Rare is the time that merits a Saturday night near-midnight blog post, but this has to be said. I have no other words to describe the complete ineptitude of the "Holmatro Safety Team" in response to Simona de Silvestro during the night's IZOD IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway other than the title of this post.
De Silvestro crashed from turn 2 and was in a fireball from where she hit the wall and came to rest on the inside of turn 4 on the oval.
The first truck rolled up and the guys looked like the three stooges, trying to roll out a fire hose (fire extinguishers, anybody?) and then just standing around asking themselves what to do.
All this while Simona is trying to get out and is in the middle of a burning crapwagon. Yes, I said it (full disclosure, since I don't cover the series full-time, I'm just saying it. PT might agree.) It was more than 30 seconds from when the car rested to get her out and nearly a minute from the time of the accident. In racing terms, that's an ETERNITY.
Thank goodness for the one guy who went in to help extract her from the car, but even that was more chaotic than it needed to be since he didn't get the fire out but instead pulled her out sideways.
Her grace and class in the face of a horribly bungled rescue attempt by a patchwork crew who have given themselves the same name as the completely different and actually legitimate crew that existed in Champ Car is a testament to her character and her resolve. If it's me, or likely anyone else in that situation, we're holding back f-bombs, and rightfully so because we're wondering why you screwed up so bad.
Not only that, but the usually on-the-ball Versus telecast neglected to show replays of the accident or talk to crewmembers in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Her excellent engineer Michael Cannon was visibly frustrated.
I realize I'm less than three weeks from turning 21 so can be considered "young," but I've watched IndyCar racing for 15 years and covered it for five. And that has to be the weakest exhibition I've EVER seen by a safety team. If that batch of characters was the crew on site for Alex Zanardi's near death accident in Germany in 2001, he would not have survived. Alex Tagliani might not have either.
This is not the same group that made their mark as the most renowned crew on the CART/Champ Car side with Drs. Steve Olvey and Terry Trammell. Randy Bernard's been open to many suggestions so far and one this renegade young scribe will suggest is pink slips to all bar the one member of this team who epically failed in this situation.
Thank God for Simona's sake (or anyone else who might have been in such an unfortunate position) it wasn't worse.
***
The race itself had more passing and genuine interest with Danica and Marco threatening the leaders and for another week running, the best car and driver won with Ryan Briscoe keeping the "Big Two" firmly entrenched in P1. The only addendum I'll add is that Danica should have received a black flag for an egregious blocking maneuver on her teammate Tony Kanaan. TK was rightly frustrated and if "what goes around, comes around," then by all means do so.
Another sad story for Andretti Autosport is that this is probably Ryan Hunter-Reay's last race for that team, and that's the epitome of unjust. He's currently sixth in points (first in the non-Penske/Ganassi class) with a win and several top fives - not to mention IZOD's poster boy. It's criminal he, Graham Rahal and so many others are on the sidelines. Hopefully there's something that sees his season continue but it would be an 11th-hour deal at this point, I think.
Out for now, and off to bed. Cheers.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Indy 500 post-mortem
Oops. Guess I was off the ball on every aspect of picking. But, hey, as a responsible member of the media, that's probably karma for picking anyway.
Congrats to Dario. Only him or TK should have been standing in Victory Lane after the race. And when TK said the best car and driver won today, that confirmed it. One front wing change proved the turn of mastery that launched Franchitti into another stratosphere on Sunday, leading 155 of 200 laps.
After that it was a bit of an odd finishing order. Thanks to the unsurprisingly abysmal ABC coverage, we didn't see much of Dan Wheldon, Alex Lloyd, and others who eventually wound up in the top 15.
So how far off were my picks? Briscoe - my pick to win - crashed out. Dixon - my backup choice - lost a wheel on the pit stops. Rookie-of-the-year pick Ana Beatriz lost a few laps early and the same befell "3B" (thanks, Marshall Pruett) Bertrand Baguette when he lost a mirror. And naturally, Mario Romancini not only wasn't first out, but he was first rookie to the finish in 13th.
As much as I like Simona de Silvestro and feel her winning the month's ROY award is deserved, Mario should have got a share of it for being the fastest qualifier and top finisher driving for Conquest Racing. Either way, good show by both of those two.
For now it's time for Le Mans prep, and although I won't be there this year, there will still be plenty of work involved. And should be at Road America in a couple weeks to see NASCAR's Nationwide Series. Goodness me, do those words hurt to type.
Out for now, cheers.
Congrats to Dario. Only him or TK should have been standing in Victory Lane after the race. And when TK said the best car and driver won today, that confirmed it. One front wing change proved the turn of mastery that launched Franchitti into another stratosphere on Sunday, leading 155 of 200 laps.
After that it was a bit of an odd finishing order. Thanks to the unsurprisingly abysmal ABC coverage, we didn't see much of Dan Wheldon, Alex Lloyd, and others who eventually wound up in the top 15.
So how far off were my picks? Briscoe - my pick to win - crashed out. Dixon - my backup choice - lost a wheel on the pit stops. Rookie-of-the-year pick Ana Beatriz lost a few laps early and the same befell "3B" (thanks, Marshall Pruett) Bertrand Baguette when he lost a mirror. And naturally, Mario Romancini not only wasn't first out, but he was first rookie to the finish in 13th.
As much as I like Simona de Silvestro and feel her winning the month's ROY award is deserved, Mario should have got a share of it for being the fastest qualifier and top finisher driving for Conquest Racing. Either way, good show by both of those two.
For now it's time for Le Mans prep, and although I won't be there this year, there will still be plenty of work involved. And should be at Road America in a couple weeks to see NASCAR's Nationwide Series. Goodness me, do those words hurt to type.
