There is an unsubstantiated claim by Ferrari's former team doctor that up to a third of all F1 drivers do cocaine before the start of a race because the effects last up to 90 minutes, and it increases their reaction times. So now we don't have to talk about the costs of racing vs drugs, we can talk about the costs of racing ON drugs! Improved reaction times, huh? Look out for me on those 2005 standing starts boys...

Then again, I guess everybody already does look our for me on standing starts for other reasons.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

There's also an unsubstantiated claim by me that I spent last night banging Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.

Scott, who puts a whole lot of stock in "unsubstantiated claims."

 

which one was better?

 

I actually wouldn't be shocked to find that stimulants were being used in racing and more than steroids (in all their boiled down forms) are used in professional ball and stick sports (and not so ball and stick sports).

Speaking of ball and stick sports ...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">which one was better? </TD></TR></TABLE>

The latter was just a tape loop. Woulda thought Scott would know the difference

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">which one was better? </TD></TR></TABLE>

That was funny!!!


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

The latter was just a tape loop. Woulda thought Scott would know the difference </TD></TR></TABLE>


But this killed me!

 

Unless the title of her next big hit is going to be "Mfpttt Hmmmmmm mummmph" Ashlee wasn't singing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There is an unsubstantiated claim by Ferrari's former team doctor that up to a third of all F1 drivers do cocaine before the start of a race because the effects last up to 90 minutes, and it increases their reaction times. So now we don't have to talk about the costs of racing vs drugs, we can talk about the costs of racing ON drugs! Improved reaction times, huh? Look out for me on those 2005 standing starts boys...

Then again, I guess everybody already does look our for me on standing starts for other reasons.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Matt,

No offense but where did you get this info. I have been an avid F1 fan since the early 80's and find this hard to believe. Maybe it occured in the 70's and 80's but I doubt it's done now.

Happy New Year !

Jon

 

here's a link to the article in French. I don't know where Matt has an english version. The doc used to work for the Scuderia and now works for Alfa Romeo. The article also mentions at the end that no F1 driver has ever failed a drug test (but does not specify what drugs they test for...)

http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/041231/6/53vc.html

 

Sebastian,

My french is really spotty but I think the article states that the good doctor was at Ferrari until 92 or thereabouts.

If correct, then yes I am sure some used in the 80's, but I have a hard time believing Shuey would ever put something like that in his body. They cringes at the sight of a slice a Pizza.

Regards,

Jon

 

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/14499/

The guy has been out of the sport for 12 years, so I wonder how accurate his claims could be.


Modified by Sean O'Gorman at 2:52 PM 12/31/2004

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There is an unsubstantiated claim by Ferrari's former team doctor that up to a third of all F1 drivers do cocaine before the start of a race because the effects last up to 90 minutes, and it increases their reaction times.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Increases?

 

"error 404"

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by FLATOUTRACING &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No offense but where did you get this info. I have been an avid F1 fan since the early 80's and find this hard to believe. Maybe it occured in the 70's and 80's but I doubt it's done now.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I didn't post it because I necessarily believe it. I just thought it was funny since so many of us have compared the cost of racing to the cost of drug addiction.

Regardless, the article was on http://www.f1live.com . Here is the article:

"According to former Ferrari team Doctor Benigno Bartoletti almost a third of Grand Prix drivers use Cocaine report Quattroruote magazine.

The publication reports Bartoletti saying that ‘it could be as many as one third of all drivers who take Cocaine’ and that the effects of its usage would last 90 minutes and give the driver a faster reaction time.

It should be noted that the FIA take a strong stance on drug abuse and random tests do take place in Formula One and it has been some years since a test produced a positive result."

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SJR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">"error 404"</TD></TR></TABLE>

Odd. If you click on it from SPEED's front page, it loads.

 

I saw that on SpeedTV.com this morning.. I really have a hard time accepting it.

I am not saying it wouldn't happen, I had a discussion the other day with some other motorsports fans that said "no way" to steroids. My point was that "if you could give a driver a pill, and it made him even a few tenths faster per lap.. it would be a hard cecision provided there were no other effects, or the effects were minimal" Steroids I would think might fall under this, but cocaine.. i have zero experience with it myself (something that will stay that way even if it would shave a second off of every lap i did) But, from what I understand there are lots of other effects that go along with it that would be detrimental to lifestyle, other obligations, sponsor deals.. etc.

I think it does bring up interesting possibilities on what other things they might be doing.. i have read where they have tried to put fighter pilots on different drugs to keep them "up" This included them staying awake for 40 days or something with no obvious effects. What is out there that is not cocaine, that we dont know about?

