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DaveL
07-17-05, 05:14 PM
My thoughts:

Great crowd, great venue.

Just call him Justin Earnhardt.

I feel for ya AJ, but ya gotta first finish to finish first.

Seebass is just that good.

RuSport is the new sheriff in town.

Sperificos...why?

Hey, Fabio doesn't crash anymore.

And on the Atlantics scene, our girl wins.

jcollins28
07-17-05, 05:16 PM
You know I have a big man crush on Dinger but damn! Is it just me or does it seem like he can never finish? This dude is like 7-11 he never closes. How many times has he had it in the bag this year to blow it big time with only a few laps left? This guy needs to go see Dr. Phil or somone because he has something wrong in his head. This was just incredibly sad and frustrating.

pchall
07-17-05, 05:17 PM
Even the messy ending was entertaining.

dando
07-17-05, 05:17 PM
You know I have a big man crush on Dinger but damn! Is it just me or does it seem like he can never finish? This dude is like 7-11 he never closes. How many times has he had it in the bag this year to blow it big time with only a few laps left? This guy needs to go see Dr. Phil or somone because he has something wrong in his head. This was just incredibly sad and frustrating.
Like I mentioned in chat, I hope he doesn't have a Herta complex. :(

-Kevin

Dr. Corkski
07-17-05, 05:18 PM
Like I mentioned in chat, I hope he doesn't have a Herta complex. :(

-KevinEspecially since Laguna Seca is not on the calendar anymore. :gomer:

dando
07-17-05, 05:20 PM
Especially since Laguna Seca is not on the calendar anymore. :gomer:
It wasn't just LS, holmes. He was on pole or leading @ MO how many times? :(

-Kevin

Lizzerd
07-17-05, 05:22 PM
Great drive by Wilson before (and after) his brain fade.

Tracy literally driving the wheels off his car, but just not as fast as the RuSport guys.

I felt bad for AJ. That race was his to lose, and he did.

Ranger going out early put a hit in my fantasy team. Heck, I have AJ and Wilson, on there too! Not as good a day as it could have been for me, but I do have SeaBass and Oreo, too, so that's okay.

Great crowd!

I love the track. Very "racy", lots of passing zones, it seems.

Race Director locked my computer twice, and I've never been able to get any of the radio audios to work.

All in all, this was one great race.

pchall
07-17-05, 05:22 PM
It wasn't just LS, holmes. He was on pole or leading @ MO how many times? :(

-Kevin

And Zanardi crushed him again a Long Beach the next season, if memory serves.

AJ must realize that last week and this are still part of his learning curve.

dando
07-17-05, 05:23 PM
PT on Seabass:

"It just seems like he's got a golden horseshoe up his rear end right now."

:rofl:

-Kevin

jcollins28
07-17-05, 05:25 PM
Ranger going out early put a hit in my fantasy team. Heck, I have AJ and Wilson, on there too! Not as good a day as it could have been for me, but I do have SeaBass and Oreo, too, so that's okay.



LOL we have the same team!

Fio1
07-17-05, 05:26 PM
What a GREAT race!

This is what real racing is all about. This makes the made-for-TV BS of the IRL look like dog s****e!

I had a felling AJ was going to make a mistake. He needs a little more experience, and once he gets it he will dominate this series. He is so fast and fun to watch....

I'm glad there was so many people there. I like tracks with a lot of run-offs like this one and Cleveland, it makes people take chances. They should race in Puerto Rico and other airports as well.

Overall: :thumbup: :thumbup: Way Up!

dando
07-17-05, 05:27 PM
And Zanardi crushed him again a Long Beach the next season, if memory serves.

AJ must realize that last week and this are still part of his learning curve.
And Zanardi punted Herta @ Vancouver during his drive from the back to the front.

