"Jay Beckman" wrote in message
news:9Satd.137731$SW3.88465@fed1read01...

I'll grant you that it's an aeronautical competition and it's exciting as
hell...but is it really "racing?"

I don't think Reno (the traditional 'round the pylons...) would be
anywhere
near as exciting if you only had one plane at a time racing the clock
instead of multiple planes going wingtip to wingtip.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ



"Marco Leon" mmleon(at)yahoo.com wrote in message
...
Would you consider the downhill ski slalom competition in the Olympics a
"race?" How about the luge or bobsled?


IMO, unless the slalom is a dual course, no. To me, a "race" is a
competition where you are trying to beat one or more competitors to a finish
line and you have real time feedback on your relative position.
Yes, the fastest one wins, but it's relative. You only have to be faster
than the other guy at that moment.

Bobsled, luge and the Red Bull are timed competitions where running the
cleanest path should yield the fastest time but you don't know where you
finished until you complete the course.
Again, the fastest one wins, but he has to be THE fastest.

It's semantics...but it's my opinion of what makes a race, a race. You need
an element of head to head.

Regards,

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