There seems to be a lot of them. Travis Pastrama is insane fast in/on anything on rubber. Jeff Ward, Rick Johnson, Bob Hannah (planes) Jeremy McGraph and lots of others. I was wondering if MX racers have a natural talent to go fast on just about anything on rubber.
Motorcross racers to car racers
- Thread starter Blaze
- Start date
- Status
Their powers of concentration are likely far superior to that of most others racers, given the multitude of motor skills they have to master at the same time......
Casey Stoner is starting to run the V8 Supercar feeder series and Valentino Rossi has tested Ferrari F1 cars a few times. I think they might also have a better understanding of dealing with cars that have such an extreme power to weight ratio.
Originally Posted By: Mik
Their powers of concentration are likely far superior to that of most others racers, given the multitude of motor skills they have to master at the same time......
+1 cars are so simple to drive compared to bikes.
Schumacher is the only example I can think of, of a car to bike attempt. It didn't go to well...
Their powers of concentration are likely far superior to that of most others racers, given the multitude of motor skills they have to master at the same time......
+1 cars are so simple to drive compared to bikes.
Schumacher is the only example I can think of, of a car to bike attempt. It didn't go to well...
Originally Posted By: Blaze
There seems to be a lot of them. Travis Pastrama is insane fast in/on anything on rubber. Jeff Ward, Rick Johnson, Bob Hannah (planes) Jeremy McGraph and lots of others. I was wondering if MX racers have a natural talent to go fast on just about anything on rubber.
IMO if you got it you were likely born with it. MX is tremendously physically demanding as well as requiring far more finesse from BOTH of your feet and hands than any car. But there is a certain "feel" for machinery, not to be confused with empathy, as good mechs rarely make good drivers. They tend to ease up on the machine where a good driver will kick it!
I routinely cut 1.8x 60 foot times at the strip in street rubber. Most can't in similar cars. Doesn't matter what platform, bikes and I get along well, too!
I have been hanging out and racing at 1/4 and 1/2 mile Flat Track and TT races as well as the strip since I was 15. I wish my parents had bought me a shifter cart or that super nice Hodaka Combat Wombat when I was young, I might have done sumpin'...
There seems to be a lot of them. Travis Pastrama is insane fast in/on anything on rubber. Jeff Ward, Rick Johnson, Bob Hannah (planes) Jeremy McGraph and lots of others. I was wondering if MX racers have a natural talent to go fast on just about anything on rubber.
IMO if you got it you were likely born with it. MX is tremendously physically demanding as well as requiring far more finesse from BOTH of your feet and hands than any car. But there is a certain "feel" for machinery, not to be confused with empathy, as good mechs rarely make good drivers. They tend to ease up on the machine where a good driver will kick it!
I routinely cut 1.8x 60 foot times at the strip in street rubber. Most can't in similar cars. Doesn't matter what platform, bikes and I get along well, too!
I have been hanging out and racing at 1/4 and 1/2 mile Flat Track and TT races as well as the strip since I was 15. I wish my parents had bought me a shifter cart or that super nice Hodaka Combat Wombat when I was young, I might have done sumpin'...
There are not many drivers of any type that can switch race craft with success. I always wanted to see Sebastian Loeb in F1. He did test a Red Bull once with great results but that does not mean he can race.
I moved from club level motocross to club level saloon racing and it was by far a whole lot easier. I didn't have the fitness to be any good at motocross. I'd say a modern F1 driver would have better physical fitness than a modern motorcross rider. However Motorcross requires more strength so it's not really apples with apples.
I moved from club level motocross to club level saloon racing and it was by far a whole lot easier. I didn't have the fitness to be any good at motocross. I'd say a modern F1 driver would have better physical fitness than a modern motorcross rider. However Motorcross requires more strength so it's not really apples with apples.
Originally Posted By: supercity
I moved from club level motocross to club level saloon racing and it was by far a whole lot easier. I didn't have the fitness to be any good at motocross. I'd say a modern F1 driver would have better physical fitness than a modern motorcross rider. However Motorcross requires more strength so it's not really apples with apples.
I started out Enduro and Motocross racing as a young kid.
Unless it was a relatively smooth track without a lot of whopp-de-doos I never had the physical fitness to maintain a 10/10th effort for the duration of a full moto session.
Driving cars is simply not as physically demanding.
Maintaining a high level of mental concentration during a long race can be exhausting, but it's not the same.
