Skaifey, Good Driver?

SPK-250 · 12-10-2006, 12:34 AM

hey i don't know if anybody has heard this but it was on the radio tonight when i was at work. Apparently the reason Skaifey's clutch slipped so bad at the start of the 1000 was because he took off in third gear, not first! certain people have tried to contact HRT but they are all tight lipped about it. Only what i heard so......

Steve · 12-10-2006, 12:37 AM

I've heard the same being said. It's possible.

blutura · 12-10-2006, 12:38 AM

mmmm, as much as I want to believe that, I'd need to see some credible sources first.

Boss 290 · 12-10-2006, 12:44 AM

i was so shocked when skaife took off...when they were all lined up i was saying " stall skaife stall" and then when they took off bright just charged infront and skaife was being taken over by people everywhere lol i think i put a hex on him

i really wish i was watching the race with a holden fan just to laugh at them.....i watched the whole thing from 7 to the end i couldnt get enough..it was the best bathurst i have seen in ages but sorry i am getting abit off topic but lately im starting to think skaife is abit overated or this year he has really had an unreliable car...it post great times but never has the stamina to be a real contender...except round 2 when he finished first....lowndes is doing great i think bathurst was his 4th win this year

BA Bakes · 12-10-2006, 12:46 AM

I heard he was just trying to sneak a boot full of Jack Daniels to the top of the mountain

Falc'man · 12-10-2006, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA Bakes

I heard he was just trying to sneak a boot full of Jack Daniels to the top of the mountain

I heard that too!

No really, I think he's a control freak.

XRQTR · 12-10-2006, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPK-383

hey i don't know if anybody has heard this but it was on the radio tonight when i was at work. Apparently the reason Skaifey's clutch slipped so bad at the start of the 1000 was because he took off in third gear, not first! certain people have tried to contact HRT but they are all tight lipped about it. Only what i heard so......

If this is true then the in car sound that they had was overlayed, I doubt they did that though, I remember them putting it on the replay a number of times and you could quite clearly hear the engine revving with minimal load. So I'm pretty happy with that explanation, of course I'm sure they will let us know at some time in the future, probably when it's forgotten.

Smoked · 12-10-2006, 01:20 AM

I douubt it. Skaife couldnt be ranked where he is and have the number of wins, poles and championships to his name if he was unable to tell the gate feeling difference of 1st to 3rd.

SpoolMan · 12-10-2006, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPK-383

hey i don't know if anybody has heard this but it was on the radio tonight when i was at work. Apparently the reason Skaifey's clutch slipped so bad at the start of the 1000 was because he took off in third gear, not first! certain people have tried to contact HRT but they are all tight lipped about it. Only what i heard so......

Charlie wool told us this on Tuesday.

jimt3te50 · 12-10-2006, 02:19 AM

The bigpond in-car footage may have showed the driver display if this is true.....

Was anyone watching that (bigpond) or were we all glued to the telly?

Psycho Chicken · 12-10-2006, 02:23 AM

I fail to see how that makes him a good driver or not. Everyone makes mistakes. Ingall locking up the rears cos he didn't pump the brakes at Sandown in 2003?

fullysick1 · 12-10-2006, 02:57 AM

arent they all sequential boxes

_

**Full Noise** · 12-10-2006, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fullysick1

arent they all sequential boxes

_

None of them are.

There would be quite a few people who have access to the telemetry, they can’t all keep it a secret.

Does any one else have an answer to why the fastest car on the grid couldn’t get going? Let’s face it. How many other cars cooked their clutches that day at the start of the race?

Rob · 12-10-2006, 07:21 AM

He only human. If you judge that as making him a poor driver, then what of lowndes huge crash back in 96 or whenever it was? They are top drivers, all of them, but they, like us, make mistakes.

Uncle Raggy · 12-10-2006, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLC

He only human. If you judge that as making him a poor driver, then what of lowndes huge crash back in 96 or whenever it was? They are top drivers, all of them, but they, like us, make mistakes.

Fully agree, they all make mistakes, but I don't recall Lowndsie's Calder upender being his making?? Doesn't really matter I guess, the end result is the same.

And the man I believe to be the greatest driver in Touring Car history lost his life recently after what appears to be an error. It's all part of being human. Skaife is no doubt a brillaint talent.

