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Getting Squeaky

caldrail

Entry posted by caldrail

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I knew it was going to happen. My neighbour, Punch, is nothing if not predictable. On the Sunday I had left the house for an early morning hike to take advantage of the glorious good weather. With squeaky floorboards and no sound insulation between our properties, it's impossible to be silent, though in fairness I have no intention of making an unnecessary racket. I am after all required by the letting contract not to do things that upset the neighbours.

 

But my early morning departure was impossible for his slavic masculinity to ignore. Anything I do that impacts on his life in any degree whatsoever is regarded as a challenge to his status as the 'take no crap' member of society he clearly wants to be. So this morning he slammed doors and shelves with total abandon before he left for work. As I say , I knew he would. That was why I had an early night previously.

 

Seeking Something Interesting

Yesterday was the televised coverage of the Chines Grand Prix. Shall I watch it? Dunno... It is motor racing after all, and I do like a bit of that, but for me Formula One fails to energise that part of my anatomy that makes me all excitable about it. Sorry, but Formula One is incredibly dull. It really is.

 

Why that should be is hard to figure out. On the one hand the personalities involved don't seem as larger-than-life as they once were. They all seem squeaky clean boy-next-door types. They all make shy smiles and talk quietly like they're uncomfortable with all the attention they're getting. And the cars are so horribly anonymous and ugly these days, like carrion birds daubed in warpaint because you couldn't tell one from the other if they didn't. There's nothing really attractive about them, no real artistry, just a total surrender to computer aided efficiency that leaves me cold.

 

On the other hand, another channel was showing the BTCC event at Donnington. Ginetta Junior and GT, Formula Renault, Touring Cars, and a few other race categories, all jostling for prizes in races where you see competition in a lot less timid fashion than Formula One demands. Sorry Bernie, but Donnington was more fun to watch.

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GhostOfClayton

Agreed. Just because they're going fast, doesn't make them exciting. That aeroplane you can see high in the stratosphere seems to be crawling across the sky, but it's travelling several times the speed of the F1 motor car.

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Gaius Paulinus Maximus

Sorry guys I've got to disagree with you. I think Formula 1 is great entertainment. The Chinese GP was especially good, a great start, some nice over taking moves, a laughable error by Jenson Button, and a win for Lewis Hamilton not to mention the amazing drive from Mark Webber, starting 18th on the grid, dropping down to 20th then battling his way through the field to overtake button on the last lap to take third place and earn himself a deserved place on the podium. Now there's no way you can call that dull is there??

 

The skill and concentration required to even finish a Grand Prix let alone win one is remarkable. not to mention the technology involved. IMO it's by far the best motorsport around!

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caldrail

The effort and skill required to handle formula one cars is not in doubt. However, the spectacle is largely spin. A single overtaking move on F1 is headline news. Other than that it's a multimillion pound traffic jam moving at whatever speed the first three decide, rather like the M25 without speed cameras. The problem is that F1 has become a showcase for racing technology. It is, frankly, incredibly dull to watch compared with the less restrained classes of motoring racing. But hey, if you like that sort of thing...

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