The Ghost In The Machine <ewill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Mark Kent
><mark.kent@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote
> on Fri, 4 May 2007 19:40:35 +0100
><3absg4-dmu.ln1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>>> [Tux 500:] WE are Linux!
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>| We are going to put a car in the Indianapolis 500, you and I...
>>>| because WE are Linux!
>>> `----
>>>
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_TEGbA-_Lw
>>>
>>> Tux 500 Linux Marketing Program Breaks $10,000 Funding Threshold
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>| The Tux 500 program seeks to build public awareness for the Linux
>>>| computer operating system by taking a visible role in the event,
>>>| which unfolds throughout the month of May at the world famous
>>>| Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
>>> `----
>>>
>>> http://www.linuxpr.com/releases/9659.html
>>
>>
>> I'm not sure the term "world famous" is really ideal here. Most people
>> here have never heard of it, and even people like myself who've
>> previously followed F1 closely (had a friend in a team) don't know it
>> that well. Certainly, I'd never heard the name before, but I presume
>> it's the "Indy500"? I don't know if that's a race or a circuit, but I'd
>> always thought it was the name of a race. If you want something world
>> famous, try a Formula 1 circuit, say?
>>
>
> A few issues here.
>
> [1] Yes, it's the Indy 500 -- more formally, the
> Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. It's run every Memorial Day
> weekend, weather permitting, and features openwheel cars
> (IRL, apparently) running around a famous, if slightly
> boring, 2.5 mile long quad-oval. It's arguably the most
> famous auto event of the US -- a little odd since many
> of the rest (Darlington, Talladega, Daytona, Atlanta)
> use NASCAR stock cars. Of course the rest of the world
> has their own ideas, especially since their races are more
> like #2 and are run rain or shine (though hurricanes, hail,
> flooding, and lightning might be cause for postponement;
> I'd have to look at the rulebook :-) ).
Most motor racing here goes on whatever the weather. Only an oil-spill
causes the yellow & black flags. I've seen some oval-racing on films,
to be honest, it did look a bit boring. It's done here using so-called
"stock-cars", which are basically steel-frame chassis built around an
enormous engine - the Chevy454 and Rover 3.5litre engines used to be
the most popular, but that kind of racing is sort of "contact" racing.
The cars are driven like speedway motorbikes, with the back-end sliding
around each corner. The drivers are mostly farmers and farm-machinery
mechanics.
>
> [2] The 2007 San Jose Grand Prix will be held about
> two months later, during July 27-29, 2007. Now this is
> probably what the rest of the world can relate to: twisted
> streets, openwheel cars roaring along thoroughfares that
> usually hold more plebian, sedate traffic, and cheering
> crowds. (Not that Indianapolis Motor Speedway won't have
> cheering crowds, admittedly.) Not quite world famous
> yet, along the lines of France or Monaco -- but give it
> time. ;-)
F1 on street-circuits is one of the most exciting motor-sports going.
There are a lot of good F1 circuits (long & windy in parts), but there's
nothing quite so good as seeing these ultra-high performance cars wend
their way through normal city streets. One of the best features of the
F1 series was the variation in tracks as the circus moves to different
venues, as city-street tracks tend to favour high-torque engined cars
with good acceleration at the bottom end, compared with traditional F1
tracks like Silverstone (I should be taking No1 son again this year)
which favour cars with a lot of high-end power.
That said, as the years have gone by, we've seen increasing dominance
from individual manufacturers.
>
> [3] Just to confuse things even further, Indianapolis
> Motor Speedway also hosts the NASCAR event "Allstate 400
> at the Brickyard" (more colloquially, the Brickyard 400),
> on July 29th as well.
>
> [4] And then there's the Dodge Savemart 350-Infineon, at
> Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, which is one of the few
> non-oval NASCAR events. (June 24th.)
>
> [5] At one point a lottery winner (I've forgotten his name,
> but he was from California) decided to try his hand at auto
> racing, presumably in the NASCAR circuit. He might have
> lasted a year at most in that particular car; apparently,
> however, the team is still active -- if it's Kenny Smith;
> Google's being slightly reticent again, though it did
> cough up
>
> http://www.irwindalespeedway.com/report.asp?id=170
>
> There was also Janet Guthrie, who apparently lasted for 4
> years in Indy racecar driving -- though according to her
> bio she was racing from the 1960's to as late as 1986.
>
> http://www.janetguthrie.com/cspage.htm
>
> One hopes for better exposure for our favorite penguin, but
> we'll see. In a way, Tux's already a success anyway. :-)
I think the idea is a really good one myself, and I know that motor
racing is very popular, often getting plenty of television time.
Choosing a US-only race is perhaps a little short-sighted, but I don't
know how much it would cost to do something truly international -
probably well outside existing budgets.
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ |
| Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