Out for now, cheers.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Indy 500 pre-race observations
Greetings and salutations from Speedway, In., the last night before the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500. It's been a whirlwind two weeks after just being in Monterey, Calif. last weekend for the ALMS race, which was just televised on CBS after being put together by an outside production firm, and now coming back to IMS for the first time since 2008.
I'll get the shameless plugs out of the way early. I'm helping Motorsport.com out for the week and articles so far have covered Community Day, the three women not named Danica, the mix of practice, pit stops and booze on Carb Day, and the highest profile driver not to qualify, Paul Tracy.
Some thoughts on the week. This is my second Indy 500, and I have to say a completely different experience from my first. My first was about taking it all in - much like the rookies - and maximizing the time and all the different events. This is shorter but still provides the great networking opportunities, and for me, particularly, the bloggers who really are the new face of journalism at the Speedway.
Between Paul and Steph (a.k.a. Fieldof33 and 99forever on Twitter) of Planet-IRL, Chris Estrada of IndyRacingRevolution and FOXSports.com, the My Name is IRL and Pressdog crowd, among others, are the fresh blood to get the next generation of fans interested in growing this series. They were part of an open forum this morning with IndyCar PR Amy Konrath and a couple IMS reps to discuss how to better integrate the new media that the bloggers have the handle on with traditional outlets and individuals.
It's completely different for me, too. At 20, I'm one of, if not the youngest person in the IMS pressroom. Yet this new batch of bright-eyed, intelligent, passionate group of individuals add a depth and commitment to growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series.
The other notables I've met include Randy Bernard and Paul Page. Bernard is the first person I've seen in 15 years of watching this series that I can tell just "gets it." Curt Cavin of the Indy Star - and Carb Night Burger Bash emcee - had a great and far more in-depth article on the Indy Racing League, IndyCar Series sanctioning body, CEO than I will have had.
His openness to hear both good and bad, positive and negative, and literally absorb anything and everything like a sponge can only be a benefit to getting this series back on track. Even the veteran Gordon Kirby, a senior member of the media, hinted Bernard was the right person to get IndyCar back on track. Oh, lame puns.
I won't say too much about the drivers other than a couple who have impressed. Simona and Bia are obvious. But one that's caught my eye is Conquest's Bertrand Baguette, the Belgian rookie. Baguette sounds like he understands the limit and challenges of this place. He's come out of nowhere, even despite winning the ultra competitive World Series by Renault last season, and qualified on the first day. He needs a good nickname, though. Him testing a Renault F1 car last year was near perfect, and if he was French, that would be good as well.
Okay, so predictions. I said back in March Ryan Briscoe would win this race, but despite driving for Team Penske, he isn't even in his teammates' same zip code. Hard to be anonymous when starting fourth, but that's the case.
I'm not going to be one of those people who reneges on a pick, so I'll bite it and take the lumps if he doesn't win. But Briscoe is still the pick for me for two reasons.
One, he needs a race for a coming-out party. You don't want to say he's fallen out of favor with Penske, but his countryman Will Power stole the show on the road and street courses earlier this year and Helio has been in another stratosphere this month. Briscoe is still sharp and last year proved he was a demon on the ovals - this could be his time. He's still close enough to the front, starting fourth.
Second, Helio's string of success here needs a break. This track is only good to you so often, and I can't help but think there will be at least one bad pit stop or something to take Helio out of contention. Selfishly, I can't say as I'm thrilled at the prospect of him becoming a four-time winner. It's completely different eras between Foyt, Unser, Mears and now. Not to mention some might say this would only be his third...
If it's not either of those two, Dixon wins, hands down. He's not my official pick but if I was betting on the race, I would bet on him. The six IndyCar races I have done for Motorsport.com since 2008 (Milwaukee twice, Indy, Edmonton, Chicagoland '08 and Mid-Ohio last year), "Dixie" has won four and finished second the other two. Look out, field. I'm here and Dixon is still here, and he hasn't forgotten how to win. Plus, he or Dario would give Chip both major 500 trophies in the same year.
I feel confident in saying Raphael Matos is my dark horse. Matos is very much under the radar, quick in race trim, ran top-5 here before his accident last year, and now has the benefit of working with a veteran teammate in Davey Hamilton and invaluable sage co-owner in Gil de Ferran.
First crash will be Mario Romancini, and the highest finishing female will be... Ana Beatriz. Beatriz has more miles at Indy than Simona and better cars than Danica or Sarah. Either her or Baguette will win Rookie-of-the-Year honors, but I'll take Beatriz.
Check back late Sunday night to see how far off the mark these predictions were. It's out for now, and cheers.
I'll get the shameless plugs out of the way early. I'm helping Motorsport.com out for the week and articles so far have covered Community Day, the three women not named Danica, the mix of practice, pit stops and booze on Carb Day, and the highest profile driver not to qualify, Paul Tracy.
Some thoughts on the week. This is my second Indy 500, and I have to say a completely different experience from my first. My first was about taking it all in - much like the rookies - and maximizing the time and all the different events. This is shorter but still provides the great networking opportunities, and for me, particularly, the bloggers who really are the new face of journalism at the Speedway.
Between Paul and Steph (a.k.a. Fieldof33 and 99forever on Twitter) of Planet-IRL, Chris Estrada of IndyRacingRevolution and FOXSports.com, the My Name is IRL and Pressdog crowd, among others, are the fresh blood to get the next generation of fans interested in growing this series. They were part of an open forum this morning with IndyCar PR Amy Konrath and a couple IMS reps to discuss how to better integrate the new media that the bloggers have the handle on with traditional outlets and individuals.
It's completely different for me, too. At 20, I'm one of, if not the youngest person in the IMS pressroom. Yet this new batch of bright-eyed, intelligent, passionate group of individuals add a depth and commitment to growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series.
