View Full Version : Official PT Shirt for Toronto/Edmonton
Get it here (http://www.tomotorsports.com/catalog/index.php).
http://www.racer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/unknown-1.jpeg
http://www.racer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/unknown.jpeg
Ted
:D
TKGAngel
07-04-09, 01:42 PM
:thumbup: to him donating some of the profits to the Wounded Warriors.
And PT shares his thoughts on TG going buh-bye here (http://www.racer.com/2009/07/paul-tracy-blog-july-3-%E2%80%93-xxxth-time-in-an-indy-car-first-time-at-the-glen/).
Methanolandbrats
07-04-09, 01:47 PM
... This weekend, there are only 19 cars – and if you include Milka, 20.
:laugh:
PT as Rat Fink. I like it.
http://www.ratfink.org/rothart/lance/05arc01.gif
Hey, Paul? Drive that Dallara like it was prepared with
http://www.cartype.com/pics/410/small/genuine_stolen_parts_ed_roth_63.jpg
So... any bets as to how much longer it will take Paul to get around the track on Sunday?
He was able to do it in under a minute the last time he raced here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Steelback_Grand_Prix
Then again, maybe they've optimized that Dallara chassis so much over the years that it will actually be faster! ;)
Today I went down to the track to catch the Vintage GT's (944's, Vette's, 3 series, Mini Coopers:) and an E-series Jag (with mechanical problems)... as well as the Indy Car practice. It was a nice hazy, hot and humid Toronto summer day down by the lake, and the smell of ethanol filled the air.
In case you were wondering, the cars are not much slower than the turbo Champ Cars that were here previously. The Cosworth Panoz could circle the track in about 58 seconds while qualifying.
I did some unofficial timing and noticed that during practice most of the drivers were lapping at around 63 seconds. Apparently the fastest was Raphael Matos at 61 seconds... and then he crashed his car.
As much as I enjoyed ChampCar and hold a disdain for ovals in Iowa, I'd have to say it was pretty entertaining. The engines were roaring and the gearshifts popping... all that was missing was the "Whooooooooo" of a turbocharger.
I came away thinking it felt kind of familiar... seeing a couple of McDonald's sponsored cars and lot of familiar names from ChampCar... Tracy, Tagliani, Rahal, Power, Wilson, Doornbos, Hunter-Reay(?). In fact, looking down the list at the remaining IRL hold-overs, you see a lot of good drivers. Not a lot of guys (gals) who are there only because they bought their ride. It is a quality field of 23 cars
So I'm looking forward to the race on Sunday and cheering for PT. It ought to be just as good as in the past, maybe better. I think Toronto will embrace it with good attendance. Who knows... the rebirth of open wheel racing in America could start here, with a former ChampCar race, in Canada.:D
Al Czervik
07-10-09, 06:34 PM
Today I went down to the track to catch the Vintage GT's (944's, Vette's, 3 series, Mini Coopers:) and an E-series Jag (with mechanical problems)... as well as the Indy Car practice. It was a nice hazy, hot and humid Toronto summer day down by the lake, and the smell of ethanol filled the air.
In case you were wondering, the cars are not much slower than the turbo Champ Cars that were here previously. The Cosworth Panoz could circle the track in about 58 seconds while qualifying.
I did some unofficial timing and noticed that during practice most of the drivers were lapping at around 63 seconds. Apparently the fastest was Raphael Matos at 61 seconds... and then he crashed his car.
As much as I enjoyed ChampCar and hold a disdain for ovals in Iowa, I'd have to say it was pretty entertaining. The engines were roaring and the gearshifts popping... all that was missing was the "Whooooooooo" of a turbocharger.
