Mario gets his IRL liicense

[Railbird]

Indy test tomorrow at 9:00a gct

[chop456]

[i] gct [/B]

:D

Is this for real? Mario Andretti??

[Chief]

Yes. Sixty-three years old for a shakedown.

[pchall]

Let us all hope Kanaan is ready to go from the first day of practice.

Mario is too valuable to motorsports for him to risk all in sustained serious running in those backbreakers.

[RTKar]

You've got to be kidding :shakehead Couldn't get the Miller show until it was too late, what's the racing world coming too?:saywhat:

[DaveL]

It's a good thing the IRL was created to give 63 year olds who have been retired for 10 years a shot at the Brickyard.

Remember kids, the IRL is all about Opportunity.

[pchall]

If Mario gets hurt I'm telling Rumsfeld that Saddam is hiding out in the subbasement of the Speedway Museum.

[Turn7]

That bothers me that a CART BOD member is going to participate in a rival series. I don't agree with this decision if it is true.

[Napoleon]

:saywhat:

[Warlock!]

Originally posted by Turn7
That bothers me that a CART BOD member is going to participate in a rival series. I don't agree with this decision if it is true.
That's no crap! WTF is up wit dat???

Wonder if Pookie spanked 'im for messin around with the RA deal. Was he appointed by Pook to try to massage RA into a new deal?

Warlock!

[Hot Rod Otis]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/indy500/2003-04-22-mario-andretti_x.htm

[rabbit]

Originally posted by Napoleon
:saywhat: bingo

[cart7]

I suppose another way to look at this is, if Mario can get an irl car up to speed at 63 years old, it gives a whole lot of validity to Juans statement about his Grandmother's ability to drive one of those cars. ;)

[RaceChic]

Originally posted by cart7
I suppose another way to look at this is, if Mario can get an irl car up to speed at 63 years old, it gives a whole lot of validity to Juans statement about his Grandmother's ability to drive one of those cars. ;)

This will actually be one of the funniest things that could happen to the IRL!!! :rofl: What bothers me is simply the fact that Wankerdretti is so blinded to the dangers of racing in the IRL and so self-serving that he would consider putting his father at his age behind the wheel of one of those slugs and endanger his safety. :flame: It also afirms to me that Mario Andretti is a real stand-up guy.

But, like you say, cart7, if he can do it at 63 years old, and let's face it, reflexes dull as the years tick by..........then it doesn't look good on the Indy "Retirement" League.:laugh:

And, to repeat what Turn7 said, why is a member of the CART board of directors doing this????:saywhat: :confused: :saywhat:

[skidmarks]

Et tu, Mario?

:saywhat:

I know Mario is an Indy Fan, but please, let the race suffer until Clabber Boy has to ask Pook for a few entries. This PR could be as bad as Cheap and Cpt. LS running the <500.

[Racewriter]

Good grief...:eek: :rolleyes:

Says a lot about the respect that AGR has for the league.

[racer2c]

It'd be a crying shame if dada beat 'snot' for the hallowed drink of the moo-moo juice. How f'n funny would that be?

[skidmarks]

Upon reflection I recall an old friend of mine, former fighter pilot (Sabres in Korea) got into racing to replace that thrill. He was a true car guy and loved cars, racing, speed.

I imagine Mario is VERY much like that, my point is if it had wheels this guy wanted to drive it, no matter what, you could pull a Yugo up and he would ask for a spin.

So for a true racer/car guy could they possibly turn down a chance to rip a car around Indianapolis? Would be like Rosie turning down cold pizza, sure it might be bad, but how bad could it be?

Plus it could be good if Mario is done shaking the car down, climbs out and declares you can't polish a turd.

[racer2c]

Mario returns to Indy, the same Indy that his son has chosen to retire there after (yeah right). I wonder what that cost TG? If that doesn't give a media focus story, what will, Mears, Fitti and some old Unser strapping on a helmet? A ratings bonanza!

[mapguy]

Originally posted by Napoleon
:saywhat:

:saywhat: :saywhat:

[RaceChic]

Originally posted by skidmarks
So for a true racer/car guy could they possibly turn down a chance to rip a car around Indianapolis? Would be like Rosie turning down cold pizza, sure it might be bad, but how bad could it be?

Plus it could be good if Mario is done shaking the car down, climbs out and declares you can't polish a turd.

Just testing the Crapwagon creates irreparable damage. The damage is done. No matter how much of a true racer/car guy Mario is, does he have to step back into a car, and a crapwagon at that after all of these years of retirement?????? Especially after he stepped onto the CART BOD and fought for CART and his belief in the series. He even made it clear to the Wanker son that he didn't agree with him going to the IRL. I know a lot of CART drivers drove the 500 in the years previous to this, but when CART changed the schedule this year to make it very difficult but not completely impossible to drive in the Indy500, he (Chris Pook) said basically, "screw your darn race, we don't need it to have our series"

I don't get it. I have to be honest.....It messes with my head a little with my viewpoint on what kind of guy I thought Mario is. To me, it is kinda like PT going back this year and driving the Indy500....... I'm confused...:confused: :confused: :confused:

This could be good..........and this could be bad.........:shakehead :shakehead

[pchall]

Chill out people.

He's probably just doing this to get a date with Juan's grandmother.

[Don Quixote]

Originally posted by Napoleon
:saywhat:
Couldn't have said it better myself. The spectacle is becoming a freak show at the circus. :saywhat:

[Hot Rod Otis]

Lesssseeee....a 63 year old man, a college girl, a talentless grandson with a famous last name who's in WAY over his head, a couple of no-talent Japanese kamikaze pilots and a crap load of Brazilionaires.:shakehead What a month its gonna be.:laugh: I'm sure glad Tony fixed Indycar racing.

[sundaydriver]

How much money is Boy George paying for this PR stunt?

:shakehead

FWIW, I dont agree with this at all. Mario is a CART BOD and should act accordingly. The IRL is the enemy and giving the enemy aid and compfort is treason in my book. :thumdown:

[cart7]

212 mph in a shake down. :eek: :cool:

[spook]

Originally posted by sundaydriver
How much money is Boy George paying for this PR stunt?

:shakehead

FWIW, I dont agree with this at all. Mario is a CART BOD and should act accordingly. The IRL is the enemy and giving the enemy aid and compfort is treason in my book. :thumdown:

You can't honestly believe that TG could offer ANY amount of money to Mario to get him to do ANYTHING. Mario is not exactly a fan of TG. He's doing this for the sheer pleasure of it, and to help out his kid. Everyone needs to stop making more of it than there is.

[Turn7]

You can't tell me that a member or the BOD for CART should even consider aiding an IRL team, family or not.

Plain and simple, this is not an acceptable action by a board member.

[JoeBob]

Personally, I think Derrick Walker fielding an IRL team for years while serving on the CART Board of Directors is far worse than Mario taking a car out for a test drive.

It isn't like Mario is out there saying, "I'm not sure there will be a CART next year," or "No other series is as competitive as the IRL."

[Turn7]

JoeBob, that is a good point.

[rabbit]

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/7/037961-4177-094.html

Let me get this straight:
He hasn't taken a lap at Indy in nine years...
He's never turned a wheel in a crapwagon...
He hasn't driven any race car since, what, 2000?...
He's 63 years old and a grandfather...
and he just turned a 212 lap in a shakedown?

Like cart7 said, :eek: !

[pchall]

Has Mrio tested the soft walls yet? :saywhat:

[JLMannin]

Indyitis. Paul Newman must have forgot to immunize Mario this year! :D