The other notables I've met include Randy Bernard and Paul Page. Bernard is the first person I've seen in 15 years of watching this series that I can tell just "gets it." Curt Cavin of the Indy Star - and Carb Night Burger Bash emcee - had a great and far more in-depth article on the Indy Racing League, IndyCar Series sanctioning body, CEO than I will have had.
His openness to hear both good and bad, positive and negative, and literally absorb anything and everything like a sponge can only be a benefit to getting this series back on track. Even the veteran Gordon Kirby, a senior member of the media, hinted Bernard was the right person to get IndyCar back on track. Oh, lame puns.
I won't say too much about the drivers other than a couple who have impressed. Simona and Bia are obvious. But one that's caught my eye is Conquest's Bertrand Baguette, the Belgian rookie. Baguette sounds like he understands the limit and challenges of this place. He's come out of nowhere, even despite winning the ultra competitive World Series by Renault last season, and qualified on the first day. He needs a good nickname, though. Him testing a Renault F1 car last year was near perfect, and if he was French, that would be good as well.
Okay, so predictions. I said back in March Ryan Briscoe would win this race, but despite driving for Team Penske, he isn't even in his teammates' same zip code. Hard to be anonymous when starting fourth, but that's the case.
I'm not going to be one of those people who reneges on a pick, so I'll bite it and take the lumps if he doesn't win. But Briscoe is still the pick for me for two reasons.
One, he needs a race for a coming-out party. You don't want to say he's fallen out of favor with Penske, but his countryman Will Power stole the show on the road and street courses earlier this year and Helio has been in another stratosphere this month. Briscoe is still sharp and last year proved he was a demon on the ovals - this could be his time. He's still close enough to the front, starting fourth.
Second, Helio's string of success here needs a break. This track is only good to you so often, and I can't help but think there will be at least one bad pit stop or something to take Helio out of contention. Selfishly, I can't say as I'm thrilled at the prospect of him becoming a four-time winner. It's completely different eras between Foyt, Unser, Mears and now. Not to mention some might say this would only be his third...
If it's not either of those two, Dixon wins, hands down. He's not my official pick but if I was betting on the race, I would bet on him. The six IndyCar races I have done for Motorsport.com since 2008 (Milwaukee twice, Indy, Edmonton, Chicagoland '08 and Mid-Ohio last year), "Dixie" has won four and finished second the other two. Look out, field. I'm here and Dixon is still here, and he hasn't forgotten how to win. Plus, he or Dario would give Chip both major 500 trophies in the same year.
I feel confident in saying Raphael Matos is my dark horse. Matos is very much under the radar, quick in race trim, ran top-5 here before his accident last year, and now has the benefit of working with a veteran teammate in Davey Hamilton and invaluable sage co-owner in Gil de Ferran.
First crash will be Mario Romancini, and the highest finishing female will be... Ana Beatriz. Beatriz has more miles at Indy than Simona and better cars than Danica or Sarah. Either her or Baguette will win Rookie-of-the-Year honors, but I'll take Beatriz.
Check back late Sunday night to see how far off the mark these predictions were. It's out for now, and cheers.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Push to pass... junior year gone
Hopefully, my racing friends will appreciate the title analogy. You see, this school year just completed was a lot like an extra power burst executed by IndyCar drivers for a short time period. The extra horsepower, in theory, gives them enough power to complete a pass, and is over in a blink of an eye.
As it relates to the school year, I needed several short power bursts to make it through what was unquestionably the toughest year at Marquette yet. It was also the fastest – I feel like I don’t even remember enough of it to properly recall things. Just a blur. But, the tough moments made it incredible.
You take a big step as an upperclassman, moving up from the ranks of residence halls and Sodexo-provided cafeteria food. You move into apartments, away from house parties into bars (okay, I haven’t got that far yet… next month), and into another level of responsibility and independence without the RAs there to watch your every move.
For me, I had yet another transition – no shock to anyone who knows me – to go from one roommate to three in a room in Humphrey. And first semester, living with Gags, Swee, and Mark was epic. Can’t relate how awesome it was. Swee went abroad spring semester to Madrid and Pat came back from Ireland, bringing his own story and style. It was different, but still mostly good times.
Academically, it was a challenging year coupling my commitments with the Marquette Tribune and Phonathon with classes. Fall I reported for the Tribune on a new beat, the consumer beat, which I highly enjoyed, and then moved into a leadership role as an assistant editor in the spring. I still consider it a fairly meteoric rise from the ranks of rookie reporter to helping the next group of prodigious talents with their work. I had a lot of fun and really got to appreciate the work of the seniors in their editorial roles.
Campus as a whole was really rocked by three things this year – the death of freshman Andrew Siebenaler, the retirement announcement of University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild, and the ongoing saga that has been the Arts & Sciences dean rescinding.
As a reporter, I had a role in all three stories even if I wasn’t the lead writer on any of them, but that is neither here nor there. What I saw with those events was, for the first few times in my Marquette career, the uniting of the student body in a combined group for a common cause – support for a victim’s grieving family, a president who has still given back immeasurably to this university, and rallying around whether something was done for the right or just reasons.
It was in those moments more than others this year that I saw myself as part of the “We are Marquette” mantra and mission statement, and felt better about the work I personally was doing to accomplish that.
And this is where I have to give thanks for everything I’ve done being able to help me take the next step. Without the Phonathon leadership position, I don’t think I would have been able to become an editor with the Tribune. Without the Tribune, I don’t think I could have landed the role I have helping Michelin in racing. And without all of those, I don’t think I would have an internship to look forward to for the fall with The Business Journal.