Another thing that I have seen is something i see advertised on TV (not sure if its regional) but its called "Focus Factor" which is sold at drug stores over the counter and is supposed to help concentration using "natural" stuff. I havn't tried it, but as I mentioned it does bring up the possibility of enhancement substances in motorsports.

Jon K
http://www.seat-time.com

 

I wonder what Rinde thinks of this.

 

Ephedra is one that's been banned by SCORE for their off-road endurance races. Different objective there, though - here we just care about high awareness and concentration for a relatively short period.

Still, with today's amount of drug use - I'd bet if 1/3 of the drivers are doing cocaine, what he didn't say is "and the other 2/3 got the really good ****".

 

Redbull &gt; Cocaine

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jzr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ephedra is one that's been banned by SCORE for their off-road endurance races. Different objective there, though - here we just care about high awareness and concentration for a relatively short period.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I though ephedra was banned everywhere?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elgorey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Redbull &gt; Cocaine

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Diet Coke &gt; Redbull

 

Two friends of mine went to the Indy 500 about 15 years ago, courtesy of the Smith brothers (Mark & Mike), and came home with stories about Little Al Unser doing blow at a party before the race.

It got poo-poo'd by pretty much everyone who heard the story, since there was a perception at the time that he was an Opie Taylor type, and "a serious professional driver just wouldn't do that..."

Well, time has straightened out that perception, one of the Smith boys is dead and the other was in prison (still is, I think), and I for one would not be in THE LEAST surprised to find out that part of each week's F1 grid were amped. (I stay away from any JPM/Columbia jokes at this point.)

It's useful to remember that, first and foremost, most F1 drivers are rich kids, used to having things exactly the way that they want them. That something isn't legal shouldn't put any performance enhancement out of their reach...

K

 

I saw the article on Planet-f1 and to me it looks like irresponsible journalism I guess due to nothing else to talk about in F1 this time of the year. If you read the article this doctor was in F1 in the late 80s up to 91 I think. Well hell, the eighties was kind of a "coke" era so maybe some folks did that. What is missing from the article is a specific reference to the current crop of F1 pilots doing that. I doubt it highly in that they are highly trained athletes (unlike many but not all of the NASCAR boys from looking at their chubby cheeks). Maybe the doctor needs his fifteen minutes of fame to be blabbing about this now if he even did. They random drug test the drivers. Would you risk your multi-million salary for a little toot up your nose pre-event. I know I would not.

http://www.planet-f1.com/news/story_18344.shtml

Barry H.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Knestis &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Two friends of mine went to the Indy 500 about 15 years ago, courtesy of the Smith brothers (Mark & Mike), and came home with stories about Little Al Unser doing blow at a party before the race.

It got poo-poo'd by pretty much everyone who heard the story, since there was a perception at the time that he was an Opie Taylor type, and "a serious professional driver just wouldn't do that..."

Well, time has straightened out that perception, one of the Smith boys is dead and the other was in prison (still is, I think), and I for one would not be in THE LEAST surprised to find out that part of each week's F1 grid were amped. (I stay away from any JPM/Columbia jokes at this point.)

It's useful to remember that, first and foremost, most F1 drivers are rich kids, used to having things exactly the way that they want them. That something isn't legal shouldn't put any performance enhancement out of their reach...

K</TD></TR></TABLE>

I hadn't heard about Mark Smith in jail, but if he is, I believe it is because he was the driver in the accident that killed his brother.

As for Al, the rumors about him and the white stuff were pretty rampant through the late 90s, and once he was arrested for his domestic dispute, several journalists started talking about it publicly. Stories of being drunk and high in the motorhome, standing on a hotel balcony ready to jump, etc. all spilled out in '02.

Like Kirk said, due to the high profile nature of the sport, there are obviously going to be plenty of opportunities to party, but at the same time they could cost you your place in the sport. Personally, I take my driving seriously enough that I generally avoid alcohol altogether during the autocross season, but I'd imagine if I was racing in Champ Car, F1, or NASCAR and had dozens of high profile sponsors and hot groupies wanting to party with me, I'd have to change my tone.

 

I don't understand why people think this i possible. I agree with Knestis that F1 is primary full of rich kids getting anything they want. It's a sport and dere will always be a few of them that do whatever it takes to win (or whatever they want). When you have millions of dollars on the line on a race getting that extra tenth of a second from a gram of coke doesn't sound so bad.

People need to stop putting sports star (including F1) on a pedestal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by apexinghonda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would you risk your multi-million salary for a little toot up your nose pre-event.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Perhaps you've heard of Ricky Williams?

I agree that it's irresponsible for them to quote a doctor who's been out of the sport for more than a decade and make it sound like a current phenomena. However, when you look at all of the other professional athletes out there with serious drug abuse problems, I don't think the idea is that far fetched.