What do you all think? I think it will be totally awesome to see 1. an American driving and F1 car and 2. a women. How is this going to work though? I know she is supposed to run on Friday so is Mclaren going to run 3 cars on Friday? Or is she just doing a demo and will be speed limited. I would think that if she is allowed to run as hard as she wants that other teams might actually conceder that extra testing time.

 

I read it is a demo only, I want to see this.

 

I hope she doesn't even make it out of pit lane. http://www.f1-live.com

Anthony "Mario" Crea

 

She will probably crash in the first turn, IRL only does ovals. What a waste.

 

How enlightened of you.

 

 

As cool as that car is, I would rather drive this

 

I'm not necessarily a Sarah Fisher fan, but I think it sucks that you two would wish ill-will against a fellow racer. She obviously has more talent than the both of you combined (a.) to drive in the IRL and (b.) to have the opportunity to drive an F1 car.

Real classy, guys.

 

C'mon!

Ever even see her bio?

1991 - 1992 WKA (World Karting Assn.) Grand National Champion
1993 WKA Points Champion
and that's only karting.


This is an awesome opportunity for her and the USA! I can't wait to see her run the McLaren.

Good for her.

 

Personally, I think that if any girl has the credentials to be driving an F1 car it should be Danika Patrick, but I'm sure Sarah Fisher will do just fine...


Matt

 

True, didn't Danika beat Sarah in some Celebrity race?

Danika will get her chance in a year or two

 

To all those who think I'm just being sullen and negative pertaining this news...

Remember, top-rung racing today is more about financial strength and backing and less about driver strength and ability. If you are wondering about how good she really is, put her in a SpecRacer Ford or something similar where driver skill is paramount.

I have a student in my school who has been racing karts since he was little (he's a senior now) and he has a ton of karting trophies and championships both in WKA and AKA. His name is Bill Unglert if you guys care to know, he is now racing in 1/4 midgets. His car uses a 600cc Honda CBR motor and his ultimate aspiration is NASCRAP... Primarily because of the money and fame involved. I'm sure Sara is in the IRL for the one race that matters in America... INDY. If she were in it for the skill and prestige of being considered one of the best, not a second-tier driver in a series run by an *******, she'd be in CART.

But that's another story.


Anthony "Mario" Crea

p.s. I never said I wanted her to crash, just for her not to leave pit lane.

 

I agree with you honda93, by the way I was not wishing ill will. The initial post wanted to know what we thought, if you don't like it, too bad.

 

..........Hope she doesn't crash this car too!

Andy: Who has nothing against the fact that Sarah is a driver, Just the fact she hits the wall at Indy every year............and burns other drivers in her crash!

 

Agreed, much rather see Danica Patrick in an F1 car... she's cuter too

Chris, who wonders how a 110ish pound human without a copious amount of testosterone can *man*handle a Formula Ford...

 

LOL!
How about both ... or have them do a run-off!

Speaking of which... what's the latest on the runoffs?
Boroadcast times, etc...

 

I TOTALLY agree with you on the CART thing... IRL makes me sick normally, but now the fact that that ^&$*#@ is getting his way and CART dying makes me even more sick. This country will loose its most prestigious road course (and oval) series to a series that runs ovals full time! Give me a break! IRL is like open wheel nascar and I'm starting to get allergic to this oval thing already. Everywhere you flip the channel (SPEED, FOX, ESPN, I even saw nascrap junk on FOX sports espanol!!) all you hear are oval related things. When will this stop? They had the 6 hour Grand Am race at Mt.Tremblant last weekend and not ONE word was even mentioned on the ESPN show RPM tonight (which I thought was the least biased of all motorsports shows). All they have is this oval track junk and they are now taking over BIG time with CART dying. I can handle some oval racing since it is still *racing*, but when this "oval industry" monopolizes everything out there and kills road racing, it just plain sucks. I just hope that this oval business thing keeps growing until it finally self destructs on itself. I'll be waiting...

 

Geez, how did I wander into the Eminem-listening, misogynist, F1-elitist, swinging-dick forum?

