mad_machine wrote:
personally, I have an issue with any car that uses it's brains to make even a less than average driver into what appears to be a top notch one
I've read that the GTR's technology makes some driving techniques that used to be very important skills (e.g. heel-and-toe) unnecessary. Some people are very put off by that, but the lap times for the car are hard to argue with.
I think that this was the point of debate in this thread we had about Ferrari ending the use of manual transmissions. It looked like there were two basic schools of thought on the subject.
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School #1) "Driving is an experience. I enjoy pushing a car towards its limits, and developing the skills to do it. Technology is not bad, but it should not isolate me from the process of driving. If it does, it is a BAD THING. In this context, driver aids are 'FAIL'."
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2) "Fast is good. It is what wins races. The technology to win is the technology we should use. It doesn't matter if a) that technology is expensive, b) that technology makes what used to be useful driving skills irrelevant. In general, driver aids are 'WIN' because they make you faster".
My opinion on this matter is largely irrelevant because I'll never have a Ferrari or a GTR, but of the two schools of thought I tend to fall into the first camp. For me, the experience is very important, but that's probably an artifact of my situation; I don't have the money or time to buy a fast car and get lots of seat time. I know this, but I still enjoy trying to push my car - and thus, myself - so that I can learn new things.
I will grumble about the encroachment of driver aids into our lives, but the honest truth is that I still have so much to learn[1] that it doesn't REALLY affect me. The situation will be different for very experienced drivers, but I suspect that the ones who truly want to win[2] will use any technology or aid that makes them faster.
[1] - In an automatic, I'll work on left foot braking. In a stick shift I should concentrate on learning to use heel and toe. Even if I do neither of those, I still have lots to practice and learn. At our MSCC driving school I found out that I need to alter the timing of my braking, amount of steering input I use, and degree of throttle I apply.
[2] - the exception to this, of course, is when the rules dictate otherwise. I'm sure that NASCAR would not be the realm of push rods and carburetors if the France family didn't force the teams to use older technology.
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