-Kevin

spinner26
07-17-05, 05:28 PM
Nice crowd, impressed with the racing today. I'm quickly becoming a Justin Wison fan, man he's fast and can make passes. :thumbup:

Too bad for PT, AJ and CdM. :shakehead

dando
07-17-05, 05:28 PM
Attendance adjusted to 90K, and they saw a GREAT race. Also, great to see Gretz there. :cool:

-Kevin

trish
07-17-05, 05:30 PM
Attendance adjusted to 90K, and they saw a GREAT race. Also, great to see Gretz there. :cool:

-Kevin
Is that an upgrade or downgrade?

Lizzerd
07-17-05, 05:33 PM
Is that an upgrade or downgrade?

Said on TV that rather than turning down people at the gate, like they were earlier in the day, they got permission to let 10K more people in. Something like that...

dando
07-17-05, 05:34 PM
Is that an upgrade or downgrade?
80K was mentioned during the race, 90K was mentioned post-race when they said city officials opened the gates for more fans.

-Kevin

trish
07-17-05, 05:34 PM
They were turning people away? :confused:

Lizzerd
07-17-05, 05:37 PM
They were turning people away? :confused:

I'm pretty sure that was mentioned early in the SPEED broadcast.

I'll bet the promoters are making plans as we speak to put in more grandstands next year. :thumbup:

Insomniac
07-17-05, 05:39 PM
Great race! It's a shame for the RuSport boys. The cards fell right for N/H.

What happened to Jimmy? He put the car way off and then when they were getting him going he was right next to the track. Did he keep it running then stall while trying to get back on track? That caution really helped people out.

dando
07-17-05, 06:05 PM
What happened to Jimmy? He put the car way off and then when they were getting him going he was right next to the track. Did he keep it running then stall while trying to get back on track? That caution really helped people out.

Ja, I wondered about that, too. He obviously lid well off the track and was almost on the track when they picked him up. Perhaps the wet conditions from yesterday got him stuck when he stopped for traffic? Pit window opened on lap 26, so I don't know how much it helped unless the RuSport cars would have had to pit earlier like they did for the 2nd stint.

-Kevin

TKGAngel
07-17-05, 06:05 PM
I'm pretty sure that was mentioned early in the SPEED broadcast.

I'll bet the promoters are making plans as we speak to put in more grandstands next year. :thumbup:

Big :thumbup: to Edmonton for promoting the heck out of the race, and another :thumbup: for Champcar for having an excellent product that keeps those fannies in the seats during the race.

I felt horrible for AJ. When the cameras showed him in the pits, it looked like he was having a good therapeutic cry. I don't blame him for not wanting to go on camera for an interview. Wilson showed he's going to be PT Jr. in terms of taking over other drivers.

Also, great moment when the announcers didn't know what PT meant by having a golden horseshoe up his rear end. Did it look like to anyone else like DD and RB were broadcasting from a studio, with footage of the track displayed on a green screen behind them? Something about their on camera moments did not look right.

Rogue Leader
07-17-05, 06:13 PM
TKGAngel... Thats exactly what they do... they are in a trailer with a Blue or Green screen behind them.

My favorite moment was during the pre-race when they had Tracy running out of fuel in Toronto with his "full" audio commentary....

it went something like

beeeeeeeeep fuel beeeeeeeeeeeeep i cant beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep fuel beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep god damn beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

hehehe

RaceGrrl
07-17-05, 06:15 PM
OMG, what a freaking race! LOVE this track.

Heartbreaking loss for AJ, I just hope that he doesn't let this kill his spirit.

Felt really bad for Ranger, his desire to get back on the track even if he was several laps down says alot about his will to win. (Note to PT- it's not good to go off and pout and lose points like you did last week.)

Wilson was fantastic- great fun to watch and I loved it that he didn't just give way to PT- he actually challenged him and stayed in it.

Too bad for CdM and Glock. Glock was looking really good- I'm hoping for a podium for him this year.

