Who's better - PT V Sea Bass? FIGHT!!!

[MAX_THRUST]

Last time these two were racing to gether the sparks flew. With the teams they might be driving for this year, they could find then selves in close company again on track.

Will sparks fly again? this can only be good for the series.

[FormerFF]

Given equal equipment, I'd say PT would have a hard time getting close enough to SeaBass for them to mix it up.

[ShiftingGears]

Obviously Bourdais, by a considerable margin.

[ICWS]

I think it depends on the track.

With equal equipment, I would say Bourdais on most road/street courses, but I think Tracy has the edge on oval tracks. Tracy's edge on ovals is mostly due to experience than anything else. Plus, Tracy seems to be a more aggressive racer than Bourdais, which works well on ovals.

[DBell]

At present time, it would be Bourdais. If I could match Paul in his prime against Seabass, then I'd take PT in a nanosecond.

[garyshell]

Obviously Bourdais, by a considerable margin.

Obviously? How is that obvious? When the two did race together, PT got inside seabass's head on more than one occasion. If you are using the measure of seabass's championships, I say that's a total apples and oranges comparison because of the HUGE difference in competition the two of them have had. Seabass MIGHT be better, but I'd hardly call it "obvious".

Gary

[anthonyvop]

If the comparison is based on level of competition then Seabass should walk away with that ugly trophy the ICS gives away.

[spiritone]

Pt was definately in seabasses head. The only thing that kept sb ahead was a better team and some questionable calls by cotman. Hope these two get to compete against each other again, might renew my interest.

[Chris R]

Bourdais is the more complete driver - he was able to consistently put things together for wins. However, there is little question that Tracy is a more exciting driver... I suspect on their best days they are pretty equal - but SB seems to have more good days..... If you want a measure of the driver quality ask yourself this - "If Bourdais had been a Penske driver from day one where do you think he'd be working today?" Tracy found himself on the outside of one of the best teams in motorsports, a team that is notoriously loyal to its drivers despite their issues... (Al Jr., Hornish, even Helio...)

[DBell]

I've questioned how good Bourdais really is for quite a while. I've wondered if he raced in CART during the 90's against those fields whether he would've been a champion at all. His stint in F1 was a big disappointment. Getting out performed by Vettle is one thing, getting out performed by Sebastian Buemi, a rookie, was another. I thought that was really an eye opener.

[garyshell]

I've questioned how good Bourdais really is for quite a while. I've wondered if he raced in CART during the 90's against those fields whether he would've been a champion at all. His stint in F1 was a big disappointment. Getting out performed by Vettle is one thing, getting out performed by Sebastian Buemi, a rookie, was another. I thought that was really an eye opener.

Ding, ding, ding. We have winner. When I asked the question eariler about his rep outside of CART this is EXACTLY what I was talking about. The kid is/was good, just not as good as some here want to make him out to be. He was a case of right place, right time.

Gary

[Leo Krupe]

Wouldn't it be great if the producers of Battle of the Supercars had put Seabass in against PT instead of Tanner? Now that would be some great TV!

[garyshell]

Wouldn't it be great if the producers of Battle of the Supercars had put Seabass in against PT instead of Tanner? Now that would be some great TV!

You are kidding, right? He may be a good driver but he has about as much stage personality as a ...well... a Sebass.

Gary

[ShiftingGears]

Obviously? How is that obvious? When the two did race together, PT got inside seabass's head on more than one occasion. If you are using the measure of seabass's championships, I say that's a total apples and oranges comparison because of the HUGE difference in competition the two of them have had. Seabass MIGHT be better, but I'd hardly call it "obvious".

Gary

Difference in competition? They were racing on the same field of cars for five years, and every statistic in those years suggests that you are wrong.

[Pat Wiatrowski]

We have a winner!

[MAX_THRUST]

Interesting reading your thoughts.
One other thing SeBas was in the top team in Champ Car, where as PT ws in say the 2nd to 3rd top team. Newman Haas team seemed to always get the set up right, where as PT's team often got it wrong. Comparing them to both their respective team mates.
So really Bordais should have finished ahead of PT more which he did.

With the two new teams they might drive for which is considered to be better Coyne or the other lot? Who's name escapes me right now.

[gm99]

Bourdais seriously rattled Tracy's cage in 2003, which was SB's rookie season in Champ Car, and beat him every year thereafter.

While I personally would prefer PT's personality to SB's any day, I don't think there's any denying that Bourdais beat Tracy fair and square most years that they've been in Champ Cars together; not just on road/street courses, but also on the ovals. I don't think that has changed in the intervening years.

[Leo Krupe]

You are kidding, right? He may be a good driver but he has about as much stage personality as a ...well... a Sebass.

Gary
Nope, I'm not kidding. Of course, it probably wouldn't happen -- is Battle of the Supercars still in production anyway? While it's been a week or 2 since I last looked at PT's twitter feed, it's been a lot longer since I saw any mention of new episodes. But back to Seabass: BotS was a show more about entertainment, and showing off, well, supercars, with a healthy dose of good-natured trash talking mixed in. Tanner Foust is not bad on Top Gear, but in BotS, I felt he was a bit too nice. Seabass could, with some training and coaching, spar with PT on a show like that. Then put it all out there for real on the track during the racing season.

Fantasy? Sure, but I'd still love to see it!

[DBell]

[quote="gm99"]Bourdais seriously rattled Tracy's cage in 2003, which was SB's rookie season in Champ Car, and beat him every year thereafter.

While I personally would prefer PT's personality to SB's any day, I don't think there's any denying that Bourdais beat Tracy fair and square most years that they've been in Champ Cars together; not just on road/street courses, but also on the ovals. I don't think that has changed in the intervening years.[quote]


All true, but I think there is a valid point that if they had switched teams, the results may have been reversed. No doubt the PT is often his own worst enemy, so maybe not. Put J Wilson in the NH team at the time and he probably would've won everything too.

[nigelred5]

Been saying the same thing for a looong time. He is definitely a good driver, but he was in THE dominant car his entire champcar carreer.