I came away thinking it felt kind of familiar... seeing a couple of McDonald's sponsored cars and lot of familiar names from ChampCar... Tracy, Tagliani, Rahal, Power, Wilson, Doornbos, Hunter-Reay(?). In fact, looking down the list at the remaining IRL hold-overs, you see a lot of good drivers. Not a lot of guys (gals) who are there only because they bought their ride. It is a quality field of 23 cars
So I'm looking forward to the race on Sunday and cheering for PT. It ought to be just as good as in the past, maybe better. I think Toronto will embrace it with good attendance. Who knows... the rebirth of open wheel racing in America could start here, with a former ChampCar race, in Canada.:D
Glad to see you had a good time. I'll be polite and say that you are probably expressing a minority opinion.
Glad to see you had a good time. I'll be polite and say that you are probably expressing a minority opinion.
Read your PM's, Al.
(nothing to do with his post)
Methanolandbrats
07-10-09, 09:04 PM
Today I went down to the track to catch the Vintage GT's (944's, Vette's, 3 series, Mini Coopers:) and an E-series Jag (with mechanical problems)... as well as the Indy Car practice. It was a nice hazy, hot and humid Toronto summer day down by the lake, and the smell of ethanol filled the air.
In case you were wondering, the cars are not much slower than the turbo Champ Cars that were here previously. The Cosworth Panoz could circle the track in about 58 seconds while qualifying.
I did some unofficial timing and noticed that during practice most of the drivers were lapping at around 63 seconds. Apparently the fastest was Raphael Matos at 61 seconds... and then he crashed his car.
As much as I enjoyed ChampCar and hold a disdain for ovals in Iowa, I'd have to say it was pretty entertaining. The engines were roaring and the gearshifts popping... all that was missing was the "Whooooooooo" of a turbocharger.
I came away thinking it felt kind of familiar... seeing a couple of McDonald's sponsored cars and lot of familiar names from ChampCar... Tracy, Tagliani, Rahal, Power, Wilson, Doornbos, Hunter-Reay(?). In fact, looking down the list at the remaining IRL hold-overs, you see a lot of good drivers. Not a lot of guys (gals) who are there only because they bought their ride. It is a quality field of 23 cars
So I'm looking forward to the race on Sunday and cheering for PT. It ought to be just as good as in the past, maybe better. I think Toronto will embrace it with good attendance. Who knows... the rebirth of open wheel racing in America could start here, with a former ChampCar race, in Canada.:D
Greetings Glass-Half-Full-Dude :D
Greetings Glass-Half-Full-Dude :D
Sounds like the start of a Bud commercial. ;)
We did M-O last year and I held out hope for the glass-half-full feeling. Instead, it was the hollow & empty feeling. I think I may have used the word soulless at the time - if that even is a word. The fan stuff felt forced.
Stood in line with daughter for a Danica autograph (the things we do for out kids!). Talk about a miserable bunch at that line - the except being TK who was wonderful with my little guy. :thumbup:
The cars looked slow and sounded worse. They appeared to lumber around the track. I will need more than a few "good" races.
My glass is empty for now.
Sean Malone
07-10-09, 11:33 PM
I went to St Pete the last 2 years and believe me the glass is waaaaaaaaaaayy below half full. I retain a sliver of hope for the future, but not with the current car or administration.
I was surprised to find it so "normal". It seemed like a typical friday at the track. Saw some ChampCar hats, parents and kids... it seemed like business as usual for Toronto. Of course the crowds will be minimal today as the cars will have to qualify using their "monsoon" tires. But I expect at the end of the weekend we'll fall a bit short of the 130,000 Toronto typically delivers for this event. Not bad considering the race had a 1 year hiatus and cash is not flowing like Niagara Falls.
I was expecting the worse with regard to the car. Never having seen or heard one close up, I had my doubts. But I kind of like the angular stance of the Dallara. Very "Romulan War Bird". Sure, I really liked the Panoz too, but they both are improvements over the Swifts and Lolas of past. And I couldn't believe they were pretty much as fast as the Cosworth Panoz package that ChampCar ran here a few years ago. Maybe someone took out the chicanes on the back half of the course, but from my perspective (turn one), the cars were carrying some speed into the corner (boy is it ever blind there) and then spinning the tires sometimes on the exit. So apparently the car is not as crap as is widely documented. Have we all been drinking too much of the methanol laced Kool-aid?
I'm really glad that Michael Andretti had the brains and the balls to pick up the rights to this race and St. Petes. Toronto is a slam-dunk for this series. It's been the one constant for open wheel racing through the past decade. When Rome was being overtaken by the Goths, Visigoths, Ostragoths etc... Christianity was being preserved in far flung places like Ireland and Constaninople. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Roman_Empire
Indianapolis has been under siege for over a decade. Legendary tracks like Laguna Seca and Road America have been on and off the calender numerous times... not always able to afford the fees. Fortunately the flame is being kept alive in places like Toronto, Long Beach and Montreal (North America's F1 base... even now). If Open Wheel is ever to recapture its past glory it is these places that will show how it is done. The Emperor has been vanquished... the NASCAR-Goths are on the run... a new day could be dawning for Open Wheel in North America. It is safe to come out of the corn fields.
Sean Malone
07-11-09, 10:44 AM
I was surprised to find it so "normal". It seemed like a typical friday at the track. Saw some ChampCar hats, parents and kids... it seemed like business as usual for Toronto. Of course the crowds will be minimal today as the cars will have to qualify using their "monsoon" tires. But I expect at the end of the weekend we'll fall a bit short of the 130,000 Toronto typically delivers for this event. Not bad considering the race had a 1 year hiatus and cash is not flowing like Niagara Falls.
I was expecting the worse with regard to the car. Never having seen or heard one close up, I had my doubts. But I kind of like the angular stance of the Dallara. Very "Romulan War Bird". Sure, I really liked the Panoz too, but they both are improvements over the Swifts and Lolas of past. And I couldn't believe they were pretty much as fast as the Cosworth Panoz package that ChampCar ran here a few years ago. Maybe someone took out the chicanes on the back half of the course, but from my perspective (turn one), the cars were carrying some speed into the corner (boy is it ever blind there) and then spinning the tires sometimes on the exit. So apparently the car is not as crap as is widely documented. Have we all been drinking too much of the methanol laced Kool-aid?
I'm really glad that Michael Andretti had the brains and the balls to pick up the rights to this race and St. Petes. Toronto is a slam-dunk for this series. It's been the one constant for open wheel racing through the past decade. When Rome was being overtaken by the Goths, Visigoths, Ostragoths etc... Christianity was being preserved in far flung places like Ireland and Constaninople. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Roman_Empire
Indianapolis has been under siege for over a decade. Legendary tracks like Laguna Seca and Road America have been on and off the calender numerous times... not always able to afford the fees. Fortunately the flame is being kept alive in places like Toronto, Long Beach and Montreal (North America's F1 base... even now). If Open Wheel is ever to recapture its past glory it is these places that will show how it is done. The Emperor has been vanquished... the NASCAR-Goths are on the run... a new day could be dawning for Open Wheel in North America. It is safe to come out of the corn fields.
...
but they both are improvements over the Swifts and Lolas of past.
That's where I stopped reading. Enjoy your race. :gomer:
Don Quixote
07-11-09, 11:19 AM
Yeah, not so much "improvements" as "abominations".
Methanolandbrats
07-11-09, 11:29 AM
Hmmmm...."we" have been drinking koolaid, Mikey has "brains" and the current underpowered, ugly POS is a better package than a Lola :saywhat:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YsWGpR7PsKo/SGk18nt5yrI/AAAAAAAAAMU/KpPUWmcIaRo/s400/Troll1.jpg
Hey, let the lap times speak for themselves. The sun has come out, the track has been drying, they'll be qualifying on slicks. Could see a new track record. Look out Lola.
http://members.lycos.nl/sovereign001frontier/hpbimg/RomulanValdore.jpg
grungex
07-11-09, 12:49 PM
Wow.
TKGAngel
07-11-09, 12:59 PM
Michael Andretti had the brains and the balls
First time I've seen those words mixed together in a sentence. Heh.
