I've Got a New Sensation

Right now. I actually kind of liked INXS when I was a kid, I think I even have some songs of theirs on my iPod. But my "new sensation" is not Aussie pop bands from the 80's. No, it's my new sport that I've been following. This sport comes from the world of racing. No, I'm not a new NASCAR fan and I'm not putting Dale Earnhardt Jr's stickered number on my car. For the past three to four weeks I've been getting into the world of Formula One Racing. I always liked open wheel racing when I was a kid. My Grandpa actually took me to the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. I even used the F1 car all the time in Rad Racer. I'm not much of a fan of the Indy Circuit anymore though, and I used to watch NASCAR with some friends of mine but never really truly got into it. For some reason, it just wasn't for me. I'll still watch NASCAR, but I don't have a certain driver I follow and I don't really follow the points standings or anything else related to the sport.

So, why do I like F1 racing so much? I feel it's because it caters more to the tech side of me than anything else. While NASCAR relies more on horsepower and some aerodynamics, F1 cars focus on these elements to a sickening degree and on the latest in electronic and computerized technology in racing. They also still have the element of the chassis differing from each other, while NASCAR is opting for the same across the board. It takes the excitement out of the Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge element to racing. I like the rivalry between the manufacturers, or constructors as they're called in F1. The vehicles in F1 are more powerful, they are more agile, and I believe they take a little more skill and natural ability to drive than any iteration of a race car on the planet.

Drivers have to stay in peak physical condition year round to accomplish a successful season. You won't see too many drivers like Tony Stewart crawling out of an F1 car anytime soon. That's not to say I don't like Stewart, he's actually one of the few real drivers I like in NASCAR. F1 racing just seems like it takes more effort for the drivers, and that interests me. It sort of puts to rest the debate of "are race car drivers athletes?" Maybe driving a car isn't athletic and it is more of a skill set, but that is not to say that the drivers themselves are not at all athletic in any way.

I've always had a "thing" for international competition and vehicles. I was the kid who had posters of Ferrari's, Porsche's and Lamborghini's on his wall as a kid. That by no means makes me special, but I never lost interest in the performance, beauty and appreciation I have for these vehicles and the men and women that make them. An F1 car is almost the pinnacle of the driving forces behind these cars I loved as a kid and still love today. Teams operate with cars made by McClaren-Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW, but also Renault, Toyota and Honda. You may associate some of those cars with soccer mom's, but that Accord your Mom drives was made by a company that also makes a car that can produce 750 horsepower from a 2.4 liter V8 that grinds that power out at 19,000 rpm's. Most of our cars will "top out" at 7,000 to 8,000 rpm and have motors larger than 2.4 liters. For anyone that knows anything about cars that fact is pretty astounding.

I watched my first full race this week, the British Grand Prix and for me, it was the most exciting race experience I've had while watching at home. Maybe a close second behind watching Dale Earnhardt win the 1998 Daytona 500. I don't care if you are a racing fan or not, it's pretty cool to see someone accomplish something they've been aspiring to all their lives. The races are all road courses, which show the nimble grace these cars have while diving into a turn at speeds upwards of 180mph. The ability for these cars to accelerate faster than any other race car (outside of drag racing) is their ability to stop just as quickly. The races are generally about 50-60 laps and last only about two hours, which in my opinion, is the perfect amount of time. Not only are you racing against other drivers and overtaking other vehicles, you are relying more on pit strategies, the amount of fuel you put in your cars and pre-race day and pre-season results from testing.

The race I watched had two cautions that lasted less than a lap. Total. Ever watch a NASCAR race and how many cautions they have and how much time it takes up? Very frustrating. The organization is a well oiled machine (pun intended) and the crews and race marshals work faster and with more efficiency than any other race organization on the planet. Pit stops last all of about eight seconds. This results in the pace of the racing maintaining a level of excitement 95% percent of the time. The start is a great deal more fun for me also. F1 racers start from a dead stop rather than a rolling start. Seeing skilled drivers fight for position out of the gate is almost like watching a horse race.

I think the other main reason I'm beginning to really appreciate and love this sport is how it is set up and arranged. There are fewer drivers and even fewer teams. It makes it more polished and easier to keep up with. I think that has more to do with the fact that F1 and the logistics of keeping up with it caters to my OCD because it is very structurally sound. At least during the season. There is something very appealing to me about the international flavor of it as well, which I briefly mentioned before. I like the fact they tour from country to country in locations like Australia, Germany, Brazil, Japan and Italy. The list goes on and on. The drivers being diverse is also something that is very interesting as well. I like seeing people from different walks of life come together to compete. I think this sounds silly and you might too, but it's almost like a Street Fighter tournament but with race cars. Seeing all the different flags next the drivers and teams is something that is very cool. American racing seems so homogenized and boring at times. I'm not trying to sound like a snob, and I'm not the type of person to say that NASCAR is for rednecks, even though they do make up a significant portion of their audience. I have a lot of cool friends and family members that like NASCAR.

I'm not saying F1 is better, because that is subjective and open to debate. I can honestly say that I prefer F1 to anything else and that it keeps my interest more than anything the world of racing has to offer. It is surprising that something that is as well known internationally as this sport is, is something that not many people I know keep up with. Keeping up with the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA is a very insular approach to watching sport, at least on a global level. Just look at the last decade in baseball and in basketball, we are no longer the dominating force we were just five years before that. The rest of the world has caught up and I think it's time we stop our posturing and our thought process that we are the best at everything just because we are from the United States. Even the very vocabulary we use in calling ourselves "American" is very arrogant when the two continents in the Western Hemisphere are "American." I think every generation needs to fight for this greatness we feel belongs to us. Our ability to do great things on a global level and be rewarded for those actions is not a birthright, and not something that should be taken for granted. Sport is a microcosm for international relations across the board. I've always believed in that. Sure, at the end of the day it's just a game, but it does give cause for awareness. Differences can be settled in a friendly and professional environment. And to see these drivers from different backgrounds, ideals and language barriers do this over the course of a racing season, makes me feel good about the world I live in, at least for a couple of hours. For me, I always try to look for something bigger than the sport itself, and other times I just like to sit back and watch a good game or a good race. I feel like I get the best of both worlds now watching Formula One Racing.

Below is a lap from probably the greatest F1 driver in my lifetime, Michael Schumacher.