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Re: Open wheel rant...

To: bradlnss@lightspeed.net, fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Open wheel rant...
From: BillDentin@aol.com
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 09:48:30 EDT
In a message dated 08/04/2003 9:58:40 PM Central Daylight Time, 
bradlnss@lightspeed.net writes:


> Sorry, I know it's the wrong place but...I was absolutely amazed at the
> debacle that was the CART Road America event

Brad:

At the last minute Sunday morning, I decided to go up to ROAD AMERICA for the 
CART race.  Shirley wanted to weed her garden and knit (tsk, tsk), so I went 
up all alone in my street TR4.  Saw two good races in the morning, both run in 
the dry.  There was a nasty pile up in the GT race, when a Corvette got out 
into the marbles going into the carousel, hit the wall, and came back across 
the track.  A Viper T-Boned it, and the two of them collected two or three 
other 
cars.  The CART race was as you described...a debacle.  At the speed the 
CHAMP cars go, I don't blame them for not wanting to run in the rain.  I 
watched 
the start from the stands on the front straight, and the open wheel cars kick 
up so much spray and fog, speeding into Turn One is like racing into a steam 
bath.  I done this at half their speed, and it is not a good idea.  I stayed 
till the very end (as did a lot of fans).  I watched the final session from 
Turn 
14.  It was short and sweet, but had some GOOD racing... by Alex (Johnson 
Controls) and especially Max Papis.  Mad Max was living up to his reputation.  
He 
made a hell of a pass charging up the front straight hill, immediately before 
taking the Checker.  The Newman/Haas team clearly had superior equipment and 
no one could touch them.  

I am convinced that the decisions CART chose to make on Sunday were dictated 
by their guarantees to future events.  Their contracts require them to grid a 
minimum of eighteen (or maybe it's nineteen) cars.  There are some teams who 
now have serious back up car issues.  The morning CART practice session was red 
flagged THREE TIMES.  You can tell they are worried (paranoid) about losing 
any more cars.  CART appears to be in deep Doo Doo.  

What is really sad, is I can remember CART at ROAD AMERICA, when they used to 
get 'back yard efforts' in addition to the regular teams.  There were CART 
cars that only ran ROAD AMERICA.  I think I recall forty car (plus) grids.  
That 
is awesome.  ROAD AMBER is four miles long.  If you are going to run eighteen 
car grids at ROAD AMERICA, you better find a way to keep them close together. 
 

Bill Dentinger

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