I can't help but picture "Mario" up there in Jersey scratching his sack, all pleased with himself since his second post cleared up the misconception that he is "sullen and negative" - because he never actually said he wanted Fisher to crash. Why in blazes would she even think about sitting in a Spec Racer when the 19 guys that she outqualified at Texas included Helio Castroneves, Greg Ray, Max Papis and a bunch of young European road racing talent whose names you probably wouldn't recognize?

If your beef is with Tony George, take a clue from Penske, Andretti-Green, Ganassi, and all but about 8 cars worth of other teams and accept that he has won that battle - or more accurately, CART has lost it. IRL will be road racing within a year and in a few more, people will be whining that whatever comes next will never be as good as IRL is.

As for oval racing, like it or don't like it - you have that right - but to suggest that it doesn't require the same kind of skill and commitment as road racing shows an incredible ignorance of what is involved. To fail to understand that IRL and NASCAR are on their way up (and attracting teams and drivers from other series) because they make business sense, suggests that you probably think GrandAm is a professional series! Tony Kanaan is going to pocket (a mere) million dollars next year in the IRL - there are sports car teams out there in which the drivers will collectively PAY, directly or indirectly, half that much to get into their seats.

Finally, Patrick is WAY talented but is a couple of years behind Fisher on the career ladder. She has a ton of roadracing skill but doesn't have the wing-car set up, big horsepower experience right now, that Fisher does. They both have significant career development contracts in place and will be high profile for some time to come. However, to suggest that cuteness should be a factor when picking F1 drivers?

More sack scratching.

Kirk

 

"I can't help but picture "Mario" up there in Jersey scratching his sack, all pleased with himself..."

...since the powder the doctor gave me for crabs worked. Thank you Gold Bond!

What are you Andy Rooney or something Knestis?

Nobody is disputing the fact that CART is all but dead and the money is with the IRL and NASCAR. But other than maybe Watkins Glen and one or two other tracks, who will (can) fill the void for a well-rounded (no pun intended) American open-wheel series?

It surely won't be the IRL obviously...

I ask why Tony George is allowing those British and Italian chassis driven by the Brazilians, Italians, Canadiens, and any other non-American in his supposedly "American" series. The sad part is that the same dirt track yokels who had a chance at the big time in 1996-1998 will now be relegated as backmarkers once again because the talent and R&D money is going to be spent on the top ex-CART teams and drivers. It'll be 1996 all over again, but with some different faces.

Go back to eatin your gumbo, boy.


Anthony "Mario" Crea

 

Kirk is experienced and knows his facts so I respect his views as always. It’s also very nice to be able to have a debate with someone as intelligent.

Kirk, I hope you were not referring to me when you said “As for oval racing, like it or don't like it - you have that right - but to suggest that it doesn't require the same kind of skill and commitment as road racing shows an incredible ignorance of what is involved”. I never said it doesn’t take skill (and/or a certain “bizarre” mindset to be going 180 mph surrounded by concrete walls..). Assuming you did refer to me, why is it that you made such a connection between my obvious dislike of oval racing with having no skills involved? I don’t see it.

And you’re right, the Grand Am is definitely a series for those who have millions to spend (not millions to make). There is barely any competition out there, which is sad and a direct result of all the oval crazed people around who pour $$$$$$ into the oval industry. Just think about the level of competition/business/racing that would exist if the oval community did not basically control all of the motorsports money. Oh wait, that actually is possible! I’ve seen a few glimpses of this while over in europe. The result is *live* TV coverage of *practice* sessions full with onboard segments from prestigious and competitive *road racing* series such as the DTM is in Germany. This is just one of the many road racing series in europe that feature very competitive racing with paid drivers - basically the equivalent of the nascar world here. The media over there covers road racing, while here it's oval racing. This media coverage generates motorsports money, the same money that gets poured into nascar here, and you can guess where that money gets invested over there. There they go from go-karts to one of their formula stepping stone series (which also attracts quite a bit of American talent that goes there for further development). However in the oval community, you instead step into one of those outlaw dirt karts or short track racing to start your professional racing carrier. Road racers here are clearly the minority in racing, but that’s just the way it is so we live with it. But when you see a series such as CART die (for whatever the reasons), well it sucks. I just hope you’re right with IRL running road courses, but as long as Tony and his arrogance/stubbornness remains on top, I do not think IRL will have anything even remotely reminiscent of CART showing up any time soon. No turbo motors, no road courses, etc... We’re going to have it the Tony way or NO way, and hey if that’s what so many people embrace, then good for him. I just hope more embarrassments take place that highlight Tony’s “ways” like it happened at the last indy 500 when Tracy’s victory was taken away from him for pure stubborn and absolutely political reasons. That’s just dirty and I hope one day Tony will burry himself in enough dirt that he won’t be able to get out.

