[Wichita-SCCA] H Production runoffs race

[jthor11 at aol.com]

Just wait for F Production!!


Jan G.

-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Laws <GLaws at cox.net>
To: Wichita Region SCCA. <Wichita-SCCA at wichitascca.org>
Sent: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 1:30 pm
Subject: [Wichita-SCCA] H Production runoffs race




I just now watched the HP race from the 2007 Runoffs on the Speed Channel.? Wow.? That HAD to be the race of the weekend because I can't imagine racing to be closer or more exciting that that race was.

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It was an epic dual between Brian Linn in a full-prep Midget versus 3-time class champion Tom? Feller in a limited-prep Spitfire.? Feller was going for a record four consecutive national championships while Linn was hungry for a 1st place finish after being the bridesmaid previously.

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I lost track of the number of lead changes but it had to be 20 or more.? These two cars danced through the turns only inches apart, sometimes less, and yet they never touched.? The Midget had a bit more on the straights but the Spitfire got more from drafting the Midget than the other way around.? Both were driving at the absolute limit and yet with complete respect for each other.? Finally on the last lap Brian Linn was in front but edged past the absolute?limit by just a hair and that was enough to spin, handing Tom Feller his forth consecutive national championship.

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That race was gentleman racing at its finest.

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This viewing was also educational for me.? The broadcast clearly showed the race in far more detail and drama than one would get sitting in the stands watching just the bit of track that one could see from that vantage point.? Watching on TV was far and away the best way to see & understand the event.? Having said that, the event was a bit boring to watch, even when watching masters at work as in the HP race.? One problem?is that the TV cameras use telescopic lenses and this has the unfortunate effect of removing any sense of speed even as it gives a good overall view of the track.? Also engine sounds and tire sounds are?muted.

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My thought would be to change the format of the coverage away from the traditional coverage that seems best suited for NASCAR and the NFL?? Participant sports such as amateur road racing and solo need coverage suited to their core nature, something specific that highlights the challenges in such a way that it appeals to people.? To that end my suggestion would be to combine race announcer comments with spilt-screen viewing from in-car cameras.? In this case the announcers would be doing their thing and sometimes would switch back to the overall shots as currently available BUT the bulk of the coverage would involve Brian Linn on the left side of the screen or perhaps on the top half with Tom Feller taking the other half.? The views, especially if in the top & bottom format, could switch positions if and when the 2nd car passed to become the 1st car.

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The bottom line is that I didn't see anything on today's screen that would have prompted me to rush right out and buy a road race car to go play with.? On the other hand, if I could have been inside the two cars, seeing what the drivers?were seeing, hearing what they were hearing, so real as to almost smell it?then and only then would the thrill, the daring, the adrenalin of intense competition come forth to excite the viewers in?the same way as it does the participants.

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Enjoy,
Greg Laws



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