I'm happy that Bourdais is leading the points, but it's good that he realized that today's win was just handed to him. I did like that he did a fleur de lis instead of donuts. :D

:thumdown: on Rick Benjamin's TERRIBLE makeup. He looked like he was wearing a little too much lipgloss. It was frightening. :eek:

Sean O'Gorman
07-17-05, 06:23 PM
:thumdown: on Rick Benjamin's TERRIBLE makeup. He looked like he was wearing a little too much lipgloss. It was frightening. :eek:

Yeah that really ruined the race for me too. ;)

My only complaint today was with the announcers talking about a possible penalty for Wilson. That was 100% a racing incident and Glock's fault, the fact that they talked about him potentially being penalized makes it sound like they can't show any aggression out there. Race control obviously made the right call.

fourrunner
07-17-05, 06:23 PM
AJ's turn is coming ... he HAS to Earn It ... Same for Wison ...

When they do Win, it will be because they worked hard & Strived to be the best ... That will Make their NAMES in Racing

These Guys and Ranger and the other young guns are the Future of this series ! Bourdais & Tracy are the present !

Their "Heart" is evident... and they are Vocally supportive of this series ...

It will only be a matter of time !!!

nrc
07-17-05, 06:31 PM
Lotta dittos for the comments here.

AJ will bounce back. It was breath-taking to see him drifting through that same turn a few laps before his impact, but I was afraid it would come to tears. He just needs to learn to back it of just half a notch.

TV production is leaps and bounds above last year, but they need to work on their timing for breaks and learn to dump out of pit lane pieces faster when there's critical action on the track.

jonovision_man
07-17-05, 09:37 PM
AJ's turn is coming ... he HAS to Earn It ... Same for Wison ...


Wasn't Wilson's turn last week? :)

Great race, great crowd. Maybe this is the future for CCWS - go to smaller communities where it means more. Kind of like the Green Bay Packers effect. It's a great sports city, they really support the Oilers and the CFL, and they turned out in droves to support this. Good job E-town. :D

And CCWS didn't disappoint, put on a strong race with entertaining moments through to the end.

I'm pretty stoked, between Toronto last week and a successful new event this week, things could be looking a bit UP for a change. :thumbup:

jono

Dr. Corkski
07-17-05, 09:47 PM
Yeah that really ruined the race for me too. ;)

My only complaint today was with the announcers talking about a possible penalty for Wilson. That was 100% a racing incident and Glock's fault, the fact that they talked about him potentially being penalized makes it sound like they can't show any aggression out there. Race control obviously made the right call.Well it was Douchebag Daly. Expecting professionalism out of him is like expecting a coherent post from Ankf00. :gomer:

fourrunner
07-17-05, 09:49 PM
Well it was Douchebag Daly. Expecting professionalism out of him is like expecting a coherent post from Ankf00. :gomer:

Figures .. they're both Irish!!! ;0;)

Sean O'Gorman
07-17-05, 10:00 PM
Ank is NOT Irish.

Ankf00
07-17-05, 10:07 PM
hey now, alcoholics go to meetings.

jcollins28
07-17-05, 11:01 PM
Figures .. they're both Irish!!! ;0;)


Hey hey you need to calm down with that kind of jibber jabbish!

fourrunner
07-17-05, 11:16 PM
Ank is NOT Irish.

He's NOT Irish ... well knock me over !! ;)

I just figured with the 00's in his screen name !!

Sean O'Gorman
07-17-05, 11:31 PM
Sorry, had to make sure there was 100% clarification that I don't share ANY of my ethnic heritage with him. :D

Ankf00
07-18-05, 12:12 AM
Sorry, had to make sure there was 100% clarification that I don't share ANY of my ethnic heritage with him. :D

you can't count those who exiled you to gomer-trash hell as "heritage" :gomer:

theunions
07-18-05, 12:16 AM
My only complaint today was with the announcers talking about a possible penalty for Wilson. That was 100% a racing incident and Glock's fault, the fact that they talked about him potentially being penalized makes it sound like they can't show any aggression out there. Race control obviously made the right call.

Is that why Jon made no attempt to ask Justin about the incident in his post-race?

Sean O'Gorman
07-18-05, 12:18 AM
I don't know, but I got the feeling that Derek felt convinced that it was Justin's fault. :shakehead

Hard Driver
07-18-05, 12:34 AM
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
That is about it. A very entertaining race.

jonovision_man
07-18-05, 08:03 AM
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=9382


Today's race-day attendance of 78,080 boosted the three-day attendance for the inaugural West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix of Edmonton to 200,052. This makes today's event the highest-attended Champ Car race ever to be held in Canada.

Wowsah. I know they're often a bit generous in their attendance estimates, but my parents were there and said it was just packed (they were GA), so I'm inclined to believe the Sunday number is quite close.

jono

KLang
07-18-05, 09:24 AM
This event was an obvious home run by Champ Car. :thumbup:

Great race, great crowd, decent show on TV.

I had the Race Director commentary as well as T&S up while watching the race. They mentioned in the commentary several times that PT had brushed the wall several times but continued. I don't think that was mentioned on TV.

AJ's comment on Champ Car website:


A.J. Allmendinger
"I just threw it away. I can't say anymore than that right now. The Western Union crew and car were hooked up all weekend and it just shouldn't have ended like this. I'm so sorry to everyone who worked so hard and for all of these fans in Edmonton that had supported me all weekend-even though I'm not Canadian. Seriously, the event was amazing, but I can't describe my feelings right now."


OK AJ, suck it up and move on and learn from the error. I think his performance at San Jose will be telling.

JohnHKart
07-18-05, 09:28 AM
And Zanardi crushed him again a Long Beach the next season, if memory serves.

AJ must realize that last week and this are still part of his learning curve.


Herta+Badyear tires which were crap.

John

cart7
07-18-05, 09:41 AM
No offense to Vancouver, but they could've dumped that race and replaced it with this a long time ago.

Great track, great race and super crowd. This one is an A++! :thumbup:

pchall
07-18-05, 10:24 AM
No offense to Vancouver, but they could've dumped that race and replaced it with this a long time ago.

Great track, great race and super crowd. This one is an A++! :thumbup:

If the organizers in Vancouver were smart, they'd work a new and raceable street course into their redevelopment plans for the Olympic Games. But when have Olympic committees ever been smart? :shakehead

Insomniac
07-18-05, 11:21 AM
Ja, I wondered about that, too. He obviously lid well off the track and was almost on the track when they picked him up. Perhaps the wet conditions from yesterday got him stuck when he stopped for traffic? Pit window opened on lap 26, so I don't know how much it helped unless the RuSport cars would have had to pit earlier like they did for the 2nd stint.

-Kevin

The front runners were opening a pretty good gap and could've stopped under green. That's all I meant. The bunching up and then opening the pits really helps out the guys who fell behind. And with passing being so difficult, a good pit stop could get you a couple positions you never would've had a chance to get before.

Racing Truth
07-18-05, 01:27 PM
You know I have a big man crush on Dinger but damn! Is it just me or does it seem like he can never finish? This dude is like 7-11 he never closes. How many times has he had it in the bag this year to blow it big time with only a few laps left? This guy needs to go see Dr. Phil or somone because he has something wrong in his head. This was just incredibly sad and frustrating.

I think we forget how difficult it can be, at this top level, to win. I've been wondering if he's ready to win. Clearly he's close, but that final step can be daunting.

DaveL has the rest nailed. Thoroughly enjoyed the race.

Also, what we saw in the last 10 laps might be the definition of a team melting down (RuSport). Only Jean Van de Velde could do better.

Racing Truth
07-18-05, 01:27 PM
No offense to Vancouver, but they could've dumped that race and replaced it with this a long time ago.

