Who is your favourite driver?

[underpowered]

Some of you guys wont have too much trouble working mine out.

Who is your favourite driver?

and why?

[underpowered]

Just in the current IRL, or USAC/CART/CC/IRL, or from anywhere, anytime?

Sorry, in the current IRL.

[Hoop-98]

was cheering for Will and Justin, guess I like underdogs etc...

[chuck34]

Current IRL would be Briscoe and Power. A bit of the underdog thing in Power, and a redemption story in Briscoe. Plus they both are d@mn good drivers that can beat almost anyone on any day.

I also like Dixon, and Dario, but not quite as much.

[Anubis]

Tend to cheer the most for Justin Wilson, as he fills the understated, unassuming plucky Brit niche (which we love), but also liked Paul Tracy over the years for his heart on sleeve approach to matters.

[NickFalzone]

Dario and Scheckter. If someone here knew how to do the "poll" thing, that might be appopriate for the thread.

[maximilian]

Given his "crime syndicate bouncer" look, I am always amazed how likable Tony Kanaan is when I listen to him in interviews! Dario also seems very nice. And you can say what you like about Milka Duno... but I would LIKE her to succeed - if she was faster, she would be a much better poster girl than Danica, whose personality I can't really stand.

[TURN3]

Anybody but Danica. Is that fair?

[harvick#1]

Briscoe, Scheckter, and Viso. 3 guys that love to race and not afraid to make the bold moves that others are too afraid to do

[jackmart]

Graham Rahal. I'm not sure why I liked Danica more than him last year. I'm not sure if her whoring it up or the fact that is strating to finish races made me switch. To be honest, he was humble when I met him and I grew up really close to him so the fact that he is a fellow Ohio excited me. Since I was a Danica fan before I always liked the other agr ppl especially tk and after following his twitter I like him even more. But m y fave is graham. Have yet to see any of my faves get a win, joined this indy thing too late after they already had gotten their first wins.

[bblocker68]

Power and Wilson because they are the best (+Dario) road racers in the IRL. I also like Dario because of his close ties with Greg More.

How long before I add Bourdais to the list, hmmmmm?

[DanicaFan]

My favorite driver is Danica Patrick.

[electron]

Helio and Danica

[Chris R]

My favorite driver is Danica Patrick.

Really, I thought you were a Milka Duno fan.... :D

sorry couldn't resist!!! ;)

seriously, I do not have a total favorite right now - for some reason I like Viso - he seems to have heart and character......

[V12]

Probably Wilson, Dario, Wheldon in that order.

[gerkebi]

Graham. Not saying he's the best (yet), but I sure like the guy.

[cynisca]

My favourite driver is Helio Castroneves. I hope he will win the championship once day. In 2001, Kenny Bräck was my favourite driver.

[Wade91]

Target Chip Ganassi racng!

Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti

[elis]

Helio & Ernesto are my main 2..,.... but also Tony, hey what's not to 'love' about Tony K! :D

[speeddurango]

Paul Tracy

[millencolin]

Will Power... Followed his career in Australia before he set out overseas, he's from the same region (toowoomba) as my family and is bloody BLOODY quick!!! If Will isn't racing, I'm not watching!

[Alexamateo]

Marco!

[hondacom]

Paul Tracy,Justin Wilson.

[Chamoo]

I've got a few, but first and foremost it's PT. But since he isn't in a car full time, let me give you my top 5 list of favorite drivers who are either full time, or close to it.

1. Justin Wilson
2. Graham Rahal
3. Will Power
4. Tomas Scheckter
5. Alex Tagliani

[FIAT1]

Paul Tracy because he is a bad as& and great racer.
Justin Wilson because he is a best that irl has at the moment and he is a class act. This guy with a good car would be champion many times over.

[Jag_Warrior]

Since it's just current IRL drivers, my choice would have to be "none of the above".

And before anyone says I'm picking on the IRL, in the last couple of years of Champ Car, I didn't have a favorite driver either. I was beginning to warm up to Allmendinger. But once he left, I was back to nobody in particular. The last real favorite I had was Juan Pablo "Kick Some Azz, Take Some Names" Montoya.

Right now, all of my favorite drivers are in other racing series: Angelle Sampey (should be a Federal crime that she is out of a ride this year!), Antron Brown, Ashley Force-Hood, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Juan Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Alex Gurney, Petter Solberg (Subie should have hung in there, IMO) and whoever fills Paul Gentilozzi's seats when he gets the ALMS GT2 Jaguar team up and going. There's just no one in the IRL right now that I care all that much about. Maybe Milka, but just because I've met her and I think she's a nice person. But that's not really what makes someone my favorite driver.