The Toronto tourism board has been doing an online ad blitz here this past month to promote the race. For thrills and giggles, I played with tickets and hotel rates (decent, but not great, tickets, basic hotel room downtown) and the resulting package was about one-and-a-half times what I paid for my last Cleveland weekend. And that's after I took the US/Canadian dollar exchange into account (18 cents at the NF Casino). The cost for the weekend doesn't equate to the value produced on the track.
It also sounds like AGR is the no-fun police this weekend. You could get thrown out for standing on your seat.
http://www.hondaindytoronto.com/uploads/2009_Prohibited_Items-Actions_List.pdf
Don Quixote
07-11-09, 01:06 PM
Wow. Indeed. :tony: Only about the top .0001 percentile of gomers like those cars. Yikes.
Don Quixote
07-11-09, 01:11 PM
First time I've seen those words mixed together in a sentence. Yes, having the words "Andretti" and "brains" in the same sentence is like mixing matter and anti-matter. (note the clever use of Star Trek lingo in this post). :gomer:
OK... maybe I was a bit over enthusiastic. Franchitti is on pole, once again, with a time of 61 seconds ... about 3 seconds slower than previous pole in 2007. Crapwagon? Maybe if they were running methanol they would have done better. ;)
Still looking forward to the race... and the future of Open Wheel. The worst is behind us. Time to climb out of the Lolas, Reynards and Swifts and move on.
To continue the Star Trek theme, the IRL is like the Red Shirt crewman, who no matter how much you like him, is doomed. Doomed!
... and the future of Open Wheel. The worst is behind us. Time to climb out of the Lolas, Reynards and Swifts and move on.
I am sorry - there are many things you might be able to debate, but those those IRL sleds are ugly and unappealing. You can almost hear them weezing as they lumber out of the turns. They look to slowly roll in. The sound is an unpleasant drone. Motorized platyplus.
Perhaps BigIrlFan is taking grammar lessons??
TKGAngel
07-11-09, 06:12 PM
http://www.thestar.com/sports/autoracing/article/664477
This is rich.
How many were in attendance yesterday? It's tough to say. Organizers have declined to discuss how ticket sales are going, except to say, "Very well." And yesterday, Al Larsen, a spokesperson for race organizer Andretti Green Promotions, said his company will not be releasing attendance figures. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not any day.
"It's company policy not to release attendance," said Larsen. "It's kind of a deal we have with our fans."
Yesterday it looked like it was something of a wink-wink, nudge-nudge. As in: We won't tell anybody that you were the only one here if you don't.
"It's company policy not to release attendance," said Larsen. "It's kind of a deal we have with our fans."
What the heck does that even mean? :saywhat: What a moronic statement. I bet he laughed out loud at himself after that witty repartee. :rolleyes:
extramundane
07-11-09, 07:14 PM
Danica Patrick took off her helmet gracefully, her raven-hued ponytail seeming to fall from the heavens like the sonnets poured from Shakespeare...
I think we've found the winner for this year's Bulwer-Lytton.
OK... I can appreciate why you are not feeling the love for the Dallara. But all this "The Past and The Furious" schtick is a bit over the top. For what? Two or three seconds a lap? You make it sound like they are running a bunch of Formula Fords out there.
I'm not a big IRL fan, but I enjoy racing. To have so many great drivers (old and young) on the grid again... a bunch from ChampCar no less, and to have a circuit like Toronto back on the calendar and to have Tony George finally get the boot, are big steps forward. Sure the car is a 5 mph step backward, but so what? It is the drivers that make the race.
Hopefully the IRL isn't the red shirted crew member, because that would mean the end of the open wheel enterprise in North America for a long time.
OK... I can appreciate why you are not feeling the love for the Dallara. But all this "The Past and The Furious" schtick is a bit over the top. For what? Two or three seconds a lap? You make it sound like they are running a bunch of Formula Fords out there.
I'm not a big IRL fan, but I enjoy racing. To have so many great drivers (old and young) on the grid again... a bunch from ChampCar no less, and to have a circuit like Toronto back on the calendar and to have Tony George finally get the boot, are big steps forward. Sure the car is a 5 mph step backward, but so what? It is the drivers that make the race.
