The legend of all legends.

[gridwalker]

I can see through my balaclava.

I can see unspeakable evil through my balaclava ...

[segedunum]

I've heard a lot of very strange stories from drivers and teams from around that time but this one might top the lot. Driving round Silverstone blindfolded? In a 1970s F1 car?

[manchild]

A scene from a classic ex-yugoslav movie. No subtitles so I'll explain it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxedfzEv6wg[/youtube]

The plot is placed in the eve of WWII. Bus owner (big fat guy) claims that his son who is driving the bus, once drove 2 km blindfolded for a bet. Some of the passenger laugh and deny it while others are becoming scared as confrontation begins, and he tells his son to stop and do it again. Just when everything seams to be finished, bus owner comments that on another occasion his son also drove blindfolded 500 meters in reverse. One of the passengers denies it instantly as all the rest jump on him to shut him up.

[Crabbia]

I can see through my balaclava.

I can see unspeakable evil through my balaclava ...

Cant believe you have a octopus balaclava GW. is it made out of uncured pyrosic? Does it give you the 5 tenths you were expecting or are you looking at a simpler solution? with just two holes?

Ciro, i was thinking that even tho you can see through ur balaclava, doesnt it mess with your depth perception?

Since you like emperical testing, can you bounce a tennis ball against a wall and catch it again with ur balacklava on? if you can depth perception isnt affected. if you cant, then even though he might have been able to see through his balaclava, its still pretty mad. it'd be like driving around with one eye closed.

[gridwalker]

Cant believe you have a octopus balaclava GW. is it made out of uncured pyrosic? Does it give you the 5 tenths you were expecting or are you looking at a simpler solution? with just two holes?

It is a "Cthulhuclava" based on Cthulhu from the Legends of the Great Old Ones by H.P. Lovecraft.

Unfortunately, it isn't heatproof and it doesn't help me travel any faster (just like McLaren's exhaust LOL).

[xpensive]

There's a final twist to this legend, when being so pissed off by this mockery of post-season testing and heading for the parkinglot, Emerson was cought by his embarrased mechanics, persuading him to stay and raise to the challenge.

As Fittipaldi's wife was present, the proud Brazilian had little choice but getting himself tucked in with balaclava no-vision, whereafter he promptly went off at Copse, badly bending the 72D.

His words at Chapman afterwards were said to have been in Portugues.

[Ciro Pabón]

I can see unspeakable evil through my balaclava ...

Finally. Now I understand the octopus exhaust.

His words at Chapman afterwards were said to have been in Portugues.

Well, I think Chapman was fluent in Portuguese. Manchild discovered that Chapman actually invented the brazilian thong.

.. can you bounce a tennis ball against a wall and catch it again with ur balacklava on?

Well, Crabbia, lemme see... why stop at a wall? Rafael Nadal is in Colombia right now... I'll ask him to serve to me.

Ouch. No, I cannot. I have 20/20 but my ribs are cracked all around from karting. Please, understand.

As a matter of fact, I can hardly do it with no balaclava at all... I'm mighty old, kiddo. When I started engineering, dogs haven't been invented.

You can find here some of my work. Actually, I recommend this book (no, seriously!)


On the other hand, check this Swedish boy: Ben Ünderwøødson

Is he Swedish? Maybe not. He lives in Sacramento, (or is it Sakkavaremento, X?). However, this is Peterson spirit
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c49dS76KhGc[/youtube]

"Nobody is goin' to tell him that there is an impossibility for him, because there are none."

And that sums up pretty well the point of racing, I think.

[Giblet]

As much as I would like to believe it, I can't. If you close your eyes and try walking in a straight line, you can't do it.

I fear Mr. Fittipaldi had his chain yanked very hard.

[marcush.]

Reminds me of a school mate of mine who was in a talent nursing programme for Tennis.He once told me of a video he saw from Boris Becker who stood on the court blindfolded with his coach and still was able to beat him..
they actually got tested with ball launching equipment and had to catch a certain
percentage of balls without seeing anything .If you showed no instincts there you got kicked out of the programme...

[xpensive]

I would not take this legend as such a loughing matter, reports were that the Swedish driver was so upbeat after the xperiece he challenged Peter Warr to try find his way back to the hotel in the same fashion.

This did not go well as Warr managed to knock over not only two lightposts and a wooden bridge, though in decline, but also an obviously completely innocent nun with a fresh and ready applecart in the process.

[andrew]

... completely innocent nun with an applecart in the process.

And thus we have the origins of the phrase "upsetting the apple cart".

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[alelanza]

It's certainly not the same thing, but after watching that Fernando Alonso video where he runs through the Catalunya circuit in his minds eye, and ends up being within a few seconds of the expected time, i'm ready to believe the Peterson story. All the more so if you throw in the semi transparent balaclava hehe.

[Crabbia]

This is quite a really an interesting thread. I love stories like this. This daredevil immature prank culture is completely gone now from formula 1. And it's replaced by health and safety approved PR stunts. Now I don't wanna digress into a 'they don't make then like the used to' diatribe but there are no personalities in formula one in this era. And unfortunately, unlike our very own inventor of the aqueduct ciro (and I mean the with the utmost respect, I come from a catholic home, respect ur elders was one of the house rules) I didn't get to see all these races and hear these stories as they happened.

So maybe we should open up a thread of formula 1 driver myths and legends. As long as it's not complete BS it can be thrown in there and ppl much with much more knowledge than myself can give the version of the stories and fables they heard.

Good idea, or should we leave it to Wikipedia?

[manchild]

I can see through my balaclava.

[Caito]

alelanza, you beat me to it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hl_NO4A ... re=related[/youtube]


He even changes the multimap(engine brake) settings with his left thumb several times.


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