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TedN
10-16-04, 11:43 AM
Here (http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=3&nid=101373)

Ted

:thumbup:

Ziggy
10-16-04, 12:03 PM
His book is due to hit Indy on the 25th

cant wait. Bud got an advanced copy, says it's a really good read

jonovision_man
10-18-04, 01:50 PM
Es tu, Alex?

http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=3&nid=101439

"Sebastien Bourdais is certainly a very good driver, but the bottom line is, who is he winning against? Against Bruno Junqueira. With all due respect, Bruno never had time to make himself a name against other people. The only two guys that are left that have some name are Jimmy Vasser and Paul Tracy. All the others are guys that have emerged into this new field, composed of guys that were totally unknown. So it is very difficult to say 'that guy is bloody good'."

Zanardi admitted that a number of the drivers who have 'made a name for themselves' are now found in the rival IRL series, where the Italian feels the depth of talent on the grid is now greater.

"When they are in Indy Car, with Tony Kanaan winning, he is winning against some drivers that have done some good things," he said. "Like Sam Hornish Jr, Tomas Scheckter, Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves - drivers that have made themselves a name winning races against other drivers that are known.


Ouch.

jono

KLang
10-18-04, 02:07 PM
Hornish, Scheckter and Wheldon? :saywhat:

There must have been a translation error or something. :shakehead

jonovision_man
10-18-04, 02:17 PM
Hornish, Scheckter and Wheldon? :saywhat:

There must have been a translation error or something. :shakehead

I thought those were odd names to throw in as "proven" drivers.

Drivers always seem to think the guys they raced against are better than any before or since. Those drivers (Dario, Castroneves) are good drivers still (IMO), but there are young guys that are equally good coming up the ranks.

Tough to say what it takes to "prove" Bourdais is good when your frame of reference is a previous generation of drivers. He's bloody fast far as I can tell.

jono

Methanolandbrats
10-18-04, 02:18 PM
Hornish, Scheckter and Wheldon? :saywhat:

There must have been a translation error or something. :shakehead
The Simple Green Guys were in a big hurry, maybe they grabbed a few bags of KoolAid along with the plasma.

GOFAST1
10-18-04, 05:33 PM
Hornish, Scheckter and Wheldon? :saywhat:

There must have been a translation error or something. :shakehead


Error? I will try to put my theory on this...why is such a great champion making stupid remarks and insulting the same fans who cheered for him through good and bad times and admired him so much. He's an accomplished racer, and he knows what it takes to drive a champcar. Why would he even compare champcar to indy lights? Someone is giving Alex plenty of money (Honda) to make such idiotic remarks, or maybe it's a promise to drive one of those cars at indy, because afterall, all you have to do is put the pedal to the medal and stay off the walls. And as for talent in champcar, I will say one thing: the rookie, Justin Wilson, was a much better formula one driver and has much better accomplishments in formula one than Alex. And if he refers to the three talents on top of your post, I just want to puke.

fourrunner
10-18-04, 06:34 PM
Alex reminds me of Bobby Unser .... after he spent a few years away from Racing, he missed it and pumped up his value & his time in Racing to the detriment of the then current participants ... In other words he was losing touch with the sport that made him ....

I think Bourdais would give Zanardi a run for his money in his prime .... would he beat Zanardi ... who knows, that's another one of those unprovables.So the guy with the biggest Yap gets the attention.

Now I'm completely at ease with saying that Zanardi in his current condition , in a modified Crapwagon, could beat Kanaan any day of this week !

But the IRL is hardly a test of the Driver anyway !

Alex should just keep his mouth shut, and stop eroding his legacy speaking mindless blather.

Hey Jimmy ... talk to your buddy!

I was going to buy the book ... not so sure now!

Wheel-Nut
10-19-04, 10:14 AM
Shouldn't Alex say the better drivers are in F1? That's where he really got his ass handed to him. :p

rabbit
10-19-04, 01:26 PM
Unbelievable. :shakehead I am now boycotting his book and I encourage you all to do the same.

