proving racing is a sport

[Max Wood]

Mallory,

You would have received better input if you had posted reasons why racing isn't a sport and collected all the input from our collection of professional debaters. There's a lot of repressed debate energy since the lounge was removed! Now it just seems like you want us to do your assignment for you.

[Greg Wright]

[Clarence Carter]

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where ever I go, I bring it

[Thom Andresen]

Mallory, any sport has to abide by a set of rules.

Take a look at the Karting Tech Rule Book and you'll agree it is a highly defined "Super Sport" by virtue of the number of complex rules alone!

Not to mention the officials who enforce those RULES or the competitors that break them!!!
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I spend my money on hunting, racing, women, and whiskey - the rest I waste.

[Bob Baldwin jr]

Mallory : Athletes I guess that is certainly up for debate. from years ago the names From NASCAR : Joe Weatherly and Curtis Turner come to mind . They would PARTY most the night and have it in them to run 500 miles and still win . From everything that has been told to me neither were very Athletic . In the 80's we had Tim Richmond and Phil Parsons . I never socialized with Tim But I wish I had a Dollar for everytime I saw or Helped Phil get back to his Camper at 3-4 AM.

Now in these times it is all about Corp IMAGE , Many are CONSIDERED athletic but some notable exceptions Tony Steward comes to mind look like they need more time " Working Out "

I respect Greg Wrights Privacy and confidentiality ,but I am sure he could mention some names that did NOT fit the Athletic Mold that we are use to seeing in Indy cars today .

Also I am not sure if this is a Physical or Mental aspect or both .But today as far as NASCAR , IRL and even F-1 drivers still do a lot of Many still run karts allegedly to keep their Hand- Eye co-ordination intack and to keep their depth perception skills sharp
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Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out, shouting, "Holy **** what a ride!!!".

[Mallory Davis]

[Rick Crist]

Mallory -

Hopefully you'll find the following, research material, helpful.

http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/12/22/jimmie-johnson-perfect-pick-for-athlete-of-year/

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/articles/Story.asp?S=4871223091141

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6980337.stm

http://blogs.chron.com/downshift/archives/2006/03/are_race_driver.html

http://blog.cardomain.com/2008/04/30/who-says-race-c/

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/4243400/

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Revved-up+athletes:+race-car+drivers+train+on+the+tract+and+in+the...-a0198994746

http://www.girlracer.co.uk/component/content/article/2311-are-racecar-drivers-athletes.html (this might be really helpful from the female perspective)

http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/03/06/fit-at-51-mark-martin-leads-nascars-workout-buffs/

http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol11Iss3/Motor.htm (mental angle)

http://www.racingpsychology.com/ (mental angle, snippets)

[Dave Robinson]

Bob,

I am not sure if the partying things really holds water since I heard John Madden talk about Kenny Stabler back in the day could not pay work a darn unless he was hungover. Madden even instituted a no drinking polcy the night before games and after loosing a few due to Stabler being fresh he droppd the rule.

While cycling is racing and so is marathoning, I would be many would consider them very different from car racing. Funny deal is my son had more issues with bumping and shoving running Cross Country then he did karting and he said racing bikes you run so close it made his sprint karting feel tame by comparison. I do agree with Joe that Cycling is much more intense, mentally and phyically then any other type of racing I have done.

One thing to look at is the fitness level of guys like Schumacher. Some of the things he was able to do in a race car required an olympic level of fitness.

Dave

[Kevin Callahan]

Joe H,

As you know,Revson had good looks and a huge, er, fortune behind him...I think he just held out the bag and the babes jumped in.

[Mallory Davis]

no offense people, but i would prefer this thread stay to the topic at hand. also helps keep me on topic with my project
thanks
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Mallory Davis

[Chad Stapleton]

[Chuck Ritchart]

Mallory for moderator
Golf is considered the toughest mental vs execution sport by a great many people (not me).
Racing is in my opinion the toughest mental vs execution because a shank in motorsports gets you or another person hurt or worse. Both are competitions against others but really are fought pushing yourself especially in karting because the G forces and physical parts are higher than in most auto racing.
Bob sleding is a Olympic sport with a mechanical aid racing down hill with high G force so what we go up the hills as well as down and have motors.
I won't talk about the push off because I have seen that in karting too but it came with plumber butt. (not very athletic like site)

[Mallory Davis]

well I am trying to convey that racing cars/karts are a sport to a bunch of stubborn college students. most of which prefer basketball, football, or soccer... I dont believe anyone in the class watches any form of car racing whether it is NASCAR, IRL, F-1 ect. So i am basically working with people from scratch. hint why I am talking to people of the sport for help

and no i am not new to the 'forum' like stuff, it just want to keep this simple and somewhat clean so I can get the best use out of my resources thank you very much
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Mallory Davis

[Thom Andresen]

Mallory -> Purdue University has had their own go-kart race track for decades and has been putting on go-kart races for their students in mechanical engineering for 53 years now.

The Purdue University Go-Kart Gran Prix had been an annual event for over a half a century.

Both my father and uncle were PhD Boilermakers in aeronautical engineering in the astronaut space program and they both raced in it back in the 1950's....a couple of years back one of the top astronauts for NASA, himself a Purdue Boilermaker, was the kart race director.

Each team builds a go-kart from the ground up using supplies that not exceeding a cost of around $5000. The program is part of their UNIVERSITY SPORTS DEPARTMENT just like baseball, basketball, football, gymnastics, track, etc.

Check out their site:

http://www.purduegrandprix.org/

http://www.unigo.com/purdue_university/sports/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Grand_Prix


How's that for a bonafide verifiable university SPORT?
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I spend my money on hunting, racing, women, and whiskey - the rest I waste.

[Barry Hastings]

Racing is mostly mental. The fitness side of it allows your mind to work without the body going into survival mode and step on the brakes. If you are cornering near the limits of traction, and the only thing in your mind is how tired, hot or your neck is hurting, very hard to make the correct adjustments to in anticipation of what is going to happen next.

One of the best books written is "Drive to Win" by Caroll Smith. Hard work, planning, training, all of these things are needed to compete at higher levels.

Is racing a sport? yes.

Are racers athleats? that can be debatabe. But in traditional sports, there are people participating in all leves of those sports, and at differing levels of fitness.

One could argue that some racers are artists, if you define art as something you can not reproduce yourself. Senna making prost look sillin in Monaco qualifying? pure art.

last thought. If motor racing can not be a sport, then how can curling be a sport?