Tpoppa

Tito's

I agree with this article for the most part. http://www.si.com/racing/2014/08/10/tony-stewart-kevin-ward-dead-accident A sleepless Saturday night has been followed by a frazzled Sunday. You see things and you can’t unsee them. Watching video from Saturday’s sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, where a car driven by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart struck and killed fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr., left too many troubling images and questions. Seeing a young man climb out of his car, knowing he was in the final minutes of his life, is disturbing. Seeing him tossed like a rag doll after the contact is nauseating. Tossing the questions around in ones head is unsettling and it will remain that way for a long time. There will never be answers to most of them. The one thing that’s certain is Ward, only 20, is dead and there’s absolutely no reason for that to be the case. As harsh as it sounds, as hard as it is to write, Ward has some culpability here. He was angry after a wreck put his car into the wall of the dirt track in upstate New York. He got out of the car looking, it appeared, to confront someone. He’s not the first angry driver to get out of his car. Stewart, in fact, has done it. Ward won’t be the last. It is never a good idea and that’s a key question that will hang forever. Why? Why not just stay put? But he didn’t, and that leads to a much bigger and much more disturbing question. Was the contact between Stewart’s car and Ward unavoidable or was there some malice behind it? Stewart’s reputation as a hothead precedes him here. As a driver, he’s as talented as anyone in any category of racing. He may be the best pure driver in history. He’s also had his share of run-ins with officials, the media and other drivers. Had this been Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson or Dale Earnhardt Jr. involved, it would have been so much easier to chalk it up as a tragedy without the additional questions. Put Stewart in this situation and he’s like a batter down 0-2 in the count against Clayton Kershaw. It doesn’t look good. Stewart’s past actions have put him in a spot where his motives will be questioned, fair or not. Before anyone gets too carried away, let’s be clear there’s no way anyone should be thinking Stewart had it in mind to kill Ward or even injure him. No way, no how. But given his history and the way he has reacted to situations throughout his career, it is not at all unreasonable to wonder if he wasn’t thinking of scaring or intimidating Ward. The video that came out several hours after the wreck doesn’t make those questions go away. It reinforces them. Bob Pockrass, the veteran and respected motorsports writer for The Sporting News, located a witness in the stands several hours before the video surfaced. The witness, a driver named Tyler Graves, described the scene as it unfolded in a way the video corroborated. Graves noted that when you hit the throttle in a sprint car, it “sets sideways.” Now listen to the video of the incident. Right before contact, an engine guns. Stewart’s? No way to be sure, but as Graves noted and the video shows, the car “set sideways” and hit Ward. Graves doesn’t buy the notion that Stewart couldn’t see Ward. Despite the shaky quality of the lighting and the dark firesuit Ward was wearing, he’s clearly visible in the video and several cars went by him without incident. Why would you punch the throttle under caution? So many questions, so many answers that likely will never come. Ward’s family is left to deal with the pain of his loss and enough questions of their own. Stewart, who authorities say is cooperating with the investigation and not facing criminal charges at this time, will surely have some disturbing thoughts in his head the rest of his life. Stewart wisely withdrew from Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen – his call or someone else’s? – and issued an appropriate statement expressing sympathy for Ward’s family and sadness over the accident. It would be nice to think, without the questions, that it was just that: a terrible accident with an unfortunate result. Only Stewart knows for sure what he was thinking in the moments before impact. The rest of us are left to wonder.

Hippie lettuce?

That's pretty much what I was thinking. You can argue what TS should or shouldn't have done. If the guy didn't run toward Stewart's car he would still be here today. If there is a law suit, my guess is it's settled quickly out of court.

As much as that story sounded like bullshit, she was actually injured. $$ may have been out of whack, but it's an interesting read.

I am curios to see how the waiver is worded for that racing series. I wonder if it's enough to prevent legal action.

Puff puff give

I heard someone else suggest that is was intentional. I don't believe that for a second. Stewart is aggressive at times but he's not murderer. The guy was wearing a dark colored suit on a pooly lit track. Stewart was right behind another car and the guy walked right into his path. It's a shitty set of circumstances.

Come on a ride.

Crown is as good as Gentleman Jack. I'll drink either of those.

Heading out

I am interested in the S&S jacket. Where in NEO are you?

I am not going to dive too deeply into the physics...But in real world application the tire compound, tread, and temperature (both tire & suface) have a huge impact on grip. I was just curious on how weight impacted grip in the OP. It doesn't affect it very much as far as I can tell. carry on....

Yes. And the technology behind the profile of a motorcycle tire bears that out.

Let's say 83/93 at 9:45a

Further research will be conducted this weekend

So...the VFR is the heaviest motorcycle I have ridden with sporting intentions. It felt a little bit out of my comfort zone at first. Side to side transitions take a little more effort. Corner stability and grip have a lot better than I expected. I won't be trying to ride it at the same pace as the CBR, but I always want to know what I'm dealing with Lot's of good information.

Good information. Question on this line specifically...Are you saying the size of the contact patch doesn't effect the amount of grip? Conventional wisdom says that dropping pressure a few PSI will increase the size of the contact patch and result in more grip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_car "The aerodynamic designer has two primary concerns: the creation of downforce, to help push the car's tyres onto the track and improve cornering forces; and minimising the drag that gets caused by turbulence and acts to slow the car down."

Take that hippies.

I ride McConnelsville >377>550 Marietta quite a bit. I need to do a little more exploring in that area. Maybe I'll do that this Saturday.

what's a good route that includes 329?

This. I am asking specifically about grip. Not the effect on acceleration, braking, or even suspension performance.

Here is why I am asking: More weight does give you more grip and traction when launching off the line (ask a drag racer). More down force gives more grip in corners (ask an Indy car driver why they have wings front and rear). I'm not sure if the same principles apply to 2 wheeled vehicle. CBR600RR 420ish lbs with Angel GTs VFR1200 590ish lbs with Angel GTs. On the CBR, I can get both tires to break loose and go into a small controlled slide. I haven't reached that point yet on the VFR. I get that 590 lbs is going to require more lateral grip, but the weight is also creating a larger contact patch and more downward friction due to gravity. There are a few factors at play. I know my limits pretty well on the CBR, and still trying to find them on the Viffer.

Does a heavier motorcycle have any less/more grip than a lighter one...assuming same tires, similar suspension setup. etc?