From: robin2@garnet.berkeley.edu (Robin Chung)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport
Subject: f1, Senna is better than Mansell, IMHO
Date: 22 Aug 92 19:09:21 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu
Originator: robin2@garnet.berkeley.edu

IMHO,


	A:	Senna is a BETTER driver than Mansell.  He proved it in
	Germany, but let Mansell pass anyway after the Chicane incident.
	In Hungary, Senna Kept mansell off many many times in the straight
	going into Turn 1.  Senna is the best at keeping cars from passing
	him,  though Mansell's game plan is to pass people.  Sounds like
	the Best Defense will beat the Best Offense.  (Seen it in Basketball,
	Football, Baseball [good pitching will always beat good hitting], 
	Martial Arts(aikido, defensive styles of medium range Kung-fu))
	Even though the Williams/ Renaulthad more power down the straights,
	Senna kept Mansell at bay.  that speaks yards about Senna's driving
	abilities. I think for Hungary, though, that W/R was tuned for 
	midrange/upper midrange power (notice the power coming out into the
	straight of Mansell, and Senna's pulling away at the end of the 
	straight.  Senna raced brilliantly.

	B	Under ideal dry conditions, a good driver can outbrake
	today's ABS. It is under less=than=ideal (rain, gravel) that ABS
	clearly wins.  F-1, for the most part, is raced under ideal, dry
	sticky race compound tyre conditions.  The best ABS systems by
	Motronic or M/B gen 4, or Honda ABS/TCSmodulate about 15-20 x
	second. That's more than a good F1 Driver, but, they modulate
	just short of lockup....so under dry conditions, they are 
	inferior to good drivers.  Case and point: Motorcyclist Magazine
	(USA), had an article on Honda and Yamaha's ABs/TCS systems 2
	months ago. On dry surfaces, A professional Rider (say, Nick
	Ienatsch, their editor) outbraked the ABS.  (His CBR900RR 
	outbraked the ST1100 ABs/TCS and the FJ1200A, and felt that
	with the ABS disabled on the two bikes, he could still outbrake
	the ABS.)  He even outbraked in some cases, the Acura NSx and the
	new 325is.  (actually, under most circumstances, motorcycles will
	outbrake cars.  This is because motorcycles weight less == less
	inertia == KE = m v^2 Weight has.nothing to do with Normal force or
	coefficient of friction)  And it seems funny that motorcycle 
	technology is yards ahead of cars.....bikes have used twin rotors
	3,4,5,6, piston calipers, asbestos free carbon pads, vented and
	drilled discs for years (cars just started drilling their discs
	recently...drilling increases cooling efficiency without dramatically
	reducing swept area , and saves weight, too.)  But my point is,
	under bad conditions (sand, water, oil) ABS is winner, hands down.
	Motorcyclist's riders REFUSED to even attempt panic braking in the
	wet.....but loved to try ABS in the wet.....says something about it.
	And that's what it is for:  for the average driver ABS, under average
	or worse conditions, helps them stop without worrying about impending
	lockup, swept area, modulations etc.  The average driver can jsut
	stomp on the brake pedal and get reliable stops.  Think, though
	Lotus opted NOT to put ABS on the Turbo/Esprit SE when they intro'd
	it in 1989.  See, Fast Lane, July 1989.

Also, ABS is great for selling cars.  I'm afraid it works down to marketing.


-- Also, Senna turned down the $25M to race for Ferrari ... could he be
waiting for Williams' offer?

-- Honda race F1 to test and boost marketing for Acura....and it worked.
Now that it's getting very costly and the returns (bragging rights) aren't
there, they need to bolster their US presence, since as mentioned before,
they are tiny in Japan compared to Toyota and Nissan.


Just by $.02 worth, though I did type a lot....:>

-Rob
-- 
Robin Chung				UC Berkeley
Elect Engr & Comp Sci			Walter A. Haas School of Business
510 849 2548	(home)			Computer Center
email:	robin2@garnet.berkeley.edu	510 642 0434 (work)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport