The FCR trainwreck [Archive] - Off Camber Forums

Shadow

08-11-07, 06:15 PM

14th and 16th. I take it nobody on the team cares anymore.:shakehead

And how the hell is SeaBass 1.599 seconds faster than P2?

And FCR was supposed to have Mo Nunn in the pits with them today to help them out.

One would have to think PT is getting pretty frustrated. Wonder if the money from FCR will be that good that he will stick with it?

jonovision_man

08-11-07, 06:46 PM

And how the hell is SeaBass 1.599 seconds faster than P2?

:eek: unreal :eek:

Sign that kid up for F1! ;)

How is PT 5.5s off the guy he use to have a rivalry with? :p Just mailing it in or what? Traffic? What's going on?

jono

KLang

08-11-07, 06:49 PM

14th and 16th. I take it nobody on the team cares anymore.:shakehead

And how the hell is SeaBass 1.599 seconds faster than P2?

I doubt they don't care. I think when they let a bunch of people go last year they let someone go that was more important then they thought.

Insomniac

08-11-07, 07:44 PM

I doubt they don't care. I think when they let a bunch of people go last year they let someone go that was more important then they thought.

Like Michael Cannon, who is with Doornbos now.

Insomniac

08-11-07, 07:46 PM

Ohh, and today I officially admit that Bourdais is that damn good. Unreal. That's not just the car/team. I still don't like him, but he has it.

Accipiter

08-11-07, 07:58 PM

Like Michael Cannon, who is with Doornbos now.

I also wonder how much of their speed in the past was down to being able to buy the more expensive go-fast parts for the Lola. When you see where Junky qualified, the parity the new chassis brings is really shown.

Hesketh

08-11-07, 09:01 PM

I doubt they don't care. I think when they let a bunch of people go last year they let someone go that was more important then they thought.

Several, in fact. More than just Michael Cannon. It's tough to be a professional team with a bunch of weekend warriors and guys doing double duty on the Atlantics teams and the Champ teams ... oh, and to have your boss ranting and raving publicly about having to make more changes every time things don't go right. There were a couple big rounds of firings last winter with an ever-present threat still --- you don't think that kind of atmosphere affects your job performance?

And yes, FCR had done a lot of mods to the Lola to help PT go fast, so the spec car isn't helping them any.

oddlycalm

08-11-07, 09:04 PM

Agreed that they let valuable people go as well as that the new car is a great equalizer. The combination of having the good Lola parts as well as years of engineering on setups made them contenders. Take that away and they aren't looking very racey.

oc

STD

08-11-07, 09:11 PM

trickle down effect.

Lux Interior

08-12-07, 08:25 AM

It is amazing how poorly they did. They know that track pretty well, which makes it even more surprising.

Insomniac

08-12-07, 08:51 AM

It is amazing how poorly they did. They know that track pretty well, which makes it even more surprising.

I just read Servia didn't get a lap in for Q2. His performance isn't necessarily indicative of where he would've qualified. In reality though, ignoring Bourdais' time, the next 15 cars are within 1s of each other.

Dr. Corkski

08-12-07, 12:01 PM

Several, in fact. More than just Michael Cannon. It's tough to be a professional team with a bunch of weekend warriors and guys doing double duty on the Atlantics teams and the Champ teams ... oh, and to have your boss ranting and raving publicly about having to make more changes every time things don't go right. There were a couple big rounds of firings last winter with an ever-present threat still --- you don't think that kind of atmosphere affects your job performance?

And yes, FCR had done a lot of mods to the Lola to help PT go fast, so the spec car isn't helping them any.Lies! It can't be anything other than PT's multi-million salary justifying superhuman ability that made the Lola go fast. :gomer:

coolhand

08-12-07, 12:55 PM

Where are some of the FCR "experts" who have been here over the years :cool:

Ankf00

08-12-07, 05:10 PM

And how the hell is SeaBass 1.599 seconds faster than P2?

NHL == TC, duh. Gosh!

NismoZ

08-12-07, 08:23 PM

He's just THAT good!:)

NismoZ

08-12-07, 08:34 PM

As far as PT and $s are concerned I believe he grabbed that 5 yr. deal out of a rising fear that there WAS nowhere else to go. He settled. I don't see anyone else out there who would pay him more. (Rolex DPs?) The real question is will FCR stick with him? I don't know anything about contracts but staring at 4 more years like this one can't be fun for PT OR Gerry!

cameraman

08-13-07, 01:12 AM

Oriol had a pretty good day especially given the mess of 48 hours leading up to the race.

