Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Burnouts

A patch of road down the street from us. It got like that on Sunday night. I have no idea if this is a coincidence or not but a couple of hours earlier I was watching Craig on TV celebrating his win at Phillip Island with a "prolonged burnout". Craig is a role model and has some responsibilities in that area. Is this relevant? Am I being silly? Anyway, I think celebrating race wins by burning good rubber (remember people racing in lesser classes can do very well on Supercar cast-offs) is as stupid as wasting good French champagne spraying grid girls.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm. We were doing burnouts some 40 years ago and given the HP of modern cars certainly a lot easier now. What did we call them then? Oh yeh - wheelies. Smoking the tyres away from the lights was an example of youthful exuberance and the guys with hot v8's used to bring their "party tyres" to parties to really get into it. Was a lot safer than street racing and I cannot get a handle on why it is such an issue with the cops and all. I believe it is even a criminal act these days with the "hoon laws'/ Amazing, simply amazing. Good God next they will ban viagra for old farts and bench racing sessions.

David said...

I'm with John on this one. I could never, and still can't, fathom the sense behind burnouts.
Any fool can lay rubber these days. Get that same driver in a sporting car club and he might realise there is more to motorsport than just smoking tyres, and he might realise just how much "skill" he doesn't have.
The V8 sillycar guys are probably quietly encouraged to do it for the cameras.
David

Anonymous said...

Enlightenment suggests we should not impose our beliefs on others even where we fail to understand. Most people who enjoy pastimes of their own choosing are not very good at it, true talent is unjustly reserved for the very few. I can see no relationship between burnouts and lack of car control skill. Very few people in any sporting car club have such skill yet 120,000 people attend burnout contests at Summernationals - more people than attend any roundy-roundy racing event in Australia - as do many thousands who attend Drift racing. Car control? How about 1500 foot burnout with a rear wheel speed of 300 kph and over 1,000 Hp. Not relevant? then neither are the hundreds of deluded fools who are into old cars ( me too) and who join sporting car clubs. Like all the noise makers who buy guitars thinking they are the next Santana or drum kits or poets who commit simply awful words to paper which have no meaning or artists who are the only ones who can interpret their own drivel. Or wordsmiths who hammer out manuscript after manuscript to no avail. Just because we do not understand them we should not put them down. To say V8 Supercar drivers generate this interest in burnouts simply overlooks other motor sport genres that are many many times larger than the sporting car and V8 Supercar cultures. Dyno days - I simply do not appreciate them but thousands do. Japanese snot boxes with huge turbos are laughable to me but millions love them. Cargraphics and personal body art also escape me but each to their own. Croweaters who do not know who Roman Bratasiuk is also amaze me. Live and let live and allow others to enjoy their past time or hobby and maybe ignorance is my mantra. Colin

Anonymous said...

This will not please everyone but yes as a kid I did the usual kid things and thought I was better than I really was until I had an accident. Besides I had to watch a graphic movie of accidents and victims inside vehicles I decided I wanted to know how to control a car and took racing lessons and then started racing albeit on a very limited budget.
Today's traffic and kid mindset is so much different from 40 years ago that it is nearly impossible to do anything without crashing into someone innocent and that's the big deal now. Just look at the people killed minding their own business and getting taken out by some adrenaline, drunk or drugged junkie.
It starts off just by doing burnouts and then they want more. Burnouts to me is just like graffiti.
Would they do it outside their own house no. So why should someone else's property be devalued just because some clown wants to prove their masculinity. Like I said, today you just cannot do it.
One idiot had their dad's SSV out the back of my place a couple of months ago and did a burnout but lost control and nearly took someone else out coming the other way.

No Johns right .

Dino

Art said...

While I can sympathise with Dino & John in some ways, Colin is much more sensible in attitude and approach.
We do not have any right to force our world view on others, just as they do not have any right to infringe on us.
A better approach is for each and every one of us to get off our backsides and pressure our "leadership' (aka politicians) to ensure facilities are available for all activities.
This would then require us to also pressure policing so that so-called "hoons" are strongly encouraged to use the facilities.
In turn, that would also mean we would have to apply pressure to ensure sane policing by competent officers was in place so that some of the idiocy demonstrated by supposedly knowledgeable officers is squashed too.

In short, if we wish to reduce this sort of anti-social behavior then WE need to get of our butts and do something about it.

Anonymous said...

With all due respects Art so it's all right for idiots or graffiti vandals to have a right to force their attitudes onto us but we aren't allowed to do the same? Mmmm I think some would have us live under a bush and shut the f...ck up. Also the argument about having facilities available for so called hoons to use and then we won't have a problem? Give me a break. Will they be able to use it at say 2 am in the morning when they just feel like it? It doesn't work that way, I wish it would but it doesn't.

Dino

Anonymous said...

Just a couple of other points I thought about re this topic. Firstly society has a set of rules through the politicians or councillors we elect so basically the majority or sometimes even the minority can have an effect of other peoples beliefs.
The other is a very good friend also believes that doing burnouts or speeding is ok. That is until I put the scenario to them that due to just one fool, a loved one is either seriously injured or killed due to performing an act they hold so dear. They can't answer that one.

Dino

Art said...

Have another read of second sentence, in particular this bit - "just as they do not have any right..."

Hardly gels with your "With all due respects Art so it's all right for idiots or graffiti vandals to have a right to force their ...".

Put a bit more thought into it before launching a personal attack Dino.

Would I be right that you would fit into the category of those who would ban anything they considered unsuitable rather than being proactive to get facilities in place to help reduce the problem?

This problem isn't going anywhere anytime soon and legislation, police action et al isn't going to achieve much anytime soon either.

Anonymous said...

Firstly Art if you took my comments as a personal attack I apologise. They were not directed at you per say. They were general comments.

However having said that I think you only read want you wanted to read in my comments on not everything that was in context.
The first reply probably got down my gullet with their holier than thou attitude. Good god you just have to hear the trial transcripts of idiots street racing and their deadly outcomes that have been in the news lately.
Please read all of my comments and then well can have a proper discussion perhaps.

Dino

Art said...

Donkeys at 2 AM are a pain to all of us, just as they are if misusing a road or road related area in a built up area at any time.
However, that doesn't change the fact that a donkey will continue to kick if he only sees a stick.
Add the carrot with the threat of a bigger stick and he starts to do what you wish, albeit reluctantly.
So, pressuring for venues and sensible attitudes from our police force are very necessary steps.
With that in place we can then jump all over our politicians to create a bigger stick.
Sure, it won't stop some idiots at 2 AM but it will redirect many. That's the best we can hope for.
We (myself & family) get burnouts fairly regularly close to our house because the factors are all there; a pub 500m away, a nice big intersection adjacent to us, not much for them to do around here, too many hormones.
A quiet talk to those responsible at a later time when they are not alcohol fuelled and don't need to keep up appearances with their mates has been reasonably effective. Challenging them at the time isn't smart.
Many years managing young people has taught me patience and forbearance for their failings which are little different to my earlier years after all.