Great track, great race and super crowd. This one is an A++! :thumbup:

Amen brother!

mueber
07-18-05, 01:46 PM
Great race. Did they every cover a pass that didn't happen during a commercial?

oddlycalm
07-18-05, 04:00 PM
What happened to Jimmy? Or more to the point, why was there no coverage/explanation? I won't belabor the obvious weakness of the announcer team, but a change is needed for next year. Beekus is the only competent announcer we have at the moment. Daley is up to pit duties, but nothing more, and Benjamin and the current pit guy should be calling Hooters races.

Much more on the positive with a great new event. Kudos to Edmonton and everyone involved with the organizing and promotion. Yet another good race with CCWS seeming like it is generally pointed in the right direction these days. We are seeing young drivers with skills, young teams showing pace and officials that are allowing them to to race while limiting FCY to absolute necessity. :thumbup:

oc

Racing Truth
07-18-05, 04:06 PM
^^See, I like Benjamin. Daly, OTOH, well, I'm amazed he hasn't had multiple heart attacks b/c he hyperventilates over everything. :shakehead

dando
07-18-05, 04:10 PM
Great race. Did they every cover a pass that didn't happen during a commercial?
AJ's mistake and subsequent pass by Seabass was during live action, but the cameras were elsewhere @ the time. I think part of that is due to the host broadcaster for the race.

-Kevin

Lizzerd
07-18-05, 10:06 PM
I've said over and over that Daly should be a pit reporter. In the announce duo, he tends to step on too many of Benjamin's lines and seems to try and dominate. Play by play is not why you are there, Mr. Analyst.

rabbit
07-18-05, 10:14 PM
Awesome race. :thumbup: RuSport is quickly becoming my favorite team, and Mutt and Jeff are quickly becoming my favorite drivers. Anyone who thinks Dinger can't finish hasn't been following his career for more than a year. He has finished a lot of races on the top step of the podium and once he gets his mojo back he will become one of the greatest drivers in Champ Car history. :thumbup:

Edit: Oh yeah, and Daly needs to be back in the pits.

Jervis Tetch 1
07-19-05, 01:15 AM
Wotta weekend it was :thumbup:

coolhand
07-19-05, 03:37 AM
RuSport is my new team to hate.

I am not happy with JW pushing Glock around and A.J. is out of controll.

I was pulling for PT that Race, or PKV if they were up front

rabbit
07-19-05, 09:46 AM
RuSport is my new team to hate.

I am not happy with JW pushing Glock around and A.J. is out of controll.
Wilson pressured Glock into a mistake and when Glock made the mistake Wilson tried to take advantage. He did what any real race car driver would have done. Glock pinched Wilson down into the grass and left him no room. That track was plenty wide enough for them to go through the next turn two wide. But Glock wasn't interested in that.

And A.J. looked pretty well in control up until 13 to go. He'll get there.

Insomniac
07-19-05, 10:03 AM
Wilson pressured Glock into a mistake and when Glock made the mistake Wilson tried to take advantage. He did what any real race car driver would have done. Glock pinched Wilson down into the grass and left him no room. That track was plenty wide enough for them to go through the next turn two wide. But Glock wasn't interested in that.

And A.J. looked pretty well in control up until 13 to go. He'll get there.

What about the turn before when he bumped him? I had the race on TiVo, and thought before it recorded I would save it to get screen captures of incidents. Then after the race, I thought, no controvery here and deleted it. Wish I hadn't so I could see if that bump put Glock offline in the first place.

rabbit
07-19-05, 10:21 AM
Yeah, we wouldn't want these guys to race now, would we? :rolleyes:

G.
07-19-05, 10:25 AM
Bring back the street parades!

:gomer:

RaceGrrl
07-19-05, 10:36 AM
RuSport is my new team to hate.

I am not happy with JW pushing Glock around and A.J. is out of controll.



AJ took himself out. He made the mistake and he didn't blame anyone else, unlike things we've seen from PT. Hell, Paul could have finished the Toronto race for points but instead he called it a day. That was just stupid.

The RuSport team has been great fun to watch this year and has added a lot to the drama of the events.

Insomniac
07-19-05, 02:32 PM
Yeah, we wouldn't want these guys to race now, would we? :rolleyes:

I'm not saying that. You said Wilson pressured him into a mistake. You characterized it as a mistake by Glock and JW was just hounding him. I think he used the chrome horn to help him out. I'm not against it, but there's making a mistake and getting pushed out of the way.

Insomniac
07-19-05, 02:34 PM
AJ took himself out. He made the mistake and he didn't blame anyone else, unlike things we've seen from PT. Hell, Paul could have finished the Toronto race for points but instead he called it a day. That was just stupid.

The RuSport team has been great fun to watch this year and has added a lot to the drama of the events.

I think you made a typo. PT should be Bordais. :D

jonovision_man
07-19-05, 02:35 PM
He made the mistake and he didn't blame anyone else, unlike things we've seen from PT. Hell, Paul could have finished the Toronto race for points but instead he called it a day. That was just stupid.


Uhh... you mean when his team ran him out of fuel and he was forced to retire from the lead?

jono

RaceGrrl
07-19-05, 02:40 PM
Uhh... you mean when his team ran him out of fuel and he was forced to retire from the lead?

jono


PT may have been forced to retire from the leading position, but his race day did not have to be over. According to the rules, he COULD have had the car pulled back to the pits and refueled. Instead of doing the smart thing and the best thing for the championship, he gave up.

rabbit
07-19-05, 02:41 PM
PT may have been forced to retire from the leading position, but his race day did not have to be over. According to the rules, he COULD have had the car pulled back to the pits and refueled. Instead of doing the smart thing and the best thing for the championship, he gave up.yep

jonovision_man
07-19-05, 02:51 PM
PT may have been forced to retire from the leading position, but his race day did not have to be over. According to the rules, he COULD have had the car pulled back to the pits and refueled. Instead of doing the smart thing and the best thing for the championship, he gave up.

I was listenning to him on the scanner, and at no time did his team give him that option. In fact he asked if he'd get a tow, I didn't hear what they said back to him, but it was clear he wanted to continue if he could.

So no, I don't believe he thought he could continue, even if you're right and the rules would have allowed it.

jono

KLang
07-19-05, 02:51 PM
PT's fuel bailout was covered during the US Edmonton broadcast as well as this (http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=9366) interview with Tony Cotman. I guess it just shows that PT hasn't mellowed out completely.

jonovision_man
07-19-05, 02:54 PM
PT's fuel bailout was covered during the US Edmonton broadcast as well as this (http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=9366) interview with Tony Cotman. I guess it just shows that PT hasn't mellowed out completely.

You're assuming he knew that was the case.

jono

RaceGrrl
07-19-05, 02:57 PM
I'm assuming that a non-hotheaded driver would wait for someone to tell him what to do instead of assuming that his day was done. :D

jonovision_man
07-19-05, 03:00 PM
I'm assuming that a non-hotheaded driver would wait for someone to tell him what to do instead of assuming that his day was done. :D

His team was too busy arguing with him... he was swearing his head off at them, and they came back on to defend themselves saying "we were supposed to pit this lap, they went yellow, we'd have been fine" blah blah blah.

I can totally see why Forsythe took a strip out of them.

jono

KLang
07-19-05, 03:07 PM
His team was too busy arguing with him... he was swearing his head off at them, and they came back on to defend themselves saying "we were supposed to pit this lap, they went yellow, we'd have been fine" blah blah blah.


I heard that part as well, then took off my headphones to tell those sitting around me what had happened. Didn't hear what came next. I assumed he took off his helmet and got out of the car in disgust.

IIRC, wasn't Micklewright interviewed about this during the Edmonton race? Didn't he say that Paul chose not to continue or something like that?

RaceGrrl
07-19-05, 03:11 PM
IIRC, wasn't Micklewright interviewed about this during the Edmonton race? Didn't he say that Paul chose not to continue or something like that?

