Favourite Race Driver Quotes

[sadsac]

I have heard and read many driver quotes and sayings threw the years so i thought i would start this topic and see what other good, meaningful and funny quotes members know of
I will start with a few nascar driver quotes
Alan Kulwicki
"It's basically the same, just darker," on the difference between night racing and daytime racing.
Cale Yarborough
"Driving a race car is like dancing with a chainsaw."
Darrell Waltrip
“If the lion didn’t bite the tamer every once in a while, it wouldn’t be exciting.”
Mario Andretti
"The crashes people remember, but drivers remember the near misses."

[Jesper Hvid]

That's racing!

Used frequently, and in all contexts.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I don't recall whom it was exactly but one NASCAR driver many years ago reportedly replied after shunting his car...

'I got a little behind in my steering.'

[Andrew Hope]

JPM: "They all love preaching safe racing, but when you go to pass them, they're just douchebags"

[acerogers58]

“I knew something wasn’t right when the first person who reached me had a beer in his hand” - Jimmy Horton after flying out of Talladega 1993.

[Chris Chilcott]

Frank Gardner, 'I don't want to be the fastest driver out there but I'd like to become the oldest'

[acerogers58]

"He was flipping me off, giving me the finger, totally unprofessional, two laps down, He's a chump!" - Boris Said

[jimclark]

(Speaking of Boris, my father taught his father(Bob) to fly. He ended up being some USA champ at stunt flying. Sr. also ra in the '59 Daytona '500 and Sebring F1 races)

My quote? Johnny Rutherford's (I know he didn't coin it, but...) answer to the question about "lucking into" his '500 win: "Luck is where opportunity and preparation meet."

(Edit: Hmph. I just noticed that Johnny, in 1963, won his 100 miler and finished 9th in the 500.)

[Sgtcpt]

“Pretty don’t run fast”... AJ Foyt

[Everso Biggyballies]

Jody Scheckter, talking of Clay Regazzoni..... "If Clay had been a cowboy, he would be the one in a black hat"


Niki Lauda when talking of Ferrari internal politics over the way Ferrari treated Regga....“ambiguity belongs to Ferrari like the twelve-cylinder engine,"

Another Regga one, when asked by his children in the car with him, “ Dad, what does that sign mean?” Clay looked up and saw a 60 kph speed limit and said: “it indicates the speed limit to be respected by each occupant of the car, if we are four and you see written there 60 it means that we can go 240 kilometers an hour.”

[Everso Biggyballies]

Niki Lauda, on being interviewed on TV and asked, in 1977, whether he saw Carlos Reutemann as a team mate or an opponent.

Niki's one word answer: "Neither"

Reutemann also had problems with his relationship with Alan Jones at Williams. Carlos asked AJ if they could end their feud and 'bury the hatchet'.....
AJ replied "In your back mate, in your back."


Mario Andretti when confused about the anti-roll bar setting, asked his engineer what it was with the button pushed in.....

The engineer replied: "Mario, always remember, when you push it in it's stiff, when you pull it out it's soft"!

[jimclark]

“Pretty don’t run fast”... AJ Foyt

Well....having grown up in "his" era, I was never a big AJ fan. 'Nothing against him but....the MkIV, that took he and Gurney to the 24 win, though not pretty (I call it handsome) was no slouch. 2 for 2. (Sebring and Le Mans, '67)


And the '79 that took Mario to the WC sure enough was and did.....

[acerogers58]

The 10 year anniversary of this race reminded me of this classic Tony Stewart interview after an altercation with Joey Logano at Fontana, handled with absolute class by the late Steve Byrnes.

[acerogers58]

[acerogers58]

Unfortunately for Andy, he didn't see God, or the checkered flag, but he did see the bottom of another car..