Years ago, most of my favorite drivers would have been from CART. Other than Ayrton Senna, Jean Alesi, Willy T. Ribbs and Darrel Waltrip, I guess all the others would have been CART drivers: Emmo Fittipaldi (far & away #1), Mario, Michael, Max Papis, Zanardi, Juan Manuel Fangio II...

[Chamoo]

Since it's just current IRL drivers, my choice would have to be "none of the above".

And before anyone says I'm picking on the IRL, in the last couple of years of Champ Car, I didn't have a favorite driver either. I was beginning to warm up to Allmendinger. But once he left, I was back to nobody in particular. The last real favorite I had was Juan Pablo "Kick Some Azz, Take Some Names" Montoya.

Right now, all of my favorite drivers are in other racing series: Angelle Sampey (should be a Federal crime that she is out of a ride this year!), Antron Brown, Ashley Force-Hood, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Juan Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Alex Gurney, Petter Solberg (Subie should have hung in there, IMO) and whoever fills Paul Gentilozzi's seats when he gets the ALMS GT2 Jaguar team up and going. There's just no one in the IRL right now that I care all that much about. Maybe Milka, but just because I've met her and I think she's a nice person. But that's not really what makes someone my favorite driver.

Years ago, most of my favorite drivers would have been from CART. Other than Ayrton Senna, Jean Alesi, Willy T. Ribbs and Darrel Waltrip, I guess all the others would have been CART drivers: Emmo Fittipaldi (far & away #1), Mario, Michael, Max Papis, Zanardi, Juan Manuel Fangio II...

You've got some balls coming on an Indycar forum and mentioning Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon as some of your favorite racers ;) .

[underpowered]

Since it's just current IRL drivers, my choice would have to be "none of the above".


There is always one......

[Jag_Warrior]

There is always one......

Yeah, I know. And I've always strived to be that one. When I was little, one of my teachers told my mother (also a teacher), "he's not like the other children..." :D

But like I said, it was the same in the final period of CCWS - the drivers I really liked were in other series. What can I do, lie? :dozey:

[NickFalzone]

I don't mean to suggest you're trolling, but I wonder why someone would bother visiting an Indy car message board on a regular basis without even liking a single driver in the series, ie a favorite above the others. I guess you could say you like the style of racing, but you don't seem to like that either. So why bother following something that a, you don't like the drivers in, and b, you don't like the racing? There has to be a reason, but it certainly isn't very obvious.

[Jag_Warrior]

Because Nick, I am a person who believes that no matter what things look like right now, the future can be made brighter. Do you know what the concept of kaizen involves? In simple terms, it's about continuous improvement. Toyota is based on that principle. It works. To answer your question directly, I have been following open wheel racing for nearly four decades. My feeling when the sport split was, "and this too shall pass." Took a bit longer than I expected, and more damage was done than I anticipated. But I believe that we're just about there. That's why I'm still here. In fact, I've been here (on this board) longer than most any of you.

Fan bois come and go, Nick. When (not if) Danica retires or leaves, some of you will also leave. The same is true of some of the other drivers listed here. Some fans may pick up on someone new. But some (just as when Earnhardt died and Schumacher retired) will leave and go onto something else. But I'll still be here, Nick. As I have already said, I did not have a favorite driver in Champ Car's last days, but I still kept up with what was going on - just not with as much enthusiasm as before. I got lucky in F1 because Lewis showed up at about the time that Juan left. Otherwise I wouldn't have a true favorite driver in F1 either (I don't exactly worship Webber - but he did drive for Jaguar... amen & amen).

IMO, one problem that CART and CCWS had, and the IRL now has, there is too much time spent (by some fans and maybe the series itself) trying to see who can or should be excluded from the the ever shrinking club known as "AOWR fans." Any ideas on how to include more people??? Learn much from CART? It's like the GOP, except with garage space. No clue as to why people watch or attend. And no clue as to why people stop watching or attending. More often than not, it seems there is just no clue. I don't mean the fans here - I mean the management.

I'm watching for that better day. In my world, we call it the anticipated future state. Could be pretty nice... if the powers-that-be will get their heads & asses in gear. We shall see.

[Jag_Warrior]

a, you don't like the drivers in, and b, you don't like the racing?

Hmm, yes, and yet here we are.

...for the fan of my last favorite driver in any form of motorsport:
http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=662110&postcount=7

[PA Rick]

If Memo Gidley is driving I'll pick him, otherwise "the thrill from west hill" Paul Tracy.
And if neither are driving, then Graham Rahal.

