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Top Gear - Senna

96 posts & 63 voices | Started 1 year ago by grahamt1980 | Latest reply from Drac

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clubber - Member

Yes, we all know you don't like Hamilton, TJ - racist (kidding, seriously!)

He does moan sometimes but frankly who wouldn't - I'd say he's actually less of a moaner than most.

Anyway, back on topic, I recorded it - fast forwarded through the Toerag stuff, watched the TC/CD stuff and thought that while the do genuinely seem to like fast cars/etc that they were playing very hard at the 'we're good mates' thing which was pretty excruciating though I don't have any issue believing their lap times.

The Senna bit was good though a bit blinkered - he wasn't perfect and he wasn't always the best driver though he was consistently excellent and sometimes just stunning. I loved the footage of Mansell trying to get past him at Monaco in 92 though - brought the memories back and I know that getting past was near impossible for Mansell but it was still brilliant TV.

Posted 1 year ago #
hora - Member

What saying 'we have to go away and do some work on the car'

'the upgrades didnt work so we had to revert back'?

Comes across as descriptive rather than moan.

Even when he didnt reach the podium- as recently he says 'it felt like the drive of my life'.

Remember a year back he qualified well down the field in the rain (c.14th?)- fought through but dropped back again and at the end described his race and enjoyable.

Posted 1 year ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Clubber - He moans precisely because he is so passionate about things - I just wanted to correct Hora who said he doesn't bitch - when he clearly does.

Hoar - no - moaning when things go wrong - he does it many times - I don't think its wrong or bad that he does it.

Posted 1 year ago #
tron - Member

Gordon Murray has ripped chunks out of the Veyron a few times. He reckons they dropped a massive clanger when they said "We're going to built a car that does 400kph and it'll look like this".

There's a reason why almost all really fast road cars share their shape with things like the McLaren F1 & LeMans prototypes. It's the best shape for the job.

I reckon it's pretty easy to see how the Veyron costs 5 million to make. Almost every other supercar manufacturer has either a fairly standard configuration of engine, or buys one in and hots it up. The Veyron has an engine which is unique to the car - not just different heads, but a different block. The thing's not aerodynamically brilliant, so it needs lots of radiators. And there's an astonishing amount of technology involved in keeping it on the ground. But ultimately, the big problem with making a Veyron is that it's scratch built. Almost everything had to be developed for that car, so all the set up costs are pushed into the price.

That said, get something like a McLaren F1 or an Ultima, and you'd get it going as fast with considerably less horses.

Posted 1 year ago #
hora - Member

Its clearly a car for the wealthy rather than a real rich petrolhead.

Posted 1 year ago #
Pook - Member

Also what does anyone gain from them (CD/TC) being at the top

Top Gear getting more Hollywood A-listers to come on a pokey British motor show.

Agent: "Why the goddamn hell would Sylvester/Russell/Harrison wanna come on your hokey Brit show man?"

TG booker: "Well, dear boy, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz set the fastest laps earlier this year when they came to promote their new film to our 6 million strong viewing audience...."

Agent: "When do ya wan' em?"

edit: this is TG Booker by the way....

Posted 1 year ago #
bigrich - Member

its clearly a car saying 'look what we can do! up your mum!'

as an advertisement for VW engineering skills it does its job amazingly.

Posted 1 year ago #
jools182 - Member

loved last sundays episode

one of the best ever

Posted 1 year ago #
breatheeasy - Member

Hold on people - nobody has yet pointed out that MotoGP in Sennas period was soooo much better than F1. The world is going to end........

Posted 1 year ago #
Admiralable - Member

Elfinsafety will be along soon to talk about how he pi$$ed himself in the pub and how exciting Moto GP is compared to F1 as he seems to think that most F1 drivers don't watch any other form of motorsport at all.

Posted 1 year ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

WTF are you talking about? Because I haven't a clue mate. I hardly ever watch Moto GP, as I find bikes pretty boring, and have probably watched most F1 GPs since the late 80s. I think you've got me confused with someone else.

Couldn't stand Senna, but he was brilliant. Especially in the wet. Dirty driver though; deliberately crashed at least twice to gain an advantage. At F1 speeds, that's incredibly dangerous. The sport has never really recovered from his death though, I don't think. F1 is more exciting than it has been for ages, but it lacks something, really. Needs a Senna or a James Hunt to come in and liven it up again.

