I think we forget this kid is a rookie and finished
2nd in the World Championship. Tell me another rookie in any motor sport whether in the USA or elsewhere that has even got that close 1st time out. Even Michael Schumacher didn't, so perhaps a little perspective here might be in order. Guess what, I bet he doesn't repeat his mistakes.
2/The implication that F1 drivers are whiney seems a bit odd to me. The only one I can think of is Alonso. Unless, as I've heard stated before, you're referring to the tyre problem at Indy. Come on guys I don't see drivers in the USA risking it in the wet full stop, let alone when they are all told a particular tyre has a fault and if they race, it may well fail at high speed and seriously injure or kill!!!!
3/ David V, you've been away from the uk too long. Switzerland in not in the European Union so we cannot just move there willy nilly. In fact it's hard to get in as they are fussy. I believe the real reason behind Hamilton's move is not for the tax advantage ( we are taxed disproportionately in the uk), but because of press intrusion. The so called Papparazzi over here hound celebrities incessently and make like miserable. You do not have that problem in the USA. Switzerland is renowned for letting it's residents have their privacy just as in the USA.

Anyway guys, I love all forms of motorsport whether it be F1, NASCAR, Champ, Drag, Motorbikes, boats and planes. How about we get a bit of perspective here and just enjoy the talent of racers generally and stop being hypercritical without the facts.

Regards

Mikey uk

[rskrause]

Mikey: I didn't think I was being hypercritical? Lewis is a phenom, there can be no rational doubt about his talent. As far as whining in F1, I can't see how anyone who observes the antics of the drivers would come to a different conclusion. On a slightly different tack, it seems to me that the current generation of F1 pilots are the best drivers in the world. But they are clearly not the best racers. Do others see it that way? FWIW, I have been involved in one kind of racing or another since for 45 years. SCCA road racing, drag racing, and motocross. I am not sure if those are great credentials, but in my mind there is clear distinction. Fisi is a great example and pretty typical of F1. Fast as all get out but easily discouraged and does not like to mix it up. Ruebens is another. There are certainly exceptions, but there are more than technical reasons that nearly all of the passing in F1 occurs in the pits. Just MHO about the state of F1, which is a lot less interesitng than it used to be. Of course, NASCAR is just plain retarded and so on.

Richard