Looking back, I think I will feel more nostalgic about junior year as time passes, because so much of it was a whirlwind of getting things done without enough time to enjoy or appreciate everything I really accomplished. That’s probably the best description of the year just passed. Not the most eloquent piece of writing ever, but there you go. Cheers.
As it relates to the school year, I needed several short power bursts to make it through what was unquestionably the toughest year at Marquette yet. It was also the fastest – I feel like I don’t even remember enough of it to properly recall things. Just a blur. But, the tough moments made it incredible.
You take a big step as an upperclassman, moving up from the ranks of residence halls and Sodexo-provided cafeteria food. You move into apartments, away from house parties into bars (okay, I haven’t got that far yet… next month), and into another level of responsibility and independence without the RAs there to watch your every move.
For me, I had yet another transition – no shock to anyone who knows me – to go from one roommate to three in a room in Humphrey. And first semester, living with Gags, Swee, and Mark was epic. Can’t relate how awesome it was. Swee went abroad spring semester to Madrid and Pat came back from Ireland, bringing his own story and style. It was different, but still mostly good times.
Academically, it was a challenging year coupling my commitments with the Marquette Tribune and Phonathon with classes. Fall I reported for the Tribune on a new beat, the consumer beat, which I highly enjoyed, and then moved into a leadership role as an assistant editor in the spring. I still consider it a fairly meteoric rise from the ranks of rookie reporter to helping the next group of prodigious talents with their work. I had a lot of fun and really got to appreciate the work of the seniors in their editorial roles.
Campus as a whole was really rocked by three things this year – the death of freshman Andrew Siebenaler, the retirement announcement of University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild, and the ongoing saga that has been the Arts & Sciences dean rescinding.
As a reporter, I had a role in all three stories even if I wasn’t the lead writer on any of them, but that is neither here nor there. What I saw with those events was, for the first few times in my Marquette career, the uniting of the student body in a combined group for a common cause – support for a victim’s grieving family, a president who has still given back immeasurably to this university, and rallying around whether something was done for the right or just reasons.
It was in those moments more than others this year that I saw myself as part of the “We are Marquette” mantra and mission statement, and felt better about the work I personally was doing to accomplish that.
And this is where I have to give thanks for everything I’ve done being able to help me take the next step. Without the Phonathon leadership position, I don’t think I would have been able to become an editor with the Tribune. Without the Tribune, I don’t think I could have landed the role I have helping Michelin in racing. And without all of those, I don’t think I would have an internship to look forward to for the fall with The Business Journal.
Looking back, I think I will feel more nostalgic about junior year as time passes, because so much of it was a whirlwind of getting things done without enough time to enjoy or appreciate everything I really accomplished. That’s probably the best description of the year just passed. Not the most eloquent piece of writing ever, but there you go. Cheers.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A true April Fool's entry
No joke, I'm actually submitting a blog entry on this day when so much of the news out there is a hoax!
Today was one of the strangest days I can remember. As a college student involved in several different aspects of work, as a full-time student with 18 credits, working as one of the editors on the school paper, a student manager at the Phonathon, and a blogger for Michelin during the American Le Mans Series season, usually I am consumed by one of those, if not several over the course of the day.
Although today was April Fool's Day, it was no joke that today I had none of that to worry about! I rarely get the time to update this blog - largely by my own choice and becoming more concerned about what can be said in a public forum - but sometimes I just need to take a minute and breathe and reflect on all that currently encompasses my life.
In the next couple days I will be registering for classes for my senior year of college at Marquette. It takes a minute to let that sink in. So much of this year has been a blur with my various activities, that I don't know how much of it I've actually taken the time to enjoy. Between late nights, early mornings, and everything in-between that makes up the day, there's no time to reflect. It's just going through the motions, and keep going. Don't stop.
Marquette means so much to me and I know I realize it, but it takes something like this break to embrace it more so. First off, my last break, I didn't really get the chance to have a "break" per se as I made my first appearance to Sebring for the ALMS season opener. I can't express thanks enough to everyone I worked with for their welcoming me into the "team," and I know I worked as hard as I did that week on our blog, MichelinAlley.com, to reward their trust in me. Anyway, the week involved a lot of 14-18 hour days and actually going to bed and waking up at civilized hours (trust me, 10:30 lights out and 6:30 a.m. wakeup call took some getting used to, again!). If you don't love racing, it's very hard to do well at given the hours. But needless to say, I didn't have much time to relax!
So, back on campus for the last week and a half and its back to living the student life. The classes. The tests. The papers. The newspaper. The Phonathon. My boss at the Phonathon jokes, as I have lost both my Sunday night shifts the last two weeks because of the break and thus have only a handful of hours on my paycheck, "Hey, maybe you should work more!" Maybe I would if I could... hence why I am evaluating my options for senior year.
When you take on the life of both a student and a student worker, you take on the persona of both. You embrace everything you get involved in, make it operate the best for both you and your co-workers, and keep on going.
I got home to Greendale (my Wisconsin hometown, although Arizona is still my roots) and had to make a pit stop with my mom for a work appointment of her's at MATC's Oak Creek campus. It's nice, but tucked away, has a lot of commuters and is just one large building. It felt like an office complex with classrooms instead of cubicles. No sense of it being a university like MU.
All told, it will be nice to calm down for this Easter break and reflect on everything I have been fortunate to be involved in, and where I'm looking to go next. Out for now, and cheers.
P.S. Physically, that next place is Long Beach in two weeks for the next ALMS race!
Today was one of the strangest days I can remember. As a college student involved in several different aspects of work, as a full-time student with 18 credits, working as one of the editors on the school paper, a student manager at the Phonathon, and a blogger for Michelin during the American Le Mans Series season, usually I am consumed by one of those, if not several over the course of the day.Although today was April Fool's Day, it was no joke that today I had none of that to worry about! I rarely get the time to update this blog - largely by my own choice and becoming more concerned about what can be said in a public forum - but sometimes I just need to take a minute and breathe and reflect on all that currently encompasses my life.