I moved from club level motocross to club level saloon racing and it was by far a whole lot easier. I didn't have the fitness to be any good at motocross. I'd say a modern F1 driver would have better physical fitness than a modern motorcross rider. However Motorcross requires more strength so it's not really apples with apples.
I started out Enduro and Motocross racing as a young kid.
Unless it was a relatively smooth track without a lot of whopp-de-doos I never had the physical fitness to maintain a 10/10th effort for the duration of a full moto session.
Driving cars is simply not as physically demanding.
Maintaining a high level of mental concentration during a long race can be exhausting, but it's not the same.
I started out Enduro and Motocross racing as a young kid.
Unless it was a relatively smooth track without a lot of whopp-de-doos I never had the physical fitness to maintain a 10/10th effort for the duration of a full moto session.
Driving cars is simply not as physically demanding.
Maintaining a high level of mental concentration during a long race can be exhausting, but it's not the same.
Unless it was a relatively smooth track without a lot of whopp-de-doos I never had the physical fitness to maintain a 10/10th effort for the duration of a full moto session.
Driving cars is simply not as physically demanding.
Maintaining a high level of mental concentration during a long race can be exhausting, but it's not the same.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Casey Stoner is starting to run the V8 Supercar feeder series and Valentino Rossi has tested Ferrari F1 cars a few times. I think they might also have a better understanding of dealing with cars that have such an extreme power to weight ratio.
Yes, so it is NOT just the dirt riders who have the crossover skills, albeit I would think that their fitness, endurance levels, and overall strength would be much greater than the (bike) GP/road racers.
Casey Stoner is starting to run the V8 Supercar feeder series and Valentino Rossi has tested Ferrari F1 cars a few times. I think they might also have a better understanding of dealing with cars that have such an extreme power to weight ratio.
Yes, so it is NOT just the dirt riders who have the crossover skills, albeit I would think that their fitness, endurance levels, and overall strength would be much greater than the (bike) GP/road racers.
Originally Posted By: supercity
There are not many drivers of any type that can switch race craft with success. I always wanted to see Sebastian Loeb in F1. He did test a Red Bull once with great results but that does not mean he can race.
I would think he would be much better suited to; DTM/WTTC/ALMS GT/etc., than any form of open wheel racing, given his rally car tarmac prowess.
There are not many drivers of any type that can switch race craft with success. I always wanted to see Sebastian Loeb in F1. He did test a Red Bull once with great results but that does not mean he can race.
I would think he would be much better suited to; DTM/WTTC/ALMS GT/etc., than any form of open wheel racing, given his rally car tarmac prowess.
Jimmy Johnson.
No mention of the best crossover motorcycle to car racer...... Two time national championship Joe Leonard. Not only did Joe win two titles but it was against foyt, Mario,big al and bobby unser,all in their prime.
John Surtees is still the only person to have won both a motorcycle and F1 world championship.
Originally Posted By: victorkoga
No mention of the best crossover motorcycle to car racer...... Two time national championship Joe Leonard. Not only did Joe win two titles but it was against foyt, Mario,big al and bobby unser,all in their prime.
I forgot, was Joe a; 'speedway' dirt tracker, MXer, or road racer, on bikes??
No mention of the best crossover motorcycle to car racer...... Two time national championship Joe Leonard. Not only did Joe win two titles but it was against foyt, Mario,big al and bobby unser,all in their prime.
I forgot, was Joe a; 'speedway' dirt tracker, MXer, or road racer, on bikes??
I'm my experience, I raced MX for a couple decades, then bought a spec944 to take SCCA trials racing. For two seasons I drove with an instructor, my instructors were amazed how "brave" I drove. Look, I'm not that great of a driver, and I was defiantly a beginner, however I felt invincible inside of a roll cage, strapped into a racing seat, with a five point harness. As opposed to being completely exposed as on a bike. I think the same thing happened with the above mentioned racers.
If you get in your way back machine... John Surtees was a 500cc motorcycle world champ in the 50s. He was a formula 1 champ in 1964 driving for Ferrari. The only person to be a world Champion in both cars and motorcycles.
Damon Hill was a motorcycle racer before driving for Williams and becoming a World Champion in 1996.
If you have the skill you have the skill.
Damon Hill was a motorcycle racer before driving for Williams and becoming a World Champion in 1996.
If you have the skill you have the skill.
- Status
Similar threads