Exactly. This is why I said that a more calm driver might have been reasonable. Paul's emotion is what makes him a compelling driver to follow, but it has bitten him in the ass more than once.

pedroskova
07-19-05, 03:16 PM
In the Edmonton interview, Micklewright looked like he was still smarting from the woodshed incident.

Gnam
07-19-05, 03:31 PM
PT may have gotten out of the car, but I didn't see his crew running down pit lane trying to retrieve the car. Mark it down under, Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda.

devilmaster
07-19-05, 03:34 PM
Regardless of the yellow, PT ran out of gas right after pit in. He would have been out of gas going down pit lane, and would probably have lost more time in the pits, anyways. The team ran him dry, yellow or no yellow.

The yellow and the decision to stay out made the problem much much worse.

PT may be a hothead, but after watching the complete look of dejection on AJ's face during his interview in Edmonton, I really can't blame PT for yelling at his crew. Nor can I blame Forsythe for yelling at them too, although I wouldn't have made it so public.

In the end, PT's and AJ's reactions, are one of the reasons why I love racing.

True emotion.

nrc
07-19-05, 04:05 PM
PT may have gotten out of the car, but I didn't see his crew running down pit lane trying to retrieve the car. Mark it down under, Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda.

They're not allowed to retrieve a car that's outside the pit lane. The safety team has to handle that.

pchall
07-19-05, 04:09 PM
PT may have been forced to retire from the leading position, but his race day did not have to be over. According to the rules, he COULD have had the car pulled back to the pits and refueled. Instead of doing the smart thing and the best thing for the championship, he gave up.

Yep, too. A little fit of pique that shows he could have been an F1 nancy boy when he was 20. ;)

Gnam
07-19-05, 04:21 PM
They're not allowed to retrieve a car that's outside the pit lane. The safety team has to handle that.
Okay...then, I didn't see them standing at the Pit Exit Line stretching their arms out trying to reach the car. ;)

Insomniac
07-19-05, 11:44 PM
They're not allowed to retrieve a car that's outside the pit lane. The safety team has to handle that.

According to Tony Cottman they could've:


CC: Due to the pits being closed because of a full course yellow and the field not being packed up, Paul Tracy ran out of fuel and stopped at the end of pit road. If the team would have wheeled the #3 car back to its pitbox, and re-fueled, would he have been given a penalty?

TC: His car could have been wheeled back to his pit box, taken on fuel and resumed. This situation would be no different than if the safety team had to push- start someone on course.

Insomniac
07-19-05, 11:45 PM
Also, you know what, he's the driver. I didn't see anyone telling him to get back in the car after they brought it back to the pit.

Insomniac
07-19-05, 11:48 PM
PT may have been forced to retire from the leading position, but his race day did not have to be over. According to the rules, he COULD have had the car pulled back to the pits and refueled. Instead of doing the smart thing and the best thing for the championship, he gave up.

I think everyone here can agree that the team and PT did a stupid thing not continuing the race to get as many points as possible. However, I don't know if anyone here really knows why they didn't.

nrc
07-20-05, 12:26 AM
According to Tony Cottman they could've: I don't believe the crew would be permitted to retrieve the car from where Tracy stopped. The safety team could have pulled it back to where the pit crew are allowed to go, but Tracy bailed before they could even do that.

Insomniac
07-20-05, 01:58 PM
I don't believe the crew would be permitted to retrieve the car from where Tracy stopped. The safety team could have pulled it back to where the pit crew are allowed to go, but Tracy bailed before they could even do that.

In the end, if I'm not mistaken the pit crew did end up bringing the car back into pit lane. Tony Cottman didn't make it clear wether they could've, but the question asked if they could and he didn't say no. I think this is one of those judgement call situations. PT's box was right there at the end and they were under a FCY. If his pit was down some ways, then maybe they;'d say no, but even then, I've seen them get cars a good bit down or up pit road (but not on track afaik).