In the next couple days I will be registering for classes for my senior year of college at Marquette. It takes a minute to let that sink in. So much of this year has been a blur with my various activities, that I don't know how much of it I've actually taken the time to enjoy. Between late nights, early mornings, and everything in-between that makes up the day, there's no time to reflect. It's just going through the motions, and keep going. Don't stop.
Marquette means so much to me and I know I realize it, but it takes something like this break to embrace it more so. First off, my last break, I didn't really get the chance to have a "break" per se as I made my first appearance to Sebring for the ALMS season opener. I can't express thanks enough to everyone I worked with for their welcoming me into the "team," and I know I worked as hard as I did that week on our blog, MichelinAlley.com, to reward their trust in me. Anyway, the week involved a lot of 14-18 hour days and actually going to bed and waking up at civilized hours (trust me, 10:30 lights out and 6:30 a.m. wakeup call took some getting used to, again!). If you don't love racing, it's very hard to do well at given the hours. But needless to say, I didn't have much time to relax!
So, back on campus for the last week and a half and its back to living the student life. The classes. The tests. The papers. The newspaper. The Phonathon. My boss at the Phonathon jokes, as I have lost both my Sunday night shifts the last two weeks because of the break and thus have only a handful of hours on my paycheck, "Hey, maybe you should work more!" Maybe I would if I could... hence why I am evaluating my options for senior year.
When you take on the life of both a student and a student worker, you take on the persona of both. You embrace everything you get involved in, make it operate the best for both you and your co-workers, and keep on going.
I got home to Greendale (my Wisconsin hometown, although Arizona is still my roots) and had to make a pit stop with my mom for a work appointment of her's at MATC's Oak Creek campus. It's nice, but tucked away, has a lot of commuters and is just one large building. It felt like an office complex with classrooms instead of cubicles. No sense of it being a university like MU.
All told, it will be nice to calm down for this Easter break and reflect on everything I have been fortunate to be involved in, and where I'm looking to go next. Out for now, and cheers.
P.S. Physically, that next place is Long Beach in two weeks for the next ALMS race!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
2010 racing reflections and predictions
It's been a while since I've posted a blog entry and have a lot to catch up on. This whole school thing has kind of been cramping my style, especially with a lot on my plate here.
First, it's one week until the respective season openers for Formula 1 and IndyCar apiece. My brethren in the IndyCar press have lamented the lack of American drivers - Graham Rahal in all likelihood will not be at the first race - while the latest wave of European and South American ride-buyers glide in on their golden wallets.
It's all something of a pointless exhibition, really. The question is not whether Penske or Ganassi will win, it's just which one of their five drivers will. The rest are there to pay for limited exposure in an overvalued product and battle for "best of the rest" status.
I don't need to elaborate on what the Millers, Kirbys, and Oreos of the world have all said, except that IndyCar holds so little interest to me nowadays and remains a far cry from the CART days. The most entertaining parts of the off-season have really been Paul Tracy's tweets (@paultracy3) saying as much. So sad.
F1 is another circus entirely and for Americans, will have suffered a serious setback thanks to the whole USF1 saga. Announced in February 2009, the project was woefully slow and rumors of funding issues plagued the team basically all year until they announced it was over a couple weeks ago. It leaves a serious amount of egg in the face of Americans hoping to get over there.
Otherwise there are the usual politics, combined with the new teams, points system adjustment, refueling ban, tire rules, elimination of KERS. All but three teams start with at least one new driver in their lineup. It should, as usual, be a fascinating year.
So, predictions. I don't know how much of either series I'll be watching this year, but will still make these for the heck of it.
***
IndyCar: Penske returns to the top after a three-year hiatus, Ryan Briscoe takes his first title and the year's Indianapolis 500. Dixon a close second with Will Power showcasing his talents in a full season. Dario and Helio falter a bit. Tony Kanaan gets at least one win but doesn't challenge for the championship.
Danica once again does not win, and gets her clocks cleaned by her female counterpart Simona de Silvestro on the road and street courses. There will be at least one "towel-esque fight" between Danica and either Simona, Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher or Ana Beatriz. PT will incite controversy in the races KK is actually smart enough to give him a chance.
***
F1: McLaren returns to the top even despite lack of works Mercedes support. Lewis for the title, Vettel a close second for Red Bull. Massa returns stronger than ever for Ferrari and upon giving Alonso headaches, the Spaniard will go nuclear on the Prancing Horse and promptly quit the sport (okay that might be a bit of a stretch, but think of the possibilities thereafter - Vettel to Ferrari and Kimi returns for Red Bull!).
Mercedes GP wins a couple races with Schumacher and Rosberg but isn't the contender it was last year largely because they had to focus on winning last year's title and car development more than 2010. Defending champion Jenson Button will win once or twice but otherwise pale in comparison to Hamilton. Williams for a podium or two, Force India could surprise, Renault will struggle. The new teams will be largely anonymous but I could see Lotus's package coming together as the season progresses. Driver changes in season will include the debuts of Paul di Resta (Force India tester), and Bertrand Baguette at Renault when Petrov's checks bounce.
Check back in October/November to see how far off the mark those all are.
***
A word on the final and unfortunate demise of the Atlantic Championship. Like my editor at motorsport.com, I grew a strong attachment to this series from a young age as I could relate most to these drivers, and I had the chance to interview so many of them between 2006-2009 (off the cuff, Hinch, Carrio, Skerlong, Bomarito, Edwards, Summerton, Simona, etc.) It was always one of my highlights to attend Atlantic races, especially with the people involved in the series - Vicki, Nate, Polly, Anne Roy, Phil and all the rest.
One of my best friends in racing, the recently married Aislinn Willander (nee Miller) dedicated herself to a series she could have fun with in shifting to Newman Wachs Racing PR after leaving HVM Racing in IndyCar. I loved the opportunities to hang out with her, her family and the whole NWR team in 2008 and '09.
Its history was so rich, but it was always on a road to nowhere after open-wheel "unification" as the red-headed and orphaned stepchild from Champ Car. IndyCar never picked it up to sanction and by design left it out of its "Road to Indy" program.
I was always more of a CART/Champ Car guy, and as a young reporter who would have been with the series full-time in 2008, the Atlantics were my one remaining link to the era. So, thank you, Atlantic, for what you gave me both personally and professionally.
After this week of school, I'll be in Sebring for the ALMS season opener, and will likely be updating the blog much more frequently. My primary tasks will include updating Michelin's trackside blog and also doing interviews. More on that as it develops.
Out for now, cheers.
First, it's one week until the respective season openers for Formula 1 and IndyCar apiece. My brethren in the IndyCar press have lamented the lack of American drivers - Graham Rahal in all likelihood will not be at the first race - while the latest wave of European and South American ride-buyers glide in on their golden wallets.
It's all something of a pointless exhibition, really. The question is not whether Penske or Ganassi will win, it's just which one of their five drivers will. The rest are there to pay for limited exposure in an overvalued product and battle for "best of the rest" status.
I don't need to elaborate on what the Millers, Kirbys, and Oreos of the world have all said, except that IndyCar holds so little interest to me nowadays and remains a far cry from the CART days. The most entertaining parts of the off-season have really been Paul Tracy's tweets (@paultracy3) saying as much. So sad.
F1 is another circus entirely and for Americans, will have suffered a serious setback thanks to the whole USF1 saga. Announced in February 2009, the project was woefully slow and rumors of funding issues plagued the team basically all year until they announced it was over a couple weeks ago. It leaves a serious amount of egg in the face of Americans hoping to get over there.
Otherwise there are the usual politics, combined with the new teams, points system adjustment, refueling ban, tire rules, elimination of KERS. All but three teams start with at least one new driver in their lineup. It should, as usual, be a fascinating year.
So, predictions. I don't know how much of either series I'll be watching this year, but will still make these for the heck of it.
***
IndyCar: Penske returns to the top after a three-year hiatus, Ryan Briscoe takes his first title and the year's Indianapolis 500. Dixon a close second with Will Power showcasing his talents in a full season. Dario and Helio falter a bit. Tony Kanaan gets at least one win but doesn't challenge for the championship.
Danica once again does not win, and gets her clocks cleaned by her female counterpart Simona de Silvestro on the road and street courses. There will be at least one "towel-esque fight" between Danica and either Simona, Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher or Ana Beatriz. PT will incite controversy in the races KK is actually smart enough to give him a chance.
***
F1: McLaren returns to the top even despite lack of works Mercedes support. Lewis for the title, Vettel a close second for Red Bull. Massa returns stronger than ever for Ferrari and upon giving Alonso headaches, the Spaniard will go nuclear on the Prancing Horse and promptly quit the sport (okay that might be a bit of a stretch, but think of the possibilities thereafter - Vettel to Ferrari and Kimi returns for Red Bull!).
Mercedes GP wins a couple races with Schumacher and Rosberg but isn't the contender it was last year largely because they had to focus on winning last year's title and car development more than 2010. Defending champion Jenson Button will win once or twice but otherwise pale in comparison to Hamilton. Williams for a podium or two, Force India could surprise, Renault will struggle. The new teams will be largely anonymous but I could see Lotus's package coming together as the season progresses. Driver changes in season will include the debuts of Paul di Resta (Force India tester), and Bertrand Baguette at Renault when Petrov's checks bounce.
Check back in October/November to see how far off the mark those all are.
***
A word on the final and unfortunate demise of the Atlantic Championship. Like my editor at motorsport.com, I grew a strong attachment to this series from a young age as I could relate most to these drivers, and I had the chance to interview so many of them between 2006-2009 (off the cuff, Hinch, Carrio, Skerlong, Bomarito, Edwards, Summerton, Simona, etc.) It was always one of my highlights to attend Atlantic races, especially with the people involved in the series - Vicki, Nate, Polly, Anne Roy, Phil and all the rest.
One of my best friends in racing, the recently married Aislinn Willander (nee Miller) dedicated herself to a series she could have fun with in shifting to Newman Wachs Racing PR after leaving HVM Racing in IndyCar. I loved the opportunities to hang out with her, her family and the whole NWR team in 2008 and '09.
Its history was so rich, but it was always on a road to nowhere after open-wheel "unification" as the red-headed and orphaned stepchild from Champ Car. IndyCar never picked it up to sanction and by design left it out of its "Road to Indy" program.
I was always more of a CART/Champ Car guy, and as a young reporter who would have been with the series full-time in 2008, the Atlantics were my one remaining link to the era. So, thank you, Atlantic, for what you gave me both personally and professionally.
After this week of school, I'll be in Sebring for the ALMS season opener, and will likely be updating the blog much more frequently. My primary tasks will include updating Michelin's trackside blog and also doing interviews. More on that as it develops.
Out for now, cheers.
Friday, January 29, 2010
End of two completely different eras
The luckiest number 13 and the individual whose influence single-handedly presided over the unluckiest period in American open-wheel racing have one thing in common as of 3:00 p.m. CT this afternoon.
They have both left the building.
And the entities they represented are likely to enter some dire straits going forward.
Otherwise there would be no other way to link Kurt Warner and Tony George. The two could not be any more different as individuals.
***
I'll start with Warner.