Spicoli

08-13-07, 01:52 AM

lots of bad rumors about FCR this weekend. Looks like the team may be toast. PT = not fun anymore + Unka Gerr no give a ****y - no hospitality / bad juju.

-4:thumdown:

Lux Interior

08-13-07, 06:20 AM

Maybe we will get lucky and someone will buy the team. PT should be racing in the ALMS by now anyway.

jonovision_man

08-13-07, 07:11 AM

lots of bad rumors about FCR this weekend. Looks like the team may be toast. PT = not fun anymore + Unka Gerr no give a ****y - no hospitality / bad juju.

-4:thumdown:

This came up in the chat yesterday:

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/23959/

Paul Tracy Signs New Contract with Forsythe
Houston, Texas – 5/11/2006

Champ Car star Paul Tracy made some news off the track in the opening day of practice for this weekend’s Grand Prix of Houston street race, by announcing that he had signed a new contract with Forsythe Racing that will keep him in Champ Cars for another five years.

What a difference a year makes... now the prospect of having PT stink it up for 5 more years seems ridiculous.

I'd really hate to see the team go, one of the few links to the past we have left.

jono

FTG

08-13-07, 08:33 AM

Maybe Mo Nunn is going into the Champ Car team liquidation business.

stroker

08-13-07, 09:15 AM

Maybe Mo Nunn is going into the Champ Car team liquidation business.

Either that or he may smell a smokin' deal coming down the pike.

08-13-07, 11:34 AM

This came up in the chat yesterday:

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/23959/

What a difference a year makes... now the prospect of having PT stink it up for 5 more years seems ridiculous.

I'd really hate to see the team go, one of the few links to the past we have left.

jonoMy buddy, race virgin, total non-fan (until this past weekend:thumbup: ):
"Even I know who Paul Tracy is."

jonovision_man

08-13-07, 12:48 PM

My buddy, race virgin, total non-fan (until this past weekend:thumbup: ):
"Even I know who Paul Tracy is."

He's the guy at the back! :p

jono

Indy

08-13-07, 09:09 PM

Insomniac

08-14-07, 09:13 AM

My kid just asked me, "Daddy, did you see Paul Tracy, cause he is my favorite driver." I can't say what that is worth to the series, but maybe having a big cartoon character sort of guy has more value than we think.

BTW, I don't think Mo Nunn was there to make changes for this weekend. I get the feeling that getting called into Unkah Mo's office is sort like having an appointment to see the Bob's.

"However, I was asked to come and have a look. Obviously it’s very difficult to walk in and improve cars straight away on a race weekend. I need a couple of test days with them, and of course Champ Car has very strict rules on that. But right now, I’d say I’m at the stage that we used to be at the start of a season where we’ve just taken delivery of our cars from England and we’re waiting for the first test. I don’t know a lot about these cars yet."
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/39378/

On the broadcast they said he was already helping them put, but I'm not sure how much he could do in 3 days.

TurboV8

08-15-07, 09:52 PM

Sean Malone

08-15-07, 10:35 PM

tllips

08-16-07, 11:03 AM

[QUOTE=Shadow;203452]And FCR was supposed to have Mo Nunn in the pits with them today to help them out.

my wife took this shot about an hour after the race....after everyone else was long gone

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n167/alexzanardi/Road%20America%202006/HPIM1735.jpg[/IMG]

I'm surprised that Oriol was still in his driving suit an hour after the race. He must have had some deep conversations. The transporter/changing room was probably getting ready to pull out.

I guess I've never stayed around the paddock too long after a race, but it seems that the drivers disappear pretty quickly once the race is done.

Gnam

08-16-07, 11:42 AM

Is that Neil Micklewright in the background?

edit: TurboV8, was it your impressoin that Servia hadn't left the pits since the end of the race?

Indy

08-16-07, 12:09 PM

O is saying, "I come in late through the side door, then I zone out for a while..."

Meanwhile, in the background, you can see Lumberg skulking around, concerned about what the Bob's are hearing.

:eek:

Ankf00

08-16-07, 12:49 PM

It's not that I'm lazy, Mo. It's that I just don't care.

RHR_Fan

08-16-07, 01:39 PM

It's not that I'm lazy, Mo. It's that I just don't care.

