American's Really ARE Wimps!

You know how Europeans always say Americans are pussies for playing American football instead of the much more violent rugby? Well, its not just football. I have just been introduced to Motorsport, which makes Nascar racing look like a Sunday drive with Grandpa.

I'll explain this to you, but then I will provide some links to prove it, because I did not actually believe G when he described it to me. I figured he was exaggerating a bit, but he really wasn't. I've just found it on the tv, and I am watching with my mouth hanging open in astonishment.



Motorsport (which seems to also be called Autosport on some sites) is racing, but instead of a nice tame well maintained race track, these psychopaths race through cities and small towns. Right through the twisty turny narrow little streets, with houses and businesses on either side and nothing but a rope to separate the crazy spectators from the "track!" They even race AT NIGHT! This weekend, the "Rally van Haspengouw" is in Landen, and at all hours of the day and night we can hear the sounds, sounds I haven't heard since my childhood trips to Unity raceway. The cars are skidding around impossible turns, wheels locked, pieces at times falling from their cars. Spectators stand by seemingly unafraid as cars fly by at seemingly impossible speeds only a couple of feet away from them. They do, at least, take turns - rather than all the cars hitting the road at once, they have a timed release, and each car takes to the road alone with their time being recorded. Oh hell, someone just rolled over! Why am I watching this madness???

There are several different runs or tracks or whatever they call them set up around Landen, and while the tracks are closed off, the cars (and all the crazy fans intent on mimicking their heros) drive from one run to the next, terrorizing innocent bystanders and nearly running over my poor husband twice on his way to his old apartment. It is simply astonishing to me how dangerous this is, even to ordinary people just trying to go about their lives!

This page shows an advertising poster for the Rally van Haspengouw. The structure in the upper right hand corner is the Landen water tower. A video of last years rally in Landen is here, but it makes it look as though they only race through corn fields, which simply isn't true. This video shows some crashes, and also shows how close the spectators are allowed to be.

G says he has hated this weekend since childhood, and that he's lost a number of family pets to Motorsport! We will definitely be keeping Luna INSIDE on rally weekends! I can think of several family members who are probably saying, "Great, when is the next one, we'll be getting our plane tickets and coming to visit!" And to that I say, your welcome to visit, but you can go and watch this madness ALONE. I am staying inside!