Warner's rags-to-riches, potential Hall of Fame NFL career was one of the most unlikely in the sport's history. Few could have imagined an unheralded former grocery store bagger and Arena Football quarterback jumping in at a moment's notice to take over the St. Louis Rams. The rest is history.
His first season was nothing short of stunning. As the architect of "The Greatest Show on Turf," Warner led the revival of an anonymous franchise to prominence and the Super Bowl championship.
Warner did a similar Lazarus-like revival of the Arizona Cardinals, the team that played in my hometown for all 18 years of my upbringing, but was never truly my "home" and favorite team.
You see, the Cardinals were another team mired in mediocrity before Warner's arrival. Growing up, I never got to see Cardinals home games because the team never sold out its games at Sun Devil Stadium (granted, from experience the place is a bit of a dump. But nonetheless...) and so more intriguing teams like the Packers, Cowboys or 49ers were always on due to the blackout.
My mom and I grew up scheduling our Sundays around the Packers game, not the Cardinals. I didn't know anything else. When the Cardinals were on TV, they were always on the road, and getting shredded to feathers by vastly superior teams as they were in the midst of a several year-long road losing streak. Any wonder the "fans" wouldn't support them?
But Warner led a recovery. Tossed out of New York following the arrival of their would-be "messiah" Eli Manning, Warner signed with the Cardinals for relative pennies and ushered in an era of respectibility, if not outright success. For this laughingstock of a franchise, even an 8-win season would be considered dynamite.
In 2008, the unthinkable happened. I didn't witness it as I was in Washington, D.C. for President Obama's inauguration, but I received a text from my dad that said the following. I kid you not.
"HOLY S--- THE CARDINALS ARE IN THE SUPER BOWL! ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME?"
If I hadn't got a new phone since, that would be one text I would forever hang on to. It was shocking.
A comparable example - the Clippers making the NBA Finals. The Pirates in the World Series. A start-and-parker not only running the entire race, but winning the Daytona 500. Again, something I never thought I would see in my lifetime.
Suddenly, millions of new "diehard," "life-long" Cardinal fans were born. Everyone could name their three most memorable Cardinal games of their lives - the three playoff games that got the Cards to the Super Bowl.
Now granted, I was pulling like hell for the Cardinals in the Super Bowl because I figured this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime shot deal. When Santonio Holmes got his second foot down, my jaw dropped and a salty, watery discharge emerged from my eye (a Seinfeld reference to when Jerry "cries" and actually "feels" for someone rather than tossing them out like yesterday's lunch).
I was gutted. I knew this could not possibly happen again.
But the Cards rejoined my list of teams I no longer could give a crap about after this year's playoff game vs. the Pack. Even more frustrating than the lack of defense, the constant blown leads, the missed calls, etc., was when my dad screamed and celebrated on the final strip of Aaron Rodgers.
Warner played his heart out that game and ended with a truly incredible statistic, more touchdowns than incomplete passes. For now, it's his last victory.
If there's one thing Brett Favre has taught us, it's to not take retirement at the retirement presser's word. But Warner seems done for good and a much classier individual at the end of his line than does Favre. At least for now.
***
Now, Tony George is another matter entirely.
Anyone who knows me knows I was and still am a CART/Champ Car-guy. I was 7 when "the split" happened and naturally at that age, wasn't exactly an expert on the details or what it meant. But I knew that CART got me hooked on racing in 1996 and for 15 years I have followed it and other series religiously, and since 2005 have made it my work. The Indy Racing League never did.
George will always remain the most polarizing figure in the history of the sport. He came from riches in the Hulman-George family, and when armed with an open checkbook, complete and utter power, and a plan to wipe out the competition, had a nuclear combination. Look at where what's left of IndyCar is today versus 1995 and anyone with half a brain will tell you it isn't even close.
Yet for his flaws, George's accomplishments will still have a lasting effect. He single-handedly transformed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into the mecca it is today, not to mention one of the two most important safety innovations in my lifetime - the SAFER Barriers. He brought NASCAR to the Speedway, and also welcomed back F1 and MotoGP while adding the infield road course and building a new pagoda.
I was especially grateful to get the chance to cover the 2008 Indianapolis 500, the first after George extended the olive branch to what was left of Champ Car, at age 18 in the IMS press room. It remains one of my two most incredible experiences in motorsports, as there is still nothing like race morning at Indy.
That said, the scorched earth story has been told a thousand times over by other writers with far more experience. Just within the last two weeks, George's reign has ended completely.
Last week, he resigned from the IMS Board of Directors. Yesterday, he's told his staff at Vision Racing, his last remaining link to IndyCar, that the team would have to cease operations unless sponsorship could be found.
If that's not a damning indication of the direction IndyCar is headed in right now, when the series' founder announces even he can't find backing, than I don't know what is. I've been accused of being a "doom-and-gloomer" before but there's little positive news I can take out of it.
Another thing too. How ironic is it that two years after the unification that Kevin Kalkhoven, who sold the remnants of Champ Car, is now more directly involved with IndyCar than TG is?
I don't know how many IndyCar races I will make it to this year, but I'll be interested to see the reaction internally given everything that's transpired over yet another discouraging off-season.
***
On the bright side, the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off the 2010 season this weekend. Meanwhile, the majority of my time is spent at school with 18 credits and my two campus jobs, working as an assistant news editor with The Marquette Tribune (follow us @mutribune on Twitter and on Facebook) and also as a student manager at the University Advancement Phonathon.
Hence, I'm pretty busy and therefore have neglected the blog, and I know I need to be better at updating. But the end of these respective eras very much warranted this post.
Out for now, cheers.
They have both left the building.
And the entities they represented are likely to enter some dire straits going forward.