/cancelling pre-order

RaceGrrl
10-19-04, 01:47 PM
I'm taking his words with a grain of salt. Kanaan is his buddy. Franchitti and Castroneves were his competitors. Of course he's not going to want to think that anyone that came after him is as good as he was. It's a natural competitive tendency. I'd guess that most Americans have no clue who Scheckter, Hornish or Wheldon are anyway- so the line about them being "known" is silly.

rabbit
10-19-04, 02:31 PM
FYI, before I get flamed, that was sarcasm...

Steve99
10-19-04, 05:46 PM
I forgot he was buddies with Kanaan. But even given that, some of those comments are out of line. Hornish, Scheckter, and Wheldon are "names"? What have they done? :shakehead

ferrarigod
10-19-04, 06:33 PM
FYI, before I get flamed, that was sarcasm...

Honestly, I ordered a copy for myself and my brother for his birthday, on amazon.com preorder, and I almost decided to cancel. I havn't because Zanardi was my favorite, and I still like him, but I do no like what he had to say. Not one bit :thumdown:

Dr. Corkski
10-20-04, 12:38 AM
So now I am no longer the only so-called "driver expert" here at OC. Thanks Alex. :laugh:

He may not be completely wrong about Bourdais either. He was just went about it in a rather politically incorrect fashion.

Rockfan
10-21-04, 05:06 PM
It is some time since I have been moved once more to write on a motorsport forum! I was glancing at comments made by those that choose to post here and my eye was attracted to an article on Alex Zanardi.
I have to admit to shock at some of the comments written! I could not believe that someone would make light of an accident that almost cost Alex his life! To make such a comment shows a lack of compassion and a very strange idea of humour. I was sure that those who also write here would experience the same shock as I did at the words but amazingly the post went unheeded…
I cannot believe that anyone actually believes that Alex would write words that did not come from the heart, that he might be paid to write comments in his book. Comments I might add that are very true and not written to be derisive about anyone.
It is a pity that Sebastian does not have the drivers that Alex raced against to show his skills as a driver. It would be a greater achievement to beat some of those drivers than some in the series at the moment. Many might think that Bruno is one of the great drivers but he detracts from becoming a “great” by his constant whining somewhat similar to our own Nigel Mansell in his heyday. Although Nigel did have moments of greatness we cannot forget… The three drivers that Alex mentioned have shown too that they are amongst the good drivers by their achievements….
Returning to Alex, he has shown us all that with courage and perseverance it is possible to return to the sport that was his life before that accident. No one should say anything against a thoroughly nice and decent human being that is Alex Zanardi, He is amongst the most approachable and charitable driver that motorsport has ever had. Someone mentioned that he was shown up in F1, if it seemed he was, then it did so only to those who did not know the real side of F1! The side that gives no time for a driver to get used to a new car, that expects instant results with little or no testing, that constantly provided his team mate with the newest innovative equipment and gave him no words of encouragement throughout the time in the team. This happened also to Michael Andretti, however I do not hear his name mentioned as being shown up! Also DaMatta who, in an uncompetitive car, was given no chance to show he was a good driver. So the comments about Alex apply then to all of those drivers. None of them were shown up, they were mistreated and not given a chance. Only Jacques survived the cruel world of F1 at that time because of his strong character and of course his name. The history surrounding his Father was a good money spinner for the series so he was given every chance to grow and improve.
As for those of you who have rushed and cancelled your order for the Alex autobiography, you are missing an insight into the life of a man who even in the light of adversity is giving to his many fans an opportunity to once more show him that they appreciate him as a Champion and a decent man….

rabbit
10-21-04, 05:09 PM
Thanks Rockfan, that is essentially what I was trying to say with my sarcastic post.

EDIT - Welcome to OffCamber

nrc
10-21-04, 05:48 PM
Some comments are best overlooked, in my view.

But I think Zanardi has sadly mischaracterized the talent in Champ car and more importantly the talent necessary to win a championship in Champ car.

The truth is that there are almost as many competitve drivers from the Zanardi's years in CART still in Champ car as there are in the IRL and the driver is much more a part of the equation than in the IRL.

RichK
10-21-04, 06:32 PM
Rockfan, welcome to OC, great post.


jonovision man, you left out the end of that quote, which changes the context considerably --->

"So I think, at least, from a philosophical point of view, the championship that Tony has won is much more important than the one in Champ Car. You understand what I mean? That does not mean, technically, that it has been harder for Tony to win it in Indycar than maybe for Sebastien in Champ Car, if he wins it. Maybe, it is even more difficult on the other side, but you don't get to know that."

Snowflake
10-21-04, 07:28 PM
It is some time since I have been moved once more to write on a motorsport forum! I was glancing at comments made by those that choose to post here and my eye was attracted to an article on Alex Zanardi.
I have to admit to shock at some of the comments written! I could not believe that someone would make light of an accident that almost cost Alex his life! To make such a comment shows a lack of compassion and a very strange idea of humour. I was sure that those who also write here would experience the same shock as I did at the words but amazingly the post went unheeded…
I cannot believe that anyone actually believes that Alex would write words that did not come from the heart, that he might be paid to write comments in his book. Comments I might add that are very true and not written to be derisive about anyone.
It is a pity that Sebastian does not have the drivers that Alex raced against to show his skills as a driver. It would be a greater achievement to beat some of those drivers than some in the series at the moment. Many might think that Bruno is one of the great drivers but he detracts from becoming a “great” by his constant whining somewhat similar to our own Nigel Mansell in his heyday. Although Nigel did have moments of greatness we cannot forget… The three drivers that Alex mentioned have shown too that they are amongst the good drivers by their achievements….
Returning to Alex, he has shown us all that with courage and perseverance it is possible to return to the sport that was his life before that accident. No one should say anything against a thoroughly nice and decent human being that is Alex Zanardi, He is amongst the most approachable and charitable driver that motorsport has ever had. Someone mentioned that he was shown up in F1, if it seemed he was, then it did so only to those who did not know the real side of F1! The side that gives no time for a driver to get used to a new car, that expects instant results with little or no testing, that constantly provided his team mate with the newest innovative equipment and gave him no words of encouragement throughout the time in the team. This happened also to Michael Andretti, however I do not hear his name mentioned as being shown up! Also DaMatta who, in an uncompetitive car, was given no chance to show he was a good driver. So the comments about Alex apply then to all of those drivers. None of them were shown up, they were mistreated and not given a chance. Only Jacques survived the cruel world of F1 at that time because of his strong character and of course his name. The history surrounding his Father was a good money spinner for the series so he was given every chance to grow and improve.
As for those of you who have rushed and cancelled your order for the Alex autobiography, you are missing an insight into the life of a man who even in the light of adversity is giving to his many fans an opportunity to once more show him that they appreciate him as a Champion and a decent man….

Rockfan, very eloquently written. I could not agree with you more. I too had not been previously moved to post on this forum but I could not believe my eyes when I read some of the comments about Alex Zanardi.

nrc
10-21-04, 07:43 PM
Another thing Alex seems to have forgotten is that Kanaan really only had to beat seven other Honda drivers for the championship.

rabbit
10-21-04, 07:54 PM
Another thing Alex seems to have forgotten is that Kanaan really only had to beat seven other Honda drivers for the championship.
And Bourdais has only had to beat Bruno Junqueira, Patrick Carpentier and Paul Tracy. What's the difference?

Opposite Lock
10-21-04, 08:08 PM
Another theory: Alex has a lot of friends in North America. He is also now hawking a new book in North America. Saying something controversial or provocative can create more "buzz" about the book.

I don't think he'll lose the many buyers who have been looking forward to this release for some time. And by throwing a bone to the gomers, he might even pick up a few more buyers, (at least as long as there are lots of pictures and not too many big words).

Kink
10-21-04, 08:52 PM
It is truly amazing to me to see what the "split" has done in terms of passion for the sport of open wheel racing.
Alex Zanardi is blasted for a comment that he made regarding known names that Bourdais is competing against, versus known names in the irl. (My passion re: the "split won't let me capitalize irl!) If you read in entirety what Zanardi said, he was not demeaning anyone.
It is obvious that most that post here are aware of Alex as a driver, and as a person. Don't let your passion against a series cloud your judgement of an honest speaking, kind, human being.
I am as guilty as anyone of spewing venom because of the great injustice that was done to diminish a world class event, and a world class autoracing series, but please, retract the fangs and embrace a true inspiration and champion - Alex Zanardi

Thanks

nrc
10-21-04, 10:22 PM
And Bourdais has only had to beat Bruno Junqueira, Patrick Carpentier and Paul Tracy. What's the difference?

If you want to look at it from that perspective then Kanaan only had to beat his teammates.

Champ car has already had winners from as many teams (4) as the IRL did all year and it has a half dozen more drivers capable of winning.

nrc
10-21-04, 10:39 PM
It is obvious that most that post here are aware of Alex as a driver, and as a person. Don't let your passion against a series cloud your judgement of an honest speaking, kind, human being.

I agree with you completely about Alex. But that still leaves me completely baffled at how he can believe that Hornish Jr, Scheckter, and Wheldon are more proven than, say, Junquiera, Carpentier, and Tagliani.

Wheel-Nut
10-21-04, 10:45 PM
….
Returning to Alex, he has shown us all that with courage and perseverance it is possible to return to the sport that was his life before that accident. No one should say anything against a thoroughly nice and decent human being that is Alex Zanardi, He is amongst the most approachable and charitable driver that motorsport has ever had.

I couldn't agree with you more.



Someone mentioned that he was shown up in F1, if it seemed he was, then it did so only to those who did not know the real side of F1! The side that gives no time for a driver to get used to a new car, that expects instant results with little or no testing, that constantly provided his team mate with the newest innovative equipment and gave him no words of encouragement throughout the time in the team. This happened also to Michael Andretti, however I do not hear his name mentioned as being shown up! Also DaMatta who, in an uncompetitive car, was given no chance to show he was a good driver. So the comments about Alex apply then to all of those drivers. None of them were shown up, they were mistreated and not given a chance. Only Jacques survived the cruel world of F1 at that time because of his strong character and of course his name. The history surrounding his Father was a good money spinner for the series so he was given every chance to grow and improve.

Your right, I didn't follow F1 during the first stint of Zanardis' career but I did know Michael Andretti didn't do too well in '93. How did Michael Schumacher do in his first year of F1? How did Jacques Villeneuve do in his first year of driving F1. They seemed to have adapted real quick. I know, I know, they were in much better equipment.



As for those of you who have rushed and cancelled your order for the Alex autobiography, you are missing an insight into the life of a man who even in the light of adversity is giving to his many fans an opportunity to once more show him that they appreciate him as a Champion and a decent man….

Don't get me wrong, I think Alex is great, a very likable person and wish him the best for years to come.

rabbit
10-21-04, 11:28 PM
I agree with you completely about Alex. But that still leaves me completely baffled at how he can believe that Hornish Jr, Scheckter, and Wheldon are more proven than, say, Junquiera, Carpentier, and Tagliani.Junquiera hasn't proven squat. You're always one of the first to point out Carpentier's shortcomings. And Tag has, what, one career win?

nrc
10-21-04, 11:40 PM
Junquiera hasn't proven squat. You're always one of the first to point out Carpentier's shortcomings. And Tag has, what, one career win?

They've proven as much as the three I've compared them to.

rabbit
10-21-04, 11:42 PM
They've proven as much as the three I've compared them to.
Then Alex is making a fair comparison, IMHO.

nrc
10-21-04, 11:45 PM
Then Alex is making a fair comparison, IMHO.

How so? The way I read it he's claiming they're more proven than anyone in Champ car besides Tracy and Vasser.

fourrunner
10-21-04, 11:45 PM
I agree with you completely about Alex. But that still leaves me completely baffled at how he can believe that Hornish Jr, Scheckter, and Wheldon are more proven than, say, Junquiera, Carpentier, and Tagliani.

Well said NRC

As much as I respect Alex Zanardi for his sacrifice, If he makes a statement that I believe is not well thought out or is worthy of a challenge, then I think he is fair game...