So keep it rolling! But remember folks, this is just a harmless discussion and nothing more! (I’ll try to make more sense in the future because being dead tired and trying to do anything is not too pretty.)


Oh and couldn't have said it better myself!


[Modified by Hracer, 12:47 AM 9/20/2002]

 

FYI, IRL is talking about running road courses next year, especially if CART folds. I believe they were talking about Mid-Ohio, Long Beach, and Laguna Seca amongst others.

Also, about two years ago, Watkins Glen put in catch fences to match CART regulations, but for some reason the series never added that particular venue. I would LOVE to see open wheel cars taking on the Glen full course!!!

Matt

 

People watch Nascar because they enjoy watching the crashes...............
I have a hard time believing that driving Nascar cars is as challenging as WRC or F1, but then again thats my opinion

 

that's what happens when you separate yourself from the talent. when the talent is finally let back in it makes you look like an idiot.
nothing will beat 2001. top 5 drivers were all CART regulars. only other driver on the lead lap was in a CART prepared car. huhuhu

 

Sorry, Alex, if I overstated your criticism of oval racing. The "I don't like oval racing because it doesn't take talent" perspective is so common, it is easy to see it where it doesn't exist. I apologize for making a leap of illogic that you didn't.

Mario - actually more Rosanne Rosannadana than Andy Rooney. What's all this talk about "open sores" software? Why would you want software, even for free, that causes boils and chancres? I mean, with all the oozing and the dripping, and the puss and you have to change the dressings, and... That and...

[homervoice]Mmm - gumbo![/homervoice]

Actually, I am a wine-and-quiche transplant to the great state of Virginia from liberal Seattle, so I get the best of all worlds. And, yes, I did appreciate oval track racing before moving here. Understand that I don't PREFER it - spending a bazillion hours in the right seat of a rally car does make concrete circles seem sterile - but I think it is perfectly reasonable to mooch off of the success of NASCAR et al.
A road racing event that features the same cars and drivers as DO run at Indy has an undeniable marketing edge, if they choose to take advantage of it.

With respect to IRL being overrun by "ferriners", isn't it just becoming what was good about CART? (Minus the turbos, of course which never made sense to me anyway.) A series that allows a fair fight between graduates of the two cultural arms of motorsport (Eurocentric karts/FF/F3/F3K and flag-waving USA QM/midgets/sprinters) HAS to be a good thing. Beer is a breakfast food in Germany (it's a grain, right?) but that doesn't mean that it is better than corncakes. Just different.

CART could have saved their collective bacon by adopting the IRL rules wholesale a couple of years ago, staking their claim to the road racing venues, but egos got in the way. Ego+$$+Indy trumps ego+$$ any day, so CART lost. TG isn't some kind of evil genious - he's just the guy who has the keys to the one track that seems to matter to the public.

K

 

"With respect to IRL being overrun by "ferriners", isn't it just becoming what was good about CART?" -Knestis

Not my logic, try Tony George's. He originally intended the IRL to be a predominantly American series, but that has changed obviously.

I feel the best drivers should be driving the best cars... And at this point in time, it seems the Brazilians are doing the best job of training drivers to race on ANY circuit in ANY series...

...Time to brush up on my Portuguese and Spanish .


Anthony "Mario" Crea


[Modified by honda93, 9:31 AM 9/20/2002]