Uncle Jack certainly raises a valid point. The advent of "new money"
in the game may be a factor in escalating preparation, competitiveness
etc. It's also true that some of the richest people in the game have
absolutely the most respect for the safety and property of their fellow
racers. Peter Giddings comes to mind in that regard. A nicer fellow, on
track or off, would be hard to find. For a guy who has cars stashed on
several continents to go race in, he passed my underpowered Junior with
great care and a friendly wave of thanks as I pointed him by in his
Maserati 250F.
Creating a hole in somebody's life (or skin) is a serious issue I wish
all the testosterone-poisoned drivers would consider. My car isn't worth
nearly as much as a Maserati 250F, but it's more rare, being a one-off.
Even though I probably could afford it, having to find somebody who's
almost as much of an artist in Aluminum as the original builder would be
a time consuming, stressful, challenging effort that would likely keep
me off the track at least a year after a major shunt. Everything on my
car outside of the motor and tranny would have to be fabricated. Even
if the "new money" folks consider their own cars disposable, the person
next to them on the grid may not. There's an issue that's pure attitude.
Jack W Drews wrote:
>
> One aspect of the "win-at-all-costs" vs. "keep-it-vintage-spirit" that
> hasn't been discussed --
>
> Let's face it -- some of us have more money than others of us. For
> example, I am retired and living on a pension, but by the grace of God I
> still race and am reasonably fast. If my car is destroyed, by me or by
> others, I will never be able to afford another one. That would leave a
> huge hole in my life.
>
> I'd ask the "win-at-all-costs" adherents to consider this.
>
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