Bill_R · 13-10-2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLC

He only human. If you judge that as making him a poor driver, then what of lowndes huge crash back in 96 or whenever it was? They are top drivers, all of them, but they, like us, make mistakes.

Agreed!

As for the title of this post - I think Skaife is a "good" driver but he isn't a "natural" driver and needs to put a lot of work into it. The same has applied to many drivers who have been quite succesful.

Skaife can fold a bit under pressure. I loved it at Indy (I think 2 years ago) when Skaife was leading and Lowndes was applying pressure. I was thinking "come on Skaife, lose it again" when I heard a screech and looked around to see Skaife lose it right in front of me - loved it!

AUIII XR8 MAN · 12-10-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psycho Chicken

I fail to see how that makes him a good driver or not. Everyone makes mistakes. Ingall locking up the rears cos he didn't pump the brakes at Sandown in 2003?

As much as i dislike the guy, i have to agree.

It was just the luck of race was not going the their way.

MITCHAY · 12-10-2006, 07:35 PM

If he had not had that clutch failure he would of been right on Lowndes tail, if not in front of him! That car was very fast this year. Just goes to show anything can happen.

red_hotxr6 · 12-10-2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUIII XR8 MAN

As much as i dislike the guy, i have to agree.

It was just the luck of race was not going the their way.

And so was bright,s and so was kelly,s, but doing a fast 1 lapper dont cut it when you have to set up for race trim. Did you notice murphy saying that his car would have to get rid of its fuel load before they got some good lap times where as lowndes,s car performs wether the car is full or near empty of fuel. And as for ford tossing bucket loads of cash for skaife to drive for a ford team, when hell freezes over and murphy as well.Never, not a cent.Another couple of years and skaife will be lucky appear in the top ten finishers.

SPK-250 · 12-10-2006, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red_hotxr6

And so was bright,s and so was kelly,s, but doing a fast 1 lapper dont cut it when you have to set up for race trim. Did you notice murphy saying that his car would have to get rid of its fuel load before they got some good lap times where as lowndes,s car performs wether the car is full or near empty of fuel. And as for ford tossing bucket loads of cash for skaife to drive for a ford team, when hell freezes over and murphy as well.Never, not a cent.Another couple of years and skaife will be lucky appear in the top ten finishers.

who said skaife and murph were gonna drive for ford?

**Mechan1k** · 12-10-2006, 07:22 AM

If he was in third ... surely the telemetry would have shown that ... and his pit crew would have given him a friendly reminder in his ear before the launch.

xbcool · 12-10-2006, 07:47 AM

if he did start in 3rd why wouldnt he put it back into 1st when it started to bog down

**Full Noise** · 12-10-2006, 07:54 AM

You may want to watch the video again. He may have done just that, however, the damage was already done.

12-10-2006, 08:27 AM

I'll guessing he was in 3rd, and that put too much pressure on the clutch and stuffed it.

photn · 12-10-2006, 08:31 AM

Skaife = Top bloke
BUT
Skaife = KNOB.

**Mechan1k** · 12-10-2006, 08:32 AM

Surely trying to take off in 3rd wouldn't really destroy a triple plate carbon clutch ... those things are near indestructable. Unless it was already faulty in the first place.

Lukeyson · 12-10-2006, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Surely trying to take off in 3rd wouldn't really destroy a triple plate carbon clutch

the only thing i could put that down to, is they *ch10 guys* were saying to skaife 'oh its hard to get these things off the line, seeing as its uphill and all'

Boss 290 · 12-10-2006, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR8fella

the only thing i could put that down to, is they *ch10 guys* were saying to skaife 'oh its hard to get these things off the line, seeing as its uphill and all'

thats odd because 30 other drivers could do it?

**ebxr8240** · 12-10-2006, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Surely trying to take off in 3rd wouldn't really destroy a triple plate carbon clutch ... those things are near indestructable. Unless it was already faulty in the first place.

With 600 h.p it can be done!!! Friction and heat melts anything...
Trust me....

LTDHO · 12-10-2006, 08:34 AM

It happens.

Anyone who has driven a manual has done it!
Anyone who has done it with over 600HP, would have fried the clutch