I have no doubt that Alex is a good & decent & honest man, but that does not make him infalible. If he has an opinion, he should say what it is, but he should also expect challenges.

I find it hard to believe that Alex thinks that the IRL challenges the driver ...
I think that Andretti /Green had the hot hand this year, and If Helio or Dixon or any of the other so called "Better Drivers" over there were in an Andretti/Green car, instead of Kanaan or Manning, They would be taking the trophies instead, and Kanaan would be on the outside looking in!

rabbit
10-21-04, 11:59 PM
How so? The way I read it he's claiming they're more proven than anyone in Champ car besides Tracy and Vasser.Could be, but I'm not about to run out and join the book-burning Alex haters just because he said that.

nrc
10-22-04, 12:08 AM
Could be, but I'm not about to run out and join the book-burning Alex haters just because he said that.

I don't think you have to be a book-burning Alex hater to disagree with something he said.

jonovision_man
10-22-04, 07:17 AM
Rockfan, welcome to OC, great post.


jonovision man, you left out the end of that quote, which changes the context considerably --->


My apologies, I didn't realize there was a next page to the story.

jono

Dr. Corkski
10-22-04, 09:06 AM
Rockfan, welcome to OC, great post.


jonovision man, you left out the end of that quote, which changes the context considerably --->

"So I think, at least, from a philosophical point of view, the championship that Tony has won is much more important than the one in Champ Car. You understand what I mean? That does not mean, technically, that it has been harder for Tony to win it in Indycar than maybe for Sebastien in Champ Car, if he wins it. Maybe, it is even more difficult on the other side, but you don't get to know that."The context never changed, people just wanted to assume the worst because those comments didn't fit the jihad propaganda.

All Zanardi really said was that Kanaan had to beat out more contenders to win the "title" than Bourdais, who only really had 3 other consistent serious challengers, two of whom, propaganda allowing, have been dismissed as non-contenders due to their respective whineritis and inconsistency.

Dr. Corkski
10-22-04, 09:21 AM
I agree with you completely about Alex. But that still leaves me completely baffled at how he can believe that Hornish Jr, Scheckter, and Wheldon are more proven than, say, Junquiera, Carpentier, and Tagliani.Relative to other crapwagon drivers, they are. I disagree with him about the depth of talent itself, but no doubt there were more than 3 crapwagons that challenged for wins on a regular basis. To sum it up, Zanardi thought Kanaan's "title" was tougher because he had to beat out more contenders than Bourdais did, and nothing about Bourdais being in the same talent level as crapwagon also-rans, which for some reason you are hung up on. I am sure he is real sorry that people won't buy his book because he refused to take the uber-high road of judging crapwagons that he never drove.

If I told you that David Besnard is going to do great this weekend because he beat out the likes of Sam Hornish, Robby McGehee, Jon Herb, and Greg LeMond (yes, that Greg LeMond) for a US Ford F2000 Championship, would you take me seriously?

nrc
10-22-04, 11:13 AM
, and nothing about Bourdais being in the same talent level as crapwagon also-rans, which for some reason you are hung up on. I am sure he is real sorry that people won't buy his book because he refused to take the uber-high road of judging crapwagons that he never drove.

I'm not concerned about any of that. I just don't see the logic of saying Bourdais beat unproven competition and then claiming a bunch of unproven drivers in the IRL are "names".

It's really that simple. I'm not calling a Jihad. I'm not calling for book burnings. I'm simply saying that his statement makes no sense.

Dirty Sanchez
10-22-04, 11:26 AM
:saywhat:

I'm sorry but Zanardi was shown up in 1999... by another first year Williams driver, Ralf Schumacher. I believe the final score was 35-0. Don't make excuses for him... he had loads of testing. He just couldn't come to grips with a modern formula 1 car.

I don't really care about the rest of this thread. Zanardi's opinion is not all that relevant... in much the same way that Mansell's opinion about F1 is irrelevant. What former drivers say about current drivers/series is almost all crap, imo. Its never as good or tough or competitve or whatever as when they were driving.

