One of the insanely cool things I picked up while at the Monterey Historics was this DVD titled "Can-Am: The Speed Odyssey". It chronicles the entire Canadian-American race cup from its inception all the way through its demise in the early 70's. I watched a brief trailer for it here(http://www.canamfilm.com/) and was instantly intriuged since I wasn't totally familiar with that race series, but certainly had heard of it and witnessed many of the vehicles at the 'Historics.
Let me preface the DVD by saying first that I have incredible respect for guys that raced in the days of yore, not only because they were driving machines that were freakishly powerful (which I'll get to) but also because of limited tire technology, and limited safety. Combine the above things and they equate to some of the most spectacular and tragic crashes in history. That being said, I finished this DVD with even more respect for those guys.
As a friend put it, Can-Am racing days "were during a time when it seemed like lives didn't matter". What he was implying, was that people were just crazy. Deaths in racing were abundant during that time (which was also the 60's-70's Formula 1 era) due to limited safety development and insane power. These Can-Am cars in the early years were 450 hp 1400 pound vehicles. That power to weight ratio already equates to an insanely fast car. As technology progressed and different manufacturers began entering the fray (eventually McLaren, Porsche, Ferarri to name a few) the fastest Can-Am car was 1400 pounds with 1100 horsepower. Suddenly, thinking about driving my 150hp Corolla makes me feel like a little girl.
Anyways I don't want to spoil too much of it for you, since the DVD is as much an educational feature as it is for entertainment. With insightful commentary by Jim Hall and interviews with Bruce McLaren, its sure to fulfill anybody's need for a walk down memory lane with one of America's greatest race series.
FYI, for you rally fans, its like Group B rally for circuit racing!
No comments:
Post a Comment