Posted 1 year ago #
JCL - Member

When did Senna crash more than once to gain an advantage ?

Posted 1 year ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

My mistake; Schumacher did it twice in F1, but that crash into Brundle in the TG piece was hardly an 'accident'. I thought Senna and Prost had 'crashed' more than once but I may be wrong. Senna pulled many, many moves that could potentially have resulted in accidents. Overtaking's one thing; deliberately putting your opponent at risk is another. Still, I suppose that's motor racing. He was certainly fearless.

EDIT: Senna and Prost crashed in Suzuka in '89, and in '90. In '89 he was disqualified from the race, which meant he missed out on the WC. The following year, he deliberately crashed into Prost in retaliation. At 170mph. Yet he won the WC.

Posted 1 year ago #
hug - Member

Best top gear I can remember, I've been a fan for years but the silly stunts have been getting beyond stupid

Posted 1 year ago #
JCL - Member

89 was either a race incident or Prost turned in on Senna when he was nearly parallel. 1990, Senna was on pole and Ballestre (who hated Senna) moved pole after qualifying to the dirty side of the track. Senna knew he wouldn't beat Prost to the first corner, as he definitely would have if pole had been left on the outside, so he said he would go for the corner at at his maximum speed regardless of where Prost was. The rest as they say, is history.

People say Senna was a dirty driver etc but there was a bigger picture behind the events in Suzuka. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Schumacher.

Oh and BTW I'm a Prost fan.

Posted 1 year ago #
thekingisdead - Member

jcl is bang on right. the suzuka thing was in retaliation against balastre, not prost

Posted 1 year ago #
Admiralable - Member

Elfinsafety - Member
I'll do this again because I'm proud of it.

You know how much this matters?

Imagine: You're in a pub/bar/club. You need a wee. You go to the bogs, do the biz, zip up. But then you get the 'dribbles'. You go back to the group you pretend to yourself your friends. At first, you are mortally paranoid someone will notice; Will there be staining, wet patches, a smell? After a while however, you've forgotten about it completely and it worries you no longer.

That's how much it matters.

POSTED 3 DAYS AGO # REPORT-POST

Ring any bells?

Posted 1 year ago #
Pook - Member

thekingisdead - Member
jcl is bang on right. the suzuka thing was in retaliation against balastre, not pros

wasn't it that Balestre refused to move pole to the clean side, rather than that he had it moved to the dirty side?

Posted 1 year ago #
GaryLake - Member

Yeah, F1 needs to be made more dangerous again...

I think it's amazing Kubica walked away from this and only missed a handful of races.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3250358019013026485#

Posted 1 year ago #
richmtb - Member

I loved this episode. I remember watching Senna as a kid, TBH I was always a Prost / Mansell fan but the genius of Senna is undeniable.

As for current F1, I actually think the current crop of drivers is probably as good as its been for the last 20 years.

And given how the regualtions have changed and how predictable and reliable the cars have become the current racing (snide manipulation by the boys in red nothwithstanding) is still pretty entertaining

Posted 1 year ago #
xc-steve - Member

With relation to the Hollywood stars, notice that Jonathan Ross has now ended? Top Gear being BBC's only mainstream show which would support A list stars? Just a theory.

Posted 1 year ago #
hora - Member

Does anyone remember where they were when they heard the news?

I remember exactly the spot and the conversation when I heard Senna had died/confirmed

Posted 1 year ago #
clubber - Member

I was watching at home but shortly after had to go and drive to a race (other side of London).

Heard that he'd died when I got back in the car after the race. Bad news

Posted 1 year ago #
hora - Member

I was in a phonebox phoning the missus after I had caught the bus home from hers. I remember the night and conversation exactly 'that bloke/dont know his name has just died' - me Senna? No. No.

Posted 1 year ago #
ollie - Member

I remember where I was, Blackpool and it was my 18th birthday and because I was a huge Senna fanboy it really wasn't a great day to remember.

Posted 1 year ago #
Drac - Moderator

Yeah watching the race.

Posted 1 year ago #