First off, I never dissed Altamont Speedway in my initial post. My point was that it's a JOKE for Trump to use pictures of it in order to imply that the wind farms that sprung up around it 'ruined' the place. It's a very small-time racetrack that's always had financial problems, and it's demise had nothing to do with the Wind Farm.

I've never been to the track, but I've driven through the pass hundreds of times, and there's *nothing* out there to look at. IOW, I very much doubt that the Wind Farm 'ruined the view', such that people stopped wanting to go there.

More importantly, a racetrack is not like a friggin' golf course. People go to Golf Courses in LARGE part because of the beauty of the surroundings. That is NOT so with your average race track patron. It's really not about the 'natural beauty' of the surrounding area, now, is it?

As far as your question about 'safe hate', I think I can sum it up in just a few words:
1) Climate Change
2) Peak Oil
3) People die in races

The idea that we have these cars, tuned for maximum performance (i.e. NO smog control) utterly pointlessly racing around in circles as fast as they can, wasting huge amounts (on a per-car basis) of a limited natural resource and polluting the atmosphere, in a dangerous sport where people die from it on a regular basis ... I'm sorry, but TO ME, it's one of the stupidest, most irresponsible frigging things for society to be engaging in at this time in history that I can imagine.

When the world has devolved into a version of the friggin Road Warrior (which, mark my words, is coming within our lifetimes, unless you're already quite old), because crude oil production has massively crashed due to depletion, and we have to look our starving grandkids in the eye as they're asking 'Grandpa, why did everyone in your generation squander all the worlds oil before I was even born?' ... well, lets just say my concern over something like that happening one day is a big reason I hate auto racing.

Put it this way, I hate auto-racing for the same reason I hate seeing shit-tons of people on the road in the morning, commuting to work in their huge SUV's ... all by themselves.

BTW, I'm not trying to bag on you, or any other racing fan on a personal level. I'm not saying your stupid for liking it or anything of that nature. But personally ... I think it's freaking LAME. It's polluting, it's wasteful, and it's hella dangerous, both for the drivers and even the crowd in some cases.

But I suppose if you just don't believe in climate change, or that petroleum is ever going to run out, there wouldn't really be much reason to hate on it. But I do believe in these things ... so I hate it.

Sue me

I'm gonna pick away at this, but suppose we talk about Peak Oil a bit. If you are going to discuss fuel consumption for a particular sport or pastime, you need to include getting participants and spectators to the venue. Studies I've seen say we're pretty good on this aspect - if we need to be shut down, so do movie theaters and all the "ball" sports. Not to mention vacation and leisure travel.

And they die in bed, or digging petunias. Statistically, everybody has to be someplace when they die, and after 50 years of trying really hard, we're no worse than softball or golf.

It isn't worth talking to you about your bullshit hatred. Blaming everything you know nothing about on the auto is like blaming a dog for cancer.


Without 'us' America would be a fucking third world backwater. And those of you who don't understand auto racing don't deserve to ever ride on any motorized vehicle.


Don't reply you're scrap.

which is , in essence, this - why is it OK to call technology "utter bullshit" which A) keeps you safer every day, and B) which serves addmirably as a technology incubator for efficency, for some unique reasons. I would think that intellectually dishonest, for starters.

I've begun to answer your concerns, in another thread on this post - but, please, I really want to know why it is considered acceptable to dump on a whole class of people, because of - I dunno, ignorance and predujuce might be kind words.

Oh, yes - adding # 6) to the list above - Go stomp on your kid's Bell bicycle helmet, now. "Bell" Auto Parts, run by pioneering hot rod entrepenuer Les Richter, was the original distributor of this new kind of helmet (foam energy absorbing, composite (FRP) shell), which became the iconic BELL HELMET. Helmet certifiers the Snell Foundation were formed, and was exclusively for years, to certify helmets for auto and motorcycle racing.