Otherwise there would be no other way to link Kurt Warner and Tony George. The two could not be any more different as individuals.
***
I'll start with Warner.
Warner's rags-to-riches, potential Hall of Fame NFL career was one of the most unlikely in the sport's history. Few could have imagined an unheralded former grocery store bagger and Arena Football quarterback jumping in at a moment's notice to take over the St. Louis Rams. The rest is history.
His first season was nothing short of stunning. As the architect of "The Greatest Show on Turf," Warner led the revival of an anonymous franchise to prominence and the Super Bowl championship.
Warner did a similar Lazarus-like revival of the Arizona Cardinals, the team that played in my hometown for all 18 years of my upbringing, but was never truly my "home" and favorite team.
You see, the Cardinals were another team mired in mediocrity before Warner's arrival. Growing up, I never got to see Cardinals home games because the team never sold out its games at Sun Devil Stadium (granted, from experience the place is a bit of a dump. But nonetheless...) and so more intriguing teams like the Packers, Cowboys or 49ers were always on due to the blackout.
My mom and I grew up scheduling our Sundays around the Packers game, not the Cardinals. I didn't know anything else. When the Cardinals were on TV, they were always on the road, and getting shredded to feathers by vastly superior teams as they were in the midst of a several year-long road losing streak. Any wonder the "fans" wouldn't support them?
But Warner led a recovery. Tossed out of New York following the arrival of their would-be "messiah" Eli Manning, Warner signed with the Cardinals for relative pennies and ushered in an era of respectibility, if not outright success. For this laughingstock of a franchise, even an 8-win season would be considered dynamite.
In 2008, the unthinkable happened. I didn't witness it as I was in Washington, D.C. for President Obama's inauguration, but I received a text from my dad that said the following. I kid you not.
"HOLY S--- THE CARDINALS ARE IN THE SUPER BOWL! ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME?"
If I hadn't got a new phone since, that would be one text I would forever hang on to. It was shocking.
A comparable example - the Clippers making the NBA Finals. The Pirates in the World Series. A start-and-parker not only running the entire race, but winning the Daytona 500. Again, something I never thought I would see in my lifetime.
Suddenly, millions of new "diehard," "life-long" Cardinal fans were born. Everyone could name their three most memorable Cardinal games of their lives - the three playoff games that got the Cards to the Super Bowl.
Now granted, I was pulling like hell for the Cardinals in the Super Bowl because I figured this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime shot deal. When Santonio Holmes got his second foot down, my jaw dropped and a salty, watery discharge emerged from my eye (a Seinfeld reference to when Jerry "cries" and actually "feels" for someone rather than tossing them out like yesterday's lunch).
I was gutted. I knew this could not possibly happen again.
But the Cards rejoined my list of teams I no longer could give a crap about after this year's playoff game vs. the Pack. Even more frustrating than the lack of defense, the constant blown leads, the missed calls, etc., was when my dad screamed and celebrated on the final strip of Aaron Rodgers.
Warner played his heart out that game and ended with a truly incredible statistic, more touchdowns than incomplete passes. For now, it's his last victory.
If there's one thing Brett Favre has taught us, it's to not take retirement at the retirement presser's word. But Warner seems done for good and a much classier individual at the end of his line than does Favre. At least for now.
***
Now, Tony George is another matter entirely.
Anyone who knows me knows I was and still am a CART/Champ Car-guy. I was 7 when "the split" happened and naturally at that age, wasn't exactly an expert on the details or what it meant. But I knew that CART got me hooked on racing in 1996 and for 15 years I have followed it and other series religiously, and since 2005 have made it my work. The Indy Racing League never did.
George will always remain the most polarizing figure in the history of the sport. He came from riches in the Hulman-George family, and when armed with an open checkbook, complete and utter power, and a plan to wipe out the competition, had a nuclear combination. Look at where what's left of IndyCar is today versus 1995 and anyone with half a brain will tell you it isn't even close.
Yet for his flaws, George's accomplishments will still have a lasting effect. He single-handedly transformed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into the mecca it is today, not to mention one of the two most important safety innovations in my lifetime - the SAFER Barriers. He brought NASCAR to the Speedway, and also welcomed back F1 and MotoGP while adding the infield road course and building a new pagoda.
I was especially grateful to get the chance to cover the 2008 Indianapolis 500, the first after George extended the olive branch to what was left of Champ Car, at age 18 in the IMS press room. It remains one of my two most incredible experiences in motorsports, as there is still nothing like race morning at Indy.
That said, the scorched earth story has been told a thousand times over by other writers with far more experience. Just within the last two weeks, George's reign has ended completely.
Last week, he resigned from the IMS Board of Directors. Yesterday, he's told his staff at Vision Racing, his last remaining link to IndyCar, that the team would have to cease operations unless sponsorship could be found.
If that's not a damning indication of the direction IndyCar is headed in right now, when the series' founder announces even he can't find backing, than I don't know what is. I've been accused of being a "doom-and-gloomer" before but there's little positive news I can take out of it.
Another thing too. How ironic is it that two years after the unification that Kevin Kalkhoven, who sold the remnants of Champ Car, is now more directly involved with IndyCar than TG is?
I don't know how many IndyCar races I will make it to this year, but I'll be interested to see the reaction internally given everything that's transpired over yet another discouraging off-season.
***
On the bright side, the Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off the 2010 season this weekend. Meanwhile, the majority of my time is spent at school with 18 credits and my two campus jobs, working as an assistant news editor with The Marquette Tribune (follow us @mutribune on Twitter and on Facebook) and also as a student manager at the University Advancement Phonathon.
Hence, I'm pretty busy and therefore have neglected the blog, and I know I need to be better at updating. But the end of these respective eras very much warranted this post.
Out for now, cheers.
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