Schumi edged in fighter jet race

[iGav]

Bummer, I thought the 2003-GA set up for max attack, would have edged it....

Insane, but in a very long line of tradition between Grand Prix cars and Fighter planes including the legendary Gilles Villeneuve, and Tazio Nuvolari.

Interestingly, Schumacher and Cheli (Pilot) will also go head-to-head in an Alfa Romeo 2300s and a bi-plane, in a replication of the 1931 duel driven by race-legend Tazio Nuvola.

Wicked!

rinky dink link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3309943.stm

full article below.

Formula One great Michael Schumacher has lost a race against a fighter jet.

Schumacher's Ferrari F2003-GA beat the Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon in 600-metre race, but was no match over 900 and 1,200 metres.

During the races at the Baccarini military airport near Rome, the plane had to avoid taking off and stay on the ground to win.

The Eurofighter's top speed when airborne can reach 2,448km/h, while the Ferrari's limit is 369km/h.

"It was a very interesting experience," Schumacher said after the races.

"I was glad to be here today - it was very impressive," the six-time Formula One world champion said, adding that there was a lot less pressure than when facing his arch-rival Juan Pablo Montoya.

Brutal force

The jet - piloted by former Italian astronaut Maurizio Cheli - raced on the airport's main runway, while Schumacher drove the Ferrari alongside it on an asphalt track.

The Eurofighter showed its excellent acceleration in the next two races

The jet carried no weapons and weighted just over 21,000kg.

The Ferrari weighted 600kg and had minor alterations from race mode - its outer shell was adjusted slightly to make it more aerodynamic.

Schumacher just edged his powerful opponent over the shortest distance, but the plane showed its brute force in the following two, longer races.

After covering the required distance, the jet went airborne and then landed following each race.

This is not the first time a race car throws a challenge to a plane.

In 1931, auto driver Tazio Nuvolari in Alfa Romeo 8C-300 beat a Caproni Ca100 airplane.

In 1981, the history repeated itself when Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari 126 beat an F-104 plane in a 1,000m race.

 

[evoluzione]

just read that, funny stuff. i'm amazed the jet even came close over such a short distance, although i guess if it's built to take off from an aircraft carrier it's not such a surprise...

 

[Chappers]

Money

I bet the fighter pilot wishes he was earning the same money as Shumey. I wonder how much he got for this one.

 

[Counterfit]

I'm sure it was covered in his contract for PR stuff. I'm surprised that the 126 beat the F-104 over a kilometer, even though the plane had to stay on the ground.
If you want a real car vs. plane race, go to an air show in the U.S. There are some turbine powered trucks that beat prop planes from a standing start, even though the plane was already at speed.

 

[iGav]

okay then, it took place in the wet.... had it of been dry the 2003-GA first race victory margin would have been much greater, and alot closer on the other 2 distances, although Schumi would still have been properly spanked by the plane.

Cheli, a test pilot for the company which built the Eurofighter, admitted Schumacher had given him a run for his money. "The result could not be taken for granted," he said. It was a great challenge and I was not sure of beating Ferrari. Victory hung in the balance until the very end."