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Interesting Racing Traditions for Memorial Day Weekend

Freija

Freija

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Growing up I remember the Indianapolis 500 being kind of a family tradition but it wasn't even shown on TV until 1970 and when it was, it was a tape delayed and edited version Theaters and other venues did offer a live closed-circuit viewing and I know we went to a few of those in the mid 1960s. I particularly remember going in 1965 to the newly opened Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum where in later years as an adult, I attended many concerts and NBA basketball games and events as part of the state fair.

1779606961360.pngI'd never seen anything like that as a ten year old and thought it was an architectural marvel.

Anyway, my folks and particularly my mum was a big fan so if we could watch it, we did. I just checked online and see the Indy 500 wasn't broadcast on live TV until 1986. That's hard to believe.

Because reasons, I still watch the Indy 500 but don't get to see many of the regular series races because I don't have the streaming package needed.

There's another connection I have with the Indycar series that goes back a ways. At one point the IRL split into two series, Indycar and CART. I was working a side gig as project coordinator for an independent game developer that just scored a contract to produce a racing sim of the CART series and it was a huge deal. Made a trip to California to sign contracts and everything. Months into development while our team had progressed into having a working demo, CART and the IRL merged back together and the game deal went bust. We did get a VIP trip to the 24 Hours at Daytona before it all went belly up though so it wasn't a total loss.

So tomorrow I will be watching the Indy 500 that starts with the pre-race show at 9;45 in the morning my time.
1779608400455.png

I also used to be a huge fan of Formula 1 so it was get up at o'dark thirty to watch the GP live that was traditionally from Monaco then watch the 500. I haven't watched but maybe a handful of F1 races in the last decade again because streaming.

But this year the F1 Canadian GP from Montreal is on Netflix that starts at 11:50 AM my time so I'll start with Indy on my desktop TV and tune into Netflix when the GP starts.

And if that wasn't enough, I'll probably tune in for at least some of NASCAR's Coke 600. In the 90s, I was into NASCAR and have been to 6 or 7 of the races here in Phoenix.but realized turning left in a circle is kind of dumb.

So there's my day shot to hell :p
 
Just curious. Have you ever watched the 'Bathurst' races from Australia?
 
Bally said:
Just curious. Have you ever watched the 'Bathurst' races from Australia?
Click to expand...
Sure but coverage of the V8 Supercars and other Australian series is pretty sparse here in the U.S.

However, I have raced at Bathurst 20 or more times in GT cars in my simulator! It is very challenging to put it mildly.

Here's a "track guide" for Mt. Panorama in the sim I use. The in-car views shown are what is seen when in the cockpit.


Don't have a full blown room dominating sim rig but do have about $1800 into what I have that works well for me. Here is a look at the button mappings on my wheel:
Button Mapping.jpg
 
Freija said:
Sure but coverage of the V8 Supercars and other Australian series is pretty sparse here in the U.S.

However, I have raced at Bathurst 20 or more times in GT cars in my simulator! It is very challenging to put it mildly.

Here's a "track guide" for Mt. Panorama in the sim I use. The in-car views shown are what is seen when in the cockpit.


Don't have a full blown room dominating sim rig but do have about $1800 into what I have that works well for me. Here is a look at the button mappings on my wheel:
View attachment 68
Click to expand...

Crikey, looks complicated. I have driven the mountain in a private vehicle. First lap over the mountain was a bit "Yeah - Nahhhh"

This was at a regulated speed. Must be breathless for serious contenders.

Cheers,

Bally)
 
Freija said:
Sure but coverage of the V8 Supercars and other Australian series is pretty sparse here in the U.S.

However, I have raced at Bathurst 20 or more times in GT cars in my simulator! It is very challenging to put it mildly.

Here's a "track guide" for Mt. Panorama in the sim I use. The in-car views shown are what is seen when in the cockpit.


Don't have a full blown room dominating sim rig but do have about $1800 into what I have that works well for me. Here is a look at the button mappings on my wheel:
View attachment 68
Click to expand...

An explanation of a lap for you.

Hope you like it. May help with your Sim.

Kind regards,

Bally)
 
Bally said:
Crikey, looks complicated. I have driven the mountain in a private vehicle. First lap over the mountain was a bit "Yeah - Nahhhh"

This was at a regulated speed. Must be breathless for serious contenders.

Cheers,

Bally)
Click to expand...
Just to keep this thread going,

A reaction video regarding V8 supercars.


Kind regards,

Bally)
 
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