Ovals versus Road Courses

Dyno247365 · #1 03-27-2007, 01:09 AM

Does anyone know why North America favors Oval speedways yet in European countries, road courses are more popular? If I could try to explain it myself, and this is all guessing because I haven't been to Europe, but here in the early 20th century, racing was started around running moonshine across counties, and was developed by Junior Johnson, I think that's right and at some point we started building oval dirt tracks and drove our gutted out cars on them for a cash prize and to show we were the best.

In England, Germany, Italy and several more countries, they have hilly landscapes so that was how they developed their tracks but more specifically how did racing start over there? I could be really wrong but didn't they make illegal moonshine also? Someone help me out because it's good to know the facts.

We'll leave drag racing out of this for now. It's Ovals versus Road Courses.

doberman_52 · #2 03-27-2007, 11:49 AM

I prefer a road course over oval any day. I'd get sick of turning the same way - kinda like running in track. Plus a road course would test your skills more too.

clawhammer · #3 03-27-2007, 12:10 PM

Because American cars can't handle the turns

DinanM3_S2 · #4 03-27-2007, 01:49 PM

I would love to see a Nascar race at the n'ring, they'd think it was the end of the world as they know it.

Dyno247365 · #5 03-27-2007, 02:00 PM

Yeah I'm not sure my Iroc would do so well there, it's got a seriously impaired steering lock. Btw I didn't catch it but recently NASCAR went to Mexico City and I know that track has turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtE17FkBksA
Look it's JPM!!
But anyway this isn't about why you don't want to race here or there...or in the case of this thread 'we hate ovals'....I want to know why the ovals are more important here and the N'ring is more important there.

2.2 Straight six · #6 03-27-2007, 02:10 PM

probably because America has lots of long smooth straight roads.

europe has lots of twists and turns, we have a lot of narrow roads full of bends. it's probably also party to do with cars built for the markets. our cars have to have good cornering and handling abilities to deal with our roads, the us doesn't have roads anything like ours, so car makers don't build cars that handle like our, and so people can't race like us because their cars aren't built for it.

live axles aren't so good for bends.

TheStang00 · #7 03-27-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doberman_52

Plus a road course would test your skills more too.

oh how i love that quote. ignorance is bliss my friend. oh by the way, can anyone tell me how montoya did at bristol? oh thats what i thought. oh and i like montoya too, so im not bashing him.

the best thing to do is not be ignorant about either one. they both take skill to drive well, key word, well.

Junior Johnson did not invent oval racing, or moon shining. he was just very very good at it. thats the roots of nascar, not necessarily oval racing in general. americans do oval racing because its more feasible as a hobby. you havent ever gone to the local races have you? check em out sometime, you may just like it. the local short track is something a guy can work on his car in the week and take it and drive it there for a hobby on the weekend. its also fun. its just tradition here. you wanna see something even more entertaining, go see a oval flat track dirt race. thats just awesome. those boys have some real skill. just imagine D1, except they are actually racing. you pose the question to why americans prefer oval racing as if they have downs syndrome or something... get real.

road racing is very cool too. i believe the grand prix tradition was started in france just as a competition in the early 1900's. F1 is rooted in that tradition if im not mistaken. and im sure the better nascar drivers could hand the ring just fine, given some practice. obviously no one is going to blaze the track till they run it a few times cause its rediculous. the cars wouldnt be near as fast as an open wheeler there, but thats a given. and i dont think it has anything to do with car build as to why we race ovals, we are talking about race cars. how everyday cars are built is irrelevant.

bottom line is this thread probably wont make it very long because too many people are ignorant as hell and bash one form and praise the other and it gets people ticked off.

TheStang00 · #8 03-27-2007, 02:18 PM

i love how the n'ring looks like a pigs head... anyone else notice that?

KamilMk · #9 03-27-2007, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheStang00

i love how the n'ring looks like a pigs head... anyone else notice that?

Now that you pointed it out, I'm starting to see some real close resemblance to mushman.

Kinda.

TheStang00 · #10 03-27-2007, 03:37 PM

turtlecrxsi · #11 03-27-2007, 04:21 PM

I love it when people say Europe has all the turns and America has long straight smooth roads. Apparently, those people have never seen the mountainous regions of America. There are hill climb trials and other such races sponsored by the SCCA that do require turning in a race car. There are even SCCA Rally events.

Personally, I enjoy watching racing in any form. I enjoy the high speed long oval track races like Talladega and Atlanta and I also enjoy watching the road track races where there are not just turns in each direction but slight changes in elevation as well...

KamilMk · #12 03-27-2007, 04:23 PM

Lol Stang, I like how you drew the eye yourself to help us visualize.

Oh, you forgot to point out where the nose is at.

doberman_52 · #13 03-27-2007, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheStang00

oh how i love that quote. ignorance is bliss my friend. oh by the way, can anyone tell me how montoya did at bristol? oh thats what i thought. oh and i like montoya too, so im not bashing him.

the best thing to do is not be ignorant about either one. they both take skill to drive well, key word, well.

Junior Johnson did not invent oval racing, or moon shining. he was just very very good at it. thats the roots of nascar, not necessarily oval racing in general. americans do oval racing because its more feasible as a hobby. you havent ever gone to the local races have you? check em out sometime, you may just like it. the local short track is something a guy can work on his car in the week and take it and drive it there for a hobby on the weekend. its also fun. its just tradition here. you wanna see something even more entertaining, go see a oval flat track dirt race. thats just awesome. those boys have some real skill. just imagine D1, except they are actually racing. you pose the question to why americans prefer oval racing as if they have downs syndrome or something... get real.

road racing is very cool too. i believe the grand prix tradition was started in france just as a competition in the early 1900's. F1 is rooted in that tradition if im not mistaken. and im sure the better nascar drivers could hand the ring just fine, given some practice. obviously no one is going to blaze the track till they run it a few times cause its rediculous. the cars wouldnt be near as fast as an open wheeler there, but thats a given. and i dont think it has anything to do with car build as to why we race ovals, we are talking about race cars. how everyday cars are built is irrelevant.

bottom line is this thread probably wont make it very long because too many people are ignorant as hell and bash one form and praise the other and it gets people ticked off.

Yeah they both take skill, its just that a road corse yakes more cuz of the sharper turns over an oval. So its also gonna test your setup more too. I don't mind an oval, I would just rather race a road course. I'm not being ignorant about it.

TheStang00 · #14 03-27-2007, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KiillaKam

Lol Stang, I like how you drew the eye yourself to help us visualize.

Oh, you forgot to point out where the nose is at.

lol well i didnt think id need to point the nose out

TheStang00 · #15 03-27-2007, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doberman_52

Yeah they both take skill, its just that a road corse yakes more cuz of the sharper turns over an oval. So its also gonna test your setup more too. I don't mind an oval, I would just rather race a road course. I'm not being ignorant about it.

you are too being ignorant about it. im not using that term as an insult. but you obviously have no idea about what it takes to win an oval race. your bashing something you dont know anything about. sure an oval is easy to get around, but its not easy to get around fast. thats the whole point. and it tests your set up just as much, the set up is just very very different. and how sharp a corner is does not directly relate to how difficult it is. it can, but it doesnt always. the toughest corner on the mexico city road course was the high speed chicane they had. it comes right down to this, both road courses and ovals involve the same thing, braking and turning. but its still not that simple as you have to set the corner up just right in order to get through it fastest. like i said, if a road course takes so much more skill, then how come montoya finished 32nd, 7 laps down sunday?

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