November 2020

Signup

224 TARMAC PAINTING 202011 27.11.2020 10:39

Today’s blogpost video: the art of tarmac painting, black stripes on the tarmac – the smoking tyres as brush, superbly performed by the artist behind the steering wheel.

Tarmac painting and the Nordschleife – two passions of The Castiron, too! This time just a few words, spectator’s awestruck amazement.

The Castiron takes a bow and takes his hat off to this absolute top performance. The video is worth to be seen more than once. Enjoy yourself – no further words.

See you next Friday. - God bless you, all the best! The Castiron

Recommendation: http://thecastiron.ch/en/comments.html

Signup

223 NORDSCHLEIFE 202011 20.11.2020 10:32

Things go in cycles: spring, summer, autumn, winter – a fact on one hand, on the other hand the Nordschleife, always good for a surprise. Today, autumn’s perspective, based on an overview on the last decades and related gained experiences.

In autumn you can be confronted with the conditions as described for spring and summer (please see blogposts 198 and 213). Keep in mind: Nordschleife is and will remain Nordschleife! Do not underestimate the manifold challenges of this track.

The Castiron rode his very first laps on this track in autumn, quite a long time ago. This time of the year offers some additional challenges. For instance, leaves are not only on the trees and you are confronted with end-of season road conditions.

The leaves. Very beautiful on the trees, not very pleasant close to the vehicle. Covering the tarmac ground contact gets tricky, especially in wet. Swirling around in the air can mean that the cooling openings are no longer free – overheating can occur, a pit stop to remove the leaves can become inevitable.

The end-of-season road conditions. In brief: partially quite bad. Mainly braking zones can be wavy and acceleration zones slippery – especially in slower curves. As in daily traffic, the many vehicle strains the road surface. Adjusting the riding style and the line selection helps.

Again: Nordschleife is and will remain Nordschleife! Be aware, that especially the weather in this region (listed below, as a little help: some localities very close to the Nordschleife) and all its related factors do not make things easier. Be alert – have a safe and effective drive, being it on the track or on the road.

See you next Friday. - God bless you, all the best! The Castiron

Recommendation: http://thecastiron.ch/en/links-en.html

PS   Localities, relevant for selective weather forecasts Nordschleife:
53520 Nürburg
53518 Quiddelbach
53518 Adenau
53518 Herrschbroich
53520 Döttinger Höhe
53520 Meuspath

Signup

222 SEASON OPENING 13.11.2020 10:21

Mainly, this is the season opening story of last year’s Rallye World Champion, Ott Tänak (please see blogpost 179). He changed this year from Toyota to Hyundai – new team, new car, new season.

It is just one example of many on today’s subject. The video speaks for itself – very impressive, scary and breathtaking. Driver and co-driver remained almost uninjured in this severe accident.

He overdid it. Ott Tänak drove extremely fast at this point of the route, significantly faster than all other – too fast, in brief. Was it lacking harmony with the new vehicle (not yet complete familiarity), the pressure to be better than his new team mate and rival Thierry Neuville (who finally won this first event of the season), or something else – we do not know, probably the driver himself does not really know.

This year, 2020, Ott Tänak got a second chance in this context – a kind of season opening in current season, after the break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning of September, he triumphed in his homeland (Rally Estonia). Suddenly good prospects to end this FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) on the podium, too.

For the actual standings please have a look at today’s recommendation; where is Ott Tänak, the man with the unlucky season opening, classified?

See you next Friday. - God bless you, all the best! The Castiron

Recommendation: https://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2020/standings

PS According to MOTORSPORT aktuell Nr. 07 / 2020 (page 22) speed at the accident site, approximately: Tänak 180 km/h (110 miles per hour), Neuville 140 km/h (90 miles per hour) and the multiple world champion Sébastien Ogier 140 km/h (90 miles per hour) ...

Signup

221 BOOKS 202011 06.11.2020 17:36

The King of Cool met the King of Kings – or, in actual fact: Steve McQueen. The Salvation of an American Icon, by Greg Laurie with Marshall Terrill. Either way, a book for The Castiron – and hopefully for you, too.

First, some information about the authors. According to the English Wikipedia Greg Laurie is a pastor and author, who wrote more than 70 books. Marshall Terrill is an author who wrote several books about Steve Mc Queen and stands as an authority in this topic.

A look at the book’s contents. Some words, quoted from the undermentioned website, an excerpt put it in a nutshell: „Greg Laurie takes a cross-country drive in his 1968 Highland Green Ford Mustang 390 GT. He traces the wooly geography of Steve McQueen's life, relationships, career and spiritual journey. McQueen was a complex, contradictory man who lived the same way as he drove: fearlessly, ruthlessly and at top speed. After a lifetime of fast cars, women and drugs, McQueen took s surprising detour.“

The Castiron read this book with great benefits. A book is also perfectly suited as a gift, just now, shortly before Christmas. Please have a look at today’s recommendation – thank you!

See you next Friday. - God bless you, all the best! The Castiron

Recommendation: https://store.harvest.org/product/gregs-books-steve-mcqueen-the-salvation-of-an-american-icon/

PS It is also a tribute to the famous actor and passionate racing driver Steve McQueen, who passed away 40 years ago (7th November 1980); please have a look at blogpost 114 BULLITT, too. Thank you.