Rockfan
10-23-04, 05:47 PM
I am sorry but that is a very silly thing to say! It is entirely wrong to disregard the word of heroes past. Their views are always relevant. We must, at the very least, respect the views of ex drivers and be open ourselves to the fact that they may just be right... After all they are the people who have been there not us!
Your comments regarding Alex being shown up in 1999 are unfair! You must know that Ralf was being given better equipment, it was reported enough in Autosport at that time! Ralf had after all come from another team and was familiar with the more modern F1 cars. Alex had not driven in F1 for 5 years and as anyone will tell you that is a long time in Formula One!
I can’t deny that it was a bad year for him…a very bad year, but who is to say he would not have turned things around the following year. In other championships a bad year is not treated as a failure but as part of a learning curve. Even though Da Matta was, in the end, unable to show his true potential, at least the Toyota team gave him a chance to turn things around. Surely Alex deserved the same.
People may reply saying that F1 is a tough business and that any driver has to deliver from the word go. That still doesn’t make it fair to not even give someone, and especially a driver of Alex’s talent, a chance to put things right. It is a weakness in the character of F1 that they too quickly dismiss people. The way Alex was treated is not the sign of a tough arena but of an unfair one….and I think your comments are therefore equally unjust.
We all know that Alex is a great driver from his results in the Champ Car series....where drivers have to "drive" their cars!

Dirty Sanchez
10-23-04, 11:40 PM
I will destroy ^this post tomorrow... I'm too busy drinking and laughing right now :laugh:

Ankf00
10-24-04, 12:47 AM
I agree with you completely about Alex. But that still leaves me completely baffled at how he can believe that Hornish Jr, Scheckter, and Wheldon are more proven than, say, Junquiera, Carpentier, and Tagliani.

tag? :rofl: i mean, i root for the guy, but lets leave him out of the examples of the series' top talent :) hehe

jonovision_man
10-24-04, 11:42 AM
Your comments regarding Alex being shown up in 1999 are unfair! You must know that Ralf was being given better equipment, it was reported enough in Autosport at that time! Ralf had after all come from another team and was familiar with the more modern F1 cars. Alex had not driven in F1 for 5 years and as anyone will tell you that is a long time in Formula One!

"Better equipment" - that's funny, I guess that's why he kept running off the circuit and bumping into people. :)

jono

nrc
10-24-04, 01:05 PM
tag? :rofl: i mean, i root for the guy, but lets leave him out of the examples of the series' top talent :) hehe

I didn't say anything about top talent, I said he's as proven as some of the guys Zanardi named.

Dirty Sanchez
10-25-04, 09:57 AM
Sorry... day late on the reply, I was watching racing yesterday.


I am sorry but that is a very silly thing to say! It is entirely wrong to disregard the word of heroes past. Their views are always relevant. We must, at the very least, respect the views of ex drivers and be open ourselves to the fact that they may just be right... After all they are the people who have been there not us!Your opinion. I find that a lot of former drivers' comments on the races/racers of today to be pretty self-serving. This fits into that category, imo. It certainly doesn't display a ummmm... rock-solid knowledge of 2004 Champ Car/IRL driver talent.


Your comments regarding Alex being shown up in 1999 are unfair! You must know that Ralf was being given better equipment, it was reported enough in Autosport at that time! Ralf had after all come from another team and was familiar with the more modern F1 cars. Alex had not driven in F1 for 5 years and as anyone will tell you that is a long time in Formula One!35-0! Only Button's smackdown of Villeneuve last year rates up there as far as the biggest beatdowns in recent F1 history. Please stop making excuses for Alex's failure. I would like some more information about your assertion that Ralf was receiving better equipment. Can you support this claim? It seems odd considering that Alex was the big dollar multi-championship winning recruit that year.

[edit]Lack of reliability does not equate to receiving lesser equipment. I realize that Alex had more reliability issues than Ralf did. It is still possible to analyze their head-to-head performance regardless, however. He did very little to impress Williams. Ralf, on the other hand, went on for 4 more years with the team... and got a biggie payrise as a result of his 1999 season.