:rofl:

And to answer someone's previous question about how long the drivers stick around it really depends on what is going on that night or what their schedule is. Almost 1 1/2 hours after the race I saw SeaBass come back from the media centre. I saw Power leave pretty early. Figge was there an hour after the race, but was in street clothes and just about ready to leave.

~Nicole

TurboV8

08-16-07, 03:32 PM

[QUOTE=TurboV8;204093]

I'm surprised that Oriol was still in his driving suit an hour after the race. He must have had some deep conversations. The transporter/changing room was probably getting ready to pull out.

I guess I've never stayed around the paddock too long after a race, but it seems that the drivers disappear pretty quickly once the race is done.

It was around 5:00pm and everything was packed up and gone. We were walking back towards the hospitality area and I was amazed to see them still standing there. Oriol was locked in on Mo's every word.

grungex

08-16-07, 05:22 PM

Is that Neil Micklewright in the background?

No.

Rogue Leader

08-16-07, 06:07 PM

[QUOTE=TurboV8;204093]

I guess I've never stayed around the paddock too long after a race, but it seems that the drivers disappear pretty quickly once the race is done.

When I left Montreal in 04 I ran into PT at the airport right after the race, I have no idea how he got there before me because me and my dad rushed out pretty quick!

Hesketh

08-16-07, 08:09 PM

[QUOTE=tllips;204132]

When I left Montreal in 04 I ran into PT at the airport right after the race, I have no idea how he got there before me because me and my dad rushed out pretty quick!

oh, never mind. It's just so obvious, but it will raise too many hackles.

formulaben

08-16-07, 10:18 PM

[QUOTE=Rogue Leader;204259]

oh, never mind. It's just so obvious, but it will raise too many hackles.

:rofl:

tantra

08-16-07, 11:02 PM

Why was Tracy slow at RA? He had major issues with brake lock-up all weekend long. Sat. night, the team tore the car apart (major, major apart) replaced many parts, including engine. Engine was replaced in #7 also. PT looked as if he continued to have car problems during the race. The car seemed to be as badly prepared as Legge's (if that means anything to you), and early on in the race Sunday Neal accepted PT's evaluation that the #3 car was 'a beast' to drive.

PT was very 'down' all weekend, considering that anytime he touched the brake petal, one wheel would lock-up immediately .... and it might be any one of the four. During one session, he braked at turn 5 and the right rear locked-up at 180 mph. PT did a great job of collecting it up and then informed Eric via radio that in his entire career (PT's), that he had never had that happen. PT sounded quite shaken and for good reason, as I saw the incident and it could have been a bad shunt if PT wasn't as good as he still is.

Generally speaking, I tought that PT and KL should get together for a hug and a cry after the Friday, Sat. and Sun. they spent at the beautiful RA course.

All this is suggest that PT is hurting, Eric and Neal are either lost with the car (and trying to deal with PT's current mental state), and that Mo has been brought in to make everything better. Good luck, Mo.

cameraman

08-17-07, 03:21 AM

Maybe but the same team produced Oriol's car which finished fourth and posted the third fastest lap of the race. I can't see how the FCR crew can be "lost with the car" if Oriol was that fast.

Which isn't to say that NHL doesn't have a much better grasp of the DP01 than FCR does...

08-17-07, 11:30 AM

Maybe but the same team produced Oriol's car which finished fourth and posted the third fastest lap of the race. I can't see how the FCR crew can be "lost with the car" if Oriol was that fast.
That's sort of the point; PT's car was obviously broken. Not just a bad setup - broken.

Just watching PT go around T5, was like watching a fallen Hiro.;)

grungex

08-17-07, 07:46 PM

That's sort of the point; PT's car was obviously broken. Not just a bad setup - broken.

Getting smashed into in the first lap might have something to do with that. There was a fair amount of damage...

Opposite Lock

08-17-07, 08:28 PM

Why was Tracy slow at RA?

Just want to add that I heard (via scanner) him tell NM at the end of Sunday morning practice that he "pulled a muscle in his back." Sounded kinda defeated. NM replied with an "understood."

Insomniac

08-17-07, 09:39 PM

Getting smashed into in the first lap might have something to do with that. There was a fair amount of damage...

That's a good point. It did seem like he had a good start.

gpflepsen

08-18-07, 12:02 PM

After the T5 wreck, PT said (scanner) to the effect "I think something is broke" NM said "PIT we'll check it out". Afterwards, PT said "I still think something is broke".

If you have the video, give it another look. PT's car took a hell of a hit to the suspension. I can't believe it wasn't broke or tweaked.