[PA Rick]

You've got some balls coming on an Indycar forum and mentioning Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon as some of your favorite racers ;) .
If Jimmy Johnson was in a F1 car and Jeff Gordon was in an indy car, which would be faster?

[Mad_Hatter]

I'm virtually in the same boat as Jag on this one.

Most of the field is absolutely bland. I do like Bad Azz Wilson, but he isn't as short-fused as my traditional favorites. There are no JPMs, PTs, T. Stewarts, etc... There are boneheaded decisions at the dull end of the field, but few displays of brilliant driving. That's what I want to see.

[underpowered]

I'm virtually in the same boat as Jag on this one.

Most of the field is absolutely bland. I do like Bad Azz Wilson, but he isn't as short-fused as my traditional favorites. There are no JPMs, PTs, T. Stewarts, etc... There are boneheaded decisions at the dull end of the field, but few displays of brilliant driving. That's what I want to see.

Get off the fence! You have a favourite driver! Man up and let us know who it is!

You sound so bland!

[jimispeed]

He hasn't shown himself yet, but Robert Doornbos has left a pretty big impression for me. He's a pretty good personality for a series as well!!

[Mihai]

I keep my fingers crossed for Graham Rahal. I'm also a long-time PT fan.

[Civic]

Dario Franchitti. Racer by day, Ashley Judd at night. =)

Would've liked to see Townsend Bell and Memo Gidley develop, but for some drivers one year isn't enough.

I liked Marco his rookie year but for some reason I don't follow him anymore.

[nigelred5]

I can't really say I have a current "favorite" in the IRL. I've always liked Dario a lot and probably follow him the most of any of the current drivers. I have been a fan of Wilson since his F1 days and am stoked any time he's doing well. I like Power and TK and have come to really like PT since he moved to Team Green in the CART days. I loved the "pose" when he won Long Beach. I really disliked him in the Penske years, but I tend to dislike the Penske drivers more often than not for some reason. I still am not sure why, I totally appreciate his skills in the car, but I just don't find Helio genuine.

[EagleEye]

Some of you guys wont have too much trouble working mine out.

Who is your favourite driver?

and why?

I decided to ask the drivers (all from Toronto) and a sampling of fans (also from Toronto). Here are the results of my poll:

IRL Drivers top ten:

Scott Dixon
Dario Franchitti
Ryan Briscoe
Will Power
Justin Wilson
HCN
Tony Kanaan
Graham Rahal
Paul Tracy
Dan Weldon

Toronto Fans top ten: (yes, you can see a bias here)

Paul Tracy
Tags
Danica Patrick
Dario
HCN (I did ask at the start of the weekend)
Kanaan
Dixon
Wilson
Marco
Rahal

My guess for the US:

Danica
HCN
Dario
Dixon
Kanaan
Rahal
Andretti
Wilson
RHR
DD (Milka)

[underpowered]

IRL Drivers top ten:

Scott Dixon
Dario Franchitti
Ryan Briscoe
Will Power
Justin Wilson
HCN
Tony Kanaan
Graham Rahal
Paul Tracy
Dan Weldon


Very interesting....how did you take the poll?

Will power is more popular than I thought.

[EagleEye]

Very interesting....how did you take the poll?

Will power is more popular than I thought.

Maybe not the most popular, but how they (drivers) rank the top ten.

There were some interesting comments. Wilson, Dario, Dixon and Power, were ones that people commented on as being fast and fair. TK still ranked fairly high among some but his struggles since loosing his long time engineer (now at Pesnke) have hurt his performance.

[PA Rick]

I decided to ask the drivers (all from Toronto) and a sampling of fans (also from Toronto). Here are the results of my poll:

IRL Drivers top ten:

Scott Dixon
Dario Franchitti
Ryan Briscoe
Will Power
Justin Wilson
HCN
Tony Kanaan
Graham Rahal
Paul Tracy
Dan Weldon

(Milka)

hmmmmmm no Danica? Or is the princess in a class by herself?

[beachbum]

I am like a couple other posters on here and don't really have a favorite. I like most of the drivers for various reasons, and probably only dislike a couple, who will remain nameless. If I had to pick one, it would be Sarah Fisher just because she has done what few have, and that is carve out a career and future through personal hard work. She shows the determination that eventually always stands out in one way or another, and that deserves some appreciation.

After being around various forms of racing for a number of decades, I have found that most racers come and go, and only history will make some memorable. I just like to enjoy the best at the moment, knowing in a few years a new crop will show up and some of the popular drivers of today will fade away and many will be forgotten.