I can’t deny that it was a bad year for him…a very bad year, but who is to say he would not have turned things around the following year.Frank Williams is to say. He went as far as to pay Alex not to drive for him in 2000... :shakehead


In other championships a bad year is not treated as a failure but as part of a learning curve. Even though Da Matta was, in the end, unable to show his true potential, at least the Toyota team gave him a chance to turn things around. Surely Alex deserved the same.Yes... Alex deserved the same. Kicked out midseason and replaced. :laugh:

The only reason da Matta stayed on with Toyota was because of the criticism they received after sacking both McNish and Salo after only one year. Truthfully, da Matta had a pretty mediocre first year in a mediocre car... made no impact on anyone within F1... and won't be missed by many people.

Additionally, I have read that Toyota F1 didn't even want da Matta to begin with... that he was basically brought in by Toyota Japan HQ as a thank you for winning Toyota's only Champ Car title.


People may reply saying that F1 is a tough business and that any driver has to deliver from the word go. That still doesn’t make it fair to not even give someone, and especially a driver of Alex’s talent, a chance to put things right. It is a weakness in the character of F1 that they too quickly dismiss people. The way Alex was treated is not the sign of a tough arena but of an unfair one….and I think your comments are therefore equally unjust. We all know that Alex is a great driver from his results in the Champ Car series....where drivers have to "drive" their cars!I think it was a weakness in Alex that prevented him from staying with the team and making things right. IIRC, he went so far as to retrofit his F1 car with steel brakes because he couldn't come to grips with the same/similar technology every other driver on the F1 grid used. Perhaps Williams wasn't the ideal fit... but you can't expect another team to want a driver who's just been beaten 35-0 by Ralf "I crash into everything I see up to that point" Schumacher. Teams want a driver that can drive any piece of crap just as hard and well as they can a race winning car. Alex did not do that in F1.

Alex is a great driver... and his return to the cockpit in saloon cars is truly inspiring... but he was an absolute joke in 1999. He was shown up. Plain and simple.

Snowflake
10-25-04, 04:38 PM
Sorry, but I have to say this. I have been a race fan since long before most of you were even born....unless you are more than 58 years old. The very worst thing about this open-wheel split for me has been the hate spewed forth on these forums toward competitors in the "other" series, especially those who have gone to race in the "other" series because that's where their job opportunities were. If you worked for a company that was in danger of going under and your future was uncertain, then you were offered a position with a competing company, would you stay with the floundering company out of "loyalty?" That was the situation some of these drivers found themselves in. They do not deserve the venom that has been rained down upon them. I find there are almost no drivers left in Champ Car that excite me much and I wish that were not the case. I still watch all their races but no longer plan my weekends around them. We now have three open wheel series to watch. Get over it.

RaceGrrl
10-25-04, 05:00 PM
Sorry, but I have to say this. I have been a race fan since long before most of you were even born....unless you are more than 58 years old. The very worst thing about this open-wheel split for me has been the hate spewed forth on these forums toward competitors in the "other" series, especially those who have gone to race in the "other" series because that's where their job opportunities were. If you worked for a company that was in danger of going under and your future was uncertain, then you were offered a position with a competing company, would you stay with the floundering company out of "loyalty?" That was the situation some of these drivers found themselves in. They do not deserve the venom that has been rained down upon them. I find there are almost no drivers left in Champ Car that excite me much and I wish that were not the case. I still watch all their races but no longer plan my weekends around them. We now have three open wheel series to watch. Get over it.


OffCamber is a forum for CHAMP CAR enthusiasts. If you are a fan of the IRL, good for you, but don't look for a "happy family" attitude from the forum members here. You won't get it.

Snowflake
10-25-04, 05:23 PM
OffCamber is a forum for CHAMP CAR enthusiasts. If you are a fan of the IRL, good for you, but don't look for a "happy family" attitude from the forum members here. You won't get it.

I don't expect to get a "happy family " attitude from any of you. Or to be popular! I am happily a Champ Car fan, an IRL fan, an F-1 fan and even a NASCAR fan. Peace. :)