Would You Rather Watch A "Driver's Race"?

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Arguably, there are two kinds of racing. There's racing that, despite increasing standardization, still pits engineer against engineer in a development contest that mirrors the on-track throwdown. Then, there's racing that pits driver against driver in identical cars, leaving the crew only to handle car/track setup. Which do you prefer?

The Porsche Cup series, which the company promos in this video shot recently at Laguna Seca, is of the latter type. With a grid full of identical race cars (what are those frog-like, rear engined German jobs called again?) and a cast of mostly young up-and-comers with a few grizzled veterans thrown in, the racer with the most highly developed racecraft is the one who will finish first. Presumably.

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But do such "Drivers' Races" do it for you, or is geeking out on the minutia of teams' differing mechanical approaches — such that they are different these days — important as well? Is it possible for fans to separate the act of building the most competitive car from the act of driving that car to victory? Or is nerding out on track setup and a driver's temperament and stats enough for you?