Hopefully the IRL isn't the red shirted crew member, because that would mean the end of the open wheel enterprise in North America for a long time.
If it's the drivers that make the race, why don't they all just climb in to IPS cars? For me, top-level open-wheel racing is more than just the drivers.
I also enjoy racing, but feel the cars at top level of AOWR should look good, sound good, accelerate, brake, rotate, & squirt out of the corners. Even to the naked eye, the IRL cars do none of these. They look & sound horrible, are ponderous on the track, and are very under-powered. The entire mess is phoney. They are indeed red-shirts, posing as the first team. And Tony's exit fixes none of this.
Methanolandbrats
07-12-09, 12:10 AM
OK... I can appreciate why you are not feeling the love for the Dallara. But all this "The Past and The Furious" schtick is a bit over the top. For what? How old are you? For what? Because if you take dog ****, form it into a patty and put it on a bun, that does not make it a burger.
Hopefully the IRL isn't the red shirted crew member, because that would mean the end of the open wheel enterprise in North America for a long time. :thumbup: Outstanding, you're catching on.
How old are you?
Not really relevant to the discussion. Let's remember to be civil.
TravelGal
07-12-09, 02:12 AM
For thrills and giggles, I played with tickets and hotel rates (decent, but not great, tickets, basic hotel room downtown) and the resulting package was about one-and-a-half times what I paid for my last Cleveland weekend. And that's after I took the US/Canadian dollar exchange into account (18 cents at the NF Casino). The cost for the weekend doesn't equate to the value produced on the track.
I heard the same thing about St. Pete and about Long Beach. Our saviors, the IRL, have hoodwinked the local hotels into thinking they can get away with charging about 150% of what they charged in the Champ Car days. No wonder they are such big supporters. Visions of C notes cloud their judgment. Until they discover the fans won't pay it. Not enough of them. Not for crapwagons.
Michaelhatesfans
07-12-09, 04:05 AM
Hopefully the IRL isn't the red shirted crew member, because that would mean the end of the open wheel enterprise in North America for a long time.
I prefer to think of that as a clean slate.
Michaelhatesfans
07-12-09, 04:10 AM
Greetings Glass-Half-Full-Dude :D
But it's mostly backwash.
Andrew Longman
07-12-09, 06:34 AM
It also sounds like AGR is the no-fun police this weekend. You could get thrown out for standing on your seat.
No coolers? Got to buy the $7 beers they provide I assume. :irked:
Kiwifan
07-12-09, 06:58 AM
OK... I can appreciate why you are not feeling the love for the Dallara. But all this "The Past and The Furious" schtick is a bit over the top. For what? Two or three seconds a lap? You make it sound like they are running a bunch of Formula Fords out there.
I'm not a big IRL fan, but I enjoy racing. To have so many great drivers (old and young) on the grid again... a bunch from ChampCar no less, and to have a circuit like Toronto back on the calendar and to have Tony George finally get the boot, are big steps forward. Sure the car is a 5 mph step backward, but so what? It is the drivers that make the race.
Hopefully the IRL isn't the red shirted crew member, because that would mean the end of the open wheel enterprise in North America for a long time.
With the greatest respect. If you enjoy IRL racing then that's ok with me and I would never bag you for going to watch something which you enjoy. I have been to 7 Champ Car Races and 1 IRL race. (I'd pre booked before the shambles in Surfers last year.) To be fair the cars do go pretty fast in a straight line but from this untrained eye they were sluggish putting the power down coming out of the corners. If you haven't already noticed, they smell, they are not a good looking car and the noise is horrendous. Seriously.
I got to thinking was I a bit juvenile when I laughed at your thoughts on the extra 3 seconds a lap until I watched the Aussie V8s tonight. Mark Scaife (Former Holden driver) was commenting on the cars and how they were a second a lap down from the start of the race. He said they were ponderous going into the corners, felt sluggish and were horrible to drive. I know that's not comparing apples with apples but if a driver thinks 1 sec a lap is slow. ;)
Mate, if you go this weekend enjoy yourself. It doesn't matter a jot what I think and even though it's at a track I love with drivers I used to root for I won't be watching or caring.
Take care mate.
Rusty.
Methanolandbrats
07-12-09, 08:17 AM
Not really relevant to the discussion. Let's remember to be civil. Actually I think it might be. Many younger fans don't remember real racing, so they have nothing to compare Grand Am, IRL, current NASCAR to. That is what I was getting at, nothing to do with not being civil.
You folks are sounding a lot like F1 fans now. Were you whining this much when Champ Car went into Montreal and were dogging it around the track to the tune of 7 seconds a lap slower?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_Gilles_Villeneuve
Love those Lolas!
It was racing, and the the competition was good, despite the obvious deficiencies of the sled.
Come on... all this grief over 2 freakin' seconds? Like you would ever be able to see the difference on TV. And maybe you would notice it a particular vantage point on the track.
Oh well, to each his/her own. Fortunately you can reach back and watch the older version, as someone considerately pointed out earlier.
http://indycar.neulion.com/indy/console.jsp
You folks are sounding a lot like F1 fans now. Were you whining this much when Champ Car went into Montreal and were dogging it around the track to the tune of 7 seconds a lap slower?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_Gilles_Villeneuve
Love those Lolas!
It was racing, and the the competition was good, despite the obvious deficiencies of the sled.
Come on... all this grief over 2 freakin' seconds? Like you would ever be able to see the difference on TV. And maybe you would notice it a particular vantage point on the track.
Oh well, to each his/her own. Fortunately you can reach back and watch the older version, as someone considerately pointed out earlier.
http://indycar.neulion.com/indy/console.jsp
Weren't you the first person to bring up speed diferences in this thread?
Weren't you the first person to bring up speed diferences in this thread?
Yes, but I was not trashing the Lolas or DP01. I was just being "optimisitic" that based on the practice times that they might find a few extra seconds in qualifying to come up with a new track record. I was obviously wrong.
Still, it is a good track, there are a lot of good drivers, and it is a bright sunny day here in (expensive:() Toronto. I'm not going to get all hot and bothered because the cars are a couple of seconds slow.
Every few years F1 plays with the rules to add more mechanical grip or decrease the downforce, with the result being that the cars are a few seconds slower at a particular track. It is a bit annoying sometimes, but that's life. You race what you got.
You can't bring in slower/louder/uglier cars and expect people to pay more just to go see them. It looks like the whole weekend schedule is pretty crappy too.
You folks are sounding a lot like F1 fans now. Were you whining this much when Champ Car went into Montreal and were dogging it around the track to the tune of 7 seconds a lap slower?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_Gilles_Villeneuve
Love those Lolas!
Nobody would claim that Champ cars are worthy replacements for modern F1 cars. That's the point being discussed here - are the IRL sleds worthy replacements to Champ cars? Speed is just one of a list of reasons why the crapwagons fail in that regard.
Aside from that, Champ Cars were six seconds slower than F1 cars on a track 50% longer than the Toronto circuit. The difference would be under four seconds on a track the length of Toronto. There's a world of difference between four seconds slower than the pinnacle of motorsport and three seconds slower than the cars you claim to replace.
It was racing, and the the competition was good, despite the obvious deficiencies of the sled.
It's good to hear that in the open wheel racing post-apocalypse somebody is having a good day at the track. Railbird would be proud. :cool: I hope that someday Indycar will again be something that more of us can stomach watching.
Opposite Lock
07-12-09, 01:00 PM
I think we've found the winner for this year's Bulwer-Lytton.
:D
Nicely played, sir. :thumbup:
Well, I've watched for about 1 minute. Cars sound horrible.
Michaelhatesfans
07-12-09, 01:27 PM
I'm not going to get all hot and bothered because the cars are a couple of seconds slow.
If the cars were exciting to watch, wonderful to listen to, appealing to look at, and weren't still carrying the stain of Tony George, I wouldn't care about a couple of seconds either.
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